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What does your leadership voice communicate—before you even get to the content of your message? In this episode, Nathan, Brian, and Linda talk with Dr. Laura Sicola, cognitive linguist, executive communication coach, and author of Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice.

Laura has spent over two decades helping leaders transform technical brilliance into real leadership impact. Together, we explore three big themes:

1. Personal branding as a promise,
2. Authenticity and the “prismatic voice,”
3. How leaders can create engagement, clarity, and connection in virtual settings.

This conversation is full of practical tips, mindset shifts, and language tools that help leaders show up with presence, confidence, and intentional influence.

1. Your Brand Is a Promise

A personal brand isn’t a slogan—it’s the experience of you. If you don’t intentionally create it, it will create itself.

2. Authenticity Requires Flexibility

Genuine authenticity isn’t rigidity. It’s being able to flex different facets of yourself depending on context—your “prismatic voice.”

3. Avoiding Leadership Binaries

“Strong or kind,” “direct or approachable”—these false binaries limit leaders. Laura shows how to break free from either/or thinking.

4. Language Patterns That Undermine You

Words like “always,” “never,” and “everyone” trigger defensiveness and derail conversations—often without leaders realizing it.

5. Leading in a Virtual World

Engagement doesn’t happen by accident. Expectations, vocal presence, audio quality, and meeting structure all shape the room.

6. Fear of Judgment, Not Fear of Speaking

Most communication fear isn’t fear of speaking—but fear of scrutiny. Leadership requires the courage to take calculated risks.

• Speaking to Influence by Dr. Laura Sicola
• Dr. Sicola’s TEDx Talk: Want to Sound Like a Leader? Start by Saying Your Name Right
• Leadership Vision Podcast episodes on communication, presence, and team culture

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

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The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.

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In this special Thanksgiving episode of The Leadership Vision Podcast, Nathan Freeburg reflects on the leadership posture of holding long-term goals and present-moment gratitude simultaneously. Drawing from themes within Dr. Linda and Brian Schubring’s book Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane, Nathan explores why transformation grows slowly — through small, daily practices that shape who we become over time.

This episode offers a grounding, accessible reflection for leaders, teams, and anyone hoping to reconnect with purpose, gratitude, and the meaningful work unfolding in their lives.

Reflection

Take a few moments to pause and appreciate and express gratitude for both:

1. The things you’re doing right now, however ordinary they may feel.
2. The things you’re working toward, however far away they may seem.

What You’ll Learn

• Why gratitude is a fundamental leadership skill
• How ambition and appreciation work together in healthy leadership
• Why transformation happens through small, consistent habits
• A practical Thanksgiving reflection to use personally or with your team

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane — Dr. Linda & Brian Schubring
• Leadership Vision Website: https://www.leadershipvisionconsulting.com
• All Podcast Episodes: https://www.leadershipvisionconsulting.com/podcast

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

Support the show

-
Read the full blog post here!

CONTACT US

• email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Leadership Vision Online

ABOUT
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.

Send us a text

In this episode, we explore Chapter 5 (“Home”) from Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane. Brian and Linda discuss how leaders can create a sense of “home” in the workplace—a space of belonging, safety, and shared growth.

They unpack what happens when a transformed individual re-enters their team, why that can create tension, and how leaders can respond with empathy and openness. Topics include:

• Reclaiming the word home for organizational life
• Creating psychological safety and emotional trust
• Understanding when it’s time to “move neighborhoods”
• Inviting transformation through storytelling

📘 Learn more about Unfolded → https://amzn.to/43TFVlG

🎧 Subscribe to The Leadership Vision Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite app.

 💬 Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook @LeadershipVisionConsulting

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

Support the show

-
Read the full blog post here!

CONTACT US

• email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Leadership Vision Online

ABOUT
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.

