You're the Boss, Now What? | Team Emotional Intelligence for Managers and Leaders

Alcohol-centered work culture is hurting team trust and performance. Executive sobriety coach Brittany Young shares how leaders can model healthier norms, support sober-curious employees, and improve team dynamics without the bar tab.

Show Notes
 Last week we talked about accountability and why trust is the single most important step in holding your team to clear standards. This week we’re digging into a hidden culture issue that quietly erodes trust and creates exclusion: alcohol as the default for connection.

If your team bonds over happy hours, client dinners, and conference cocktails, you may be unintentionally excluding sober or sober-curious employees, or normalizing coping habits that undermine clarity, decision making, and team dynamics. That can show up as sloppy commitments, fuzzy boundaries, and conflict avoidance.

In this episode, executive sobriety coach Brittany Young explains how leaders can set a new standard without judgment. You’ll learn practical ways to normalize non-alcohol options, create inclusive networking, and model self-management that makes you a better manager. These strategies help you rebuild trust, hold employees accountable without micromanaging, and fix toxic culture patterns that keep performance stuck.

Key Takeaways
 • Why “drinks to decompress” hurts decision quality, team trust, and psychological safety
 • Inclusive alternatives leaders can use to replace alcohol-centered bonding at work events
 • How modeling sober-curious habits improves energy, presence, and accountability across your team

You can find Brittany on LinkedIn

 Check out the book Brittany Recommends

A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson 

Thank you for joining me on another episode of Lead With Confidence

If you love the episode, give it a share and reach out, I can't wait to hear from you!

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Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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Katie Armentrout is an operations and leadership coach who helps companies strengthen communication, reduce turnover, and build accountability systems that support confident, people-focused leadership.

In this episode of You’re the Boss, Now What?, Desiree Petrich and Katie Armentrout dive into how new managers can hold employees accountable without micromanaging. You’ll learn simple strategies to build trust, set standards, and create a culture of ownership that sticks.

Last week we talked about how trust is the foundation of accountability. This week, we take it one step further.

If you’ve ever wondered how to hold employees accountable without micromanaging, this episode gives you the framework: focus on what you practice, permit, and promote.

Katie explains that leadership accountability starts with clarity. Before labeling something a people problem, check your process:

• Did you set clear expectations?
• Did you assign ownership and define success?
• Did you communicate the why behind the task?

Once clarity is established, hold people accountable with empathy and consistency. This is how to build trust as a manager, strengthen team dynamics, and fix a toxic culture before it starts.

You’ll also learn how to use personality tools like DISC, Working Genius, and Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies to tailor accountability to different team members—so you can stop repeating yourself and start leading more effectively.

Plus, Katie shares how to build accountability right into your hiring process, create onboarding systems that reinforce expectations, and use feedback as a tool for growth, not fear.

Whether you’re learning how to delegate effectively, lead a first-time manager team, or improve your coaching for managers skills, this episode will help you build a culture where people follow through because they want to, not because they have to.

• Clarity beats control: Define ownership, outcomes, and timelines before blaming performance.
• You train what you tolerate: What you permit becomes your team culture.
• Lead through outcomes, not checklists: Transformational leadership empowers creativity and accountability.

You can find Katie on LinkedIn, or on her website www.peoplefluence.com

 Check out the book Katie Recommends 

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell 

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Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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This podcast for managers is here to help you:

• Grow your leadership development
 • Navigate team management with confidence
 • Learn how to handle conflict at work
 • Apply real, practical leadership tips

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Alex Street is a storytelling coach who helps leaders and brands clarify the one clear story behind their work so they can do work that matters and communicate it with confidence.

Show description
 Storytelling coach Alex Street shares a simple story arc to help first-time managers create meaning at work, build trust, and lead with clarity. Practical prompts you can use with your team today.

Show notes
 Last week we talked about accountability and why trust is the first step. This week we dig into the human side of trust.

Problem
 New managers struggle to connect day-to-day tasks with a meaningful purpose. Meetings feel flat. Accountability feels forced. Culture slides toward disengagement.

Pain points
 • Team members say it is just a job and check out
 • One-on-ones drift into status updates with no growth
 • Leaders avoid conflict because they lack a shared why

Solution
 Alex walks us through a five-minute story arc to clarify purpose for you and your team.

1. Pick your impact word. How do you want people to feel after working with you.
2. Name the early spark. When did that impact first matter to you.
3. Identify the blocker. Confusion, pressure, fear, or mixed expectations.
4. Capture the shift. The comment, coach, or practice that changed your approach.
5. Apply it daily. Use your story to frame delegation, meetings, and accountability.

Episode teaser
 You do not need a dramatic backstory to lead well. You need a clear story. When people see why the work matters, they show up differently. Managers can create that clarity in minutes and reinforce it in every one-on-one, team meeting, and project kickoff.

Key takeaways
 • Helpful for all, transformative for some. Lead consistently and stop chasing the one skeptic in the back row.
 • Use our story to handle conflict. Tie disagreements to the shared outcome the team is building toward.
 • Clarity before tasks. Context earns buy-in. Clear standards and check points earn follow-through.

You can find Alex on his website, or connect with him on LinkedIn!

You can find Alex's book StoryArc on Amazon!

 Check out the book Alex recommends: 

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

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Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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This podcast for managers is here to help you:

• Grow your leadership development
 • Navigate team management with confidence
 • Learn how to handle conflict at work
 • Apply real, practical leadership tips

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If you’ve ever said “I’ll start Monday,” this episode is for you. In Part 2 of my Timing Counts series, I’m sharing four mindset and productivity rules that help me stop waiting for the perfect time to take action. These tools have helped me finish 75 Hard, build consistency in my habits, and stay focused even when life feels chaotic.

Show Notes

I started today’s episode a little out of breath — partly because my allergies are awful, and partly because I decided to race a train on my morning walk. Spoiler alert: the train won.

But that story actually ties perfectly to this episode, because it’s a reminder that sometimes we rush toward things we could simply start where we are.

This is Part 2 of my Timing Counts series. In Part 1, I shared four time-management tools that make your day easier: the Five Second Rule, the One Minute Rule, Power Hour, and Time Chunking. Those were the practical, black-and-white rules for getting things done.

Today, I’m diving into four mindset-driven rules that help you build momentum — the ones that keep you from waiting for the perfect timing and help you start now.

Rule 1: Slingshot Days

You don’t have to wait for a new week, month, or year to begin again. Any day can be your slingshot day.

I learned this idea from John Acuff, and it changed everything about how I start. When I got home from a retreat feeling stuck, my first instinct was to say “I’ll start Monday.” Instead, I unpacked, stretched, and set my alarm. That moment became my slingshot.

As leaders, waiting for the perfect time keeps us from taking action. Don’t wait for next quarter, the next team meeting, or the next goal cycle. Start with one intentional step today.

Rule 2: The Law of Diminishing Intent

The longer you wait to act on a good intention, the less likely you are to do it.

Maybe you’ve told yourself you’ll start a new habit after a big project ends or once your team gets through a busy season. But that momentum fades fast.

Action creates clarity, not the other way around. When motivation strikes, take one small action right away — send the message, prep the materials, or block the time. It keeps you from letting good ideas die in your head.

Rule 3: Timed Activities First

This rule is my spin on Parkinson’s Law — the idea that work expands to fill the time we give it.

If you have 20 minutes before your next meeting, don’t start something open-ended like checking email or scrolling LinkedIn. Do the timed activity first. Pack the lunch, put on your shoes, get your notes ready. It’s simple, but it saves you from the stress and scramble that often come with procrastination.

As a manager, leading yourself through structure is what helps you lead others through chaos.

Rule 4: The Overload Offset

This one’s new — and I might have coined the term. The idea is simple: when you feel too busy to do the small, healthy thing, do a little more instead of less.

If you don’t have time for a five-minute walk, take ten. If you can’t imagine reading ten pages, read twelve. It’s not about perfection — it’s about reclaiming your energy from resistance.

The Overload Offset reminds me that I’m capable of more than my excuses want to believe. And that’s a powerful mindset for any leader trying to create consistency and calm in the middle of chaos.

Key Takeaways

• You don’t need a new week or new year to begin again — start today.
• Good intentions lose power the longer you wait to act.
• Do timed activities first to reduce stress and prevent overwhelm.
• When you feel overloaded, go slightly further instead of pulling back.
• Small, intentional actions compound into massive results.

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Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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This podcast for managers is here to help you:

• Grow your leadership development
 • Navigate team management with confidence
 • Learn how to handle conflict at work
 • Apply real, practical leadership tips

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We hear it all the time: We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Technically true, but practically? Not even close.

In this episode, I share how that myth can leave leaders feeling guilty and behind, and why the real key to productivity is aligning your time with your current priorities. Whether you’re a new manager learning to set boundaries or a seasoned leader trying to find balance again, these four rules will help you get more done — without burning out.

1. The Five Second Rule (Mel Robbins)

When hesitation strikes, count down 5-4-3-2-1 and move. It’s one of my favorite productivity tools for managers because it closes the gap between intention and action.

2. The One Minute Rule (Gretchen Rubin)

If something takes a minute or less, do it now. It’s the easiest way to keep small tasks from piling up and to clear mental clutter that drains leadership focus.

3. Power Hour

Batch the small distractions that pull you out of deep work. Use one dedicated hour each week to handle them so you can stay present for what matters most — your team, your goals, and your growth.

4. Time Chunking (My Rule)

Time blocking never worked for me. Time chunking did. Decide the minimum amount of time you’ll give each priority and track it daily. It’s flexible, sustainable, and realistic for leaders balancing work and life.

These four time-management rules are simple but powerful. They’re not about perfection; they’re about consistency. And for any new manager trying to lead with confidence, that consistency matters more than any fancy system ever will.

Key Takeaways

• We don’t all have the same 24 hours — but we do have control over how we use them.
• The Five Second Rule helps leaders take quick, confident action.
• The One Minute Rule eliminates clutter and boosts mental clarity.
• Power Hour protects focus by batching small, low-priority tasks.
• Time Chunking builds habits that last by focusing on progress, not perfection.

Sign up for Desiree's Weekly newsletter

Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree 

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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This podcast for managers is here to help you:

• Grow your leadership development
 • Navigate team management with confidence
 • Learn how to handle conflict at work
 • Apply real, practical leadership tips

If this episode helped you:

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Welcome to another episode of Lead With Confidence!

In this episode we discuss:

• • Patrick Lencioni's book, The Ideal Team Player
  • Three essential virtues of an ideal team player
    • Humble
    • Hungry
    • Smart

Read my book!!!  Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead 

Check out The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni

Get your tickets for the Intentional Leader Summit in Marshall MN on August 7th, 2024!

Are you loving the Lead With Confidence Podcast??? 

I would love to hear from you!

Please consider leaving a rating and review to help me reach more individuals looking to grow in love, life and leadership!

Leave me a voice message or "buy me a coffee" to show your support for the show and help me to make it even better!

Thank you for joining me on another episode of Lead With Confidence

If you love the episode, give it a share and reach out, I can't wait to hear from you!

You can send me a message on LinkedIn or InstagramYou can also send me an email with any comments, requests or questions you'd like me to answer on the show!

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Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree 

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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This podcast for managers is here to help you:

• Grow your leadership development
 • Navigate team management with confidence
 • Learn how to handle conflict at work
 • Apply real, practical leadership tips

If this episode helped you:

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Nicole Greene is a mindset consultant for high-performing women founders and executives who are juggling multiple non-negotiable roles. She helps women step out of survival mode and into their whole lives through mindset mastery, work-life integration, and habits for healthy high performance.

What if the real problem isn’t balance—but fragmentation? In this episode, Desiree and Nicole unpack what it means to integrate work, life, and identity in a way that feels sustainable, not split.

Most high achievers chase balance like it’s the ultimate goal. But the truth is, balance assumes you can give every part of your life equal attention—and that’s rarely possible.

Nicole explains why the pursuit of balance actually leads to fragmentation, where we feel like we’re failing in one area whenever we focus on another. She offers a new approach: work-life integration. Integration means recognizing you are one person living one life—and being intentional about where your energy goes in each season.

Together, Desiree and Nicole talk about the difference between high performance and overperformance, how to rebuild from burnout, and the importance of boundaries that actually make it onto your calendar. They also discuss how to redefine success on your own terms, listen to your body before it crashes, and rewrite limiting beliefs that keep you stuck in “prove” mode.

If you’ve ever felt torn between your work and your personal life, this episode will help you reframe what success looks like—and build a version of high performance that doesn’t cost your health or happiness.

Key Takeaways

• Balance creates pressure; integration creates freedom.
• High performance is excellence with boundaries—overperformance is self-sacrifice.
• You are one person living one life—your calendar should reflect that.
• Self-awareness is a continuous practice, not a destination.
• Success looks different in every season; define it on your own terms.

Check out Nicole's gifts to you!

Time by Design Newsletter

 Satisfaction Self-Assessment and Success Plan

 Dream Calendar Setup Guide

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Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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This podcast for managers is here to help you:

• Grow your leadership development
 • Navigate team management with confidence
 • Learn how to handle conflict at work
 • Apply real, practical leadership tips

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Mark is a former engineering leader turned team health consultant. After leading mobile teams at companies like Nike and eBay, he now helps organizations improve engagement, reduce turnover, and build stronger, healthier teams through leadership development and self-awareness practices.

What if the key to engagement and fulfillment at work wasn’t your boss or your company, but you? In this episode, Desiree and Mark unpack how self-awareness, ownership, and purpose shape the way you show up and the ripple effect it has on your team.

We often blame disengagement on poor leadership or company culture, but what if the problem starts within?

In this conversation, Mark shares how his years in engineering leadership taught him that thriving teams aren’t just built by strategy—they’re shaped by people who take ownership of their energy, purpose, and influence.

You’ll learn why engagement starts with your mindset, how to write a personal mission statement that keeps you grounded, and how to identify the work that brings you energy using Patrick Lencioni’s Working Genius framework.

Mark also shares practical strategies for influence, including Nemawashi, a Japanese concept of preparing ideas through one-on-one conversations before a meeting, and his idea of the Incumbent Advantage, which helps you gain credibility and momentum by bringing structured proposals to discussions.

Finally, Mark and Desiree talk about stress, burnout, and how to reframe pressure as excitement to improve performance and confidence—because leadership begins with how you manage yourself.

Key Takeaways

• Engagement starts with an internal locus of control—it’s about what you can influence.
• Self-awareness leads to alignment, authenticity, and stronger team connection.
• Identifying your Working Genius helps you find the kind of work that gives you energy.
• You don’t need a title to build influence—you need preparation and initiative.
• Stress can be reframed as energy when you learn to redirect your mindset.

Mind Hacking - Sir John Hargrave Working Genius - Patrick Lencioni 5 Dysfunctions of a Team -

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Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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This podcast for managers is here to help you:

• Grow your leadership development
 • Navigate team management with confidence
 • Learn how to handle conflict at work
 • Apply real, practical leadership tips

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Most new managers lead from fear without even realizing it. In this episode, Desiree shares how shifting from fear to love completely changed the way she led her team, built trust, and created meaningful connection at work.

Show Notes

When Desiree first stepped into leadership, she believed confidence meant control. She micromanaged, tried to have every answer, and led from fear—fear of being found out, fear of losing credibility, fear of not being good enough.

That fear-based approach kept her from connecting with her team, and it left everyone walking on eggshells. It wasn’t until she hit rock bottom during the pandemic that she realized the problem wasn’t her team—it was how she was showing up.

Through personal development, mentorship, and a major mindset shift, Desiree learned the difference between leading from fear and leading from love. Leading with love isn’t about being nice or avoiding hard conversations. It’s about leading with intention—being kind, curious, and clear even when things are hard.

When leaders assume positive intent, focus on relationships, and show consistent respect, they create a culture of trust and accountability. Love in leadership isn’t a feeling—it’s a practice. And it’s one that transforms both teams and results.

Key Takeaways

• Leading with fear creates distance; leading with love builds trust.
• You can’t control how others show up, but you can control your response.
• Assuming positive intent changes how you lead and how your team feels.

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Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree 

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

Connect:  Linked In | Instagram | Website

This podcast for managers is here to help you:

• Grow your leadership development
 • Navigate team management with confidence
 • Learn how to handle conflict at work
 • Apply real, practical leadership tips

If this episode helped you:

Share it with anoth...

f you struggle to ask for help, you’re not alone. Desiree breaks down why we resist help, how to ask for it confidently, and why learning this skill will make you a better manager, teammate, and human.

Last week we talked about building a flexible, human-first culture at work. This week, we’re zooming in on the one skill that can transform your leadership—and your life: asking for help.

If you’ve ever caught yourself saying “I’m fine” when you’re clearly not, this episode is for you. Desiree breaks down the four biggest reasons we avoid asking for help—guilt, fear of judgment, feeling like a burden, and pride—and walks through five practical ways to ask for help without guilt or awkwardness.

You’ll learn how to tell the difference between needing advice and just needing to vent, how to choose the right person to ask, and why being honest about what you need actually builds credibility as a leader. Desiree also shares personal stories of what happens when we don’t ask for help soon enough—and how practicing vulnerability can rebuild trust at work and at home.

By the end of the episode, you’ll walk away with the confidence to say “I need help” without shame, and you’ll understand why this simple shift creates stronger relationships, better communication, and healthier team dynamics.

Key Takeaways

• Asking for help is a leadership skill, not a weakness. It models trust and authenticity for your team.
 • Be clear about what kind of help you want—advice, accountability, or empathy—so others can support you the right way.
 • Vulnerability creates connection. When you ask for help, you give others permission to do the same.

Read my book  Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead 

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Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree 

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

Connect:  Linked In | Instagram | Website

This podcast for managers is here to help you:

• Grow your leadership development
 • Navigate team management with confidence
 • Learn how to handle conflict at work
 • Apply real, practical leadership tips

If this episode helped you:

Share it with anoth...