In the Groove with Todd and Jackie

What does it really take to lead people through change—and set them up not just to adapt, but to succeed?In this episode of Speak Feed Lead Conversations with Jackie Bailey, I sit down with Amanda Van Der Heiden, Chief Learning Solutions Consultant at Global Talent Development Solutions (GTDS), for an energizing conversation about leadership, organizational change, personal growth, and the importance of turning what we know into action.Amanda has spent more than two decades helping people and organizations navigate large-scale transformation. From starting her career as a high achiever willing to challenge the status quo to eventually building her own company, her journey is filled with lessons about leadership, burnout, limiting beliefs, and what it means to create environments where people can truly excel.One phrase Amanda uses to describe her work particularly stood out to me: “organizing the chaos.” Whether an organization is implementing new technology, transforming its culture, developing leaders, or navigating another major change, Amanda believes success comes back to understanding the goal, putting the right people and processes in place, and making sure everyone involved is actually set up to succeed.During our conversation, we explore:✨ What servant leadership looks like in practice🔄 How leaders can help people successfully navigate change🎯 Why clarity around your goals matters before creating the plan💡 How limiting beliefs can keep us waiting for the “right time”👥 Why leadership isn’t reserved for extroverts or people with impressive titles🚀 The importance of taking action instead of endlessly thinking about what you want to do🌱 How our experiences, habits, and environments shape the leaders we become💼 Amanda’s journey from corporate leadership to founding GTDS📚 How Amanda is helping entrepreneurs and subject-matter experts turn their knowledge into professional learning experiencesWe also tackle an interesting question: Are great leaders born, or can leadership be learned?Amanda’s answer reminds us that leadership isn’t about being the loudest person in the room. Some of the best leaders may be introverts. What matters is your why, your willingness to care about the people you lead, and your desire to help others become better.And perhaps my favorite takeaway from our conversation comes near the end, when Amanda offers a simple challenge:Go do.Don’t spend years waiting to begin. Take one small step today. Progress doesn’t require having everything figured out—it requires action.If you’re a leader, entrepreneur, business owner, professional navigating change—or simply someone with a goal you’ve been putting off—there’s something in this conversation for you.🎧 Join Amanda and me for From Chaos to Clarity: Leadership, Habits, and Lasting Success and discover how greater clarity, stronger leadership, and consistent action can move you—and the people around you—forward.🎁 FREE GIFT FROM AMANDAAmanda is also sharing a FREE Goal Development Workbook with our audience! This resource is designed to help you dig deeper into what you really want, identify the right goal for you, create a clear step-by-step plan, and start moving toward it.👉 Get Amanda’s free gift here: gogtds.com🌐 Learn more about Amanda and Global Talent Development Solutions: gtdscorp.com#SpeakFeedLead #JackieBailey #AmandaVanDerHeiden #Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #ChangeManagement #PersonalGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #GTDS #Entrepreneurship #TakeAction #Podcast

