Inspirational Leadership for People Managers, Executives & HR Leaders

Do you know who you truly are deep inside? Knowing who you are deep inside and your experiences will guide you to your why, and it will stop you from settling with what you think your why is or what other people tempt you to think it is.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Paru Radia about relationship-building with senior decision-makers and owning who you are. Paru is a rare commodity! Most people fall into one camp as either left-brained or right-brained. Paru, however, has always mixed her logical side with her creative side to thrive while navigating challenging environments, whether in the corporate world or as a founder and entrepreneur. Becoming a C-Suite Whisperer® and Execution Ninja was a natural path for Paru as she has a keen understanding of the corporate world, having been both an employee and a consultant.

Listen in to learn how to build interpersonal relationships with senior leaders and develop the confidence to make it about them. You will also learn the importance of highlighting the challenges behind success when inspiring others.

Key Takeaways:

• How to build relationships with senior leaders to get their buy-in before you’re in the room.
• How to develop interpersonal relationships by taking time to analyze others and learning what’s important to them.
• The power of knowing and owning who you are to have the confidence to make it about the other person.

Standout Quotes:

• “The only way you can feel confident in yourself in order to make it about them is owning who you are, but you can’t own who you are until you know who you are.”- Paru Radia [27:56]
• “You won’t know your why until you know who you are deep down inside.”- Paru Radia [31:45]

⇢ Let's connect! I love hearing from my community. Learn more about my programs and services at www.kristenharcourt.com

How strong are your boundaries at work and in your personal life? Setting healthy boundaries is something most people struggle with due to self-limiting beliefs and patterns you can unlearn. To reap the fruits of setting healthy boundaries, you have to get clear about your needs and stay committed to them.

In this solo episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, Kristen discusses the power of learning to set healthy boundaries by getting clear about your needs at work and in life. She explains how self-limiting beliefs such as people pleasing, hyper-achieving, peacemaking, controlling behaviors, avoidant personality, perfectionism, and victim mentality negatively impact setting healthy boundaries.

Listen in to learn the importance of having compassion for yourself when setting boundaries because there are systems set up for you to stay within the unhealthy boundaries.

Key Takeaways:

• How people pleasing negatively impacts setting healthy boundaries.
• How hyper-achieving can impact your relationship with others and your well-being.
• Why being a peacemaker in family and work dynamics can lead to being there for others and not yourself.
• Have compassion for yourself because there are systems set up for you to stay within the unhealthy boundaries.
• Learning how to set boundaries at work from an empowered place without it always being a yes.

Standout Quote:

• “When it comes to boundaries, this is something that’s constantly evolving, shifting, and it is a journey, not a destination.”- Kristen [01:11]
• “The clearer you are on what you’d like commitment to look like, the easier it is to recognize when you’re in alignment and out of alignment because you’re really clear on what that commitment is.”- Kristen [13:00]

⇢ Let's connect! I love hearing from my community. Learn more about my programs and services at www.kristenharcourt.com

When you feel awkward, do you allow it to keep you stuck or to grow? The difference between good and bad awkward is that good awkward allows you to grow when experiencing uncertainty. To start navigating the good awkward, it’s important to understand how you experience it and reframe its role by naming it.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Henna Pryor, a highly sought-after Workplace Performance Expert and an award-winning 2x TEDx and global keynote speaker, virtual presenter, team facilitator, and professional executive coach. Her clients call her their “secret weapon for impossible change,” an honor she wears proudly.She’s also a lifelong learner – she’s been studying human behavior and performance for over 2 decades and loves to bring a fresh energy to business practices and conversations. Her highly anticipated book, Good Awkward, publishes in September and is available for pre-order now.

Listen in to learn the importance of owning awkwardness as an individual and normalizing awkward feelings as a team to create deeper connections. You will also learn how to create intentional moments as a leader to rebuild social skills for the desired communication culture in your organization.

Key Takeaways:

• How to navigate good awkward to grow when experiencing uncertainty.
• The benefits of reframing the role of awkwardness in your life and naming it in those moments.
• How expressing awkwardness implies confidence and authenticity in the workplace.
• The importance of owning awkwardness as an individual and normalizing awkward feelings as a team.

Standout Quotes:

• “Confident people feel awkward just as much if not more than people who don’t describe themselves as confident because to avoid awkwardness implies avoiding uncertainty, which is never happening”- Henna [16:19]
• “When a confident person expresses awkward discomfort, it actually comes across as more confident because their lack of perfection puts other people at ease.”- Henna [16:55]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/HennaPryor

Do you utilize your head, heart, and body as centers of intelligence when showing up as a leader? How do you allow people to show up? Do you create safe spaces where people can evolve despite their traumas?

