What does it really take to lead — and to keep going when no one's watching? In this special one-year anniversary episode of Crossroads and Catalysts, host Shenita B. reflects on the unexpected leadership lessons that emerged from a year behind the mic.

Shenita draws a powerful parallel between solo podcasting and the realities of women in leadership — the loneliness, the self-doubt, the full weight of every decision landing on your shoulders. Whether you're a seasoned executive or building your new manager leadership skills, this episode will meet you right where you are.

She shares four hard-earned lessons from year one and unpacks why they're not just personal growth buzzwords. They're core leadership strategies for women navigating pivotal moments in their careers and lives.

The reality is leadership doesn't always look polished from the inside. But it's worth it.

Perfect For:

• Women in leadership who are building something new and wondering if it's working
• New managers developing their leadership skills and learning to trust their voice
• Anyone at a professional crossroads who needs a reminder that starting before you're ready is the strategy
• Leaders who want honest, real-world insight — not just theory

Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss an episode and visit my website to book her for speaking engagements or leave a voicemail with your topic requests.

The Catalyst newsletter

Wanna support the show and show your appreciation? Buy Me A Coffee

What happens when a leader assumes everyone knows what’s expected — but no one actually does?

In this episode of Crossroads and Catalysts, I share a personal story about a meeting that caught me completely off guard.

This conversation is especially important for new managers and emerging leaders who are developing their leadership skills and learning how to lead teams effectively. One of the most overlooked leadership mistakes is failing to set clear expectations — and the consequences can quietly damage morale, confidence, and performance.

If you’re a new manager, team leader, or professional stepping into greater responsibility, this episode will help you strengthen your leadership communication and avoid one of the most common leadership blind spots.

Clear is kind. Clear builds trust. And clear leadership is not optional.

Find value in this episode: Buy Me A Coffee

Stay on task with your leadership goals by signing up for The Catalyst. A weekly newsletter that's brief yet packed with reflection to hone your leadership skills.

Visit my website to contact me or book me for speaking and consulting.

Leadership frameworks for managers and new manager leadership skills don't mean much if your message isn't landing. Leadership for managers starts with one foundational skill that everyone assumes they already have — and almost everyone gets wrong at some point.

Communication. We talk about it constantly, and yet breakdowns still happen in our teams, our meetings, and our everyday interactions. The message was clear. The intent was good. And somehow, it still didn't land the way you meant it to.

In this episode, I take you inside two real-life moments — including one at 30,000 feet — that reveal exactly how communication unravels and what it actually looks like when it's done right. If you've ever walked away from a conversation wondering how things went sideways, this episode will hit close to home.

Because communication isn't just about what you say. It's about who hears it, how they receive it, and whether the right message reached the right person at the right time.

The key to better leadership might not be missing after all — you may just need to know where to look.

Follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss an episode.

Enjoyed this episode? Buy Me A Coffee — link in the show notes.

Get The Catalyst delivered to your inbox for encouragement and thoughtful insights every week.

Leave a voicemail here.

If you're building your new manager leadership skills and looking for career strategies that actually work, this episode is for you. One of the most common leadership frameworks for managers getting started in a new role is to come in projecting authority, having all the answers, and proving you belong — and it backfires every time.

Through two personal stories from my own leadership journey, I break down what it truly means to be taken seriously as a leader — and why earning credibility has everything to do with how well you show up for others and very little to do with how much you know.

Stay connect with The Catalyst

Finding value in this podcast? Buy Me A Coffee

Leave me a voicemail with your feedback here.

New manager leadership skills are put to the test in months 2-3 of your role. In this final episode of the First 90 Days series, I guide women in leadership and all new leaders through the critical transition from observation to ownership. You're 60 days into your new leadership role—and the dysfunction you noticed isn't going away. In this final episode of the First 90 Days series, I reveal how to transition from observation to ownership in months 2-3.

As you approach the three-month mark, it's time to move from watching and documenting to shaping what comes next. We'll tackle the practical realities of leadership for managers: building credibility through early wins, discerning which relationships to invest in deeply, and making tough calls about whether your team has the right people in the right seats.

Perfect for: New managers, directors, and executives in their first 90 days; women in leadership navigating organizational challenges; leaders stepping into roles where they need to establish credibility and drive change quickly.

Want to talk through your new role? Schedule a call. Access my calendar here.

Complete the series: Catch Part 1 and Part 2 for the full first 90 days roadmap.

Enjoying what you're hearing? Buy Me A Coffee

The Catalyst Newsletter

Master month two of your first 90 days as a new leader. This episode delivers career strategies and leadership tactics for assessment, alignment, and turning chaos into clarity. Learn the critical difference between observation and evaluation, why SWOT analysis is an essential tool for analyzing both teams and operational systems, and the right time to share your findings with your boss. Get actionable leadership & career guidance for navigating your critical transition period, plus straightforward frameworks that help new managers avoid analysis paralysis and build confidence through strategic thinking.

Perfect for:

• Women in leadership stepping into new director, manager, or executive roles
• New leaders navigating their first 90 days without structured onboarding support
• Directors and managers overwhelmed by information overload during organizational transitions
• Career-driven professionals seeking practical frameworks to assess teams and operations strategically

Check out my calendar to schedule your personalized leader support session.

