Got Your SiX: Battle-Tested Leadership for Business and Life with Dr. Traci Eisenberg-Rayburn

Leadership legacy is rarely built in the room you think it is, and in this solo episode of Got Your SiX, Dr. Traci Eisenberg-Rayburn makes the case for why the most important thing a leader ever does is often something they never get to see.

If you have ever wondered whether your guidance actually landed, this episode names the quiet, unmeasured moments that shape people long after you have left the room. Dr. Traci calls it the ripple, the influence that moves outward without a spotlight, a thank you, or a report back to you.

Dr. Traci Eisenberg-Rayburn, retired US Army officer, founder of E&R Business Consulting, and creator of the Battle-Tested Leadership™ framework, shares the story of one honest conversation with a frightened military family that shifted their fear into pride, and eventually led all three of their children into service.

You will walk away with a new way to recognize the footprint you have already left on someone, and permission to lead that kind of legacy on purpose instead of by accident. Press play, then go find your own ripple.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The true measure of leadership legacy is often something you never witness or get credit for, according to Dr. Traci Eisenberg-Rayburn's Battle-Tested Leadership philosophy on quiet influence.
• How one honest, unscripted conversation with a fearful military family changed the trajectory of three adult children's lives and careers of service.
• What "the ripple effect" means in leadership, and why even the strongest leaders forget most of the good they have done for other people.
• How to recognize the footprint you have already left on someone's life, even when they never circle back to thank you for it.
• Why leading with intention, not accident, is the real difference between a footprint and a legacy.
• How servant leadership and quiet mentorship create influence that outlasts titles, promotions, and anything written on paper.
• Why sitting with your own leadership impact should come from responsibility, not ego, and how that shift changes what you do next.

We talk about:

00:00 Introduction to leading an unseen legacy

00:43 The question every leader should ask themselves

01:46 Meet Dr. Traci Eisenberg-Rayburn and Battle-Tested Leadership

04:09 What is the ripple effect in leadership

05:40 The military family who almost said no to service

07:26 Why fear turned into a wall between parent and child

08:39 How three children found their own path of service

10:44 The strength of leading many carries through others

12:23 How do you know if you are leaving a footprint or a legacy

13:41 Why leading with intention matters more as you grow

14:36 Book a collaborative call with Dr. Traci

15:45 Final thoughts on leaving a legacy together

Resources:

• Traci is offering one free month inside one of her three membership communities for listeners of this episode. To claim it, schedule a free 20-minute call using the link in the show notes and include one takeaway from this conversation when you book. This is not a sales call. It is simply to make sure you land in the right group for where you are right now: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/book-a-discovery-call
• Battle-Tested Leadership Action Plan: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

Connect with me

• Leadership Call: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/coaching/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-traci-55410868/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTraciER/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraci_battletested/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotyoursixpodcast/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erbusinessconsulting
• Website: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/
• Email: [email protected]

#LeadershipLegacy #RippleEffect #ServantLeadership #MilitaryLeadership #VeteranLeader #LeadershipCoach #LeadershipMentorship #LeadershipImpact #LeadWithPurpose #BattleTestedLeadership #WomenInLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #MentorshipMatters #LeadershipFootprint #LeadYourself #GotYourSiX

Self-awareness in leadership starts with recognizing that every decision a leader makes is filtered through perception long before it reaches communication or action.

If you've ever walked away from a conversation certain you were right, only to learn someone else experienced it completely differently, the gap wasn't the facts. It was perception, conditioning, and the story you've been telling yourself since childhood.

In this episode, Dr. Traci Eisenberg-Rayburn, retired US Army officer and creator of Battle-Tested Leadership™, sits down with Pratiqk Jaani, author of Dhrasti! The Perception and a rapid transformational therapist, to unpack how childhood conditioning quietly shapes leadership, decision-making, and fulfillment.

