Season 3, Episode 4 

The True Value of Human Skills in Leadership

In an era quickly changing & obsessing over AI tools and automation, this episode emphasizes that our most valuable career asset continues to be fundamentally human.  Claire and Miranda remind us of the human advantage: the leadership skills that no algorithm can replace. From emotional intelligence and empathy to clarity and courage, this conversation is a call to elevate our HI (human intelligence) alongside our AI.

Through stories, frameworks, and practical insights, they explore what it takes to lead smarter, not harder and why future-ready leadership is less about mastering tech and more about mastering yourself and your people.

Whether you’re a leader navigating AI disruption, or someone aspiring to build stronger, more resilient teams, this episode will help you double down on what makes us human.

Key Takeaways

• AI is a tool, not the answer. Leaders must balance speed and efficiency with discernment, clarity, and emotional intelligence.
• Soft skills aren’t soft they are hard and essential. Empathy, feedback, and human judgment are the real competitive edge.
• Clarity is kindness. Clear communication, even when hard truths are involved, builds trust and long-term resilience.
• Empowered teams outperform managed teams. Concepts like “teamship” and walking beside (not above) your people create ownership and better results.
• Slow down to speed up. Great leadership often means pausing, reflecting, and interrogating assumptions before acting.

Key Quotes

• “It always tickles me when we call these humanistic leadership capabilities ‘soft skills.’ If we’re doing them well, they’re anything but soft they’re deliberate, and they’re hard.” Claire
• “Empathy + emotional intelligence + authentic leadership = stronger, more resilient teams.”  Miranda
• “Clarity is kindness. Even when people don’t want to hear the message, honest communication builds trust.” Claire
• “Our role as leaders hasn’t changed: it’s always been to create the conditions for others to excel.” Miranda

Episode Run-Down

• Opening reflections on AI vs HI (human intelligence)
• Why humanistic leadership matters more than ever
• Lessons from Deloitte & Gallup 2025 reports
• Empathy, clarity, and emotional regulation under pressure
• Gen Z’s challenge to traditional management & “conscious un-bossing”
• Real-world leadership lessons from crisis situations
• The “teamship” model and how to empower teams effectively
• How AI should free up time for more human leadership

Action Challenge 

Pick one human leadership skill each week and put it into practice

References & Resources

• Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report 2025
• Gallup State of the Workplace Report 2025
• Essential by Chrissy Smith & Kelly Monaghan
• Forbes 2024 article on Conscious Un-bossing & Gen Z leadership trends
• Winging It by Emma Isaacs
• Teamship model by Keith Ferrazzi
• How to Decide by Annie Duke
• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Tune in now to discover why the future of leadership is still deeply human.

Music created by Claire's daughter Hannah

Season 3, Episode 3

In this episode of Elevate with Grace, Claire and Miranda tackle a topic that’s been buzzing in every inbox, newsfeed, and team meeting: AI. Not from a tech-guru angle, but from a grounded, thoughtful perspective on how it can actually help us live and work better. Whether you’re dabbling, avoiding, or already deep in AI experimentation, this conversation will help you find clarity, confidence and a human-first mindset in this new landscape.

We’re here to explore:

• How AI can be a career multiplier
• Why your human skills are your superpower
• The ethics of using AI intentionally, and what it means to stay in the driver’s seat

Key Takeaways & Quotes

• AI is a mindset shift, expect trial and error, and delayed gratification before the magic happens
• Start with one prompt a day, build AI into your workflow gradually
• Empathy, leadership and critical thinking are more valuable than ever
• You are still the author, AI can support, but never replace, your unique voice
• Ethics matter so know where your data is going and how your outputs reflect your values

“AI can be our co-pilot, but it's not our script writer. We are still the author of our lives.” – Miranda

“AI doesn’t make someone feel truly seen. That’s our edge. That’s our job.” – Claire

“Just because it reduces labour doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.” – Miranda

Run List

00.00 Introduction

02.00 Action Challenge Recap

05.10 AI as a Career Multiplier

15.02 Human Skills are still your superpower

24.00 The ethics of using AI intentionally

30.44 Action Challenge & Closing points

Key Resources Mentioned

• Tools:  ChatGPT, Descript, Canva, Copilot, Notion, Perplexity
• Courses: Allie Miller – AI for Everyone  & Tomer Cohen – AI + Product Thinking (LinkedIn Learning)
• Newsletters: The Rundown AI, The Neuron & Simple AI
• Podcasts:   How I Work by Amantha Imber
• Books & Articles:
  • Competing in the Age of AI by Karim R. Lakhani
  • Forbes: Gen Z and AI
  • HBR: Workplace Loneliness and AI
  • Disney/Universal v Midjourney (AI + IP Law)

Music created by Claire's daughter Hannah

In this episode of Elevate with Grace, we explore how the evolving landscape of Workforce 2.0 demands a fresh take on success, resilience, and wellbeing.

