Celebrating 4 Years of Leadership & Hope + Earth Day Reflections | Lifting Leaders Podcast Anniversary

Hope in Action: Turning Purpose into Impact with Cycle 5 To Survive

What happens when a milestone birthday becomes a mission to change lives? In this inspiring episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we sit down with P.L. and Kristen, founders of Cycle 5 To Survive (C5TS), an extraordinary initiative powered by purpose, courage, resilience, and a commitment to helping communities thrive. Through Cycle 5 To Survive, P.L. and Kristen are cycling across five continents in five years while partnering with five charities to raise awareness and funding for sports, education, and business initiatives that create opportunity and lasting impact. As part of our 2026 leadership theme, Ignite Genuine Hope, this conversation explores what it means to turn purpose into action. Hope is more than optimism or wishful thinking. Genuine hope is relational, actionable, and rooted in the decision to keep moving toward possibility, even when the path is uncertain. In this episode, P.L. and Kristen share the personal story behind Cycle 5 To Survive [https://cycle5tosurvive.com/], the challenges they have faced along the way, and the lessons they have learned about resilience, trust, community, belonging, and leading with purpose. In this episode, you’ll discover: ✨ Why hope is a leadership practice, not a personality trait ✨ How purpose builds resilience during uncertainty and challenge ✨ The role of community and belonging in creating lasting change ✨ How leaders can acknowledge fear without becoming paralyzed by it ✨ What it takes to turn personal purpose into meaningful impact ✨ How ordinary people can create extraordinary change through consistent action Whether you lead an organization, a team, a family, or a community, this episode offers a powerful reminder: hope grows when people choose to move toward possibility together. 🎧 Listen in and be inspired by a story of purpose, perseverance, cycling for charity, and hope in action.

Building Hope, Trust, and Belonging in Our Neighborhoods

In this special crossover episode, Melanie Vargas of What’s in Your Neighborhood joins Kristal Roberts and Tricia Rhine of the Lifting Leaders Podcast for a deeply honest conversation about leadership, vulnerability, hope, and the emotional neighborhoods we all carry within us.   Together, these three executive coaches and leadership practitioners explore what it means to lead in a world filled with uncertainty, burnout, identity shifts, and growing disconnection. Through stories from their own lives and careers, they unpack the masks people wear to survive, the courage it takes to show up authentically, and the power of creating spaces where people truly feel they belong.   This conversation weaves together themes of emotional intelligence, recovery, resilience, hope, imposter syndrome, belonging, and the importance of community, both in leadership and in life. The episode also offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at what podcasting itself has taught them about courage, self-acceptance, and creating meaningful conversations that ripple outward into the world.   At its heart, this episode is an invitation: to stay present, to choose connection over fear, and to remember that even small moments of authenticity and compassion can transform the neighborhoods we build around us.   If you’ve been navigating change, questioning your place, searching for hope, or longing for deeper connection in your work or life, this conversation will leave you feeling seen, inspired, and reminded that none of us are meant to do this alone.

Encore Edition: With Homage to Mothers - Let's Talk About Caregiving, From Different Angles!

Sharing this Encore edition from 2025. As we recorded this episode, on the front end of Mother’s Day weekend, we started simmering on the topic of caregiving…something moms know all too well about.  So, with a world of respect, to all the moms out there, we are taking a look at caregiving, from a few different angles. The first angle is, of course, all about people who provide care for others.  This includes all women AND men, who may be providing ongoing care for one or more parent or other family member(s).  It includes the “Sandwich Generation,” who may have kids at home and, just maybe, have older family members living in their homes.  Being a primary caregiver is a truly challenging job, and it can be difficult to realize the rewards, while you’re entrenched in the role. Listen in, as we share a few of our personal journeys, as caregivers and what we gained from our experiences. If you’ve ever needed care from others, but found it difficult to ask or accept, you’ll learn more about why it’s okay and courageous to be vulnerable and accept care.  Finally, we approach caregiving from the angle of caring for ourselves. This may be the most challenging aspect of caregiving and it’s critically important.  So, join us as we hold caregiving “Story Time,” with you.  We hope it inspires you to explore your own environment and feelings.

Hope-Led Leadership: What It Is and How to Ignite Genuine Hope | Coaches Corner

What is hope-led leadership, and how do you actually practice it in today’s complex world? In this Coaches Corner episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we explore how to ignite genuine hope in leadership, not as a fleeting feeling, but as a disciplined, actionable leadership practice. We begin in a place many leaders avoid: the moment when something isn’t working. Instead of bypassing that tension, we explore how naming what’s not working can become the catalyst for clarity, imagination, and forward movement. In this episode, we introduce our definition of hope-led leadership: the disciplined practice of helping people believe a better future is possible and equipping them with the pathways, agency, and energy to move toward it. You’ll learn: * How to move from awareness to genuine hope in leadership * Why naming challenges clearly is essential to building trust and momentum * The three critical questions every hope-led leader must answer * What transforms leadership from inspirational to actionable * How to create energy, belief, and possibility within your team or organization If you’re a leader, executive coach, or leadership development professional looking to lead with intention, build trust, and create meaningful impact, this episode will help you turn hope into a powerful leadership advantage. 🎯 Whether you’re navigating change, leading a team, or developing your leadership mindset, this conversation will support you in leading with clarity, courage, and possibility.

From Awareness to Hope: Igniting Genuine Hope in Leadership | Lifting Leaders Podcast

What does it take to move from awareness to genuine hope in leadership? In this transition episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we close our Light the Spark phase and step into our next leadership focus: Ignite Genuine Hope — a deeper, steadier, and more sustainable way of leading in today’s complex world. We reflect on what it meant to light the spark — building self-awareness, courage, and imagination — and why those capabilities are essential foundations for hope-led leadership. Because real hope doesn’t begin externally — it starts within. In this episode, we revisit powerful leadership moments, including: • The courage to name what’s not working — and how truth-telling can reshape a leader’s path • The discipline of pausing, listening deeply, and sensing what’s emerging • The role of values-based leadership in navigating uncertainty and change These insights become the bridge into our next phase. As we shift toward igniting genuine hope, we explore: • What it means to model hope as a leadership practice — not just an idea • How to lead with purpose, presence, and sustainability in a fast-moving world • The importance of connection — to community, environment, and each other This episode sets the stage for a powerful new chapter in leadership development, purpose-driven leadership, and hope in action. 🌱 Join us for this short, reflective episode — and begin to consider: What does genuine hope look like in your leadership… and how will you model it?