The Dr. Denise Simpson Podcast

Denise Simpson
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Management
  • Weekly

Denise Simpson is a public academic and the founder of the Masters of Leadership Institute. She has a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies and is a social scientist, grounding this work in disciplined scholarship and lived wisdom. The practices offered on The Dr. Denise Simpson Podcast emerge from sustained study, contemplative formation, and decades of real-world leadership. This is work shaped by depth, integrity, and responsibility. Whether you're an executive, entrepreneur, or emerging leader, this podcast is for you to learn and grow. To learn more about Denise and her programs, visit www.drdenisesimpson.com or find her on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

  1. 5d ago ·  Video

    "I Should Be Able to Figure This Out": The Myth Holding You Back

    Do you believe great leaders should have all the answers and never need help? That belief may be quietly costing you your team, your results, and your peace. In this episode, Dr. Denise Simpson unpacks the myth that leaders must know everything, why asking for help feels like weakness, and why leadership mindset (not skills) is the foundation of effective leadership. You'll hear how Dr. Denise's entire team turned on her as a 26-year-old department chair, the lesson her dean taught her about patterns and self-awareness, and the one question to ask the next time you think, "I should be able to figure this out on my own." 🔹 Join the free monthly coaching experience (75 minutes, live): https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/anchoredcoaching 🔹 Join Anchored, weekly leadership coaching: https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/anchored 🔹 Learn more: https://www.drdenisesimpson.com Chapters 0:00 "I should be able to figure this out by myself" 2:19 Mindset → skill set → strategy: the order that matters 4:46 When my entire team turned on me 7:13 What is not asking for help costing you? 9:16 Patterns, blind spots, and self-awareness 11:39 How mindset fuels skills and strategy 13:05 Free monthly coaching experience 15:34 Coaching as a mirror: how to think, not what to think 18:01 Closing thoughts

  2. Oct 18 ·  Video

    Leaders Heal First: Why Pain Doesn't Have to Become Suffering

    Pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice. In this Season 5 episode, Dr. Denise Simpson explains why leaders must heal first: unhealed pain doesn't stay personal. It shows up in how you lead, how you treat your team, and the culture you create. Drawing on a conversation with a close friend in the middle of a painful family storm, Dr. Denise shares why there's no one-size-fits-all coping strategy, how to build a "pocket full of strategies" that move healing forward instead of numbing it, and why leaders who skip this work keep repeating workplace trauma. She closes with a question every leader needs to sit with: Am I worthy of the relief I'm seeking? 🔹 Join the free monthly coaching experience (75 minutes, live): https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/anchoredcoaching 🔹 Join Anchored, weekly leadership coaching: https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/anchored 🔹 Learn more: https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/ Chapters 0:00 Pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice 2:26 Using strategies while you're in the storm 4:54 Leaders with or without a title 6:47 A friend's painful family storm 8:43 Coping strategies: one size does not fit all 11:15 What coaching actually looks like 12:31 Life's storms are certain, your response isn't 14:57 Relief, and why I have my own coach 17:04 When emotion is high, logic is low 19:01 Strategies that heal vs. strategies that numb 20:24 Season 5: mining the gold from past pain 22:16 Workplace trauma and dangerous models of leadership 23:58 Am I worthy of this? 25:37 Join the monthly live coaching experience

  3. Oct 11 ·  Video

    Leadership Is Simple: The 3-Variable Framework to Beat Burnout

    Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or ready to walk away from leadership? You're not failing. Leadership has been overcomplicated. In this Season 5 episode, Dr. Denise Simpson cuts through the noise of endless books, gurus, and strategies to share the simple framework she teaches every leader in her institute: three variables (mindset, skill set, and strategy) that make up every effective leadership practice. You'll learn what burnout really is (and why it's tied to missing coping strategies between the peaks and valleys), why you can't outrun a bad mindset, and how to turn painful past experiences into wisdom that moves your team forward. Plus, Dr. Denise shares a personal loss and what it means to lead while grieving. 🔹 Join the free monthly coaching experience (75 minutes, live): https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/anchoredcoaching 🔹 Join Anchored, weekly leadership coaching: https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/anchored 🔹 Learn more: https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/ Chapters 0:00 Love is attention 2:20 Why leadership feels so complicated 4:39 Turning past pain into wisdom 7:02 Why you're here: love and wisdom 9:23 Burnout as a sign of awareness 11:46 Heavy is the head: peaks, valleys, and stress 14:09 What burnout really is 16:27 Put the leadership books down 18:50 Distractions: COVID, AI, and personal loss 21:15 Emotional distance and mining the gold 23:24 Variable 1: Mindset 25:47 Variables 2 & 3: Skills and strategy 28:11 Applying the framework to your role 30:39 Closing: your future is intoxicating