We dive into the power of brave conversations during times of change, the importance of protecting your energy, and how to lead with intention. We talk about tips to seize the opportunities that come with change, and the future 4 framework to help listeners build more balance and clarity into daily life.

You’ll hear why reimagining success goes beyond the job title it includes community engagement, boundaries that serve your wellbeing, and taking small steps that shape a better future.

Key Takeaways:

• Why courageous conversations matter now more than ever
• How to build a “rejection muscle” and grow resilience
• Morning habits that energize your day
• Strategies for leading in today’s dynamic work environments
• The value of hobbies and meaningful community involvement
• Journaling prompts to track progress and fuel clarity

Episode Breakdown:
00:00 –  Introduction
00:46 – Reflecting on Workforce 2.0
02:51 – Personal Growth and Success Redefined
06:54 – The 5:00 AM Club and Daily Routines
08:23 – Embracing Brave Conversations
15:47 – Building Resilience and the Rejection Muscle
26:40 – Leadership in Workplace 2.0
34:32 – Community and Personal Hobbies
40:32 – Closing Reflections & Call to Action

Key References

The 5:00 AM Club, Robin Sharma

Supercommunicator, Charles Duhigg

Fierce Conversations, Susan Scott

The Art of Resilience, Ross Edgley

High Performance Habits, Brendon Burchard

"Future 4" framework focusing on:

• Self (energy, mindset, wellbeing)
• Social (relationships)
• Skills (learning, growth)
• Service (impact, contribution)

The Power of Healthy Relationships at Work, Harvard Business Review.

Brian & Maggie (2025, 2 part tv movie)

Option B, Adam Grant & Sheryl Sandberg

Having a “panic button” gives people psychological safety, increasing confidence to face challenges, even if the button is rarely used.

Key Quotes

“It’s time to be brave.”

“Courage, connection, and communication are key, fundamental pillars as we build out a reimagined future.”

“Stress is a byproduct of our reaction to the situation, not the situation itself.”
 – From The Art of Resilience

“We are equipped with an unyielding spirit. It’s just a matter of what we choose to do with it.”

“Clarity is kindness.”
 – Brene Brown, 

“We don’t have to have every conversation be a duel to the death.”

“Success for me is about what sustains me and brings me joy.”

“Kids shouldn’t have all the fun.”

“Are we the panic button for our team?”
- Adam Grant

“We used to have community. Now we have stuff.”
- Brian and Maggie (2025 film documentary)

Music created by Claire's daughter Hannah

Elevate With Grace: Navigating the New World of Work | Season 3 Launch

Welcome to the first episode of Season 3 of Elevate With Grace! Join Claire and Miranda as they reflect on the journey since 2021, discussing significant changes in the workplace and the evolving concept of success. This episode dives into topics such as the impact of remote work, the importance of mental health, effective leadership, and communication strategies in the modern work environment. Tune in for insights, actionable tips, and a fresh perspective on creating a successful career and life on your own terms. Don’t miss out on their reflections, challenges, and book recommendations tailored to help you thrive in 2025 and beyond.

Season 1 - Summaries

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FmCKbt1vQV-Rx65tWDp-clvTIFRlg6iaLNe8h1aN_xU/edit?usp=sharing

Season 2 - Summaries - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NI8RFXPsLI7bL6y54gAzMU1JEovSmEKhpwThELPlutY/edit?usp=sharing

00:00 Introduction: Welcome to Elevate With Grace

00:26 Reflecting on Past Seasons and Changes

01:19 Exploring Success in 2025 and Beyond

02:00 Adapting to New Work Environments

09:10 The Importance of Effective Communication

22:10 Embracing Change and Finding Balance

31:35 Action Challenge and Conclusion

Music created by Claire's daughter Hannah

Elevate with Grace: Cultivating Success in the New World of Work

Welcome back to Elevate with Grace! In our Season Three intro episode, Miranda and Claire discuss the exciting return of the podcast after three years. We explore the evolving workplace and how embracing change can lead to success in 2025 and beyond. Three key areas of change iclude adopting a quality-over-busyness mindset, moving beyond outdated workplace models, and promoting true equality and balance. 

