Leadership With a Twist

What kind of leader are you — really? Not in the vision statement, not in the company all-hands, but in the moment when the pressure is on, the numbers are off, and your team is watching closely. In this episode of Leadership With a Twist, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler dig into one of the most important — and most overlooked — dimensions of leadership development: what are your actions actually demonstrating every single day?

In this episode you will learn:

Whether you are a seasoned executive, a first-time manager, or an aspiring leader, this episode gives you a clear framework for closing the gap between the leader you say you want to be and the leader your team experiences every day.

00:00 Welcome Back
01:14 Leadership In Action
04:36 Intentional Leadership
06:21 Compassion Through Curiosity
07:52 Mistakes And Growth Mindset
10:59 Leading Under Pressure
12:16 Self Care That Shows
16:23 Remote Work Reality
18:05 Recenter And Wrap Up
19:19 How To Connect

About the Hosts: Coach Heather and Coach Barbara are the lead Executive Coaches of Empowering Leadership Teams. They specialize in helping entrepreneurial businesses and their teams meet the moment and become the most empowered they can be to work together and achieve optimal results. With deep expertise in leadership development, team dynamics, and navigating organizational transition, they bring practical, actionable wisdom to leaders facing the challenges of today's rapidly changing business environment.

Free E-Guide: Authentic Leadership Unleashed

Book a Coffee Chat: https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/coffeechat

Subscribe & Review: If you found value in this episode, please subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review. Your feedback helps us create content that serves entrepreneurial leaders like you, and it helps other leaders discover these conversations.

Questions or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes? Send us a message at or leave a comment on our latest post. Cheering You On!

What keeps great leaders steady when everything around them is in flux? Leadership With a Twist hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler dive deep into the concept of leadership reputation — not as something defined by others, but as a conscious, personal anchor you return to again and again.

In today's fast-changing business landscape, where mass layoffs happen over email and industry norms shift overnight, your leadership reputation becomes your most powerful stabilizing tool. Heather and Barbara explore how crafting one clear, values-driven sentence about who you are as a leader can transform how you navigate stress, conflict, and uncertainty.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Perfect for business leaders, entrepreneurs, managers, and coaches who want to lead with greater intention, impact, and integrity. Subscribe to Leadership With a Twist on your favorite podcast platform and join the community on Substack.

About the Hosts: Coach Heather and Coach Barbara are the lead Executive Coaches of Empowering Leadership Teams. They specialize in helping entrepreneurial businesses and their teams meet the moment and become the most empowered they can be to work together and achieve optimal results. With deep expertise in leadership development, team dynamics, and navigating organizational transition, they bring practical, actionable wisdom to leaders facing the challenges of today's rapidly changing business environment.

Free E-Guide: Authentic Leadership Unleashed

Book a Coffee Chat: https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/coffeechat

Subscribe & Review: If you found value in this episode, please subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review. Your feedback helps us create content that serves entrepreneurial leaders like you, and it helps other leaders discover these conversations.

Questions or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes? Send us a message at or leave a comment on our latest post. Cheering You On!

Are external pressures — economic uncertainty, industry disruption, and rapid change — bumping your business around? You are not alone, and more importantly, you are not starting from scratch.

In Episode 12 of Leadership With a Twist, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler explore how creative leaders can navigate chaos with clarity, confidence, and innovation. Whether you lead a small entrepreneurial team or a growing company, this episode gives you the practical tools to steady your business, engage your team, and make smart decisions even when the world outside feels unpredictable.

In this episode you will learn:

Featuring the powerful Julia Cameron quote — "Creativity is messy. The creative process is a process of surrender, not control" — this episode reframes chaos as the soil where creativity and business growth take root. If you are a small business owner, entrepreneur, or team leader looking for creative leadership strategies, this is your episode.

📌 Book a Coaching Call with Heather or Barbara: https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/discovery

📎 Article on Delegation: The Art of Effective Delegation: A Personal Perspective https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/blog/The-Art-of-Effective-Delegation

📎 Article on Leadership Reputation: Business Is Complex—Listen For Nuances To Improve Your Leadership Reputation https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/blog/improve-your-leadership-reputatio

📎 Article on Discernment: The Power of Discernment: Transforming Your Leadership Journey https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/blog/The-Power-of-Discernment

How much context is too much? How little is too little?

