RISEUP: Voices From the Frontlines

TIL 37/40 Is Peace Possible in a Violent World

🎙️ New Episode Announcement Can we remain nonviolent in a violent world? In this episode, we wrestle with one of leadership’s oldest, hardest questions. We trace the arc from Gandhi’s "ahimsa" and King’s “soul force” to Churchill’s refusal to appease fascism and Mandela’s road from resistance to reconciliation. This isn’t just a theory for a classroom; it’s the daily paradox leaders face when they must hold dignity as the compass while confronting real harm. We’ll explore what nonviolence can accomplish, where it meets its limits, and how trauma-informed leaders avoid naïveté without surrendering their humanity. You’ll also hear the two questions every leader must answer before the crisis hits: What cause am I willing to die for? And what cause am I willing to take life for? If you don’t know, someone else may decide for you. If you lead in government, education, nonprofits, faith communities, business—or at home—this conversation will equip you to pursue peace while preparing to protect what matters. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IpBgf3j2RC4pKVMKxMkx6?si=3a827a5dc06c4790 [https://open.spotify.com/show/6IpBgf3j2RC4pKVMKxMkx6?si=3a827a5dc06c4790] 📅 Book a call with Krista to see how this program can transform your leadership or schedule your organization’s custom training series: https://calendly.com/riseupphoenix/compass [https://calendly.com/riseupphoenix/compass]

The Bloodstained Microphone

The Bloodstained Microphone Leadership in an Age of Outrage, Influence, and Uncertainty In today's world, influence has never been easier to obtain. With a smartphone, a social media account, and an audience willing to listen, anyone can shape opinions, mobilize movements, and influence public discourse. Yet while influence has become increasingly accessible, responsibility, accountability, and leadership have not necessarily kept pace. In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Krista Fee examines the growing gap between influence and leadership through the lens of trauma psychology, neuroscience, crisis response, and real-world leadership experience. Using current events, including the Karmelo Anthony case, public unrest, social media culture, and escalating international tensions as examples, this episode explores why outrage often feels like certainty, how emotional contagion influences communities, and why the loudest voices are not always the wisest. Listeners will discover: • Why certainty and truth are not the same thing • The neuroscience of outrage, tribalism, and emotional contagion • The difference between justice and vengeance • Why influence without accountability is dangerous • How social media has transformed modern leadership • The "Facts First, Feelings Second, Options Third, Action Last" decision-making framework • Why responsible leaders learn to tolerate uncertainty • The hidden consequences of public influence • How to pursue truth without sacrificing compassion • Why the people caught in the middle of every conflict matter most At its heart, this episode is not about politics, ideology, or taking sides. It is about leadership. It is about responsibility. It is about what happens when ordinary people are given extraordinary influence and the choices they make with it. Because the microphone is never neutral. Every word lands somewhere. Every message influences someone. Every movement impacts real lives. The question is not whether we have influence. The question is whether we understand the responsibility that comes with it. Hosted by Dr. Krista Fee Executive Director, RISEUP Phoenix Trauma and Crisis Institute Where neuroscience meets leadership for high-stakes environments.

TIL 36/40 The Shadow Side of Leadership Language: When Words Harm and Divide

🎙️New Episode Announcement On today's episode we will lean into the dark side of language leaders often exploit to manipulate, control, or divide all in the name of fear, power, and corruption. We explore the us vs them model for dehumanization, the distance between contempt and atrocity and i'll give real world safeguards to avoid these language traps. 🎧Listen now on Spotify: Trauma-Informed Leadership Series [https://open.spotify.com/show/6IpBgf3j2RC4pKVMKxMkx6?si=3a827a5dc06c4790] 📅Book a call with Krista to see how this program can transform your leadership or schedule your organization’s custom training series: https://calendly.com/riseupphoenix/compass [https://calendly.com/riseupphoenix/compass]

TIL 35/40 The Weight of Words: How Language Shapes Identity and Legacy

🎙️ New Episode Announcement On today's episode we explore one of my favorite topics, the power of language to heal or to wound. We dive into some reframes that give power back where it is so often given away unintentionally. We look at hypnotic language, and the power of manipulation, control, and suggestion. Language is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal as leaders this conversation give actionable ways to use it for good and to become more aware when other's are using it in more insidious ways. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify: Trauma-Informed Leadership Series [https://open.spotify.com/show/6IpBgf3j2RC4pKVMKxMkx6?si=3a827a5dc06c4790] 📅 Book a call with Krista to see how this program can transform your leadership or schedule your organization’s custom training series: https://calendly.com/riseupphoenix/compass [https://calendly.com/riseupphoenix/compass]

TIL 34/40 Mentorship Gone Wrong: Lessons in Building Systems That Last

🎙️ New Episode Announcement Words outlive us. They shape identity, possibility, and the very scripts communities rehearse for generations. In Episode 34, we explore how language becomes legacy. From Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to King’s “I Have a Dream,” to Churchill’s wartime declarations, history shows us that words can heal or wound, humanize or dehumanize, inspire resilience or fuel destruction. We’ll unpack how trauma-informed leaders use language to empower without erasing pain—choosing “and” over “but,” separating behavior from identity, and wielding influence with integrity rather than manipulation. You’ll also learn how sloppy language erodes trust while precise, dignifying words sustain it. If you want to lead in a way that your words carry light, even when you are gone, this episode is your call to intentional speech. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify: Trauma-Informed Leadership Series [https://open.spotify.com/show/6IpBgf3j2RC4pKVMKxMkx6?si=3a827a5dc06c4790] 📅 Book a call with Krista to see how this program can transform your leadership or schedule your organization’s custom training series: https://calendly.com/riseupphoenix/compass [https://calendly.com/riseupphoenix/compass]