I was recently sitting in one of my Change Leadership classes for my Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, and my teacher asked us, “What would it look like if, as change leaders, we were to suspend certainty more often?”  I immediately made a note to myself, “podcast episode on suspending certainty!” 

As someone who craves certainty but understands that nothing is certain, I often think about becoming more comfortable with impermanence.  I’ve never heard this referred to as “suspending certainty”, but this term struck me, and I knew I wanted to dig into it with you all!  

In this episode, we talk about the importance of suspending certainty in leadership and personal growth. We talk through the benefits of embracing uncertainty, including:

Increased curiosity

Access to new perspectives

Openness to learning and new opportunities

Increased surprise, delight, and joy

Gifts that come when we step out of our “I got it all figured out” ego

Resilience, resourcefulness, tenacity, creativity, fun, and JOY are all born out of figuring out new things, embracing new realities, letting go of the old, and stepping into new opportunities where we don’t know exactly how things will go.  What might happen for you if you felt prepared to step into uncertainty at any time?  Suspending certainty will help you with this preparation. 

Episode Highlights:

00:00 Introduction and Exciting Updates

03:35 The Concept of Suspending Certainty

04:03 Understanding the Gifts of Suspending Certainty

11:10 Benefits of Embracing Uncertainty

20:10 Navigating Personal and Collective Uncertainty

30:30 Conclusion and Upcoming Workshop

Links Mentioned:

Attend my free workshop for women small business owners, Focused and Fierce: Lead with Purpose and Build Your Business in a Noisy World: saradean.com/fierce

Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks

Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking

Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I met Maria Ross 12 years ago when we shared the stage at a women’s event. Her work is centered around human behavior and empathy in the workplace. What I love about talking to Maria is how she can dig into the nuts and bolts of concepts and theory while also making tricky concepts very approachable and applicable to everyone. If you want to cultivate more empathy or help others cultivate more empathy, Maria is your gal.  

Maria is a speaker, facilitator, author, strategist, and empathy advocate who believes cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive. She’s spent decades helping forward-thinking leaders, teams, and brands connect and engage through empathy to accelerate growth. Maria has authored multiple books, including her newest, The Empathy Dilemma: How Successful Leaders Balance Performance, People, and Personal Boundaries, Her previous book, The Empathy Edge sparked a movement and she now hosts the top-rated The Empathy Edge podcast, speaking with leaders, changemakers, authors, and activists on how to achieve radical success through empathy. 

Listen in to hear Maria share:

Navigating the empathy dilemma of balancing empathy with performance

What empathy is and what it’s not

Why empathy is now especially challenging in our multigenerational workplaces 

How you can uphold empathy when it feels like it’s being “canceled”

The 5 Pillars of Effective Empathetic Leadership

Links Mentioned:

Book: theempathydilemma.com

Connect with Maria: www.red-slice.com

Maria’s Podcast, The Empathy Edge: www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Maria's new 2 day mastermind event for high-achieving leaders who want to balance empathy with performance: www.TheEmpathyEdge.com/event

Maria’s LinkedIn Learning Course: Leading with Empathy

Maria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariajross/

Maria on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redslicemaria/

Maria on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redslice

Maria on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Redslice-MariaRoss

Maria’s Tedx Talk: https://bit.ly/MariaRossTEDx

Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking

Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services

Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stephanie Chung is a leader, fighter, survivor, breast cancer warrior, and barrier-breaker in corporate leadership who consistently embodies resilience and courage.  I knew from the moment we met online that this would be a special conversation, which is why Stephanie is the first guest to join me on Shameless Leadership!

As a pioneering woman of color in the aviation sector with 35 years of aviation experience, Stephanie has ascended to top executive roles, including her tenure as Chief Growth Officer at Wheels Up and as the first African-American President of a private aviation company, JetSuite, marked by innovative strategies that significantly expanded membership and redefined brand positioning. She led a private aviation sales team that consistently exceeded its quota of almost $1 billion every year. 

