Shameless Leadership

I was thrilled when I learned that past podcast guest Jessica Frew wrote an entire book on decision-making.  Decision fatigue is real and so very exhausting.  It holds us back from taking action, best leveraging our time and energy, and truly trusting ourselves.  Jessica is a firecracker and I know this conversation will give you some great AHA’s about becoming a more decisive person.  

Jessica Frew is an author, speaker, coach, wife, ex-wife, mom, stepmom, and BOLD action taker.  She believes that you find true peace, connection and confidence by making your next best decision.  Jessica helps you make clear, confident, and concise decisions to lead a BOLD life that is in alignment with who you were created to be while leaving behind overthinking, people pleasing, and the need to justify your decisions through her proven Be.Be.Be Decision Making Formula.  Her new book, Shove Your Shoulds: Become a Decision-Making Badass & Live the Life You Deserve is all about unlearning the decision-making patterns we were taught (especially as women, mothers, and leaders) and embracing choices that actually feel aligned.

Listen in to hear Jessica share:

The power in giving yourself permission to evolve yourself and your work over time

How your “shoulds” quietly hijack your decision-making and breed negative self-judgment

How her narrative around being a stepmom held her back and how she unpacked this old narrative to write a new, better one

How to unravel long-term narratives that keep us stuck and how writing your own narratives elevates you as a leader

Why women hold so much fear around decisiveness

The connection between indecision and fear and how to reclaim your power by embracing decisiveness

The actual (simple) steps you can take in releasing an old narrative that is no longer serving you or possibly even harming you

Links Mentioned:

Get Jessica’s Book, Shove Your Shoulds: https://shoveyourshoulds.com/

Follow Jessica on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heyjessicafrew/

[NOVEMBER 20th] Join my 90-minute Leadership Roundtable, Thriving in Leadership in Uncertain Times: saradean.com/roundtable

[OPEN ENROLLMENT] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned

[LISTENER SURVEY] Let me know what Programs & Events you want me to host in 2026: saradean.com/survey

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

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

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"Sara, I tried one little thing you recommended in our session and it totally changed my interaction with a team member!"

Back story…I was leading a training for a leadership team recently and we talked about how to practice active listening in leadership.  One of the leaders decided to put one of my recommendations into action immediately (Gold Star for this leader!) and he was so excited about the results.  Following our training, he shifted his default behavior of “getting right down to business” in a one-on-one meeting to starting off a one-on-one by asking a team member an open-ended question.  This led to a great conversation and important insights between the two of them.  By getting curious before getting down to business, this leader fast-tracked trust and paved the way for open and honest communication with their team member.  He was giddy sharing this win with me.  I love it when new behaviors lead to new wins! 

Curiosity is one of the most underrated, yet most powerful, leadership skills you can develop. In this episode, we dig into how curiosity can completely shift the way you lead, communicate, and connect with others. Whether you’re managing up, collaborating across, or leading your team, curiosity opens up space for real conversation, minimizes assumptions, and builds relationships that feel grounded in care and respect. When you lead with curiosity, you create connection instead of disconnection, and you let the people around you truly shine.

In this episode, I walk you through five ways to use curiosity to become a more emotionally intelligent leader. We’ll talk about how to ask before assuming, how to get curious about motivations instead of just outcomes, and how curiosity can bridge differences when perspectives clash. You’ll also learn how to replace performance check-ins with curiosity-driven conversations that make your people feel seen and supported, and why modeling curiosity publicly builds trust and psychological safety at every level of your organization.

Ultimately, curiosity helps you become a leader who doesn’t just manage people — but inspires them. Tune in to discover how a few thoughtful questions can transform the way you collaborate, innovate, communicate, and lead.

Links Mentioned:

[NOVEMBER 20th] Join my 90-minute Leadership Roundtable, Thriving in Leadership in Uncertain Times: saradean.com/roundtable

[OPEN ENROLLMENT] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned

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

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

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

When it comes to giving yourself credit for your wins and accomplishments, how would you rate yourself?  Are you a strong self-promoter?  Do you share your accomplishments with others and routinely make it known that you’re up to great things?  Or, do you tend to shy away from shining too brightly in front of others?