In this episode of the Leadership With a Twist Podcast, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler tackle one of the most nuanced challenges in leadership communication: sharing the right context, with the right people, at the right time. Whether you’re delegating a project, presenting a new idea, or navigating cross-functional collaboration, the context you provide (or withhold) directly shapes your team’s ability to prioritize, perform, and align.

Heather and Barbara explore real coaching scenarios, including a leader whose delegation breakdowns with IT staff were costing time and trust, and unpack the psychological reasons leaders either overshare or go silent.

You’ll learn how to:

If you’re a leader looking to strengthen your communication, build more aligned teams, and show up with intention and clarity, this episode is for you.

📌 Take the Leadership Style Quiz: https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/leadership-assessment-quiz

📌 Book a Coaching Call with Heather or Barbara: https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/discovery

📎 Article on Delegation: The Art of Effective Delegation: A Personal Perspective https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/blog/The-Art-of-Effective-Delegation

📎 Article on Leadership Reputation: Business Is Complex—Listen For Nuances To Improve Your Leadership Reputation https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/blog/improve-your-leadership-reputatio

📎 Article on Discernment: The Power of Discernment: Transforming Your Leadership Journey https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/blog/The-Power-of-Discernment

What does it actually take to build a team that stays engaged, motivated, and committed — even when the work gets hard? In this week's episode of Leadership With a Twist, Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler unpack the power of authentic appreciation as the foundation of healthy workplace culture.

Most leaders know they should recognize their team — but few do it in a way that actually lands. In this conversation, Heather and Barbara break down why vague praise creates disengagement and how specific, intentional acknowledgment transforms team dynamics from the inside out.

In this episode you'll learn:

Whether you're a team leader, manager, business owner, or HR professional, this episode delivers practical insights you can start using today. Plus, Heather and Barbara share how you can schedule a free Coffee Chat to apply these strategies to your specific workplace situation.

About the Hosts: Coach Heather and Coach Barbara are the lead Executive Coaches of Empowering Leadership Teams. They specialize in helping entrepreneurial businesses and their teams meet the moment and become the most empowered they can be to work together and achieve optimal results. With deep expertise in leadership development, team dynamics, and navigating organizational transition, they bring practical, actionable wisdom to leaders facing the challenges of today's rapidly changing business environment.

Download the Appreciation Script: https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/effective-apology-appreciation-script 

Book a Coffee Chat: https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/coffeechat

Subscribe & Review: If you found value in this episode, please subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review. Your feedback helps us create content that serves entrepreneurial leaders like you, and it helps other leaders discover these conversations.

Questions or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes? Send us a message at or leave a comment on our latest post. Cheering You On!

In this episode of Leadership With a Twist, Heather McGonigle and Barbara Schindler break down one of the most common leadership communication challenges: what do you do when a team member brings a big, exciting idea at exactly the wrong time?

They emphasize treating yourself and your team as limited resources and making wise choices about focus, time, and talent. Heather introduces the “Impact Script” (the Everyday Leadership Script) to navigate situations where a new, exciting idea could strain capacity or jeopardize results, using a “yes, and” approach instead of pushback. The script focuses on uniting around the desired outcome, mapping the impact on that outcome, exploring mitigations, asking for others’ input, creating a new agreement, and confirming the plan. They stress “solve the impact, not the gap,” and filtering outside advice to fit current team capacity.

00:00 Welcome and Topic Setup 00:57 Three Layers of Teamwork
02:34 People as Resources 06:26 Everyday Impact Script 07:32 Launch Idea Scenario 08:50 Yes And Not Pushback
13:22 Impact Script Steps 18:23 Coaching Example Metrics
20:14 Solve Impact Not Gap 21:26 Outside Influences Filter
25:21 Wrap Up and Next Steps

📥 Download the Impact Script (From our SubStack): https://open.substack.com/pub/leadershipwithatwist/p/the-power-of-yes-and-enhancing-leadership

About the Hosts: Coach Heather and Coach Barbara are the lead Executive Coaches of Empowering Leadership Teams. They specialize in helping entrepreneurial businesses and their teams meet the moment and become the most empowered they can be to work together and achieve optimal results. With deep expertise in leadership development, team dynamics, and navigating organizational transition, they bring practical, actionable wisdom to leaders facing the challenges of today's rapidly changing business environment.

