The Collective Corner with Elena Armijo

Elena Armijo
  • 4.9 (9)
  • Relationships
  • Updated Biweekly

Now is the time to stop sitting, stop waiting, and start listening. DARE to go after what matters most. Spend an hour with Elena and buckle up for some badass conversation, compassionate listening, and a solid connection that will challenge, inspire and empower you.

  1. May 28

    072: How Leaders Turn Tension Into Trust

    In this episode, Elena Armijo welcomes Hillary Hittner, executive coach, mediator, and close collaborator at The C-Suite Collective, for a rich conversation on conflict, creativity, and the human work of staying present when tension enters the room. With a background in theater, DEI, inclusive leadership, and mediation, Hillary brings a deeply attuned lens to what conflict reveals beneath the surface. Check out Elena's website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. Elena opens with a coaching reflection on the conflict leaders keep avoiding and what it may be trying to reveal. She reframes conflict as data rather than a verdict, inviting leaders to notice tension as a signal instead of proof that something has gone wrong. She also names the cost of performative alignment, the quiet danger of absence in hard conversations, and the importance of creating space between activation and response. Hillary shares how her early work in theater shaped her ability to listen creatively and notice the emotional architecture of a room. She describes conflict as a tool, a marker, and a flag that helps leaders identify what needs attention. Drawing from her mediation practice, she offers practical ways to slow down, including naming the shared landscape, identifying feelings and needs, and making clear requests. The conversation moves into how conflict avoidance shows up in teams, from false agreement to silence, peacekeeping, and agitation. Hillary and Elena reflect on the possibility of using tension as a source of growth, trust, and belonging, not only inside organizations, but in families, communities, and daily life. This conversation is an invitation to stop smoothing over tension and begin listening to it with curiosity, dignity, and care.   Let's Get Social!  Want to hear more from Elena? Click here! Learn more about The C-Suite Collective Connect with Elena on LinkedIn Schedule a complimentary session: Click here   Hillary Hittner: LinkedIn  |  Website     This podcast was produced by the following amazing team: Ulrich Wolvaardt, Audio Engineer Aaron Boykin, Musician & Artist (Get updates about Aaron's music via Instagram) Jo van Eeden, Project Manager

    37 min

  2. Apr 28

    071: The Human Work Behind Strategy

    In this thoughtful episode, Elena Armijo welcomes Teri Riddle, CEO and founder of the Crossland Group, to reflect on leadership, trust, and the deeper forces shaping organizations today. With more than twenty five years of experience guiding leaders across the public and private sectors, Teri brings a rare combination of strategic clarity, humanity, and lived wisdom to the conversation. Check out Elena's website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. Elena opens with a coaching reflection centered on a question many leaders are quietly holding right now: when everything feels uncertain, what does trust require of me? She reflects on trust as something built slowly through ordinary moments of follow through, honesty, and repair. Alongside trust, she names three other forces that often move through organizations at the same time: joy, grief, and change. Teri brings a powerful layer to this reflection. Early in her career she worked in hospice care, an experience that profoundly shaped how she understands transition and loss. In organizations, change always carries a form of grief. When that grief is ignored, it often appears in other ways such as disengagement, conflict, or burnout. Naming what is ending alongside what is beginning can help leaders guide people through change with greater honesty and care. Teri also reflects on how these ideas shape her own leadership practice. Inside her firm, practices such as eliminating time tracking, offering annual sabbaticals, and prioritizing well-being are rooted in a simple belief that trust must be lived, not just discussed. These values have also shaped the evolution of the Crossland Group itself. Over twenty five years, periods of reinvention became defining moments in the firm's journey. One pivotal shift involved moving beyond traditional organizational charts and focusing instead on purpose, strategy, and the shared responsibility leadership teams hold for the success of the whole system. The conversation closes with reflections on mentorship, generational responsibility, and the importance of illuminating truth as leaders navigate an increasingly complex world.   Let's Get Social!  Want to hear more from Elena? Click here! Learn more about The C-Suite Collective Connect with Elena on LinkedIn Schedule a complimentary session: Click here   Teri Riddle: LinkedIn  |  Website     This podcast was produced by the following amazing team: Ulrich Wolvaardt, Audio Engineer Aaron Boykin, Musician & Artist (Get updates about Aaron's music via Instagram) Jo van Eeden, Project Manager

    41 min

  3. Mar 24

    070: How Leaders Stay Grounded in Chaos

    In this episode, Elena Armijo sits down with Colonel Dede Halfhill of the United States Air Force for a powerful conversation on leadership in moments of chaos, uncertainty, and collective strain. Drawing from 25 years of military leadership, including deployments in Iraq and service at the highest levels of national defense during the early Covid crisis, Dede brings a rare blend of grounded wisdom, operational clarity, and deep humanity to the question of what leadership requires when the stakes are high. Check out Elena's website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. Elena opens with a coaching reflection on how leaders can navigate upheaval by regulating themselves before trying to stabilize others, narrowing priorities with compassion, creating rhythms that offer steadiness, and anchoring decisions in values rather than urgency. The conversation moves into the lived realities of leadership under pressure, including loneliness, fear, and the quiet burden many leaders carry when they believe they must hold everything alone. Dede speaks candidly about the isolation she experienced as a senior leader and the cost of trying to carry responsibility without enough connection. She reflects on the importance of building trusted support systems before the crisis arrives, and the role vulnerability plays in making leadership more sustainable. She also offers a striking perspective on fear of irrelevance, emotional suppression in leadership cultures, and the necessity of naming what is true without losing steadiness. This episode is a reminder that leadership is not meant to be performed in isolation. It is an invitation to lead with clarity, humanity, and courage, and to remember that hard things become more bearable when we face them alongside others.   Let's Get Social!  Want to hear more from Elena? Click here! Learn more about The C-Suite Collective Connect with Elena on LinkedIn Schedule a complimentary session: Click here   DeDe Halfhill: LinkedIn  |  Website  |  Instagram  |  YouTube  |  Pinterest   This podcast was produced by the following amazing team: Ulrich Wolvaardt, Audio Engineer Aaron Boykin, Musician & Artist (Get updates about Aaron's music via Instagram) Jo van Eeden, Project Manager

    49 min

  4. Feb 25

    069: Conflict Rich, Not Conflict Avoidant

    In this episode, Elena Armijo explores the value of conflict with executive and leadership coach Mark Hunter, founder of Pinnacle Coaching and author of The Brink: How Great Leadership Is Invented. With three decades of coaching experience, Mark brings a grounded, practical lens to one of the most misunderstood leadership skills: learning to work with conflict instead of avoiding it. Check out Elena's website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. Elena opens with a coaching reflection that reframes conflict as a signal, not a failure. When teams treat tension as data, they gain access to what is often left unspoken, including unmet needs, misalignment, and values trying to surface. She also unpacks generative conflict as a capacity builder, an essential ingredient for innovation, trust, and cultural clarity. With clarity and deep care for teams, Mark reframes conflict as a powerful leadership tool, especially inside executive teams where roles are designed to hold healthy tension in service of better outcomes. He introduces generative conflict as purposeful disagreement aimed at optimizing a shared goal rather than protecting ego. He outlines a grounded yet disciplined approach: start where the team is, understand how conflict currently operates through a listening tour, define what healthy conflict looks like, and name the willingness required to practice it consistently. Elena and Mark examine the somatic dimension of conflict. Drawing from decades of leadership and team development work, Mark makes a compelling case that avoidance is often the true source of nervous system strain. When conflict is vilified or suppressed, tension accumulates beneath the surface. In contrast, when conflict is normalized and practiced with skill, it becomes regulating, steadying, and even energizing for a team. This conversation invites leaders to build cultures grounded in trust rather than control, to replace reactivity with curiosity, and to cultivate the capacity to fight alongside each other in service of something greater than ego.   Let's Get Social!  Want to hear more from Elena? Click here! Learn more about The C-Suite Collective Connect with Elena on LinkedIn   Mark Hunter: LinkedIn  |  Website   This podcast was produced by the following amazing team: Ulrich Wolvaardt, Audio Engineer Aaron Boykin, Musician & Artist (Get updates about Aaron's music via Instagram) Jo van Eeden, Project Manager

