Leveraging Leadership

Emily talks with performance coach Benjamin Smith about using sports psychology and mindfulness for better leadership. They cover tools like visualization, breathwork, and grounding exercises for handling pressure, and discuss the importance of play, self-compassion, and knowing your core values. Benjamin also shares why striving for endless self-improvement isn’t always the answer and how feeling “whole” is key to real performance.

Links Mentioned:
Benjamin Smith's Website

Benjamin Smith’s Substack

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

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Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

01:04 Sports Psychology Basics

02:27 Quarterback Pressure Tools

09:35 Flow State And Mindfulness

17:01 Conflict And Body Awareness

23:06 Body Based Calming Tools

25:09 Reframing Threat as Safety

26:20 Compassion in High Performance

27:48 Beyond Self Improvement Mindfulness

40:01 Play Joy and Closing

Emily answers a listener named Dallas, a longtime tree company owner, who’s struggling to get traction applying for Chief of Staff roles after his business closed. She talks about being seen as overqualified, how to preempt concerns on a resume and in interviews, and ways to use founder experience as an advantage. Emily gives examples like using a simple explanation on LinkedIn and resumes, referencing candidates moving from CEO roles, and how to address the “overqualified” issue directly with hiring managers.

Get in touch with Emily:
Want help repositioning your founder experience for a Chief of Staff role? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.

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Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:25 Listener Question Setup

01:22 Why You Seem Overqualified

02:57 Resume and LinkedIn Reframe

04:25 CFO Story Example

05:57 Practice a Calm Talk Track

06:53 Founder Experience as an Asset

08:22 Family Business Dynamics

09:44 Get Feedback and Target Fit

11:52 Disarm Concerns and Wrap Up

Veer Sawhney talks about his transition from working as a personal aide at the White House to becoming Chief of Staff at an investment firm. He shares how skills like anticipating needs, managing high-pressure situations, and helping his principals stay focused have been key in both government and business roles. Veer also explains how he expanded his role to support the venture team and what he looks for in founders and investments.

Link Mentioned:
Connect with Veer via email.

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

Free Leadership Resources

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Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
00:53 Inside the White House Role

02:05 Running Comms and Events

03:50 Working with Chiefs of Staff

05:17 From Politics to Investing

08:11 Landing the Chief of Staff Job

09:41 Transferable Chief of Staff Skills

20:09 Protecting Focus and Managing Interruptions

25:58 Building Trust and Expanding Scope

31:08 VC Work, Advice, and Wrap Up

Tips for keeping conversations going as Chief of Staff, like following up after a listening tour and spotting ways to help teammates. Examples include offering to QA an automated process or noticing patterns such as a lack of people management experience, then coordinating training. Early on, it's important to follow up on small things, even if they're only a big deal to one person.

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to turn conversations into action as a Chief of Staff? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.

Free Leadership Resources

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Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:25 Why Listening Tours Matter

00:58 Setting Up Intro Meetings

01:59 Avoid One and Done Chats

03:21 Research Then Reconnect

04:50 Turn Insights Into Initiatives

07:19 Right Size Your Follow Ups

09:40 When to Relaunch the Role

Audley Stephenson shares his journey from basketball fan to podcast host and sports league commissioner, highlighting how audacity shaped his life and career. He explains the BOLD Framework for living audaciously, discusses meeting Kobe Bryant, and debunks myths about audacity by showing it's not reserved for elite achievers or reckless acts. Audley also talks about building self-awareness, celebrating small wins, and the importance of taking action.

Links Mentioned:
Audley Stephenson’s Podcast

Audley Stephenson’s Website

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn

Website

Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
02:07 Origin of Audacity

04:09 Basketball Podcast Breakthrough

06:26 Pandemic Pivot to Purpose

10:29 Bold Framework and Myths

23:20 Affirmations Need Action

24:47 Courage Before Confidence

25:20 Reframing Failure as Data

27:51 Bold Leadership Decisions

35:11 Audacity Myths and Legacy

Learn practical ways to build a culture of feedback at work, whether your team is new to honest conversations or already open to input. Emily Sander shares examples like using simple "what did we learn?" discussions after meetings, asking for feedback on your own actions, and starting anonymous pulse surveys. Tips include using "we" language in reviews, modeling how to accept feedback, and structuring shout-outs and team evaluations to encourage constructive dialogue.

