The Hard Skills

We often talk about boundary setting and leading with authenticity and integrity as ways to create healthier work cultures. But why? What is the deeper reason behind this and how can leaders, especially those holding marginalized identities, attend to their own inner experiences to ultimately shape a more human-centered world? That's what Laura Phoenix will be sharing this in episode and we ex...

What makes diversity and inclusion—seemingly so simple—also so complicated and difficult to achieve? Truly bringing inclusion to life can sometimes feel quite challenging, especially when there seem to be forces pulling in many directions, and various inherent dilemmas involved in working with and across differences. In this episode, we will explore how to bring inclusion to life and how to unders...

What is a thought leader? And why is is important even when you are happy in your job and have no interest in becoming a social media influencer or starting your own businesses? Do you ever get frustrated by how some people gain visibility and others do not in an organization? In this episode, you will learn 3 reasons why it's a smart idea to promote yourself and share your big ideas, even if...

If you are generally a high performing leader who is generally calm but find yourself struggling to hold back with specific people or triggers, this is the episode for you. In this episode Dr. Brancu responds to a client question, offering us multiple nuanced ways to think about the problem while also offering simle, straightforward solutions. "Emotion regulation" can mean different things...

What does it take to raise up an unserved community and build its economic infrastructure? That's what we will learn in this episode with Dionne McGee.  ABOUT OUR GUEST: Dionne McGee is the Cohort Director of the Eastern North Carolina Entrepreneurial Promise (ENCEP), where she and her team bring diversity and stimulation to the eastern NC economy through a virtual regional incubator for compa...

"I want to make a greater impact but there are only so many hours in a day!" If you have found yourself wondering if you could ever reach your goals with the limited amount of time you have, this is the episode for you. You will learn the Mindset Shifts, Actionable Strategies, Time Management Insights, and Scalable Solutions required to make it happen. This episode applies to both entrepre...

We have put much effort into diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work over the last four years, but the results have been disappointing. Why? What should we be doing differently? Discover why many well-meaning leaders are left scratching their heads as underrepresented talent slips through their fingers, and employees push back against diversity initiatives. In this eye-opening episode, we'...

Listeners will learn how the evolution of the human brain makes us vulnerable to things like emotional manipulation, toxic conflict, misogyny, and dysfunction. Can we re-train our brain to become immune to this manipulation and bring the best out of ourselves and whom we lead? YES! Dr. Dana Ackley will show us how.  WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: We have been experiencing a rise in dangerous and toxic divis...

If you have been wondering if there is a better way to develop an engaged, empowered organizational culture - one where employees feel a sense of ownership and power to make a difference, both internally on their teams and even as far as making a global impact, this is the episode for you.  *** WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: In this episode, you will hear practical examples of how various organizations deve...

In the impact space, there is often pressure to work for free or support every cause. You can easily find yourself having to make tough decisions about which projects to take on. Our guest, Rebekah Miel of Miel Creative, will share practical tips pulling from years of experience about how she has managed these experiences, lessons she has learned the hard way, what she learned about how to avoid t...

Do you get stage-fright, performance anxiety, or tongue tied whenever you need to deliver a presentation, whether on a large stage or even in a meeting? Do you get stage-fright, performance anxiety, or tongue-tied whenever you need to deliver a presentation, whether on a large stage or even in a meeting? Are you so worried about your audience’s reaction that you over-prepare and read from the slid...

What do you do when you are part of a marginalized group trying to make a greater impact but your own community is imploding? This is unfortunately not uncommon in today's public cancel culture and polarized black-and-white society. In this episode, we unpack when it's toxic and when it's simply constructive feedback and how you can handle it.  WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: How do we distinguis...

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: We often talk about self-care at a surface level. We have images of drinking latte's, taking baths, and silent retreats. But that is the full picture of self-care at work and for your leadership. How can you support true wellbeing at work? That's what we'll be delving into in this episode. Well-being at work is more than yoga classes and mental health days. Our dai...

If you are experiencing a conflict on a team or across the organization, today, Andres Peters offers a unique way of looking at understanding and managing change and conflict in organizations. For example, how are quiet quitting and bad job design related? How can we enhance employee engagement and performance, both led by them and led by the leader? You’ll find out this and more on this episode. ...

When we want to make a greater impact in a new leadership role, we know that initial impressions go a long way. It's why so many books have been written on the subject of what to do in the first 90 days of a leadership role. What do we need to know about the systems, policies, and cultural mechanisms that could either help or hurt us as news leaders? That's what we'll be discussing in...

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: Is this the right time for me to invest in executive coaching? Do I need an executive coach? Why or why not? And how do I find a good one that is also right for me and who can help me make a greater impact as a leader? That is what we'll discuss in this episode with guest, Dr. John Reed, author of Pinpointing Excellence. Our guest will share 8 practical indicators that wil...

This episode will be part celebration, part reflection, and part insight. We will be celebrating what we learned from 1 year of hosting a live radio show and podcast, looking back at some of the highlights, and also sharing specific data on a group coaching program that follows the framework that our seasons have been focusing on this past year: Navigating Uncertainty, Developing Leadership Identi...

In work and life, many of us encounter groups with different norms, expectations, and beliefs. As we navigate the workplace, this flexibility can be helpful, except when it causes us to lose touch with our truer selves or deprives us of our deepest connections. We may be so responsive to others that we lose what makes us special. On the other hand, we may protect our identities so fiercely that we...

What is intersectionality, and why does it matter when it comes to leadership development? And how might things like mental health, body autonomy, reproductive health affect our success as leaders and the success of organizations? Intersectional leadership and creating inclusive workplaces require a unique skills set: understanding structural barriers and social justice, promoting mental health, a...

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: What is at the heart of leadership? Are there universal aspects of leadership that have withstood the test of time? Are there things we gain through leadership? Are there things we move lose or let go in order to lead better? Ever wonder what it takes for executive leaders to lead at the highest levels? That’s what we will be delving into today with Jamie Ramsden. In a world t...

We talk a lot about "managing up." Why is it important? What does it look like when it's successful? How can you navigate complex office politics? That’s what we will be delving into on this episode.  In this episode, Roberta Matuson will share her personal experience with what happened to her promising career when she failed to recognize the importance of managing up, and the impact f...

We often talk about people and processes on this show. But in today’s world, technology has added an additional layer of complexity that requires its thoughtful integration into the strategies connecting people and processes. How can we do this in a way that doesn’t add chaos and still supports effectiveness and efficiency? That’s what we will be delving into on this episode.  In this episode, the...

We often think about the many competing responsibilities that we have as leaders. But do we have to take responsibility for them all? Can we instead be responsive? In this episode you will learn the guiding principles of Responsive Leadership. This includes the seven core values and seven essential skills to approach leadership through a stance of being Responsive TO rather than taking Responsibil...

What complex changes are happening in the healthcare sector and how does that affect patient, provider, and organizational success? In this episode we talk with Frank R. Harrison about the rapid post-pandemic changes experienced by hospitals, opportunities and challenges with technologies, including AI, and navigating the labyrinth of the system.  Using New York City as an example, we will look at...

In the face of work and life challenges, there are three distinct possible long-term outcomes including harm, resilience, and growth. In some cases, people can experience positive change because of overcoming challenges and crises, as expressed in the aphorism “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Dr. Ken Nowack will help us understand how resilience and growth occur as a set of personality...