Send us a text

What happens when you’ve been changed by a powerful experience—growth, success, or transformation—and then return to the same environment that hasn’t changed with you? In this episode of The Leadership Vision Podcast, Nathan Freeburg talks with Dr. Linda and Brian Schubring to unpack Chapter 5 of Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane. Together, they explore what it means for leaders to come “home” after transformation—to re-enter familiar places with new eyes, integrate learning without losing authenticity, and respond to misunderstanding or resistance with grounded self-acceptance.

You’ll discover how to navigate post-growth tension, recognize the “maps” that guide your next chapter, and turn personal insight into collective growth. For leaders who want to grow without leaving others behind, this episode reframes home as the true beginning of impact.

Episode Overview

This conversation invites leaders to think of home as a metaphor for integration—the moment when transformation becomes an integral part of daily life. Nathan, Linda, and Brian reflect on how growth changes our inner landscape and why it can feel disorienting to return to familiar roles or teams afterward. Using the story of OC, the origami crane, they explore how to balance confidence with humility, courage with rest, and individuality with community.

Key Takeaways

• Growth requires reintegration. Real transformation isn’t complete until you’ve learned how to bring it home.
• Self-acceptance sustains flight. You don’t need to prove your growth—own it, rest in it, and live from it.
• Criticism often follows courage. Expect pushback after change; learn to listen without losing your center.
• “Home” restores and relaunches. Renewal, reflection, and rest give leaders the capacity to serve again.
• Your “map” was always within. The wisdom, strengths, and potential you need have been part of you all along.

Things to Think About While Listening

• When have you returned to a familiar place or team after a period of personal or professional growth?
• How did others respond—and how did you respond to their reactions?
• What practices help you effectively reintegrate new learning without minimizing its impact?
• Where are the “maps” in your own leadership story that guide your next chapter?
• How can you create space for others who are returning home changed?

Notable Quotes

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

Support the show

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Read the full blog post here!

CONTACT US

• email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Leadership Vision Online

ABOUT
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.

Send us a text

Pioneering technology executive and Leadership Vision advisor Deb Dixson joins Nathan to unpack how leaders move teams from dependence on one person to interdependence—through mission clarity (“we sell lettuce”), Strengths-based roles, and a culture where fast, safe learning is encouraged. Drawing on her 30+ years as a CISO, CIO, and executive coach, Deb shares stories of building resilient teams, empowering others to lead, and offering timeless guidance for leaders navigating change.

Deb also wrote the forward to Unfolded, and we are so grateful for her continued investment in our team.

What we discuss

• From hero to builder: Why great leaders aim to make themselves unnecessary—and how Deb did it.
• Mission clarity: Connecting daily work to the outcome (“we sell lettuce”) so everyone sees how they serve the customer.
• Strengths in action: Placing people where they’re wired to excel; using a common language to handle conflict and change.
• Safe failure → faster learning: Celebrating responsible experiments, shortening feedback loops, and avoiding “death-march” projects.
• Finding the gaps: Spotting unowned work and empowering people to own it (including Deb’s CISO origin story).

Resources & Links

• Leadership Vision Consulting – services, podcast, newsletter: https://www.leadershipvisionconsulting.com
• Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane (Brian & Dr. Linda Schubring)
• CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder)
• Dale Carnegie training
• Connect with us on social & subscribe to the podcast

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

Support the show

-
Read the full blog post here!

CONTACT US

• email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Leadership Vision Online

ABOUT
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.

Send us a text

In this episode, we explore Chapter 4 of Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane. Dr. Linda and Brian Schubring unpack what it means for teams and organizations to “fly” — to embrace risk, trust, and transformation as they step into new levels of growth.

Topics Covered:

• Recognizing when your team is in the fly stage
• Why trust is the foundation of all growth
• How leaders create safety and courage for flight
• Balancing support and risk in team development
• Celebrating progress (and crashes) together
• The leader’s role as the “Eagle” — seeing and affirming others

Resources:

• Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane (Book)
• [Previous Episode: Fly 1: Why Every Transformation Needs a Little Courage to Take Flight
• Leadership Vision Consulting Website

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

Support the show

-
Read the full blog post here!

