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We explore how burnout creates a communication gap and why regulating the nervous system turns scattered messaging into clear, trustworthy leadership. Laura Cardwell shares tools that blend applied neuroscience, human design, and somatics to move from reaction to resonance.

• the cost of misalignment on trust and buy-in
• dopamine loops versus purpose-led motivation
• imposter narratives and self-worth at work
• breath and co-regulation as fast resets
• integrating human design for team synergy
• reframing “soft leadership” with data and outcomes
• building resonant teams for sustainable success
• curiosity as a daily leadership practice

“Until next time, communicate with intention and lead with purpose”

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I've poured all my best work into my newest book, Amplifying Your Leadership Voice: From Silent to Speaking Up. If today's episode resonated with you, I know the book will be a powerful tool. You can preorder it now to be one of the first to get your copy when it is out in December!

Thanks for listening and for being a part of The Communicative Leader community. To get even more exclusive tips—like the ones we talked about today—join us at TheCommunicativeLeader.com.

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We pull back the curtain on the hidden driver of burnout: unexpressed ideas and unspoken boundaries. We map the four fears that keep professionals quiet and share a simple, repeatable path to make your voice a tool for self-care and career growth.

• The danger of silence for influence and well-being
• Four fears that mute contribution and fuel resentment
• Practical mindset shifts to normalize nerves
• Focus on the problem, not the people
• Contribute with strategic questions to guide decisions
• A four-level roadmap from discovering to sustaining your voice
• Everyday leadership across teams and channels
• Communication habits that improve life beyond work

Pre-order your copy of Amplifying Your Leadership Voice From Silent To Speaking Up now. The book ships December 2. I’ll release special episodes that dig into key frameworks—pre-order today so you can follow along.

Support the show

I've poured all my best work into my newest book, Amplifying Your Leadership Voice: From Silent to Speaking Up. If today's episode resonated with you, I know the book will be a powerful tool. You can preorder it now to be one of the first to get your copy when it is out in December!

Thanks for listening and for being a part of The Communicative Leader community. To get even more exclusive tips—like the ones we talked about today—join us at TheCommunicativeLeader.com.

Send us a text

Mobeen Tahir shares practical tools for simplifying language, structuring ideas, and delivering with precision and care.

• bridging the gap between what you want to say and what the audience needs
• the cost of poor delivery on credibility and timing
• simplifying jargon into plain, repeatable language
• using why what how to move from information to action
• designing slides around a single, clear takeaway
• small delivery shifts that change impact
• earning trust by showing care and empowering teams
• practical tips for leaders and employees to improve fast

Until next time, communicate with intention and lead with purpose

Support the show

I've poured all my best work into my newest book, Amplifying Your Leadership Voice: From Silent to Speaking Up. If today's episode resonated with you, I know the book will be a powerful tool. You can preorder it now to be one of the first to get your copy when it is out in December!

Thanks for listening and for being a part of The Communicative Leader community. To get even more exclusive tips—like the ones we talked about today—join us at TheCommunicativeLeader.com.

Send us a text

What if two handwritten sentences could do more for engagement than a dozen meetings? We sit down with author and keynote speaker Amy Daughters to unpack the surprising power of pen on paper—how a spontaneous act of compassion turned into 580 letters and a repeatable practice any leader can use to build trust, loyalty, and genuine kinship at work.

Amy walks us through the moment that sparked her writing habit, the two-year exchange that reshaped her view of connection, and the decision to write to every Facebook friend. Along the way, we dig into why tactile notes matter: they signal time and intention, they feel personal without being private, and they create an unmistakable moment of being seen. You’ll hear research-backed insights on why customer loyalty and employee engagement rise when people feel valued, not just satisfied, plus real-world examples of notes displayed like badges of honor in cubicles and kept in bedside drawers for years.