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Carolyn Swora, a certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, as well as a Trauma-Informed Leadership Consultant. She works with small, medium and large organizations across Canada and the United States on becoming more compassionate, human and empathetic places for members of staff. Carolyn uses the Enneagram Personality System to help clients deepen self- awareness into their behavioral patterns. She has a Master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and has studied Resilience and Workplace Culture Transformation. She has also developed her own transformational leadership development methodologies, which she breaks down in her second book Evolve: The Path to Trauma-Informed Leadership.

Listen in to learn about the three centers of intelligence and the importance of recognizing your dominant one as a leader. You will also learn about three types of traumas and how to be trauma-informed as a leader.

Key Takeaways:

• The head, heart, and body centers of intelligence and how to recognize your dominant one.
• How to be a trauma-informed leader by recognizing how to create a safe space for people to evolve.
• How to invest in self-awareness, self-regulation, and co-regulation practices to become an intentional leader.
• How to embody your imperfections to allow authenticity to show up and be in a space of receiving.

Standout Quotes:

• “When we talk about being trauma-informed, it’s about being mindful of your own actions, how you’re showing up, and creating a space for others to be able to show up so they feel seen, heard, and valued.”- Carolyn [17:36]
• “Our intention is always going to be different than our desired impact.”- Carolyn [26:08]
• “The more power and privilege you have (positional or not), the more accountability you have to close this gap and welcome people into the discussion, an understanding, or sharing so that both experiences can be valued.”- Carolyn [30:55]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/PodcastCarolynSwora

It’s been over two years now since I stopped drinking alcohol, and I’m loving it and don’t miss it at all! Are you, like me, curious about your relationship with alcohol, or are you recognizing how your unconscious choices are stopping you from showing up as the best version of yourself?

In this solo episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I share what inspired me to quit alcohol, how I navigated the journey, and the lessons I’ve learned so far. I also explain the never-ending benefits of quitting alcohol and how you can approach this journey.

Listen in to learn why you need to ask yourself questions about the role of numbing habits in your life and how your life and purpose can change if you chose to quit.

Key Takeaways:

• How not experiencing hangovers can shift your life and how you relate to others.
• How quitting a numbing habit can enable you to build healthier habits and stay committed.
• How you get curious and notice things about yourself when you quit numbing habits.
• How changing your relationship with alcohol will enable you to feel a deeper connection with yourself and others and show up for your purpose.
• How your unconscious choices stop you from being who you want to be and where you want to be in this world.

Standout Quotes:

• “This is an invitation to be able to take a step back and ask yourself some questions and see if there are some new conscious choices you might want to make or an opportunity to perhaps shift your current relationship.”- Kristen [20:32]
• “It’s about recognizing where you might be making some unconscious choices that are not serving you and not getting you to where you want to be and who you want to be in the world.”- Kristen [22:42]

⇢ Let's connect! I love hearing from my community. Learn more about my programs and services at www.kristenharcourt.com

What steps are you taking to build your emotional intelligence and mindfulness as a leader? An inspirational and mindful leader is aware of their own feelings and their teams’ feelings and how they impact their effectiveness. To become this leader, you must intentionally build your relationships by being accountable and leading with compassion.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Marc Lesser, a CEO, executive coach, and Zen teacher known for his engaging, experiential presentations that integrate mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices and training. Before his business and coaching career, Marc was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for ten years, and director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center, the first Zen monastery in the Western world. He helped develop the world-renowned Search Inside Yourself program within Google – a mindfulness-based emotional intelligence training for leaders which teaches the art of integrating mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and business savvy for creating great corporate cultures and a better world.

Listen in to learn how to become a better leader by building trust and connection with your team to make it easier to have difficult conversations. You will also learn the importance of bringing awareness and curiosity to your feelings and other people’s feelings to become better at solving conflict.

Key Takeaways:

• How to start appreciating your sacredness to become a better human and leader.
• How to understand other people’s perspectives and our shared humanity with the 3-minute listening exercise.
• How to build trust and connection with your team to make it easier to have difficult conversations.
• How to become more aware of your patterns with conflict to notice when you overreact or underreact.
• How to create psychological safety in the workplace by bringing your vulnerability.

Standout Quotes:

• “It takes some looking inward and some stopping in order to become aware of those beliefs we have beneath the surface.”- Marc [12:08]
• “Beginning an advanced lesson in working with conflict is separating the impact that someone’s words or actions have on us and being curious about their motivation or intention.”- Marc [25:51]

Did you attend this year’s Workhuman conference? If yes, what was your experience, and what were your major takeaways? With many speakers and topics ranging from DEIB to pivoting to workplace relationships, Workhuman Live was inspiring, thought-provoking and empowering.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Jackye Clayton and Katee Van Horn. They’re two diversity, equity, & inclusion peeps who love both what they have in common and what makes them different. During the day, they use their superpowers to block bias and end systemic racism within companies and create equitable places to work. They launched the Inclusive AF Podcast in 2020, which is a place where you get to hear real, authentic, and sometimes tough discussions on issues that are important to various communities.