As women leaders, we’re often taught to keep our heads down, work hard, and let our results speak for themselves.  But here’s the truth: results don’t speak.  People do.  If we’re not willing to talk about our wins, we’re missing out on opportunities to advance our careers, inspire other women, and rewrite what leadership visibility looks like.  In this episode, I’m diving into why women need to brag more and how we can do it in ways that feel authentic, strategic, inspiring, and empowering to others.

I’ll unpack how women consistently undersell themselves compared to men, even when they’re performing at the same or higher levels. We’ll explore how cultural conditioning, fear of backlash, and the “be humble” narrative keep women from taking rightful credit for their accomplishments. I’ll also talk about how self-promotion isn’t egotistical or arrogant, but rather a form of advocacy. It’s a way to own your impact, document your growth, and create a ripple effect that encourages other women to step into their power.

You’ll walk away from this episode with tangible strategies to brag smart, from reframing your wins as stories of impact to finding ways to normalize sharing success within your teams and networks. Whether you’re climbing the ladder, leading a team, or mentoring others, this episode will help you show up more visibly, confidently, and unapologetically as the accomplished leader you already are. It’s time to stop playing small and start celebrating yourself because when women brag, we all rise.

Links Mentioned:

[TIME SENSITIVE] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned

[VIRTUAL EVENT] Join me on November 20th for my Leadership Roundtable, Thriving in Leadership in Uncertain Times: saradean.com/roundtable

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

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

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

One of the trickiest parts of leadership for women, and even more so for women of color, is the tension between being authentic and being “good”.  When we focus on being “good,” we often self-sacrifice and push ourselves to uphold someone else’s vision of who we “should” be as a leader.  This can be exhausting, unsustainable, and even damaging to our sense of self over time.  I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to discuss this topic with La Tonya Roberts.  

La Tonya Roberts is the CEO of Harmony Consulting Group, where she transforms growth-focused organizations into high-performing businesses as a Fractional COO and HR Consultant. Drawing from 18+ years of experience across 30 countries, she helps companies scale operations, build inclusive cultures, and develop leadership teams that drive growth.

Listen in to hear La Tonya share:

Her pivotal moment of inviting women to be vulnerable in order to find their own form of authentic leadership

Why leaders need to be “real people” to the people they lead

How being vulnerable as a black single mom impacted her ability to be a more authentic leader

Why leaders need to be able to see and hear what is and IS NOT being said

How she made herself fit the mold of a “good leader” for many years and then broke the mold to find her authentic voice and a higher level of success

How to get what you need as a woman leader to thrive in any given role. 

Links Mentioned:

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Who doesn’t love a roadmap or a step-by-step blueprint to get from Point A to Point B?!  Sometimes, as we are just going about our daily lives, we don’t realize that we are, in fact, following a path without even realizing it.  As I’ve been helping leaders build out intentional journeys in growth over the last few years, I’ve realized a handful of key steps that come together to create a powerful roadmap to leadership success.  When your path to leadership success is intentional rather than accidental, you position yourself for unshakable long-term success and legacy building.  

I am in the process of more publicly sharing the leadership pathway I’ve been guiding my coaching clients on.  In this episode, I’m finally sharing my Shameless Leadership Ascent, a four-part roadmap to your leadership success. After seeing too many leaders with inadequate leadership development opportunities, I realized how much is being left on the table when leaders aren’t given specific growth opportunities.  I see leaders with so much untapped potential on the constant verge of burnout because they haven’t built a proper foundation from which to lead. 

In my Shameless Leadership Ascent, I break down the four stages every leader needs to move through to build a leadership legacy that lives long beyond your current role: Awaken (how you see yourself), Amplify (how you share yourself), Advocate (how you bring others with you), and Advise (how you grow others). Listen in as I walk you through each stage so you can see exactly how to build your leadership legacy in a clear and conscientious way.  

When leaders have a foundation of high self-awareness, strong emotional intelligence, and a deep understanding of their opportunity to influence others in a positive way, they build high retention cultures that are wildly innovative, engaged, and energized.  

In contrast, when leaders ascend too fast without doing the foundational work, they lead from their ego instead of wisdom - gatekeeping, relying on authority over trusting relationships, hoarding opportunities instead of opening doors, and perpetuating the toxic work environments.  These leaders create high turnover, high burnout cultures that are devoid of trust, motivation, and engagement.  While these cultures are often masked as “high-performance”, they are commonly rife with fear and dissatisfaction to the point that many employees are constantly planning their exit strategies.  