As you navigate this new world of work, join us for actionable tips, fresh perspectives, and a focus on creating a fulfilling career and life on your own terms. 

Subscribe in your favourite podcast app to stay updated on our latest episodes! 

Music created by Claire's daughter Hannah

The third in our money in focus series, this episode rounds out the conversation we started in Episode 6 with Sallie Krawcheck's Own It and continued last episode (#7) exploring mindset, conditioning and biases.  In our final epsidode in this series we bring to life the tips, hacks and conversation starters to drive you to take regular, sustained action.   

From mapping out your current situation with candles and permission not to judge or whip yourself, through to heavy goal setting and incremental changes to achieve a far bigger goal than possible today.  We also offer conversation starters to ensure we are collectively supporting and lifting each other up and some great articles, social links and thought leaders that don't spin the same old hold the smashed avocado.

This episode will leave you with some great life hacks and thought leadership to take action and master your productivity.  to help set up your next big goal, your super.  Neither Miranda or Claire are qualified in any way to give financial advice of any sort., simply girlfriends having a chat, encouraging you to start a conversations and offer some new reference points to explore.

Action Challenge:
This episode your action challenge is to pick one of the 3 key money tips areas (mindset, ) and really make headway with a dedicated focus that you know will help you elevate your financial prowess in 2022 and offer opportunities to design your life on your terms.

Social/Article references:
The Broke Generation, https://thebrokegeneration.com/blog/2020/10/30/financial-personality-questions-money-mindset/
The Financial Diet & the Financial Confessions Podcast & Socials, https://thefinancialdiet.com/
Budgetista, The Financial Wholeness Quiz (2mins)  https://thebudgetnista.outgrow.us/thebudgetnista-2
Scott Pape, The Barefoot investor Monday newsletter, https://www.barefootinvestor.com/
Financial Gym, https://financialgym.com/blog/2021/2/25/how-to-talk-to-your-friends-about-money

Book References:
Tiffany Aliche, Get Good with Money, https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/GetGoodwMoney
The Latte Factor, https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/LatteFactor
The Financial Diet, https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/financialdiet
Sallie Krawcheck, Own It, https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-own-it
Gary Keller & Jay Papasan, The One Thing, The Surprisingly Simple Truth behind Extraordinary Results https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-theonething
Emma Isaacs, Winging It link: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/ElevateWingingIt
These are affiliate links

We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode - check out our Instagram, LinkedIn or  Website or Email [email protected]

Music created by Claire's daughter Hannah

In this episode Miranda and Claire are here to convince you that conversations about money and finances are fun! How can that be, you ask.  Because having a positive mindset about all things $ is a critical element to unlocking our opportunity to live life on our own terms.

We dive into some of the crazy stats about how much women are stressing about money. We chat about how wonderful it can be to embark on a learning journey to explore our own money mindsets and change them for the better. And why now is the perfect time to supercharge our collective girl power and change the money game in a way that our future selves, and the next generation of women, will love us for it. 
 
Our action challenge this week: To dig deep into our money mindset. Write down the emotions you're feeling around money and any financial goals you've been putting off. Choose one of them to take action on. Set clear timelines on when you will get it done.  Take a least one step towards that goal in the next two weeks.  And, importantly, decide on a reward you will treat yourself to when you've achieved that money goal for yourself.

Article references:
Fidelity Investments, Women Financial Sentiments Survey
Forbes, The Psychology of Money: What You Need To Know To Have A (Relatively) Fearless Financial Life
Marie Claire, The Gender Imbalances That Still Exist in Australia Right Now
Australian Financial Review, New Worries Drive Restless Workers To Look Around

Book References:
Sallie Krawcheck, Own It, https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-own-it
Gary Keller & Jay Papasan, The One Thing, The Surprisingly Simple Truth behind Extraordinary Results https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-theonething
Emma Isaacs, Winging It link: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/ElevateWingingIt
These are affiliate links

We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode - check out our Instagram, LinkedIn or  Website or Email [email protected]

Music created by Claire's daughter Hannah

Sallie Krawcheck's book OWN IT, comes at a terrific juncture in our podcast episodes as her concepts support and build on discussions we have shared around courageous conversations, time & boundaries in earlier episodes and also some of season 1 around women's key strenghs and the value of your WHY, your purpose and owning your power.   

As a financial guru, owner of Ellevest female investing platform and a vetran of wall street Sallie is also the perfect starting point for our next few episodes on money is not a dirty word.

In this episode we share our favourite quotes, concepts and mindset shifts post reading this book.  It is a fun & informative conversation and lots of great ideas to discuss.  Definitely one you will extract great value from your time investment!   

SHOW NOTES
Action Challenge:
1. Highly recommend checking out this book, its an easy & quality read
2. Taking these 6 skills that women have been proven in many studies to bring .  Think about how you can elevate your position at work or on your linkedin profile by encorporating these: 

• Healthy risk awareness
• The ability to see things holistically & thus manage complexity
• Our relationship building skills
• A longer term perspective - which ties nicely into a better way to negotiate 
• A love of learning
• Drive for impact and meaning

Key thougts from Sallie:
Valuable skills + more career options + more information + financial power equals the opportunity to have an impact. A big impact 
We need to stop “empowering” women as the definition of empowering is to give power to and for women to understand and realise the power they already possess
“Networking has been cited as the number one unwritten rule of success in business. Who you know really impacts what you know.”
We are on the fourth wave of feminism and finance will be the power we weild.
Sallie takes a lot of care in her writing to debunk the Myth that: Women need more financial education to invest

Book References:
Sallie Krawcheck, Own It, https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-own-it
 
Other books / book reviews mentioned
Season 1, Episode 5:
Gary Keller & Jay Papasan, The One Thing, The Surprisingly Simple Truth behind Extraordinary Results https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-theonething
Season 1, Episode 9:
Emma Isaacs, Winging It link: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/ElevateWingingIt

These are affiliate links

We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode or the book if/once you have read it - Elevate with Grace check out our Instagram or Website or Email [email protected]

Music created by Claire's daughter Hannah

Ever wished for more time, found yourself sacrificing sleep to fit more into the day.  This is the episode for you.  Part 3 in our Time and Boundaries series we are delving into tips & tools for mastering your time and setting you up for success.

Time is such a hotly discussed, bemoned, and challenging issue right now for so many and it is so, so important for our mental wellbeing that we take back control of our time.   
To recognise our time for the absolute asset that it is and to ensure we are actively owning our time.   

Action Challenge: 

Inspired! We encourage you to jump right in & select one of the time management tools (best to start with one, then come back for another once the first is locked in & working). This should be the one that you think will give you the quick win or add the most value to you and put that into action.  We look forward to hearing how everyone goes with that in our next pod. (We would love to hear your thoughts & how you are going with the challenges - please add your comments here, on Instagram post, DM us or email [email protected])

Show Notes:

Donna McGeorge, The 1 Day Refund https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-one-day-refund 

Laura Vanderkam, 168 hours https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-168hours 

Laura Vanderkam, I know how she does it https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-iknowhowshedoesit 

Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog! https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-eatthatfrog 

Gary Keller & Jay Papasan, The One Thing, The Surprisingly Simple Truth behind Extraordinary Results https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-theonething 

HBR. The Research is Clear: Long Hours Backfire for People and For Companies

Next episode
 Bringing together all of the topics from this season so far - difficult conversations, boundaries + time management & the perfect juncture as we move into topics around our financial pillar is Own It by Sallie Krawcheck.  Look forward to sharing this gem with you & our key takes from this.  

Sallie Krawcheck https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/elevate-own-it 

Music created by Claire's daughter Hannah

Welcome to part 2 of a 3 part series on time & boundaries. 
In episode 3 we explored why boundaries and time management were so important and why NOW is the right time.  In this episode we dig down on our boundaries and start to consider personality traits, and why its important to communicate your boundaries - as cultural, demographic, generational and lived experience backgrounds result in others never really knowing what you need... unless you tell them.

Its a great episode we look forward to you listening to this one & then in our next pod we deep dive on time management tips and tricks.

ACTION CHALLENGE
Our action challenge for this episode is two fold.  

#1 If you didn’t get a chance to track your time for a week to understand where it really goes then this in your time, along with  energy tracking feels important particularly if you are feeling quite burned out, or drained at the end of each day. 

#2 Then it's time to take action - one boundary tool each week for the next few weeks until you are finding more time to work on your vision! 

SHOW NOTES
The Burnout Fix, Jacinta Jimenez
Boundaries, by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/four-in-five-australians-faced-burnout-in-2020/ 

https://www.fastcompany.com/90720956/who-is-responsible-for-protecting-work-life-balance-it-depends-who-you-ask 

Ryan Howes, blog In Therapy https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-to-figure-out-your-boundaries#6 

 Quoted from article: Remember that you’re not harming anyone by saying no, he said. “You haven’t become a boundary violator, just someone who is making a point of taking care of yourself. They’ll get used to it.”

Music created by Claire's daughter Hannah