What do you do when your body is telling you to run, and you're in the middle of a conversation with your boss?

Lisa Kaplin started her career as a psychologist doing clinical work, then found coaching and never looked back. She has been coaching since 2011 and now splits her time between coaching individuals and groups and training new coaches at iPEC, where Karen and Eric earned their own coaching credentials.

In this episode, Lisa joins Karen and Eric to talk about what emotional intelligence really looks like in everyday life. They explore why awareness is where behavior change begins, what to do in the moment stress takes over, and why Lisa believes emotional intelligence will matter even more in a world shaped by AI. Lisa also shares what happens when successful people never develop it, how to tell someone a hard truth by first asking permission, and why changing yourself is one of the most powerful ways to change the system around you.

It's a conversation about self-awareness, the power of the pause, and learning that what you have is enough.

Seeing patterns is one thing. Knowing what to do with them is another.

In this episode, Karen sits down with Well•Led co-founder Eric Kebschull to talk about his unconventional career path, his lifelong drive to learn, and how he came to understand his own systems-thinking abilities.

Eric shares how leaving a career that no longer aligned with his values ultimately led him to coaching, leadership development, systems thinking, and the work he does today. They explore what it’s like to see patterns and consequences others may not see, why being right isn’t enough to create change, and why the ability to mobilize people is just as important as diagnosing the problem.

Karen and Eric also unpack the connection between systems thinking and adaptive leadership, the role trust, learning, and risk-taking play in adaptability, and the research Eric is leading at Well•Led to better understand how people and organizations adapt to change.

Because systems thinking isn’t just about seeing what others miss. It’s about turning what you see into meaningful action.

Adaptive Capacity Diagnostic: https://wellled.outgrow.us/ACD

What does it mean to lead in a way that continues long after you’re gone?

Brian Holmes is the Chief of Police in Kingston, Massachusetts, after nearly three decades in law enforcement, and his experience has shaped a leadership philosophy centered on service, accountability, empathy, and preparing the people who will come next.

In this episode, Brian joins Karen and Eric to talk about what leadership looks like when the responsibility gets heavier as you move up. They explore earning trust instead of relying on authority, listening long enough to understand the real problem, mentoring the next generation, and Brian’s work to build a regional crisis response program that brings law enforcement and mental health professionals together.

It’s a conversation about giving more of yourself to the people you serve, having the courage to evolve, and building something that can continue long after you step away.

When the Problem Isn’t Really the Problem

What if the problem you’re trying to solve isn’t actually the problem?

Falk Bothe’s approach to that question has been shaped by an unusual combination of experiences, from corporate consulting and executive coaching to adaptive leadership, systems thinking, and even competitive dance, each teaching him something different about how people work together and how change really happens.

In this episode, Falk joins Karen and Eric to explore what it takes to look beyond the symptoms of a problem and understand the larger system creating it. They talk about why people resist change, how our actions create ripple effects we may never see, what dancing taught Falk about leadership, and why solving complex problems requires curiosity before answers.

It’s a conversation about seeing what’s really happening beneath the surface and helping people become part of the change rather than having change happen to them.

What are you really working toward?

In the last few days, more than 25,000 people have joined the Well•Led community through the power of social media. So in this episode, Eric turns the questions on Karen to share more about the person behind the viral videos and the experiences that have shaped how she sees the world.

They talk about chasing titles, personal development, learning to hold space for others, discovering systems thinking, and why she believes changing the way we work is worthwhile work.

It’s a conversation about growth, purpose, and what it takes to see the systems shaping our lives more clearly so we can begin changing them for the better.

What do you do when the biggest case of your career ends in a loss the whole country is watching?

Brian Sano spent years as a federal prosecutor, including a seat at the table for one of the most closely watched trials of 2008 financial crisis. In this episode, he takes us inside the courtroom the moment the verdict was read.

Brian shares how he learned to separate who he is from his role, why he believes leadership is "an art of seeing," and how a sticker in his father's car when he was fifteen, "I am a human being, not a human doing," has shaped every chapter of his career since.

We also talk about the small, tight-knit team that got him through the trial and taught him what real psychological safety looks like, and an early lesson in where systems support us and where they fail us.

A conversation about grief, authority, and what it really means to lead with curiosity.

What happens when the thing that made you strong starts working against you?

Peter Rendina spent his career in federal law enforcement, eventually serving as a deputy chief in a federal agency. In a profession built around service, sacrifice, and toughness, he saw firsthand what can happen when people learn to push through difficult emotions instead of dealing with them.

In this episode, we talk about what happens when “toughing it out” stops working. Peter shares how our careers can slowly become our identities, why emotions are information rather than weakness, and what years in law enforcement taught him about resilience, transition, and building a life that is bigger than your job.

We also talk about the people who changed the way Peter sees life, including a colleague whose struggle with retirement revealed the cost of unresolved experiences and a close friend whose ALS diagnosis led to a simple philosophy: zero days to waste.

Because strength isn’t always about pushing through. Sometimes it’s knowing when to stop, pay attention, and choose what comes next.

What actually causes someone to change?

Leonardo Da Silveira has lived and worked in 12 countries, spent years tackling hunger and poverty with the United Nations, and ultimately walked away from that career to pursue a new calling: teaching.

In this episode, we talk about the turning points that change the direction of our lives, both the ones we choose and the ones we don't. Leonardo shares how loss shaped his sense of purpose, why our definition of success changes over time, and what his own life and work have taught him about resilience and navigating change.

Because we all have turning points. What matters is where we go from them.