Love the content? Buy Me A Coffee

Don't miss the insight and reflection provided through The Catalyst, my weekly newsletter.

New manager leadership skills are critical in your first 90 days—but not in the way you think. This episode explores essential leadership frameworks for managers stepping into their first leadership role or transitioning to a new management position. Learn why listening, learning, and building relationships matter more than making immediate changes, and discover proven strategies for new leaders to establish credibility without alienating their team.

In Part 1 of this 3-part series, I break down the crossroads every new leader faces: the pressure to prove yourself versus the wisdom to pause and observe. Whether you're navigating your first management role or taking on new leadership responsibilities, this episode covers the leadership development fundamentals that set successful managers apart in their first 90 days.

Key Topics:

• Why your first 90 days as a new manager require strategic restraint
• Understanding scope, stakeholders, and relationship dynamics in your new role
• Essential questions to ask your team, peers, and boss during onboarding
• How to build relationship capital that supports long-term leadership success
• Avoiding common mistakes that can derail new managers early

Perfect for first-time managers, experienced leaders in transition, or anyone preparing for a management promotion. Tune in to Part 2 next week for more practical guidance on leading effectively in your new role.

Need support during your first 90 days? Schedule some time to discuss your plan here.

Ep. 49 Leader vs. Contributor Paradox

Enjoyed what you heard and finding it valuable? Show your support and Buy Me A Coffee

The Catalyst is a supplement to the podcast to provide insight during the week directly to your inbox.

Leave a voicemail to share your thoughts or questions.

New manager leadership skills require a fundamental shift—but most leaders struggle to make it. Instead of applying leadership frameworks to guide their teams, they stay buried in the technical work they're most comfortable with. If you're a leader who can't seem to stop being a contributor, this episode reveals why—and what to do about it.

You got promoted because you were excellent at the work. But now that you're leading, you're still doing that work instead of leading others to do it. You tell yourself you're "helping the team" or "maintaining quality," but deep down, you know you're avoiding the harder leadership strategies your role actually requires.

In this episode, we unpack the leadership vs. contributor paradox from the inside out: why capable leaders continue operating as individual contributors, what it costs you and your team when you can't let go, and the one thing you can do today to change it.

Perfect for:

• New managers struggling to delegate because they can do it faster/better themselves
• Leaders who stay in the weeds instead of developing leadership skills for strategic work
• Anyone promoted from contributor to leader who doesn't know how to stop being hands-on
• Mid-level managers realizing their leadership frameworks are actually just "contributor work at scale"
• People ready to learn leadership strategies that move them from doer to leader

Schedule your Personalized Leader Support Session here.

Support the show: Buy Me A Coffee

Get weekly insights delivered to your inbox: The Catalyst

Leave a voicemail

You've been hired to lead, but no one's told you where you're going. You ask about strategy, goals, priorities—and get vague answers or silence. Yet somehow, you're still expected to deliver results, demonstrate initiative, and make the right calls. Sound familiar?

In this episode, we tackle one of leadership's most common but rarely discussed challenges: leading without clear direction. We'll explore why unclear expectations create conflict, the psychological toll of operating in ambiguity, and actionable strategies for moving forward when the path isn't clear.

If you've ever felt like you're flying blind while everyone else seems to know the plan, this episode is for you. You're not incapable—you're navigating a reality most leaders face but few talk about openly.

Perfect for leaders who feel stuck between the expectation to perform and the lack of clear organizational direction. New managers navigating ambiguous roles without adequate onboarding or guidance. Mid-level leaders caught between senior leadership's unclear strategy and their team's need for answers. Anyone who's been told to "figure it out" without being given the context to do so effectively.

Other helpful episodes

Overcoming Leadership Indecision...

Developing A Strategic Mindset

Join other leaders like you and get The Catalyst, a weekly insight-filled and encouraging newsletter to help you on your leadership journey.

Support the show. Buy Me A Coffee

Leave a Voicemail

Ready to move to the next step? Book your 30-minute leader session with me.

You just got your first team. Everyone's telling you to build a "high-performing team"—but what does that actually mean? If your team members are good at their jobs and hit their targets, isn't that enough?

Here's what most new manager leadership skills training won't tell you: a high-performing team isn't just talented individuals doing good work. It's something more—and if you're feeling like something's missing but can't quite name it, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we break down the two elements every high-performing team needs: psychological safety AND accountability. Most new leaders think these are opposites, but they're actually inextricably linked. You can't have one without the other.

You'll learn:

· Why talented individuals don't automatically make a high-performing team

· What happens when you have psychological safety without accountability (and vice versa)

· A practical leadership framework for managers to define what "high-performing" means in YOUR context

· And more

Perfect for new managers, women in leadership, and anyone navigating their first leadership role who wants actionable guidance, not corporate jargon.

This is a follow-up to our psychological safety episode. If you missed it, check it out here: Leader Lesson: Psychological Safety...

Ready to move from a collection of individuals to an actual team? Let's start here.

Other helpful episodes: Want to Be a Leader? Start Here.

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee

Leave me a voicemail with your topic or to share your thoughts.

Get weekly insights via The Catalysts.