Unfiltered Leadership with Lindsay Yellin

Lindsay Yellin

Most leadership content skims the surface: buzzwords, checklists, quick wins. Unfiltered Leadership goes deeper: who you are, what you stand for, how you show up. Hosted by Lindsay Yellin, executive leadership coach, coffee enthusiast, and former ad VP, this show is for leaders ready to trade fear for possibility. Each week: real, unfiltered conversations + practical tools to lead with clarity, courage, and connection. Because leadership isn’t just deliverables, it’s who you are when it counts. Grab your mug and join us.

  1. 2 days ago

    32. Why Your Old Self Can’t Lead Your Next Chapter with Ronnie Dickerson Stewart

    Feeling lost while navigating a big life transition? You've outgrown the identity that got you here — not failed it. ✨ Get your espresso shot of leadership insight: https://yellingroundsforgrowth.myflodesk.com/groundsforgrowth Major life transitions can create a profound loss of identity, leaving high achievers desperate to find themselves again by returning to who they were. Leadership coach and author of Work Life Remix, Ronnie Dickerson Stewart, challenges that instinct: the identity that carried you through a former season may be unqualified for the life you’re building now. In this conversation with Lindsay Yellin on Unfiltered Leadership, Ronnie shares how she navigated parenthood, leaving corporate life, and building a business — and how to process grief, name what you’re losing, and reclaim agency in your next chapter. If you’re moving through career change, parenthood, layoffs, or any season where familiar roles no longer fit, this is how to stop chasing your old self and start meeting the person this season requires. This is just a portion of the larger conversation Lindsay and Ronnie had on this powerful topic. If you’re hungry for more, listen to the whole conversation here. How to Lead Yourself When You Feel Lost with Ronnie Dickerson Stewart: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3WzFoxKnQw Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6U4Eg88vSh316GhxkEM6Ip?si=rfPajXO2QvCjrxYCQ-Q2TQ

  2. 27 Jul

    29. Why High Performers Struggle When They Become Leaders with Christi Pizarek

    Stop trying to "skill" your way out of burnout. Most leadership frameworks you’re following are actually sabotaging your ability to scale. In this episode of Unfiltered Leadership, host Lindsay Yellin sits down with executive coach Christi Pizarek to challenge everything you think you know about leadership development. If you’ve been chasing "skill-based frameworks" to fix burnout or navigate complex challenges, you’re missing the point. Christi Pizarek, founder of inTension Coaching and Consulting, shares her transformative journey from the advertising world to executive coaching, explaining why true leadership impact isn’t about adding more tools to your belt—it’s about deep, intentional capacity building. In this video, you will learn: Why the "time is money" mindset is sabotaging your long-term organizational health. The "operating system upgrade": How to build foundational resilience to thrive in perpetual swirl. Why tension is actually the most fertile ground for innovation and leadership growth. How to cultivate curiosity and agency to navigate complexity without losing your groundedness. About Christi Pizarek: Christi is an executive, team, and systems coach who blends depth, wisdom, and systems thinking. After a distinguished career in advertising (Starcom), she transitioned into internal and later independent coaching, focusing on helping leaders leverage discomfort for possibility and sustainable development. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christi-pizarek/inTension's Website: https://www.intensioncoaching.com/inTension's IG: @inTensionCoaching

  3. 13 Jul

    28. Setting Boundaries at Work Without Burning Bridges with Morgan Pomish

    Setting boundaries at work doesn't threaten your career, it strengthens your leadership. Morgan shares how she went from burning out in her early career in advertising to leading authentically without sacrificing her values, her voice, or her influence. In this episode, Morgan Pomish, a leader in the advertising industry breaks down what it really takes to set professional boundaries in a hustle culture without losing credibility, connection, or career momentum. Drawing from her own experience of burnout, stress-induced health issues, and navigating male-dominated rooms, Morgan shares the exact approach that helped her lead authentically while staying true to her values. What You'll Learn:  • Why workplace boundaries feel impossible early in your career  and when they start to work for you  • How to speak up for what you need without being labeled "difficult"  • Why managing your energy matters more than managing your time  • The truth about women and emotion in leadership  • How consistent boundaries build trust and psychological safety on your team  • The thermostat vs. thermometer leadership model  • Why "being fun to work with" is an underrated leadership strategy  • How your personal values shape your leadership style and why that influences everyone This episode is for high-performing professionals, especially women in leadership, who want to build a career that doesn't cost them their well-being.

  4. 8 Jun

    26. People Pleasing Almost Broke Me — Here's What I Had to Unlearn

    I spent years making everyone comfortable, and for a long time, it worked. It made me good at reading rooms, smoothing tension, staying dependable, and being the person people could count on. But as I sat down for this solo birthday episode, reflecting on one of the hardest years of my life, I realized how much of that “strength” was actually my people pleaser trying to keep me safe. What I’m learning is that people pleasing can look like leadership, kindness, and strength from the outside, while underneath it can become self-abandonment. When your need to be liked starts overriding your values, your presence, your boundaries, and your ability to ask for help, something has to change. If you are a high-achieving people pleaser who is exhausted from fixing, managing, performing, and keeping everyone else comfortable, I hope this feels like a hand on your shoulder. We’re talking about how to stop people-pleasing, how to sit with the discomfort of disappointing others, and how to reclaim your needs before burnout makes the choice for you. Inside this episode • Why this birthday reflection brought my people-pleasing into focus • Why people-pleasing can become a career survival strategy • The leadership cost of staying silent to keep the peace • How managing everyone’s emotions keeps you from being present • Why is no one pleased when you stop pleasing • How to reclaim your values, boundaries, and needs without losing your worth

  5. 25 May

    25. Leading Like a Coach: Listening, Vulnerability, and Letting Go of Control with Caitlin Golden

    In this episode of Unfiltered Leadership, Lindsay sits down with Caitlin Golden, HR executive and longtime friend, for a deep conversation about coaching, leadership, vulnerability, and what it really means to lead people well. Lindsay and Caitlin first met through the Co-Active Training Institute during coach training while both were still working in advertising and marketing. What started as professional curiosity evolved into a years-long friendship grounded in shared values around people-centered leadership and personal growth. Together, they explore how coaching fundamentally changed the way they lead, listen, communicate, and show up in relationships at work. This conversation dives into: why most people hear but don’t truly listen how curiosity creates stronger leadership the difference between fixing and supporting vulnerability, accountability, and trust in leadership why great managers see people as whole humans and how self-awareness changes the way we lead others Caitlin also shares practical examples from her experience leading HR teams, conducting exit interviews, managing talent, and helping people grow through feedback and recognition. This episode is a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about being willing to listen deeply, stay curious, and create spaces where people feel seen, heard, and understood. About your host: Lindsay Yellin Lindsay Yellin is an executive leadership coach, dynamic speaker, and certified ACC and CPCC who helps high-achieving creative leaders trade fear for possibility and self-doubt for self-trust. A former advertising executive, she has led in high-pressure, high-visibility environments and knows the challenge of staying connected to oneself while leading others. ✨ Book a Coaching Chemistry Call with Lindsay: https://calendly.com/yellin-coaching/chemistry-call  ✨ Get your espresso shot of leadership insight, join the Grounds for Growth newsletter: https://yellingroundsforgrowth.myflodesk.com/groundsforgrowth  About Caitlin Golden Caitlin is a senior HR executive with nearly two decades of experience building people-first cultures inside fast-moving agencies and startups. A Co-Active trained coach, she brings that same whole-person philosophy into her leadership work — helping organizations and the individuals within them grow from the inside out. Her practice sits at the intersection of strategic HR and human development, with a particular focus on leadership, engagement, and building the kind of environments where people genuinely thrive. Episode Highlights How Lindsay and Caitlin met through coach trainingWhy coach training was “life changing” for both of them The difference between hearing and truly listening What “powerful questions” actually look like Why curiosity is one of the most underrated leadership skills How coaching changes the way you manage teams The danger of leaders trying to fix everything Why strong leaders guide instead of control The connection between self-awareness and emotional intelligence How to “read the room” by understanding yourself first Why great leaders admit when they don’t know something The role of vulnerability, accountability, and repair in leadership How acknowledgment and recognition transform team culture Why people-centered leadership creates stronger engagement and trust Letting go of ego, perfectionism, and control as a leade

About

Most leadership content skims the surface: buzzwords, checklists, quick wins. Unfiltered Leadership goes deeper: who you are, what you stand for, how you show up. Hosted by Lindsay Yellin, executive leadership coach, coffee enthusiast, and former ad VP, this show is for leaders ready to trade fear for possibility. Each week: real, unfiltered conversations + practical tools to lead with clarity, courage, and connection. Because leadership isn’t just deliverables, it’s who you are when it counts. Grab your mug and join us.