Whether you're doing your own leadership development work or you're responsible for building leadership capacity in your organization, the Shameless Leadership Ascent is your roadmap to sustainable, transformative leadership.

Links Mentioned:

[Open Enrollment] Join Sara’s 2026 Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned

Join Sara’s Next Business Coaching Cohort for Women Business Owners: https://saradean.com/influence-ignite-business-group-coaching/

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

This episode is especially for business owners and consultants, but the themes will resonate with anyone navigating leadership in challenging times. No matter your role, the struggles we face are often more similar than different, and there’s always something to learn from the stories of others.

Recently, my business coaching clients and entrepreneurial colleagues have been sharing struggles that might feel familiar: 

"What sold before is not selling now."

"I am ready to make a pivot, but I'm feeling nervous and unsure about how to do so."

"With the online space feeling loud and saturated, I'm feeling less confident in making myself more visible."

"I need to grow my team, but I'm nervous about finding the right people and/or giving up control."

"I'm struggling with boundaries and communication with my team."

"I'm overwhelmed and exhausted by my business + the state of the world!"

Over my 22 years as a business owner, the state of the world has forced me to reimagine (and sometimes rapidly pivot) my business, my offers, and my team multiple times. After a few moments (or days) of "WTF?! Why is this happening to me?!", I've always been able to find a path forward and often have found a stronger sense of purpose and drive because of this driving mantra: I know what I'm good at. I know I can create incredible outcomes for people. I have proven that I can be endlessly adaptable and resilient in my 49 years on this planet. This time is no different. LFG.

In this episode, I’ll share 3 steps you can take right now to address these struggles head-on. Because the world being extra loud and extra messy does not diminish the need for your work. In fact, it amplifies it.

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

Links Mentioned:

Attend Sara’s Influence & Ignite Retreat for Women Business Owners: saradean.com/retreat

Join Sara’s Next Business Coaching Cohort: https://saradean.com/influence-ignite-business-group-coaching/

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

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

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

I met Michelle Desmond a few months ago at a birthday gathering for a mutual friend.  As Michelle started talking about her work in dying, death, and grief, I had question after question. I realized quickly I had to get her on the pod. I was so excited and grateful when she said yes. This is such an important topic that impacts every single human, yet very few ever talk about it.

Michelle is a corporate executive turned thanatologist (expert in dying, death, and bereavement). After experiencing extensive personal losses, she chose to leave a career that included leadership roles in marketing, innovation, and line-of-business management at Verizon, T-Mobile, and Starbucks to pursue a Master of Science degree in the study of thanatology. She is passionate about bringing education, guidance, and innovation to the modern experiences of death and grief.

She founded On Grief and Death LLC, through which she offers workshops and classes, 1:1 grief guidance, and consulting to businesses. She has led group and individual programs at companies, as well as the world-renowned Miraval Resort in Tucson. Michelle is an adjunct professor at Marian University, teaching master’s degree students about the role of technology in how we die and grieve.

Listen in to hear Michelle share:

What thanatology is and why she left a successful corporate career to go into this field

The costs of living in a culture that leaves us utterly unprepared for experiencing loss, death, dying, and grief

The biggest myths (and corresponding truths) about grief

The costs of us not speaking more openly about grief - especially in professional spaces

What would be different if we were to normalize talking about grief and loss 

How companies and individuals can support others through experiences of death and loss of all types

Links Mentioned: 

Connect with Michelle: www.ongriefanddeath.com

Michelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-desmond-811410/

Michelle on Substack: Death and Other Stories

Get Michelle’s Book: Death and Other Stories

Attend Sara’s October Retreat for Women Business Owners: saradean.com/retreat

Join Sara’s Next Business Coaching Cohort (Oct-May): https://saradean.com/influence-ignite-business-group-coaching/

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

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

"Sara, some of my newer leaders are really struggling. I know they want to shine, but they need support, and I don't have the time or skills to give them. Can you help?" 

This is a conversation I've found myself in more and more over the last year. So, how did we get here? 

More and more managers are being promoted into leadership roles without the training or support to succeed. In this episode, I unpack why so many emerging leaders are struggling: rapid reorgs, leaner teams, and the disappearance of formal leadership development. Then, I outline four key areas where new leaders need the most support.

