The Introvert Leader

In this episode, I give you an exclusive sneak peek into my Confident Leader Blueprint course dropping in September. Confidence is not being the smartest. It's not having the most experience, and it's certainly not something you are born with. It's inside you, just waiting to come to the surface. Leaders who struggle with confidence never reach their full potential. In this episode, I share my 5-stage blueprint to help you tap into your confidence.

Timestamps

2:11 – Stage 1-Know Yourself: Before you can tap into your confidence, you need to understand what your unique value is.

2:57 – Stage 2-Redefine Leadership: Authentic leadership doesn't fit any mold. So quit trying to be something you aren't.  

3:53 – Stage 3-Commit: Commit to yourself and your set of values. 

4:44 – Stage 4-Take Action: Action is what drives confidence faster than anything else. 

5:54 – Stage 5-Adapt: Reflect, reevaluate, and recover quickly when things go wrong. 

Introvert Leader Newsletter (Confidence Blueprint PDF)

• Get the free confidence guide & biweekly updates: Here

Career & Leadership Coaching

• Want a better career? Clients who work with us earn 57% more and get promoted 3x faster on average: Book your free career clarity call here.

Free Resources

• The Brag Sheet (free Career Achievement Tracker): Here
• Take the free Career Fulfillment quiz: Here

Engage

• New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Be sure to subscribe.
• Send in your career, leadership, or self-development questions and I’ll answer them on air.
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austinchopkins
• YouTube: ​Austin Hopkins
• Career Coaching: www.sts-coaching.com

Why is it so hard to brag without sounding like a douche? You want people to know about your value, but you don't want to come across as arrogant. I figured out how to tell my story without it feeling braggy. Let me teach you how to do it.

Timestamps

1:02 – Personal Update: Back from Lisbon. Here is what I loved about Portugal.

1:48 – Reframe Your View on Self Promotion: It's not bragging if you are telling your story and showing your value. 

4:27 – Find Your Lane To Share Wins: Find an authentic way to tell your story. Do it in your voice, your way. 

7:04 – Rinse & Repeat: Make sharing wins a part of your routine. 

9:18 – Challenge for Listeners: Find one small win to share this week.

Career & Leadership Coaching

• Want a better career? Clients who work with us earn 57% more and get promoted 3x faster on average: Book your free career clarity call here.

Free Resources

• The Brag Sheet (free Career Achievement Tracker): Here
• Take the free Career Fulfillment quiz: Here

Engage

• New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Be sure to subscribe.
• Send in your career, leadership, or self-development questions and I’ll answer them on air.
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austinchopkins
• YouTube: ​Austin Hopkins
• Career Coaching: www.sts-coaching.com

Delivering bad news sucks. It's uncomfortable, you feel like crap doing it, and yet you can never avoid it. In this episode, I share how to deliver bad news and still have people like you and even respect you more.

Timestamps

1:30 – Personal Update: Headed to Lisbon, be back with a new episode on May 13th.

2:20 – Why It's So Hard To Deliver Bad News: We make it about us instead of them. 

5:10 – Bad News Mistakes: Delivering bad news gets messy when you make these common mistakes. 

7:08 – Bad News Framework: 3 steps to deliver bad news so people respect you afterward.

9:57 – Challenge for Listeners: Quit trying to feel ready before you deliver bad news. Just rip off the band-aid. 

10:39 – Announcement: Something big is coming in a few weeks, don't miss it

Career & Leadership Coaching

• Want a better career? Clients who work with us earn 57% more and get promoted 3x faster on average: Book your free career clarity call here.

Free Resources

• The Brag Sheet (free Career Achievement Tracker): Here
• Take the free Career Fulfillment quiz: Here

Engage

• New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Be sure to subscribe.
• Send in your career, leadership, or self-development questions and I’ll answer them on air.
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austinchopkins
• YouTube: ​Austin Hopkins
• Career Coaching: www.sts-coaching.com

Your reputation is your most valuable asset. It's being built in rooms you aren't in, by people you may not even know that well. Every interaction, every moment matters. In this episode, I want to help you figure out what your current reputation is, what you want to be known for, and what to do when you mess up.

Timestamps

1:07 – Personal Update: Working in new locations has unlocked my creativity. 

1:55 – How Your Reputation Is Formed: Intentions don't matter, and how you treat people defines you.

4:15 – Discover Your Current Reputation: Ask for feedback, look for patterns. 

