How can you be authentic in a way that strengthens your leadership and personal success? Kevin sits down with Jeanne Sparrow to chat about what authenticity truly means, why it matters for leaders, and how you can live it out with courage and confidence. Jeanne explains that being authentic isn't simply about being yourself; it's about knowing yourself deeply, having the bravery to express it, and using it to advance your work and connect with others meaningfully. Kevin and Jeanne explore the relationship between authenticity and confidence, the role of leaders in creating environments where team members feel safe to be themselves, and the transformational power of understanding your value and values.

Listen For

00:00 Introduction: What is authenticity? 02:02 Meet Jeanne Sparrow 03:38 Jeanne’s media career highlights 04:59 How Jeanne’s podcast led to her book 07:09 The “inside knowledge” of broadcasting 08:03 Why this is still a leadership book 08:40 Jeanne’s definition of authenticity 09:46 A powerful example of authenticity at work 12:46 Creating safety for authenticity 13:49 Why "fearless" authenticity matters 16:00 Jeanne’s junior high story 18:00 Her dad’s three truths about authenticity 20:08 The link between identity, value, and service 21:14 What does authenticity sound like? 23:08 Code-switching and being real 24:16 The foundation Live it Tell it Sell it 26:08 Authenticity and confidence 29:18 Clarity as the source of confidence 30:41 Authentic leaders give others permission 31:02 Why authenticity matters at the top 32:17 We don’t have time to be inauthentic 33:34 Jeanne on food, wine, and salsa dancing 33:39 What she’s reading Atomic Habits 35:05 Where to find Jeanne and her book 36:05 Kevin’s final question Now what? 36:45 Wrap-up and next week’s teaser

Jeanne's Story: Jeanne Sparrow is the author of Fearless Authenticity: Lead Better, Sell More, and Speak Sensationally. She is a multi-hyphenate communicator. Her extensive repertoire includes hosting her own daily morning TV talk show for seven years, co-hosting daily radio shows with media giants Steve Harvey, George Wallace, and Doug Banks, and interviewing hundreds of Hollywood heavyweights. She now hosts a weekly radio show on V103, the top-ranked iHeart Radio station in Chicago, and hosts the “Fearless Authenticity with Jeanne Sparrow” podcast on the iHeart Podcast Network. She appears regularly on top-rated Chicago TV stations as a fill-in host and guest. She’s a long-time voiceover artist, doing hundreds of commercials for national brands, and an actor in commercials and on broadcast television, including Fox’s “Empire,” and NBC’s “Chicago Med, and Magnum P.I.” Jeanne has spoken to and consulted for many nonprofit organizations and corporations including: AES, Women in Insurance Leadership, AT&T, Guaranteed Rate, Ravinia, iHeartRadio, and Governors State University. She’s a respected faculty member at Northwestern University, teaching at the graduate level in the School of Communication

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Book Recommendations

• Fearless Authenticity: Lead Better, Sell More, and Speak Sensationally by Jeanne Sparrow 
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

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