  4. Oct 5

    Humans Lead, AI Manages: Leadership vs. Management in the AI Era

    Is AI coming for your job, or freeing you to lead? In this Season 5 opener, Dr. Denise Simpson returns to basics: the difference between management (process, control, status quo) and leadership (vision, influence, and elevating people). With AI now automating routine management tasks, knowing that difference matters more than ever. Dr. Denise shares how she went from managing a multimillion-dollar retail store at 19 with no training to using AI to run the operational side of her business today, and why she never hands it her critical thinking. Drawing on Kotter's management vs. leadership distinction and a recent Forbes article built on 45 executive interviews, she explains how to map your tasks, let AI handle the routine, and position yourself as an irreplaceable linchpin. 🔹 Join the free monthly coaching experience (75 minutes, live): https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/anchoredcoaching 🔹 Join Anchored, weekly leadership coaching: https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/anchored 🔹 Learn more: https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/ Chapters 0:00 Welcome to Season 5: moving forward together 2:23 Back to basics: management vs. leadership 4:48 What management really is: process, control, status quo 7:09 Managing a retail store at 19 9:30 Are you leaning toward management or leadership? 11:48 How I use AI for the management side of my business 14:09 The fear of being replaced by AI 16:29 AI is a neutral tool, so leverage it now 18:52 Don't outsource your thinking to AI 21:17 How I use Claude for research tasks 23:37 Forbes: AI is automating routine management 25:58 Humans lead, AI manages 28:22 Start with one task and become a linchpin

  5. Sep 30

    A New Vision of Leadership Begins Within | Season 5 Prelude

    After a long and necessary pause, Dr. Denise Simpson is back, and so is the podcast. In this Season 5 prelude, she shares what she learned from stepping away during a difficult season, why she refuses to keep "returning to the scene of the crime," and how mining the gold from past pain becomes your most powerful leadership tool. Dr. Denise opens up about being trained in toxic leadership, mastering it, and then unlearning it. She explains why leadership is shifting back toward humanity and introduces this season's theme: a new vision of leadership that begins within. Plus, the return of the Anchor Method (descend, anchor, ascend) to help you detach from the noise, remember who you are, and lead with depth, integrity, and vision. 🔹 Join the free monthly coaching experience (75 minutes, live): https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/anchoredcoaching 🔹 Join Anchored, weekly leadership coaching: https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/anchored 🔹 Learn more: https://www.drdenisesimpson.com/ Chapters 0:00 Welcome back after a necessary break 2:20 Mining the gold from the past 4:45 When life tells you to pause 7:03 The rearview mirror: choosing to move forward 9:24 Unlearning toxic leadership 11:43 The shift back to humanity in leadership 13:46 A new vision of leadership that begins within 16:00 The Anchor Method and joining the community

  6. Jul 18

    The Impact Anchor: How to Lead Without Sacrificing Your Soul

    🎥 WATCH PODCAST EPISODE HERE.   ⚓️ Join me for contemplation and connection in my upcoming Zoom workshop. Let's meet and dive deeper together! Click here to save your spot.   When you're ready, join our NEW community for leaders refusing to burn out! It's called ANCHORED. Join ANCHORED by clicking here.    In this season finale, I introduce the fifth and final point of the Anchor Method: Transformational Impact. This anchor asks us to consider not only what we accomplish as leaders, but who our people become because we were entrusted to lead them. Finally, we explore the complete Descend → Anchor → Ascend cycle, why your relationship with yourself shapes your relationship with your team, and how a sacred pause can help you respond thoughtfully instead of reacting from overwhelm.

    The Impact Anchor: How to Lead Without Sacrificing Your Soul

  7. Jul 9

    The Presence Anchor: Your Energy Leads Before You Speak

    🎥 WATCH PODCAST EPISODE HERE.   ⚓️ Join me for contemplation and connection in my upcoming Zoom workshop. Let's meet and dive deeper together! Click here to save your spot. When you're ready, join our NEW community for leaders refusing to burn out! It's called ANCHORED. Join ANCHORED by clicking here.    There are moments in leadership when life doesn't pause just because you're responsible for other people. In this episode, I share a deeply personal season my family and I are walking through, and how I returned to the practices I teach every leader. Let's explore The Presence Anchor, the fourth principle in my Anchor Framework. I'll show you why your greatest influence isn't found in what you say but in who you are when everything around you feels uncertain. I'll walk you through the difference between reacting to life's uncontrollable circumstances and intentionally anchoring into your purpose, your responsibilities, your vision, and ultimately your embodied presence. Because when you learn to lead from a grounded nervous system instead of emotional chaos, you become the steady presence your family, your team, and your organization need most.

    The Presence Anchor: Your Energy Leads Before You Speak

  8. Jun 25

    The Vision Anchor: How Great Leaders Develop Expansive Vision

    🎥 WATCH PODCAST EPISODE HERE.   ⚓️ Join me for contemplation and connection in my upcoming Zoom workshop. Let's meet and dive deeper together! Click here to save your spot. When you're ready, join our NEW community for leaders refusing to burn out! It's called ANCHORED. Join ANCHORED by clicking here.    What if your greatest leadership asset isn't your strategy but your vision? In this episode, I introduce the third principle of my Anchor Framework: The Vision Anchor. I explore why expansive vision is more than strategic planning. It's the ability to quiet the chaos, reconnect with your deepest calling, and see possibilities others cannot yet see. If burnout, constant busyness, or emotional overwhelm have clouded your clarity, this episode will help you slow down, regulate your nervous system, and rediscover the vision you've always carried within you.

    The Vision Anchor: How Great Leaders Develop Expansive Vision
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About

Denise Simpson is a public academic and the founder of the Masters of Leadership Institute. She has a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies and is a social scientist, grounding this work in disciplined scholarship and lived wisdom. The practices offered on The Dr. Denise Simpson Podcast emerge from sustained study, contemplative formation, and decades of real-world leadership. This is work shaped by depth, integrity, and responsibility. Whether you're an executive, entrepreneur, or emerging leader, this podcast is for you to learn and grow. To learn more about Denise and her programs, visit www.drdenisesimpson.com or find her on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

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