Shameless Leadership

When you hear the phrase thought leader, what comes to mind? For a lot of people, it’s someone with a massive following, a bestselling book, or a keynote spot at a big conference. But here’s the truth: thought leadership isn’t about popularity, perfection, or being the smartest (or loudest!) person in the room. It’s about having the courage to share ideas that shape or shift how others think, act, or lead. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on what actually makes someone a thought leader—and what doesn’t.

I’ll walk you through some of the biggest myths about thought leadership, like the idea that you need a huge audience, massive expertise, or flawless content before you can make an impact. Spoiler: you don’t. Then, I’ll break down the traits that really define thought leadership—clarity, consistency, courage, and a commitment to service. I’ll also share examples of leaders (many without fancy titles) who are shaping culture and conversations right where they are.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your voice matters enough to share publicly, or if you’ve doubted whether you’re “qualified” to be seen as a thought leader, this episode is for you. You’ll leave with practical ways to start building credibility and influence, even if you’re starting small. Thought leadership isn’t about ego or self-promotion. It’s about generosity, contribution, and showing up consistently with ideas that matter.  Anyone can be a thought leader, and your path to thought leadership can begin today!

Episode Highlights:

Why thought leadership is about service, not self-promotion

The biggest myths (and truths!) about thought leadership

The four traits that make someone a trusted and influential voice

How to know if you’re already showing up as a thought leader without realizing it

5 practical steps you can take to begin sharing your ideas with more confidence and consistency

Links Mentioned:

Jalonni Weaver on IG: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jalonniweaver/

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

A few months ago, I shared some of my personal experiences in perimenopause.  Today I am back with a big update. Since the last episode on this topic, I had a severe shift in my mental health, including a raging comeback of my lifelong anxiety and panic.  On top of this, I started having emotional responses to situations that I could tell were very much disproportionate to the situation, yet I couldn’t seem to talk myself out of severe and dark emotional states. Initially, I thought this was all due to general life stress and the relentless state of the world. After a few months of waking up in sheer panic night after night, I asked my doctor if we could recheck my hormones. WOW, did those lab results paint a picture! 

I received my lab results via email on a Friday afternoon. Since my follow-up with my doctor wasn’t until the next week, I did what any anxiety-ridden perimenopausal 49-year-old woman would do. I went straight to my pal, Chatty (ie: ChatGPT). Chatty broke everything down for me and told me that, based on my lab work, I was very likely in the final stages of perimenopause or early stages of menopause. Chatty also noted that my lack of estrogen (which was so low it literally did not register on the lab work) may have me experiencing the following:

Tearfulness or crying more easily

Feeling raw, edgy, or like your “emotional skin is thinner”

Mood crashes that feel out of proportion to the trigger

Moments of despair or hopelessness that feel unfamiliar

Feeling more reactive or “on edge” without clear cause

Loss of resilience in situations you used to handle with ease

CHECK. CHECK. CHECK. CHECK. I didn’t even realize how incredibly awful I had been feeling until I saw this list and realized that every single item was ME! I took the list to my husband, who lovingly verified that he had seen this all in me in recent months and shared, “You really haven’t been yourself for a while.”

The next week, I had my lab review appointment with my doctor, who told me, “We are going to fast-track HRT for you. You need estrogen asap!” She called in my prescription and warned me that it would take a few weeks, maybe longer, before I noticed any significant changes in how I felt.  

I put on my first hormone patch at 4 pm on a Tuesday. By Wednesday at 8 am, I felt like a new woman! I felt energetic, optimistic, motivated, and at ease. No panic, no anxiety. The sun shone brighter, the chirping birds made me smile (instead of annoying me), I didn’t want to scream at my family for no reason, and I couldn’t wait to tackle my To Do List for the day. I immediately realized how horrible my quality of life had become over the last few months. In short, HRT brought me back to myself in 16 hours.  

In this episode, I share more of my story and provide a few recommendations for you to get the proper support during your own perimenopause/menopause journey. I’m so lucky to have a fantastic doctor, which I know is not the case for so many women. I hope my story will help you find the support you need during this season. If you are a woman between the ages of 35 and 55, this episode is for you! 

Links Mentioned:

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

Shameless Leadership Ep 924: More Talking About Menopause Please

Dr. Mary Claire Haver on IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmaryclaire

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

Empathy is one of the most critical leadership skills we can have—but like any strength, it can become a liability when it’s out of balance. In this episode, I’m diving into the dangers of both too much and too little empathy as a leader. Because here’s the truth: leaders without enough empathy lose trust, connection, and team cohesion… but leaders with too much empathy risk burnout, decision fatigue, and losing their leadership edge.

We will dig into what happens when empathy turns into emotional over-functioning, when we’re not just feeling with our people, but we’re carrying their feelings as our own. This is especially common for leaders who are natural caretakers or people-pleasers, or who’ve been taught that being liked equals being effective. I’ll also break down how leaders with too little empathy often miss opportunities to connect, inspire, and build loyalty.

Most importantly, I’ll walk you through practical ways to find your Goldilocks “just right” empathy zone. You’ll learn how to be compassionate without losing your boundaries, how to acknowledge people’s experiences without absorbing their emotions, and how to lead with both heart and backbone. This is the work of becoming a leader who is deeply human and deeply effective.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re caring too much—or not enough—about the emotional side of leadership, this conversation will help you recalibrate so you can lead with clarity, confidence, and courage.

Links Mentioned:

Register for Sara’s October 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

I was thrilled to interview Themba Dayton, whom I was introduced to by Elena Joy Thurston, a past guest of the show and a friend. When I learned about Themba’s track record in building and guiding diverse teams, I immediately had a ton of questions for him. This conversation is a treasure trove of sage advice around the power of diversity in professional environments and why diverse teams will always have a leg up, no matter the state of the world.  

Themba Dayton is a 30-year insurance professional in the employee benefits industry, living in the Pacific Northwest. In an industry that is known for being overwhelmingly male, Themba has been a part of and has had the honor of leading extremely diverse and dynamic teams that have been innovative and successful in their roles. Teams at their best are varied, have full engagement, and the group is committed to the success of the whole more often than the success of the individual. In his current role, Themba looks for opportunities to ensure all voices are allowed to be heard, to allow for more robust discussions, and to pave the way for more meaningful outcomes.

Listen in to hear Themba share:

How to leverage diversity to build effective and successful teams

His secret in helping each member of diverse teams feel seen, heard, held, and valued - getting to know each person individually, developing strong 1:1 relationships

How he is sensitive to his industry being “pale, male, and stale” and how he, as a Black man, leads with this sensitivity in mind

How he looks for opportunities to amplify women’s voices

How highlighting someone else not only amplifies their voice but also helps you shine brighter as a strong leader

Links Mentioned:

Connect with Themba on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themba-dayton-ab956b5/

Register for Sara’s October 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

Have you ever found yourself staring down a big decision, maybe making a move, a new job offer, a promotion, or even staying in a role that no longer fits — and thought, “How do I know if this is the right move?”

In this episode, I walk you through four powerful questions I ask myself (and my clients) before making a big personal or professional decision. These questions help cut through the noise, slow down the overthinking spiral, and get you grounded in what you truly want and need.

I will walk you through these questions, applying them to an example from my personal life, and then use a professional example that will likely be familiar to you. This episode will help you become a better decision maker and action taker, providing objective clarity to get you through tough decisions. Being able to make value-aligned decisions, guided by simple questions, will enhance your leadership, save you a ton of decision fatigue and mental energy, and open up space for you to do more of your best work. 

In this episode, you will learn:

The question I ask that always brings me back to clarity

How to assess if a decision is additive or draining

Why getting honest about the costs of a yes is just as important as the benefits

How to make choices from purpose, not pressure

Whether you’re weighing a big move or a small shift, this episode will help you trust yourself more in the process.

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

Having a boss who causes harm or holds leadership values that clash with yours is rarely a positive experience. But time and again, I’ve seen how negative role models can motivate people to lead better and do better. Poor leadership often sparks a commitment to do things differently and more effectively as we grow. So maybe, in the long run, even bad leaders leave us with something valuable?

When I learned of Dr. Karen Hills Pruden’s work in leadership, partly inspired by her experience of having endured two incompetent leaders in close succession, I was eager to hear her story and learn from her.  In this episode, she shares her incredibly valuable lessons learned.

Dr. Pruden is the CEO of Pruden Global Business Solutions Consulting (PGBSC), a premier professional development and leadership training company. With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Pruden has created trademarked frameworks that drive transformational change for leaders and organizations worldwide.  PGBSC programs are built on powerful, proven methodologies, including the Amplify Your Value framework, which helps leaders leverage their expertise to advance; the LPT (Learn, Practice, Teach) framework, designed to create a continuous cycle of learning and growth; and the PE (Professional Equity) framework, which empowers professionals to convert their experience into measurable business success.  Pruden Global specializes in cultivating leadership excellence, ensuring that our clients are not only seen and heard but also positioned to make a lasting impact.  Dr. Pruden is a Bestselling Author, published over 30 times, a sought-after Global Leadership Speaker, and a guest on radio, podcasts, and television.

Listen in to hear Karen share:

What women really need to make the leap into the C-suite, and how women sell themselves short when reaching for C-suite roles 

What she learned about the “Dos and Don’ts of Leadership” after having two incompetent leaders in two years

Her philosophy that “silence is not a superpower” and how to use your voice in strategic ways when you’re working under an ineffective or incompetent leader

How to maintain your professional integrity and motivation when faced with leadership that doesn’t align with your organization’s values or your own leadership standards 

How her experiences with poor leaders allowed her to create her own leadership methodologies and frameworks

Links Mentioned:

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

Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking

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

Connect with Dr. Pruden: drkarenhillpruden.com

Get Dr. Pruden’s Free Download: 20 Things to Ask for to Raise Your Total Compensation Package: https://pro.speakerhub.com/speaker-feedback/?qr=d2fcc364-e93d-46fc-9eb3-2d7145a99535

Connect with Dr. Pruden on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkarenhillspruden/

Sister Leaders Community: sistersleadersconference.com

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Last year, Google invited me to come lead trainings for Aging Awareness Week. This was a truly enjoyable opportunity to work with some brilliant leaders. When I asked about who to expect in the audience, I expected to be told, “People over 55.” Instead, I was told, “This ERG is for folks over 40.”  40!  I don’t think of 40 as “aging” just yet. But, I guess it is when society and culture start to stigmatize us, isn’t it??  

If you are a woman over 40 who is done shrinking and ready to lead with the clarity, power, and confidence that comes from your decades of wisdom, with zero apologies, this episode is for you!

In this episode, I’m speaking directly to women over 40 who are ready to start leading with the full force of their lived experience. I know what it feels like to be in rooms where youth, speed, and loud voices are mistaken for leadership - but I’m here to tell you that your depth, clarity, wisdom, perspective, and emotional intelligence are exactly what’s needed right now. We’re not the past. We are the future of work. And, data backs this up: 42% of labor force growth in the next decade will come from people 55 and older, mostly women.

Together, we’ll explore how to navigate the double bind of age and gender, where you’re expected to stay relevant but not be perceived as “too much.” I identify the forces at play (such as the intersectionality of ageism and sexism) and provide tools to help you reclaim your space with power and intention. You’ll hear how your ability to read a room, speak with clarity, and lead for legacy, not ego, is your greatest asset. Your ability to listen deeply, ask better questions, and build meaningful collaborative (not competitive) relationships? That’s the edge younger leaders are still learning.

This episode is your reminder that you don’t need to fight for a seat at the table—you are the table. Your leadership is expansive, rooted, sturdy, and deeply needed. So if you’ve been waiting for permission to own the room, this is it.

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

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

Article: Five Facts on Older Women in the Labor Market

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

When the world feels heavy and hard, it can feel wrong or even selfish to feel joy amidst the suffering. But in this episode, we explore a powerful reframe: What if joy is not an escape, but an act of resistance or perhaps even revenge? As a leader, what if reclaiming your joy isn’t just allowed—it’s essential?

As I’ve witnessed global unraveling happening alongside so many people’s individual pain and heartbreak, I’ve seen firsthand how joy has shown up not in spite of this season, but through this season and these events. In this episode, we dismantle three major myths about joy and leadership, including the belief that modeling joy is tone-deaf or that it diminishes the seriousness of the world’s pain. Instead, I make a compelling case for why joy is a mental health necessity, a leadership superpower, and a radical tool for personal and collective resilience.

Backed by neuroscience and wisdom from some brilliant people who work in the field of joy and resilience research, this episode explores how joy rewires your brain (literally), boosts your team’s ability to thrive, and helps you lead with more presence, empathy, and clarity, even when everything feels uncertain. You’ll walk away with six tangible joy practices, such as joy hits, daily rituals, and joy-driven leadership tools, that will help you cultivate joy that is not only supportive of your own mental and physical health but contagious to those around you.

Joy is not a betrayal of the pain. It’s a balm. It’s a strategy. It’s your birthright—and it might just be your most powerful form of leadership.