We get practical too. Expect simple, plug-and-play scripts for appreciation, support, and recognition that take under five minutes to write. Learn how to overcome the vulnerability speed bump, set up a low-cost “handwritten hub” with cards and stamps, and enlist your team’s eyes and ears to spot wins you might miss. We also explore how brief notes can bridge deep differences—acknowledging humanity without demanding agreement—and why this small habit can move culture faster than most big initiatives.

If you’re a manager, executive, or team lead looking for a human, scalable way to strengthen relationships, this conversation is your playbook. Subscribe, share with a leader who needs it, and tell us: who’s the first person you’ll write to this week?

Support the show

I've poured all my best work into my newest book, Amplifying Your Leadership Voice: From Silent to Speaking Up. If today's episode resonated with you, I know the book will be a powerful tool. You can preorder it now to be one of the first to get your copy when it is out in December!

Thanks for listening and for being a part of The Communicative Leader community. To get even more exclusive tips—like the ones we talked about today—join us at TheCommunicativeLeader.com.

Send us a text

What if the real shortcut to high performance is subtracting the noise, not stacking more on your plate? We close Season 7 by distilling nine conversations with leaders, coaches, and researchers into four practical trends that transform how we work: redefine success, build resilience for nonlinear growth, lead through connection, and lock it in with light, powerful systems.

We start by exposing busyness as an addiction and recentering on high‑value work. You’ll hear why “real power” is the capacity to produce intended constructive outcomes, how to replace heroic control with a clear “company way,” and why modeling imperfection boosts psychological safety and creativity. From there, we chart resilience as a skill, not a trait: dissect problems to root causes, strip out emotional fog, anchor in core values during chaos, and practice acclimatization—getting comfortable with discomfort while you learn.

Connection becomes the decisive edge. Trust compounds when leaders show up truthfully, ask for help, and invest in emotional intelligence. We share coaching practices that reveal blind spots, exercises that break jargon to unlock creativity, and small human moments that drive big engagement gains. Finally, we turn insight into infrastructure: EOS for transparency and right seats, SMART power to rethink leadership, and strategic speed to align vision, systems, and people. Add a 90‑day cadence to step back, recalibrate, and keep purpose at the center.

If you’re ready to trade hustle for purpose, control for connection, and perfection for play, this conversation gives you the tools and frameworks to start today. Listen, share with a colleague who needs it, and subscribe to get the first word on Season 8. Your leadership voice gets stronger from here—leave a review and tell us which trend you’ll apply first.

Support the show

I've poured all my best work into my newest book, Amplifying Your Leadership Voice: From Silent to Speaking Up. If today's episode resonated with you, I know the book will be a powerful tool. You can preorder it now to be one of the first to get your copy when it is out in December!

Thanks for listening and for being a part of The Communicative Leader community. To get even more exclusive tips—like the ones we talked about today—join us at TheCommunicativeLeader.com.

Send us a text

Peggy Sullivan, renowned researcher and author of "Beyond Busyness," shares her journey from being a busyness addict to developing a framework that helps individuals and organizations escape the trap of constant hustle while achieving peak performance.

• Self-described "busyness addict in recovery" whose wake-up call included eating cat food for dinner, a failed marriage, and a stress-related heart attack
• Market research reveals 94% of people are "over the top busy" and don't know how to escape the cycle
• Time poverty is defined as reaching the end of your day feeling your cup isn't full
• The Busy Barometer tool helps identify low-value activities that consume time without providing meaningful returns
• Three-step Busy Busting Framework: subtraction (eliminating low-value activities), mojo making (happiness rituals), and values vibing
• Research shows four core values create fulfillment: energy management, human connection, growth, and authenticity
• Even three-minute "happiness rituals" like cubicle dance parties increased United Healthcare's first-call resolution by 33%
• Setting boundaries around email, meetings, and technology can dramatically improve productivity
• Human connection is vital – one leader saw 26% increase in employee engagement after shifting from transactional to relational leadership

To learn more, visit Peggy Sullivan's website or find her book "Beyond Busyness" on Amazon.

Support the show

I've poured all my best work into my newest book, Amplifying Your Leadership Voice: From Silent to Speaking Up. If today's episode resonated with you, I know the book will be a powerful tool. You can preorder it now to be one of the first to get your copy when it is out in December!

Thanks for listening and for being a part of The Communicative Leader community. To get even more exclusive tips—like the ones we talked about today—join us at TheCommunicativeLeader.com.

Send us a text

Creativity isn't a magical talent bestowed on a lucky few—it's a skill that can be cultivated through deliberate practice, psychological safety, and effective communication. In this illuminating conversation, creativity expert Melissa Dinwiddie reveals how her unexpected journey from Juilliard-trained dancer to corporate innovation consultant led to transformative insights about unlocking creative potential in organizations.

Drawing from her work with companies like Google, Meta, and Salesforce, Melissa breaks down the often-invisible barriers that prevent teams from innovating: perfectionism, fear of judgment, and what she calls "expertise-induced blindness." She offers practical, playful solutions that any leader or team member can implement immediately, from simple check-in questions that spark curiosity to improv exercises that build psychological safety and collaboration.

The conversation dives deep into Melissa's "Create the Impossible" framework—Play Hard, Make Crap, Learn Fast—revealing how these deceptively simple principles can revolutionize how teams approach challenges. You'll discover why modeling imperfection might be a leader's most powerful tool and how transforming dry data into compelling stories can make information stick.

What makes this episode particularly valuable is Melissa's ability to translate abstract creative concepts into concrete workplace practices. Her "crappy doodles" exercise and time traveler activity demonstrate how playfulness can be strategically deployed to overcome communication barriers and foster innovation. For leaders struggling with teams that have brilliant insights but can't effectively spread them throughout the organization, Melissa's approaches offer a refreshing alternative to standard corporate communication training.

Whether you're a titled leader seeking to build a more innovative culture or an employee looking to flex your creative muscles, this conversation provides both the inspiration and practical tools to transform how you communicate and collaborate. Listen now to discover why creativity might be your most underutilized professional asset—and how to start developing it today.

Support the show

I've poured all my best work into my newest book, Amplifying Your Leadership Voice: From Silent to Speaking Up. If today's episode resonated with you, I know the book will be a powerful tool. You can preorder it now to be one of the first to get your copy when it is out in December!

Thanks for listening and for being a part of The Communicative Leader community. To get even more exclusive tips—like the ones we talked about today—join us at TheCommunicativeLeader.com.

Send us a text

Dr. Sylvia Rohde-Liebenau shares her Smart Power method for leadership transformation, challenging traditional power dynamics and empowering leaders to create meaningful impact in chaotic environments. Through her 30-year career studying power in organizations, she reveals how authentic leadership, purposeful collaboration, and systemic thinking can revolutionize organizational culture.

• The difference between old power (force and control) vs real power (creating intended, constructive outcomes)
• How the European Investment Bank's transformation to become a climate bank required new leadership approaches
• The SMART Power Method: Systemic, Merging, Authentic personal, Relational, and Transformational
• Breaking down organizational silos by focusing on shared goals rather than departmental priorities
• Practical strategies for thriving amid chaos: personal practices, purpose connection, perspective, and collaboration
• The critical importance of organizational culture in successful transformation
• Leadership skills for the future: continuous learning, systemic thinking, co-creation, and human connection
• How political science and international relations principles apply to organizational leadership
• The counterintuitive truth that trying to hold onto power makes you less powerful

Ask more questions and truly listen - it builds trust and helps you understand others better. For employees at all levels, get friendly with your emotions by feeling, knowing, and managing them to become more effective and authentic at work.

Support the show

I've poured all my best work into my newest book, Amplifying Your Leadership Voice: From Silent to Speaking Up. If today's episode resonated with you, I know the book will be a powerful tool. You can preorder it now to be one of the first to get your copy when it is out in December!

Thanks for listening and for being a part of The Communicative Leader community. To get even more exclusive tips—like the ones we talked about today—join us at TheCommunicativeLeader.com.