From Reactive to Steady: Leading Through Emotional Contagion

What kind of energy do you bring into the room when your team needs you most? In this solo episode of Becoming Unshakable, I shared a moment from my leadership journey that challenged how I show up for others. During a period of change, I allowed my own emotional response to lead the interaction, and I could see how quickly that energy spread across the team. It was a powerful reminder that leadership is felt before it is heard. Our presence sets the tone, whether we realize it or not. I shared how emotional contagion shows up in everyday leadership moments and why self-awareness has to come first. When we are overwhelmed, frustrated, or unsettled, those signals do not stay contained. They ripple outward. I talked about learning to recognize the early signs in my own nervous system and the importance of pausing before stepping into conversations that matter. That pause can be the difference between creating stability or amplifying uncertainty. We also explored practical ways to move from reaction to steadiness. For me, that can be as simple as stepping outside, taking a walk, or shifting my focus toward gratitude. These are small actions, but they help create space between what I am feeling and how I choose to respond. That space allows me to lead with clarity rather than impulse, especially when others are looking for reassurance. This episode is an invitation to reflect on your own leadership presence. How often do you give yourself permission to reset before showing up for your team? And what might change if you became more aware of the emotional signals you are sending every day?  

What if the biggest shift in your leadership, your confidence, and your results came down to just three decisions about how you think? In this episode, I sit down with Bron Watson to explore what she calls a simple but powerful three-step mindset shift. It is one of those conversations that feels immediately practical, yet quietly challenges how we see ourselves and the situations we face every day. Bron brings a grounded perspective on how our internal dialogue shapes our external reality, and why so many of us stay stuck without even realizing it. As we talk, it becomes clear that mindset is not something reserved for big life moments. It shows up in the small decisions, the way we respond to pressure, and how we interpret setbacks. Bron shares how shifting your thinking is less about motivation and more about awareness, choice, and consistency. There is a refreshing honesty in how she explains it, especially when it comes to breaking patterns that feel familiar but no longer serve you. We also get into what holds people back from making these shifts in the first place. Fear, identity, and the comfort of old habits all play a role. Bron offers a clear way to recognize those patterns and, more importantly, what to do next. It is not about an overnight change. It is about building a new way of thinking that supports the life and leadership you want to create. By the end of our conversation, I found myself reflecting on how often we look for complex solutions when the real work starts with something far more personal. If you could change the way you think about one challenge in your life today, what might that unlock for you?  

How well do you really know yourself as a leader? And what might your team see that you simply cannot see on your own? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with pharmaceutical executive and entrepreneur Hope Mueller to explore the powerful role self-awareness plays in leadership, decision-making, and building a life that reflects who you truly are. Hope has spent more than twenty-five years in the pharmaceutical industry, working in a field driven by purpose, science, and the promise of improving patients' lives. Alongside that demanding career, she also built Hunter Street, her own publishing company, helping aspiring authors bring their ideas and stories into the world. Her journey reflects a deeper question many professionals eventually face: Who are we beyond our job titles? During our conversation, Hope shared the moment that pushed her to rethink the future. Watching several successful women in her network suddenly lose long-held executive roles forced her to confront a difficult truth. For many leaders, identity becomes tightly tied to the work they do. Hope made a conscious decision to build something beyond that identity so she would always have a next chapter waiting for her. We explore the idea that becoming unshakable is not a final destination. Hope describes it as a process of stepping into your full self, understanding what truly matters to you, and accepting the person you are becoming along the way. That kind of clarity often arrives slowly, through reflection, experience, and sometimes a few hard lessons. One of those lessons came when Hope realized she had pushed herself too far. After years of believing she had mastered work-life balance, she found herself dealing with an injury caused by overwork. That moment forced her to redesign her personal leadership toolkit. Today, she protects time for herself before the workday begins, whether that means journaling, calling her mom, or simply enjoying a quiet cup of coffee outside. Another powerful part of our discussion focuses on the limits of service leadership. Hope explains how being endlessly helpful can eventually backfire in senior leadership roles. When leaders take on too many operational tasks, others may stop seeing them as strategic thinkers. Learning where to step back and where to engage becomes an essential leadership skill. We discuss the role of support systems in building resilience. Hope credits both her husband and a trusted circle of colleagues for helping her maintain perspective and balance. Becoming unshakable, as we discuss in this episode, rarely happens in isolation. The people who challenge us, support us, and offer honest perspectives often make the biggest difference. By the end of this conversation, two powerful ideas stand out. First, every leader needs the courage to pause and reflect on where they are heading. Second, no one builds resilience alone. Whether through mentors, partners, or trusted friends, the voices around us help us see what we cannot see ourselves. So as you listen to this conversation, consider your own leadership journey. Are you creating space for reflection? And who are the people helping you see the blind spots that could shape your next chapter?  

