The Intentional Leaders Podcast: Helping ambitious leaders gain clarity, communicate with confidence, and lead with intention

Cyndi
  • 5.0 (14)
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Helping ambitious leaders gain clarity, communicate with confidence, and lead with intention. Leadership isn’t about titles, authority, or having all the answers—it’s about being intentional. If you’re ready to move from managing tasks to empowering people, you’re in the right place. Each week, host Cyndi Wentland, founder of Intentionaleaders, shares actionable tools, real-world stories, and fresh perspectives to help you grow into the confident, respected leader you aspire to be. You’ll learn how to handle tough conversations, inspire trust, build stronger teams, and lead with purpose without burning out in the process. Whether you’re a first-time manager, seasoned executive, or small business owner, the Intentional Leaders Podcast will help you develop the mindset and skills to create impact that lasts. Tune in, grow intentionally, and become the kind of leader your team—and your life—deserve.

  1. Lead With Intention, Not Autopilot: How the LEAD Framework Can Change your Career (and life!)

    FEB 2

    Lead With Intention, Not Autopilot: How the LEAD Framework Can Change your Career (and life!)

    Feeling stuck between your best intentions and your most stressful reactions? We unpack a simple, repeatable way to move from autopilot to intentional leadership using the LEAD framework: Look within, Exercise choice, Act with intention, and Deepen connection. If you’ve ever prepared carefully for a feedback conversation only to get derailed by defensiveness, this conversation gives you the tools and language to stay steady and effective. We start by demystifying emotional intelligence and emotional agility in plain terms: emotions are signals, not commands. You’ll learn how to read your body’s cues, name what you’re feeling with precision, and use that information to guide behavior. We break down why your brain’s fast stories skew negative and how a deliberate pause creates the space to choose your response. From there, we translate values into behaviors you can use under pressure—slowing your cadence, asking better questions, and steering the moment toward clarity instead of conflict. Throughout the episode, we share real-world examples leaders face every week, from giving tough feedback to protecting psychological safety when tensions spike. You’ll hear practical prompts like “How is this landing for you?” and “What else could be true?” along with the science-backed habit of “name it to tame it” to regulate your nervous system. The result is a roadmap to build self-trust, become more predictable to your team, and widen your capacity for stress so you can lead with calm, curiosity, and purpose. Ready to practice, not just plan? Grab the worksheet, try the micro-habits, and start building a leadership legacy you can be proud of. If this resonated, subscribe, share the episode with a leader who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show. Download the Worksheet: https://www.intentionaleaders.com/the-lead-framework-worksheet Connect with Cyndi: https://www.intentionaleaders.com/ Questions? Episode Requests? Send us a message! Ambitious leaders know that real leadership goes far beyond titles—it’s about developing the clarity and mindset to guide others with confidence. In this podcast, you’ll explore what today’s leaders truly need, from navigating everyday problem solving to handling tough moments of workplace conflict with steadiness and respect. Episodes dive into setting healthy workplace boundaries, strengthening workplace collaboration, and building the emotional intelligence and emotional agility that make leadership sustainable. Whether you’re managing a growing team or refining your voice as a decision-maker, you’ll find insights that help you cultivate a resilient growth mindset and elevate your impact.

    19 min
  2. “I See You”: The Most Powerful Phrase in Leadership

    JAN 28

    “I See You”: The Most Powerful Phrase in Leadership

    Feeling like your leadership playbook was written for a world that no longer exists? We dive into Sawubona leadership, a human-first approach rooted in the Zulu greeting “I see you,” and show how it reframes engagement, accountability, and performance without slipping into clichés or corporate speak. Our guest, Susan Inouye —author of Leadership’s Perfect Storm—traces the model’s origins from a Los Angeles mentoring program to adoption across 30+ countries, revealing why a gift-centered culture is a powerful antidote to disengagement and generational friction. Across the conversation, we unpack the difference between leading through labels and leading through gifts, and how that shift makes coaching specific and humane. You’ll hear how every strength has an “other side,” why overused gifts become blind spots, and how to restore balance with targeted practices. We explore practical, somatic ways to make change stick—training your nervous system to stay grounded under pressure—through micro-reps like mindful pauses, releasing the urge to fix, and even a bold trapeze lesson that turned fear of letting go into freedom. The result? Leaders who can be the eye of the hurricane when uncertainty hits. We also connect the dots to today’s workplace realities: AI elevates the value of empathy and relationships; managers who coach outperform those who command; and continuous learning builds cultural agility. You’ll get actionable ideas to strengthen accountability through gift language, design development that fits your context, and normalize uncertainty by making learning a yearly requirement. Ready to help people feel seen, spark better performance, and build a culture that holds together when the waves rise? If this conversation sparked insight, subscribe, share it with a leader who needs it, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Your feedback shapes future episodes and keeps this community growing. Get in Touch with Susan:   Website: https://susaninouye.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susaninouye2  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7G6sjAyzq3UDnumH7L8Zcw  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-inouye-083384b/  Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/susan_inouye/ X: https://x.com/InouyeSusan Questions? Episode Requests? Send us a message! Ambitious leaders know that real leadership goes far beyond titles—it’s about developing the clarity and mindset to guide others with confidence. In this podcast, you’ll explore what today’s leaders truly need, from navigating everyday problem solving to handling tough moments of workplace conflict with steadiness and respect. Episodes dive into setting healthy workplace boundaries, strengthening workplace collaboration, and building the emotional intelligence and emotional agility that make leadership sustainable. Whether you’re managing a growing team or refining your voice as a decision-maker, you’ll find insights that help you cultivate a resilient growth mindset and elevate your impact.

    45 min
  3. Practical Tools To Stay Calm During Stressful Family Gatherings

    12/16/2025

    Practical Tools To Stay Calm During Stressful Family Gatherings

    Holiday cheer gets all the headlines, but the real story often includes tension, old patterns, and big expectations. We get honest about the pressure to make everything magical and offer a simple, usable plan to stay grounded when emotions spike. Our five-step PEACE framework—Pause, Examine, Adjust, Choose, Exit or Engage—turns reactive moments into chances for clarity and connection. We start with the body: how a brief pause settles the nervous system and opens space for choice. Then we name what’s real. Beyond happy, sad, and mad, the holidays can stir guilt, resentment, grief, envy, and fatigue. By labeling emotions accurately, we stop fighting ghosts and address the true issue. From there, we examine the stories we carry about tradition, timing, and roles. If your family’s script was written decades ago, it might be time for an edit that honors meaning without clinging to methods that no longer fit. Next, we practice choosing centered responses that align words, tone, and body language. That might look like a gentle boundary, a topic shift, a curious question, or purposeful silence. Finally, we decide when to exit to protect calm or engage to build trust—both valid when chosen with intention. Along the way, we share prompts to identify triggers, plan responses, and give yourself grace when you slip. You can’t control every dynamic, but you can control how you show up, and that choice often shifts the entire room. If you’re ready to trade perfection for presence and turn conflict into clarity, this conversation is your guide. Listen, pick one tool to try at your next gathering, and notice what changes. If it helps, share the episode with someone who needs a little more peace this season, and subscribe or leave a review so we can bring more calm, practical tools to your feed. #HolidayStress #FamilyDynamics #HolidayGatherings #EmotionalIntelligence #EmotionalAgility #EmotionalRegulation #NervousSystemRegulation #RespondNotReact #PauseAndChoose #StayGrounded #InnerCalm #ChoosePeace #BoundariesWithCompassion #HealthyRelationships #PresenceOverPerfection #ConnectionOverConflict #StressManagementTools #CalmUnderPressure #SelfAwareness #ConsciousChoices #LeadYourself #GraceUnderPressure #ClarityAndConnection #PEACEFramework Questions? Episode Requests? Send us a message! Ambitious leaders know that real leadership goes far beyond titles—it’s about developing the clarity and mindset to guide others with confidence. In this podcast, you’ll explore what today’s leaders truly need, from navigating everyday problem solving to handling tough moments of workplace conflict with steadiness and respect. Episodes dive into setting healthy workplace boundaries, strengthening workplace collaboration, and building the emotional intelligence and emotional agility that make leadership sustainable. Whether you’re managing a growing team or refining your voice as a decision-maker, you’ll find insights that help you cultivate a resilient growth mindset and elevate your impact.

    21 min
  4. When “Tough Love” Is Control: The Hidden Cost of Fear-Based Leadership

    12/09/2025

    When “Tough Love” Is Control: The Hidden Cost of Fear-Based Leadership

    Ever worked for someone who made you feel small on purpose? We unpack the rise of fear-based leadership—why it’s suddenly everywhere, how it disguises itself as “tough love” or mission-driven care, and what it costs teams in creativity, trust, and retention. With coach and author Kate Lori, we translate the playbook of control into plain language and offer a counterplay that preserves your energy, agency, and integrity. We start by defining fear-based leadership through real-world patterns: shaming, rigidity, moving goalposts, and the velvet-glove approach that cloaks dominance in benevolence. Then we connect the cultural dots—media narratives and high-profile executives that have normalized a harsher style—and explore why stressed leaders default to fight, freeze, or fawn. You’ll learn how chronic threat hijacks the brain, why innovation collapses under fear, and how to spot subtext when words don’t match motives. From there, we get practical. Kate shares resilience moves that actually work: using humor as strategic resistance, protecting information that could be weaponized, and treating attention and availability as levers. We dig into the ethical difference between manipulation and influence, showing how to nudge outcomes without losing your values. For leaders who see fearful patterns in themselves, we offer hopeful steps—expanding the window of tolerance, rebuilding self-trust with daily reps, and embracing the “kindergarten lessons” of apologies, friendship, and trust-building. We close by charting a better path: strengths-based leadership. Unblock your team, amplify their talents, and share power so performance follows. If you’ve felt stuck in a fear-driven culture, you’ll leave with a clearer map, sturdier boundaries, and a renewed belief that you can be powerful without becoming hard. If this resonated, subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what’s one lever you’ll pull first? Preorder Kate's book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR1G981Y/ref=sr_1_2?https://www.amazon.com/Unbreakable-Thrive-Under-Fear-Based-Leaders-ebook/dp/B0FQ71FW72/ref=sr_1_1Connect with Kate: https://www.instagram.com/kateunbreakablelowry/https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579366067469https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinejlowry/ Connect with Cyndi: www.intentionaleaders.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinejlowry/ Questions? Episode Requests? Send us a message! Ambitious leaders know that real leadership goes far beyond titles—it’s about developing the clarity and mindset to guide others with confidence. In this podcast, you’ll explore what today’s leaders truly need, from navigating everyday problem solving to handling tough moments of workplace conflict with steadiness and respect. Episodes dive into setting healthy workplace boundaries, strengthening workplace collaboration, and building the emotional intelligence and emotional agility that make leadership sustainable. Whether you’re managing a growing team or refining your voice as a decision-maker, you’ll find insights that help you cultivate a resilient growth mindset and elevate your impact.

    51 min
  5. Boundaries Build Trust: A Leader’s Guide To Respect And Repair

    11/14/2025

    Boundaries Build Trust: A Leader’s Guide To Respect And Repair

    Trust rarely fails with a crash; it thins out through tiny cuts. We unpack how unclear or ignored boundaries chip away at relationships and show practical ways to rebuild trust with clarity, courage, and compassion. Using Brene Brown’s BRAVING as a guide, we broaden trust beyond reliability to include accountability, the vault, integrity, nonjudgment, and generosity—starting with boundaries as the first move. We walk through ten common boundary violations leaders often miss: intrusions on privacy, work-life overreach, role oversteps, dismissed emotions, wasted time, autonomy squeezes, tech misuse, neglected health needs, broken confidentiality, and cultural disrespect. You’ll hear why most of these slips are unintentional—and why intent doesn’t erase impact. Then we translate awareness into action with simple scripts to name a violation, explain the effect, and ask for a new agreement without blaming motives. For teams, we offer clear norms that lower friction: quiet hours, meeting purpose and limits, response-time windows, decision rights, and explicit rules for confidential topics. We share how to model integrity by owning mistakes quickly, how to practice nonjudgment and generosity during feedback, and how to protect autonomy by focusing on outcomes over micromanagement. The result is a culture where people feel safe to speak up, bring energy to the work that matters, and protect the values that keep them well. If this conversation helps you rethink boundaries and trust, subscribe, share it with a colleague who needs it today, and leave a quick review so others can find the show. Tell us: which boundary will you clarify this week? #TrustBuilding #WorkplaceBoundaries #LeadershipSkills #EmotionalIntelligence #BRAVING #BreneBrownInspired #PsychologicalSafety #HealthyTeams #TeamCulture #AccountabilityAtWork #IntegrityInLeadership #Nonjudgment #GenerousAssumptions #WorkplaceRespect #CommunicationSkills #LeadershipDevelopment #BoundarySetting #RepairingTrust #WorkplaceWellbeing Questions? Episode Requests? Send us a message! Ambitious leaders know that real leadership goes far beyond titles—it’s about developing the clarity and mindset to guide others with confidence. In this podcast, you’ll explore what today’s leaders truly need, from navigating everyday problem solving to handling tough moments of workplace conflict with steadiness and respect. Episodes dive into setting healthy workplace boundaries, strengthening workplace collaboration, and building the emotional intelligence and emotional agility that make leadership sustainable. Whether you’re managing a growing team or refining your voice as a decision-maker, you’ll find insights that help you cultivate a resilient growth mindset and elevate your impact.