Book a Coffee Chat: https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/coffeechat

Subscribe & Review: If you found value in this episode, please subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review.

Your feedback helps us create content that serves entrepreneurial leaders like you, and it helps other leaders discover these conversations. Questions or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes? Send us a message at or leave a comment on our latest post. Cheering You On!

In this grounding episode of Leadership with a Twist, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler invite you to pause and check in with yourself as New Year's intentions begin to slip. You are likely feeling the pull of external momentum — the pace of work, performance reviews, new goals, and the relentless rhythm of daily life — and you may notice that you have been swept into the tide rather than steering your own course.

Heather and Barbara walk you through the distinction between living from the outside in versus the inside out, helping you recognize when you are reacting to external pressure versus responding from a place of intentional choice. You discover how unconscious agreements — the unspoken rules you operate by without realizing it — may be quietly running your day, your meetings, and your energy.

Through relatable coaching stories and practical examples, you learn how to surface those agreements and replace them with three conscious, measurable commitments designed specifically for your current reality. You are guided to identify your natural rhythms, design your day around how your brain works best, and build simple check-in rituals that anchor you to your intentions. By the end, you walk away with a clear, bite-sized action plan to reclaim your pace, your presence, and your power in 2026.

00:00 New Year Check In

01:09 Swept By The Tide

02:53 Inside Out Leadership

04:34 Meeting Prep Habits

08:13 Agreements Explained

10:12 Pace And Brain Wiring

14:27 Three Agreements Homework

16:24 Checkpoints Calm And Clear

20:40 Why And Closing

About the Hosts: 
Coach Heather and Coach Barbara are the lead Executive Coaches of Empowering Leadership Teams. They specialize in helping entrepreneurial businesses and their teams meet the moment and become the most empowered they can be to work together and achieve optimal results. With deep expertise in leadership development, team dynamics, and navigating organizational transition, they bring practical, actionable wisdom to leaders facing the challenges of today's rapidly changing business environment.

Book a Coffee Chat: 
https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/coffeechat 

Subscribe & Review: 
If you found value in this episode, please subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review. Your feedback helps us create content that serves entrepreneurial leaders like you, and it helps other leaders discover these conversations.

Questions or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes? Send us a message at  or leave a comment on our latest post.

Cheering You On!

Build Your Self-Care Action Plan to Prevent Burnout in Busy Seasons

Heather McGonigal and co-host Barbara Schindler discuss why self-care is essential for entrepreneurial leaders and teams who often push themselves with limited resources and risk burnout. They introduce a proactive self-care action plan designed to be created before high-demand periods (like launches or returning after the holidays) so you can protect your energy, thinking, collaboration, and wellbeing as a whole person at work. You’re encouraged to plan specific replenishing actions based on how depleted you feel—quick refreshes when you have minutes, options for when your battery is running low, steps for the danger zone, and what to do when you’re super depleted—matching activities to the actual time you have in a day (5 minutes, 30 minutes, lunch break).

Barbara shares her five-minute chai tea latte routine as a quick reset, and they discuss preparing for triggers like distracting emails before meetings by building habits such as silencing notifications and creating transition rituals.

They also address the strain of back-to-back meetings on the nervous system and suggest planning pauses, as well as practical supports during intense work periods (like keeping protein bars and water at your desk).

Heather and Barbara offer a document to guide the exercise and invite listeners to schedule a free consultation call for help applying the plan. A downloadable Action Plan Template is available at https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/self-care-action-guide

00:00 Welcome Back + Why Self-Care Matters More Than Ever

00:56 Entrepreneurial Burnout: You’re a Human, Not a Machine

04:18 The Self-Care Action Plan: Plan Ahead for Busy Seasons

05:31 Build Your Menu: Quick Refresh vs. Running Low vs. Danger Zone

07:03 Barbara’s 5-Minute Reset: The Chai Tea Latte Ritual

07:50 Triggered Before a Meeting? Resetting Your Brain & Focus

08:57 Protect Your Attention: Notifications, Boundaries, and Habits

10:08 Back-to-Back Days & Nervous System Recovery (15–30 Minute Recharges)