5:48 – Decide What You Want To Be Known For: Winging your reputation won't work. Define what you want people to say about you. 

7:56 – Execute Consistently: Consistency matters more than you think.   

11:04 – Challenge for Listeners: Make a list of 3-5 non-negotiables.

Career & Leadership Coaching

• Want a better career? Clients who work with us earn 57% more and get promoted 3x faster on average: Book your free career clarity call here.

Free Resources

• The Brag Sheet (free Career Achievement Tracker): Here
• Take the free Career Fulfillment quiz: Here

Engage

• New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Be sure to subscribe.
• Send in your career, leadership, or self-development questions and I’ll answer them on air.
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austinchopkins
• YouTube: ​Austin Hopkins
• Career Coaching: www.sts-coaching.com

If you are tired of not getting what you want from your boss, don't worry, you're not alone. So many people think hard work will get them what they want, but that's rarely the case. Today, I'm gonna show you the simple secret that will help you get exactly what you want from your boss.

Timestamps

0:55 – Don't Confuse Hard Work With The Right Work: Strategy beats brute force. Figure out how to focus your efforts on what matters. 

3:00 – Every Boss Has A Currency: Figure out what motivates your boss so you can give it to them. 

5:48 – Ask For What You Want: Come up with a plan and make the ask using three clear steps. 

10:44 – Challenge for Listeners: Define exactly what you want. Look for a pattern of what your boss values. 

Career & Leadership Coaching

• Want a better career? Clients who work with us earn 57% more and get promoted 3x faster on average: Book your free career clarity call here.

Free Resources

• The Brag Sheet (free Career Achievement Tracker): Here
• Take the free Career Fulfillment quiz: Here

Engage

• New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Be sure to subscribe.
• Send in your career, leadership, or self-development questions and I’ll answer them on air.
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austinchopkins
• YouTube: ​Austin Hopkins
• Career Coaching: www.sts-coaching.com

Hard work alone won’t get you noticed by the people who run the company. Promotions and big opportunities usually go to the people executives know, trust, and remember. In this episode, I’m breaking down how to get on the radar of the C-suite and what you need to do to stand out when the big opportunities appear.

Timestamps

0:54 – Storytime: The time I met the COO and made an impression.

3:04 – Every Moment Counts: Treat any interaction with the C-Suite like the Olympics.

6:57 – Get In Their Mind: When you understand how you think, you can tailor your approach. 

8:42 – Get Visible: When they don't know you, they can help you. 

10:25 – What Im Learning Right Now: A new segment where I share something I'm learning recently. Let me know what you think in the comments. 

11:08 – Challenge for Listeners: Get visible in the next two weeks. 

Career & Leadership Coaching

• Want a better career? Clients who work with us earn 57% more and get promoted 3x faster on average: Book your free career clarity call here.

Free Resources

• The Brag Sheet (free Career Achievement Tracker): Here
• Take the free Career Fulfillment quiz: Here

Engage

• New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Be sure to subscribe.
• Send in your career, leadership, or self-development questions and I’ll answer them on air.
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austinchopkins
• YouTube: ​Austin Hopkins
• Career Coaching: www.sts-coaching.com

I was three weeks into a new leadership role when one of my top performers told me my idea would never work. In that moment, I felt defensive, unsure, and tempted to keep the peace. Instead of addressing it, I told myself a story that made avoiding the discomfort feel smart. 

In this episode, I’m breaking down the five lies I told myself as a leader, how they quietly damaged my team, and what to do instead.

Timestamps

1:41 – Lie #1: My Team’s Performance Will Speak For Itself.

3:00 – Lie #2: They’re Not Complaining, So They Must Be Happy.

4:19 – Lie #3: I’m Being Nice By Not Holding Them Accountable.

5:38 – Lie #4: I’ll Just Give The Best Projects/Work to My A Players.

6:55 – Lie #5: They Aren't That Bad. I Can Manage Around Them.

8:10 – Challenge for Listeners: Label the lie, Take action in 7 days.  

Career & Leadership Coaching

• Want a better career? Clients who work with us earn 57% more and get promoted 3x faster on average: Book your free career clarity call here.

Free Resources

• The Brag Sheet (free Career Achievement Tracker): Here
• Take the free Career Fulfillment quiz: Here

Engage

• New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Be sure to subscribe.
• Send in your career, leadership, or self-development questions and I’ll answer them on air.
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austinchopkins
• YouTube: ​Austin Hopkins
• Career Coaching: www.sts-coaching.com

Your performance review did not go the way you thought it would. No promotion, small raise, no bonus, or the numbers just did not match the year you know you had. In this episode, I break down how to respond without damaging your reputation, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to build a real plan so this does not happen again.