You'll walk away with a clear distinction between operating from lack versus operating from wholeness, and one question to ask before your next difficult conversation.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why every leadership decision begins with perception, not communication, and what happens when that perception is flawed
• How childhood conditioning creates the "programmed self" that quietly runs most adult decision-making without our awareness
• The difference between chasing external success and operating from a state of internal wholeness, and why the first rarely delivers lasting fulfillment
• A practical first step for recognizing when you're reacting from an old belief instead of the present moment
• Why pursuing excellence and chasing a fear-driven expectation can look identical from the outside, and how to tell them apart
• The one question Pratiqk Jaani recommends asking yourself before any difficult conversation

We talk about:

00:00 Why every leadership decision starts with perception

02:47 Dr. Traci introduces Battle-Tested Leadership and today's guest

04:56 Pratiqk Jaani's path from accountancy to inner work

06:36 The health scare that changed how Pratiqk saw his own life

09:00 What conditioning really is and where it comes from

13:46 What is the difference between wholeness and lack

15:00 How childhood beliefs shape leadership without our awareness

18:29 The first step to recognizing you're reacting from an old belief

21:00 What is the difference between excellence and fear-driven expectation

36:00 Why success often doesn't feel the way leaders expect it to

41:00 The one question to ask before your next difficult conversation

Resources:

• Traci is offering one free month inside one of her three membership communities for listeners of this episode. To claim it, schedule a free 20-minute call using the link in the show notes and include one takeaway from this conversation when you book. This is not a sales call. It is simply to make sure you land in the right group for where you are right now: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/book-a-discovery-call
• Battle-Tested Leadership Action Plan: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

Connect with Pratiqk

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janipratikk
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhrastipratiqkjaani
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pratiqkjaani/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PratiqkJaani
• Website: https://www.pratiqkjaani.com/

Connect with me

• Leadership Call: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/coaching/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-traci-55410868/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTraciER/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraci_battletested/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotyoursixpodcast/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erbusinessconsulting
• Website: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/
• Email: [email protected]

#Leadership #SelfAwareness #BattleTestedLeadership #InnerWork #LeadershipPodcast #PersonalGrowth #Mindset #EmotionalIntelligence #LeadershipDevelopment #Conditioning #ChildhoodConditioning #AuthenticLeadership #LeadYourself #LeadershipCoaching #GotYourSix

Relational leadership means building trust and holding people accountable at the same time, not choosing between the two.

If you lead a team, run a business, or manage people day to day, you already know pressure makes conversations shorter and relationships thinner.

This episode names the uncomfortable habits that keep trust intact even when deadlines and stress rise. Dr. Traci Eisenberg-Rayburn, retired US Army officer and leadership expert, sits down with Joshua Evarts, owner of The Vault Cigar Lounge in Meridian, Idaho and author of the upcoming If Jesus Smoked Cigars: Eight Lessons in Relational Leadership.

Josh breaks down why openness and transparency are not the same thing, why he is slow to hire and quick to fire, and the one simple habit nine of his twelve early readers flagged as the most impactful lesson in the book. Press play and start leading with both strength and heart.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why relational leadership requires uncomfortable transparency, not just an open door, and how asking people what they actually need exposes a leader's own blind spots.
• Why relationships and accountability build on each other instead of competing, and why avoiding a hard conversation quietly damages someone's career in the long run.
• Why Joshua Evarts believes leaders do not have to like their people, only to love them through patience and honesty, especially during hard performance conversations.
• Why Josh is slow to hire and quick to fire, and how naming clear expectations from day one protects both the employee and the organization.
• How The Vault Cigar Lounge is built around relationships instead of transactions, from phone-free seating pods to employees trained to serve customers in the margins.
• Why confusing influence with authenticity is a modern leadership trap, and how Josh's weekend phone-free ritual rebuilt his relationships instead of costing him connection.
• Why nine of twelve early readers flagged the same simple habit, being intentional about your affect, as the most practical lesson in If Jesus Smoked Cigars.

