Libsyn Directory

Effective Communication

LEADERish: leadership lessons, straight up

Release Date: 06/06/2025

LEADERish: leadership lessons, straight up

In this episode of Leaderish, Doris and Regina dive into what it truly means to plan for a new year with intention rather than wishful thinking. They explore the importance of starting with a clear vision—imagining life and business several years in the future—before breaking that vision down into yearly, quarterly, monthly, and weekly action steps. Through relatable examples, including a corporate-era story of creating goals in December that should’ve been written in January, they highlight how easily we fall into reactive habits instead of designing the future we want. The...

Overcome Interview Roadblocks

LEADERish: leadership lessons, straight up

Overcome Interview Roadblocks In this episode of Leaderish: Leadership Lessons Straight Up, Doris flips the script and interviews Regina about her proven approach to helping clients master job interviews. Regina shares how her program helps candidates stand out using the three C’s—Connection, Clarity, and Communication. They discuss how to use AI to fine-tune your resume, build confidence before the interview, and craft memorable stories using the SAR model (Situation, Action, Result). You’ll also hear tips on overcoming interview nerves, projecting authenticity, and...

Conscious Leadership Explained: The SIRE Model and the Power of Inner Work | Leaderish Podcast

LEADERish: leadership lessons, straight up

What if the biggest leadership challenge isn’t managing others but managing yourself? In this episode of Leaderish: Leadership lessons straight up, hosts Regina Taute and Doris Dunn sit down with Gayathri Rhiddi, Executive Coach and Founder of Realize to Win, to explore conscious leadership and the deep inner work that drives authentic, effective leadership. Gayathri introduces her SIRE Model, a practical framework that helps leaders strengthen self-awareness, regulate emotions, and express their values with clarity and impact. Together, they unpack how conscious leadership...

Hiring Smarter, Not Harder: What Every Manager Should Know (with Joel Schwann)

LEADERish: leadership lessons, straight up

Episode: S4E20 – Hiring Smarter, Not Harder: What Every Manager Should Know Guest: Joel Schwann, Founder of Schwann Stratifier In this follow-up to one of our most popular job-seeker episode, we flip the script. This week, Leaderish co-hosts Doris Dunn and Regina Taute welcome back Joel Schwann to explore the other side of the hiring equation — what hiring managers can do to find, evaluate, and retain great talent more effectively. Joel brings nearly a decade of experience in HR, recruiting, and workforce planning. Together, they dig into the practical and often...

The Human Side of Data: Insights with Jennifer Miller

LEADERish: leadership lessons, straight up

In this episode of Leaderish: Leadership Lessons Straight Up, Doris and Regina sit down with Jennifer Miller—psychological scientist, statistician, and co-founder of Millan Chicago—to explore the power of telling a story with data. Jennifer shares how her background in psychological science and statistics gives her a unique lens for helping organizations turn complex data into actionable insights. Together, we discuss: Why defining what you measure matters more than the numbers themselves How data can reveal stories about culture, retention, and employee experience The...

Job Seekers: How to Stand Out in Today’s Crowded Market with Joel Schwan

LEADERish: leadership lessons, straight up

In this jam-packed episode, Doris and Regina sit down with Joel Schwan, talent strategist and founder of Schwan Stratifyer, to unpack the realities of today’s competitive job market. With AI-written resumes flooding employers’ inboxes, layoffs reshaping industries, and recruiters turning to new tools, job seekers need fresh strategies to get noticed. Joel shares insider advice on how to: Write resumes that stand out without sounding generic. Use measurable results and bullet points that showcase true value. Leverage AI tools like ChatGPT wisely—without copying and pasting. Tailor...

Building Habits that Stick

LEADERish: leadership lessons, straight up

Episode Summary: In this episode of Leaderish: Leadership Lessons Straight Up, Doris and Regina dig into the power of habits—how they’re formed, how they stick, and how to replace the ones holding us back. Drawing from James Clear’s Atomic Habits, Dr. Wendy Wood’s research, and their own real-life stories, they uncover what it really takes to build high-powered habits that shape identity, fuel growth, and create lasting change. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why habits compound like interest—tiny gains over time add up to big results. The truth about how...

Resilience - The Look Up Mindset

LEADERish: leadership lessons, straight up

Episode Summary: In this powerful episode, Doris and Regina welcome Heidi Siefkas, adventurer, TEDx speaker, and author of Look Up: Global Stories of Resilience, to explore how resilience shows up in life, leadership, and even love. Heidi shares her own transformational story—from surviving a traumatic accident to enduring loss—and how she created the "Look Up" mindset to navigate life’s curveballs with purpose and perspective. In this episode, you’ll learn: What the Look Up mindset means and how it was born out of crisis How 30 diverse stories from around the world reveal...

S4E15 - Health & Wellness in the Workplace

LEADERish: leadership lessons, straight up

Episode Summary: In this energizing episode, Doris and Regina welcome Heather Wolcott—board-certified health and wellness coach, certified personal trainer, and the catalyst behind the walking group that brought your hosts together. Heather shares actionable insights on how wellness can be woven into the workplace—whether driven by leadership or sparked by employees on the front lines. Together, they explore: Why wellness must be modeled from the top—but doesn’t have to start there The ripple effect of a single “spark” like a lunchtime walking group How community, movement,...

Supporting Caregivers in the Workplace

LEADERish: leadership lessons, straight up

Summary: In this powerful and compassionate episode, Lauren Kiproff-Downer returns to Leaderish for a heartfelt and strategic conversation about caregiving in the workplace. Whether you’re caring for aging parents, children, or someone else in your life, or leading teams who are, this episode is for you. Lauren, an organizational psychologist and founder of Perpara Organizational Development Consulting, shares insights on how leaders and organizations can better support employees who are caregivers—an often invisible but growing demographic. From practical workplace policies to...

More Episodes

In this powerful episode of Leaderish, Leadership Lessons Straight Up, Doris and Regina explore what it really means to communicate effectively—especially when emotions are running high. Inspired by The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher, they unpack key strategies to shift from winning arguments to building trust.

Topics Covered:

🔹 The myth of “winning” a conversation

🔹 How to use pauses and silence as tools for connection

🔹 The role of curiosity in reducing conflict

🔹 Managing your tone and body language—especially when frustrated

🔹 Tips for using clear and concise language (and avoiding filler words!)

🔹 Real-life stories, including Regina’s vulnerable moment and a moment of growth at a dinner table

Whether you're navigating personal relationships or workplace dynamics, this episode offers insights and strategies to communicate with clarity, compassion, and purpose.

Takeaway Challenge:

This week, pick one strategy from the episode—pause before reacting, get curious, or tighten your language—and practice it intentionally. Bonus points for journaling about what changes!

Mentioned in This Episode:

📚 The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher

🎙️ The Mel Robbins Podcast

🧠 The Let Them Theory (Episode S4E9)

We'd love to connect! You can find us in all of these places: