Welcome to “The Hard Skills” podcast, a practical and research-driven show that explores the core leadership skills needed to fuel leadership to activate real change, such as creating inclusive and healthy workplaces. Through expert interviews and live coaching calls, we challenge the notion of &#34;soft skills,&#34; question long-held but inaccurate leadership development beliefs, and offer real, practical solutions for complex leadership challenges. Hosted by Dr. Mira Brancu, a clinical and organizational development psychologist with extensive leadership experience, we’ll delve into topics of leadership identity, leading with uncertainty, navigating workplace politics, and creating critical organizational change. This podcast will especially appeal to high-achieving leaders in healthcare, tech, and academic, industries. Whether you&#39;re seeking personal growth, looking to enhance your leadership abilities, or interested in Dr. Brancu&#39;s coaching services and membership community, join us as we unravel the complexities of leadership and inspire you to embrace the hard skills.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/23/17/98a85b08-f7a1-4152-87e4-d10d278a8dd2__leadership__why_it_still_works_50_years_later.mp3

Most managers are so afraid of micromanaging that they default to one leadership style. Then change hits, the team stalls, and nobody can name what went wrong.Dr. Mira Brancu sits down with Suzie Bishop and Dr. Sam Shriver from the Center for Leadership Studies, the home of the situational leadership model, to talk about why the approach that works beautifully with one person fails completely with the next. They break down the four steps, why performance readiness shifts the moment anything changes, and why the styles that feel most uncomfortable are often the ones that build the most trust.You will hear why being great at your job can actively work against you when you step into management, what to do when a high performer suddenly loses confidence, and the exact sentence to use when you can tell your approach is not landing.  Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, workplace dynamics, and mental health at work.View this episode on youtube - https://youtu.be/5sJAe6E-fA0 Find our guest here:Connect with Suzie Bishop: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzie-bishop/ and https://situational.com/Connect with Dr. Sam Shriver: https://situational.com/ To find more of my work:Subscribe to this channelNewsletter: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeBook a consultation: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuWebsite: www.gotowerscope.comBooks: gotowerscope.com/booksJoin the next leadership training cohort: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship Free Resources:Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessmentWorkplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide

Situational Leadership 50 Years Later, with Dr. Sam Shriver and Suzie Bishop

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/3/8/e2b639a0-7d53-4a93-add6-ea9439307a86_o_explains__how_grief_made_him_a_better_leader.mp3

Most leaders treat grief and burnout like a personal weakness. James Dismond thinks differently.James became a CEO for the first time in 2023. Ninety days in, his mother entered hospice care, and he found himself running a hospice organization while sitting on the other side of the bed as a grieving son. That experience changed how he leads, and this conversation is about what it changed. He and Dr. Mira Brancu get into why saying &#34;that person is burning out&#34; quietly moves the blame onto the wrong shoulders, what he actually did to carry an entire organization through a rebrand and expansion without gutting their trust, and the practice he built to replace the useless feedback sandwich. He also talks about when to let a good person fail on purpose, and why he refuses to fake it until he makes it.If you have ever had to hold someone accountable while they were falling apart, this one is for you. Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, burnout, and workplace mental health. Find our guest here:Connect with James Dismond: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-dismond/https://www.linkedin.com/company/mirasolhealthhttps://mirasolhealth.org/  To find more of my work: Subscribe to this channelSubscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksGet my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessmentGet my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff Join the next Towerscope leadership workshop or fellowship: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship  Episodes and other resources referenced:Watch this next: https://youtu.be/Yh04IHzEMqU?si=V7HzqPP4qg7_qT23

CEO EXPLAINS: How Grief Made Him a Better Leader, with James Dismond

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/19/18/6a97aa46-5bc7-4027-89c2-5596fdb13d41_eneration_explains_only_4__of_your_personality.mp3

Everyone says you have to manage each generation differently. The data says otherwise. Your generation explains about 4 percent of your personality. You explain almost 80 percent.Dr. Mira Brancu sits down with Dr. Ryne Sherman, Chief Science Officer at Hogan Assessments, to take apart one of the most repeated ideas in leadership: that Gen Z, Millennials, and Boomers are fundamentally different people who need to be managed in fundamentally different ways.Ryne brought the data: Once you statistically separate age, time period, and birth cohort, generation accounts for roughly 4 percent of the variability on a personality assessment. Age accounts for 12 to 15 percent. The individual person accounts for nearly 80 percent.They get into why our brains build these shortcuts in the first place, what genuinely does change as people get older, why agreeableness drops off after retirement, and what it really costs you when you make hiring and promotion calls based on someone&#39;s birth year or generation.Ryne also shares the five human skills he thinks will matter most as AI takes over more of the work.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, workplace psychology, and what actually makes teams work.Find our guest here:Connect with Dr. Ryne Sherman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rynesherman/ Hogan Assessments: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hogan-assessmentsSubscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksGet my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessmentGet my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff Join the next Towerscope leadership workshop or fellowship: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship

Your Generation Explains Only 4% of Your Personality, with Dr. Ryne Sherman

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/3/8/a6981443-9c9e-4ac7-8f7e-338317cfe971_logist_explains__how_to_manage_high_performers.mp3

Managing high performers takes a completely different skill set than managing low performers, and giving feedback to a high achiever the usual way can backfire badly. There is probably someone on your team who used to be your strongest player and lately something is off. They are missing deadlines, questioning everything, or moving so fast they are rubbing the team the wrong way. And you keep putting the conversation off, because how do you tell someone they are amazing and they are not meeting your expectations at the same time? Dr. Mira Brancu breaks down why most supervisors freeze here, why &#34;just be direct&#34; is incomplete advice when you are dealing with talented people, and what to say instead.  You will learn the “wise” feedback method, a research-backed way to frame the conversation so it lands as investment rather than punishment. You will also learn how to reframe leadership itself as a second specialty your high performer has to master, and why that single shift makes frequent check-ins feel like support instead of micromanaging. Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, burnout, and the human side of high pressure work. To find more of my work:Subscribe to this channel Subscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksGet my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessment Get my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide  Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff Join the next Towerscope leadership workshop or fellowship: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship

How to Manage High Performers

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/3/8/49bbffa9-6749-4805-a457-977a2ca761ee_pert_to_leader__being_right_vs_being_effective.mp3

You were right in that meeting and nobody listened. Dr. Mira Brancu breaks down what technical experts miss when they ignore workplace politics in favor of being right.  Most technical experts get promoted because they were brilliant at the work. They spotted the flaw nobody else saw, they said it out loud, and people respected them for it. Then they step into leadership and that same directness starts landing as criticism and nitpicking. The usual fix is to gain political savvy, build executive presence, get better at diplomacy. To a lot of functional experts-turned-leaders that sounds like being told to be fake, so they shut down and ignore it completely. Mira takes a different route. She walks through why the political side of the job is not noise getting in the way of real work, it is the majority of the work now. Then she gives you a 30 minute environmental scan you can run before any high stakes meeting, so you stop leading with your conclusion and start leading with what you actually understand about the other person&#39;s concern. This is part two of her series on what happens when strong individual contributors move into leadership roles.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, workplace politics, and the human side of high pressure organizations. To find more of my work:Subscribe to this channel Subscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksGet my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessment Get my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide  Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff Join the next Towerscope leadership workshop or fellowship: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship

From Expert to Leader: Being Right vs Being Effective

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/6/12/6/82b824a1-81d9-4455-a406-27d80afdd3a0_the_one_thing_ai_can_t_fix_for_leaders_.mp3

Most leaders are told to stay logical and remove anything that feels like friction. But real emotional intelligence in leadership starts with reading that friction, not erasing it.Dr. Mira Brancu sits down with organizational psychologists Dr. Ross Blankenship and Dr. Maggie Sass, authors of the upcoming book Friction, to talk about the emotional data most of us are trained to ignore. They make a simple case: friction is not a malfunction, it is a signal. The discomfort, the tension, the hard conversation you keep avoiding, all of it is information you can actually use to lead better. They get into why using AI to smooth everything out can quietly make your work vanish instead of easier and why leadership only becomes real the moment your decisions meet other human beings. If you have ever felt that leading people is harder than it looks, this conversation explains what is actually going on, and what to do about it this week.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, burnout, and mental health at work.Find our guest here:https://www.tuesdayadvisors.com/ https://rossblankenship.substack.com/<a href="https://www.rossblankenship.io/" rel="nofollow">https://www.rossblankenship.io/</a><a href="https://www.talentsmarteq.com/articles/" rel="nofollow">https://www.talentsmarteq.com/articles/</a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggiesass-phd/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggiesass-phd/</a> To find more of my work:👉 Subscribe to this channel📰 Subscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe📆 Schedule a call to explore working with me: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation📕 Get practical workplace politics tips from my books: <a href="http://gotowerscope.com/books" rel="nofollow">gotowerscope.com/books</a>Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.com Other resources referenced:A Second Career: The Possible Dream, Harry Levinson: <a href="https://hbr.org/1983/05/a-second-career-the-possible-dream?cid=other-eml-ofl-mip-mck&hctky=andrew_cha%40mckinsey.com_PROOF&hdpid=1fc105c4-a3a3-4a66-b617-215475074866&hlkid=88cf8234792047d8ba218d1a7288a58d" rel="nofollow">https://hbr.org/1983/05/a-second-career-the-possible-dream</a>

The One Thing AI Can't Fix for Leaders, with Drs. Ross Blankenship & Maggie Sass

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/3/8/e3fba69e-0332-42f1-8f5f-4d8bffbab5f5_ist_explains__why_experts_become_micromanagers.mp3

You did not set out to become a micromanager. But if you got promoted for being the best expert in the room, perfectionism is probably running your leadership now, and it might be quietly burning you out or causing you to become ineffective as a leader. Dr. Mira Brancu breaks down a pattern she sees constantly in expert-driven industries like research, law, medicine, and engineering. In those fields, being right and thorough is the entire job, so you learn to hold everything to one standard and never let anything drop. Then you get promoted, and that exact habit starts choking your team. She tells the story of a VP at a biotech company who reviewed every deck, and then every revision of every deck, until her team started padding timelines just to work around her. Everyone could see she was stressed except her. Here is the part most leadership advice gets wrong. Telling a high performer to let go of perfectionism does not work, because perfectionism is the thing that built their credibility in the first place. Mira explains what to do instead, and why the real fix is treating leadership as a second specialization you have to learn on purpose.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, burnout, and the human side of high pressure work. To find more of my work:Subscribe to this channel Subscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksGet my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessment Get my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide  Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff Join the next Towerscope leadership workshop or fellowship: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship

How Experts Become Micromanagers

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/12/17/7ce5092d-f6a7-4179-a282-d9af512afc11_r_two_games__the_inner_game_and_the_outer_game.mp3

Even Einstein doubted himself. Meryl Streep still waits for the other shoe to drop. Dr. Mira sits down with executive advisors Dr. Suzy Burke and Jamie Ramsden to explore what they call the inner game and outer game of leadership. Suzy explains why self-doubt is actually an evolutionary response, not a personal flaw, and walks through a simple three-step process for catching negative self-talk before it derails a decision. Jamie brings in the outer game, the part of leadership that is about reading your team, your context, and the moment in front of you. Together they explain why a leader&#39;s inner dialogue becomes the whole team&#39;s emotional weather, how sense-making should take up more of a leader&#39;s day than most people realize, and why saying no might be the most underused leadership skill there is. If you have ever felt like a fraud in a room you worked hard to get into, or wondered why your inner work isn’t landing, this conversation will change how you think about that feeling.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership and emotional intelligence.Find our guest here:Connect with Dr. Suzy Burke and Jamie Ramsdenwww.suzyburke.phdwww.adastraleadership.com To find more of my work: Subscribe to this channel Subscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.com Get practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/books Get my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment  Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessment Get my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide  Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff  Join the next Towerscope leadership workshop or fellowship: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship

How Great Leaders Master the Inner Game and Outer Game, with Jamie Ramsden and Dr. Suzie Burke

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/5/5/c4490f64-fde4-4d7e-a51d-a3c10ed5e5cd_uce_burnout_in_52_weeks__with_dr._dana_gionta..mp3

Most leaders were taught that self-love is soft, or even selfish. It is actually the skill that keeps you from burning out. Self-love is the real foundation of sustainable leadership.In this episode of The Hard Skills, Dr. Mira Brancu sits down with psychologist and life coach Dr. Dana Gionta, author of &#34;52 Weeks to Self-Love.&#34; They get into what self-love actually means for someone in a high-pressure leadership role, and why it has nothing to do with being self-centered. Dr. Dana shares the health scare and the two-month sabbatical that forced her to change course, and how fear turned out to be the first step toward courage every single time.You will also hear why so many high achievers only stop when a health crisis stops them, how to spot the early warning signs in your own self-talk, and the simple shift from gap thinking to gain thinking that changes how you lead your team. If you have ever felt like people are walking on eggshells around you, this one is worth your time.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, burnout, and mental health.Find our guest here:Connect with Dr. Dana Giontawww.danagionta.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/danagiontaphd/@danagiontacoachinghttps://www.facebook.com/DanaGiontaCoaching/ https://lnkd.in/giKvuDqc (book link) To find more of my work:Subscribe to this channelSubscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksGet my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessmentGet my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff Join the next Towerscope leadership workshop or fellowship: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship

A Unique Way This Psychologist Helps Leaders Reduce Burnout in 52 Weeks, with Dr. Dana Gionta

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/19/18/73897bd8-2c91-43be-b7bb-603b7fcea9ca_nout__disengagement__and_a_toxic_environment__.mp3