    13 min
  6. Why Your OKRs Disappear by Week 3 — And the Leadership Rituals That Keep Teams Focused

    10/13/2025

    Why Your OKRs Disappear by Week 3 — And the Leadership Rituals That Keep Teams Focused

    Strategy doesn’t fail for lack of ideas—it fails at the handoff to execution. We bring in OKR expert and Wave Nine founder Philipp Schett to show how to close that gap with clear goals, shared rituals, and a culture that trades micromanagement for ownership. Philipp’s journey from Germany to Silicon Valley reframed his thinking: great companies don’t win because they dream better; they win because they execute better. That mindset shift powers the conversation as we dig into OKRs done right—less about perfect wording, more about changing team behavior, building trust through transparency, and making alignment a weekly practice. We unpack the patterns behind “set and forget” goals, and why town halls and slide decks rarely produce real alignment. Philipp introduces three simple rituals that compound: Monday calibrate to focus on outcomes for the week, Friday celebrate to make progress visible and energizing, and quarterly resets to protect priorities without hiding behind annual vagueness. We explore accountability with a human tone—say what you’ll do, do what you said—using one-on-ones for tough conversations and public forums for recognition. You’ll hear how co-creating OKRs prevents dehumanizing top-down mandates, why OKR champions are key to scaling across functions, and how nonprofits can turn passion into measurable impact with the same playbook. If you’ve ever watched goals vanish by week three, wrestled with cross-functional friction, or confused motion with progress, this episode offers a practical operating system: verify understanding instead of assuming it, make work visible to accelerate trust, and anchor execution in rhythms your team can keep. Subscribe, share this with a leader who needs clearer focus, and leave a review telling us which ritual you’ll start this week. Get in Touch with Phillipp Schett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-schett/ #OKRs #LeadershipExecution #BuildTrust #TeamAlignment #MondayCalibrate #LeadershipPodcast #ExecutionCulture Questions? Episode Requests? Send us a message! Ambitious leaders know that real leadership goes far beyond titles—it’s about developing the clarity and mindset to guide others with confidence. In this podcast, you’ll explore what today’s leaders truly need, from navigating everyday problem solving to handling tough moments of workplace conflict with steadiness and respect. Episodes dive into setting healthy workplace boundaries, strengthening workplace collaboration, and building the emotional intelligence and emotional agility that make leadership sustainable. Whether you’re managing a growing team or refining your voice as a decision-maker, you’ll find insights that help you cultivate a resilient growth mindset and elevate your impact.

    50 min
  7. Transform Your Internal Operating System to Upgrade Your Leadership with Ryan Gottfredson

    09/16/2025

    Transform Your Internal Operating System to Upgrade Your Leadership with Ryan Gottfredson