12:07 Launch Mode Survival Kit: Snacks, Water, and Realistic Supports

13:19 Whole Person Reminder + Next Steps, Free Call, and Wrap-Up

About the Hosts: 
Coach Heather and Coach Barbara are the lead Executive Coaches of Empowering Leadership Teams. They specialize in helping entrepreneurial businesses and their teams meet the moment and become the most empowered they can be to work together and achieve optimal results. With deep expertise in leadership development, team dynamics, and navigating organizational transition, they bring practical, actionable wisdom to leaders facing the challenges of today's rapidly changing business environment.

Book a Coffee Chat: 
https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/coffeechat 

Subscribe & Review: 
If you found value in this episode, please subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review. Your feedback helps us create content that serves entrepreneurial leaders like you, and it helps other leaders discover these conversations.

Questions or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes? Send us a message at  or leave a comment on our latest post.

Cheering You On!

In this episode of The Leadership With a Twist Podcast, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler dive into the importance of owning your part within a business. They discuss how role clarity, defined by organizational structures, leads to more effective collaboration and prevents the overextension of responsibilities. The co-hosts emphasize that understanding and respecting each team member's role can create a healthier work environment, foster better teamwork, and ultimately lead to greater organizational success.

Listeners are invited to take advantage of this concept to improve their leadership skills and are offered complimentary coaching sessions for personalized support (see below).

00:00 Introduction to Leadership With a Twist
00:23 Understanding Role Responsibility
01:50 Defining Organizational Structure
04:00 Empowering Through Role Clarity
05:17 Balancing Responsibility and Empowerment
07:12 Encouraging Team Collaboration
11:47 The Importance of Role Clarity
17:42 Fostering Confidence in Team Roles
22:04 Conclusion and Next Steps

About the Hosts: 
Coach Heather and Coach Barbara are the lead Executive Coaches of Empowering Leadership Teams. They specialize in helping entrepreneurial businesses and their teams meet the moment and become the most empowered they can be to work together and achieve optimal results. With deep expertise in leadership development, team dynamics, and navigating organizational transition, they bring practical, actionable wisdom to leaders facing the challenges of today's rapidly changing business environment.

Book a Coffee Chat: 
https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/coffeechat

Subscribe & Review: 
If you found value in this episode, please subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review. Your feedback helps us create content that serves entrepreneurial leaders like you, and it helps other leaders discover these conversations.

Questions or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes? Send us a message at  or leave a comment on our latest post.

Cheering You On!

In this episode of Leadership Today, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler discuss the importance of preparing for performance reviews with a proactive and empowered mindset. They emphasize the need for team members to actively participate in the conversation, highlight their contributions, and align their career goals with the company's strategic vision.

The conversation also touches on the evolving nature of performance reviews, the importance of self-advocacy, and how to effectively communicate your growth and future aspirations within the organization.

Tune in to learn how to turn performance reviews into valuable opportunities for career development.

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

00:11 The Importance of Performance Reviews

01:20 Empowering Team Members for Reviews

01:51 Shifting Perspectives in Performance Reviews

02:26 Business Leaders and Talent Investment

03:03 Opportunities for Growth Within a Company

04:24 Aligning Personal and Company Goals

11:17 Advocating for Yourself in Reviews

16:07 Conclusion and Support Offers

About the Hosts: Coach Heather and Coach Barbara are the lead Executive Coaches of Empowering Leadership Teams. They specialize in helping entrepreneurial businesses and their teams meet the moment and become the most empowered they can be to work together and achieve optimal results. With deep expertise in leadership development, team dynamics, and navigating organizational transition, they bring practical, actionable wisdom to leaders facing the challenges of today's rapidly changing business environment.

Book a Coffee Chat:
https://www.empoweringleadershipteams.com/coffeechat

Subscribe & Review: If you found value in this episode, please subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review. Your feedback helps us create content that serves entrepreneurial leaders like you, and it helps other leaders discover these conversations.

Questions or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes? Send us a message at [email protected] or leave a comment on our latest post.

Cheering You On!