Shameless Leadership

There is no denying that artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how we work, communicate, and lead, leaving many professionals wondering how to future-proof their career in an increasingly automated world. While AI can generate information in seconds, we desperately need leaders who can make meaning of information, influence others, and inspire action. This is the work of thought leadership. In this episode, I explore why thought leadership has become one of the most important leadership skills leaders can develop and why leadership in the age of AI requires far more than simply knowing things or technical expertise alone.

Many women leaders hear the phrase thought leadership and assume it means becoming an influencer, author, or keynote speaker. In reality, becoming a thought leader is about increasing your influence, visibility, and credibility by sharing your unique perspective and expertise. For women seeking greater impact, stronger executive presence, and access to new opportunities, thought leadership is one of the most powerful leadership skills for women to develop, regardless of industry, role, or career stage.

In the age of AI, your expertise alone is no longer enough. Information is everywhere. The leaders who create the greatest value are those who can interpret information, connect ideas, challenge assumptions, spot patterns, and help others navigate uncertainty. AI can summarize data and generate content, but it cannot replicate your lived experiences, professional judgment, values, intuition, or ability to lead people through change. In an era of constant digital transformation, these human capabilities are becoming more valuable, not less.

Listen in to hear how thought leadership can support your leadership development and create long-term career resilience. If you're looking to strengthen your influence and develop the leadership skills that will matter most in the future, this episode will help you better understand the evolving relationship between AI and leadership and how to position yourself for lasting success.

Links Mentioned:

June 24th Free Workshop: The Future-Proof Leader: Why Your Thought Leadership Matters Significantly More in the Age of AI: https://saradean.com/future/

Denise Brosseau and The Thought Leadership Lab: https://thoughtleadershiplab.com/what-is-a-thought-leader/

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

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

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

Sage Hobbs is an author, facilitator, and coach whose work combines her background in counseling psychology with a passion for helping people communicate with clarity, courage, and compassion. She empowers leaders and teams to navigate challenges, build trust, and strengthen the relationships that drive personal and professional success.

Sage began her career as a school counselor. This experience shaped her understanding of complex communication and reinforced her belief that our happiness and success are tied to the quality of our relationships. She has since worked with schools, districts, nonprofits, and global organizations to foster emotional intelligence, positive culture, and effective leadership.

Sage is the author of Naked Communication: Courageously Create the Relationships You Really Want and the host of the Principal Pep Talks podcast, bringing candid conversation to the real challenges of leadership. With a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Colorado Denver and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Sage is also a proud mom of two, a cancer survivor, and a lover of humor, books, and the occasional kitchen dance party.

Listen in to hear Sage share:

Why facilitating connection is a critical leadership skill

How rewarding leaders for having all the “right” answers has undermined connection in leadership

What missed opportunities for connection cost leaders and organizations

Why people avoid hard conversations and why moments of discomfort in communication are imperative for leadership growth

The distinction between leadership and management when it comes to communication

How to leverage curiosity, clarity, and compassion in communication as a pathway to connection

Four things you can do today to improve your communication and ability to connect in a meaningful way

Links:

Connect with Sage: https://sagebhobbs.com/

Get Sage’s Book: Naked Communication: Courageously Create the Relationships You Really Want 

Sage on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sagebhobbs/

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

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

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

We all have gaps in our leadership skills and capabilities that can be tough to spot on our own. But once seen, we cannot unsee these gaps, and we know we must take responsibility for our own growth and development. In this episode, I'm digging into Brené Brown's framework of Armored Leadership versus Daring Leadership from her book Strong Ground, with the hope that you will be able to spot some of your gaps in your leadership habits. I break down the 11 aspects of armored leadership, those self-protective behaviors that feel like safety but actually keep us stuck, and explore what shifts when you choose daring leadership instead: vulnerability, authenticity, and real growth. 

We talk about what drives armored leadership in the first place, from scarcity mindset and social conditioning to past trauma, and how those patterns show up in organizational culture without us even realizing it. Then we flip the lens to daring leadership, where leading proactively and strategically rather than reactively becomes possible. We talk about values in leadership, the role of failure, and how building a belonging culture starts with the willingness to be vulnerable as a leader. This is leadership development that meets you where you actually are, for better or worse.

This is an invitation to take an honest look at where armor and your need for self-protection are costing you. As I share in the episode, leadership is an act of service, and daring leadership asks you to show up fully, armor down, and lead from a place ot humility, curiosity, and authenticity. 

Links Mentioned:

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

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

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

I’m five days out from graduating with my Master’s in Organizational Leadership. I’ll be honest, I am tired. Like, bone tired. I think the last four months have been a never-ending adrenaline rush to get to the finish line of grad school while also managing a full-time (and fully intense) work schedule and parenting during a busy baseball season. It’s been a lot. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been a lot of great things. I’m so grateful and truly elated for all I have experienced over the last two years. But I’m feeling the comedown, and it’s leaving me wiped out!

While I think I’ll be processing the last two years for quite some time, I wanted to share a few nuggets with you right away. I’m walking away from this grad school experience with some important lessons learned that are immediately applicable for me — and might be for you, too!

In this episode, I’m sharing three big takeaways from my grad school experience. First, I’m sharing a philosophy I learned in one of my first classes in the program on how to “see and see again.” This philosophy challenges us to look past assumptions, judgments, and biases and peel back the layers that might not be obvious at first glance.

Second, I’m talking about how to be a leader who is for others. I’ve always known that leadership is not only about power, and leaders who get this confused are destined to become toxic, highly dysfunctional leaders (i.e., rulers or dictators). There are specific ways to embrace and embody leadership as a leader who is for others, and this is the kind of leadership we need to develop in one another.

Third, I opted to get a concentration in Change Leadership as part of my Master’s program. My first few classes in change leadership felt a little dry and didn’t totally resonate with me. While the content felt helpful from an informational standpoint, it didn’t light a fire in me. Then I ended up in a change leadership class that completely flipped my notion of change leadership on its head, and I had this glaring realization that I am a change leader and have been for years (decades??). I was just looking at myself and my work through the wrong lens. When you hear my story about this, I think you might be able to see yourself and your change leadership capabilities through a new lens, too!

The last two years have been an incredible ride. Thank you for your words of support and encouragement, as well as your many congratulations on social media and via email over the last week. I appreciate you!! If you have any questions about going back to school as a middle-aged, full-time working mom, please reach out. I’m an open book!

Links Mentioned:

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

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

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

I had the pleasure of meeting Emily Scherberth when we were in an Organizational Change & Transformation class in our Master’s in Organizational Leadership program. I knew right away that Emily was whip smart and someone I wanted to geek out with and learn more from. When Emily shared her recent research on feedback, vulnerability, and leadership - and the glaring gender differences, I knew I wanted to do a deep dive with her. This conversation is that deep dive. I’m so grateful to Emily for doing this important work and bravely sharing it with the world. 

Emily Scherberth is the Founder and CEO of Turas Leadership Consulting, Inc.  She serves as a partner and strategist for executives, teams, and organizations that are ready to transform their cultures and lead with purpose. With nearly 30 years of experience in corporate strategy, communications, leadership, qualitative research, and facilitation, Emily created Turas Leadership to realign more intentionally with her own purpose: to help actualize the potential in others.  

As the creator of the Leader-First Transformation™ model and a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths® coach, Emily synthesizes decades of direct leadership experience with forward-thinking research and evidence-based methods to help clients increase performance and find meaning in their work. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Loyola Marymount University, a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies from California State University, Northridge, and is completing a second Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

Listen in to hear Emily share:

How she made a pivot from a 30-year communications career into leadership consulting

How to assess and develop your leadership capacity by identifying connectedness within yourself and within the systems in which you lead

Her recent research on the vulnerability of receiving feedback and being challenged

The surprising data on leaders wanting to be challenged 

The dramatic gender differences in her data, and how to account for these differences 

How current organizational systems are limited in their capacity to provide psychological safety on a systemic level, and the problem with only addressing psychological safety on the team or department level

What capacity building means in leadership, and why leadership development needs to focus more specifically on capacity building

How you can own and honor your leadership capacity while also challenging yourself to advance your current capacity

Links Mentioned:

Connect with Emily and Turas Leadership: https://turasleadership.com/

Follow Emily on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyscherberth/

Turas Leadership Article and Research: The Leadership Paradox: Leaders Want Feedback but Fear the Cost of Asking for It

Emily on Medium: The Leadership Journey: https://medium.com/the-leadership-journey

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

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

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

In this episode, I'm sharing strategic time-management tips for women ready to stop letting their calendars control them. We're talking ruthless prioritization, time-blocking, unscheduling, and the specific strategies that women in leadership use to reclaim their focus without burning out. This conversation goes beyond surface-level productivity tips to explore the mindset shifts that actually change how you manage your time. Because the truth is, time management isn’t just about your calendar, it’s about your beliefs, your boundaries, and your willingness to take ownership of how you lead your life and work.

I walk you through the questions I believe every woman leader needs to ask herself about her relationship with time. What are you actually accountable for? What stories are you telling yourself about how you manage your time? And where did those patterns come from? So much of our time management is inherited or unconscious, and until we bring awareness to it, we stay stuck in cycles that don’t serve us. 

From there, I break down core time management strategies - the rules that executive coaching clients and I personally use and teach when it comes to managing your time with intention. We talk about identifying what truly moves the needle, getting honest about what is not a “yes right now”, and setting clear boundaries around your schedule (and when others have access to it!) I also share how to use time blocking to protect my energy and focus, and why knowing how your brain works is one of the most underrated productivity tips for sustainable success. This is about making time management decisions that align with your values, not just reacting to demands.

Finally, we get real about what it takes to be accountable for your time in seasons that require more of you. There are times to sprint and times to rest & recover. Knowing when each is necessary is everything. Whether you’re in a current sprint or want to be more prepared for your next sprint season, this episode will help you reframe your mindset around time management and reclaim your time, your energy, and your authority as a leader.

Links Mentioned:

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

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

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

Difficult conversations are something most of us avoid, delay, or overthink. I get it. Who wants to get super uncomfortable - on purpose?!  But what if you could reframe difficult conversations as a massive opportunity to grow your leadership skills? In this episode, I share how I approach these conversations through a simple 5-question framework that centers on emotional intelligence, intentionality, care, and self-leadership.

In this episode, we explore how quickly our assumptions can shape a conversation before it even begins, and why separating fact from story is such a powerful communication skill for leaders. I also talk about what it looks like to create common ground intentionally, even when tension exists, and how that changes the trajectory of conflict resolution.

One of the most important parts of having hard conversations is not just what you say, but how you show up. I walk through how to ground yourself before speaking, how to choose your tone and energy, and how to anchor into the leader you want to be in the moment. This is how we start to shift from reacting to leading.

If you’ve ever wondered how to speak up at work or in your leadership without overexplaining, shutting down, or escalating tension, this episode will help you. These five questions are a practical tool you can return to again and again to strengthen your communication skills and build more trusting relationships through honest dialogue in your personal and professional life.

Links Mentioned:

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

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

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

When Loren Mayor’s team reached out to me about Loren guesting on Shameless Leadership, it was a quick and easy YES! For decades, Loren’s work and legacy have been guided by her values of impact, strategic problem solving, and connection. Her secret leadership sauce will help you think more deeply and intentionally about what it means to show up in your gifts and in the service of meaningful work.

As Chief Operating Officer of World Wildlife Fund (WWF-US), Loren ensures the organization delivers on its strategy to create a world where people and nature live in harmony. She oversees strategic partnerships, operational functions, and resource mobilization teams while strengthening workplace culture and advancing WWF’s mission with external stakeholders. Prior to WWF, Loren was President of Operations at National Public Radio (NPR), where she oversaw the full suite of organizational operations and identified new business opportunities, developing NPR’s strategic plan, and building a strong, empowering culture. Before NPR, Loren held leadership roles at PBS and worked with clients in the non-profit and media sectors during her tenure at McKinsey & Company. Loren has an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in theater from Northwestern University, where she also served as a visiting assistant professor.

Listen in to hear Loren share:

How she is leaning into connection in this season of chaos and uncertainty

Her journey from a PhD in theater to becoming the COO of one of the largest environmental organizations globally

The value of building a non-linear career focused on impact, strategy, problem-solving, and connection

What it really means to be “smart” - that doesn’t necessarily relate to expertise

How strong leaders balance priorities in professional environments - and in the overlap of personal and professional realms

3 key steps to take when leading through a crisis

How to stay humble and open as you grow in leadership

Links Mentioned:

Connect with Loren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenmayor/

World Wildlife Fund website: https://www.worldwildlife.org/

Give an Hour for Earth: A WWF campaign to take action for nature at a time when it needs us most. (The campaign runs from March 23-April 30.): https://www.worldwildlife.org/support/campaigns/gah/give-an-hour-for-earth/

Poem: We Are Nature, Nature Is Us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qeEcxCUEAM

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

Ever since my own ADHD diagnosis in my mid-forties, I’m on the lookout for other women who are talking about their later-in-life diagnosis. I stumbled across Sumur Williams on LinkedIn, and her posts on ADHD consistently resonated with me. So, I reached out to ask her to join me on the show to talk about high-performing women who have ADHD. 

Sumur Williams is the founder of The Unpolished Brain, and an ADHD coach and AI strategist for late-diagnosed professionals. She helps newly diagnosed adults finally understand how their brain actually works and build systems that support their current needs. She is passionate about changing how ADHD is understood and helping people move from survival mode into intentional, supported growth.

As a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD at 47, Sumur didn’t fit the traditional narrative. She spent decades masking, overcompensating, and performing at high levels while quietly struggling underneath it all. Today, Sumur combines lived experience with practical tools, including AI, to help people reduce overwhelm, improve task initiation, and stop spinning their wheels. Her work focuses on building real-life scaffolding, systems that still work on hard days, not just good ones.

Listen in to hear Sumur share:

How she was diagnosed with ADHD at age 47, and the layers of grief that ensued after her diagnosis 

Some of the misconceptions and common characteristics you see in high-performing women who have ADHD

Her experience in choosing to disclose having ADHD at work and her recommendations around workplace disability disclosures

What executive dysfunction looks like for middle-aged women

The importance of energy regulation and boundaries for neurodivergent women

How to use AI as a tool for task management, decision fatigue mitigation, and emotional regulation

Links Mentioned:

Free Workshop on April 16th: Trust Your Voice: Communicate with Courage When the Stakes Are High: https://saradean.com/trust

Connect with Sumur: https://theunpolishedbrain.com

Sumer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumurwilliams

Sumur on Instagram: @theunpolishedbrain

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

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

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

Why do many women leaders freeze in high-stakes moments even when they know exactly what to say? If this is you, you’re definitely not alone. This episode breaks down what is really happening in these moments and the communication skills gap that holds women back in leadership: the freeze response, the over-explanation, and the impulse to soften a message until it loses all its power. If you're a woman in leadership who (like many of my clients and me!) has ever walked out of a crucial conversation feeling like you left something unsaid, this one is for you.

In this episode, we explore:

Why the freeze response shows up for women leaders - and why it's not a confidence problem

The hidden cost of over-explaining in high-stakes moments (and how it undermines your executive presence)

How workplace communication patterns are shaped by social conditioning, not capability

What emotional intelligence actually looks like when the pressure is on

Practical tools for women leaders to show up with clarity and authority in crucial conversations

How to release perfectionism and control when the stakes are high

The impulse to shut down is a default that is not serving you. While it may be a deeply ingrained protection mechanism, it’s preventing you from taking up the space you deserve to own. It’s time to set some new defaults so you can hold any conversation, articulate your thoughts even when uncomfortable, and trust yourself to share your ideas in a way that calls people in. With just a few simple steps, you can begin to set new defaults to stay present, nimble, and assertive in high-stakes moments. 

Links Mentioned:

Free Workshop on April 16th: Trust Your Voice: Communicate with Courage When the Stakes Are High: https://saradean.com/trust

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

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

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