We talk about:

00:00 Why leadership isn't built in easy conversations

02:21 Meet Dr. Traci and Battle-Tested Leadership

03:57 Josh Evarts on his three decade career and the common thread

06:31 How a cigar lounge became a leadership classroom

09:00 What relational leadership actually requires from a leader

10:29 Openness versus transparency, the uncomfortable difference

14:31 You don't have to like your people, but you have to love them

15:55 Why Josh is slow to hire and quick to fire

19:30 What relationship-first leadership looks like inside The Vault

25:23 Why influence is not the same thing as authenticity

28:44 The phone-free ritual that rebuilt Josh's relationships

35:19 The habit nine of twelve proofreaders flagged in his booky

Resources:

• Traci is offering one free month inside one of her three membership communities for listeners of this episode. To claim it, schedule a free 20-minute call using the link in the show notes and include one takeaway from this conversation when you book. This is not a sales call. It is simply to make sure you land in the right group for where you are right now: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/book-a-discovery-call
• Battle-Tested Leadership Action Plan: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

Connect with Joshua

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/IfJesus/61582094147866/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ifjesus
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaevarts/
• X: https://x.com/_ifjesus

Connect with me

• Leadership Call: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/coaching/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-traci-55410868/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTraciER/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraci_battletested/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotyoursixpodcast/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erbusinessconsulting
• Website: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/
• Email: [email protected]

#RelationalLeadership #TrustInLeadership #LeadershipAccountability #BattleTestedLeadership #AuthenticLeadership #IfJesusSmokedCigars #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkplaceCulture #ServantLeadership #LeadershipCoaching #EmotionalIntelligence #LeadershipMindset #TeamCulture #GotYourSix #DrTraci #JoshuaEvarts #LeadershipPodcast #VeteranLeadership #WomenInLeadership

Mental roadblocks in leadership are rarely about your market, your team, or your competition. Most leaders spend years trying to solve external problems while never examining the internal barriers influencing their decisions: the stories, assumptions, fears, and habits carried into leadership without realizing it. If you've ever felt like you're working harder but not moving forward, this is likely why.

Dr. Traci Eisenberg-Rayburn, retired US Army officer and leadership expert, sits down with Dirk Horn, business growth strategist and organizational transformation consultant, to explore the hidden mental barriers that keep leaders, teams, and organizations stuck. Together they unpack intentional leadership, fear disguised as logic, and why sustainable growth starts with changing how you think before changing what you do. This conversation may reveal what's really standing in the way.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why the biggest barrier to growth often isn't your market, your team, or your competition, but the mental roadblocks you've carried into leadership without realizing it.
• How to recognize when fear is disguised as logic, so you stop mistaking avoidance and over-caution for sound strategy.
• Why resistance to change inside an organization usually traces back to leadership habits and mental barriers, not unwillingness from the team.
• What it means to lead with intentionality instead of reactivity, and why growth requires changing your thinking before changing your actions.
• How unconscious leadership habits quietly create organizational bottlenecks, and what to look for in your own decision-making under pressure.
• Why building a culture that supports growth and transformation starts with the leader addressing their own internal roadblocks first.

We talk about:

00:00 Why leaders believe their biggest obstacles are external

03:30 Dirk Horn on being the chameleon in his own business

07:00 The hedgehog concept and finding your one thing

12:00 Is your caution strategy or is it fear disguised as logic

15:30 Why fear is energy, not the enemy

19:30 What is signal fear and how does it trap you

24:00 Why business owners avoid hiring out of fear

28:30 The Roche Pharmaceuticals story on letting go to grow

34:00 How quarterly reporting keeps companies fear-driven

40:00 Why organizations resist change and stay reactive

46:30 Practices for building self-awareness as a leader

53:00 The one thing every business needs to stop being a commodity

Resources:

• Traci is offering one free month inside one of her three membership communities for listeners of this episode. To claim it, schedule a free 20-minute call using the link in the show notes and include one takeaway from this conversation when you book. This is not a sales call. It is simply to make sure you land in the right group for where you are right now: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/book-a-discovery-call
• Battle-Tested Leadership Action Plan: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

Connect with me

• Leadership Call: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/coaching/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-traci-55410868/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTraciER/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraci_battletested/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotyoursixpodcast/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erbusinessconsulting
• Website: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/
• Email: [email protected]

#MentalRoadblocks #IntentionalLeadership #LeadershipMindset #SelfLimitingBeliefs #FearInLeadership #OrganizationalTransformation #BusinessGrowthStrategy #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveMindset #GotYourSix #DrTraci #DirkHorn #LeadershipPodcast #ResistanceToChange #DecisionMakingUnderPressure #ChangeManagement #SignalFear #HedgehogConcept #LeadershipCoaching #ScalingYourBusiness

What if the greatest startup in history wasn't a tech company, but an entire nation?