Stephanie is also a sought-after keynote speaker and #1 international best-selling author, whose work in applying neuroscience to sales and leadership offers groundbreaking and practical strategies for professional growth. 

This conversation is high-energy, high-impact, and a lot of fun.  Be prepared to learn, challenge yourself, and walk away with some important action steps! 

Listen in to hear Stephanie share: 

Her 40-year career in aviation - starting at the bottom and working her way to the very top

How one leader saw something special in her early on that changed the course of her career

The long-term career impact of owning your power and accomplishments in front of your peers and other leaders

How to be powerful and noticeable when advancing your leadership in rooms where people don’t look like you

What "Ally Leadership" is and why it’s so crucial for today’s diverse workforce

actionable steps a leader can take tomorrow to begin leading more equitably and build trust across a more diverse team

How to spot the difference between performative and authentic Ally Leadership

Links Mentioned:

Connect with Stephanie: https://stephaniechung.com/

Get Stephanie’s Book: Ally in Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You 

Your Ally in Leadership Substack: https://www.yourallyinleadership.com/

Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/TheStephanieChung/

Connect with Stephanie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheStephanieChung/

Connect with Stephanie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheStephanieChung/

Connect with Stephanie on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thestephaniechung

Connect with Stephanie on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Coachstephaniechung

Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking

Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services

Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Consistency is pretty boring. It might be the least glamorous component of leadership.  This is probably why it tends to be an underrated leadership superpower. However, consistency is a key ingredient to leadership success, primarily because it allows you to create compounding interest. Your tiny gains over time build up to massive outcomes. 

Consistency also thwarts perfectionism. Showing up repeatedly becomes more important than showing up perfectly. This consistent showing up creates growth that casts perfectionism to the side, as it’s no longer needed as a tool for success. You start to realize that success is much more about showing up, getting it done, and building momentum on an ongoing basis. 

What if small, repeated actions became the backbone of sustainable success in both your personal growth and leadership?

For example… 

For the last 27 years, I've worked out 6 days a week. That's about 7,776 workouts. Most of them have been pretty average, mid-level efforts. A lot of them have been just going through the motions. Every now and then, there is a really amazing one. The impact has been massive on my mental and physical health. I have no doubt that I have added years to my life.

For the last 9 years, I have released 1-2 podcasts a week, depending on our production schedule. That's 940 podcast episodes. Some have been fantastic, even noteworthy. Many have been valuable and helpful to my audience, but not necessarily earth-shattering. The impact on my business and credibility as a thought leader, speaker, and coach has been invaluable. 

Consistency creates scaffolding in your life and leadership. By developing reliable habits, you reduce decision fatigue, lessen your mental load, and streamline internal negotiations. When you're consistent, you become a person who gets things done, who finishes what you start, and who builds trust in yourself. That identity shift, from someone who dabbles to someone who delivers, is transformational.

Consistency also strengthens your leadership reputation. Leaders known for their follow-through and reliability foster trust, credibility, and psychological safety for their teams.  Showing up again and again says to the world, “I’m here, I belong here, and I’m not going anywhere.” This episode will inspire you to lean into consistency as a courageous act of leadership and self-trust.

Episode Highlights:

00:00 The Power of Consistency in Leadership

05:09 Powerful Examples of the Payoffs of Consistency

10:12 Building Relationships Through Consistency

15:17 Consistency as a Tool to Build a Stronger Personal Identity and Leadership Identity

20:44 The Impact of Consistency on Trust and Visibility

Links Mentioned:

Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Book: Finish by Jon Acuff

Book: Soundtracks by Jon Acuff

Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking

Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During a recent retreat I led for my business coaching clients, we had the opportunity to do a deep dive into visibility avoidance.  We discussed this phenomenon that happens when we want to grow in new ways, but the prospect of heightened visibility holds us back.  Sometimes, when we take steps into higher visibility opportunities, we are excited by the outcomes.  But, shortly after the perceived win, we feel a sense of vulnerability that pulls us back to our pre-visibility zone of comfort, and we determine that pre-visibility space is the safer or more appropriate place for us to stay for the time being.  