CONTACT US

• email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Leadership Vision Online

ABOUT
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.

Send us a text

We explore how leaders move from try to fly: building self-belief through repeated practice, welcoming help (even when it’s uncomfortable), and trusting people, process, and place. We discuss the “pre-flight checklist,” the role of mentors at altitude (the “Eagle”), and how to hold your core identity—your map—through transformation.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Fly is the climax of the Unfolded arc (Dream → Play → Try → Fly)
• How self-trust is built (not bought) through reps and reflection
• Ways to receive help without judging its shape (encouragers, planners, critics)
• The triple trust: people, process, place
• Mentoring at altitude: finding (and being) the Eagle
• Why your creases and crumples are reminders, not flaws

Mentioned/Related:

• Leadership Vision Consulting: leadershipvisionconsulting.com
• Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane (book)
• Subscribe to our newsletter & follow on social (links on our website)

Try This:
Ask: What does flying mean to me right now? Name one small step—even if it scares you—and tell a trusted friend.

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

Support the show

-
Read the full blog post here!

CONTACT US

• email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Leadership Vision Online

ABOUT
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.

Send us a text

Nathan and Brian revisit a 2019 conversation after Nathan’s recent family trip to Paris and his first in-person encounter with Notre Dame’s rose window—the inspiration for the Leadership Vision logo. They explore why place matters for leaders and teams, considering it as an anchor, symbol, intersection, and invitation. From the transept metaphor of waiting to the role of shared team retreats and simple artifacts, this episode offers a practical lens for integrating place into culture.

What You’ll Learn

• How physical spaces and symbols shape identity and leadership
• Why returning to meaningful places (pilgrimage) deepens clarity and connection
• Ways to create “shared places” and artifacts for your team
• Reflection prompts to identify the places shaping you now

Reflection Questions

1. What places have shaped who you are—and why do they matter now?
2. Which “shared place” could your team adopt (and regularly return to)?
3. What symbol or artifact could serve as a daily reminder of your values?

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

Support the show

-
Read the full blog post here!

CONTACT US

• email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Leadership Vision Online

ABOUT
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.

Send us a text

In this episode of The Leadership Vision Podcast, Nathan Freeburg sits down with Dr. Linda and Brian Schubring to discuss chapter three of their book Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane. Together, they explore what it means for organizations to “try”—to experiment, to refold, and to persist through uncertainty.

Topics include:

• Why “trying” is a strength, not a weakness.
• The characteristics of organizations that embrace experimentation.
• Practical steps leaders can take to build a safe culture of trying.
• How fear and resistance can be reframed as opportunities for growth.
• Stories from clients and personal experiences that illustrate the power of persistence.

Listen now to discover why the act of trying may be the most important step your organization can take toward transformation.

📘 Learn more about Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane.

🌐 Explore more episodes: Leadership Vision Podcast

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

Support the show

-
Read the full blog post here!

CONTACT US

• email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Leadership Vision Online

ABOUT
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.

Send us a text

In this episode of The Leadership Vision Podcast, Nathan Freeburg talks with Dr. Linda and Brian Schubring about Chapter 3 of Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane, Try.

They explore why trying is more than practice, how to handle the “messy middle” where doubt and fear creep in, and why setbacks are often signs of growth. You’ll also hear how community and self-compassion can give leaders the courage to try again.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why “try” is practice with intention.
• How to navigate the messy middle of growth.
• Why self-doubt may actually signal progress.
• The role of community and self-compassion in transformation.

Key Quotes:

• “The dreams that actually come true are those that step forward and try.” – Dr. Linda Schubring
• “Self-doubt and shame are indications we’re making progress.” – Brian Schubring

Resources & Links:

• Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane [link]
• Leadership Vision Consulting: leadershipvisionconsulting.com

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

Support the show

-
Read the full blog post here!

CONTACT US

• email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Leadership Vision Online

ABOUT
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.