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Dr. Traci welcomes Michael for a fascinating conversation that connects the founding of the United States with the realities of building a modern business. Together, they explore how the Founding Fathers faced uncertainty, built without a blueprint, challenged conventional thinking, and created systems that have endured for centuries.

This episode isn't about politics. It's about leadership.

From creating a compelling vision before taking action to understanding why process matters more than quick wins, Dr. Traci and Michael unpack timeless leadership lessons that every entrepreneur, executive, manager, and business owner can apply today.

Whether you're launching a company, leading a growing team, or navigating the challenges of scaling, this conversation will challenge you to think differently about leadership, purpose, systems, and long-term success.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why the founding of America mirrors launching a startup from scratch.
• What today's entrepreneurs can learn from leaders who built without a blueprint.
• Why successful leaders establish purpose before focusing on tactics.
• How vision creates alignment inside organizations.
• Why business growth naturally happens through cycles and plateaus.
• The importance of systems and process when scaling a company.
• Why every leader needs to define what they will no longer tolerate.
• How continuous learning shapes stronger leadership.
• The hidden value of studying history as a leadership tool.
• Why lasting organizations are built intentionally, not accidentally.

We talk about:

00:00 Why America's founding was the original startup

02:00 What life looked like in 1776 and why change became inevitable

05:00 Building something without permission or a blueprint

08:00 Freedom, service, and defining the real mission

11:00 Why vision comes before tactics in leadership

15:00 Positioning your business around purpose instead of problems

19:00 Leadership, patience, and building better standards

22:00 Business growth, systems, and navigating scaling plateaus

27:00 Success leaves clues, why history matters for modern leaders

30:00 Continuous learning, leadership skills, and building something that lasts

Resources:

• Traci is offering one free month inside one of her three membership communities for listeners of this episode. To claim it, schedule a free 20-minute call using the link in the show notes and include one takeaway from this conversation when you book. This is not a sales call. It is simply to make sure you land in the right group for where you are right now: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/book-a-discovery-call
• Battle-Tested Leadership Action Plan: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

Connect with me

• Leadership Call: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/coaching/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-traci-55410868/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTraciER/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraci_battletested/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotyoursixpodcast/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erbusinessconsulting
• Website: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/
• Email: [email protected]

#Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadershipStrategy #BusinessLeadership #Entrepreneurship #StartupLeadership #LeadershipMindset #BusinessGrowth #BusinessStrategy #StrategicLeadership #LeadershipSkills #BusinessSystems #SystemsThinking #ExecutiveLeadership #Management #LeadershipPodcast #EntrepreneurMindset #History #SmallBusiness #GotYourSix

Most leaders spend their time solving problems they can see. The best leaders solve the problems that created them.

In this solo episode of Got Your SiX, Dr. Traci challenges one of the biggest mistakes leaders make in business, government, and everyday life, treating symptoms instead of uncovering root causes. Drawing from military leadership, Spartan strategy, organizational psychology, and years of executive coaching, she explains why reactive leadership creates temporary relief while strategic leadership creates lasting results.

Using real leadership examples from employee turnover, communication breakdowns, declining performance, and operational failures, Dr. Traci demonstrates how great leaders learn to investigate before they react. Instead of chasing surface level issues, they build systems, ask better questions, and create organizations that are prepared long before problems appear.

If you want to become a stronger executive, business owner, manager, military leader, or simply someone responsible for leading people well, this episode will change how you approach every challenge moving forward.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why most leadership problems are actually symptoms of deeper operational issues.
• The difference between reactive leadership and strategic leadership, and why history proves one consistently outperforms the other.
• What Spartan leadership systems can teach modern businesses about preparation, accountability, and execution.
• Why military planning focuses on prevention instead of reaction, and how leaders can apply the same mindset.
• How poor communication, turnover, declining revenue, and weak execution often point to root causes leaders fail to investigate.
• Why emotions matter in leadership, but should never replace evidence, systems, and strategic decision making.
• Practical questions every leader should ask before attempting to solve any organizational problem.

We talk about:

00:00 Why leaders keep solving the wrong problems

01:10 Surface problems versus root causes

02:05 What Spartan leadership teaches modern organizations

03:30 Why systems create consistent results

04:10 Military planning and proactive leadership

05:15 The questions experienced leaders always ask

06:00 Why turnover, communication issues, and poor performance often hide deeper problems

07:00 Feelings versus evidence in leadership decision making

08:00 Why organizations must prioritize systems over reactions

09:00 The leadership questions that uncover root causes

10:30 How to become a strategic leader instead of a reactive operator

Resources:

• Traci is offering one free month inside one of her three membership communities for listeners of this episode. To claim it, schedule a free 20-minute call using the link in the show notes and include one takeaway from this conversation when you book. This is not a sales call. It is simply to make sure you land in the right group for where you are right now: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/book-a-discovery-call
• Battle-Tested Leadership Action Plan: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

Connect with me

• Leadership Call: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/coaching/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-traci-55410868/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTraciER/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraci_battletested/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotyoursixpodcast/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erbusinessconsulting
• Website: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/
• Email: [email protected]

#Leadership #StrategicLeadership #RootCauseLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #BusinessLeadership #MilitaryLeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #OrganizationalLeadership #LeadershipMindset #OperationalExcellence #BusinessStrategy #SystemsThinking #DecisionMaking #LeadershipCoach #ExecutiveCoach #ProblemSolving #OrganizationalCulture #Management #LeadershipPodcast #GotYourSix

Fatherhood and leadership lessons don't come from a boardroom, they come from dinner tables, sideline bleachers, and hard conversations in the car on the way to school.

If you have ever wondered whether being a dad is actually shaping the way you lead at work, the answer is yes, and this conversation will show you exactly how.

In this Father's Day special, Dr. Traci, host of Got Your Six and decorated military veteran, gathers four men from very different seasons of fatherhood: Paul Kohn, Brian Kato, Willacy Knowles (engineer and single dad), and Michael Rayburn.

Together they share the real moments when fatherhood stopped feeling like an idea and started feeling like a responsibility, how lessons in patience, presence, and empathy have made them better leaders, and what they each hope their kids will remember most.

This is a rare, vulnerable, and deeply honest conversation about what it means to show up when the people watching you call you Dad.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why fatherhood is the greatest leadership development program you will ever go through, and the specific skills it teaches that no job title can replicate.
• How being present for your kids, not just providing for them, is the distinction that defines a father's legacy.
• What single dads and co-parenting fathers navigate that rarely gets acknowledged, and how they balanced career demands with showing up every time it counted.
• Why children absorb what you model far more than what you say, and how every one of these four fathers learned that lesson the hard way.
• How each dad transferred skills from fatherhood into professional leadership, from an airline captain managing an entire crew to an engineer mentoring younger colleagues.
• The honest truth about why dads don't get enough credit, and why Dr. Traci believes that needs to change.

