The Rooted Leader - Minisodes for Leaders on the Go

Dr. Colleen Saringer on Suicide Prevention at Work, Blue-Collar Leadership, and Boundaries Trigger Alert: this podcast episode contains the topic of suicide prevention in the workplace. In this episode of the Rooted Leader Podcast’s “Leader Journey” series, the host speaks with Dr. Colleen Saringer , and her company Dr. Colleen Saringer Speaks who describes her mission to address suicide preventio...

From HR Leader to Counseling Student: Christina McLaughlin on Identity Shifts, Balance, and Joy Today, I share my conversation with a new friend, and fellow life-long learner and career counseling enthusiast, Christina McLoughlin . Kathleen welcomes Christina McLaughlin, an Ottawa-based bilingual senior HR leader and consultant ( HR with Christina ) who left her full-time role as head of HR for a...

Suzanne Summers spent her higher education career in highly diverse institutions in Texas, Indiana, and Maryland serving as a faculty member, academic dean, Assistant Vice President for Teaching and Learning, and Chief Academic Officer. Having begun her own college career as a community college transfer student, she is deeply committed to building resilient and thriving communities by expanding ed...

When I started The Rooted Leader Podcast, my eventual hope was to share stories of professionals who were reconsidering what their careers looked like. Most are mid-career, led successful careers that served them and their families well, until they didn’t. And, as I was navigating my own journey away from a 30-year corporate career (one that I was VERY grateful for), I found these stories comforti...

E.J. Reedy on Intentional Gravity: Fellowships, Ecosystem Building, and Nonlinear Careers in Midwest Innovation Kathleen hosts E.J. Reedy, founder and CEO of Intentional Gravity and director of platform at Pace Healthcare Capital, to discuss his nonlinear career and community-building work across Midwest tech and life sciences. E.J. describes himself as a connector focused on creating “resonance”...

In this episode of Leader Journeys, I talk with Amanda Byrd , a former corporate sales executive turned interfaith minister, executive coach, and hospice chaplain. She offers executive coaching and counseling with a spiritual lens. Amanda shares her "non-linear" journey toward a career of more meaning and truth. She shares her experiences, her continued education to lean more into what was driving...

Kathleen Wisemandle interviews Sarah Brown, PhD, as the first guest on The Leader Journeys podcast, sharing how they met through a former community for leaders ready for a new chapter. Sarah, a school psychologist with a PhD and a two-time (soon three-time) author, describes her current threefold work: writing, speaking, and partnering closely with schools to improve outcomes by strengthening syst...

Leading with Empathy and Curiosity: Human-Centered Design for a VUCA WorldKathleen Wisemandle discusses empathy as a core leadership skill and explains how human-centered design thinking—rooted in empathy and curiosity—can be applied beyond product development to process design, leadership, development conversations, and networking. She highlights IDEO and the Kelly brothers’ concept of “creative...

Today's leadership reflection is from Ashley Johnson. Ashley and I worked together on a change initiative when I was consulting with Shambaugh Leadership , and I was so excited to meet her. We both aligned on the idea of navigating change from a human lens. Ashley is the founder of Brightwell Leadership and she helps newly formed leadership teams align and lead together. She's an executive coach w...

ADHD in Women: Strengths, Hormonal Shifts, and Rest for High Performers Kathleen Wisemandle introduces a Rooted Leader minisode on how ADHD often presents differently in women, leading many to go undiagnosed as girls because symptoms are more mental (racing, hyperactive minds) than physically disruptive as often seen in boys. Resources from the January 2024 issue of the leadership newsletter, The...

In this episode of The Rooted Leader podcast, I discuss the “above the line/below the line” framework, drawing on Brené Brown’s work, to help leaders recognize reactive patterns like the victim-hero-villain Drama Triangle and shift into more generative “above the line” thinking. Below the line responses are described as defensive, threat-based reactions (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) linked to an “...