Have you ever wondered what it truly means to remain steady when life delivers moments that feel impossible to carry? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Rabbi Daniel Cohen for a deeply personal and reflective conversation about faith, gratitude, and the inner strength that helps people move through life's most difficult seasons. Rabbi Cohen shares the story that shaped his perspective early in life, losing his mother at a young age, and how that experience forced him to confront grief, purpose, and the deeper meaning behind the moments that shake us the most. Rather than allowing tragedy to define his path, Rabbi Cohen describes how he made a conscious choice to carry his mother's light forward. That decision eventually shaped his work as a rabbi, author, and speaker, guiding others through questions about legacy, purpose, and how we want to be remembered. Drawing on years of counseling people through loss and transition, he explains why reflecting on our mortality can become a powerful catalyst for living more intentionally today. Throughout our conversation, we explore the idea that resilience is not about avoiding hardship. It is about building the spiritual and emotional muscles that allow us to grow through it. Rabbi Cohen shares how practices like gratitude, prayer, reflection, and service to others help anchor us when life becomes uncertain. Even listeners who do not identify with a particular faith tradition will find wisdom in his perspective on purpose, presence, and the daily choice to bring light into the lives of others. We also discuss the role relationships play in resilience, why allowing others to support us can be an act of generosity rather than weakness, and how modern life, especially our constant connection to technology, can quietly pull us away from the moments that matter most. Rabbi Cohen offers a simple but powerful daily practice that combines gratitude, reflection, and human connection to help people realign when life feels overwhelming. This conversation is a reminder that becoming unshakable does not mean we will never face loss, doubt, or fear. It means learning how to meet those moments with deeper faith, a sense of purpose, and the awareness that every breath offers another chance to grow.  

What does self-care really look like when you are scaling fast, raising four kids, and carrying the weight of other people's livelihoods on your shoulders? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Michele Henry, founder and CEO of Face Foundry, to talk about what it actually takes to build a high-growth franchise brand without losing yourself in the process. Michele launched her flagship location in 2019 with a clear vision to franchise from day one. Within a year, the world shut down. She furloughed her entire team, slept in her warehouse during COVID, and faced the kind of doubt that tests every founder's resolve.  Today, Face Foundry has dozens of locations open, with aggressive expansion plans still ahead. But this conversation is not just about growth. It is about steadiness. Michele shares how self-care for her is not indulgent or optional. It is disciplined. Early mornings. Movement. Quiet time. Meditation. Clear routines in a world that constantly shifts. She talks openly about unlearning the belief that strength means doing everything alone, and how building a trusted team has become one of her greatest leadership shifts. For Michele, self-care also shows up inside her organization, from encouraging her corporate team to step away for restorative moments to creating experiences that reinforce gratitude and connection. We also explore the idea of seasons. Survival seasons. Scaling seasons. The importance of extracting the lesson so you do not repeat it. Michele reflects on integrity as a non-negotiable value, how alignment drives franchise success, and why consistency in an inconsistent world is one of the most powerful leadership traits you can cultivate. If you are a founder, an emerging leader, or someone navigating rapid growth, this episode will remind you that becoming unshakable does not mean being rigid. It means being clear. Clear in your mission. Clear in your values. Clear in who you are at your core. As you listen, consider this: In your current season, what does self-care need to look like so that your leadership remains steady for those who depend on you?  

