Shameless Leadership Podcast

I met Maria Ross 12 years ago when we shared the stage at a womens event. Her work is centered around human behavior and empathy in the workplace. What I love about talking to Maria is how she can dig into the nuts and bolts of concepts and theory while also making tricky concepts very approachable and applicable to everyone. If you want to cultivate more empathy or help others cultivate more empathy, Maria is your gal.

Maria is a speaker, facilitator, author, strategist, and empathy advocate who believes cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive. Shes spent decades helping forward-thinking leaders, teams, and brands connect and engage through empathy to accelerate growth. Maria has authored multiple books, including her newest, The Empathy Dilemma: How Successful Leaders Balance Performance, People, and Personal Boundaries, Her previous book, The Empathy Edge sparked a movement and she now hosts the top-rated The Empathy Edge podcast, speaking with leaders, changemakers, authors, and activists on how to achieve radical success through empathy.

Listen in to hear Maria share:

Navigating the empathy dilemma of balancing empathy with performance



What empathy is and what its not



Why empathy is now especially challenging in our multigenerational workplaces



How you can uphold empathy when it feels like its being canceled



The 5 Pillars of Effective Empathetic Leadership



Links Mentioned:

Book: theempathydilemma.com



Connect with Maria: www.red-slice.com



Marias Podcast, The Empathy Edge: www.TheEmpathyEdge.com



Maria's new 2 day mastermind event for high-achieving leaders who want to balance empathy with performance: www.TheEmpathyEdge.com/event



Marias LinkedIn Learning Course: Leading with Empathy



Maria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariajross/



Maria on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redslicemaria/



Maria on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redslice



Maria on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Redslice-MariaRoss



Marias Tedx Talk: https://bit.ly/MariaRossTEDx



Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking



Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services



Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks



Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stephanie Chung is a leader, fighter, survivor, breast cancer warrior, and barrier-breaker in corporate leadership who consistently embodies resilience and courage.  I knew from the moment we met online that this would be a special conversation, which is why Stephanie is the first guest to join me on Shameless Leadership!

As a pioneering woman of color in the aviation sector with 35 years of aviation experience, Stephanie has ascended to top executive roles, including her tenure as Chief Growth Officer at Wheels Up and as the first African-American President of a private aviation company, JetSuite, marked by innovative strategies that significantly expanded membership and redefined brand positioning. She led a private aviation sales team that consistently exceeded its quota of almost $1 billion every year. 

Stephanie is also a sought-after keynote speaker and #1 international best-selling author, whose work in applying neuroscience to sales and leadership offers groundbreaking and practical strategies for professional growth. 

This conversation is high-energy, high-impact, and a lot of fun.  Be prepared to learn, challenge yourself, and walk away with some important action steps! 



Listen in to hear Stephanie share: 

Her 40-year career in aviation - starting at the bottom and working her way to the very top



How one leader saw something special in her early on that changed the course of her career



The long-term career impact of owning your power and accomplishments in front of your peers and other leaders



How to be powerful and noticeable when advancing your leadership in rooms where people don’t look like you



What "Ally Leadership" is and why it’s so crucial for today’s diverse workforce



actionable steps a leader can take tomorrow to begin leading more equitably and build trust across a more diverse team



How to spot the difference between performative and authentic Ally Leadership



Links Mentioned:

Connect with Stephanie: https://stephaniechung.com/



Get Stephanie’s Book: Ally in Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You 



Your Ally in Leadership Substack: https://www.yourallyinleadership.com/



Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/TheStephanieChung/



Connect with Stephanie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheStephanieChung/



Connect with Stephanie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheStephanieChung/



Connect with Stephanie on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thestephaniechung



Connect with Stephanie on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Coachstephaniechung



Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking



Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services



Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks



Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Consistency is pretty boring. It might be the least glamorous component of leadership.  This is probably why it tends to be an underrated leadership superpower. However, consistency is a key ingredient to leadership success, primarily because it allows you to create compounding interest. Your tiny gains over time build up to massive outcomes. 

Consistency also thwarts perfectionism. Showing up repeatedly becomes more important than showing up perfectly. This consistent showing up creates growth that casts perfectionism to the side, as it’s no longer needed as a tool for success. You start to realize that success is much more about showing up, getting it done, and building momentum on an ongoing basis. 

What if small, repeated actions became the backbone of sustainable success in both your personal growth and leadership?

For example… 

For the last 27 years, I've worked out 6 days a week. That's about 7,776 workouts. Most of them have been pretty average, mid-level efforts. A lot of them have been just going through the motions. Every now and then, there is a really amazing one. The impact has been massive on my mental and physical health. I have no doubt that I have added years to my life.