Links Mentioned:

Women Business Owners, join me for a free business-building workshop on July 16th, Focused & Fierce: Lead with Purpose and Build Your Business in a Noisy World: saradean.com/fierce

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

Book: Joy is My Justice by Tanmeet Sethi

Book: Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

Book: Ritual Roadmap by Erica Keswin

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

When I decided to start inviting guests onto Shameless Leadership, I immediately knew I wanted my dear friend and speaking colleague Elena Joy to join me. The work Elena Joy does around inclusion always captivates me. She is smart, witty, and strategic in all the best ways - as you’ll hear in this conversation. She knows what needs to be done to get the work done. Her unflinching commitment to tackling tough conversations while upholding human dignity always blows me away. While her knowledge around inclusion and its connection to burnout is robust, her methods for tackling challenges where these areas intersect are approachable and welcoming. This is all to say, Elena Joy makes me want to be a better human, and I suspect she will have the same impact on you.  

In an official capacity, Elena Joy Thurston, she/her, is the CEO of LATITUDE, a boutique HR consultancy specializing in creating sustainable leadership pipelines through burnout prevention and emerging leader programs. A Mormon mom of four who lost her marriage, her church, and her community when she came out as a lesbian, her viral TEDx talk on surviving conversion therapy has attracted clients such as the Denver Broncos, Peloton, and Planned Parenthood. She is featured in the award-winning documentary CONVERSION, recently launched on AppleTV and Amazon. Elena Joy lives in Arizona with her four children and spends her spare time dreaming of her next fly-fishing trip.

Listen in to hear Elena share:

How she saw the writing on the wall with DEI and made an intentional pivot in her work in order to continue to achieve her goals around inclusion in the workplace 

The truth about the state of DEI - what has been taken from us and what we still have to work with, and what it all means in terms of sustainable leadership 

How understanding our co-workers' identities opens the door to communication and decreases burnout

What burnout looks like in 2025 and how it looks different for Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z

How burnout is universal and individual at the same time

The importance of creating positive emotional experiences to counter the feelings that trigger your burnout

How to use the Release & Restore Method to shift your energy daily, weekly, monthly, yearly

Links Mentioned:

Women Business Owners, join me for a free business-building workshop on July 16th, Focused & Fierce: Lead with Purpose and Build Your Business in a Noisy World: saradean.com/fierce

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

Work with Elena Joy: https://latitudeleaders.com/

Get Elena Joy’s Free Burnout Starter Kit: https://latitudeleaders.com/burnoutstarterkit

Attend Elena Joy’s Free Office Hours: http://joyfulofficehours.com

Latitude Leaders on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/latitude-leaders/

Latitude Leaders on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latitudeleaders

Elena Joy on on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenajoythurston/

Elena Joy on Instragram https://www.instagram.com/elenajoyspeaks/

Elena Joy’s TEDx talk on Youtube: https://youtu.be/rIhPZMC4UEg

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

Sometimes your boss is the biggest obstacle to your leadership growth. Whether they’re dismissive, manipulative, or flat-out toxic, their behavior or opinion of you does not define your worth. After watching too many women leaders suffer under harmful male leadership recently, it feels crucial to share actionable strategies to help you trust your instincts and keep your intuition grounded in truth. It’s time for you to reclaim your power even in environments designed to diminish it.When your boss won’t advocate for you, it’s time to advocate for yourself—boldly and strategically. In this episode, I share how to get visible beyond your direct boss, surround yourself with mentors and allies, and cultivate your leadership brand regardless of what your boss says (or doesn’t say) about you. You’ll learn how to set unapologetic boundaries, document manipulative behavior, and protect your emotional safety.  We talk about how to navigate power dynamics with intention. By understanding your boss’s motivations and insecurities, you can learn to protect your own energy and make more informed, strategic choices about how to engage. This clarity will allow you to choose your battles wisely, preserve your peace, and lead yourself first. In doing so, you will model a more grounded and powerful style of leadership for those around you, even in the absence of support from above.Remember, you always have a choice. Sometimes, navigating a “strategic stay” is the right move for right now. Other times, the best thing you can do is leave.  This episode is an invitation for you to consider what growth, alignment, and success look like on your terms. Because even when you’re being held down, you are still leading.  Your job is not to shrink in the shadows of someone else’s smallness. Your job is to stand tall in your truth, build your brand, and be the leader of your life.

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

Links Mentioned:

Women Business Owners, join me for a free business building workshop on July 16th, Focused & Fierce: Lead with Purpose and Build Your Business in a Noisy World: saradean.com/fierce

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