Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Authenticity Leads to Trust
Release Date: 01/14/2026
Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Loneliness
Illustrating Leadership
“It’s lonely at the top.” It is a phrase most leaders have heard and many have quietly felt. Especially for new and emerging leaders, that loneliness can feel heavy. You are the one people come to for answers. You are expected to project confidence and clarity, even when you feel unsure, overwhelmed, or exhausted. You carry confidential information you cannot fully share. You navigate decisions others never see. Over time, leadership can begin to feel isolating. But leadership does not have to be lonely. In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I explore why...
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Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Aligning Your Inner & Outer Life
Illustrating Leadership
Some of the most impactful leaders in our lives do not come with titles, corner offices, or formal authority. They enter our lives through relationship. They challenge us, ground us, mirror us, and sometimes even break our hearts before helping us put ourselves back together with more clarity, self-trust, and wholeness. That truth sat at the center of this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, where I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Brenda Brummond, an intuitive business coach for female entrepreneurs. What unfolded was not just a conversation about leadership, but about...
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Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Leading Different Personality Types
Illustrating Leadership
One of the most important and most overlooked truths about leadership is this: your team does not think like you. And while that realization can feel uncomfortable at first, it is actually one of your greatest opportunities as a leader. Leadership is not about getting everyone to work the way you do. It is about understanding how they work and creating the conditions for each person to thrive. In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I explore what it really means to lead different personality types with awareness, empathy, and flexibility, without losing your own...
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Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Authenticity Leads to Trust
Illustrating Leadership
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I sat down with Cindy Spratt, a holistic nutritionist who supports women in rebuilding peaceful relationships with food, body, and self. Cindy’s story offers a powerful reminder that leadership is not about fitting into a predefined mold. It is about knowing who you are, honoring your values, and creating trust through authenticity. The Leader Who Gave Permission to Be Real Cindy shared the story of a leader who deeply influenced her path, Meghan Telpner, founder of the Academy of Culinary Nutrition. While Cindy initially sought Meghan...
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Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Finding your guiding light
Illustrating Leadership
When leadership feels steady, it’s easy to move forward with confidence. But most leaders don’t struggle when things are going well — they struggle when things feel messy, unclear, stressful, or conflicting. When you’re pulled in too many directions, when decisions feel heavier than usual, or when something simply hasn’t gone well in your organization or business. In those moments, it’s tempting to look for more information. Another article. Another framework. Another opinion. But what gets leaders through those seasons isn’t more information. It’s clarity. It’s alignment....
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Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Reframing Failure
Illustrating Leadership
In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I explore one of the most important and least discussed realities of leadership: failure. Every leader will experience it. The question is not if it will happen, but how you respond when it does. Failure does not mean you are a bad leader. It does not define your character, your capability, or your future. What it does offer is an invitation to reflect, learn, and lead with integrity and resilience. Separating Who You Are from What Happened One of the most damaging patterns leaders fall into after a misstep is personalization. A...
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Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Belief Sparks Possibility
Illustrating Leadership
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I spoke with Pam Miller, a Life and Health Transitional Coach whose leadership story perfectly illustrates the transformative power of one person’s belief. Pam shared a defining moment from her twenties. A moment when fear was holding her back, her confidence was shrinking, and she fully intended to say no to an opportunity that terrified her. But one leader saw something in her she couldn’t yet see in herself. That single moment changed the entire trajectory of her life. When Fear Keeps Us Small In her twenties, Pam worked...
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Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Trusting Yourself as a Leader
Illustrating Leadership
In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I dive into one of the most essential, and most underrated, leadership skills you can ever develop: self-trust. Leadership will always include moments where the decision, the responsibility, or the next step ultimately rests on you. And in those moments, the voice you trust matters. But for many new and emerging leaders, that inner voice is clouded by fear, doubt, overthinking, or the urge to please others. In this episode, I walk through how to recognize and redirect your saboteurs, tune into your intuition, release...
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Illustrating Leadership Lesson: Leading With Softness
Illustrating Leadership
In this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I had the joy of speaking with Jodi Gagne, Energy coach, EFT practitioner, and former theater stage manager and wedding planner. Jodi’s career path is anything but linear, and that’s exactly what makes her leadership insights so powerful. From high-pressure environments where there are no second chances to the deeply introspective world of energy coaching, Jodi’s story teaches us that leadership isn’t just about strength, structure, or decisiveness. It’s also about softness, self-trust, and the courage to explore what’s...
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Illustrating Leadership Lesson: The Power of the Pause
Illustrating Leadership
A lot of new leaders feel pressure to have the right answer right away. And a lot of seasoned leaders get into trouble when they succomb to this pressure. In this solo episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I explore one of the most underestimated leadership tools out there: the pause. We live in a world that rewards speed. Fast replies, quick decisions, and constant motion. But some of the best leadership moves come not from rushing forward, but from taking a breath, slowing down, and leading with intention. Quick Doesn’t Always Mean Effective We often glorify leaders who...
info_outlineIn this episode of the Illustrating Leadership Podcast, I sat down with Cindy Spratt, a holistic nutritionist who supports women in rebuilding peaceful relationships with food, body, and self. Cindy’s story offers a powerful reminder that leadership is not about fitting into a predefined mold. It is about knowing who you are, honoring your values, and creating trust through authenticity.
The Leader Who Gave Permission to Be Real
Cindy shared the story of a leader who deeply influenced her path, Meghan Telpner, founder of the Academy of Culinary Nutrition. While Cindy initially sought Meghan out for culinary education, what stayed with her most were the leadership lessons Meghan modeled through her work and presence.
Meghan showed Cindy that it is possible to be skilled, professional, and deeply human all at once. She modeled what it looks like to show up fully as yourself while still setting boundaries, honoring values, and delivering meaningful work. That example gave Cindy permission to stop hiding parts of herself and begin leading from a place of alignment.
What Authenticity Really Means
Throughout our conversation, Cindy reflected on how often authenticity is discussed but rarely defined. For her, authenticity means doing your work while honoring who you truly are. It means showing up without a mask, without a performance, and without trying to fit into someone else’s version of professionalism.
Authenticity is not about copying what inspires you in others. It is about understanding your own values, personality, strengths, and limitations, and allowing those to inform how you lead and serve. When leaders do this, connection deepens and trust grows naturally.
Knowing Yourself Comes First
Cindy emphasized that authenticity begins with self awareness. Many people have lost touch with who they are beneath expectations, roles, and external pressure. Reconnecting requires intention and patience.
She shared simple but meaningful practices that support this work, including mindfulness, journaling, and reflecting on personal values. Understanding what truly matters to you, what energizes you, and what feels misaligned helps you lead with greater confidence and clarity. This inner grounding makes it easier to trust yourself and to make decisions from a place of integrity.
Trust as the Foundation of Leadership and Healing
Trust was a central theme of this episode. Cindy spoke openly about her own journey with disordered eating and how years of diet culture eroded her ability to trust her body and herself. Rebuilding that trust required compassion, honesty, and support that did not rely on shame.
In her work today, Cindy honors the courage it takes for clients to share deeply personal struggles. She understands that trust is not automatic. It is built through consistency, empathy, and a willingness to meet people where they are. This same principle applies to leadership. When people feel seen and respected, they are more willing to engage, grow, and heal.
Leading in a Way That Gives Others Permission
One of the most powerful takeaways from this conversation is how authenticity creates a ripple effect. When leaders trust themselves and show up honestly, they give others permission to do the same.
Cindy described leadership not as bulldozing with the loudest idea, but as staying in touch with what is really happening and helping others do the same. This kind of leadership builds teams rooted in trust, openness, and shared purpose.
Connect with Cindy Spratt
You can connect with Cindy and learn more about her work on her website. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook too!
On her website you can download her free guide titled "Break Free from the All-or-Nothing Cycle with Food" which will support you in stepping away from food guilt & shame towards more confidence, peace, and freedom around food choice.
Your host, Jessica Wright, is a Life & Career Development Coach for Leaders and the Founder of Wright Life Coaching, LLC. You can connect with and follow her on LinkedIn.