Leadership & LipGloss™

Do the Thing You Can’t Take Back: Lisina Stoneburner on Taking Risks, Craft & Integrity What if the greatest risk isn’t failing, but never finding out what could have been? Some decisions change your direction. Others change who you become. For actress, entrepreneur, and acting coach Lisina Stoneburner, playing it safe was never going to be enough. In this episode of Leadership & LipGloss™, Lisina takes us beyond the performance and into the defining decisions, uncomfortable risks, and surprising turns that shaped her journey. From an unexpected move to Atlanta to opening her acting studio when circumstance left her no choice, she reveals what it means to bet on yourself when the path forward isn’t guaranteed. Through her story, we explore the courage to pursue what calls you, the discipline required to master your craft, and the integrity it takes to remain true to yourself when the stakes are high. But what happens when the very thing you’re afraid to do is the thing you’re meant to pursue? Lisina challenges us to consider whether we’re building the lives we want or simply protecting the ones we’ve grown comfortable living. Because some opportunities don’t come with guarantees. And some decisions are too important to leave to fear. The question isn’t whether you’re ready. It’s whether you’re willing. If you’re inspired to explore the truth behind the craft, continue the journey with Lisina Stoneburner’s books, Do the Thing You Can’t Take Back and Notes from Class, available on Amazon. For more information and to support The Sarah Jones Foundation, visit: www.safetyforsarah.com

How Do You Pursue Excellence Without Losing Your Humanity? Carissa Imrecke Shares Her Journey! Some leaders climb by force. Others climb by finesse. But the rare few rise by pairing excellence with empathy. Carissa Imrecke is one of them. In this episode of Leadership & LipGloss™, Carissa, Vice President of Quality at Wells Pharma, opens up about the journey behind her leadership: from a young microbiologist determined to show up prepared, to an executive who now builds systems that protect patients, strengthen organizations, and elevate people. She reflects on the lessons shaped by two very different parents, the grit she carried into her early career, and the moment she realized leadership wasn’t about doing the work alone; it was about bringing people with her. Together, Tamara and Carissa revisit their days at Memorial Hermann, long nights, weekend work, and the kind of camaraderie that reveals a person’s character. Carissa shares how she learned to “draw the pig” rather than default to blame. She explains how she discerns whether a challenge is about people, process, or platform. And she reveals why she believes true accountability begins with clarity, compassion, and courage. Beyond the boardroom, Carissa opens up about navigating marriage, motherhood, and ambition, often all before bedtime. Her story is a reminder that excellence doesn’t require hardness; it requires heart. This conversation is for anyone striving to lead well, build well, and become the kind of leader who never loses sight of their humanity along the way.  

Leave a Mark: Pastor Willie Davis on Integrity, Purpose & Building a Legacy That Endures Some lives do not simply unfold. They rise, chapter by chapter, like a story you can feel. Pastor Willie Davis’ life is one of them. Before he carried the Olympic torch, before he became a police captain, and before he pastored congregations across Georgia, he was a young boy walking to church on Sunday mornings with his siblings and his mother, a woman whose work ethic quietly taught him discipline, perseverance, and responsibility. His story is woven through segregated classrooms where teachers recognized his potential, a neighborhood filled with quiet giants, childhood neighbors who became barrier breakers, community pillars, and five decades of public service shaped by courage, integrity, faith, and an unwavering commitment to community. In this episode of Leadership & LipGloss™, Pastor Davis takes us inside the seasons that forged him, the moments that sharpened his character, tested his resolve, and taught him what it truly means to lead. From law enforcement and ministry to mentorship, community advocacy, and family, his journey reminds us that leadership is not defined by the positions we hold. It is defined by how we prepare, how we serve, how we show up when people need us, and what remains because we were there. One powerful example of that legacy is the Covington Police Department Fuzz Run. Captain Willie Davis helped establish the race alongside Chief Bobby Moody to extend service beyond traditional policing and raise support for people in need. What began as a community race grew into one of Covington’s signature events and the primary fundraiser for Police Who Care, supporting law-enforcement families, community organizations, City employees experiencing hardship, and other families in need. That is what leaving a mark looks like: creating something that continues serving people long after you have stepped away from the title. Pastor Davis’ story is inspiring, but more importantly, it is instructive. These are lessons you can carry into your own leadership, your family, your work, and your community. Lead with integrity. Serve with purpose. Prepare before the opportunity comes. Develop the people around you. Protect your good name. Build something that continues serving others after you are gone. This is how you leave a mark.   Continue the Legacy To honor Pastor Davis’ life of service, courage, and community, you can continue the work he championed: Run or volunteer in the Covington Police Department Fuzz Run: https://www.covingtonfuzzrun.com Donate to Police Who Care in support of families, officers, and local causes in need: https://www.facebook.com/fuzzrun Serve through the Newton County Ministers Union’s Thanksgiving outreach: https://cityofcovington.org/index.php?section=visit-calendar&evtid=1458 Leave your own mark: Lead with integrity. Prepare others for success. Show compassion. Serve where you are. And build something that will continue making a difference after you are gone.

You Are Always Worthy: Marcia Smith on Recovery, Healing, and Beginning Again In this deeply human and hope filled conversation, Marcia Smith, LPC and Chief Executive Officer of MARR Right Side Up Recovery Center, joins Leadership & LipGloss™ to share the story behind her life’s work: helping women and families rebuild their lives through recovery, compassion, and courageous new beginnings. Drawing on her lived experience, Marcia describes growing up with a father affected by addiction, finding strength in her mother and grandparents, and inheriting a family legacy of service that continues to guide her calling. She also traces her journey from working in the school system to leading a residential treatment program for pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders and their children. The conversation explores what healing truly requires: rigorous honesty, accountability, self-inventory, community, and the willingness to make a new choice. Marcia explains why treating the entire family system matters, how patterns can pass through generations, and what becomes possible when women are given support, structure, dignity, and space to begin again. The discussion expands beyond recovery into the quiet seasons many women carry alone including motherhood, caregiving, divorce, aging parents, adult children, leadership, faith, and learning to prioritize yourself without guilt. Marcia shares how she continues her own inner work while leading others and why compassion never means carrying everyone else’s burden. At the center of this episode is a truth for anyone who has ever wrestled with regret, shame, disappointment, or a chapter that did not unfold as planned. Nothing in this world can make you unworthy. If you have needed permission to release the past, recognize the patterns that no longer serve you, or choose differently, this conversation is your reminder:  You can heal.  You can make a new choice. You can begin again. And you are always worthy.

Leading with Heart: What Leah Blackwell Reveals About Leading with Humanity in Every Space You Influence    What makes a leader unforgettable? In this episode of Leadership & LipGloss™, Tamara sits down with Leah Blackwell, a seasoned nurse executive whose leadership journey reflects the power of presence, purpose, and human-centered leadership. Leah shares what it means to lead at scale without losing sight of the individual, how trust is built across complex healthcare environments, and why the way people experience your leadership matters just as much as the results you achieve. From developing people and navigating high-level responsibility to building cultures where others feel seen, valued, and supported, this conversation goes beyond titles and organizational charts to explore the influence each of us carries and the kind of leadership that leaves a lasting imprint. Because leadership is not confined to a position. It shows up in every room, every relationship, and every space you influence. Titles shift. Systems evolve. What matters is how you led people.