    Ryan Gottfredson explains the transformational journey from being focused solely on doing better to becoming better as a human being, drawing on his research and latest book. He introduces the distinction between our "doing side" (talents, knowledge, skills) versus our "being side" (quality of our internal operating system), showing how genuine transformation requires upgrading who we are, not just what we do. • Most developmental efforts focus on the doing side, but transformational growth requires improving our being side • Vertical development upgrades our internal operating system to respond more effectively to challenges • The becoming better journey starts with awakening to our current wiring and how it affects our responses • Most organizations promote high-doing leaders without considering their being side quality • Microsoft's transformation under Satya Nadella demonstrates the power of high-being leadership • 70% of adults have experienced trauma that has wired their nervous system for self-protection • Surface-level strategies like meditation and deeper approaches like mindset work can help refine our internal operating system • The goal is becoming a "brighter light" in our spheres of influence through personal transformation Reach out to Ryan if you take his mindset assessment or read his book "Becoming Better" – he's offered to connect with listeners and discuss your results. Questions? Episode Requests? Send us a message! Ambitious leaders know that real leadership goes far beyond titles—it’s about developing the clarity and mindset to guide others with confidence. In this podcast, you’ll explore what today’s leaders truly need, from navigating everyday problem solving to handling tough moments of workplace conflict with steadiness and respect. Episodes dive into setting healthy workplace boundaries, strengthening workplace collaboration, and building the emotional intelligence and emotional agility that make leadership sustainable. Whether you’re managing a growing team or refining your voice as a decision-maker, you’ll find insights that help you cultivate a resilient growth mindset and elevate your impact.

    52 min
  8. The Meaningful Project That Changes Lives Forever: Inside the Badger Honor Flight

    08/26/2025

    The Meaningful Project That Changes Lives Forever: Inside the Badger Honor Flight

    A day that changes lives forever – that’s how veterans describe their experience on the Badger Honor Flight. This mission honors those who served by taking them to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials built in their honor. Flight Operations Director Jody McClain takes us behind the scenes of this remarkable program that has transformed the lives of over 5,000 veterans. With precision and compassion, she coordinates every detail—from transportation logistics to ensuring veterans receive the recognition many never got when returning home.  The stories Jody shares are deeply moving: a Vietnam veteran finally finding the strength to face the memorial wall with his service dog’s support, and another realizing the depth of his healing by saying, “I didn’t know how broken I was. You helped fix me.” These moments of closure capture the heart of the Badger Honor Flight mission—healing, honor, and connection. Perhaps most emotional of all is the welcome home ceremony. Thousands gather at airports with music, flags, and thunderous applause.  For many, especially Vietnam veterans, it’s the first time they’ve ever been publicly thanked. The tradition of “mail call” on the return flight, where veterans receive heartfelt letters of gratitude, often moves them to tears. With 126 hubs across 44 states, the Badger Honor Flight continues this vital mission free of charge to veterans, relying on donations, volunteers, and community support. Whether by writing a letter, volunteering, or attending a welcome home ceremony, we all have a role in honoring those who served.  Volunteer & Donate: badgerhonorflight.org #BadgerHonorFlight #Veterans #VeteranStories #MilitaryHeroes #WelcomeHome #Gratitude #NeverForget #HonorAndRemember #ServiceAndSacrifice #VeteranSupport Questions? Episode Requests? Send us a message! Ambitious leaders know that real leadership goes far beyond titles—it’s about developing the clarity and mindset to guide others with confidence. In this podcast, you’ll explore what today’s leaders truly need, from navigating everyday problem solving to handling tough moments of workplace conflict with steadiness and respect. Episodes dive into setting healthy workplace boundaries, strengthening workplace collaboration, and building the emotional intelligence and emotional agility that make leadership sustainable. Whether you’re managing a growing team or refining your voice as a decision-maker, you’ll find insights that help you cultivate a resilient growth mindset and elevate your impact.

    43 min
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Helping ambitious leaders gain clarity, communicate with confidence, and lead with intention. Leadership isn’t about titles, authority, or having all the answers—it’s about being intentional. If you’re ready to move from managing tasks to empowering people, you’re in the right place. Each week, host Cyndi Wentland, founder of Intentionaleaders, shares actionable tools, real-world stories, and fresh perspectives to help you grow into the confident, respected leader you aspire to be. You’ll learn how to handle tough conversations, inspire trust, build stronger teams, and lead with purpose without burning out in the process. Whether you’re a first-time manager, seasoned executive, or small business owner, the Intentional Leaders Podcast will help you develop the mindset and skills to create impact that lasts. Tune in, grow intentionally, and become the kind of leader your team—and your life—deserve.

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