Marilee Johnson started Bend Soap Company on a farm in Bend, Oregon with a few goats and a mission to help her son's eczema. Today it is a national natural skincare brand. In this episode she shares what it actually took to scale a family business, the mindset shifts, the hard lessons, and why getting clear on your values before you hire anyone changes everything. If you are growing a team and wondering how to do it without losing your soul, this conversation is for you.

Most leaders think they have a pulse on their team. But surface-level check-ins and "how's everyone doing?" questions rarely tell you what's really going on. If you're noticing quiet disengagement, low morale, or a team that seems hesitant to speak up, it's not a people problem. It's a communication gap — and this episode will help you close it.

In this episode, I'm walking you through the Culture Checkpoint: a 6-question framework designed to help you assess your team culture honestly, identify hidden issues before they become real problems, and have the kind of conversations that actually build trust.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why traditional team check-ins fail (and what to do instead)
• The 6 questions every leader should be asking to measure team health
• How to spot early warning signs of disengagement, burnout, or communication breakdown
• What strong team culture actually looks like — and how to know if you're building itWhether you're managing a small team or leading an entire organization, this team health assessment gives you a clear, repeatable way to evaluate where you are and what needs to change.This episode is for you if:✔ You're a manager, team lead, or female founder who wants better team communication✔ You feel like your team isn't being fully honest with you✔ You want to improve your leadership skills and create a psychologically safe workplace✔ You're tired of vague answers and want real insight into your team's experience
• Subscribe for weekly leadership tips, team management strategies, and real conversations about what it actually takes to lead well.Get the ONE CONVERSATION AWAY LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT: https://www.heykaralist.com/toolkit

If you have an employee who shuts down, pushes back, or just never seems to respond to feedback the way you hope, this episode is for you.

Before you can have the conversation, you have to understand why you keep avoiding it. And the answer might surprise you. Most of the time it isn't about them at all. It's about the story you've already decided is true.

In this episode we talk about why leaders confuse predictions with reality, how one hard moment with an employee can quietly become the whole story you tell about them, and how to use curiosity and a simple feedback framework to finally have the conversation that could change everything.

Plus I'm sharing the CLEAR feedback framework so you know exactly what to say when you sit down with that employee you've been avoiding.

If you're ready to stop managing people through the filter of a story they don't even know exists, this one's for you.

Grab the free feedback template at https://www.heykaralist.com/feedback

Most leaders aren’t struggling to make decisions because they’re incapable.

They’re struggling because they treat every decision like a tattoo.

Permanent.
High stakes.
Impossible to undo.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing the simple framework that has completely changed how I think about decision-making as a leader.

If you constantly overthink, delay decisions, or feel exhausted by leadership pressure… this episode is for you.

Because indecision is still a decision.
And usually the expensive one.

And if you’re building a team and want support navigating leadership, feedback conversations, and confident decision-making without carrying it all alone, join The Freedom Circle waitlist at heykaralist.com/circle

Your feedback isn’t working… and it might not be for the reason you think. 👀

In this episode, I’m breaking down the 4 biggest feedback mistakes leaders make that keep hard conversations from actually creating change.We’re talking about:✨ Why “my door is always open” is NOT a feedback culture✨ How people-pleasing and softening your feedback creates confusion✨ Why you need a clear intended outcome before the conversation✨ The simple CLEAR feedback framework I use to lead hard conversations with confidenceIf giving feedback makes you anxious… if you avoid conversations until they explode… or if you feel like your team never really changes after feedback conversations, this episode is for you.Because feedback is not a personality trait. It’s a skill. And skills can be learned.🎧 In this episode:✔️ How to build a healthy feedback culture on your team✔️ Leadership communication skills for managers and founders✔️ How to give constructive feedback without sounding harsh✔️ The biggest feedback mistakes leaders make✔️ How to stop overexplaining and start communicating clearly✔️ A practical framework for difficult conversations at work✔️ How to lead with clarity, confidence, and emotional steadiness👇 Grab my FREE CLEAR Feedback Guide:https://heykaralist.com/feedback👇 Join the Waitlist for The Freedom Circle Community:https://www.heykaralist.com/circle

If you are a female founder who is hiring your first team and feel suddenly overwhelmed, unqualified, or like you made a mistake, you’re not alone. Most founders don’t struggle because they’re bad leaders, they struggle because they were never taught how to go from doing the work to leading the people doing the work.In this episode, I walk you through 3 simple, practical things every founder needs to do when leading a growing team starts to feel harder than expected. These shifts will help you stop over-functioning, create clarity with your team, and step into your role as a leader with more confidence and less burnout.If you’re a founder in the messy middle of growing a team and figuring this out in real time, this is for you—and if you want deeper support, join the waitlist for The Freedom Circle before doors open. It’s a coaching and training space built specifically for female founders leading growing teams.

The waitlist is open until May 13th: https://www.heykaralist.com/circle

Friend, if you've ever hired someone and thought "this isn't quite right" a few weeks in — this episode is for you.

Hiring the wrong person isn't just frustrating. It's expensive. And more often than not, it's not actually a hiring problem. It's a clarity problem.

In this episode, I'm walking you through a simple framework to help you get clear on WHO you actually need before you post anything, sign any contracts, or onboard anyone new.

We're covering:

• The role audit (and why you need to do this FIRST)
• The 3 types of hires and which one your business actually needs right now
• Why you might not need a person at all
• The one question to ask before you put anyone in any role

Whether you're making your first hire or your fifth, this episode will save you time, money, and a whole lot of stress.

🎧 Listen to the Better Conversations Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

📩 Questions? Email me at [email protected]

✨ The Freedom Circle waitlist is opening soon — tune in next week for the link!

If you’re a founder or leader feeling like everything still runs through you, this episode breaks down the real reason your team isn’t stepping up—and how to fix it without hiring better people or adding more systems.You’ll learn why over-involvement creates dependency, how unclear expectations kill ownership, and how to shift from being the bottleneck to building an empowered, high-performing team. This is leadership coaching for founders who want to scale without burnout and finally stop carrying the business on their back.We also walk through the exact conversations you need to start shifting responsibility, increasing clarity, and building true accountability inside your team.If you’ve ever thought, “Why won’t my team just take initiative?”—this will reframe everything.Grab the Free Feedback Template: https://www.heykaralist.com/feedback

There is nothing more exhausting than feeling like you have to walk on eggshells with someone on your team.You’re trying to give direction… give feedback… help them grow… and somehow it still feels like everything you say might land wrong.So how do you actually lead well—without overthinking every word or avoiding hard conversations?In this video, I break down:-How to stop walking on eggshells without becoming harsh-How to lead sensitive employees with clarity and confidence-The mindset shift that will instantly change how you handle these situations-3 practical conversations that build trust, reduce defensiveness, and actually help your team growBecause the goal isn’t to avoid sensitive employees…It’s to become the kind of leader who can communicate clearly, handle emotions well, and still get results.If you’re a founder, manager, or team leader who wants to lead with confidence and build a strong team culture—this will change how you approach these conversations.🎯 Next Step:Download my FREE CLEAR Feedback Template to learn exactly how to structure hard conversations:👉 heykaralist.com/feedbackCheck out these episodes:Transform your 1:1 Meetings With These Questions- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPp9Loqu8yg

The Biggest 1:1 Meeting Mistake Leaders Make- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKCRirYsyL4&t=5sYou’re not stuck with a “sensitive” employee.You’re being invited to grow as a leader.

1:1 meetings aren’t working? Stop asking “what are you working on” and transform your one-on-one meetings into powerful coaching conversations that build confident, high-performing employees.If your one on one meetings feel like status updates, this video will show you how to turn them into high-impact coaching sessions that actually develop your team.You’ll learn:✔ How to run effective 1:1 meetings as a manager✔ The biggest mistake leaders make in one-on-ones✔ How to coach employees instead of just giving answers✔ The “no SOFA” rule (no suggestions, opinions, feedback, or advice)✔ How to build confident, independent team membersMost managers waste their 1:1 meetings on updates—but the best leaders use them to grow their people.If you want better team performance, stronger communication, and less dependency on you as the leader… this is the shift.Get My Better Conversations Feedback template: https://www.heykaralist.com/feedback

Episode #37- Transform Your 1:1 Meetings With These Questions: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2kTVYP71OHYwYtV9cZNuwh?si=f20d422dc9894f06