Everyday Leadership for Smart Women

“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” ~Emerson One of the basic tenets of most parenting advice is that kids will do what you do, not what you tell them to do. If you yell and scream when angry, they’ll be more likely to yell and scream when angry (even when you tell them not to). If you talk about people behind their backs, they’ll be more likely to talk about people behind their backs (even when you tell them not to). And conversely, if you recover from mistakes and setbacks without berating yourself or others in the process, they’ll be more likely to handle mistakes and setbacks without shame and self-blame. We know this to be true, whether we’re parents or not. (and we hate this is true when our kid does something that we KNOW came from us. extra ugh) What we forget is that it’s just as true at work with our colleagues, team members and clients, as it is at home with our kids. Listen in to learn how this translates at work.    Recommended Resources: The Leadership Reset -- begins November 26th!   Join the Notion for Leaders newsletter Read the full Leadership Letters version here Subscribe to get weekly Leadership Letters Check out LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Book a complimentary call with me 

Hello Captain Obvious! Four years. Or maybe longer because to be honest, I’ve lost track. Let’s just go with four years. That’s how long I’ve been using Notion to power my…well, everything. Now before you non-Notion users delete this message, I promise it’s not really about Notion. Notion plays a secondary role in my repeat performance of, “Captain Obvious, starring Steph.” This isn’t really about Notion, the tool. It’s about Notion, the idea. This week I launched the first issue of Notion for Leaders — a newsletter for leaders who want to leverage the power of Notion to keep them connected to what matters most. It’s a true labour of love, and the perfect intersection for my amibitions around both Notion AND leadership. But I can’t help but reflect on the fact that it took me four years to launch something. Listen in to hear what became so obvious.   Recommended Resources: Join the Notion for Leaders newsletter Read the full Leadership Letters version here Subscribe to get weekly Leadership Letters Derek Sivers on “Obvious to you. Amazing to others.” Check out LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Book a complimentary call with me The world needs your leadership

Welcome to this special crossover episode!  Today I bring you an episode of The Happier Approach - an amazing podcast by my dear friend, Nancy Jane Smith.  She invited me to her show to kick off a new series about rest, and I thought you'd enjoy it too!  We talk about the different kinds of rest, why the pandemic really shook up our understanding of rest and hustle, and how tricky it can be to give ourselves permission to rest -- even when we know we need it.  You can find Nancy's podcast here. 

What makes a great leader? You don’t have to look far to find any number of think pieces and social posts declaring the strategies, tactics and traits leaders need to develop and grow to be effective. Today, I’m wading into this conversation with the five traits I’ve come to believe are critical to help leaders lead well. Here they are at-a-glance: A willingess to interogate their own thinking, beliefs and assumptions. A belief that there is enough success and opportunity to go around. A curiosity-over-certainty approach to problem-solving and conflict. An ability to stay humble while also championing their work publicly. A commitment to continued practice and personal development. Listen in as I dive into each trait in more depth.   Recommended Resources: Recommended Resources: Check out LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Join the conversation on LinkedIn here Shine Theory Book a complimentary call with me The world needs your leadership

Hello and welcome back to the show! In today's episode, I give you a raw, behind-the-scenes look at leadership in real life -- or put another way, the tricky season I've been navigating lately and why I had to step away from the podcast for a while.  If you are looking for my regular actionable leadership insights - come back for the next episode.  But if you're feeling it too - or in a season that's asking a lot, listen in.  AND - interested in the Notion Leader O.S. I mentioned at the end of the show?  Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters and you'll be the first to hear all about it. 

In today's episode, we talk about loneliness in leadership.  Because it's a real thing, and it's often under-acknowledged.  Let's talk about it.    Recommended Resources:   Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Basecamp, Rachel Hollis, Human-Centered Leadership, and Vulnerability Hangovers A behind-the-scenes look at LEAD.Well Book a complimentary call with me The world needs your leadership  

Who gets to be a leader? Short answer: you do. ​ ​More nuanced answer: you do, and here’s why you might not automatically see yourself that way.   Recommended Resources:   Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Be the author of your own ambition A behind-the-scenes look at LEAD.Well Book a complimentary call with me The world needs your leadership

If I’m honest, a big reason I got (and have stayed) off Instagram since June 2020 is because I’m easily influenced by other’s ambitions. As I would scroll my feed, passively watching post after post go by of someone’s perfectly curated version of success, I’d find myself wanting things I hadn’t ever considered wanting or second-guessing the plans and desires I’d already thought were iron clad. It took me way too long to realize that spending time engaging in other people’s plans inevitably warped my own, leaving me in idea limbo more times than I’d like to admit. Finally, I decided I’d had enough. Maybe it was the clarifying effects of the pandemic or perhaps it was just the compounding impact of Instagram’s algorithms, but on June 17, 2020 I posted for the last time. And in that moment, I made a commitment to act on my own ambitions by doing all that I could to reduce the noise and influence of everyone else’s. I haven’t looked back (well, mostly). Has it helped you might wonder? Listen in to hear more. Enjoy the episode.    Recommended Resources: Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver everyday leaders A behind-the-scenes look at LEAD.Well Book a complimentary call with me The world needs your leadership "Good for her, not for me."  

Leadership is a practice, not a position. This is our guiding principle inside LEAD.Well, my community of practice for women looking to become better, braver everyday leaders. What began as essentially a paid newsletter has now become a thoughtful, curious community of practice for women and non-binary folks to reflect, develop and practice their leadership. Today, I’m taking you behind-the-scenes, sharing about LEAD.Well’s origin story, how it’s changed and evolved over the years (thanks pandemic!), and what it looks like today. The doors are open for our spring enrolment until May 2, 2022 as we kick-off our new Leadership Essentials program inside LEAD.Well on May 3rd. If you’ve been curious about whether LEAD.Well is right for you, this episode will give you a complete look at what we do inside LEAD.Well, why it matters and who this community is right for. And if you’re ready to join us, you can do so right here.  Enjoy the episode!   Recommended Resources: Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Book a complimentary call with me The world needs your leadership

"It's not about my ambition for my team members; it's about me supporting them with theirs." Nekolina is the manager any employee would love to have. As the Director of Communications for ATB Financial, Nekolina leads a team of 10. Unlike many managers who get promoted based on their technical skills, but struggle with leading people, Nekolina has made it her life's work to be an empathetic, people-first leader. In this episode, we explore her leadership philosophy of 'giving a leg up,' and why she believes that investing in deep listening and active support of her team members is the best place she can put her time and energy. We also talk about some of the challenges that come with being a people-first leader and how she navigates them (think boundaries, differing expectations etc). This is a thoughtful, important conversation for anyone who leads others. Recommended Resources: Connect with Nekolina here on LinkedIn David Irvine Basecamp, Rachel Hollis, Human-Centered Leadership, and Vulnerability Hangovers StrengthsFinder 2.0 Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Book a complimentary call with me Join me on Twitter here

In our fast-paced, 24/7 world of hot takes and endless opportunities, what might be available for us if we slowed everything down and took a moment instead? When we think about leaders, we often think about ambitious, always-on-the go busy professionals moving from project to project. And while that’s often true and certainly supports making a lot of big things happen, often leaders can benefit by slowing down just enough to then speed up. In today’s episode, we’ll be talking about three areas where we as leaders can benefit from slowing down: with our pace, our decision-making and our response times. Enjoy the episode.    Recommended Resources:  Leadership Lab: The Roots of Everyday Leadership (free workshop – Feb 25th) How to do nothing by Jenny Odell An Update on My Decision to Pause the Podcasts Offline podcast series with Jon Favreau A 3-part framework to create a sustainable plan this year For the exhausted Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Book a complimentary call with me Join me on Twitter here

Tired of setting goals, crafting master plans and elaborate task lists that aren’t sustainable over the long-haul? Over the years I’ve had a love-hate relationship with goal setting. While it’s true that nothing feels better than having a sense of clarity and a calendar full of milestones and metrics to meet, I’ve come to realize that for most of us, it doesn’t work well long term. Things change, our environments change, our desires change and our situations change. And when we’ve got complex KPIs and BHAGs to keep up, it’s easy to quickly feel defeated and deflated when we don’t ‘rise to the challenge.’ In today’s episode I offer an alternative. It’s not perfect and it’s certainly a work in progress during these wild pandemic years, but it feels more generous and forgiving than so many of the plans I’ve tried before. I’ll share with you how I’m unhooking from the pressures of January, why alignment should be your first priority before you do anything else, the umbrella I’m holding my commitments in this year, and finally my 3-part framework to doing the work. If you’re interested in discussing this more or getting my help with it, I encourage you to join LEAD.Well – my community of practice, or book a complimentary call with me here to discuss how I can help you create a sustainable approach to your planning. Enjoy the episode!   Recommended Resources: Get your free Values workbook  Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders The War of Art by Steven Pressfield Ted Lasso “I believe in believe.”  Betty White, a Television Golden Girl From the Start, Is Dead at 99 How to get over your fear of planning Everyday Leadership for Smart Women playlist – Planning Edition Atomic Habits by James Clear James Clear on Dare to Lead podcast (part 1 and part 2) Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Book a complimentary call with me Join me on Twitter here

Not every road to leadership is a straight one. For Heidi Johnson, her journey to leadership took a few twists and turns before she really sunk into seeing herself as a leader. Now, after 10 years in business – including some pretty major pivots along the way – Heidi is doing work that’s meaningful and that aligns deeply with her core values. And that’s what we discuss in today’s Leader Spotlight. Heidi and I talk about the importance of values – and how she uses her values to steer and guide her business. We also talk about intentional practice as a means of getting better at leadership, and what she’s currently practicing. We wrap up with a very specific story related to every leader’s favourite subject – planning and goal-setting – and how Heidi took a radically different approach setting her goals this quarter to ensure that she’d break the cycle of setting big goals only to be disappointed when they didn’t come to fruition later. This conversation is packed with thoughtful insights and useful perspective shifts for any leader looking to deepen their leadership and grow in 2022. Enjoy the episode. You can find the show notes here.   Recommended Resources: Heidi Johnson’s site Connect with Heidi on LinkedIn Get your free Values workbook  #099 – We need a different definition of leadership Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Book a complimentary call with me Join me on Twitter here

We’re celebrating 100 episodes! It’s a big day over here as we celebrate our 100th episode. It’s been a a winding road to get here, but I’m proud that we’re still going strong considering most podcasts fade after 7-10 episodes. Thank you to everyone who’s been with me since the beginning, and everyone who has joined along the way. Listen in to hear some of the changes afoot - including our new name.    Recommended Resources: #099 – We need a different definition of leadership Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Book a complimentary call with me Join me on Twitter here

We've traditionally defined leadership in too limiting a way for the challenges we face. We now need a different definition of leadership. In today's episode, we talk about a different way of talking about leadership - one that invites everyone to the table.  Enjoy the episode! Recommended Resources: Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Click here for the written version to read or share. #094: Leader Spotlight: Kourtney Branagan’s Run for Office The invisible is important Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Book a complimentary call with me Join me on Twitter here  

Victoria Smith is leading in the margins. Throughout the early months of the pandemic, while most of us were stocking up on toilet paper and watching Tiger King, Victoria was parenting two young children, working a full-time job, running a business, moving provinces and, wait for it...writing and publishing a book. But she's the first to say it wasn't easy or without sacrifice. In this episode, we talk about how she made it all fit (and how she redefined the metrics that mattered) and why now was the time to write her first book. This is an inspiring, real-talk episode about what it takes to lead in the margins. Enjoy the episode.   Recommended Resources: Grab a copy of Victoria’s book, Stress Less in 90 Days: Your guide to beat burnout, build resilience and actually enjoy your daily life. Victoria’s website Victoria on Instagram Ditch your metrics Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders

“Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn’t it? If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.” ~Ted Lasso   Let’s talk about being uncomfortable. In my mind, there are two ways we can experience discomfort in our lives, our work and our leadership. In today's episode, we'll talk about these two kinds of discomfort, and I'll offer up five strategies to help you move through them.  Enjoy the episode!    Recommended Resources: Prefer to read this issue? Click here for the written version. Explore your Values free workbook How to be a leader worth following Ted Lasso in my very favourite scene Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Book a complimentary call with me Join me on Twitter here    

This is a podcast version of my Leadership Letters, published October 7th, 2021.  You can subscribe to get the full letter including additional links, resources and tools for leaders here.    *SPECIAL PRE-SALE OFFER: As mentioned in today's episode, I have a special pre-sale going on until October 13, 2021, for my new private newsletter course, "Design your Leadership Operating System."  If you'd like to better understand who you are as a leader, where you're headed and how you'll get there, I encourage you to sign up.  We kick off on October 13th (you can still join after that date), and you can save $50 on registration if you sign up before then.  Learn more about the Design your Leadership Operating System private newsletter course here. 

When we talk about focus, we often talk about strategies and tactics to minimize distraction, clarify priorities and “do the work.” We say to ourselves that if we could just get it together and stay focused on what matters, everything would improve. What’s often overlooked is that focus isn’t really just about priorities or habits or time blocking, is that courage is really about this… Enjoy the episode --   Recommended Resources: Our ordinary breakfast: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins The advice that changed my life Why I love getting up at 4:30am every day My Sunday night planning ritual  5 helpful steps to take before you begin a new project Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters For the Exhausted (strategies to manage the overwhelm) Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Book a complimentary call with me Join me on Twitter here

In today's episode, I bring you a special Leader Spotlight with community builder and local political candidate, Kourtney Branagan.  Listen in as we talk about her journey to running for local office, why more women don't run, and how she manages the ups and downs of public life.  This is a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation with a smart, brave woman. I hope you enjoy it!    Recommended Resources: Visit Kourtney's campaign website Connect with Kourtney on Twitter Connect with Kourtney on TikTok Connect with Kourtney on Facebook Sign up for Sips and Leadership with Kourtney & I on Sept 29/2021 Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Last week's episode: For the Exhausted Join LEAD.Well – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders Book a complimentary call with me Join me on Twitter here