Visibility can be wildly uncomfortable.  It can bring up a lot of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in which we create swirling narratives that are more harmful than helpful.  When we get stuck here, we stunt our own growth.  We shrink ourselves.  We play small.  We allow ourselves to tap into only a fraction of our full potential.  

In this episode, we explore the concept of visibility avoidance and highlight the common underlying self-limiting beliefs that hinder your personal and professional growth. I talk through how specific thought patterns undermine behavior patterns, keeping you accepting less than the best for yourself.  Then, I give you simple steps for overcoming visibility avoidance that will allow you to strategically increase visibility through small steps over time, allowing you to reach those goals you’ve been dreaming of in a way that feels exciting and rewarding! 

This episode will help you recognize the payoffs of stepping into your full potential when you do it in a way that feels safe and aligned with who you are and where you want to go. 

Episode Highlights:

00:00 The Magic of Expansive Time

04:14 Understanding Visibility Avoidance

12:03 Overcoming Self-Limiting Beliefs

16:18 Strategies for Increasing Visibility

24:47 Embracing Vulnerability and Growth

Links Mentioned:

Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking

Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’ve recently been in a few conversations about executive presence with colleagues and coaching clients.  These conversations keep coming up because of major misconceptions about executive presence.  When we think about executive presence, we tend to think about traits that allow for high control, high volume, and high power.  However, executive presence is not about dominance or taking up more space than the people around you.  It’s about far more.  And, it’s quite nuanced.    

Unfortunately, many of us don’t have great examples of executive presence around us.  This is why we don’t have a clear understanding of what it entails and how to develop it.  Without strong mentors and role models, it’s hard to know what you’re even striving for, right?!

In this episode, we will talk about what leaders are getting wrong about executive presence, the components of executive presence that matter most, and specific steps you can take to strengthen your executive presence.  We will also discuss how executive presence has long been weaponized as a gatekeeping tool and to uphold bias.  

Please know executive presence is not just for executives!  This is a way of carrying yourself in order to have a commanding presence that calls people in to work with you and listen to you.  Your executive presence at any level, regardless of role or rank, can position you to build trusting relationships, enter into collaborative opportunities, and set yourself up for powerful next steps in your leadership legacy.   

Episode Highlights:

How executive presence is learned and developed over time

Why quiet confidence goes a long way

Why executive presence requires balancing confidence with humility

Why executive presence has nothing to do with being the loudest or most dominant in the room

True executive presence is about how you make others feel

How and why to leverage authenticity more than conformity in your leadership

Recognizing the role of gatekeeping and bias in many current models of executive presence

Links Mentioned:

Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking

Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have all been in situations where we are asked a question or called out in a moment, and we completely freeze.  We can feel the room go silent as the spotlight shines brighter and brighter on us, and we can’t overcome the silence that has invaded our bodies. It feels like time has stopped, and it is up to us to make it start again, yet we feel completely unable to access the tools to do so. This can feel scary, overwhelming, and immobilizing. 

In this episode, we explore why our brains sometimes freeze in high-pressure moments. I share a little about what happens to your nervous system in these moments and how freezing is a protective reaction, not a personal failure. This can help you move away from shame and discomfort and toward self-acceptance and self-compassion in those moments of silence.

You'll learn practical strategies to set new default behaviors when you feel a freeze response coming on. From grounding techniques like deep breathing and pausing before speaking, to simple phrases that buy you time to think, these tools will help you stay centered and regain your voice in critical moments and after the fact so you can reclaim your agency and influence, build credibility and authority in high-stakes situations, and honor your unique brain and personality when things get a little sticky.  

Let’s reframe your “freezing” not as a flaw, but as an opportunity to strategically access your power through intentional presence. With practice, you can move from stuck and silent to calm and clear - even in moments that catch you off guard. 

