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 ab...

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 -- e...

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:

1. A willingess to interogate their own thinking, beliefs and assumptions...

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 -...

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 c...

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 re...

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, sharin...

"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 ep...

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 ...

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, o...

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 th...

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 Reso...

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...

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 i...

“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...

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...

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 Resourc...

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 cam...