Listen in to learn the power of being a professional troublemaker who advocates for others by asking tough questions and speaking up. You will also learn how giving the right energy and interactions can improve innovation in the workplace.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of being constantly ready for change in the workforce and in your career.
• How to advocate by asking tough questions and speaking up to give others the space to do the same.
• The importance of relational intelligence and energy in creating an innovation-driven and better workplace.
• The need to develop human skills that allow you to gauge what people need and how to best help them.
• How to maintain individual authenticity in the workplace while still encouraging innovation.

Standout Quotes:

• “Change management isn’t something outside of your natural day job; change is just something that is always constant and happening.”- Katee Van Horn [04:10]
• “Being the professional troublemaker is about you being part of the change; it’s about you being the change you want to see in the world.”- Kristen [20:06]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/Workhumanpodcast

Who do you want to be as a leader, and how do you want to engage with your team? Conscious leadership is about recognizing your below-the-line thinking and habits and creating new habits that allow you to lead from above-the-line and teach your team members the same patterns.

In this solo episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I discuss the critical role of conscious leadership in creating high-performing teams and organizations. Conscious leadership is about showing up in the world from a place of responding instead of from a place of reactivity.

Listen in to learn the difference between the below-the-line victim mentality and the above-the line creator mentality and how to develop the latter.

Key Takeaways:

• The seriousness of below-the-line versus the playfulness of above-the-line leadership.
• How leading above the line gives you the ability to notice patterns and create new habits.
• The learning and growth that occur when you engage in healthy communication with others.
• How to commit to creating new habits that lead to deeper relationships and creative problem-solving with conscious leadership.

Standout Quotes:

“Conscious leadership is the process by which a leader becomes radically responsible, self-aware, and focuses on building a culture of “we” rather than a culture of “me.”- Kristen [00:47]

“The more you can neutrally non-judgmentally notice what you’re feeling, the more you can give space for that.”- Kristen [12:23]

⇢ Let's connect! I love hearing from my community. Learn more about my programs and services at www.kristenharcourt.com

What can you do to look differently at what leadership means? In today’s world, leadership is more than meeting the bottom line results or operations; it’s about keeping the pipeline of engaged talented individuals who will continue to expand and evolve the organization. Effective leadership is also the ability to support and accept support from your team without feeling the need to be part of every task.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Sabine Gedeon, the Founder of Gedeon Enterprises, an advisory and professional development firm focused on supporting organizations and leaders in transforming how they lead and approach talent strategy & development. In 2021, Sabine launched SHELeads Network, a professional development and training community for women leaders, in response to the overwhelming changes in society, calling on more women to take the lead in their homes, communities, companies, and businesses.

Listen in to learn how to effectively advocate for yourself as a leader by embracing coaching and guidance from your team. You will also learn how to build a network of supporters and your brand to strategically grow your career.

Key Takeaways:

• How to shift your mindset and not let fear stop you from taking the risk to pivot your career.
• How to align with what’s important for you as a leader to allow effective support from your team.
• Develop the confidence to advocate for yourself and ask for help so you can lead effectively.
• The importance of having a success circle to advocate and guide your career growth.

Standout Quotes:

• “Start to think about how you’re spending your time, what you’re doing, and how you’re developing your team and find the thing that’s true for you to help you overcome the need to be part of it.”- Sabine [25:52]
• “You have to fill your cup with whatever it is you need to be and feel whole in order for you to be effective in pouring that out.”- Sabine [27:04]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/SabineGedeon

What does the voice in your head tell you throughout your day? Is it positive and empowering or negative and critical? That inner critic was created through years of conditioning and is self-sabotaging and disempowering.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I discuss how to practice self-compassion to get rid of the negative voice in your head. I explain how to get curious and aware of that voice, ask yourself the right questions, and shift the way you speak to yourself.

Listen in to learn how practicing self-compassion allows you to prioritize self-care and achieve your goals and targets.

Key Takeaways:

• How to become aware of the negative voice within and shift the way you talk to yourself.
• How practicing self-compassion allows you to prioritize taking better care of yourself.
• How to use journaling to get curious and introspective about your negative patterns and create new patterns.
• How self-compassion gives you a sense of fulfillment and acceptance as you are.

Standout Quotes:

• “If you’re going to have more self-compassion, that also has to manifest in you taking care of yourself in terms of your mind, body, and soul.”- Kristen [06:20]
• “You start to be able to build your self-compassion when you create more space and stillness to reconnect with yourself.”- Kristen [07:21]

⇢ Let's connect! I love hearing from my community. Learn more about my programs and services at www.kristenharcourt.com