If this episode resonates with you, share it with a colleague, team member, or fellow leader who needs a reminder that freezing doesn’t mean failing!

Links Mentioned:

Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking

Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

937: LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES: 4 Truths To Hold When You’re Doing Hard Things

Stepping into a new challenge or opportunity as a woman in leadership can bring up all kinds of fears—fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of not being enough. In this episode, I’m sharing four powerful truths to hold onto when you're on the edge of doing something bold, unfamiliar, or downright scary in your leadership. These reminders are here to ground you in your capability, reconnect you to your courage, and help you move forward even when your inner critic is the loudest voice in the room.

In this episode, we talk about what it looks like and feels like to trust positive feedback instead of deflecting it, how to reframe “faking it until you make it” as a leadership practice, and how to own and honor the skills and strengths you already bring to the table from your past experiences. We’ll also break down how perfectionism shows up in leadership and talk through how releasing that deep internalized perfectionism is one of the most powerful moves you can make, not just for your own well-being, but to model brave, authentic leadership for others.

Whether you’re stepping into a new role, launching a big initiative, or finding your voice in a room where you’re the only one who looks or leads like you, this episode is your reminder that you are more ready than you think. These four truths are mindset shifts and key leadership strategies to help you show up in the face of challenges and new opportunities with clarity, confidence, and courage - and maybe even a little excitement!

Episode Highlights:

00:00 Embracing Hard Things for Leadership Growth

06:07 Overcoming Conditioning and Imposter Syndrome

12:08 Trusting Yourself and How to Ethically Fake It Till You Make

18:37 Rejecting Perfectionism and Taking Action

Links Mentioned:

Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking

Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I don’t know anyone who loves engaging in disagreements.  In fact, most of the women I know avoid disagreements, conflict, and confrontation at all costs.  However, there are great costs to this avoidance, including missed opportunities for creativity and innovation, poor communication and growing resentment, slower or stalled decision making, a lack of trust and psychological safety, and higher potential for burnout and turnover.  So, you can see the costs are high!

Researchers at Harvard surveyed 486 employees across a wide range of industries and found that only 39% of respondents reported being trained or coached in handling workplace conflict. Of those who were trained or coached in this area, a stunning 96% said training and coaching helped them deal with conflict more effectively.  73% said they felt more confident and comfortable engaging in disagreements.  62% felt they were able to turn potentially destructive conflicts into productive ones.

Clearly, this is a skill that is not only needed, but that also has so many benefits in terms of impacting team and organizational outcomes!

In this episode, we dig into the importance of disagreement in leadership and communication while debunking common myths surrounding conflict. I share how learning to navigate disagreements can lead to innovative solutions and stronger relationships. Inspired by my recent school work for my Master's in Organizational Leadership program, I introduce you to the HEAR method from Harvard, which provides a framework for effective communication during disagreements. The episode will help you begin to embrace disagreement as a powerful and necessary tool, as well as an opportunity for growth and collaboration.

Episode Highlights:

Links Mentioned:

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There is no denying we are in an extraordinarily tough season.  When things feel heavy and hard for an extended period of time, it’s easy to feel a sense of constriction in our thoughts, mental health, and worldview.  It’s easy to fall into a funk.  And, it can feel impossible to pull ourselves out of it.  

During challenging seasons, it is crucial that you maintain a growth mindset. While it’s important to acknowledge what is happening in the world around us, it is also critically important to maintain habits that allow you to tap into hope and possibility regularly.  If all you feel is constriction during hard seasons, you run the risk of shutting down completely. This doesn’t serve you or anyone else.  Tapping into your growth mindset is going to be the superpower that allows you to keep going.  

In this episode, I outline six practical strategies to help you advance a growth mindset, including collecting the correct evidence, tracking small wins, staying in motion, leaning on the right support system, recognizing harmful narratives, and giving yourself permission to practice self-compassion through rest and restorative activities.  

Episode Highlights:

Links Mentioned:

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices