The Better Conversations Podcast

Ever pulled into the parking lot and scanned for someone's car, secretly hoping they weren't there today? This one's for you. In this episode, I'm walking you through exactly how to de-escalate a confrontation at work without caving to demands or losing yourself in the process. You'll learn why "calm down" never works (and what to say instead), the "popcorn respo...

Marilee Johnson started Bend Soap Company on a farm in Bend, Oregon with a few goats and a mission to help her son's eczema. Today it is a national natural skincare brand. In this episode she shares what it actually took to scale a family business, the mindset shifts, the hard lessons, and why getting clear on your values before you hire anyone changes everything. If you are growing a team and...

Most leaders think they have a pulse on their team. But surface-level check-ins and "how's everyone doing?" questions rarely tell you what's really going on. If you're noticing quiet disengagement, low morale, or a team that seems hesitant to speak up, it's not a people problem. It's a communication gap — and this episode will help you close it. In this episode, I&#39...

If you have an employee who shuts down, pushes back, or just never seems to respond to feedback the way you hope, this episode is for you. Before you can have the conversation, you have to understand why you keep avoiding it. And the answer might surprise you. Most of the time it isn't about them at all. It's about the story you've already decided is true. In this episode we talk about...

Most leaders aren’t struggling to make decisions because they’re incapable. They’re struggling because they treat every decision like a tattoo. Permanent. High stakes. Impossible to undo. In this week’s episode, I’m sharing the simple framework that has completely changed how I think about decision-making as a leader. If you constantly overthink, delay decisions, or feel exhausted by leadership pr...

Your feedback isn’t working… and it might not be for the reason you think. 👀 In this episode, I’m breaking down the 4 biggest feedback mistakes leaders make that keep hard conversations from actually creating change. We’re talking about:✨ Why “my door is always open” is NOT a feedback culture✨ How people-pleasing and softening your feedback creates confusion✨ Why you need a clear intended outc...

If you are a female founder who is hiring your first team and feel suddenly overwhelmed, unqualified, or like you made a mistake, you’re not alone. Most founders don’t struggle because they’re bad leaders, they struggle because they were never taught how to go from doing the work to leading the people doing the work. In this episode, I walk you through 3 simple, practical things every founder need...

Friend, if you've ever hired someone and thought "this isn't quite right" a few weeks in — this episode is for you. Hiring the wrong person isn't just frustrating. It's expensive. And more often than not, it's not actually a hiring problem. It's a clarity problem. In this episode, I'm walking you through a simple framework to help you get clear on WHO you actually need before you post anything, si...

If you’re a founder or leader feeling like everything still runs through you, this episode breaks down the real reason your team isn’t stepping up—and how to fix it without hiring better people or adding more systems. You’ll learn why over-involvement creates dependency, how unclear expectations kill ownership, and how to shift from being the bottleneck to building an empowered, high-performing te...

There is nothing more exhausting than feeling like you have to walk on eggshells with someone on your team. You’re trying to give direction… give feedback… help them grow… and somehow it still feels like everything you say might land wrong. So how do you actually lead well—without overthinking every word or avoiding hard conversations? In this video, I break down:-How to stop walking on eggshells...

1:1 meetings aren’t working? Stop asking “what are you working on” and transform your one-on-one meetings into powerful coaching conversations that build confident, high-performing employees. If your one on one meetings feel like status updates, this video will show you how to turn them into high-impact coaching sessions that actually develop your team. You’ll learn:✔ How to run effective 1:1 meet...

If you're dealing with underperforming employees (especially the ones you might feel are lazy employees), it's easy to fall into a common leadership trap. In this episode, we discuss the way to address the behavior you are observing in a way that actually helps the situation instead of making it worse! If you have been dreading that conversation you need to have with your employee, this ep...

In this episode of The Better Conversations Podcast, leadership coach Kara List talks about one of the hardest things for leaders to say: “I was wrong.”Many leaders believe admitting mistakes will weaken their authority or credibility. But in reality, the opposite is true. When leaders own mistakes, they build trust, accelerate learning, and create psychological safety for their teams. In this epi...

Struggling to take a vacation as a leader? Feeling leadership burnout, over-involved, and like everything runs through you? In this episode, I unpack the leadership belief keeping you stuck—and how empowering your team can finally help you unplug without everything falling apart. If you feel like:You’re cc’d on everythingYou have to approve every decisionYour team can’t move forward without youTak...

How to receive feedback without getting defensive, spiraling, or shutting down — especially as a leader. If you want a strong feedback culture, better workplace communication, and emotionally intelligent leadership, this episode is for you. In this episode, I cover: • Why receiving feedback is harder than giving it • How to ask your team for feedback • The identity trigger, truth trigger, and rela...

Leadership communication skills can make or break trust on your team. In this video, you’ll learn five practical communication skills for leaders who want to stop people pleasing, handle feedback, and lead with clarity and confidence. I share real stories from coaching leaders, simple mindset shifts, and concrete tools you can start using this week—without adding more to your plate. These are the...

Leadership in 2026 doesn’t need more tools — it needs less. In this episode, I walk through  5 things leaders must delete in 2026  to reduce burnout, improve communication, and build healthier workplace cultures. If you’re exhausted from people-pleasing, avoiding conflict, giving all the answers, or waiting to feel confident before leading — this episode will help you simplify your leadership. We...

Leadership conversations in January can prevent burnout, conflict, and hard conversations later in the year. In this video, I break down the 3 leadership conversations every manager should have before setting goals or casting vision. Full description (you can paste below): Most of the hard conversations leaders face in May, June, or July could have been prevented in January. If you’re a leader, ma...

Visionary leadership and day-to-day management don’t have to compete. In this episode, leadership coach Kara List shares how to balance strategy and management without burnout, micromanagement, or living in the weeds. You didn’t sign up for leadership just to manage emails, conflicts, and constant fires—but that’s where many leaders feel stuck. If you’re craving space to think strategically while...

Have you ever ended your workday thinking: “Why does everyone expect their priority to be mine?” “If I just had ONE uninterrupted day to think, everything would be better.” This episode is for leaders who are carrying more than anyone can see. In this video, we talk about the  invisible mental load of leadership —the constant tug-of-war between strategy and execution, big-picture thinking and dail...

These are the four leadership lessons that honestly changed everything for me. If you’ve ever felt unsure in your leadership, struggled with feedback, wished conflict felt less scary, or caught yourself sugarcoating things you know you need to say… you’re not alone. I learned all of these the hard way, and today I’m sharing the lessons I wish I could go back and tell myself 10 years ago. We’re tal...

Most leaders mean well when they say “Thank you for all that you do”… but your team can tell when the gratitude is generic, seasonal, or performative. In this episode of The Better Conversations Podcast , we’re breaking down the kind of gratitude that actually builds culture, increases engagement, strengthens relationships, and improves performance — and the kind that quietly hurts it. You’ll lear...

If you’ve ever thought, “I have a difficult employee,” this episode will change how you see it forever. What if that person isn’t actually the problem — what if your culture and communication systems are? In this episode of The Better Conversations Podcast, Kara shares a refreshing strategy for leaders who are tired of managing behavior and ready to build thriving, accountable teams instead. 👉 Gr...

Leadership, ownership, accountability, leadership mindset, leadership mistakes, self-preservation, how to take responsibility as a leader, blame-shifting in leadership, leadership growthWhen something goes wrong on your team, do you find yourself saying, “I wasn’t there,” or “That wasn’t my fault”?You’re not alone — and this subtle habit could be quietly eroding your credibility, trust, and influe...

Struggling to handle your team’s ‘bad’ ideas without crushing morale? Here’s a simple 3-step approach that keeps them engaged, heard, and motivated—even when you have to say no. Get my best leadership tip sent directly to your email each week: https://www.heykaralist.com/newsletter Transform your 1:1 Meetings with These 7 Questions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-better-conversations-po...