The Path To Leadership

Send us Fan Mail Networking has a reputation problem. Too many of us picture awkward name tags, forced small talk, and that sinking feeling that we’re being sold to. So we brought on someone who’s known across Kansas City for doing the exact opposite: Marc Shaffer, a financial planner and community builder who’s earned a reputation as a true “super connector” by leading with generosity, curiosity,...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most effective leadership strategy isn't tougher accountability, better technology, or another employee engagement initiative? What if it's love? Before you roll your eyes, stay with us. This week on Path to Leadership, Dr. Katie Ervin and Rhonda Jolyean sit down with leadership expert and former executive Mark Mears to challenge one of the biggest misconcept...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever convinced yourself you were in trouble because a meeting got canceled? Assumed a teammate didn't care because they went quiet? Or created an entire worst-case scenario from one small piece of information? You're not alone. In this final episode of our Stories We Tell Ourselves series, Dr. Katie Ervin and Rhonda Jolyean explore how the narratives we create c...

Send us Fan Mail You can’t lead well if you’re constantly guessing what people “meant”. We dig into the assumption trap that shows up in everyday leadership moments and turns normal human behaviour into labels like disengaged, difficult, lazy, or resistant. When we let those stories run the show, we don’t just misread one person, we start building a culture based on suspicion instead of clarity. W...

Send us Fan Mail A single vague email can hijack your whole week, and your brain will swear it’s “just being realistic.” We sit down on a Friday afternoon and get honest about the stories we tell ourselves, where they come from, and why they feel so convincing, especially when we’re leading teams, presenting in high-stakes rooms, or simply trying to get through a busy day. We talk about the subtle...

Send us Fan Mail Your brain is a world-class storyteller, and under stress it becomes a sloppy fact-checker. We’re laying the foundation for our new series on the stories we tell ourselves, the assumptions we default to, and the quiet way those internal narratives shape leadership decisions, workplace relationships, and even our creativity. We talk through moments almost everyone recognizes: rerea...

Send us Fan Mail Imposter syndrome has a sneaky way of showing up right when you are doing the work that matters most: presenting in a big meeting, taking a new role, leading a team through change, or simply being seen. We talk honestly about why that doubt does not automatically mean you are unqualified. Sometimes it is the signal that you are stretching, learning, and building a growth mindset....

Send us Fan Mail You can be talented, prepared, and respected and still hear that inner voice whisper, “Do I belong here?” We get real about imposter syndrome in leadership, why it spikes during busy seasons and big transitions, and how it can distort the way we speak up, set boundaries, and show up for our teams. We unpack why “fake it till you make it” often backfires for leaders who care about...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership gets messy the moment we pretend to be someone we’re not. That’s why we invited evolutionary astrologer Jason Dilts to help us use astrology as a leadership tool, not for fortune telling, but for self awareness, communication, and growth you can actually apply at work. We start with the basics that most people never get beyond: your Sun sign is only one piece. Jason bre...

Send us Fan Mail Your calendar might look full, but your brain might be emptier than you realise. When every “day off” becomes laundry, errands, email catch-up, and prep for Monday, we never truly power down and it shows up everywhere: short patience, fuzzy thinking, reactive leadership, and that feeling of being too tired to make one more decision. We dig into the “French Sunday” concept, the ide...

Send us Fan Mail Saying no can feel like slamming a door, but for most leaders it’s really a fight with belonging, approval, and the fear of missing out. We dig into why our default becomes “yes” even when we’re exhausted, why that split-second decision feels so personal, and how it quietly turns into resentment, inconsistent priorities, and burnout. If you’ve ever looked at your calendar and felt...

Send us Fan Mail AI can write your performance reviews, summarize your meetings, and draft your agenda in seconds. But when you walk into a room and your top performer has gone quiet, two teammates are tense, and everyone is bracing for bad news, no algorithm can do the most important job: make people feel safe, seen, and steady. We break down the AI-proof leadership skills we lean on when the wor...

Send us Fan Mail AI can draft the email, summarize the meeting, and even mimic a friendly voice. What it cannot do is make your team trust you, feel safe, or do brave work when the pressure is on. That’s where leadership gets real, and where the “AI-proof skills” conversation stops being hype and starts being a career advantage. We dig into what the research is signaling about the future of work,...

Send us Fan Mail Generational conflict at work gets blamed on “kids these days” or “out of touch leaders,” but that story is way too small. We sit down to untangle what’s actually happening inside multigenerational teams and why the stereotypes about baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z keep getting repeated even when they don’t fit the real people in front of us. We talk about what truly s...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of leadership advice sounds great and then disappears the moment your calendar gets chaotic. We wanted something sturdier than motivation, so we’re sharing the story behind Dr. Katie Urban’s newest release: 52 Weeks of Leadership, a guided hardcover journal built to turn leadership development into a weekly practice you can actually keep. We talk through what makes the journ...

Send us Fan Mail Some days you sit down to lead and the “right” message just won’t come out, because your body knows it would be a performance. Rhonda records a first-ever solo conversation and makes a real-time pivot into the thing many leaders never name: how to show up when you’re tired, burned out, or simply not feeling it, without slipping into fake positivity. We talk about the cultural habi...

Send us Fan Mail The leadership journey most of us expect is clean, linear, and predictable. The one we actually live is full of detours, wrong turns, awkward lessons, and surprising resets and that’s exactly where the growth happens. For this special 100th episode of The Path to Leadership, I’m going solo to reflect on what I’ve learned from building this podcast, coaching leaders, and watching p...

Send us Fan Mail What if the real performance hack is deceptively simple: give a damn. We sit down with Justin, author of Give a Damn, to unpack a leadership framework that trades fear-based pressure for human-centered excellence—and proves that care and commerce not only coexist, they compound. Justin takes us from sports business and sales rooms to noisy production floors to reveal where culture...

Send us Fan Mail Change doesn’t fail because people are stubborn; it fails because uncertainty flips the brain into threat mode and leaders often respond with more slides instead of more humanity. We dive into the real reasons transformations stall and unpack practical ways to lead people through messy, uncertain shifts with clarity and care. We start by naming the core drivers of motivation—auton...

Send us Fan Mail What if leadership wasn’t something granted by a title but something you practice in small, consistent ways that people can feel? We dive into the difference between authority and influence and share concrete moves that build trust, safety, and momentum even when your job title doesn’t say “manager.” We start with the everyday behaviors that make people want to follow you: integri...

Send us Fan Mail Tired of the same old takes about Gen Z, AI, and “resistance to change”? We open the inbox and tackle the questions leaders whisper about but rarely answer out loud—how to lead when you don’t have all the answers, how to keep teams from turning inward, and how to reinvent without torching your energy. We start by reframing Gen Z at work. Instead of clichés about office hours, we l...

Send us Fan Mail What if the fastest way to raise engagement isn’t another dashboard, but a better-feeling room? We explore the powerful, practical intersection of neuroscience, beauty, and creativity—showing how light, color, sound, space, and story shape trust, focus, and performance before a single word is spoken. Rhonda shares her path from burnout to a creative sabbatical, then connects it to...

Send us Fan Mail Pressure keeps rising while teams feel less heard, less equipped, and less trusted. We tackle that gap head‑on by breaking down why “leadership development” can’t be a checkbox and how real behavior change, measured over months, transforms culture and profit at the same time. Rhonda puts Katie in the hot seat to dig into the origin of Catalyst, the skills gap she saw across organi...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered why a test that “describes you perfectly” can still box you in? We take a candid, practical tour through assessments—what they illuminate, where they mislead, and how to use them to build healthier teams and careers. From CliftonStrengths and Enneagram to Myers‑Briggs, DISC, and Working Genius, we compare personality, behavior, and productivity tools so you can match...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever looked at your winding path and wondered whether it “counts,” this conversation is your green light. We trade birthday cake for straight talk about nonlinear careers, hard-won leadership lessons, and the boundaries that keep purpose intact when the world pushes for more, faster, always. We start with early ambition—the kind that outruns experience—and the moment con...