    47 min

  5. Jan 27

    068: Holding Space in High Stakes Rooms

    In this episode, Elena Armijo sits down with executive coach and facilitator Natalie Rothfels for a rich exploration of what it truly means to meet people where they are. Drawing from Natalie's background as a startup operator, educator, and team coach, the conversation moves beneath surface-level performance and into the deeper dynamics shaping how leaders and teams relate, communicate, and grow together. Check out Elena's website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. Elena opens with a coaching reflection on curiosity over assumption, honoring capacity alongside expectation, and anchoring leadership conversations in shared humanity and dignity. This creates a strong foundation for a thoughtful conversation on group energetics, trust, and the unseen forces shaping collaboration. Natalie shares how her early experiences navigating family dynamics sharpened her sensitivity to group patterns, unspoken tension, and emotional undercurrents. She explains how this awareness now informs her work with co-founders and leadership teams, especially in high pressure and fast moving environments. Natalie emphasizes the importance of starting in the language people already speak, building safety first, and slowly expanding awareness through lived experience, instead of introducing unfamiliar language too quickly. The episode also dives into groups and experiential learning, highlighting why real time feedback, relational practice, and developmental pacing matter more than quick fixes. Together, Elena and Natalie unpack trust as a behavioral experience rather than a vague concept, explore how teams move through cycles of formation and disruption, and reflect on the long term legacy leaders create through their inner work. This conversation is an invitation to slow down, listen more deeply, and recognize leadership as both a personal and collective responsibility. It offers grounded insight for anyone working with teams, partnerships, or communities who wants to lead with clarity, presence, and care. If this conversation resonated with you, tune into Natalie's podcast Is It Just Me? where real coaching conversations transform work frustration and overwhelm into clarity, action, and growth.   Let's Get Social!  Want to hear more from Elena? Click here! Learn more about The C-Suite Collective Follow The C-Suite Collective on Instagram Connect with Elena on LinkedIn   Natalie Rothfels: LinkedIn  |  X (formerly Twitter)  |  Website  |  Podcast   This podcast was produced by the following amazing team: Alan Meaney, Audio Engineer Aaron Boykin, Musician & Artist (Get updates about Aaron's music via Instagram) Jo van Eeden, Project Manager

    43 min

  6. 12/17/2025

    067: Crossing the Threshold With Humanity and Dignity

    As 2025 comes to a close, Elena Armijo offers a heartfelt solo episode filled with reflection, gratitude, and a few favorite moments from this year's podcast conversations. From exploring holistic health and empathy to the power of artistry and resilience, this episode is a warm invitation to pause, look back, and plant seeds for what's to come. Check out Elena's website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. Elena revisits powerful conversations, including her episode with Dr. Sonal, whose journey from medicine to holistic healing reminds us to take ownership of our well-being before burnout takes hold. She also highlights her time with Mimi Nicklin, whose global mission around empathy brought fresh insight into human connection and leadership during complex times. And, in a personal highlight, Elena reflects on her first interview with her partner, J. Aaron Boykin, whose story weaves music, artistry, and depth with everyday leadership and grounded joy. Elena also shares the practices anchoring her end-of-year transition: reviewing the calendar with curiosity, honoring the rhythm of goal setting, choosing a meaningful word for the year ahead, and celebrating personal growth. She opens up about the certifications and trainings she completed, especially her journey into team coaching and somatic breathwork. These new tools, grounded in nervous system regulation and community, are already reshaping how she serves leaders and teams. This episode is a thoughtful send-off for the year, encouraging space to reflect, reconnect with purpose, and celebrate how far you've come. It's a gentle nudge to slow down and remember that wellness and leadership always begin within.   Let's Get Social!  Want to hear more from Elena? Click here! Learn more about The C-Suite Collective Follow The C-Suite Collective on Instagram Connect with Elena on LinkedIn   This podcast was produced by the following amazing team: Ulrich Wolvaardt, Audio Engineer Aaron Boykin, Musician & Artist (Get updates about Aaron's music via Instagram) Jo van Eeden, Project Manager

    20 min

  7. 10/16/2025

    066: Leading with Rhythm: When Art Meets Enterprise

    In this inspiring episode, Elena Armijo speaks with tenor, producer, and creative entrepreneur Nathan Granner. With a career spanning 30 years, Nathan shares his path through the world of classical music, opera, film, and now, innovation at the intersection of technology and art. From humble beginnings in a small Iowa church to starring roles in Pulitzer Prize-winning productions and a bold leap into startup culture, his story is one of resilience, reinvention, and deep commitment to connection. Check out Elena's website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. Nathan and Elena explore the role of values in artistic innovation, the changing landscape of the opera world, and the surprising skills that transfer from stage to boardroom. With clarity and heart, Nathan shares personal stories of triumph and struggle, from finding belonging in music to confronting burnout, navigating leadership, and launching a startup that brings physical touch and value back into the music industry. Nathan introduces his latest venture, Curiyo Embedded, a company redefining what a "record" can be by turning everyday objects into collectible, musical experiences that are tangible, protected, and artist-first. At the heart of his message is a call to lead with love and create in alignment with purpose. This episode is a celebration of artistry, leadership, and innovation grounded in human connection. Whether you're in the arts, in business, or in a season of personal transformation, there's something here for you.   Let's Get Social!  Want to hear more from Elena? Click here! Learn more about The C-Suite Collective Follow The C-Suite Collective on Instagram Connect with Elena on LinkedIn   Nathan Granner: Instagram  |  Facebook  |  YouTube  |  LinkedIn  |  IMDB  |  Bluesky  |  TikTok  |  Website   This podcast was produced by the following amazing team: Alan Meaney, Audio Engineer Aaron Boykin, Musician & Artist (Get updates about Aaron's music via Instagram) Jo van Eeden, Project Manager

    44 min

  8. 08/29/2025

    065: Leading with Artistry

    In this special episode, Elena Armijo is joined by the love of her life, J. Aaron Boykin - a vocalist, song writer, actor, and producer whose creativity, depth, and heart shine in every space he enters. Their nine years together have been marked by a deep mutual witnessing: of growth, of dreams pursued, and of the quiet courage it takes to live a creative life with heart. Aaron's artistry is rooted in authenticity and joy, with music as his first safe haven, a place where emotion could move freely when words fell short. Today, that same music continues to be his most powerful tool for healing, connection, and belonging. His story is one of resilience, self-expression, and the kind of leadership that flows from love. Check out Elena's website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. Elena and Aaron reflect on the role music plays in emotional safety, resilience, and leadership. From recording songs on a childhood tape recorder to performing on global stages and starring in national commercials, Aaron's career is a testament to staying aligned with purpose. Whether writing feel-good R&B or standing firm in the face of online criticism, his grounding comes from knowing who he is and why he creates. The episode also explores the challenges and beauty of creative partnerships. Aaron shares lessons from working with trusted collaborators, his perspective on feedback, and the importance of clarity in shared goals. His mantra: trust the process, stay open, and keep creating from a place of truth. As Aaron steps into new ventures, including a forthcoming album and expanding his acting career, his focus remains clear: create art that invites others to feel seen, safe, and inspired. This episode is an invitation to rediscover the power of creativity as a tool for connection and resilience. For anyone navigating growth, reinvention, or visibility, Aaron's story is a reminder that joy and truth are not just artistic values - they are leadership ones.   Let's Get Social!  Want to hear more from Elena? Click here! Learn more about The C-Suite Collective Follow The C-Suite Collective on Instagram Connect with Elena on LinkedIn   J.Aaron Boykin: Instagram  |  Facebook  |  YouTube  |  TikTok  |  IMDB  |  Spotify |  AppleMusic |  Website   This podcast was produced by the following amazing team: Alan Meaney, Audio Engineer Aaron Boykin, Musician & Artist (Get updates about Aaron's music via Instagram) Jo van Eeden, Project Manager

    51 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Now is the time to stop sitting, stop waiting, and start listening. DARE to go after what matters most. Spend an hour with Elena and buckle up for some badass conversation, compassionate listening, and a solid connection that will challenge, inspire and empower you.

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