Change initiatives are one of the most difficult projects to execute, often faced with resistance from every corner. Why do so many well-intentioned transformations fail? Executive coach Julia Wojnar reveals that the missing piece is rarely the strategy itself. 

In this insightful episode of the Speak In Flow podcast with Melinda Lee, Julia provides a practical framework for moving from resistance to resilience, sharing how to identify hidden barriers and employ a powerful "future-focused" mindset to break negative cycles.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Why Change Initiatives Fail

“The top leaders… are often so focused on the finances, or the numbers, or the logistics… that they can sometimes ignore the people side of it.”

How to move beyond spreadsheets and strategy to address the core emotions, fear, anxiety, and the desire for the status quo, that determine whether your team will embrace change or resist it.

The "Future-Focus" Method to Overcome Resistance

“If we were 6 months ahead… and that was solved, what would be different?”

A simple yet powerful coaching question that instantly shifts your perspective from being stuck in a problem to envisioning a solution, helping you backtrack a clear path forward and dismantle negative self-talk.

Leading Through Triggers

Julia’s firsthand account of a client who was “visibly angry” in their first meeting reveals a masterclass in leadership composure. 

Discover how to maintain your center when faced with misplaced frustration, and why asking “How do I want this to end up?” is the key to de-escalating conflict and building psychological safety.

The Leader's P.A.U.S.E

“Sometimes if we just take a moment to… breathe, and to gather our thoughts… that truly helps just change our whole physiology to get us back connected with ourselves.” 

Why the deliberate pause is not a delay but an accelerator for smarter, faster, and more sustainable change, helping to prevent burnout and ensure you are leading from a place of clarity.

About the Guest: 

Julia Wojnar is the CEO of CorpLeadership, an executive coaching firm that specializes in guiding top-performing leaders through pivotal organizational change. With a decade of experience as a certified Leadership Coach for Top Performance, she equips leaders to navigate intense transitions by reconnecting them with their core values and vision. Her intuitive, multidisciplinary approach, honed by working with clients across the globe, has established her as a trusted "people whisperer" for navigating the complex demands of today's business environment.

Social Handles:

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliawojnar/ 

Leadership Styles Quiz (Free Gift for all Listeners): www.corpleadership.com/stylequiz 

Fun Facts:

• 🌍 Globetrotting Connoisseur: An avid traveler who has filled a passport with stamps from over 20 countries, Julia loves to explore new cultures.
• 🍫 Dedicated Sweet Tooth: Her travels are often fueled by a love for desserts, with chocolate and ice cream ranking as her all-time favorite foods.

About Melinda:

Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach, and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results.

She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and has worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence.

Website: https://speakinflow.com/

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow

Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow

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

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