Tutum Talk with Cara Nance

A heartfelt reflection on love, loss, and the importance of pause.

Today marks a bittersweet anniversary for me — the first year since my beloved pup Schatze St. John crossed over the rainbow bridge. This day, mingling gratitude with remembrance, brings to mind the profound lessons she imparted during our time together.

A Transformation of Love
In our culture, death is often shrouded in sadness, yet I find comfort in the belief that it is a transformation. This perspective has been reinforced by various cultures that celebrate the souls of loved ones, honoring their release from physical form. I’ve come to understand that while Schatze’s presence is deeply missed, her spirit remains vibrant and free.

Reflecting on our journey together, I remember the moment I brought her home after decades of wanting a dog. The detailed application process I went through to adopt her was a testament to ensuring a perfect match between us. **Divine timing** was at play, as I believe every event in our lives happens for a reason, even the painful ones.

The Hardest...and Easiest Decision
August 23rd last year was a day filled with mixed emotions. After returning from a business trip, I noticed Schatzei’s condition had worsened. The hardest, and easiest, decision I ever faced was to let her go, yet I knew it was a pact we had made long before — that she would never suffer unnecessarily. Her passing was both heart-wrenching and liberating, a duality that continues to shape my reflections.

Embracing Rest
As I honor Schatze’s memory today, I’m reminded of the importance of rest. Throughout our time together, she taught me to press pause — a much-needed reminder in our busy lives. This idea of rest being more important than the work itself is counterintuitive, but it’s a message that resonates profoundly with me.

In my athletic journey, I learned that recovery is essential, not just physical but also mental and emotional. Like Schatze, who always knew when it was time to step away from work and take a break, we too can embrace these moments of pause.

Reflections on a New Moon
Schatze’s passing coincided with a new moon, symbolizing new beginnings and the thinnest veil between worlds. Each part of her journey, from her adoption to her passing, feels divinely orchestrated, reminding me that every creature we encounter has a lesson to share.

I invite you to reflect on your own experiences with loss and love today. Consider the lessons that arise from those you hold dear, whether they walk on four legs, three, two, or none and roll through life. Let us celebrate their memory and the teachings they impart, as we navigate our own paths through life.

You can read more about my reflections and the lessons Schatze taught me in Cara's Corner on LinkedIn here (hyperlinked text).

Thanks for hugging your dog for me. :)

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Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if being visible didn’t feel like something you had to force, but something that felt like home?

In this deeply personal and practical conversation, Cara Nance sits down with business coach and marketing astrologer Cytel Schults to explore voice, visibility, self-trust, authentic expression, and what it really takes to let yourself be seen and heard.

Cytel shares a powerful perspective: our ability to express ourselves publicly is often limited by how freely we allow ourselves to express ourselves privately. When we struggle to communicate what we think, feel, need, or want in our closest relationships, that same hesitation can show up in our businesses, our leadership, our marketing, and our relationships with ourselves.

Together, Cara and Cytel explore what happens when we begin to trust our own voice.

Cytel walks Cara through her personal journaling practice, including a simple three-part process designed to help uncover what you actually think, feel, and want to say. They talk about the difference between forcing clarity and creating space to receive it, and how self-leadership becomes the foundation for authentic leadership.

The conversation also dives into CliftonStrengths, including Cytel’s experience discovering Developer as her top theme and learning to apply that strength more intentionally in her content, coaching, and business.

And then the conversation gets even more personal.

Cara and Cytel explore vulnerability, marriage, being understood, and the difference between true vulnerability and simply feeling exposed. They also talk about voice as an expression of the soul, mind, body, and spirit, and how authentic vocal expression can create a sense of safety, connection, and belonging.

This episode is a beautiful reminder that your voice is not something you need to manufacture. It is something you can learn to trust.

When you become more fully yourself, you don’t just communicate differently.

You lead differently.

In This Conversation

• Why visibility can feel like home instead of something threatening
• How private expression shapes public confidence and visibility
• Why being heard by yourself can be the first step toward being heard by others
• How journaling can help uncover what you really think, feel, and want to say
• Cytel’s three-part journaling practice: write, inspire, receive
• The difference between forcing clarity and creating space to receive
• Why marketing becomes difficult when communication lacks a strong foundation
• How communication patterns show up across business, leadership, relationships, and self-talk
• Why self-leadership is foundational to authentic leadership
• Cytel’s experience with CliftonStrengths and discovering Developer as her top theme
• The difference between knowing your strengths and actually applying them
• How Developer influences Cytel’s content creation and business strategy
• The role of feedback, reassurance, and audience engagement
• Vulnerability versus exposure in intimate relationships
• Voice as an expression of soul, mind, body, and spirit
• Why authentic vocal expression can create a feeling of safety and belonging
• How astrology can offer another lens for understanding communication and expression
• Why being fully expressive can feel vulnerable
• The power of creating a safe container to say what you really mean
• Why doing what lights you up can create momentum in every other area of life

A Few Moments to Listen For

02:04 — Why “visibility that feels like home” lands so deeply

03:05 — How private expression shapes public confidence

08:12 — Using journaling to discover what you really feel and want to say

19:09 — Cytel’s three-part journaling process

25:41 — “Write, inspire, receive”

35:57 — Why self-leadership is central to leadership

43:42 — Cytel’s CliftonStrengths journey and discovering Developer

49:02 — Information matters, but application creates impact

65:28 — A vulnerable conversation about marriage, pleasure, and being understood

74:39 — Singing as expression

77:42 — Voice as an expression of soul, mind, body, and spirit

81:57 — Singing as a signal of safety and being seen

100:44 — Vulnerability versus exposure

102:25 — Creating a safe container for authentic expression

114:31 — What Cytel is most passionate about: communication

A Few Words from Cytel

“Visibility can feel like home.”

“Our ability to express and to let ourselves be seen and heard will always be smaller in public than it is in private.”

“This gave me permission to be more of me, and when I’m more of me, I’m a better leader.”

Connect with Cytel Schults

Cytel Schults is a business coach and marketing astrologer who helps people market in a way that feels aligned rather than forced. Her work brings together communication, self-expression, business strategy, astrology, and a deep understanding of what helps people feel more at home in themselves.

Website: https://www.soulsound.co/

Free Resource: Cytel’s Moon Sign Impact Guide is available as a free experience. When you select “Buy,” the next screen will show that the experience is $0.

Get Cytel's Free Moon Sign Impact Guide here: https://www.soulsound.co/products/courses/view/1194239

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if confidence isn’t something you have to find before you take action?

What if confidence is something you build by taking action?

In this episode of Tutum Talk with Cara Nance, I’m joined by confidence coach Morgan Barkus for a candid, funny, and deeply human conversation about confidence, self-trust, embodiment, relationships, leadership, and the freedom that comes from living life on your own terms.

Morgan openly shares her unconventional path, including her experiences with disordered eating and body dysmorphia, her 13-year career as an exotic dancer, and her journey toward no longer allowing other people’s opinions to determine how she sees herself.

At the heart of Morgan’s work is a powerful idea: you don’t have to wait until you feel confident to begin.

We explore how confidence can be built through action, how movement and posture influence the way we feel, and why self-worth shapes what we accept in relationships. We also talk about owning every chapter of your story, knowing which feedback is actually yours to carry, and giving yourself permission to try, learn, and pivot.

And we bring confidence into the workplace, exploring why vulnerability isn’t weakness and how leaders who show up as real human beings can create greater trust, connection, and psychological safety.

In This Episode:

• Why confidence often comes after action, not before it
• Morgan’s journey toward owning her story without shame
• Confidence, embodiment, movement, and posture
• Self-worth and what we tolerate in relationships
• Letting go of other people’s opinions
• Rewriting the narratives we carry about ourselves
• Vulnerability as a strength in leadership
• Authenticity, trust, and psychological safety
• Why you’re allowed to try something and pivot
• Morgan’s Confidence Club and creating judgment-free spaces for women

Mentioned in This Episode:

You Are a Badass
The Four Agreements
Love Life
The work of Louise Hay
Morgan’s Confidence Club

A Reminder to Carry With You:

You don’t need to have everything figured out before you move.

You can try.
You can learn.
You can change your mind.
You can pivot.

As Morgan reminds us:

“If you don’t try, you don’t know.”

Connect with Morgan Barkus

Ready to keep the conversation going with Morgan?

✨ Instagram: @morganbarkus
✨ Website: www.morganbarkus.com
🎙️ Podcast: Your Unapologetic Life — available on Spotify

The Confidence Club
Morgan’s Confidence Club brings women together for authentic, judgment-free conversation and connection, creating space to build confidence, practice self-trust, and live more fully as themselves.

Learn more about The Confidence Club and Morgan’s confidence coaching at morganbarkus.com or connect with her on Instagram at @morganbarkus.

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

If this conversation resonated with you, I'd love to continue it.

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if your brand isn't something you create, but something you reveal?

In this episode of Tutum Talk with Cara Nance, I sit down with brand strategist, coach, and host of The Vignette Effect podcast, Raquel Furman, for a conversation that reaches far beyond logos, websites, and marketing campaigns.

Together, we explore how purposeful leadership, authentic storytelling, and intentional decision-making create brands that people trust and remember. Raquel shares why clarity is one of the greatest competitive advantages a leader can have, how curiosity unlocks creativity, and why the stories we tell—about ourselves, our organizations, and the people we serve—shape every interaction.

Whether you're leading a business, a nonprofit, a school, or a team, this conversation offers practical wisdom for communicating with greater authenticity and building meaningful connections that last.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why branding is far more than a logo or visual identity
• How leadership shapes every aspect of a brand
• The importance of clarity before investing in marketing
• Standing out by embracing what makes you uniquely different
• How storytelling creates emotional connection and trust
• The role of transparency in leadership and communication
• Brain science, creativity, and overcoming mental roadblocks
• The power of curiosity, play, and movement in problem-solving
• Building brands that reflect your values instead of following trends
• Why authentic human connection is the foundation of lasting influence

Whether you're an entrepreneur, executive, educator, or emerging leader, you'll leave this conversation with a renewed perspective on branding—not as a marketing exercise, but as an expression of purposeful leadership.

Connect with Raquel Furman

Raquel Furman is the founder of Vignette Brand Studio and the host of The Vignette Effect Podcast, where she helps founders and business owners build purposeful brands rooted in clarity, strategy, and authentic storytelling.

🌐 Website: https://vignettebrandstudio.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raquellaurenfurman

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raquel.furman

🎙️ The Vignette Effect Podcast

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

If this conversation resonated with you, I'd love to continue it.

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if the quality of every relationship in your life begins with the one you have with yourself?

In this episode of Tutum Talk with Cara Nance, I sit down with Emily Blessington, relationship coach and guide for women who are ready to break free from repeating the same relationship patterns, to explore the profound connection between self-leadership, emotional intelligence, and authentic love.

Together, we unpack why creating inner safety, self-awareness, and self-trust isn't just the foundation of healthy relationships, it's also essential for leading others with authenticity, compassion, and courage.

Drawing from neuroscience, leadership principles, and transformative coaching practices, Emily shares practical tools for recognizing emotional triggers, shifting limiting beliefs, strengthening intuition, and cultivating relationships that begin with a secure relationship within ourselves.

Whether you're leading a team, growing personally, navigating relationships, or simply seeking a deeper connection with yourself, this conversation will leave you with practical insights and a renewed perspective on what it means to lead from the inside out.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why self-leadership begins with the relationship you have with yourself
• Creating inner safety as the foundation for healthy relationships
• The connection between emotional intelligence, neuroscience, and leadership
• How to recognize and regulate emotional triggers
• The role of intuition in personal and professional decision-making
• Breaking free from limiting beliefs and old relationship patterns
• Why authenticity, vulnerability, and self-trust transform every relationship
• Love as a leadership value in both work and life
• Cultivating possibility consciousness to create meaningful change

If this conversation encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who could use a reminder that every meaningful relationship begins within.

Connect with Emily Blessington

Emily works with women who keep finding themselves in the same experience in love - different person, same feeling - and are ready to understand why. Through compassionate coaching and practical tools, she helps women break long-standing relationship patterns and create healthier, more fulfilling connections rooted in self-awareness and self-trust.

Emily's Current Offer

Break The Pattern is a private 7-day coaching experience designed for women who are ready to stop repeating the same relationship patterns and begin creating something different.

The experience includes:

• One private coaching session
• Daily Voxer support for seven days
• Personalized guidance to uncover and shift recurring patterns

Emily is currently offering a limited number of spaces for £97 in exchange for honest feedback and a testimonial.

Apply here (hyperlinked text)

Resources Mentioned
📖 Calling in "The One" by Katherine Woodward Thomas
📖 The Gene Keys by Richard Rudd
📖 Your Word Is Your Wand by Florence Scovel Shinn
🎙️Tune Into Love - The Emily Blessington Podcast

Connect with Emily

🌐 Website: emilyblessington.com (hyperlinked text)

📸 Instagram: @em_blessington (hyperlinked text)

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

If this conversation inspired you to lead yourself, and others, with greater courage, self-awareness, and intention, I'd love to connect.

Tutum Leadership Coaching partners with leaders and organizations to build thriving, strengths-based cultures where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to do their best work.

Whether you're interested in leadership coaching, CliftonStrengths® team development, keynote speaking, or organizational workshops, let's start the conversation.

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com (hyperlinked text)

📅 Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect (hyperlinked text)

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance (hyperlinked text)

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching (hyperlinked text)

🎙️ Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is available wherever you enjoy podcasts.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who would benefit from the conversation. Every share helps us spread more human-centered leadership into the world.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if resilience isn't about resisting life's waves, but learning to ride them?

In this inspiring conversation, Cara sits down with entrepreneur, inventor, and human-centered AI innovator Diane Weaver to explore what it truly means to flourish in a rapidly changing world. Together, they discuss why our greatest technological advancements should ultimately strengthen, not replace, our humanity.

Drawing from her journey as a founder, lifelong innovator, and student of human potential, Diane shares how curiosity, mindfulness, resilience, and authentic connection have shaped both her life and her work. Through the powerful metaphor of water and waves, she offers a refreshing perspective on navigating uncertainty with greater grace, presence, and hope.

Whether you're leading a team, navigating personal change, or simply seeking a more grounded way to move through life's challenges, this conversation will remind you that flourishing isn't found by controlling every wave. It's found by learning how to ride them.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why resilience is less about resistance and more about adaptability
• How the metaphor of riding waves can transform the way we respond to change
• Why human connection should remain at the center of technological innovation
• The role mindfulness and presence play in sustainable leadership
• How curiosity fuels both innovation and personal growth
• Why context matters when supporting people through change
• How strengths, reflection, and meaningful conversations contribute to human flourishing
• Practical ways leaders can create cultures where people thrive—not just perform

About Diane Weaver

Diane Weaver is an entrepreneur, inventor, and advocate for human-centered technology. As a leader in AI innovation, she believes technology should amplify our humanity, deepen connection, and support individual and organizational flourishing. Her work brings together innovation, resilience, neuroscience, and leadership to help people and organizations navigate an increasingly complex world with wisdom and intention.

If this conversation encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who could use a reminder that even life's biggest waves can become opportunities for growth.

Connect with Diane:
• LinkedIn
• Baryons

Connect with Cara:
🌐 www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com
🎙️ Tutum Talk with Cara Nance
📅 calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if leadership begins not with influence, strategy, or authority, but with remembering our shared humanity?

In this solo episode of Tutum Talk, Cara explores Ubuntu, a South African philosophy often expressed through the words, "I am because you are." More than a cultural concept, Ubuntu invites us to recognize that our humanity is deeply interconnected. That we are shaped by one another, strengthened through one another, and called to care for one another.

Inspired by the teachings of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and personal conversations with strangers during recent travels, Cara reflects on what Ubuntu looks like in everyday life and why this timeless philosophy has profound implications for leadership, relationships, workplaces, and communities.

Whether you're leading an organization, raising a family, serving your community, or simply seeking to become a more compassionate human being, this episode offers an invitation to pause, listen, and remember that connection is one of our greatest strengths.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• What Ubuntu means and why its message is more relevant than ever.
• How Archbishop Desmond Tutu's teaching on interconnectedness reshapes the way we see one another.
• Why seeking to understand others can transform our relationships and leadership.
• The connection between Ubuntu and strengths-based leadership.
• How compassion, curiosity, and love create cultures where people can truly flourish.
• Practical ways to embody Ubuntu in your everyday interactions.

Memorable moments from the episode:

• "I am because you are, and you are because I am."
• Why two conversations on two different flights revealed very different responses to the same idea.
• How seeing people through an asset-based lens changes teams, organizations, and communities.
• Why love remains one of the most transformative forces available to every leader.

Ubuntu reminds us that leadership is ultimately relational. When we choose curiosity over judgment, compassion over certainty, and connection over division, we create spaces where people feel seen, valued, and safe to become who they are meant to be.

If this conversation encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who believes leadership starts with people.

Thank you for being part of the Tutum Talk community.

With gratitude,

Cara

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com (hyperlinked text)

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance (hyperlinked text)

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching (hyperlinked text)

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you enjoy podcasts.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if the biggest obstacle to your organization's growth isn't your strategy, but the lack of alignment behind it?

In this episode of Tutum Talk, Cara sits down with fractional COO and Chief Strategy & Operations Officer Heather O'Donnell to explore what it really takes to scale an organization with intention. Together, they unpack the relationship between leadership, operations, communication, and culture, revealing why sustainable growth begins long before new systems or processes are introduced.

Heather shares practical wisdom from partnering with founders and growth-stage organizations navigating rapid change. She explains how operational clarity creates space for leaders to lead, teams to thrive, and organizations to grow without sacrificing the people who make that growth possible.

The conversation also explores an often-overlooked truth: the way we manage our personal lives frequently shows up in our professional leadership. From clearing mental clutter to building communication rhythms that foster trust, Heather offers thoughtful strategies that leaders can begin applying immediately.

Whether you're leading a nonprofit, school, small business, or growing organization, this episode is an invitation to slow down, create clarity, and build systems that support both people and purpose.

In this episode, you'll discover:
How to recognize when your organization has outgrown its current way of operating.
Why operational clarity is a leadership responsibility—not just an operational one.
The connection between personal organization and professional effectiveness.
Practical ways to reduce overwhelm and create greater focus.
Why communication rhythms build trust and alignment across teams.
How intentional systems create healthier, more sustainable organizational growth.
What founders and leaders often overlook when scaling their organizations.

Leadership isn't about adding more complexity.

It's about creating enough clarity that your people can do their best work together.

If this conversation resonates with you, please follow Tutum Talk, leave a review, and share this episode with a leader who's navigating growth or organizational change.

Connect with Heather O'Donnell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-o-donnell/
Elevate and Align Co.: https://elevatealignco.com/
Entrepreneurs - check out Heather's New Owner Blueprint Retainer here: https://elevatealignco.com/services-retainer-packages/

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

If your team is experiencing growth, transition, restructuring, or simply wants to lead with greater intention, Tutum Leadership Coaching helps organizations build trust, strengthen communication, and create psychologically safe cultures through CliftonStrengths® coaching and leadership development.

Learn more or schedule a conversation:
https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

Connect with Cara on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance/

Subscribe to Tutum Talk so you never miss an episode exploring leadership in the everyday and beyond.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a rating and review—it helps more people discover the show and join our growing community of leaders.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if the future of leadership isn't about becoming tougher, faster, or more efficient?

What if it's about becoming more human?

In this solo episode of Tutum Talk, I explore the idea of heart-led leadership—a leadership philosophy that places people at the center of every decision without sacrificing performance, accountability, or results.

For decades, many organizations have measured success primarily through financial outcomes. While strong business performance matters, sustainable success is built by leaders who intentionally create environments where people feel safe, valued, trusted, and empowered to contribute their best work.

Heart-led leadership isn't about lowering standards or avoiding difficult conversations. It's about leading with courage, empathy, and intentionality. Recognizing that when people flourish, organizations flourish.

Throughout this episode, I share reflections from my own leadership journey, lessons I've learned through coaching leaders and teams, and why I believe this shift is one of the greatest opportunities facing organizations today.

If you're leading a team, navigating change, building culture, or simply reflecting on the kind of leader you want to become, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What heart-led leadership really means—and what it doesn't
• Why people-first leadership actually strengthens organizational performance
• The connection between psychological safety, trust, and high-performing teams
• How empathy and accountability can exist together
• Practical ways to cultivate stronger relationships and healthier workplace cultures
• Why the future of leadership begins with creating environments where people can thrive

At Tutum Leadership Coaching, I believe leadership begins by creating spaces where people feel safe enough to grow, contribute, and become their best selves. This episode captures the heart of that belief.

Thank you for being part of this community and for choosing to lead in ways that create lasting impact.

If this episode resonates with you, I'd love for you to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who is working to build a healthier workplace culture.

And if you're navigating organizational change, developing leaders, or looking to strengthen your team's culture through CliftonStrengths®, I'd love to connect.

Let's continue building workplaces where people—and organizations—can truly flourish.

Connect with Cara:
🌐 www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com
📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect
✨ 6 in 6 Mastermind: https://tutumleadershipcoaching.com/mastermind-registration
☀️ Summer Strengths Coaching Information (hyperlinked text)
📰 Tutum Times | June 2026 (hyperlinked text)
🎙️ New episodes of Tutum Talk are released every Thursday.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if the best salespeople never actually sell?

In this episode of Tutum Talk, Cara sits down with author, coach, and entrepreneur Dan Rochon to explore a refreshing perspective on sales, leadership, and human connection. Rather than relying on persuasion or pressure, Dan shares why the highest performers focus on teaching, listening, and creating trust.

Together, Cara and Dan discuss why ethical influence begins with genuine curiosity, how meaningful questions uncover what truly matters to people, and why leadership is less about telling others what to do and more about helping them think differently.

Whether you're leading a team, running a business, coaching clients, or simply hoping to build stronger relationships, this conversation offers practical insights that extend far beyond sales.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why "teaching to sell" creates more authentic and lasting relationships

• How ethical influence differs from traditional sales techniques

• The three components of Dan's CPI Communication Model:

Building genuine rapport
Asking adept questions
Practicing active listening

• Why vulnerability creates trust rather than weakness

• How curiosity helps people discover their own best decisions

• The connection between leadership, communication, and influence

• Why listening for emotion—not just information—changes conversations

• Practical ways to become a more intentional communicator at work and at home

This conversation is an invitation to rethink what influence really means. When we shift from convincing to understanding, from pitching to teaching, and from talking to listening, we create the conditions for trust—and trust is where meaningful leadership begins.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who believes leadership is built one conversation at a time.

Connect with Dan Rochon

• Learn more about Dan's work
• Explore Teach to Sell: Why Top Performers Never Sell and What They Do Instead
• Follow Dan for additional leadership and communication insights

Connect with Cara

If you're looking to grow as a leader, strengthen your team, or discover how your CliftonStrengths can transform the way you lead, I'd love to connect with you.

Learn more about coaching and workshops through Tutum Leadership Coaching or schedule a conversation to explore how strengths-based leadership can support you or your organization.

Learn more about Tutum Leadership Coaching:
https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

Connect with Cara on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance/

Schedule a conversation:
https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

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About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

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