Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Loneliness
“It’s lonely at the top.”
It is a phrase most leaders have heard and many have quietly felt.
Especially for new and emerging leaders, that loneliness can feel heavy. You are the one people come to for answers. You are expected to project confidence and clarity, even when you feel unsure, overwhelmed, or exhausted. You carry confidential information you cannot fully share. You navigate decisions others never see.
Over time, leadership can begin to feel isolating.
But leadership does not have to be lonely.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Aligning Your Inner & Outer Life
Some of the most impactful leaders in our lives do not come with titles, corner offices, or formal authority.
They enter our lives through relationship.
They challenge us, ground us, mirror us, and sometimes even break our hearts before helping us put ourselves back together with more clarity, self-trust, and wholeness.
That truth sat at the center of this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, where I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Brenda Brummond, an intuitive business coach for female entrepreneurs. What unfolded was not just a conversation about leadership, but about evolution, forgiveness, grounding, and the balance between ambition and inner alignment.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Leading People with Personality Types Different Than Yours
One of the most important and most overlooked truths about leadership is this:
your team does not think like you.
And while that realization can feel uncomfortable at first, it is actually one of your greatest opportunities as a leader.
Leadership is not about getting everyone to work the way you do. It is about understanding how they work and creating the conditions for each person to thrive.
In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I explore what it really means to lead different personality types with awareness, empathy, and flexibility, without losing your own leadership identity in the process.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Authenticity Leads to Trust
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I sat down with Cindy Spratt, a holistic nutritionist who supports women in rebuilding peaceful relationships with food, body, and self. Cindy’s story offers a powerful reminder that leadership is not about fitting into a predefined mold. It is about knowing who you are, honoring your values, and creating trust through authenticity.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Find Your Guiding Light
When leadership feels steady, it’s easy to move forward with confidence. But most leaders don’t struggle when things are going well — they struggle when things feel messy, unclear, stressful, or conflicting. When you’re pulled in too many directions, when decisions feel heavier than usual, or when something simply hasn’t gone well in your organization or business.
In those moments, it’s tempting to look for more information. Another article. Another framework. Another opinion.
But what gets leaders through those seasons isn’t more information.
It’s clarity.
It’s alignment.
It’s having a guiding light.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Reframing Failure
In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I explore one of the most important and least discussed realities of leadership: failure. Every leader will experience it. The question is not if it will happen, but how you respond when it does.
Failure does not mean you are a bad leader. It does not define your character, your capability, or your future. What it does offer is an invitation to reflect, learn, and lead with integrity and resilience.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Belief Sparks Possibility
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I spoke with Pam Miller, a Life and Health Transitional Coach whose leadership story perfectly illustrates the transformative power of one person’s belief. Pam shared a defining moment from her twenties. A moment when fear was holding her back, her confidence was shrinking, and she fully intended to say no to an opportunity that terrified her.
But one leader saw something in her she couldn’t yet see in herself. That single moment changed the entire trajectory of her life.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Trusting Yourself as a Leader
In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I dive into one of the most essential, and most underrated, leadership skills you can ever develop: self-trust. Leadership will always include moments where the decision, the responsibility, or the next step ultimately rests on you. And in those moments, the voice you trust matters.
But for many new and emerging leaders, that inner voice is clouded by fear, doubt, overthinking, or the urge to please others. In this episode, I walk through how to recognize and redirect your saboteurs, tune into your intuition, release people-pleasing patterns, and rebuild the confidence to trust yourself again.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Leading with Softness
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I had the joy of speaking with Jodi Gagne, Energy coach, EFT practitioner, and former theater stage manager and wedding planner. Jodi’s career path is anything but linear, and that’s exactly what makes her leadership insights so powerful.
From high-pressure environments where there are no second chances to the deeply introspective world of energy coaching, Jodi’s story teaches us that leadership isn’t just about strength, structure, or decisiveness. It’s also about softness, self-trust, and the courage to explore what’s happening beneath the surface.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: The Power of the Pause
A lot of new leaders feel pressure to have the right answer right away. And a lot of seasoned leaders get into trouble when they succomb to this pressure. In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I explore one of the most underestimated leadership tools out there: the pause.
