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Strong Leaders Serve with Teri Schmidt
The leadership podcast for people who are in leadership not for the status and power, but instead to use that status and power to turn potential into performance for positive change.
Hosted by Teri Schmidt, Leadership Coach & CEO of Strong Leaders Serve.
Each week we focus on supporting leaders who are dealing with the overwhelming realities of transitioning into and operating in roles where their success isn't just defined by their performance, but by the performance of their team.
Roles where they are responsible for building trust, promoting psychological safety, conflict management, taking care of their team member's wellbeing, motivating other humans, and managing up, all while trying to GET THINGS DONE.
Through solo episodes with focused and relevant leadership tips and inspirational interviews with seasoned leaders and experts, we help leaders get past their overwhelm to careers of courageous impact.
Listeners hone their skills in making their workplaces more compassionate and just through their leadership.
Episodes
211 episodes
200. Best of Strong Leaders Serve
To celebrate our 200th (!) episode, we're revisiting some of our favorite conversations from the last 100 episodes.
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199. Going beneath Authenticity, Autonomy & Accountability with Andrea Wanerstrand
Have you ever wondered what truly sets great leaders apart in today’s fast-paced workplaces? In this episode, I talked with Andrea Wanerstrand, whose career spans Microsoft, Meta, T-Mobile, and more, to dig into the real meaning behind authenti...
198. Rethinking Imposter Syndrome
Feeling like an imposter doesn’t mean you’re broken or unqualified.It often means your world has grown faster than your sense of self. In this episode we go beneath the buzzword of imposter syndrome.We look at it in a different wa...
197. Two Simple Practices to Build Real Psychological Safety with Jade Garratt
What does psychological safety really mean beneath the buzzword? In this episode, Jade Garratt, co-founder of Psych Safety and colleague of past guest Tom Geraghty, shares practical ways leaders can move past misconceptions and create ...
196. Transparency under pressure: leading with stability
What does it really mean to be transparent as a leader, especially when you can’t share everything or when you don’t agree with the direction of change?In this episode, we go beneath the buzzword of transparency. If you’ve ev...
195. What Leaders Can Learn from Sports Reporting with Jen Mueller
We’ve all heard the advice to “be an effective communicator.” But what does that really mean beyond the buzzword? In this episode, veteran sports reporter and Talk Sporty to Me founder Jen Mueller shares lessons from 25 years on the si...
194. Empower, Don't Abandon
Empowerment sounds good on paper, but in the workplace it often falls short.Especially in leadership stretch moments, like promotions and novel, high-stakes projects, what leaders call empowerment can feel like abandonment to the person ...
193. From Chaos to Calm: Agility that Inspires Hope
Agility is one of today’s favorite leadership buzzwords, but too often it gets reduced to simply moving faster. In this episode, we go beneath the buzzword to explore what true agility really means: the ability to adapt wisely and s...
192. Beyond Recognition: The Power of Mattering at Work with Zach Mercurio
What if true recognition at work wasn’t about awards or bonuses, but about helping people feel they genuinely matter every single day? In this episode, Dr. Zach Mercurio joins Teri Schmidt to reveal why small, everyday interactions,...
191. Stop Avoiding It: The Hidden Cost of Skipping Hard Conversations
Avoiding difficult conversations, or softening them so much they lose their meaning, can damage trust, confuse your team, and hurt your credibility. In this episode, Teri shares a personal story of how avoiding inside a conversation backfired, ...
190. Making Work Meaningful to Motivate Your Team with Tamara Myles and Wes Adams
Welcome to a new season of Strong Leaders Serve—where we’re going beneath the buzzwords. This season, we’re moving past surface-level leadership advice to explore the mindset shifts, self-awareness, and practices that fuel real,...
189. Managing Up and Across
Struggling to get buy-in from senior leaders—or move things forward across departments when you have no formal authority? This episode is for you. We're diving into the science and strategy of influencing without power, with research-bac...
188. Leading through Change & Uncertainty
Feeling like your team is exhausted by constant change? You're not alone. In this episode of the Strong Leader Serve podcast, we delve into strategies for leading through change with empathy and clarity. Learn five pract...
187. The Delegation Dilemma
Why is delegation so difficult—even when we know it’s essential to leadership? In this episode, we explore the hidden emotional and cognitive barriers that keep leaders stuck in doing instead of leading. You’ll learn why delegation ...
186. From Avoidance to Impact: Rethinking Difficult Conversations
In this episode, we explore the leadership skill most of us avoid: difficult conversations. You'll learn the mindset shifts that help you move from avoidance to courage, practical techniques to navigate tough talks with clarity and ...
185. Shifting Feedback from Threat to Growth
Have you ever received feedback that felt like a personal attack, even when you knew it shouldn’t be? In this episode, Teri Schmidt shares a vulnerable story from her own life and reveals why our brains react defensively when our id...
184. Leading with Cultural Humility with Dr. Joel Pérez
What if leadership wasn’t about having the right answers, but about asking better questions? In this episode, Dr. Joel Pérez shares how cultural humility—not just cultural competency—can transform how we lead, build inclusive teams, and create ...
183. Inefficiency by Design: Creating Impact & Ownership with Luke Mickelson
When it comes to leadership, efficiency isn’t always the goal—especially if it means leaving people out of the process. In this episode, CNN Hero and Sleep in Heavenly Peace founder Luke Mickelson shares how “inefficiency by design”...
182. Efficiency vs. Resilience with Tom Geraghty
Ever wonder if squeezing every ounce of efficiency from your team could actually leave you vulnerable when the unexpected strikes? In this episode, Teri welcomes back Tom Geraghty for a candid look at the critical—and often overlook...
181. When Leaders Can’t Turn Off: Breaking the Cycle of Constant Doing
Are you a leader who wants to rest—but finds yourself reaching for one more task instead? In this episode, we explore why high-achieving, compassionate leaders struggle to truly unplug, even when they think they’re re...
180. Leading Through the Tension: Creating High-Performing Diverse Teams with Henrik Bresman
Building a diverse team doesn't automatically lead to better performance — and without the right environment, it can even create new challenges. In this episode, Teri is joined again by leadership and team performance expert H...
179. The Hidden Anxiety of Managing Up
Have you ever held back from asking a question or saying "no" because you were afraid it might insinuate that your boss isn’t competent, credible, or caring? That fear—known as insinuation anxiety—can keep even the...
178. Embracing Authority as a Compassionate, Driven Leader?
If we're not in leadership for the title, how do we effectively face the challenges that come with transitioning into and through different levels of positional authority?In this episode, we talk through the main challenges faced by comp...
177. Redefining Accountability
What if holding someone accountable is one of the most caring things you can do as a leader?Listen for practical tips to shift accountability from control to care.
176. Building Trusting Relationships at Work with Deborah Ancona
Do you sometimes struggle to build trusting relationships in your workplace, especially with the distance of remote and hybrid work? You're not alone. In this episode, I talked with MIT Professor Deborah Ancona about the essential ...