For the last 9 years, I have released 1-2 podcasts a week, depending on our production schedule. That's 940 podcast episodes. Some have been fantastic, even noteworthy. Many have been valuable and helpful to my audience, but not necessarily earth-shattering. The impact on my business and credibility as a thought leader, speaker, and coach has been invaluable. 

Consistency creates scaffolding in your life and leadership. By developing reliable habits, you reduce decision fatigue, lessen your mental load, and streamline internal negotiations. When you're consistent, you become a person who gets things done, who finishes what you start, and who builds trust in yourself. That identity shift, from someone who dabbles to someone who delivers, is transformational.

Consistency also strengthens your leadership reputation. Leaders known for their follow-through and reliability foster trust, credibility, and psychological safety for their teams.  Showing up again and again says to the world, “I’m here, I belong here, and I’m not going anywhere.” This episode will inspire you to lean into consistency as a courageous act of leadership and self-trust.

Episode Highlights:

00:00 The Power of Consistency in Leadership



05:09 Powerful Examples of the Payoffs of Consistency



10:12 Building Relationships Through Consistency



15:17 Consistency as a Tool to Build a Stronger Personal Identity and Leadership Identity



20:44 The Impact of Consistency on Trust and Visibility



Links Mentioned:

Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear



Book: Finish by Jon Acuff



Book: Soundtracks by Jon Acuff



Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking



Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services



Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks



Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During a recent retreat I led for my business coaching clients, we had the opportunity to do a deep dive into visibility avoidance.  We discussed this phenomenon that happens when we want to grow in new ways, but the prospect of heightened visibility holds us back.  Sometimes, when we take steps into higher visibility opportunities, we are excited by the outcomes.  But, shortly after the perceived win, we feel a sense of vulnerability that pulls us back to our pre-visibility zone of comfort, and we determine that pre-visibility space is the safer or more appropriate place for us to stay for the time being.  

Visibility can be wildly uncomfortable.  It can bring up a lot of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in which we create swirling narratives that are more harmful than helpful.  When we get stuck here, we stunt our own growth.  We shrink ourselves.  We play small.  We allow ourselves to tap into only a fraction of our full potential.  

In this episode, we explore the concept of visibility avoidance and highlight the common underlying self-limiting beliefs that hinder your personal and professional growth. I talk through how specific thought patterns undermine behavior patterns, keeping you accepting less than the best for yourself.  Then, I give you simple steps for overcoming visibility avoidance that will allow you to strategically increase visibility through small steps over time, allowing you to reach those goals you’ve been dreaming of in a way that feels exciting and rewarding! 

This episode will help you recognize the payoffs of stepping into your full potential when you do it in a way that feels safe and aligned with who you are and where you want to go. 

Episode Highlights:

00:00 The Magic of Expansive Time



04:14 Understanding Visibility Avoidance



12:03 Overcoming Self-Limiting Beliefs



16:18 Strategies for Increasing Visibility



24:47 Embracing Vulnerability and Growth



Links Mentioned:

Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking



Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services



Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks



Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’ve recently been in a few conversations about executive presence with colleagues and coaching clients.  These conversations keep coming up because of major misconceptions about executive presence.  When we think about executive presence, we tend to think about traits that allow for high control, high volume, and high power.  However, executive presence is not about dominance or taking up more space than the people around you.  It’s about far more.  And, it’s quite nuanced.    

Unfortunately, many of us don’t have great examples of executive presence around us.  This is why we don’t have a clear understanding of what it entails and how to develop it.  Without strong mentors and role models, it’s hard to know what you’re even striving for, right?!

In this episode, we will talk about what leaders are getting wrong about executive presence, the components of executive presence that matter most, and specific steps you can take to strengthen your executive presence.  We will also discuss how executive presence has long been weaponized as a gatekeeping tool and to uphold bias.  

Please know executive presence is not just for executives!  This is a way of carrying yourself in order to have a commanding presence that calls people in to work with you and listen to you.  Your executive presence at any level, regardless of role or rank, can position you to build trusting relationships, enter into collaborative opportunities, and set yourself up for powerful next steps in your leadership legacy.   

Episode Highlights:

How executive presence is learned and developed over time



Why quiet confidence goes a long way



Why executive presence requires balancing confidence with humility



Why executive presence has nothing to do with being the loudest or most dominant in the room



True executive presence is about how you make others feel



How and why to leverage authenticity more than conformity in your leadership



Recognizing the role of gatekeeping and bias in many current models of executive presence



Links Mentioned:

Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking



Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services



Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks



Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices