This week on Leadership is Feminine, Kris Plachy and her Director of Operations, Michelle Arant, sit down for an unscripted conversation that captures leadership in its most human form. What started as a casual team discussion turned into a powerful reflection on how we handle discomfort, accountability, and growth — both in business and in life.

Through the lens of a lighthearted story about a pet sitter, Kris and Michelle explore how everyday moments can reveal our relationship with responsibility and self-management. They discuss the tendency to over-accommodate others, the generational shifts in resilience and follow-through, and why true leadership demands that we get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Their conversation is an honest reminder that friction isn't failure — it's feedback. Whether you're mentoring a new hire, raising kids, or running a multimillion-dollar company, the path to better leadership begins with allowing discomfort to do its work.

• How discomfort helps us build capacity for growth and leadership
• The difference between supporting someone and over-accommodating them
• Why avoiding friction can unintentionally stunt development — for ourselves and others
• How leaders can model resilience and self-accountability through their own behavior
• What small, everyday moments can reveal about how we handle responsibility
• Why embracing discomfort may be the most undervalued leadership skill of all

This conversation invites you to pause and ask: Where am I protecting others — or myself — from the very discomfort that could lead to growth?

Wanna join us for the Sage Mini Mastermind? Visit www.thevisionary.ceo/sagemm to learn the details and register.

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What if your mind needed the same care as your home? In this episode, Kris introduces the concept of brainkeeping—a leadership practice as vital as housekeeping. Just as we tidy our physical spaces, our mental and emotional spaces require regular clearing, reflection, and renewal.

Kris shares how her lifelong curiosity and deep conversations with friends and clients have shaped her unique approach to coaching high-achieving women. Through brainkeeping she helps leaders sort through the clutter of overthinking, self-doubt, and noise—so they can access their clarity, wisdom, and creativity.

She explores why so many women leaders stay in constant motion, what happens when you stop long enough to ask "why," and how stillness and inquiry can become your most powerful strategic tools.

• What "brainkeeping" really means—and why every visionary woman needs it
• How curiosity can reconnect you with your own wisdom
• The cost of constant noise and the value of intentional reflection
• How mental clutter impacts leadership and decision-making
• Finding your own form of replenishment, whether it's reflection, movement, or community

This conversation is an invitation to pause, recalibrate, and reconnect with your mind—the most valuable asset you have as a leader.

Ready for your own Brainkeeping? Join the Sage Mini Mind Interest List Today! www.thevisionary.ceo/sagemm

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As we head into the final quarter of the year, Kris invites you to shift your focus—from running the business to owning the business. She challenges high-achieving female founders to stop operating on autopilot and start thinking like the visionary asset holders they are.

Too many women spend years building companies without ever asking the most important question: What's the plan? Whether you eventually want to sell, scale back, or simply create more freedom, your business deserves a clear direction—and so do you.

Kris also introduces the Sage Mini Mastermind, a 12-week experience for women running multi-million-dollar businesses who are ready to step out of the weeds, lead from wisdom, and build a business that runs beautifully—with or without them.

Here's what we explore in this episode:

• Why "normal" growth years don't mean failure—and how to talk to yourself about success differently
• How to approach bonuses and performance evaluations with clarity and confidence
• The difference between running a business and owning one—and why most founders avoid exit planning
• How to assess your business's readiness to run without you
• Transitioning from "decider-in-chief" to advisor and visionary
• Turning your experience, intuition, and wisdom into tangible business assets through a personal "mind bank"

This episode is your reminder that your company isn't just a vehicle for achievement—it's an asset for freedom. The Sage Era begins when you stop measuring success by how busy you are and start designing your business to serve the woman you've become.

Don't leave your biggest asset to chance—get on the Sage Mini Mastermind waitlist now at www.thevisionary.ceo/sagemm.

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What does it feel like to finally stop overworking, over-explaining, and over-proving—and instead lead from a place of grounded confidence? In this episode, Kris shows us what life and leadership look like when self-trust and self-worth are fully integrated.