What if the very drive that helped you succeed is the same force quietly pushing you toward exhaustion? In this conversation with Dr. Selina Neri, I explore a tension so many high performers live with but rarely name. The desire to hold high standards, to lead well, to deliver excellence, and at the same time feel deeply depleted. Selina brings both research and lived experience to this topic, helping us understand that burnout is not a sign of weakness. It is often the byproduct of sustained overextension without intentional recovery. We talk about what recovery really means. It is not about checking out or lowering expectations. It is about creating rhythms that allow your nervous system, your mind, and your identity to recalibrate. Selina shares why rest must be designed with the same intentionality as performance, and how leaders can model this in ways that strengthen culture rather than diminish it. One of the most powerful parts of our discussion centers on identity. When achievement becomes intertwined with worth, stepping back can feel threatening. Selina gently challenges that narrative. She offers a path where ambition and sustainability coexist, where self-respect fuels excellence instead of self-pressure draining it. If you care about leading at a high level without sacrificing your health, your relationships, or your sense of self, this episode will resonate. I hope it invites you to reconsider what strength looks like and how recovery might actually be your greatest advantage.  

What if the very thing you are trying hardest to avoid is the doorway to becoming unshakable? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Amy C. Edmondson, Harvard Business School professor and the thinker behind psychological safety, to reframe how we see failure. Amy has spent decades studying leadership, teamwork, and learning organizations, and in this conversation, she brings her newest body of work into sharp focus. Together, we unpack the three distinct types of failure and why only one of them truly moves us forward. Amy challenges the simplistic messages we often hear, either that failure is unacceptable or that we should fail fast and fail often. Instead, she offers a more grounded framework. There are basic failures that can and should be prevented. There are complex failures that emerge from systems and unpredictability. And then there are intelligent failures, the thoughtful experiments in new territory that help us grow, innovate, and build resilience. If we are not experiencing some intelligent failures, we are likely playing it too safe. We also talk about what becoming unshakable really means in today's world. Amy describes it as being anchored in values while everything around us shifts. With technological change, geopolitical instability, and workplace uncertainty, resilience is no longer optional. It is a daily practice. And that practice begins with self-awareness. One of the most practical takeaways from our conversation is Amy's "stop, challenge, choose" framework. When anxiety spikes or the inner critic gets loud, pause. Challenge the story you are telling yourself. Then choose a response that aligns with your values and long-term goals. It sounds simple, but it is powerful. It is how we move from spiraling into the pit of despair to taking the next small step forward. Amy also shares vulnerable moments from her own journey, including the early years of her PhD when she felt certain she would not make it. What carried her through was not perfection, but perspective. A willingness to question her own catastrophic thinking. The courage to ask for help. The discipline to focus on what she could control in that moment. For those of you who feel like you are barely hanging on, this conversation is for you. We talk about the importance of protecting time on your calendar as a real commitment, even when that commitment is to yourself. We explore how unlearning the automatic "yes" can be an act of integrity. And we return again and again to one grounding truth: you only ever have to take the next step. Failure is inevitable. But how we interpret it determines whether it shakes us or strengthens us. As you listen, consider this: where might you need to reclassify a failure in your own life? And what would change if you saw it as an intelligent experiment instead of a verdict on who you are?  

