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Lead Well! with Christine Schickinger
Lead Well! with Christine Schickinger episodes
- Ep 144 How to Stay Calm When You Can't Control What HappensStaying calm when things are completely outside your control
How do you stay calm under pressure when everything is outside your control? I waited six and a half hours for surgery and was surprised by how calm I felt, even when the delays kept getting longer.
In this personal episode of Lead Well!, I share what happened during my hospital stay and what it taught me about managing stress, dealing with uncertainty, and letting go of the need for control.
I talk about how I used the physiological sigh, a simple breathing technique, to help regulate my heart rate while waiting for surgery. I also share why connecting with the nurses made such a difference, and how the kindness and commitment of the hospital staff challenged my expectations.
But the story doesn't end there. A few days later, a sudden pain brought back some of my old health anxiety. And that experience reminded me of something important: self-regulation doesn't mean we never feel afraid. It means we can learn to respond differently when fear appears.
In this episode, we explore:
How to stay calm when you can't control a situation
Why practicing small self-regulation exercises matters
How breathing, curiosity, and human connection can help
The difference between acceptance and giving up
What taking responsibility looks like, even without authority
Whether you're dealing with uncertainty at work, health worries, or situations that simply aren't going according to plan, I hope this story gives you a different perspective.
What's one situation in your life where letting go of control might actually help? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Subscribe to Lead Well! Yourself and Others for weekly conversations and personal reflections on leadership, self-awareness, resilience, and living well.
#StressManagement #SelfRegulation #Resilience
22 min - AI and Coaching: What Clients Value Beyond AnswersExploring professional identity, human connection and the value of support when information alone isn't enough.
Can AI replace a coach? And what happens to our professional identity when people start asking a chatbot for help they once sought from us?
In this episode of Lead Well!, I explore these questions through my own experience. I use AI to help structure this podcast, suggest newsletter drafts, and sometimes think things through at two in the morning. I also turn to experts less often because AI can help me do some things myself.
Yet conversations with AI have not replaced human contact for me. My coaching clients often describe feeling seen and heard, and some have already discussed their concerns with AI before coming to me.
Drawing on coaching and working with dog owners, I reflect on empathy, co-regulation, and the importance of responding to what someone needs in the moment.
A personal look at AI and coaching, the connection between competence and identity, and what people value when they choose to work with you.
13 min - Ep 142 Getting Older: When “Someday” Becomes “No Longer”Thought from an "officially old" woman :)What happens when something you’ve always imagined doing “someday” becomes something you can no longer do?Since turning 60, I’ve been noticing how getting older changes my view of the future. Some opportunities are closing, and some goodbyes carry more weight. At the same time, I’m learning to become a dog trainer, returning to the piano after about 40 years, and spending time with kittens at an animal shelter.In this personal episode, I reflect on aging, relationships, loss, and the possibilities that remain. I also explore a question that matters at any age: Is something truly no longer possible, or have we simply assumed it is?We can acknowledge what we miss and still give attention to what we want to learn, experience, or begin.What is one meaningful “not yet” in your life?13 min
- Ep 141 When Fear Masks Your TalentAlan Weiss on Self-Worth and LeadershipWhat happens to your judgment when you feel you have to prove that you belong in the room?Consultant and author Alan Weiss joins me to discuss self-worth, confidence, and leadership under pressure. He shares the story of a decisive meeting with a CEO and explains why he believes fear, stress, and guilt can mask our talent. We also explore how to recover from setbacks, whose feedback to trust, and what accountability looks like when a leader has limited authority. I ask him about the cost of unpopular decisions, and what to do when pressure makes your mind go blank.Alan’s forthcoming book is The Courage of Your Talent. Learn more at https://alanweiss.com/23 min
- Do I Want This, or Am I Afraid of Missing Out?FOMOFear of missing out doesn’t always mean wanting something you’ve never considered. Sometimes, someone else’s decision makes what you’re already doing feel like it isn’t enough.When a friend started studying psychology, I immediately began looking for a degree program myself. I was already learning about psychology through reading and training, but suddenly I wanted the qualification too. A closed enrollment window gave me time to remember something I had wanted for much longer.In this episode of Lead Well! Yourself and Others, I explore FOMO, social comparison, and the pressure to keep achieving, even when part of you is content with where you are. I draw on Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory to look at how genuine interest and internal pressure can influence the same decision.We’ll also look at what social media adds to that pressure, how to notice what your inner voice is saying, and what you can do when something matters to you but time or money is limited.A personal reflection on choosing what matters to you when there will always be more you could do.14 min
- Ep 139. Your Inner Voice Is a Recording, Not the TruthInterview with Nasheer Mohammad
About the Podcast
Lead Well! is where neuroscience meets leadership, resilience, and real-life stories. Each week, I dive into conversations and solo episodes that help you lead yourself and others with clarity, purpose, and presence. Expect practical tools, fresh perspectives, and sometimes surprising lessons from animals and nature.