She shares the story of a client who went from being minimized by her partners to running a thriving $10M company while taking a guilt-free month away from her business. This transformation illustrates the power of moving beyond surface-level fixes to address the root issue: believing yourself and believing in yourself.

Kris outlines the real markers of integration: working in resonance instead of overwork, resting as a source of strength, setting boundaries without apology, and claiming your right to joy and desire. This is the Sage Era—where your wisdom serves not just you, but those you lead and influence.

• Why releasing your business as your identity opens up freedom and clarity
• How guilt, self-doubt, and over-functioning fade once trust and worth align
• The role of inner authority in creating decisions rooted in self-belief
• What it means to model Sage leadership for the women who come after you

This conversation is an invitation into the Sage Era—where your wisdom, value, and authority aren't up for debate.

Your journey starts with clarity. Head to thevisionary.ceo/trust and take the Self-Trust & Self-Worth Index Kris designed to give you immediate insight.

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What if your worth wasn't tied to your revenue, your output, or anyone else's approval? In this episode, Kris takes us deeper into the heart of worthiness and why so many high-achieving women still wrestle with believing in themselves—even after building successful companies, raising families, and achieving goals most people only dream of.

Kris breaks down the difference between self-trust (believing yourself) and self-worth (believing in yourself), and why the latter is the quiet, constant hum that shapes everything you do. She explores how conditional worth shows up in subtle ways—like people pleasing, avoiding difficult conversations, or downplaying your own success—and why guilt over what you've built is often a sign you don't fully own your value yet.

• The false scorecards and hidden "supervisors" you've been measuring yourself against
• Why women tie worth to achievement, perfection, or proving
• How guilt for your success erodes confidence and leadership
• Why rest can be a radical act of reclaiming value
• What it looks like to live differently when you truly know your worth

This episode is your invitation to stop proving, release guilt, and reclaim the truth: you are already the prize.

Your journey starts with clarity. Head to thevisionary.ceo/trust and take the Self-Trust & Self-Worth Index Kris designed to give you immediate insight.

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Why can you trust yourself to build a multimillion-dollar company—but not to have one hard conversation? In this episode, Kris pulls back the curtain on the anatomy of self-trust. From visionary ideas to money, health, relationships, and leadership, she reveals why so many women compartmentalize their confidence—rock solid in some domains, shaky in others.

You'll hear how past experiences, identity "totems," and cultural conditioning quietly erode our confidence, and why fear, vulnerability, and inherited stories often dictate where we doubt ourselves most. More importantly, Kris shows you how to begin repairing that trust—through awareness, reframing, and practice—so you can finally stop second-guessing and start standing fully in the leader you already are.

• The surprising gap between visionary trust and day-to-day confidence
• The different domains of self-trust—and where women most often stumble
• How identity, environment, and old narratives shape what you believe about yourself
• Why it feels safer to trust money or process than people or intuition
• Practical ways to build competence and leverage your strengths to close the gaps

This episode calls you to stop treating self-trust like a mystery and start treating it like a skill. You don't have to be perfect—you just have to start believing yourself again.

Your journey starts with clarity. Head to thevisionary.ceo/trust and take the Self-Trust & Self-Worth Index Kris designed to give you immediate insight.

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Why do so many accomplished women still doubt themselves—even after building extraordinary lives and businesses? Kris continues her Self-Trust & Self-Worth mini-series with a powerful exploration of the programming women inherit from generations before us.

She invites us to reflect on the systemic, cultural, and ancestral patterns that quietly shape how women value themselves—and why even the most accomplished female founders still lie awake at night second-guessing their own decisions.

From hiding success out of guilt to resisting difficult conversations at work, Kris shows how the paradox of female leadership is never about capability—it's about the stories we've absorbed about what women "should" be. And she challenges us to stop playing small, stop apologizing for what we've built, and start owning the lives we've worked so hard to create.

• Why inherited programming makes self-trust harder for women than men
• The cultural double standard that shames women for success
• How female founders get boxed in by guilt, doubt, and "shoulds"
• The hidden cost of over-functioning and perfectionism
• Why leadership requires both confidence and compassion

This episode is your reminder that you are not broken—and you're not alone. The work ahead isn't about fixing yourself, it's about unlearning what never belonged to you in the first place.

Your journey starts with clarity. Head to thevisionary.ceo/trust and take the Self-Trust & Self-Worth Index Kris designed to give you immediate insight.

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Kris launches a brand-new mini-series with a masterclass on Self-Trust and Self-Worth for Female Founders. And she encourages us to ask: Why do we trust ourselves to build entire businesses—but not to have one hard conversation?

After wrapping the seven transitions of Beyond the CEO, this next season dives deeper—into the paradox that so many successful women face: the ability to make bold, visionary moves while quietly second-guessing themselves in the day-to-day.

Across the next five weeks, you'll hear Kris unpack her full Self-Trust and Self-Worth masterclass, designed to help you see how every "tactical" problem—whether it's firing someone, raising your rates, or stepping back from the business—is rooted in how much you believe yourself, and how much you believe in yourself.

• The paradox of female founders: bold vision paired with constant second-guessing
• The difference between self-trust ("I believe myself") and self-worth ("I believe in myself")
• Why tactical problems are often symptoms of deeper trust and worth issues
• How overachievement and shame fuel cycles of exhaustion and over-functioning
• What changes when you finally believe yourself and believe in yourself

This episode is your invitation to stop treating the symptoms and start healing the root. Because when you strengthen self-trust and self-worth, you don't just lead better—you build a business and a life that finally feels aligned with the woman you've already proven yourself to be.

Your journey starts with clarity. Head to thevisionary.ceo/trust and take the Self-Trust & Self-Worth Index Kris designed to give you immediate insight.

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What's your plan for the business you've worked so hard to build?

After walking through all seven transitions in the Beyond the CEO series, Kris is turning her focus to what comes next: the tactical and strategic steps every founder must take to ensure the business can run—and even thrive—without her constant presence.

This isn't just about getting through today's to-do list. It's about preparing your business, your team, and yourself for what's ahead—whether that's scaling, exiting, or simply reclaiming more of your life. Because the truth is, too many women wait until they're burned out before asking the hard questions: Is my business ready? Am I ready? What happens after this season ends?

• Why a team audit is as essential as cleaning out your closet
• The leadership shift from telling to asking—and how it changes everything
• How to capture your wisdom and IP so others can use it without you
• The possibility of creating generational wealth through an exit
• Why retirement isn't the end—it's a call to design a future with purpose

This episode is your invitation to stop avoiding the practical steps and start laying the foundation for a business you can lead and leave. Because the earlier you prepare, the more options you have—and the more freedom you create to design what's next.

Wanna know more details about the Sage: Coaching for Female Founders that will be starting in October? Visit www.thevisionary.ceo/beyondtheceo to add your name to the interest list.

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Are you willing to release control and trust others with what you've built

In this episode, Kris closes out the Beyond the CEO series by walking through the final transitions that take you from structure and strategy into wisdom and possibility. It's not just about building processes—it's about letting go of false truths, reclaiming clarity, playing without an agenda, and stepping fully into Sage energy.

This is where leadership becomes less about control and more about trust, curiosity, and freedom.

• The surprising power of asking "What do you think?" instead of giving answers
• Why restless, "itchy" seasons are signs of growth, not failure
• How boredom after success reveals what was missing all along
• The trap of being needed versus the freedom of being trusted
• What Sage energy looks like in practice—and why it always whispers, "There's more.

This episode is your invitation to stop defaulting to what's inherited, expected, or safe—and start building a business you can both lead and leave. Because when you do, you create the freedom to explore what's next and the impact to feed the future with your wisdom.

Interested in more of what we've been teaching here?

Visit www.thevisionary.ceo/beyondtheceo to add your name to the interest list.

Want some coaching on these transitions I've been featuring in this series?

Visit www.thevisionary.ceo/callin to learn more and submit an application. If selected, your call will be published on this podcast in future episodes.

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