We talk about:

00:00 Why leadership begins with responsibility and purpose

01:00 The word that inspired this unexpected episode: sacrifice

02:00 A surprising parent-teacher conference during COVID

03:00 The playground comment that alarmed school administrators

04:00 Why no one asked the most important question

05:00 Military service, deployment, and teaching children about sacrifice

07:00 What leaders can learn from this misunderstanding

08:00 Why communication must come before assumptions

09:00 The many faces of sacrifice in leadership

10:00 When sacrifice quietly becomes your identity

11:00 The danger of always being the dependable one

12:00 Removing titles and roles to rediscover who you are

13:00 Purpose-driven sacrifice versus self-erasure

14:00 The leadership questions every high performer should ask themselves

15:00 Why sacrifice should serve your purpose, not define your identity

Resources:

• Traci is offering one free month inside one of her three membership communities for listeners of this episode. To claim it, schedule a free 20-minute call using the link in the show notes and include one takeaway from this conversation when you book. This is not a sales call. It is simply to make sure you land in the right group for where you are right now: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/book-a-discovery-call
• Battle-Tested Leadership Action Plan: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

Connect with me

• Leadership Call: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/coaching/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-traci-55410868/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTraciER/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraci_battletested/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotyoursixpodcast/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erbusinessconsulting
• Website: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/
• https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

#Fatherhood #FatherhoodAndLeadership #DadLeadership #GotYourSix #DrTraci #SingleDad #MilitaryDad #BeingAPresentFather #FathersDaySpecial #FatherhoodMindset #LeadershipDevelopment #DadLife #ParentingAndLeadership #ShowingUp #FathersLegacy #LeadersLounge #FatherhoodPodcast #Entrepreneur #Leadership #VeteranDad

What happens when sacrifice stops being something you do and becomes who you are?

In this powerful solo episode of Got Your SiX, Dr. Traci shares an unexpected story involving her granddaughter, a playground misunderstanding, and a word that sparked an important leadership lesson: sacrifice.

What began as a routine parent-teacher conference quickly revealed something much deeper about communication, assumptions, leadership, and the stories we tell ourselves about responsibility. Drawing from her experiences as a military leader, business owner, mother, and grandmother, Dr. Traci explores how sacrifice can serve a meaningful purpose, but also become dangerous when it turns into an identity.

Many leaders pride themselves on being the dependable one, the fixer, the person everyone can count on. But what happens when constantly serving others causes you to lose sight of yourself?

This episode challenges leaders to examine the difference between purposeful sacrifice and self-erasure. It explores why communication matters more than assumptions, how leaders often treat symptoms instead of causes, and why understanding the "why" behind behavior can transform the way we lead.

If you've ever felt the pressure to carry everything, solve every problem, or put yourself last in the name of leadership, this conversation offers a powerful reminder that leadership is not about disappearing for others. It is about serving with purpose while still protecting who you are.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why sacrifice is one of the most misunderstood concepts in leadership
• The leadership lesson hidden inside a simple playground conversation
• How assumptions create misunderstandings in teams, families, and organizations
• Why communication should always come before reaction
• The difference between sacrifice as a choice and sacrifice as an identity
• How leaders unknowingly lose themselves through constant responsibility
• The hidden dangers of becoming the fixer, helper, or dependable one
• Why many high performers tie their worth to what they give away
• How military leadership shaped Dr. Traci's perspective on service and purpose
• The difference between sacrifice, stewardship, and self-erasure
• How to recognize when leadership has become unhealthy
• Why purpose-driven sacrifice builds character while purposeless sacrifice creates burnout
• Questions every leader should ask themselves about identity and fulfillment
• How to lead others without losing yourself in the process

We talk about:

00:00 Why leadership begins with responsibility and purpose

01:00 The word that inspired this unexpected episode: sacrifice

02:00 A surprising parent-teacher conference during COVID

03:00 The playground comment that alarmed school administrators

04:00 Why no one asked the most important question

05:00 Military service, deployment, and teaching children about sacrifice

07:00 What leaders can learn from this misunderstanding

08:00 Why communication must come before assumptions

09:00 The many faces of sacrifice in leadership

10:00 When sacrifice quietly becomes your identity

11:00 The danger of always being the dependable one

12:00 Removing titles and roles to rediscover who you are

13:00 Purpose-driven sacrifice versus self-erasure

14:00 The leadership questions every high performer should ask themselves

15:00 Why sacrifice should serve your purpose, not define your identity

Resources:

• Traci is offering one free month inside one of her three membership communities for listeners of this episode. To claim it, schedule a free 20-minute call using the link in the show notes and include one takeaway from this conversation when you book. This is not a sales call. It is simply to make sure you land in the right group for where you are right now: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/book-a-discovery-call
• Battle-Tested Leadership Action Plan: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

Connect with me

• Leadership Call: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/coaching/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-traci-55410868/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTraciER/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraci_battletested/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotyoursixpodcast/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erbusinessconsulting
• Website: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/
• https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

#SelfLeadership #WomenInLeadership #EmotionalIntelligence

Before you can lead a team, a business, or a family, you have to learn how to lead yourself.

In this episode of Got Your SiX, Dr. Traci sits down with entrepreneur, wife, mother, and self leadership coach Jenna Wahl to explore one of the most overlooked leadership skills of all: learning how to reconnect with yourself before burnout, overwhelm, and survival mode take over.

Jenna works with career-driven women who appear successful on the outside but often feel disconnected from themselves on the inside. Together, she and Dr. Traci unpack the hidden pressure of balancing entrepreneurship, motherhood, marriage, personal growth, and identity in a world filled with endless expectations and constant noise.

This conversation dives into the realities many women silently carry. The pressure to do it all. The guilt that comes from slowing down. The endless stream of advice telling you who you should be and how you should live.

Jenna shares how she learned to stop chasing everyone else's expectations, quiet the noise, regulate her nervous system, prioritize what truly matters, and build a life that feels aligned instead of exhausting.

If you've ever felt burned out, overwhelmed, overstimulated, or unsure of who you are beneath all the roles you carry, this conversation will remind you that leadership begins with the relationship you have with yourself.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why self leadership is the foundation of effective leadership
• How high-achieving women unknowingly live in survival mode
• The hidden connection between burnout, resentment, and overwhelm
• Why entrepreneurship and motherhood don't have to compete with each other
• How identity shapes the way we lead, parent, and show up in life
• Why consuming more information isn't always the answer
• The difference between learning and implementation
• How social media noise contributes to burnout and self-doubt
• The importance of creating space for self-care without guilt
• Practical ways to regulate your nervous system and create more harmony at home
• Why clarity and prioritization matter more than productivity hacks
• How small daily habits create lasting transformation

We talk about:

00:00 Leadership begins with how you lead yourself

03:00 Meet Jenna Wahl and her mission to help women reconnect with themselves

04:30 Motherhood, entrepreneurship, and navigating competing identities

06:00 What "having it all" actually means

08:00 Why so many women stop taking care of themselves

09:30 Survival mode, burnout, and resentment at home

11:00 The identities and personas we create to fit expectations

14:00 Why authenticity matters more than perfection

16:00 Rebuilding routines that support your goals and your family

18:00 Self-care, nervous system regulation, and releasing guilt

20:00 The danger of information overload and constant consumption

24:00 Why consuming more can keep you stuck

25:00 The surprising sourdough lesson about confidence and growth

28:00 How to remove noise and trust yourself again

30:00 Burnout, overwhelm, and the power of slowing down

33:00 Jenna's new program for helping women leave survival mode behind

35:00 Presence, gratitude, and noticing the small things

37:00 Why expectations often keep us from growing

41:00 The clarity framework that changed Jenna's life

44:00 Leadership starts with your habits, thoughts, and daily choices

Resources:

• Traci is offering one free month inside one of her three membership communities for listeners of this episode. To claim it, schedule a free 20-minute call using the link in the show notes and include one takeaway from this conversation when you book. This is not a sales call. It is simply to make sure you land in the right group for where you are right now: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/book-a-discovery-call

Connect with Jenna

• Website: https://jennawahl.com/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamjennawahl
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamjennawahl/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theregulatedmom
• Jenna’s programs

Connect with me

• Leadership Call: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/coaching/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-traci-55410868/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTraciER/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraci_battletested/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotyoursixpodcast/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erbusinessconsulting
• Website: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/
• https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

#SelfLeadership #WomenInLeadership #BurnoutRecovery

Vulnerability in leadership is the conversation almost no one wants to have out loud. We praise the people who push through, stay strong, and never complain. We hand them the promotion and the pat on the back. And we rarely ask what it is costing them when they finally get home.

In this episode of Got Your Six, Dr. Traci sits down with Captain Steve Mills, a retired US Navy chaplain who has spent more than three decades walking beside people through combat, crisis, grief, and now hospice care. Steve has done the death notifications. He has sat in silence with a sailor who just needed someone to be there. He has buried two siblings and built a fort in his backyard to honor his brother. He knows what real strength looks like, and it is not silence.

Together they take apart one of the biggest misconceptions in leadership: that strength and suffering always look different. Sometimes the strongest person in the room is simply the one who has learned to hide the pain the best. Steve and Dr. Traci talk about the conversations leaders avoid, starting with the ones they refuse to have with themselves. They get honest about fear, rejection, grief, burnout, and the rising rate of suicide among veterans and the people we lead every single day.

This one is raw, real, and no fluff. If you are leading while exhausted, carrying more than people can see, or quietly wondering how much longer you can hold it together, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• What vulnerability in leadership actually looks like, and why it is a strength and not a weakness
• The conversations leaders avoid most, starting with the ones they will not have with themselves
• Why strength is not the absence of struggle How servant leadership builds trust faster than authority ever will
• What a "ministry of presence" teaches us about showing up for the people we lead
• Why silence feels safe, and how it quietly isolates the people everyone depends on
• How to create emotional safety so honesty is not punished at work or at home
• What grief does when we ignore it, and why Steve says to embrace it instead of avoid it
• The link between leader burnout, mental health, and veteran suicide Simple, science-backed ways to release the pressure: humor, movement, mirror work, and real connection

We talk about:

00:00 The conversation most leaders are afraid to have out loud

02:30 Meet Captain Steve Mills: Navy chaplain, firefighter, and hospice chaplain

04:00 "You can't do it alone": the helicopter crash that changed everything

06:30 From a wheelchair to six marathons: Steve's story

08:30 Becoming a Navy chaplain and the leaders who made or broke the mission

11:00 Life in thirds: firefighting, chaplaincy, and hospice

12:30 "Keep walking": the tagline behind the man

15:30 The conversations leaders avoid, and why they start with yourself

17:30 Servant leadership and the fear of being rejected

20:00 Vulnerability in leadership: why we hide it and what it costs

22:00 Silence, processing, and how strong people isolate themselves

25:00 The ministry of presence: being embedded with your people

28:00 The coldest baptism and leading from the front

29:30 Why humor heals and how laughter releases the pressure

31:00 Mirror work: the self work most leaders skip

35:30 Ten minutes of silence: the counseling session Steve never forgot

40:30 What people misunderstand about strength

42:30 Creating environments where honesty is not punished

43:30 "Now is not your time": grief, focus, and the time and place for everything

44:30 When crying is your body releasing the emotion

47:00 Burnout, mental health, and the suicide conversation we keep avoiding

49:00 Anger, faith, and the outlets that keep you whole

53:00 Grief as a gift: sunflowers, Fort Keith, and honoring the people we lose

58:00 Strength is not the absence of struggle: the takeaway

59:00 An invitation to lead with clarity, resilience, and support

Resources:

• Traci is offering one free month inside one of her three membership communities for listeners of this episode. To claim it, schedule a free 20-minute call using the link in the show notes and include one takeaway from this conversation when you book. This is not a sales call. It is simply to make sure you land in the right group for where you are right now: https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/book-a-discovery-call

Connect with Steve

• Website: https://www.etiw.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sdmills

Connect with me

• Leadership Call: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/coaching/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-traci-55410868/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTraciER/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraci_battletested/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotyoursixpodcast/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erbusinessconsulting
• Website: https://www.erbusinessconsulting.com/
• https://drtraci.erbusinessconsulting.com/battle-tested-leadership-action-plan

#VulnerabilityInLeadership #LeadershipAndMentalHealth #StrengthIsNotSilence