A little bit about the why, and the why now behind The Rooted Leader Podcast. Get full access to The Rooted Leader at aspiretogrow.substack.com/subscribe

Neeta Jain is a leadership advisor and keynote speaker who helps leaders and organizations build high-performing teams by reducing friction, rebuilding trust, and improving the quality of leadership decisions under pressure. Neeta works with organizations through keynotes and workshops, drawing on emotional and moral intelligence as practical frameworks to help teams make better decisions when the...

Resetting Your Compass: The 5 Ps of Purposeful Leadership Kathleen Wisemandle welcomes listeners to a Rooted Leader minisode on pausing autopilot to reflect on what is purposeful. Drawing on Amy Jen Su’s book "The Leader You Want to Be," she highlights common “just” traps and introduces the five Ps—Purpose, Process, People, Presence, and Peace—as internal and external levers for resetting your com...

This is a video about Leading with Compassion over Compliance 00:00 Leading with Compassion over Compliance 02:47 Compassion vs. Compliance 04:49 The Importance of Relationships 05:43 Building PEA 06:42 Showing Up with Compassion 08:18 Three Takeaways 09:46 Reflection: Your Personal Coaching Moment 11:12 Insights and Action 12:13 Resources Adapted from The Root Newsletter: Volume 4, Issue 3: Leadi...

This Episode of The Rooted Leader addresses the Human Side of Change 00:00 The Human Side of Change 01:11 What Qualifies as Change? 03:50 What Problem are We Trying to Solve for? 04:19 The Three Phases of Change 07:51 Leadership Tips 08:30 Three Takeaways 09:05 Reflection 10:16 Resources Adapted from The Root Newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 3: Transition and the Change Curve Questions or ideas please...

Sometimes we meet people on LinkedIn who align with our spirit, and Mark Holden is one of the many I’ve been lucky to connect with. He is a self-proclaimed “Lemonade maker”, and once you listen to his reflection on what courage means to him, I think you’ll know why. I introduce Mark, the leader, advisor, volunteer and dad, and he begins his reflection at 0:50. Enjoy! Get full access to The Rooted...

Stepping into Courage Based on The Root newsletter, March 3, 2025 - Stepping into Courage The Courage Gap: Five Steps to Braver Action by Dr. Margie Warrell Dr. Warrell's Courage Quiz Please send questions to or thoughts for future episodes TheRootedLeaderPodcast@gmail.com or reply within The Rooted Leader Substack 🌿 Get full access to The Rooted Leader at aspiretogrow.substack.com/subscribe

In this micro episode of The Rooted Leader Podcast, Pamela Isom, Award winning CEO and AI/Data Strategy Consultant , shares her recent experience with self-doubt and imposter syndrome as an extension of our Episode 2 on Imposter Syndrome. She shares how closely doubt can be triggered by the past need for people pleasing vs. knowing our own worth and boundaries. Check out Episode 2 on Imposter Synd...

Exploring Imposter Syndrome: Insights and Reflections In this episode of the Rooted Leader Podcast, Kathleen Wisemandle explores the concept of imposter syndrome, tracing its origins and examining its impact on various demographics, particularly women, non-white individuals, and LGBTQIA+ communities. She delves into historical research from 1978 by Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes, as well as...

In our first minisode, we discuss the foundational idea of a Growth Mindset. 🌿Strong leadership is rooted in curiosity and empathy. What do legendary basketball coaches like John Wooden, Phil Jackson, and Dawn Staley, and players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant have in common? They all use growth mindset principles to develop hard work and good habits over innate talent in their teams. They embr...

 We’re all moving at the speed of light in our personal and professional lives, and that’s why I wanted to create the Rooted Leader, minisodes of Leadership Insights for Leaders on the Go. Welcome. I’m Kathleen Wisemandle. I’m a biochemist and former senior leader for 30 years turned organizational psychologist and leadership coach. As a leader and scientist working in the life sciences industry,...