In this episode of Storytellers: Journeys, host Bernadette Hill sits down with Elisabeth Swan — improv performer turned Lean practitioner, author, and thought leader in Conscious Leadership.

Guided by her belief that “fear is a form of energy,” Elisabeth shares how she learned to transform fear into focus, presence, and powerful collaboration — lessons drawn from improv stages, process improvement work, and decades of coaching high-performing teams.

Her journey is one of transformation: learning to read the moment, take the “offers” life gives you, and use visual thinking, empathy, and conscious leadership to elevate performance without sacrificing humanity.

Elisabeth also shares insights from her Praise Paradox workshop and her book Picture Yourself a Leader, which help individuals simplify complexity, see possibilities clearly, and step into leadership with confidence and calm.

What you’ll learn:

• Why fear is energy — and how to redirect it

• Lessons from improv that strengthen trust and adaptability

• How Lean and CI reinforce presence and clarity

• Conscious leadership tools that simplify complexity

• How visual thinking elevates communication and team performance

Connect with the Guest — Elisabeth Swan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabethswan/

Website: https://elisabethswan.com/

Podcast: https://www.jitcafe.com/podcasts

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Keywords: conscious leadership, emotional intelligence, improv, lean thinking, high-performing teams, praise paradox, visual thinking, leadership development, elisabeth swan, bernadette hill podcast