We live in a world that rewards speed. Fast replies, quick decisions, and constant motion. But some of the best leadership moves come not from rushing forward, but from taking a breath, slowing down, and leading with intention.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Listening to your Body
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I sat down with Joanna Lund-Pops, embodied career and leadership coach, to explore how reconnecting with our bodies can transform the way we lead, make decisions, and sustain our energy — especially in the nonprofit and social impact space.
Joanna helps changemakers move beyond the “do more with less” mindset and instead reclaim the bold, impactful careers and lives they were meant to have. Her insights remind us that great leadership doesn’t come from the head alone — it comes from the whole self.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: The Leader As A Mirror
In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I explore one of the most transformative mindset shifts for any leader...moving from being the fixer to becoming the coach. When you step into leadership, it’s natural to think your role is to have all the answers. But true leadership isn’t about solving every problem. It’s about helping your team discover their own solutions and strength.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Lead Yourself First
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I had the honor of speaking with Chris Kruger — retired U.S. Army infantryman and Black Hawk pilot turned author. Chris spent over two decades in the military, completing multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan before retiring and embarking on a new chapter as a writer and mental health advocate.
His story is one of resilience, self-awareness, and the power of empathetic leadership — both in uniform and beyond it.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Balancing Empathy and High Standards
In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I get into one of the biggest tensions leaders face: balancing empathy with effectiveness. Can you really lead with both heart and high standards? I believe the answer is yes — not only can you, but the best leaders do.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Time is Valuable
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I sat down with Tara Haislip, founder of Grounded Energy 111 and host of the upcoming Burn the Script podcast. Tara’s story is one of reinvention, resilience, and redefining what success really means. From professional dancer to paralegal to health coach and now entrepreneur, her journey reflects what happens when we stop following everyone else’s rules and start creating our own.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Coming Back from Burnout
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I had the joy of talking with Christy Nichol, burnout recovery specialist and former sports therapist. Christy shared her journey of navigating burnout—twice—and how those experiences shaped her passion for helping high-performing professionals and entrepreneurs reclaim their energy, restore balance, and rediscover joy. Her story is a powerful reminder that self-care and authenticity aren’t luxuries in leadership—they’re essentials.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Reframing Feedback
In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I explore one of the most essential—and often most challenging—skills for leaders: feedback. Whether you’re offering it or receiving it, feedback can stir up discomfort, self-doubt, or defensiveness. But when it’s done well, it becomes one of the strongest tools we have for building trust, growth, and connection on our teams.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: The Importance of Company Culture
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, we meet Marianna Kinnee, founder of Might in Motion and Director of Facility Implementation at Vector. Marianna’s career journey—from internships in manufacturing to leadership in the tech startup and supply chain space—illustrates the power of diverse perspectives, intentional mentorship, and data-driven decision-making in shaping modern leadership.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Using Your Emotions As Data
So often, leaders are told: don’t let emotions get in the way,keep it professional,stick to the facts.
But here’s the truth—emotions are facts. They’re physiological, neurological, and deeply tied to how we make decisions, build trust, and experience the world.
In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I shared why emotions aren’t a liability—they’re information. And if you know how to interpret them, you gain a powerful edge in leading yourself and others.
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Building Confidence Through Personal Style
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, Jessica welcomes Robin Fisher, a personal stylist and image coach, to discuss the impact of personal style on confidence and leadership. Robin shares insights from her 16-year career as the CEO and founder of Polished Image and Style, an image consulting and styling firm based in DC. Listeners will learn about the importance of showing up authentically, building a capsule wardrobe, and working within budgets to enhance their professional presence. Robin also offers practical tips for leaders on how to refine their personal style, including the significance of key wardrobe staples and understanding one's personal taste. This episode is filled with valuable advice for anyone looking to elevate their style and confidence in their professional life.