In this episode, I welcome back my dear friend of more than 25 years, Valorie Burton — bestselling author of 14 books, CEO of the Coaching and Positive Psychology (CaPP) Institute, and my mentor coach.

Valorie joins me to talk about her newest release, Rules of Resilience: 10 Ways Successful People Get Better, Wiser, and Stronger, dropping September 16, 2025. Together we explore why resilience is more than a buzzword, how it looks in real life (hint: sometimes messy), and why it’s a system you can strengthen with intentional practices.

• Why resilience isn’t about being “tough” but about getting back up — even when it’s messy.
• How cognitive distortions like catastrophizing can derail you, and the tools to counter them.
• The critical link between values, purpose, and resilience.
• Why resilience should be taught in schools and practiced in organizations.
• How Valorie applied her own rules while writing the book, facing down her inner “gremlins.”
• The bonus rule: paying resilience forward to your peers, family, and future generations.

What happens when the organization that once spoke truth to power… goes quiet?

In this candid and courageous conversation, host L. Michelle Smith sits down with her friend and media powerhouse Errin Haines to talk about the urgent state of Black journalism, the legacy (and future) of NABJ, and what leadership must look like when both journalism and democracy are under attack.

Errin shares deeply personal stories—from reporting in Ferguson to launching The 19th—and outlines her bold vision for NABJ’s next 50 years. They discuss press freedom, AI, innovation, media accountability, and the hard truth about corporate sponsorship and advocacy.

This isn’t just a conversation.

It’s a call to action.

The Memo author and workplace whisperer Minda Harts joins us this episode!

In this heart-forward, thought-deep convo, L. Michelle and Minda explore what it really takes to build trust at work—beyond buzzwords, beyond DEI jargon, and definitely beyond performative leadership.

Minda drops gems from her new book Talk to Me Nice: The Seven Trust Languages for a Better Workplace, offering a toolkit to decode how trust actually operates across teams, leadership, and culture. From the neuroscience of oxytocin to the erosion of trust in a matter of moments, they break it all down with candor, warmth, and a few Beyoncé references for good measure.

This episode is for anyone who’s tired of saying “I don’t trust my manager” without knowing how to say it better—and for leaders who want to actually earn that trust back.

Welcome to the kickoff of the Leadership Revival—a new series on The Culture Soup Podcast that takes you behind the scenes of Call & Response: 10 Leadership Lessons from the Black Church.

In this premiere episode, host L. Michelle Smith sets the stage with the “Front Matter”—a soulful introduction to the journey ahead. She reflects on how the book came together not just through writing, but through living. And how its three foundational pillars—history, science, and leadership research—form a scaffolding that holds it all together.

This episode features:

• A clip from a past interview with Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., whose work anchors the historical context of the book.
• The debut of our Footnotes segment, exploring how enslaved people worshipped in secret, building the spiritual and cultural foundation of what would become the Black Church.
• A personal behind-the-scenes look at the transformational journey of writing Call & Response.

Guest: A’Lelia Bundles, Award-Winning Author & Journalist

In this episode, host L. Michelle Smith takes us on a reflective journey back to 2018, when she first launched The Culture Soup Podcast. She shares how an unexpected speaking career and a chance encounter led her to create both a podcast and a book, despite corporate challenges.

She then shifts focus to the present, discussing the impact of recent executive orders on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), particularly in the corporate and federal sectors. With canceled sponsorships and shifting priorities, Michelle emphasizes resilience in times of uncertainty, urging leaders to embrace change as an opportunity for growth.

Additionally, she delves into the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in leadership and decision-making, highlighting its potential beyond content generation. She teases upcoming AI workshops designed to help leaders integrate AI into their businesses strategically.

Tune in for an engaging discussion on navigating change, leveraging AI, and strengthening resilience as a leader in today’s fast-moving world.

In this episode, I take time to reflect on 5 lessons I've learned over the past five years of running my professional private coaching practice. We are celebrating NSC Coaching's 5th anniversary all this month, and we are also observing International Coaching Week. Listen for what I learned along this journey so far about perseverance, determination, focus, relationships and other important lessons that you can take away for your journey as well. I also tease a big announcement that's forth coming. It's a special episode, so tune in!

In 2019, I did what many corporate types would call "the unthinkable."

I walked away from opportunities at a Fortune 10 after being "surplussed" without a job lined up. Sure, I had opportunities externally. Yes, I had a seedling of a business that I had started, but I wanted to take the time to think through my next step methodically.

I had a mission that only a few were aware of, and that drove me to seek out the one thing that I needed to activate it.

Could I do it and remain in corporate?

I had interested organizations telling me that I could do both-pursue my calling to author books and speak across the country and internationally and work for them.

But I knew that would eventually cause friction. I'd lived it already.

That one piece was missing that would activate my mission, and a scroll through Instagram and an ad from a longtime sisterfriend and former client would ultimately become the the gateway to my destiny.

I let that sisterfriend turn the tables on me this week, and I thought it would be great to finally share my story: how I went from there...to here, five years later with a thriving, global executive and personal coaching and consulting practice, a publishing journey that has been extraordinary and the speaker tour that began in 2015 and has yet to end.

What took me from a 25+ year-long career in strategic communication, agency side, agency owner, and client side to here?

I pass Valorie Burton, MAPP, MCC the mic on my show, The Culture Soup Podcast ® as she featured me in her global preview call for The Coaching and Positive Psychology (CaPP) Institute. That is where I earned my certification that would tee me up for credentialing at the world's most respected coaching organizations, International Coaching Federation. I began with her Coach Training Intensive (CTI).

So it's befitting that I allowed Valorie to throw back the covers on my purpose-driven story.

My pen as my sword, my speaking as my munitions, evidence-based coaching, I discovered, would ultimately become my armor.

Join me and Val for this inspiring and powerful conversation about what it actually takes to take on coaching as a profession in this special, extended video edition of The Culture Soup Podcast ® brought to you in part by The CaPP Institute. We're continuing to celebrate the five years anniversary of NSC Coaching, and six years for the podcast with this exclusive rebroadcast of "Conversation with a Coach", and it streams everywhere Thursday afternoon.

Where have I been? What have I been up to, you ask? This episode will catch you up, and drop some Nuggets that you probably weren't expecting.