237: The Capacity of Human Potential with Nancy Lynk
The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth
Release Date: 01/28/2026
The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth
There’s a leadership gap in our communities...and it’s not what you think. It’s not about titles. It’s not about experience. And it’s definitely not about a lack of talent. In this episode of The Found Podcast, I sit down with Melissa Reade, Executive Director of Leader Valley, to talk about the real gap we’re seeing in schools, businesses, and communities—and how we can start to fix it. From working with over 12,000 students to equipping current leaders in the workforce, Leader Valley is rethinking how leadership is developed at every stage of life. This conversation is about...
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What actually makes a small town thrive? Hint: it’s not population size, location, or luck. It’s leadership. In this episode of The Found Podcast, Molly sits down with Liesel Seabert of the University of Northern Iowa Institute for Decision Making to talk about the real, often overlooked work behind strong communities and why leadership development might be the most important investment we’re not talking about enough. From moving to Iowa without knowing a single person to becoming one of the most connected leaders in the state, Liesel shares how showing up, building relationships, and...
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What if wellness wasn’t another thing to optimize… but something you actually got to experience? In this episode, Molly sits down with Dominique Farrar, founder of Well in France — a Paris-based community and experience brand helping women slow down, connect, and redefine what it means to live well. Dom shares her journey from fast-paced tech life in Silicon Valley to building a wellness business in France — and how her version of success shifted along the way. Together, they explore the tension so many women feel: trying to “do wellness right” while already carrying too much —...
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What if the biggest shift in your leadership didn’t come from doing more… but from understanding yourself better? In this solo episode, Molly shares a behind-the-scenes look at a pivotal leadership moment inside her work with The Restoration Project. One that revealed how overperformance, urgency, and independence can quietly create disconnection on a team. Through a personal story about building the Difficult Conversations course, Molly unpacks the leadership patterns she didn’t realize she was carrying and how reconnecting with herself changed everything. This episode walks you through...
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This week on The Found Podcast, Molly reconnects with returning guest Erin McGuire-Henson, a nervous system healer, coach for soul-aligned entrepreneurs, and newly published author of The Art of Unraveling. In this deeply honest conversation, Erin shares the long and winding journey behind writing her book, a 15-year process shaped by personal healing, nervous system work, and the courage to finally be seen. Together, Molly and Erin explore how trauma responses like perfectionism, people-pleasing, and fear of visibility can quietly shape our lives and businesses. Erin opens up about growing up...
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This week on The Found Podcast, I’m joined by brand photographer, mother of four, and longtime friend Erin Moore for a deeply honest conversation about courage, community, and what it really takes to rebuild your life and business again and again. 👉 Real talk: The audio quality in this conversation isn’t perfect. But Erin’s courage, perspective, and heart made this episode one we couldn’t keep on the shelf. I hope you’ll stay with us through the tech hiccups — her story matters. Erin shares her experience of moving across states multiple times, relaunching her photography...
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This week on The Found Podcast, I’m joined by Danielle Letayf — founder of Badassery, personal brand strategist, podcast guesting expert, and the perfect woman to help us kick off our Women’s History Month interview series. Danielle helps thoughtful executives, authors, and experts turn their stories into something unforgettable. But in this conversation, we go far deeper than personal branding and podcast pitches. We talk about what it really looks like to build a business as a woman, how comparison can keep us stuck, why your path does not have to look like anyone else’s, and how...
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It’s officially Women’s History Month, and this year, instead of starting with statistics, I’m starting with a question: In 2026, are we elevating hot takes…or high character? When I was in seventh grade, I wrote a research paper on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. I was fascinated by the way she carried herself through public scrutiny, personal grief, and cultural change. Today, we live in a very different media landscape. Algorithms reward outrage. Virality rewards speed. Money rewards attention. Integrity? Not so much. In this episode, I explore: What changed between the era of shared...
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What if education wasn’t a one-time phase of life, but an evolving journey designed to meet people exactly where they are? In this episode of The Found Podcast, Molly sits down with Amy Lasack, Vice President of Business and Community Solutions at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), to explore how workforce development, education, and community collaboration intersect to create real opportunity. Amy shares how nearly 25 years in Iowa’s community college system shaped her belief that workforce is an ecosystem, not a straight line. Together, Molly and Amy discuss how education must...
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If you’ve been here for years or you’re only a handful of episodes in... this one is for you. After recently stepping back into the guest seat on another podcast, I realized it had been a while since I reintroduced herself here on The Found Podcast. So today, I'm doing just that. But not with a résumé. Not with a tidy bio. With the real story. In this episode, I walk through the winding, nonlinear path from waitress to teacher, stay-at-home mom to accidental entrepreneur, agency owner to Managing Director of The Restoration Project. I share the inflection points, the burnout, the public...
info_outlineIn this final episode of The Found Podcast’s Ages & Stages Series, I sit down with Nancy Lynk — Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking at US Bank, community leader, mentor, and lifelong learner — for a conversation that spans generations of leadership, resilience, and self-discovery.
From growing up on a Century Farm in rural Iowa to navigating the 1980s farm crisis as a young ag lender to leading complex commercial banking portfolios to now guiding others through career and life transitions, Nancy’s story is a masterclass in listening deeply, honoring your values, and becoming fearless with your own growth.
Together, Nancy and I explore:
• Building confidence before the world gives you permission
• Lessons from the 1980s farm crisis and the power of human potential
• Career pivots that shape long-term leadership
• Why reflection, journaling, and contemplative practice matter
• Letting go of chronic busyness to invest in yourself
• Becoming the mentor you once needed
• And the truth Nancy discovered: she was the only thing holding herself back
This episode is an invitation to pause, listen inward, and ask:
Where am I ready to stop standing in my own way?
Listen now to the full episode of The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth and guest Nancy Lynk.
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