Most leaders spot rudeness or a toxic workplace and rush to shut the behavior down. But incivility is often a symptom of stress, burnout, and something deeper nobody names.Dr. Mira Brancu sat down as a guest on Dr. John O&#39;Brien&#39;s show, Civility Matters, and this is the full conversation. They get into why punishing rude behavior usually backfires, and how to tell the difference between the symptom you can see and the root cause you cannot. Mira breaks down organizational grief, the quiet loss people carry after layoffs and reorgs that shows up as disengagement, quiet quitting, and cynicism instead of tears.You will also hear her simple two by two office politics matrix that reveals whether your influence at work has turned self-serving, whether ambition and civility can actually coexist, and real advice for anyone stuck in a toxic job right now. The point they both keep coming back to is this: Leaders have to deal with their own stress first, because you cannot steady anyone else while you are running on empty.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, burnout, and workplace mental health. Connect with Dr. John O’Brien : www.activatesuccess.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmobrienphd/Host: Civility Matters Podcast: https://civilitymatters.buzzsprout.comRudeness Rehab Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1957651911?lv=shuf&amp;channelId=500&amp;plpRedirect=mhFallback YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RudenessRehab  Subscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksGet my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessmentGet my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff Join the next Towerscope leadership workshop or fellowship: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship

Stress, Burnout, Disengagement, vs. a Toxic Environment, with Dr. John O'Brien

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/12/17/1cf74efa-a531-4555-b24b-fa5e8e155e01_the_13_human_needs_your_workplace_forgot.mp3

The modern workplace got great at performance and quietly stopped meeting basic human needs at work. This is a full season on those needs, and the leadership that brings them back.Dr. Mira Brancu closes out Season 11 of The Hard Skills by walking through 13 human needs organizations have learned to ignore. Across eleven guests and two solo episodes, each need comes with a short, powerful clip and a practical way to rebuild it on your team. You will hear why self-deprecating humor makes leaders more human, why 85% of what makes a great boss has nothing to do with intelligence, and what a meaningful life actually asks of you. If you lead people, or you feel like something at work has quietly gone missing, this one is for you.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, burnout, and workplace mental health.Dr. Daniel Cruz Lattimore: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/omiyoconsultingllc?igsh=MW9iMjN5c214ODItMQ%3D%3D" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/omiyoconsultingllc</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellattimore/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellattimore/</a>  Dr. Paul Damiano:<a href="http://www.creategoodworks.com" rel="nofollow">www.creategoodworks.com</a> <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/pauldamiano" rel="nofollow">www.linkedin.com/in/pauldamiano</a>  Ira Chaleff:<a href="http://www.irachaleffauthor.com" rel="nofollow">www.irachaleffauthor.com</a> Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriezolezziwyndham" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriezolezziwyndham</a> <a href="https://promotinggoodllc.com/" rel="nofollow">https://promotinggoodllc.com/</a>  Dr. Mehul Mankad: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmankad/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmankad/</a>   <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychiatry-and-law-podcast/id1352806975" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychiatry-and-law-podcast/id1352806975</a> <a href="https://www.novumhealth.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.novumhealth.com/</a>    Dra. CarolLaine Garcia: <a href="https://www.drcarollainemgarcia.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.drcarollainemgarcia.com</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcarollainemgarcia" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcarollainemgarcia</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/drcarollainemgarcia" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/drcarollainemgarcia</a>  Duygu Alptekin Gursu: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/duygualptekingursu" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/duygualptekingursu</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/duygualptekingursu/" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/duygualptekingursu/</a>  Candice Schutter: <a href="https://thedeeperpulse.com/" rel="nofollow">https://thedeeperpulse.com/</a>  <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/candiceschutter/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/candiceschutter/</a>  <a href="https://www.facebook.com/candice.schutter" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/candice.schutter</a>  <a href="https://www.instagram.com/candiceschutter/" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/candiceschutter/</a>  Margaret Andrews: <a href="https://www.margaretandrews.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.margaretandrews.com</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretcandrews/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretcandrews/</a>   Dr. David W. Robinson-Morris: <a href="http://www.reimaginelution.com" rel="nofollow">www.reimaginelution.com</a> <a href="http://www.centerforthehumanspirit.org" rel="nofollow">www.centerforthehumanspirit.org</a> <a href="http://www.drmphd.com" rel="nofollow">www.drmphd.com</a>  <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrm/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrm/</a>   Dr. Mark L. Vincent: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@MARKLVINCENT" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@MARKLVINCENT</a> <a href="http://www.marklvincent.com" rel="nofollow">www.marklvincent.com</a> <a href="http://www.maestrolevelleaders.com" rel="nofollow">www.maestrolevelleaders.com</a> To find more of my work:Subscribe to this channelSubscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe Work with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.com Get practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/books Get my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment  Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessment Get my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide  Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff  Join the next Towerscope leadership workshop or fellowship: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship  Episodes and other resources referenced:Watch this next: #thehardskills #mirabrancu #selfawareness #leadershipdevelopment #emotionalintelligence #executivecoaching

The 13 Human Needs Your Workplace Forgot

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/6/30/6/be39aa43-d8f5-4a02-935b-89914d7ceb74_why_most_leaders_ruin_their_succession_plan__.mp3

Most leaders think succession is just naming the next person for the chair. It is not. Real leadership succession is about protecting everything you spent years building.Dr. Mira Brancu sits down with Dr. Mark L. Vincent, author of The Maestro Effect, to close out the season on rediscovering human needs at work. They get into why handing off a company is so much harder than picking a name, and why the value you built can quietly leak away if you treat the transition like a finish line.Mark breaks down the two traps most leaders fall into. There is the one where you check out early and reach for the golden parachute, and the one where you cannot let go and slowly choke the life out of the team. He walks through his Maestro theory, the three turns of a leader&#39;s life, and the four key elements that actually make or break a succession plan. Near the end the conversation turns personal, and that is the part that stays with you. If you lead anything now, or you will one day, this one is worth your time.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, mental health, and the human side of work.IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CAN I ASK A FAVOR?We do not receive any funding or sponsorship for this podcast. If you learned something and feel others could also benefit, please leave a positive review. Every review helps amplify our work and visibility. This is especially helpful for small women-owned boot-strapped businesses. Simply go to the bottom of the Apple Podcast page to enter a review. Thank you!Connect with our guest:https://www.youtube.com/@MARKLVINCENTwww.marklvincent.com www.maestrolevelleaders.com Connect wth me:Subscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksAdd this podcast to your feed: www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/

The Succession Trap: Handoffs, Legacy, and Your 2,000 Weeks Left, with Dr. Mark L. Vincent

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/5/15/8/5ac767ef-35e9-42aa-b47f-e684a0199890_t_imposter_syndrome__it_s_making_things_worse_.mp3

&#34;Imposter syndrome&#34; gets thrown around constantly in leadership spaces. But what if the label itself is doing more harm than good?Dr. Mira Brancu breaks down why the original researchers never called it a &#34;syndrome&#34; and what that distinction actually means for high achievers. If you&#39;ve ever been promoted into a leadership role and suddenly felt like you had no idea what you were doing, this episode explains why that&#39;s not a flaw. It&#39;s the normal experience of someone learning a completely new skill set that nobody trained them for. Mira also gets real about why this hits harder for women and marginalized professionals, and draws a clear line between the kind of self-doubt that comes with growth and the kind that needs clinical support. Whether you&#39;re navigating this yourself or trying to support someone who is, this conversation will change how you think about it.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, resilience, and the hard skills nobody teaches you. To find more of my work:Subscribe to this channel Subscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.com Get practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksGet my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessmentGet my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff Join the next Towerscope leadership workshop or fellowship: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship Episodes and other resources referenced:https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship Clance, P. R., &amp; Imes, S. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research &amp; Practice, 15(3), 241–247. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086006 - https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1979-26502-001

Stop Calling It Imposter Syndrome (It's Making Things Worse)

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/5/14/5/d07eae3c-1d03-4f37-ad64-09d1019d6db5__leadership_skill_mba_programs_don_t_teach_you.mp3

Imagination as a leadership skill? Most people wouldn&#39;t even put it in their top 10. But what if it&#39;s the one thing separating leaders who repeat old systems from those who build new futures?In this conversation, Dr. Mira Brancu sits down with Dr. David W. Robinson-Morris, founder of Reimaginelution, to talk about why imagination might be the most underrated leadership competency of our time. David breaks down how imagination shows up in strategy, finance, and communication, and shares what happens when skeptical, numbers-driven leaders finally slow down and start asking: what have we been conditioned not to see?This is a business discussion like none you’ve ever heard. You&#39;ll hear about the connection between Ubuntu philosophy, contemplative practice, and how historically marginalized communities have been practicing imaginative leadership for centuries! And here&#39;s the biggest reframe: scarcity thinking is already an imaginative act, just pointed in the wrong direction. It takes the same energy to imagine futures of possibility as it does to imagine futures of loss.If you&#39;ve ever felt stuck in reactive mode or trapped in a cycle of cutting, controlling, and surviving, this episode offers a completely different way through.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, resilience, and the human side of work. Find our guest here:Websites: www.reimaginelution.comwww.centerforthehumanspirit.orgwww.drmphd.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrm/  To find more of my work:Subscribe to this podcastSubscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksGet my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessmentGet my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide  Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff Join the next Towerscope leadership workshop or fellowship: https://gotowerscope.com/fellowship

The Leadership Skill MBA Programs Don't Teach You, with Dr. David W. Robinson-Morris

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/5/7/4/0ec884b6-7538-48f1-b5d0-97da260a4280_but_your_team_still_doesn_t_see_it__here_s_why.mp3

You&#39;ve been working so hard to be an effective leader, and somehow your team still doesn&#39;t see it. This episode shows you exactly why, and how to close the gap before it stalls your career. Margaret Andrews ran the MBA program at MIT Sloan for seven years and is now an Associate Dean at Harvard. She&#39;s spent two decades teaching leadership and emotional intelligence to high achievers, and her conclusion is uncomfortable: some of the highest achievers still get stuck in the people management skills even when they have developed the greatest business strategies. In this conversation with Dr. Mira Brancu, Margaret breaks down the S-curve framework that explains why your growth sometimes feels like regression, six questions that build real self-awareness, and an interactive Best Boss Exercise you can do right now. Plus the story of Phil, an executive who looked in the mirror, didn&#39;t recognize the leader he had become, and rebuilt himself from scratch.Subscribe for weekly conversations on the intersection of culture, mental health, and the real hard skills of leadership. Find our guest here:Connect with Margaret AndrewsWebsite: https://www.margaretandrews.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretcandrews/  To find more of my work:Subscribe to this channelSubscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksGet my free Strategic Clarity and Leadership Resilience assessment: https://mailchi.mp/e1ebf8505764/slr-assessment Get my Free Burnout Root Cause Assessment: https://mailchi.mp/29d7d18fae4a/burnout-root-cause-assessment Get my Workplace Grief Guide: https://mailchi.mp/46873b910380/workplace-grief-field-guide  Find other free resources to support your leadership growth: https://gotowerscope.com/other-free-stuff

Working Hard But Your Team Still Doesn't See It? (Here's Why), with Margaret Andrews

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/5/3/5/94acb53c-7fec-4565-b54d-7c1a9bdc1356__drifted_into_cult-like__with_candice_schutter.mp3

Emotional intelligence is supposed to make workplaces better. But what if it might also teach people to tolerate what should be intolerable?Candice Schutter spent two decades inside the wellness industry, leading programs, training instructors, building cultures of care, until her body started screaming that something was wrong through panic attacks and a nervous system in overdrive. She started digging into cult dynamics, coercive control, and the psychology of mission-driven organizations. What she found changed everything.In this conversation with Dr. Mira Brancu, Candice breaks down what she calls &#34;the drift,&#34; the slow, invisible process by which caring cultures slide into high-control environments. You will learn when wellness programs can train people to tolerate dysfunction, why high emotional intelligence can suggest greater ability to manipulate, and what the dark side of transformational leadership looks like from the inside.If you have ever felt a disconnect between the language of psychological safety and the reality of structural control at your workplace, this episode will give you the frameworks to name what you have been feeling.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, mental health, and navigating workplace dynamics. Find our guest here:https://thedeeperpulse.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/candiceschutter/ https://www.facebook.com/candice.schutter https://www.instagram.com/candiceschutter/ To find more of my work:Subscribe to this channelSubscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/books Episodes and other resources referenced:How to Speak Up When it Matters Most, with Ira Chaleff: https://youtu.be/_sUAHNUw6N0  IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CAN I ASK A FAVOR?We do not receive any funding or sponsorship for this podcast. If you learned something and feel others could also benefit, please leave a positive review. Every review helps amplify our work and visibility. This is especially helpful for small women-owned boot-strapped businesses. Simply go to the bottom of the Apple Podcast page to enter a review. Thank you!Subscribe to my free newsletter at: <a href="http://mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe" rel="nofollow">mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe</a>Work with me one-on-one: <a href="http://calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation" rel="nofollow">calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation</a>Connect with me on LinkedIn: <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancu" rel="nofollow">www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancu</a>Learn more about my services: <a href="http://www.gotowerscope.com/" rel="nofollow">www.gotowerscope.com</a>Get practical workplace politics tips from my books: <a href="http://gotowerscope.com/books" rel="nofollow">gotowerscope.com/books</a>Add this podcast to your feed: <a href="http://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/" rel="nofollow">www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/</a>

Signs Your Cult-ure Drifted Into Cult-like, with Candice Schutter

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/4/24/17/1c595738-b137-41cd-a66b-858f4eb41d6e__burn_out_at_the_top_with_duygu_alptekin_gursu.mp3

Most women in leadership got there by working twice as hard as the men around them. And it&#39;s quietly destroying their health.In this conversation, Dr. Mira Brancu sits down with executive coach Duygu Alpteka Gursu, who spent nearly three decades climbing the corporate ladder at companies like Coca-Cola and Unilever before her body finally forced her to stop. Duygu shares the moment she realized the rules of leadership were never written for her, including the day a male colleague with less experience got promoted two grades above her immediately after returning from nine months of military service.She and Mira walk through the three career moments where most women either lean in or quietly check out. They get into the messy stuff nobody talks about at the office, like burnout recovery, motherhood penalties, and the menopause years that hit right when women are at the peak of their careers. If you&#39;ve ever felt like you have to choose between your career and your well-being, this one is for you.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, burnout, and women&#39;s leadership in the real world.Find our guest here:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/duygualptekingursu" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/duygualptekingursu</a>https://www.instagram.com/duygualptekingursu/ IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CAN I ASK A FAVOR?We do not receive any funding or sponsorship for this podcast. If you learned something and feel others could also benefit, please leave a positive review. Every review helps amplify our work and visibility. This is especially helpful for small women-owned boot-strapped businesses. Simply go to the bottom of the Apple Podcast page to enter a review. Thank you!Subscribe to my free newsletter at: <a href="http://mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe" rel="nofollow">mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe</a>Work with me one-on-one: <a href="http://calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation" rel="nofollow">calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation</a>Connect with me on LinkedIn: <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancu" rel="nofollow">www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancu</a>Learn more about my services: <a href="http://www.gotowerscope.com/" rel="nofollow">www.gotowerscope.com</a>Get practical workplace politics tips from my books: <a href="http://gotowerscope.com/books" rel="nofollow">gotowerscope.com/books</a>Add this podcast to your feed: <a href="http://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/" rel="nofollow">www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/</a>

EXECUTIVE COACH: Why Strong Women Burn Out at the Top, with Duygu Alptekin Gursu

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/4/19/6/708840bf-d42f-4762-a413-492777ee6b60_s_self-abandonment_with_dra._carollaine_garcia.mp3

What if everything you were taught about success and leadership was causing you to abandon your own needs? This conversation will completely change how you see work, identity, and what it means to truly win in life.In this episode of The Hard Skills, Dr. Mira Brancu sits down with Dr. CarolLaine M. Garcia, a Dominican-American I/O psychologist, decolonial researcher, and creator of Queen Mindset Leadership(R) who spent a decade consulting for Fortune 500 companies before walking away to rebuild leadership from lived experience.CarolLaine unpacks why self-abandonment has been typecast as leadership, and what it actually means to lead from wholeness rather than exhaustion. You&#39;ll learn about the four data centers of mind, heart, body, and spirit that most leaders leave completely offline, why burnout recovery starts with tuning into the intelligences you&#39;ve been trained to ignore, and how personal development rooted in creativity and decolonial thinking can transform the way you lead yourself and others.Whether you&#39;re navigating burnout prevention, questioning traditional leadership development, or simply tired of performing a version of success that doesn&#39;t feel like yours, this conversation will give you both the language and the permission to lead differently.Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, mental health, and the hard skills nobody teaches you.Learn more about Dra. CarolLaine M. Garcia at:https://www.drcarollainemgarcia.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcarollainemgarcia https://www.instagram.com/drcarollainemgarcia ﻿IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CAN I ASK A FAVOR?We do not receive any funding or sponsorship for this podcast. If you learned something and feel others could also benefit, please leave a positive review. Every review helps amplify our work and visibility. This is especially helpful for small women-owned boot-strapped businesses. Simply go to the bottom of the Apple Podcast page to enter a review. Thank you!Subscribe to my free newsletter at: <a href="http://mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe" rel="nofollow">mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe</a>Work with me one-on-one: <a href="http://calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation" rel="nofollow">calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation</a>Connect with me on LinkedIn: <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancu" rel="nofollow">www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancu</a>Learn more about my services: <a href="http://www.gotowerscope.com/" rel="nofollow">www.gotowerscope.com</a>Get practical workplace politics tips from my books: <a href="http://gotowerscope.com/books" rel="nofollow">gotowerscope.com/books</a>Add this podcast to your feed: <a href="http://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/" rel="nofollow">www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/</a>

I/O PSYCHOLOGIST EXPLAINS: When Success Demands Self-Abandonment, with Dra. CarolLaine Garcia

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/4/5/14/d4af5915-7981-43b7-9315-a77a07ee6a4b_ontributor_to_executive__with_dr._mehul_mankad.mp3

What does it take to move from individual contributor to C-Suite and from the public to the private sector? This conversation reveals the hidden mistakes that keep smart people stuck and the mindset leaps required to succeed. In this powerful episode, Dr. Mira Brancu sits down with forensic psychiatrist and CMO, Dr. Mehul Mankad, to explore the real journey from being a high-performing technical expert to becoming an effective executive leader. It dives deep into the mindset shifts required to move from simply doing the work to leading others, including how to handle responsibility, prioritize what truly matters, and influence decisions at a higher level. You’ll also learn the stark differences between working in structured environments and stepping into fast-paced startup roles where there’s no safety net and accountability is entirely on you. More importantly, this discussion highlights why continuous learning and adaptability matter far more than collecting degrees, and how understanding people, systems, and decision-making can redefine your career path. Whether you’re aiming for leadership, considering a career shift, or feeling stuck despite working hard, this episode offers insights that can completely change how you approach growth and success.Ready to stop over-doing and start leading? Subscribe to The Hard Skills for weekly strategies on clinical and corporate high performance.Referenced Episodes and Links:The Science and Future of Great Coaching, with BetterUp’s Chief Coaching Officer, Dr. Woodward: https://youtu.be/3X3xs_B6L4M?si=bhzJVgSF2sJx8Xt6How to Build a Career That Actually Serves Your Life, with Dr. Sharon Hull: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wdfa3axn0TI https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmankad/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychiatry-and-law-podcast/id1352806975https://www.novumhealth.com/  IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CAN I ASK A FAVOR?We do not receive any funding or sponsorship for this podcast. If you learned something and feel others could also benefit, please leave a positive review. Every review helps amplify our work and visibility. This is especially helpful for small women-owned boot-strapped businesses. Simply go to the bottom of the Apple Podcast page to enter a review. Thank you!Subscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribeWork with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultationConnect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancuLearn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.comGet practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/booksAdd this podcast to your feed: www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/

How to Make the Leap from Individual Contributor to Executive, with Dr. Mehul Mankad

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/3/18/15/824da62b-85ea-4176-9117-ca2e01b4cab5_d_courage_in_2026_with_valerie_zolezzi-wyndham.mp3

Leaders want high-trust teams, but their daily actions might be actively destroying them. Most leaders believe they’re building trust and leading the right way, but their teams quietly experience the opposite. Are you experiencing an intention-action gap in creating the workplace culture you want?In this episode of The Hard Skills, Dr. Mira Brancu sits down with lawyer-turned-leadership expert Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham, who breaks down one of the most overlooked problems in modern leadership: the intention–action gap, where leaders genuinely want to create inclusive, high-trust workplaces, but their actions fail to match those intentions. Drawing from her background in law, Valerie explains why relying on rules, compliance, or legal frameworks alone can actually damage workplace culture. She shares how leaders unknowingly break trust, why fast-paced environments amplify bias, and how companies often solve the wrong problems entirely. You’ll also learn about her company’s 8 Leadership Principles, why empathy and courage are often misunderstood, and how “hidden strengths” can reshape how leaders grow. If you’re a manager, entrepreneur, or team leader trying to build trust and engagement in your organization, this episode gives you a practical, science-backed framework to close the gap between intention and impact.Learn more about Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham at:https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriezolezziwyndham https://promotinggoodllc.com/ ﻿IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CAN I ASK A FAVOR?We do not receive any funding or sponsorship for this podcast. If you learned something and feel others could also benefit, please leave a positive review. Every review helps amplify our work and visibility. This is especially helpful for small women-owned boot-strapped businesses. Simply go to the bottom of the Apple Podcast page to enter a review. Thank you!Subscribe to my free newsletter at: <a href="http://mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe" rel="nofollow">mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe</a>Work with me one-on-one: <a href="http://calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation" rel="nofollow">calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation</a>Connect with me on LinkedIn: <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancu" rel="nofollow">www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancu</a>Learn more about my services: <a href="http://www.gotowerscope.com/" rel="nofollow">www.gotowerscope.com</a>Get practical workplace politics tips from my books: <a href="http://gotowerscope.com/books" rel="nofollow">gotowerscope.com/books</a>Add this podcast to your feed: <a href="http://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/" rel="nofollow">www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/</a>

Why Leaders need to lead with both empathy and courage in 2026, with Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham

Fueling leadership to activate change

Welcome to “The Hard Skills” podcast, a practical and research-driven show that explores the core leadership skills needed to fuel leadership to activate real change, such as creating inclusive and healthy workplaces.

Through expert interviews and live coaching calls, we challenge the notion of "soft skills," question long-held but inaccurate leadership development beliefs, and offer real, practical solutions for complex leadership challenges.

Hosted by Dr. Mira Brancu, a clinical and organizational development psychologist with extensive leadership experience, we’ll delve into topics of leadership identity, leading with uncertainty, navigating workplace politics, and creating critical organizational change.

This podcast will especially appeal to high-achieving leaders in healthcare, tech, and academic, industries. Whether you're seeking personal growth, looking to enhance your leadership abilities, or interested in Dr. Brancu's coaching services and membership community, join us as we unravel the complexities of leadership and inspire you to embrace the hard skills.