Timestamps

0:53 – StoryTime: the 3% raise and the 4K bonus

02:22 – The Reality Check: You did not fail; you did not know the game.

3:40 – What Not To Do After Bad News: 3 mistakes to avoid.

5:22 – The Reflection: Tough questions you need to ask yourself before you make a move.

6:47 – Build a Plan for Next Year: Goal, alignment, checkpoints.

8:00 – Challenge for Listeners: No major career moves for 14 days

Career & Leadership Coaching

• Want a better career? Clients who work with us earn 57% more and get promoted 3x faster on average: Book your free career clarity call here.

Free Resources

• The Brag Sheet (free Career Achievement Tracker): Here
• Take the free Career Fulfillment quiz: Here

Engage

• New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Be sure to subscribe.
• Send in your career, leadership, or self-development questions and I’ll answer them on air.
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austinchopkins
• YouTube: ​Austin Hopkins
• Career Coaching: www.sts-coaching.com

You think you’re ready for senior leadership until you're in the seat.
This episode breaks down the unspoken realities no one tells you about the top job.

From optics beating substance to the human cost of climbing the ladder, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing 10 brutal truths I learned the hard way so you don’t have to.

If you want to lead at a higher level without losing yourself in the process, this one’s for you.

Timestamps

**Act 1: How The Game Actually Works**

1:20 - Optics Beat Substance:
Why perception often matters more than performance.

2:32 - Power Dynamics Drive Decisions:
It’s not about ideas, it’s about who holds the power.

3:25 - Value is Wasted Without Context:
Even good work gets ignored if it’s not aligned with the top priorities.

**Act 2: How The System Protects Itself**

4:40 - Wins Are Required for Survival:
Leadership is a “what have you done for me lately” game.

5:32 - Losses Are Hidden or Deflected:
Accountability often disappears at the highest levels.

6:32 - Swim Lanes Are Protected:
Territory becomes sacred, and people get weird about it.

**Act 3: The Human Cost & What's At Stake**

7:44 - Sponsors Sometimes Matter More Than Performance:
Visibility and advocacy often outweigh skill.

8:45 - Egos and Insecurity Are Everywhere:
Bigger titles come with more fear, comparison, and fragile confidence.

9:53 - The Frontline Gets Forgotten:
The farther you get from the work, the easier it is to lose perspective.

10:49 - Some Leaders Lose Themselves Trying to Win:
How people change when status becomes their identity.

12:16 - Challenge For Listeners:
Define your non-negotiables before stepping into the top seat.

Career & Leadership Coaching

• Want a better career? Clients who work with us earn 57% more and get promoted 3x faster on average: Book your free career clarity call here.

Free Resources

• The Brag Sheet (free Career Achievement Tracker): Here
• Take the free Career Fulfillment quiz: Here

Engage

• New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Be sure to subscribe.
• Send in your career, leadership, or self-development questions and I’ll answer them on air.
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austinchopkins
• YouTube: ​Austin Hopkins
• Career Coaching: www.sts-coaching.com

The people who grow the fastest in their careers know how to make decisions, even when both options are terrible. In this episode, I share a five-question framework I’ve used for over a decade to make fast, clear decisions, plus how to recover when you get it wrong.

Timestamps

01:18 – StoryTime: Where I developed the decision-making framework.

03:30 – The 5 Lens Decision Making Framework: The five key questions I run every decision through to reduce fear and make high-quality decisions fast. 

5:37 – What to Do When All the Options Suck: My two survival questions for navigating no-win situations where none of the choices feel right.

7:25 – How to Bounce Back After a Bad Decision: Three keys to recovering fast when you make the wrong call.

9:16 – Challenge for Listeners: Take one uncomfortable decision you’ve been avoiding and run it through this framework.

Career & Leadership Coaching

• Want a better career? Clients who work with us earn 57% more and get promoted 3x faster on average: Book your free career clarity call here.

Free Resources

• The Brag Sheet (free Career Achievement Tracker): Here
• Take the free Career Fulfillment quiz: Here

Engage

• New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Be sure to subscribe.
• Send in your career, leadership, or self-development questions and I’ll answer them on air.
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austinchopkins
• YouTube: ​Austin Hopkins
• Career Coaching: www.sts-coaching.com