Leading with Humility: The Discipline of Self-Leadership
Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
Release Date: 10/07/2025
How Leaders Remain Compassionate While Scaling Fast
Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
What does it really take to stay grounded, human, and compassionate as a business grows faster than you ever imagined? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Nicolas Breedlove for a deeply honest conversation about leadership, growth, and the internal work required to scale without losing yourself or the people around you. Nicolas shares what becoming unshakable has meant for him over the years, including the hard-earned discipline of emotional self-control and the realization that true leadership starts with self-leadership. We talk openly about his early mistakes, moments of...
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Helping Gen Z Thrive: The Path to Becoming Unshakable
Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
What does it really mean to become unshakable when life starts testing you before you can even put words to what you are feeling? In this deeply personal episode of the Becoming Unshakable podcast, I sit down with my daughter, Gabriela, for a conversation I have long wanted to record. As her mom, I have watched her journey from the very beginning, through medical uncertainty, learning challenges, therapy rooms, and moments that could have easily shaken her sense of self. As a listener, you get to hear Gabriela tell her story in her own words, with honesty, reflection, and a quiet strength that...
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Why Self-Leadership Starts with Knowing and Living Your Values with Dr. Robyne
Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
What happens when two podcasters decide to slow down, join forces, and have the kind of conversation many leaders are quietly craving right now? This week, I am doing something I have never done before. I am collaborating with my friend and colleague, Dr. Robyne Hanley Dafoe, on a shared episode that will be available on both our podcasts. This is not an interview swap or a highlight reel. It is a real, unscripted conversation between two women who care deeply about leadership, resilience, and what it actually takes to stay grounded in a world that feels loud, divided, and emotionally...
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Identifying the Leadership Gaps That Matter Most
Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
What does it actually take to spot the leadership gaps that matter, especially when life and work keep speeding up? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Erik Dodier, an entrepreneur who describes his career as a “30-year overnight success.” Erik takes us from his early love of business and entrepreneurship to building a company through decades of pivots, pressure, growth, and change. What stood out to me right away was his willingness to discuss the pause that comes after the grind, that moment when you stop running and finally have enough space to reflect on who you...
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Are you willing to be served in 2026?
Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
What happens when the identity I hold most proudly becomes the very thing that limits connection? In this solo episode of Becoming Unshakable, I share a moment of reflection that surfaced for me during a retreat I attended in Canada at the end of the year. I went there to speak, but also to listen, learn, and be present as a participant. In the middle of all the meaningful conversations and connections, one simple question from another attendee stopped me cold and stayed with me long after the retreat ended. I have always been comfortable giving, serving, and pouring into others. That part of...
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Soft Landings and Hard Truths in Team Building
Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
What does it take to lead with heart in one of the most demanding, misunderstood public service sectors? In this episode of the Leadership With Heart Podcast, I spoke with Billie Jo McCarley, Deputy Director of Operations at the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. From the moment I saw her speak on a panel, I was drawn to her clarity, purpose, and grounded approach to leading in a system that rarely gets the spotlight it deserves. Her words were honest, her tone firm, and her leadership style deeply human. Billie Jo shares her journey from a union kid in upstate New York to a...
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Faith Bigger Than Fear: Finding Ground in an Unsteady World
Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
In this episode of the Becoming Unshakable podcast, I sit down with Neri Karra Sillaman, and this conversation stayed with me long after we stopped recording. I first met Neri at the Thinkers50 event in London, where she was recognized as a Radar Award winner. The moment she spoke about her work and her life, I knew I had to learn more. This episode is the result of that instinct. Neri shares her powerful journey as an immigrant entrepreneur and refugee, forced to leave Bulgaria at the age of eleven with her family and only two suitcases. She takes us inside what it means to rebuild life from...
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Signal Up: The Secret Language of Unshakable Teams
Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
What are the signals your team is receiving from you every single day, even when you think you are not sending any at all? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I reflect on my recent work facilitating deep listening sessions inside organizations and what those moments quietly communicate to employees. Again and again, I hear the same response. Something feels different. Something feels like it is shifting. The signal is not a speech or a strategy deck. It is presence. It is being seen. It is knowing someone is actually listening. I talk about why listening is one of the clearest expressions...
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Resilience is More Than Grit
Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to talk about resilience as if it is a single gear we should keep turning forever? That question has been sitting with me for a while. I have spent years teaching leaders how to build resilience and how to stay steady when life shakes the ground under their feet. I believe in that work with my whole heart. But lately something has shifted in me. I have been rethinking the way we treat resilience as endless forward motion, almost like we are supposed to sprint through every storm without ever stopping to breathe. In this solo episode, I share an honest look...
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The Two Traits Every High-Impact Leader Must Master
Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
Have you ever met someone in a fleeting moment and instantly sensed there was a deeper conversation waiting to happen? That is precisely what happened when I met Grantley Morgan at Thinkers50 in London. It was my very first time in the city, and there he was, tucked away in the corner, trying to enjoy a quiet bite before the next wave of conversations. Of course, I walked right up to him, probably catching him mid-chew, and within minutes, we were deep into a discussion about the kind of leadership people return to when the world around them feels uncertain. In this episode of Becoming...
info_outlineIn this episode of Becoming Unshakeable, I sit down with Jim Matuga, Founder of InnerAction Media, to explore a side of leadership that often goes unspoken: followership.
Jim brings a refreshing perspective that challenges the assumption that leadership is the only role worth aspiring to. Instead, he makes a compelling case for the power of humility, steadfastness, and the influence that comes from being an excellent follower. For him, excellence and mediocrity cannot coexist, and creating a culture that values both leaders and followers is essential for building organizations that thrive.
Jim shares stories from his own career, including the moment he realized that having a title doesn't mean you are equipped to lead. Being thrust into leadership without preparation forced him to confront his own shortcomings and inspired him to dedicate decades to studying, practicing, and teaching leadership grounded in service. He discusses the weekly culture conversations he holds with his team, drawing on lessons from John Maxwell and his own experiences, to ensure that values don't just hang on the wall but are lived out in everyday practice.
One of the most potent parts of our conversation is Jim's story of intentionally removing the lid on his business. He set a goal to build a company that would not rely on him by 2030, which meant facing uncomfortable truths, opening the books, and developing successors. That level of transparency and trust not only changed the company's culture but also allowed his team to thrive in new ways. Jim also shares his "10 percent rule," the idea that under challenging conversations, the most essential truth often goes unspoken. Learning to voice that final 10 percent, he believes, is where leaders find real breakthroughs.
As we close, Jim reflects on how he stays grounded in times of chaos. For him, faith, discipline, and a holistic focus on health, relationships, and purpose keep him steady when circumstances are uncertain. His message to anyone who feels like they are barely holding it together is to act with intentionality.
Reconnect with your purpose, take one step forward, and trust that progress will come from movement. This conversation is a powerful reminder that becoming unshakeable is not about perfection or position; it's about embracing resilience. It is about humility, resilience, and the daily practice of choosing excellence and equipping others to rise alongside you.