Her Next Power Move

L Michelle Smith
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Careers
  • Updated Biweekly

Check out the new bi-weekly podcast called Her Next Power Move. These 10-minute audio episodes, will feature bestselling leadership author, Fortune 100 advisor and certified executive & personal coach L. Michelle Smith sharing evidence-based leadership insights, thought leadership and opinion that will move high-performing leaders closer to their life and leadership aspirations through behavioral and mindset shifts grounded in applied positive psychology and neuroscience. It's based on her Substack with the same name. Listen with a paid subscription on Substack. lmichellesmith.substack.com lmichellesmith.substack.com

  1. 5d ago

    Ep 30: The Person in the Room You are Not Talking About

    Episode Summary You cannot stand this colleague…and they simply rub you the wrong way. It’s the colleague whose anxiety becomes everyone else’s problem. The stakeholder whose unpredictability keeps the whole floor walking on eggshells. The person whose name on your calendar ruins the hour before the meeting starts. Most leaders tell themselves they are handling it. In this episode, L. Michelle Smith unpacks what the neuroscience actually says about what difficult people do to your brain and what it takes to lead through those dynamics without losing yourself in the process. What You’ll Hear in This Episode What mirror neurons and allostatic load reveal about the hidden cognitive tax of managing around difficult people and why leaders who absorb interpersonal friction without addressing it are operating with measurably diminished capacity. Why your reactivity in the presence of a difficult person is almost never actually about that person, and what it is really signaling about your internal state. How the Leadership Revival Framework positions this work inside the People Work pillar and why it always begins in Self Work first. What Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory and the concept of neuroception tell us about why setting real boundaries restores access to your best thinking. Why restoration after sustained relational friction requires co-regulation with safe people and what the research on the ventral vagal pathway says about why time alone is not enough. A micropractice called the Relational Weight Inventory that begins the work of carrying difficult relationships differently. Research and References Giacomo Rizzolatti — Mirror Neuron Research, University of Parma Bruce McEwen — Allostatic Load Research, Rockefeller University Stephen Porges — Polyvagal Theory and Neuroception Stephen Porges — Ventral Vagal Pathway and Co-Regulation Leadership Revival Framework — Self Work, People Work, World Work Your Powerful Thought for the Day The difficult people in your professional life are not the problem your leadership has to solve. They are the mirror that shows you where your Self Work still has room to go. Your Powerful Question for the Day What is the relationship in your professional life right now that is costing you the most, and what have you been telling yourself about why you are still absorbing that cost? Go Deeper Free leadership toolkit and FlightPath newsletter: soaracademy.nsccoaching.co Join The Circle, a private leadership development community: lmichellesmith.com/thecircle Heart-Centered Leader Assessment: SOARacademy.nsccoaching.co/a/CallandResponse Request L. Michelle for keynotes, workshops, or executive coaching: lmichellesmith.com/speaking Learn more about Call and Response: 10 Leadership Lessons from the Black Church and the Leadership Revival Framework inspired by it: lmichellesmith.com/callandresponse Subscribe to FlightPath — in your inbox every Monday: soaracademy.nsccoaching.co/subscribe About Her Next Power Move Her Next Power Move is the podcast for high-performing leaders navigating career ascension with clarity and confidence. Every other week, host and executive producer L. Michelle Smith delivers evidence-based leadership insights rooted in applied neuroscience, positive psychology, and culture in ten minutes built for busy professionals. Paid subscribers on Substack hear episodes first and get direct access to L. Michelle. Subscribe at lmichellesmith.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lmichellesmith.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep 30: The Person in the Room You are Not Talking About

  2. Aug 28

    A quiet invitation for the leader in you

    I’ll get right to it: I have room for two new executive coaching clients, and I’ve been wondering when you’d let me know you’re ready. Between the shift to AI, the ongoing tug of war over return to office, and a job market that has good people feeling shaky, leading well right now takes more than it used to. If you’re the kind of leader who’s holding your team together through all of it, often without anyone checking in on how you’re holding up, I see you. And I want you to know this door is open. I’m a certified executive and personal coach, a Fortune 100 C-suite advisor, and a bestselling author. Through my proprietary Leadership Revival Framework, I help leaders build the capabilities that matter most in disruption: emotional intelligence, sound judgment, trust-building, adaptability, and the ability to lead people well without losing the human core of leadership. Coaching isn’t a luxury add-on when everything around you is changing. It’s often the difference between leading from reaction and leading from clarity. If that’s the kind of support you’ve been waiting for, hit reply and tell me a little about where you are right now or use this form to let me know. I read every message myself. I only have two spots open right now, and once they’re filled, I won’t open more until December 1, but I will place you on the waiting list. If this has been sitting on your heart for a while, today’s a good day to say something. Looking forward to pushing you forward… LMS This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lmichellesmith.substack.com/subscribe

  3. Aug 25

    Navigating the Trust Gap

    EPISODE SUMMARY There is a statistic that should stop every leader in their tracks. Only one in ten employees believes their feedback actually leads to action. In this episode, L. Michelle Smith takes a high-level journey through the August Circle cohort theme — The Trust Gap: Leading When Your People Are Watching Everything — and unpacks what the research says about self-trust, psychological safety, and what it actually takes to build a culture of trust that outlasts the pressure. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE Why the trust gap begins inside a leader before it ever shows up between a leader and their team and what Dr. Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy research tells us about why self-trust is the foundation of everything. What the listening-to-action gap actually is, why nine out of ten employees are experiencing it right now, and how Dr. Amy Edmondson’s research on psychological safety explains what happens when people stop believing their voice leads anywhere. Why psychological safety is a performance metric, not a culture metric — and what the 2026 Wiley Workplace Intelligence Study found about teams that feel safe enough to speak. How Dr. Charles Feltman’s definition of trust reframes every interaction a leader has with their team as a daily trust decision being made by the people they lead. What it takes to build a trust culture that holds its shape even when you are not in the room and what Gallup’s 2024 Workplace Study found about the link between transparent communication, engagement, and productivity. A micropractice for naming your trust commitment and making it visible to the people who need to see it. YOUR POWERFUL THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Your people are not waiting for you to be perfect. They are watching to see if you are consistent. That is what trust is actually made of. YOUR POWERFUL QUESTION FOR THE DAY When you are no longer in your current role, what will the people you led say about the culture of trust you built, and is that the legacy you are currently creating? CIRCLE RESET CALL TO ACTION The Annual Circle Reset is September 21 through 25 — five days, one hour each day, built around the work of reviving your leadership from the inside out. It is asynchronous, which means it fits your schedule. Register before August 31 at the early bird rate. Register here. GO DEEPER Free leadership toolkit + FlightPath newsletter: soaracademy.nsccoaching.co Join The Circle — private leadership development community: lmichellesmith.com/thecircle Heart-Centered Leader Assessment: SOARacademy.nsccoaching.co/a/CallandResponse Request L. Michelle for keynotes, workshops, or executive coaching: lmichellesmith.com/speaking Subscribe to FlightPath — in your inbox every Monday: soaracademy.nsccoaching.co/subscribe Read the essays that go deeper: lmichellesmith.substack.com ABOUT HER NEXT POWER MOVE Her Next Power Move is the podcast for high-performing leaders navigating career ascension with clarity and confidence. Every other week, host and executive producer L. Michelle Smith delivers evidence-based leadership insights rooted in applied neuroscience, positive psychology, and culture — in ten minutes built for busy professionals. Paid subscribers on Substack hear episodes first and get direct access to L. Michelle. Subscribe at lmichellesmith.substack.com. RESEARCH AND REFERENCES Albert Bandura — Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control (1997) Amy Edmondson — The Fearless Organization (2018) Wiley Workplace Intelligence Study (2026) Charles Feltman — The Thin Book of Trust (2008) Gallup Workplace Study (2024) IMD Leadership Trends (2026) DDI Global Leadership Forecast (2025) © L. Michelle Smith / Her Next Power Move / no silos communications llc This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lmichellesmith.substack.com/subscribe

    Navigating the Trust Gap

  4. Jul 28

    Ep 28: What Will Still Be Standing?

    HER NEXT POWER MOVE Episode 28: What Will Still Be Standing? World Work and the Leadership Legacy You Are Building Right Now Episode Summary There is a ledger that does not show up in any performance review or quarterly report. And yet it is the one that will ultimately determine what kind of leader you actually were. In this episode, L. Michelle Smith explores the third and most demanding lens of the Leadership Revival Framework — World Work — and asks the question that too many leaders let the urgency of the moment crowd out: when the pressure of this season finally passes, what will still be standing? What You'll Hear in This Episode What World Work actually is — and why it is the hardest of the three lenses to sustain when the margin is thinnest and the calendar is fullest. What Dr. Martin Seligman's PERMA model reveals about meaning as a load-bearing pillar of leadership — and what happens to a culture when a leader quietly loses sight of it. How Dr. Adam Grant's research on prosocial motivation demonstrates that connecting daily decisions to human impact is not a reward for finishing the hard work — it is part of what makes the hard work sustainable. Why culture is not built during retreats or town halls, but in the daily, unremarkable, deeply intentional choices leaders make when the pressure is highest and the margin is thinnest. A micropractice for identifying — and naming — the human difference your leadership made this week, before the week ends. Research and References Martin Seligman — PERMA Model, Flourish (2011) Adam Grant — Prosocial Motivation, Give and Take (2013) Leadership Revival Framework — Self Work, Relationship Work, World Work Your Powerful Thought for the Day Culture is built in the choices you make when everything is hard and your people are watching to see who you really are. Your Powerful Question for the Day When someone who works for you looks back on this particular stretch of time, what will they say your leadership gave them? Go Deeper Get your free leadership toolkit and subscribe to FlightPath: soaracademy.nsccoaching.co Join The Circle — L. Michelle's private leadership development community: lmichellesmith.com/thecircle Take the Heart-Centered Leader Assessment: SOARacademy.nsccoaching.co/a/CallandResponse Request L. Michelle for keynotes, workshops, or executive coaching: lmichellesmith.com/speaking Subscribe to FlightPath, the weekly leadership newsletter in your inbox every Monday: soaracademy.nsccoaching.co/subscribe Connect on Substack for essays that go deeper than the podcast: lmichellesmith.substack.com About Her Next Power Move Her Next Power Move is the podcast for high-performing leaders navigating career ascension with clarity and confidence. Every other week, host and executive producer L. Michelle Smith delivers evidence-based leadership insights rooted in applied neuroscience, positive psychology, and culture — in a powerful ten minutes built for busy professionals. Paid subscribers on Substack hear episodes first and get direct access to L. Michelle. Subscribe at lmichellesmith.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lmichellesmith.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep 28: What Will Still Be Standing?

  5. Jul 7

    Ep 27: Managing Capacity vs. Building It

    Episode Summary Most leaders moving through a hard season are doing exactly what the moment demands — keeping up, delivering, staying functional. What fewer are doing is asking the question that actually determines what they come out with on the other side. In this episode, L. Michelle Smith draws on neuroscience and positive psychology to examine the difference between managing capacity and intentionally building it — and why that distinction is one of the most consequential decisions a leader can make, whether they know they are making it or not. What You’ll Hear in This Episode Why managing and building can look identical from the outside while producing completely different leaders on the other side of a hard season. What Bruce McEwen’s research on chronic stress and the prefrontal cortex reveals about why pressure alone never produces growth — and what has to be added to make development possible. How Dr. Barbara Fredrickson’s Broaden and Build Theory explains why even brief, intentional moments of reflection during a demanding season literally rewire a leader’s capacity over time. What neuroplasticity research tells us about the specific conditions the brain requires to build new architecture — and why pressure without meaning and support is not one of them. The two questions that activate entirely different parts of the brain, and why the one most leaders are asking is keeping them in survival mode. A micropractice for shifting from management mode into intentional development — in ten minutes, before the weekend closes. Research and References Bruce McEwen — Chronic Stress and Prefrontal Cortex Architecture, Rockefeller University Barbara Fredrickson — Broaden and Build Theory Edward Deci and Richard Ryan — Self-Determination Theory Your Powerful Thought for the Day The pressure you are under right now is not wasted if you decide it is building something. That decision is yours to make, and no circumstance can make it for you. Your Powerful Question for the Day What has managing capacity been costing you that building capacity could restore? Go Deeper Get your free leadership toolkit and subscribe to FlightPath:soaracademy.nsccoaching.co Join The Circle — L. Michelle’s private leadership development community for leaders who are serious about building while the pressure is on:lmichellesmith.com/thecircle Organizations: The Circle has an organizational membership tier designed for teams and enterprises investing in their leaders right now, not just during the quiet seasons. Link above. Take the Heart-Centered Leader Assessment:SOARacademy.nsccoaching.co/a/CallandResponse Request L. Michelle for keynotes, workshops, or executive coaching:lmichellesmith.com/speaking Subscribe to FlightPath, the weekly leadership newsletter in your inbox every Monday:soaracademy.nsccoaching.co/subscribe Connect on Substack for essays that go deeper than the podcast. About Her Next Power Move Her Next Power Move is the podcast for high-performing leaders navigating career ascension with clarity and confidence. Every other week, host and executive producer L. Michelle Smith delivers evidence-based leadership insights rooted in applied neuroscience, positive psychology, and culture in a powerful ten minutes built for busy professionals. Paid subscribers on Substack hear episodes first and get direct access to L. Michelle. Thanks for reading Her Next Power Move! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lmichellesmith.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep 27: Managing Capacity vs. Building It

  6. Jun 23

    Ep. 26: The Power of Leading from Behind

    Episode Summary When did you last follow someone else? Most high-achieving leaders never stop long enough to ask that question. And that silence is costing their teams more than they realize. In this episode, L. Michelle Smith draws from the final chapter of her bestselling book Call and Response: 10 Leadership Lessons from the Black Church to explore one of the most counterintuitive concepts in leadership development: the power of leading from behind. Built on the positive psychology principle of power with over power over, this episode makes the case that sharing power is not a leadership risk. It is a leadership strategy and one of the fastest ways to re-engage a disengaged team. What You’ll Hear in This Episode Why leaders who are always out front cannot fully see what is behind them, and what that costs the people they lead. The social science behind power with over power over, rooted in the work of Dacher Keltner at UC Berkeley and the foundational theory of Mary Parker Follett. How Edward Deci and Richard Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory explains why genuine autonomy is a fundamental human need, and what happens to performance when that need is met. Why being a good follower is an emotional intelligence skill that most high achievers have never been asked to develop. A micropractice for identifying the one decision you have been holding onto that someone on your team could own completely. Research and References Dacher Keltner — Power and Social Intelligence, UC Berkeley Mary Parker Follett — Power With vs. Power Over Edward Deci and Richard Ryan — Self-Determination Theory L. Michelle Smith — Call and Response: Ten Leadership Lessons from the Black Church, Chapter 10 Your Powerful Thought for the Day The leader who knows when to step back is always more powerful than the one who never learned how. Your Powerful Question for the Day Who on your team is waiting for you to trust them enough to lead, and what is it actually costing you to keep holding that power? Go Deeper Get your free leadership toolkit and subscribe to FlightPath: soaracademy.nsccoaching.co Join The Circle — L. Michelle’s private leadership community: lmichellesmith.com/thecircle Pick up Call and Response: Ten Leadership Lessons from the Black Church wherever fine books are sold. Request L. Michelle for speaking, keynotes, or workshops: lmichellesmith.com/speaking Take the Heart-Centered Leader Assessment: SOARacademy.nsccoaching.co/a/CallandResponse Subscribe to the FlightPath newsletter in your inbox every Monday: soaracademy.nsccoaching.co/subscribe About Her Next Power Move Her Next Power Move is the podcast for high-performing leaders navigating career ascension with clarity and confidence. Every other week, host and executive producer L. Michelle Smith delivers evidence-based leadership insights rooted in applied neuroscience, positive psychology, and culture — in a powerful ten minutes built for busy professionals. Paid subscribers on Substack hear episodes first and get direct access to L. Michelle. Subscribe at lmichellesmith.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lmichellesmith.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep. 26: The Power of Leading from Behind

  7. Jun 9

    Episode 25: The Question Nobody Is Asking

    Episode Summary Something shifted this week — and if you lead people, you need to pay attention to it. A woman recently filed for religious accommodation based on her objection to using artificial intelligence at work. She won. The accommodation was granted. What was once a philosophical conversation has become an operational reality, and it arrived faster than most organizations were prepared to handle. In this episode, L. Michelle Smith goes beyond the headlines to explore what this moment actually reveals about leadership. When people stop asking logistical questions and start raising moral ones, the playbook changes. The leaders who come out of this moment with strong cultures will be the ones who created space for those questions before they became HR filings. What You’ll Hear in This Episode The accommodation case that signals a turning point in how organizations must think about AI mandates and the people carrying them out. Why moral injury — first documented in military and medical contexts by researchers Jonathan Shay, Wendy Dean, and Simon Talbot — is now showing up in corporate environments where employees are repeatedly asked to act against their values. What Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on AI and human dignity revealed about what employees have been feeling but could not yet say. How to lead through genuine ethical uncertainty without shutting down progress or silencing the people who need to be heard. A micropractice you can use before your next one-on-one to create the conditions for honest conversation before a concern becomes a complaint. Research and References Jonathan Shay — Moral Injury Framework Wendy Dean and Simon Talbot — Moral Injury in Organizational Contexts Pope Leo XIV — Magnifica Humanitas, Encyclical on Artificial Intelligence and Human Dignity Your Powerful Thought for the Day The moment someone takes a moral objection to HR is the moment you find out whether your culture was ever really built for hard conversations. Build it before that moment arrives. Your Powerful Question for the Day What are the people on your team carrying about AI right now that they do not yet believe you are safe enough to hear? Connect and Go Deeper Read the full FlightPath essay that inspired this episode at lmichellesmith.substack.com Join The Circle — L. Michelle’s private leadership community — at lmichellesmith.com/thecircle Book a Summer Reset coaching session at cal.read.ai/coachlmichelle/30-min Subscribe and Leave a Review If this episode stayed with you, share it with a leader who needs it. And if you have not yet subscribed to Her Next Power Move, now is a good time. New episodes drop regularly wherever you listen to podcasts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lmichellesmith.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode 25: The Question Nobody Is Asking

  8. May 19

    Ep 24: The World Work

    Episode Summary In this episode, host L. Michelle Smith dives into the essential elements of strategic leadership and the mindset shifts required for executive growth. Whether you are looking to level up in your current role or preparing for your next big power move, this conversation provides the insights needed to lead with purpose and authority. Key Takeaways * Lead with Strategy: Understanding how to pivot from operational management to high-level strategic thinking. * Executive Presence: How to cultivate the growth necessary to command the room and lead effectively. * Community Support: The importance of surrounding yourself with a “Circle” of leaders who challenge and support your professional evolution. Connect & Grow If today’s episode resonated with you, don’t keep it to yourself! Share it with a leader in your network who needs to hear this message today. Ready to go deeper into your leadership journey? Join our community and gain access to exclusive resources: * Join The Circle: lmichellesmith.com/TheCircle * Official Website: lmichellesmith.com Subscribe & Review If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to Her Next Power Move and leave a review to help other executive leaders find us. It’s time you secured your copy of Call and Response. Learn more at https://lmichellesmith.com/callandresponse This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lmichellesmith.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep 24: The World Work
See All (343)

About

Check out the new bi-weekly podcast called Her Next Power Move. These 10-minute audio episodes, will feature bestselling leadership author, Fortune 100 advisor and certified executive & personal coach L. Michelle Smith sharing evidence-based leadership insights, thought leadership and opinion that will move high-performing leaders closer to their life and leadership aspirations through behavioral and mindset shifts grounded in applied positive psychology and neuroscience. It's based on her Substack with the same name. Listen with a paid subscription on Substack. lmichellesmith.substack.com lmichellesmith.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    L Michelle Smith
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    343
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © L Michelle Smith
  • Show Website
    Her Next Power Move