Link Mentioned:
Radical Candor by Kim Scott

Get in touch with Emily:
Want help building a feedback culture? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn

Website

Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
00:41 Radical Candor Recap

01:43 Why Feedback Cultures Fail

02:59 Start Small and Be Patient

03:36 Ask What Did We Learn

05:46 Model Feedback on Yourself

07:37 Debrief Story Example

11:14 Pulse Surveys and Follow Through

13:00 Structured Group Feedback Loops

22:29 Wrap Up and Next Steps

Maria Paiva shares her path from chemical engineering to a blended Chief of Staff and HR role at a small Portuguese company, explaining how her job covers everything from people management to company strategy. She discusses working for two principals, how her company’s idea of Chief of Staff came from The West Wing, and why she often introduces herself as an HR manager due to the role’s novelty in Portugal. Maria also talks about earning team trust, organizing manager training, and balancing planned HR tasks with unpredictable Chief of Staff responsibilities.

​​Get in touch with Emily:
Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn

Website

Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
00:56 Maria Career Path

02:55 Two CEOs And Role Origin

08:50 Balancing HR And CoS

12:07 Managing Dual Principals

16:48 Handling Principal Pushback

17:35 Scaling Leadership Structure

20:42 Outside Chief of Staff Learning Curve

27:18 Building Trust Through Listening

34:15 Advice and Closing Thoughts

Emily Sander talks about appreciating the people you work with during each season of your career - like learning from Jamie, being challenged to grow by a boss like Rohit, or having fun working with someone like Matt. She also encourages listeners to recognize and value work friendships, even if they change over time, and reminds us not to take good team dynamics for granted.

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to build stronger work relationships? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.

Free Leadership Resources

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Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Timestamps:
00:46 Flip the Script to Appreciation

01:07 Learning from a Teammate

01:40 Grateful for a Challenging Boss

02:43 The Coworker Who Makes It Fun

03:24 When Mentoring Seasons End

05:16 How to Express Appreciation

08:11 Work Friends and Lifelong Bonds

11:53 Step Back and Reflect

Chief of Staff and crisis communication expert Jeff Evans shares lessons from working in the California legislature, discussing the importance of building relationships across the aisle and handling unexpected crises. He explains the difference between narrative framing and spin, and gives practical tips for leaders communicating in the first 24 hours of a crisis using a four-step framework: what we know, what we don’t know, what we’re going to do, and when we’ll update. They also cover real examples like the Boeing 737 MAX crisis, Southwest Airlines' business model changes, and handling tough school policy situations.

Link Mentioned:
Jeff Evan’s Website

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn

Website

Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
01:43 Bipartisan Relationships

04:17 Narrative Framing vs Spin

06:55 Crisis Statement Framework

08:42 Precision Builds Credibility

13:47 Small Credibility Killers

15:43 Clarity Precision Narrative Model

19:13 Loglines and Lincoln Script

22:29 Leadership Logline Basics

25:18 Clarity In Crisis Comms

27:41 Tone Deaf Rulebook Lesson

35:16 Change Narratives And Alignment

This episode explains why Chiefs of Staff should avoid asking "How can I help you?" and instead focus on what will move the needle for their principal and team. Emily Sander shares real pitfalls, like getting stuck with small admin tasks, and suggests specific strategies such as spotting communication breakdowns or coaching leaders through challenges. The advice includes leading with strategic proposals rather than just picking up tasks others want to hand off.

Get in touch with Emily:
Want help shifting from task-taker to strategic partner? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.

Free Leadership Resources

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Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.
 
Time Stamps:
00:25 The Help Question Trap
02:08 Ask Needle Moving Questions
02:45 High Impact Examples
03:59 Know Your Best Service
04:32 Avoid Getting Pigeonholed
05:26 Lead With a Proposal
07:04 Takeaways and Closing