More from Nasheer Mohammad
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasheer-mohammad-678404384?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_androidhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DV92W7NDAbout Christine Schickinger
I’m a coach, keynote speaker, and creator of the NeuroPositive Method. My mission: helping leaders, new managers, and overwhelmed professionals move from overload to focus, from stress to calm, and from self-doubt to sustainable impact.
Stay Connected
🌐 Visit me: christine-schickinger.com
📬 Subscribe to my Newsletter: christine-schickinger.de/de/newsletterBehind the Scenes
🎙️ Produced and edited with the support of AI
🎵 Music by AIVA🎨 Logo created with DALL·E 3✂️ Final editing in Descript and Canva21 min - Ep 138. What Are You Chasing, and Why?Sonny Garg on Achievement AddictionWhat are you chasing, and why?For years, Sonny Garg had an impressive answer to the first part of that question. Harvard, a White House Fellowship, executive leadership and ever greater professional success. But eventually he realized that achievement had become closely tied to his sense of self-worth.Sonny is the author of *Desi 2.0: My Family’s American Dream and the Cost of Never Being Enough*. In this conversation, we talk about achievement addiction, inherited expectations and what happens when external success no longer feels like success.We explore the difference between ambition and the need to prove yourself, how our identity shapes the way we lead, résumé virtues versus eulogy virtues, and Sonny’s concept of the “Minimally Viable Me.”Perhaps the most important idea is that Sonny did not become less ambitious. He changed what his ambition was for.A conversation about success, agency, leadership and learning to define your worth from the inside rather than waiting for the world to define it for you.29 min
- Ep 137. The Comfort Of Blame
About the Podcast
Lead Well! is where neuroscience meets leadership, resilience, and real-life stories. Each week, I dive into conversations and solo episodes that help you lead yourself and others with clarity, purpose, and presence. Expect practical tools, fresh perspectives, and sometimes surprising lessons from animals and nature.
About Christine Schickinger
I’m a coach, keynote speaker, and creator of the NeuroPositive Method. My mission: helping leaders, new managers, and overwhelmed professionals move from overload to focus, from stress to calm, and from self-doubt to sustainable impact.
Stay Connected
🌐 Visit me: christine-schickinger.com
📬 Subscribe to my Newsletter: christine-schickinger.de/de/newsletterBehind the Scenes
🎙️ Produced and edited with the support of AI
🎵 Music by AIVA🎨 Logo created with DALL·E 3✂️ Final editing in Descript and Canva17 min - Ep 136. Before You Judge the Behaviour, Get CuriousThe Behaviour Is Real. The Story May Not Be.We see behaviour and almost instantly create a story around it.The aggressive horse. The difficult employee. The defensive manager. The uncooperative teenager.But what if the behavior is real, while the story we tell ourselves about it is not?In this episode of Lead Well!, I share what struck me while watching Trust Technique creator James French work with horses in Mongolia and, more recently, with elephants in Nepal. Animals considered difficult or even dangerous began responding very differently when the interaction itself changed.That raises a much bigger question, one that applies far beyond animals:What happens when we slow down, observe before interpreting, and become curious about what might be underneath the behavior?Because behavior is not identity. And giving another being a voice also means being willing to hear the answer.12 min
- Ep 135. The Truth Only Hurts Once: Leadership Without Self-AbandonmentInterview with Ruth E. Andermatt
About the Podcast
Lead Well! is where neuroscience meets leadership, resilience, and real-life stories. Each week, I dive into conversations and solo episodes that help you lead yourself and others with clarity, purpose, and presence. Expect practical tools, fresh perspectives, and sometimes surprising lessons from animals and nature.
About Christine Schickinger
I’m a coach, keynote speaker, and creator of the NeuroPositive Method. My mission: helping leaders, new managers, and overwhelmed professionals move from overload to focus, from stress to calm, and from self-doubt to sustainable impact.
Stay Connected
🌐 Visit me: christine-schickinger.com
📬 Subscribe to my Newsletter: christine-schickinger.de/de/newsletterBehind the Scenes
🎙️ Produced and edited with the support of AI
🎵 Music by AIVA🎨 Logo created with DALL·E 3✂️ Final editing in Descript and Canva30 min
About Lead Well! with Christine Schickinger
From the publisher's feed
Welcome to the ”Lead Well!” podcast, a unique exploration into Health-Promoting Leadership, leading with mental fitness at its core. Discover how to excel in leading yourself and others through a…
blend of mental and, physical fitness, purpose, and psychological safety. Drawing from an eclectic background in corporate leadership, innovative coaching methods, naturopathy, and animal care, we’ll share practical insights for leaders (with animal inspired lessons) to foster healthier, more productive environments. Join us on this journey of transformational leadership!