What does it really mean to become unshakable when your career, your family life, and the world around you all feel uncertain at the same time? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sat down with Christine Ann Miller for a conversation that stayed with me long after we stopped recording. From the very first question, Christine grounds resilience in something more profound than grit or endurance. She shares how becoming unshakable is tied to purpose, faith, and the courage to stay anchored to who you are, even when the path forward is unclear. Christine takes us through her journey as a Jamaican American leader, the first in her family born in the United States, and how growing up around healthcare shaped her desire to solve meaningful problems.  From discovering chemical engineering through an encyclopedia to interning at Merck and dedicating more than three decades to developing medicines that save and improve lives, her story is rooted in service, curiosity, and conviction. She reflects on why purpose matters more than titles and why alignment, not momentum, is what sustains a long career.   The heart of this episode centers on a defining crossroads. Christine shares what it was like to leave a senior role with no next job lined up, only to have the world shut down weeks later during the pandemic. We talk openly about fear, faith, rest, and the discipline of self-leadership when everything familiar disappears. She explains how grounding practices like prayer, meditation, journaling, community, and intentional rest helped her stay receptive to what came next, rather than rushing to force an answer. We also explore the role of support systems, from coaches and therapists to family and trusted friends, and why resilience is rarely built alone. Christine offers thoughtful guidance for anyone who feels like they are barely holding it together right now, reminding us that breathing, connection, service, and reflection are not small acts when life feels heavy. As you listen, consider where you might be rushing past the very pause that could help you hear what is next for you. When things feel shaky in your own life or leadership, what enables you to stay grounded long enough to recognize the opportunity that may already be on its way?  

What does it really take to stay grounded, human, and compassionate as a business grows faster than you ever imagined? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Nicolas Breedlove for a deeply honest conversation about leadership, growth, and the internal work required to scale without losing yourself or the people around you. Nicolas shares what becoming unshakable has meant for him over the years, including the hard-earned discipline of emotional self-control and the realization that true leadership starts with self-leadership. We talk openly about his early mistakes, moments of emotional reactivity, and how learning to manage his responses shaped the leader he is today. Our conversation moves into the role of community in leadership, both inside and outside the workplace. Nicolas reflects on how surrounding himself with other entrepreneurs later in his journey changed his perspective, sharpened his thinking, and helped him grow in ways he wished he had embraced earlier. We explore why a hoarding vision can quietly damage an organization, how sharing it fosters alignment, and why allowing others' strengths to influence the business's direction builds trust and resilience over time. Nicolas also walks me through his entrepreneurial journey, from unexpected beginnings in playground equipment to building a nationwide operation that impacts communities, families, and children. What stands out is how his definition of success has evolved, moving from financial growth toward purpose, culture, and social impact. He shares a powerful story of betrayal that tested his trust and identity as a leader, and how that experience reshaped his commitment to culture, values, and compassionate decision-making. We close with a thoughtful reflection on compassion fatigue, parenting, unlearning old patterns, and what leaders can do when they feel overwhelmed by the weight of everything around them. Nicolas offers grounded advice on resetting, finding perspective, and remembering why the work matters in the first place. As you listen, I hope this conversation invites you to reflect on your own leadership journey and ask yourself, how are you choosing compassion while continuing to grow?  

What does it really mean to become unshakable when life starts testing you before you can even put words to what you are feeling? In this deeply personal episode of the Becoming Unshakable podcast, I sit down with my daughter, Gabriela, for a conversation I have long wanted to record. As her mom, I have watched her journey from the very beginning, through medical uncertainty, learning challenges, therapy rooms, and moments that could have easily shaken her sense of self. As a listener, you get to hear Gabriela tell her story in her own words, with honesty, reflection, and a quiet strength that continues to move me. Gabriela shares what becoming unshakable means to her, not as a destination, but as a grounded sense of peace, confidence, and presence. We talk openly about growing up with heart conditions, speech therapy, sensory processing differences, IEP support, and the emotional weight of feeling different at school. She reflects on how those early experiences shaped her resilience, empathy, and, eventually, her voice. There is a powerful moment when she talks about winning a speech competition in middle school, a full-circle reminder that growth does not always follow a straight line. Our conversation also looks forward. Gabriela offers thoughtful insight into Gen Z, what helps her generation feel valued at work, and why compassion, flexibility, and genuine care matter more than stereotypes. We explore self-leadership, boundaries, rest, and the importance of unlearning people-pleasing. She also reflects on her current role as a missionary at UC Berkeley, supporting others as they find community, meaning, and confidence in unfamiliar seasons of life. This episode is a reminder that unshakability is often built quietly, through perseverance, support, and learning how to care for yourself along the way. I hope Gabriela's story encourages you, especially if you are navigating change, doubt, or a season that feels heavier than expected. As you listen, I would love to know, what part of her journey resonated most with you, and where are you finding your own strength right now?