What if the goal of education wasn’t simply to complete assignments, pass tests, or check all the right boxes—but to raise curious, confident, independent adults who never stop learning?In this episode of Speak Feed Lead Conversations with Jackie Bailey, I welcome back my friend Kami Wanous, The Freedom Scholar, creator of the Raising Leaders Roadmap and a homeschool mentor who has been homeschooling since 2008. A credentialed teacher with more than seven years of experience in public education, Kami now helps homeschool parents move beyond frustration and educational box-checking to create a culture that inspires a genuine lifelong love of learning.At the heart of our conversation is a powerful reminder: we’re raising adults, not kids. Kami shares why parents should begin with the end in mind, become mentors rather than simply teachers, and give their children opportunities to take ownership of their education—developing the confidence, curiosity, independence, and leadership skills they’ll need for the future.🎙️ In this conversation, we explore:🎓 Why lifelong learning matters far beyond school❤️ How to create a consistent culture and love of learning at home📦 Why it’s time to stop box-checking and rethink traditional expectations🌱 How Kami’s Love of Learning Reset can help rebuild curiosity and confidence🧭 Why homeschool parents can become mentors and guides, not just teachers📚 Why readiness and development can matter more than traditional grade levels👨‍👩‍👧 How a healthy learning culture can strengthen family relationships🌎 Why meaningful learning happens everywhere, all the time🤖 Preparing young people for a future increasingly shaped by AI and technology🌟 Raising lifelong learners, independent thinkers, and future leadersKami also shares how intentional changes can transform a family’s relationship with learning and with each other, along with practical ways parents can create an environment where curiosity and self-directed learning can thrive.✨ Resources from KamiThe Freedom Scholar Love of Learning Launch PadDiscover where your family’s love of learning is right now, identify simple wins, and find your next steps toward bringing more joy, ease, and meaningful learning into your homeschool.INSPIRE Lifelong Learners MasterclassA free live masterclass designed to help homeschool parents move from managing every subject to mentoring children who actually want to learn.📅 September 15✨ Free Live Masterclass🌐 Connect with Kami Wanous — The Freedom ScholarWebsite:https://www.thefreedomscholar.com/INSPIRE Lifelong Learners Masterclass:https://illlive.thefreedomscholar.org/illliverp0FREE Love of Learning Launch Pad:https://pages.thefreedomscholar.org/loloi0Podcast — Homeschool Success with Kami Wanous:https://www.thefreedomscholar.com/podcastFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/TheFreedomScholarFacebook Community:https://www.facebook.com/groups/216184786279733Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thefreedomscholarYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtJpXKtndYS9rrP98KcvDEwLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kami-wanous-14117723aAs Kami reminds us, “Learning happens everywhere, all the time.”If we want to prepare young people for a world that will continue to change, one of the greatest things we can help them develop is the confidence, curiosity, and love of learning that will stay with them for life.#SpeakFeedLead #ConversationsWithJackieBailey #KamiWanous #TheFreedomScholar #Homeschooling #HomeschoolFamilies #LifelongLearning #LoveOfLearning #HomeschoolSuccess #RaisingLeaders #FutureLeaders #IndependentLearning #FutureReadyKids #AIandEducation

What happens when you take one of the most painful experiences of your life and turn it into a mission to protect and empower others?In this powerful episode of Speak Feed Lead Conversations with Jackie Bailey, Jackie sits down with Devin W. Moore — Speaker, Author, and Founder of Race to Speak Up — for an important conversation about bullying, racism, mental health, empathy, and the courage to use your voice.After experiencing bullying and racism as a young teenager, Devin made a decision: he wasn’t going to allow those experiences to take away his power. Instead, he began speaking up.That decision eventually became Race to Speak Up, Devin’s anti-bullying organization dedicated to educating and empowering students, parents, educators, workplaces, and communities to recognize bullying, understand its impact, and take meaningful action.During their conversation, Jackie and Devin explore the lasting effects bullying can have on mental health, why hurt people can sometimes hurt others, and why addressing bullying requires us to look beyond the behavior and understand what may be happening underneath it.Devin also introduces the importance of becoming an “upstander” — someone who safely supports a person being targeted rather than simply watching from the sidelines. He shares how his workshops use education, real-life scenarios, role-playing, positive affirmations, and practical calls to action to help young people recognize their own ability to create change.They also discuss why these conversations need to begin early, how childhood experiences can follow us into adulthood and the workplace, and how replacing negativity with empathy, understanding, and positive action can help break the cycle.In this episode, you’ll discover:💙 Why finding the courage to speak up can help you reclaim your power🧠 How bullying can affect mental and emotional well-being🤝 What it means to be an upstander instead of a bystander🌎 Why our differences should be recognized with understanding rather than used to divide us🎯 How parents, educators, students, workplaces, and communities can help interrupt the cycle of bullying✨ How Devin transformed his own experiences into a mission to empower othersDevin is also the author of Devin Speaks Up, a children’s anti-bullying book that extends his mission of helping young people understand that their experiences matter—and so do their voices.At the heart of Devin’s work is one powerful message:Always race to speak up against bullying.🎙️ Race to Speak Up: Turning the Pain of Bullying Into PowerLearn more about Devin W. Moore and Race to Speak Up at RaceToSpeakUp.com.If this conversation speaks to you, please like, comment, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who may need to hear its message.#SpeakFeedLead #ConversationsWithJackieBailey #DevinWMoore #RaceToSpeakUp #StopBullying #AntiBullying #SpeakUp #MentalHealthAwareness #YouthEmpowerment #BeAnUpstander #BullyingPrevention

What does it really mean to lead?Leadership isn’t simply about having authority, managing a team, or holding a title. It’s about how we communicate, build trust, respond to change, and connect with the people who depend on us—both professionally and personally.In this episode of Speak Feed Lead Conversations with Jackie Bailey, Jackie sits down with Shirley Sutton, Career Coach and founder of Ascendly, for an insightful conversation about what Shirley calls “The Authority Shift”—the transition from simply managing people to truly leading them.Drawing from her experience in career coaching, leadership, HR, and recruitment, Shirley explores how professionals can develop the confidence, communication skills, and self-awareness needed to navigate growth and change.But the conversation goes beyond the workplace.Jackie and Shirley explore the powerful connection between leadership and parenting and how many of the same skills we use to become better leaders—listening, communicating clearly, adapting our approach, building trust, and understanding people—also influence the way we show up at home.In this conversation, you'll discover:✨ What it means to make the shift from manager to leader💼 How leadership evolves as our responsibilities and relationships change🗣️ Why effective communication is essential when leading people through uncertainty and transition🧠 How confidence and self-awareness shape the way we lead🤝 Why connection and understanding are just as important as authority🏡 The surprising similarities between leading at work and parenting at home🌱 How personal and professional growth often require us to rethink the way we communicate, respond, and leadWhether you’re managing a team, stepping into a new leadership role, navigating a career transition, raising a family—or balancing all of the above—this conversation offers a thoughtful reminder that leadership is ultimately about people.It’s not just about directing others.It’s about learning how to listen, communicate, adapt, connect, and lead with greater intention.🎙️ Join Jackie Bailey and Shirley Sutton for a conversation about leadership, parenting, communication, confidence, and what it means to lead humans through change.About Shirley SuttonShirley Sutton is a Career Coach and founder of Ascendly, where she helps professionals navigate career growth, leadership development, and periods of change with greater clarity and confidence.Through her work, Shirley helps people better understand their strengths, recognize what may be holding them back, communicate their value, and take intentional steps toward the next stage of their professional lives.🌐 Learn more about Shirley and Ascendly:https://ascendly.online/💬 What does leadership mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.👍 If this conversation resonates with you, please like, comment, subscribe, and share the episode with someone who may benefit from Shirley’s message.#SpeakFeedLead #ShirleySutton #Ascendly #TheAuthorityShift #Leadership #CareerCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerGrowth #Communication #Parenting #ProfessionalDevelopment #PersonalGrowth

What if one honest conversation could help save a life?In this powerful episode of Speak Feed Lead Conversations with Jackie Bailey, Jackie sits down with Frank King, Suicide Prevention Speaker & Mental Health Comedian, for an open and meaningful conversation about suicide prevention, mental health, and why talking about the things we’re often afraid to discuss matters.Frank has dedicated his work to bringing conversations about suicide and mental health into the light. Using his unique combination of lived experience, education, storytelling, and humor, he helps people become more comfortable having difficult conversations—and better prepared to recognize when someone may need support.In this episode, Jackie and Frank explore:💙 Why openly talking about suicide can help break stigma and save lives🎤 How Frank uses humor as a bridge to make difficult conversations more approachable🧠 The importance of recognizing warning signs and knowing how to respond🤝 Why creating safe spaces for honest conversations about mental health matters✨ How connection, compassion, and simply being willing to listen can make a meaningful differenceThis is a conversation about bringing difficult subjects out of the shadows, replacing silence with understanding, and reminding ourselves that sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply be willing to ask, listen, and connect.Content DisclaimerThis episode includes conversations about suicide, suicidal thoughts, suicide prevention, and mental health that may be sensitive or difficult for some listeners.This conversation is intended for awareness and education and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you or someone you know is struggling or in immediate danger, please seek support from a qualified professional or local crisis service.Learn More About Frank KingLearn more about Frank, his mission, and his work in suicide prevention and mental health awareness:The Mental Health Comedian — Suicide Prevention SpeakerJoin the ConversationIf this episode resonates with you, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with your community. You never know who may need to hear this conversation today.#SpeakFeedLead #JackieBailey #FrankKing #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #SuicidePreventionAwareness #EndTheStigma #MentalHealthAdvocate #TheMentalHealthComedian