How a Single Phrase Builds Psychological Safety & Creativity in Leadership | Mary Messner

What AI Can't Replace & the Human Problem Behind Every Work Problem | Shelby Mathews

AI. Identity. The human problem behind every work problem. What if the biggest threat to your career is not a machine, it is not knowing what only you can do? Shelby Mathews is the SVP of Marketing at Native Digital and a BONDE member based in Kansas City. She has spent her career navigating marketing strategy, organizational growth, and what it means to lead authentically in an industry that moves fast and rewards performance over presence. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Shelby Mathews get into what is actually happening in the marketing world with AI, what can and should be commoditized versus what cannot, and the real question leaders need to ask themselves before the tools make it irrelevant. They also go deep on the cost of being someone who adapts to every room and what it means to realize you have been a reflection of the situation instead of figuring out who you are in it. What we cover: * What AI can and cannot replace in marketing and leadership * Why the fear around artificial intelligence is missing a historical lens * What it means to be someone who adapts to every room and the cost of that * The difference between being a chameleon and knowing who you actually are * Why there is no such thing as job security as your life security * The human problem that lives underneath every work problem Connect with Shelby Mathews: * Website: https://www.shelby-mathews.com/ [https://www.shelby-mathews.com/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelby-mathews-48b50074/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelby-mathews-48b50074/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shmathews/ [https://www.instagram.com/shmathews/] Sign up to the newsletter: https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/ [https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/] Watch more from You Gotta NO! — Leadership. Mental health. Real conversations: https://ygnpodcast.com [https://ygnpodcast.com]

Burnout, Identity & The Cost of Building for Everyone Else | Kasim Hardaway

Burnout. External validation. The cost of building a life that was never really yours. What happens when you spend a decade producing for everyone else — and then your body finally says no? Kasim Hardaway is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker based in Kansas City whose work is rooted in mental health and the human condition. After more than a decade in digital marketing as a strategic content consultant and social media influencer, burnout turned into depression — and therapy became the thing that pulled him back to himself. His debut film, The UNBecoming, is currently on the film festival circuit with official selections including Best Experimental Film at the Tokyo Film Awards 2025. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Kasim Hardaway get into what it actually costs to build a career on external validation, why so many leaders and creators never get out of the cycle of just building, and what unbecoming everything that was never meant for you actually looks like in practice. This is a conversation about identity, capacity, and what it means to finally give yourself permission to just exist. What we cover:— Why brands need to stop treating people like brands— How unresolved childhood wounds show up in your leadership and work— The connection between productivity, self worth and burnout— What it took to walk away from a decade-long career to start over— Why mental health is a journey, not a destination— The UNBecoming — Kasim's debut film and what it represents Connect with Kasim Hardaway:Website: https://www.kasimhardaway.com/ [https://www.kasimhardaway.com/]LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasimjhardaway/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasimjhardaway/]Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kasimjhardaway/ [https://www.instagram.com/kasimjhardaway/] Sign up to the newsletter: https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/ [https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/]Watch more from You Gotta NO! — Leadership. Mental health. Real conversations: https://ygnpodcast.com [https://ygnpodcast.com] Topics to keep: Leadership, Mental Health, BurnoutTopics to add if available: Identity, Personal Development, Creativity, Entrepreneurship

What Your Nervous System Has Been Trying to Tell You | Burnout & Leadership with Dr. Holly Battrum

Burnout. Emotional dysregulation. Nervous system health for leaders. Most leaders are running on empty — reactive, scattered, and pushing through, calling it leadership. Dr. Holly Battrum is a Doctor of Eastern Medicine and holistic health practitioner who works with leaders and organizations to reconnect with the one system nobody talks about: the nervous system. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Dr. Holly Battrum go deep on why emotional dysregulation is the quiet crisis underneath burnout, what your body has been trying to signal that you've stopped listening to, and what actually changes when leaders start paying attention. They also break down Holly's 30% rule — one of the simplest and most practical tools for stressed, overstimulated leaders who always feel behind. What we cover:— Why most leaders are sympathetically dominant and what that costs them— The real reason you're reactive before you even realize it— What emotional dysregulation actually looks like in high-performing leaders— Why well-being programs fail when leadership isn't on board first— The 30% rule and why it works when everything else hasn't Connect with Dr. Holly Battrum:Website: https://sjokort.com/ [https://sjokort.com/]LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-battrum/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-battrum/]Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holly_battrum/ [https://www.instagram.com/holly_battrum/] Listen to You Gotta NO! wherever you get your podcasts → ygnpodcast.com

We Promoted the Wrong People and Now Work Is Falling Apart | Leadership & Management with Dr. Katie Gaebel

Management failures. Burnout in leaders. Teams that feel broken. We promoted the wrong people — not because they weren't capable, but because we never taught them how to lead. Dr. Katie Gaebel is a [her credentials/role] who works with organizations to [what she does]. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Dr. Katie Gaebel get into what's really happening inside organizations today — overwhelmed managers, disconnected teams, and cultures that look nothing like the values on the wall. They dig into the pressure managers carry, why burnout is rising, and what happens when people are expected to lead without ever being prepared for it. What we cover:— Why organizations keep promoting the wrong people into management— The real cost of unprepared leaders on team performance and culture— What managers need but rarely get— Why burnout in leadership starts before people even realize it— What actually changes when organizations invest in manager development Connect with Dr. Katie Gaebel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiegaebel/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mkgaebel/ Listen to You Gotta NO! wherever you get your podcasts → ygnpodcast.com

How a Single Phrase Builds Psychological Safety & Creativity in Leadership | Mary Messner

Psychological safety. Creative leadership. The one phrase that changes everything. What if a single shift in language could transform how your team thinks, communicates, and makes decisions? Mary Messner is a keynote speaker and former executive who has spent her career at the intersection of leadership, communication, and organizational culture. She works with leaders and teams to build environments where people feel genuinely safe to speak up, take risks, and bring their best thinking forward. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Mary Messner unpack what she calls one of the greatest failures in leadership today — the pressure to have all the answers. From the outside, leadership looks confident and decisive. But behind closed doors, that pressure quietly kills creativity, erodes trust, and shapes decisions through conformity rather than courage. Mary reveals how one simple phrase can open the door to psychological safety, unlock creative thinking, and lead to far better outcomes for leaders and their teams. What we cover:— Why the pressure to appear certain is silently damaging your team's creativity— How conformity shapes decisions inside organizations without anyone noticing— The single phrase that signals safety and invites honest, creative input— What great leaders say (and don't say) to build trust— How to shift your communication style to lead with curiosity instead of authority— Why psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing teams Sign up to the newsletter: https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/ [https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/] Watch more from You Gotta NO! — Leadership. Mental health. Real conversations: https://ygnpodcast.com [https://ygnpodcast.com]