Ep. 38 - Making Work Less Brutal with Rachel Cooke

Ep. 38 - Making Work Less Brutal with Rachel Cooke

What if the answer to burnout isn’t doing less, but designing work differently? In this episode, Kim and Jada sit down with Rachel Cooke, founder of Lead Above Noise, host of the Modern Mentor podcast, and a leading voice on creating healthier, more sustainable ways of working. After leaving a successful corporate HR career, Rachel set out to challenge the belief that exhaustion is simply the cost of success. What she discovered is that many organizations focus on changing structures, roles, and reporting lines while overlooking the day-to-day realities of how work actually gets done. Together, they explore: • Why work has become more complicated than it needs to be • How small shifts can create meaningful relief for overwhelmed teams • The connection between wellbeing, engagement, and performance • Why leaders don't have to have all the answers during uncertainty Rachel shares powerful stories from hospitals, boardrooms, and organizations navigating burnout, reminding us that transformation rarely starts with sweeping changes. More often, it begins with listening, experimenting, and making work just a little bit better for the people doing it. She also offers a refreshing perspective on career growth, leadership, and the future: there is no perfect plan. You take a step, and then you make it right. If you're leading through uncertainty, questioning old ways of working, or searching for practical ways to create a healthier culture, this conversation is for you. Because better workplaces aren't built through bigger policies or more processes. They are built through intentional choices, shared responsibility, and the courage to redesign work in ways that help people thrive. Want to hear more from our guest? Be sure to check out her personal podcast, Modern Mentor, where she shares practical insights and strategies to help you lead, work, and grow with confidence. Listen here: https://pod.link/modernmentor [https://pod.link/modernmentor] If today’s conversation resonated, connect with us and be part of the community of leaders who refuse to lead alone.  JadaWillis.com [https://jadawillis.com] | KimAndrewsCoaching.com [https://www.kimandrewscoaching.com/] Jada@jwillisconsulting.com | Kim@kimandrewscoaching.com

Ep. 37 - Muriel Wilkins on How High-Performing Leaders Can Find More Ease

In this episode of Lead Through It, Jada and Kim sit down with executive coach, author, and Coaching Real Leaders host Muriel Wilkins [https://www.murielwilkins.com/] for a conversation that is equal parts leadership wisdom, personal reflection, and deep exhale. Muriel shares the heart behind her work: helping leaders stop making leadership harder than it has to be. Together, they explore the mindset patterns that often keep high-performing leaders stuck, including the need to be involved in everything, the pull toward urgency, and the belief that being right is enough. Muriel explains why true leadership growth is not just about changing behaviors, but about noticing the beliefs driving those behaviors in the first place. The conversation also moves beyond tactics into something much deeper: ease, surrender, self-compassion, and what it means to lead without gripping so tightly. Muriel offers a powerful reminder that leadership is not about controlling every outcome. It is about seeing reality clearly, making intentional choices, and learning how to stay present through discomfort without adding unnecessary suffering. This episode is for leaders, coaches, and high achievers who are carrying a lot, moving fast, and wondering if there is another way to lead. Muriel’s answer is both grounding and freeing: yes, there is. And it starts with awareness, alignment, and a little more ease.  Find out more at www.murielwilkins.com/ If today’s conversation resonated, connect with us and be part of the community of leaders who refuse to lead alone.  JadaWillis.com [https://jadawillis.com] | KimAndrewsCoaching.com [https://www.kimandrewscoaching.com/] Jada@jwillisconsulting.com | Kim@kimandrewscoaching.com

Ep. 36 - Shannon Ivey on How to Find Your Feet and Talk Like You Mean It

In this episode, Jada and Kim sit down with Shannon Ive [https://shannon-ivey.com/]y for a powerful, funny, and deeply grounded conversation about voice, identity, self-advocacy, and what it means to take up space without apologizing for it. Shannon shares the journey that led her from theater professor to storyteller, coach, author, TEDx speaker, and founder of the Speak Like You Mean It method, including the moments that forced her to claim her work, protect her voice, and stop waiting for permission. The conversation moves between leadership, public speaking, women’s confidence, storytelling, body awareness, and the quiet ways people are taught to shrink themselves. Shannon also opens up about her book Welcome to the Shit Show, her experience with colorectal cancer, and why self-advocacy matters in both medical and professional spaces. Along the way, she offers practical wisdom for anyone who wants to speak with more confidence, reconnect with their body, and lead from a place that feels honest instead of performative. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt their voice catch in the room, wondered whether they were “too much,” or needed a reminder that finding your feet is sometimes the first step to remembering who you are. Check out Shannon Ivey at shannon-ivey.com/ If today’s conversation resonated, connect with us and be part of the community of leaders who refuse to lead alone.  JadaWillis.com [https://jadawillis.com] | KimAndrewsCoaching.com [https://www.kimandrewscoaching.com/] Jada@jwillisconsulting.com | Kim@kimandrewscoaching.com

Ep. 35 Part 2 - You're already doing this. It could be a lot better.

In Part 2 of this conversation, Kim and Jada pick up the “cliffhanger” from the previous episode and reveal the leadership tool hiding in plain sight: one-on-one check-ins. But this is not a conversation about adding more meetings to your calendar. It is about making better use of the time you already have. They unpack why recurring check-ins should not become another manager-driven update meeting, and how leaders can shift more ownership to direct reports while still providing structure, support, and alignment. From clarifying the purpose of the meeting to separating read-only updates from real discussion topics, Kim and Jada offer practical ways to make one-on-ones more focused, more useful, and less overwhelming. This episode is especially helpful for leaders who already meet regularly with their team members but feel like those conversations are too rushed, too scattered, or too dependent on the manager to drive.  The key takeaway: do less, go deeper, and use check-ins for connection, problem-solving, priority alignment, and meaningful support.  If today’s conversation resonated, connect with us and be part of the community of leaders who refuse to lead alone.  JadaWillis.com [https://jadawillis.com] | KimAndrewsCoaching.com [https://www.kimandrewscoaching.com/] Jada@jwillisconsulting.com | Kim@kimandrewscoaching.com

Ep. 35 Part 1 - Behind the Curtain in Coaching

In this episode of Lead Through It, Jada and Kim pull back the curtain on the kinds of conversations showing up in real coaching sessions right now. From overwhelmed leaders and overextended managers to team members who need clearer expectations, they unpack why so many leadership challenges start with the same root issue: the leader carrying too much. Together, they talk about burnout, boundaries, self-leadership, and the power of small experiments that help leaders create space before everything falls apart. This episode is honest, practical, and deeply relatable for anyone who has felt stretched too thin while still trying to show up well for their team. Part one sets the stage for a deeper conversation about the simple but powerful leadership tool they both found themselves recommending to clients. Before getting there, Jada and Kim remind listeners that progress does not have to be perfect. Sometimes the first step is one small shift, one intentional boundary, or one tiny win that helps you feel like change is possible again.  If today’s conversation resonated, connect with us and be part of the community of leaders who refuse to lead alone.  JadaWillis.com [https://jadawillis.com] | KimAndrewsCoaching.com [https://www.kimandrewscoaching.com/] Jada@jwillisconsulting.com | Kim@kimandrewscoaching.com