If you are an emerging leader in your organization, this episode will help you identify the skills you can develop to improve your leadership competence and confidence. If you are leading emerging leaders, this episode will help you more deeply understand how and why emerging leaders are struggling (often through no fault of their own) and what you can do to help them thrive.

Whether you’re an executive watching your emerging leaders flounder or a brand-new manager looking for your footing, this episode offers practical insights you can use right away.

The hidden forces pushing people into leadership before they’re ready

The skill gaps most first-time leaders don’t even know they have

Four core areas every new leader needs to master: clarity & confidence, communication, coaching and people development, and leadership resilience

How to spot when your rising leaders need extra support—and how to get it for them

Links Mentioned:

Attend my Influence & Ignite Retreat for Women Business Owners: saradean.com/retreat

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

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

What You’ll Learn
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

Jamie Lee is an executive coach who specializes in women and underrepresented leaders who are "allergic" to risky conversations and office politics. She focuses on helping them get promoted and better paid without compromising their integrity or throwing anyone under the bus. In her practice, she blends proven self-advocacy strategies with evidence-based neuroplasticity tools.

For over a decade, Jamie has trained thousands of professionals in effective self-advocacy at leading organizations, including Citi, Unilever, Association of Corporate Counsel, American College of Cardiologists, UC Berkeley School of Business, and Smith College.

She's also the host of the Risky Conversations podcast, where she has honest talks with thought leaders on topics often considered taboo or "too risky" at work -- negotiation, mental and reproductive health, office politics, social injustices, and unconventional ways smart women navigate their path forward despite a flawed workplace.

Listen in to hear Jamie share:

How deepening her understanding of herself and her identity as a Korean immigrant woman helped her become a better self-advocate when she realized she was being significantly underpaid at work

How our development of self-advocacy is not just about us, but also an act of service

How she overcame the assumption that women need to earn their power in order to see that women actually need to claim their power

The connection between self-advocacy, shame, and power

How women can use anger to activate motivation

The science of successful negotiation by decentering yourself

How to use Zen practices and neuroscience to inform to rewrite your internal narratives and unlock your greatest potential 

Links Mentioned:

Connect with Jamie: https://www.jamieleecoach.com

Jamie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leejieunjamie

Jamie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamieleecoach

Listen to Jamie’s interview with Sara on Risky Conversations: https://podcast.jamieleecoach.com/

Book: The Heart Sutra

Book: Open Focus Brain

Connect with Sara: saradean.com

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

Public failures and fumbles are painful to say the least. 

I’ve recently had a handful of clients come to me feeling crushed after making a mistake, fumbling, or failing publicly. The most prominent outcome in all of their stories? SHAME. Their instinctual behavior to manage the shame? Hide, deny, or deflect.

Fun fact, people don't actually trust leaders who never admit to making mistakes. Mistakes are a demonstration of humanity, authenticity, and vulnerability. We trust people who we see as human, fallible, and REAL.

We trust people who aren't afraid to take accountability. We trust people who don't shy away from saying sorry.

At the end of the day, our public mistakes don’t have to be the end of our credibility. In fact, they can become a powerful part of the evolution of our growth and credibility as a leader. In this episode, I’m digging into how public fumbles can actually make you a better leader, and I’ll walk you through the four steps (borrowed from restorative justice practices) to move through mistakes in a way that builds, rather than breaks, your credibility:

Take responsibility for your part in the mess.

Apologize for any harm done.

Share and demonstrate what you’ve learned.

Commit to the steps you’ll take to do better next time.

By taking these steps, you are modeling humility, integrity, strength, grace, and a healthy sense of ego. When you model these things, people trust you MORE. People see you as more credible and authentic. People feel more connected to you. You become the kind of leader people remember and emulate. 

I’ll also talk about how to let go of the shame of failure as an essential step for moving forward. The reality is, being a great leader is far more about being real than being perfect. Processing the shame is part of being real and giving yourself the grace to be imperfect.

If you’ve ever found yourself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons—or feared what might happen if you do—this conversation will give you a roadmap for navigating those moments with integrity, humility, and strength.

Links Mentioned:

Attend my Influence & Ignite Retreat for Women Business Owners: saradean.com/retreat

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

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