DrMelanieEmpowers Presents: Growing Up, the Age of Your Emotions

DrMelanie
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Growing Up, the Age of Your Emotions podcast is a place to recognize at what age or level you engage with others. Leadership is an important aspect of our lives, no matter the capacity in which it is demonstrated. Most often, our feelings, interactions, or reactions are based on past experiences. The current situation or engagement highlights what may have been buried or thought resolved. This is not a therapy session, nor do we advise on what you should or should not do. We do discuss events and ask, "What is the age of that or your emotion?" Join us; you will find the conversations enlightening and beneficial as you learn and continue the journey of growing up and discovering the age of your emotions. 

  1. Oct 10

    The Empathy Edge - Awakening Series Episode 6

    What if one of the greatest leadership advantages isn't authority, expertise, or influence... but empathy? In Episode 6 of the Awakening Series, Dr. Melanie Empowers explores the often-overlooked leadership skill that transforms relationships, strengthens teams, and creates lasting impact. Far from a sign of weakness, empathy is a powerful leadership asset that helps leaders connect, communicate, and lead more effectively. Too often, leaders focus on being understood while overlooking the importance of understanding others. This episode examines how empathy creates trust, reduces conflict, increases engagement, and helps leaders navigate difficult conversations with confidence and emotional intelligence. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why empathy is a competitive advantage in leadershipThe difference between empathy, sympathy, and emotional responsibilityHow emotionally mature leaders use empathy without sacrificing accountabilityWhy people are more likely to follow leaders who make them feel seen and valuedPractical ways to build stronger connections with your teamHow empathy improves communication, trust, and workplace cultureThe role of empathy in conflict resolution and influenceEmpathy is not about lowering standards or avoiding difficult conversations. It's about understanding the human experience behind the behavior, so you can lead with both compassion and clarity. The most impactful leaders don't just manage performance. They connect with people. And when people feel seen, heard, and understood, they are more willing to trust, engage, and grow. Empathy isn't a soft skill. It's a leadership superpower. Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions is a leadership and professional development podcast that helps leaders understand emotional maturity, strengthen self-awareness, and lead with authenticity, confidence, and purpose. Subscribe and join the Awakening Series as we discover how emotional maturity, self-awareness, and empathy create the foundation for extraordinary leadership. #TheEmpathyEdge #AwakeningSeries #EmotionalIntelligence #EmpathyInLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #EmotionalMaturity #AuthenticLeadership #SelfAwareness #GrowingUpPodcast #DrMelanieEmpowers #LeadershipGrowth #EmpowerUsInc  Reflection Questions  1. Where do I withhold empathy as a form of self-protection, and what is the cost of that withholding for my team?  2. Am I more naturally inclined toward cognitive or affective empathy, and how does that shape how my team experiences my leadership?  3. Where in my leadership have I confused empathy with agreement, and what has that confusion cost?  Dr. Melanie Magruder (Dr. Melanie Empowers) is an accomplished Leadership and Professional Development Coach known for guiding emerging and established leaders through transformative growth. With deep expertise in business strategy and organizational leadership, she has led multimillion‑dollar initiatives across corporate, nonprofit, and community sectors, consistently bridging vision and execution to deliver meaningful impact. As the host of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions Podcast, Dr. Magruder advances a mission to strengthen emotional maturity as a foundation for effective leadership. She is a published author, experienced facilitator, and dedicated community advocate, holding a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, an MBA, and multiple coaching and leadership certifications. FREE - Five-Week Leadership Strategies Course: https://drmelanieempowers.kit.com/9a1f83884e 1. Fill in your information2. Accept the confirmation email3. Wait for the emails each week that are sent to you - and grow! Follow Dr. Melanie Empowers: https://linktr.ee/drmelanieempowers References: • Catalyst research on empathetic leadership and employee engagement (2021)  • Google's Project Aristotle on psychological safety (2016)  • Research on cognitive vs. affective empathy (Simon Baron-Cohen, Jean Decety) • Empathy fatigue research (Charles Figley)  Share Your Thoughts or Topic Recommendations! Contact Info: https://linktr.ee/drmelanieempowers

  2. Oct 7

    Triggered At The top - Awakening Series Episode 5

    Every leader gets triggered. The difference between effective leaders and reactive leaders is what happens next. In Episode 5 of the Awakening Series, Dr. Melanie Empowers explores the hidden emotional forces that shape leadership behavior under pressure. From difficult conversations and critical feedback to feelings of disrespect, being misunderstood, or losing control, this episode reveals why even the most accomplished leaders can find themselves reacting instead of responding. You'll discover how emotional triggers are often rooted in past experiences, why leadership amplifies emotional activation, and how your "emotional age" can take over before your leadership identity has a chance to respond. In This Episode, You'll Learn: What emotional triggers really are and how they affect leadershipThe five most common leadership triggersWhy high-achieving leaders become reactive under pressureHow emotional history shapes present-day behaviorThe difference between reacting and respondingPractical strategies for regulating emotions in real timeHow to lead with greater emotional maturity and self-awarenessThis episode is not about eliminating your triggers. It's about understanding them, managing them, and preventing them from managing you. Because the greatest threat to your leadership isn't the pressure around you. It's the unexamined emotional patterns within you. Your triggers are not signs of weakness. They are invitations to awareness. Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions is a leadership and personal growth podcast that helps leaders develop emotional maturity, strengthen self-awareness, and lead with authenticity, confidence, and purpose. Subscribe and join the Awakening Series as we uncover the emotional habits, hidden beliefs, and leadership patterns that shape who we become and how we lead. #TriggeredAtTheTop #AwakeningSeries #LeadershipDevelopment #EmotionalIntelligence #EmotionalMaturity #SelfAwareness #AuthenticLeadership #GrowingUpPodcast #DrMelanieEmpowers #LeadershipGrowth Dr. Melanie Magruder (Dr. Melanie Empowers) is an accomplished Leadership and Professional Development Coach known for guiding emerging and established leaders through transformative growth. With deep expertise in business strategy and organizational leadership, she has led multimillion‑dollar initiatives across corporate, nonprofit, and community sectors, consistently bridging vision and execution to deliver meaningful impact. As the host of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions Podcast, Dr. Magruder advances a mission to strengthen emotional maturity as a foundation for effective leadership. She is a published author, experienced facilitator, and dedicated community advocate, holding a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, an MBA, and multiple coaching and leadership certifications. FREE - Five-Week Leadership Strategies Course: https://drmelanieempowers.kit.com/9a1f83884e 1. Fill in your information2. Accept the confirmation email3. Wait for the emails each week that are sent to you - and grow! Follow Dr. Melanie Empowers: https://linktr.ee/drmelanieempowers Share Your Thoughts or Topic Recommendations! Contact Info: https://linktr.ee/drmelanieempowers

  3. Sep 25

    The Leader You Hide From Yourself

    Every leader has two selves: the one the world sees, and the one they keep hidden. In this episode of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions, Dr. Melanie Empowers invites you to meet the version of yourself that quietly drives your decisions, your confidence, and your leadership presence. When you avoid parts of your emotional truth, you also avoid parts of your leadership power. This episode helps you uncover the patterns, fears, and protective instincts that keep your authentic leadership in the shadows, and shows you how to bring them into the light. In this episode, you’ll learn: How emotional avoidance becomes leadership avoidanceWhy your hidden self shows up most during conflict or stressThe difference between performing leadership and embodying leadershipHow to integrate your unseen strengths without losing your authorityThe moment your hidden leader becomes your whole leaderYour leadership evolution begins when you stop hiding from yourself. It’s time to awaken the leader within. Subscribe for more episodes in the Awakening Series, new releases every Thursday. Dr. Melanie Magruder is an accomplished Leadership and Professional Development Coach known for guiding emerging and established leaders through transformative growth. With deep expertise in business strategy and organizational leadership, she has led multimillion‑dollar initiatives across corporate, nonprofit, and community sectors, consistently bridging vision and execution to deliver meaningful impact. As the host of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions Podcast, Dr. Magruder advances a mission to strengthen emotional maturity as a foundation for effective leadership. She is a published author, experienced facilitator, and dedicated community advocate, holding a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, an MBA, and multiple coaching and leadership certifications. FREE - Five-Week Leadership Strategies Course: https://drmelanieempowers.kit.com/9a1f83884e 1. Fill in your information2. Accept the confirmation email3. Wait for the emails each week that are sent to you - and grow! Follow Dr. Melanie Empowers: https://linktr.ee/drmelanieempowers Share Your Thoughts or Topic Recommendations! Contact Info: https://linktr.ee/drmelanieempowers

  4. Sep 18

    Your Emotional History Is Your Leadership Biography

    Your leadership didn’t begin the day you received a title. It began long before that, in your childhood home, in the patterns you learned, in the emotional habits you built to survive, succeed, or stay safe. In Episode 3 of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions, Awakening Series, Dr. Melanie reveals how your emotional history quietly shapes your leadership identity today. The way you respond under pressure, the way you handle conflict, the way you show up for your team, none of it is random. It’s patterned. And those patterns have a story. In this episode, we explore: How your earliest authority figures shaped your leadership instinctsWhy emotional history becomes emotional autopilotThe three “Leadership Shadows” that follow leaders into adulthoodHow to identify the emotional age you lead from when triggeredThe moment your biography becomes your authorshipIf you’ve ever wondered why you lead the way you lead, this episode will give you clarity, language, and a path forward.  Your emotional history is not your destiny, but it is your blueprint.   Let’s grow. Dr. Melanie Empowers Dr. Melanie Magruder is an accomplished Leadership and Professional Development Coach known for guiding emerging and established leaders through transformative growth. With deep expertise in business strategy and organizational leadership, she has led multimillion‑dollar initiatives across corporate, nonprofit, and community sectors, consistently bridging vision and execution to deliver meaningful impact. As the host of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions Podcast, Dr. Magruder advances a mission to strengthen emotional maturity as a foundation for effective leadership. She is a published author, experienced facilitator, and dedicated community advocate, holding a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, an MBA, and multiple coaching and leadership certifications. Leadership Strategies Free Course:  https://drmelanieempowers.kit.com/9a1f83884e Share Your Thoughts or Topic Recommendations! Contact Info: https://linktr.ee/drmelanieempowers

  5. Sep 11

    Leader in the Mirror

    Who is the leader you think you are, and who is the leader your team actually experiences?  This episode of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions takes you straight into the heart of self‑awareness, exploring the powerful and sometimes uncomfortable gap between intention and impact. Grounded in research showing that while 95% of people believe they’re self‑aware, only 10–15% truly are, this conversation invites you to step into the mirror and examine the parts of your leadership you can see… and the parts you can’t. Using the Johari Window, we break down the four dimensions of self‑awareness: the open self, hidden self, blind self, and unknown self, and explore how each shapes your leadership identity, emotional maturity, and ability to build trust. You’ll hear stories, insights, and practical strategies for: Seeing your blind spots with honesty and courageUnderstanding the gap between how you show up and how others experience youInviting meaningful feedback that expands your “open self”Uncovering hidden strengths and patterns that shape your leadershipGrowing emotional maturity through reflection and self‑inquiryThis episode invites you to slow down, look inward, and confront the truths that make you a more grounded, emotionally intelligent, and trustworthy leader. Because the leader in the mirror isn’t just who you are, it’s who you’re becoming. If you’re ready to deepen your self‑awareness and expand your leadership impact, this conversation will meet you right where you are. Dr Melanie Dr. Melanie Magruder is an accomplished, certified Leadership and Professional Development Coach recognized for guiding emerging leaders, seasoned professionals, and cross‑functional teams through transformative growth. Known for clear insight, an engaging presence, and practical, evidence‑based coaching, she distills complexity into clarity, strengthens alignment, and equips clients to lead with purpose in fast‑moving, high‑stakes environments. A strategist at heart, Dr. Magruder brings deep expertise in business strategy and organizational leadership, having led and supported multimillion‑dollar initiatives across corporate, nonprofit, and community sectors. Her ability to bridge vision and execution enables her to operate seamlessly at both strategic and operational levels, delivering measurable impact through disciplined planning, stakeholder engagement, and organizational excellence. As the creator and host of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions Podcast, Dr. Magruder advances a powerful mission: helping individuals develop emotional maturity as a cornerstone of effective leadership and meaningful living. Her work fosters self‑awareness, challenges limiting patterns, and expands leaders’ capacity to act with intention, empathy, and resilience. Dr. Magruder holds a Doctorate in Management of Organizational Leadership, an MBA, and multiple certifications in coaching, adult learning, and leadership development. She is also a published author, experienced facilitator, and respected community advocate dedicated to elevating leaders and strengthening the communities they serve.  Five-Week Leadership Strategies Course: Register for your FREE 5-Week Leadership Strategies Course! It’s Simple:  1) Click on the link  2) Enter your name and email address  3) Look for the Welcome email and click the Enroll link  4) Check your email for the first of 5 installments  5) Check your email each week for the next four (4) lessons  6) Provide Feedback to DrMelanieEmpowers  7) Implement what you’ve learned!  Leadership Strategies Course Link: https://drmelanieempowers.kit.com/9a1f83884e Share Your Thoughts or Topic Recommendations! Contact Info: https://linktr.ee/drmelanieempowers

  6. Sep 4

    Leadership, AI Replacement and Performance in a Changing World

    In this episode of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions, we explore one of the most complex leadership challenges of our time: guiding engineering teams through AI‑driven role replacement while still being responsible for performance, delivery, and outcomes. AI may automate tasks, but leaders remain accountable for the work. And that tension between technological progress and human impact demands a level of emotional maturity many leaders have never been taught to develop. We dive into what it means to “grow up” as a leader when: engineers fear being replaced,roles are shifting faster than people can adapt,performance expectations remain high,and leaders must communicate hard truths with clarity, compassion, and courage.This isn't just a conversation about technology; it is a conversation about emotional age, the maturity leaders bring into moments where people feel replaceable, vulnerable, or left behind. This episode examines the emotional age leaders bring into moments of disruption, the skills required to maintain trust and psychological safety, and the mindset shifts necessary to redefine human value in an AI‑accelerated workplace. If you lead teams whose work is changing or disappearing, this conversation will help you navigate the future with groundedness, empathy, and strategic clarity. Guest: Matthew Venegas Matthew C. Venegas is a Senior Technical Program Manager and technology leader with more than 18 years of experience leading large-scale technology transformation across global financial services, technology, cloud, and infrastructure organizations.  In his current role at a large global payments and financial services company, Matt works at the intersection of AI enablement, engineering execution, and organizational change. His recent work includes implementing agentic development practices and AI-enabled engineering workflows across large technical organizations. Matt brings a practitioner’s perspective on how AI is reshaping engineering teams and how leaders can balance increased productivity with talent development, technical judgment, accountability, and long-term organizational resilience. Dr Melanie Empowers Dr. Melanie is an accomplished, certified Leadership and Professional Development Coach recognized for guiding emerging leaders, seasoned professionals, and cross‑functional teams through transformative growth. Known for clear insight, an engaging presence, and practical, evidence‑based coaching, she distills complexity into clarity, strengthens alignment, and equips clients to lead with purpose in fast‑moving, high‑stakes environments. A strategist at heart, Dr. Melanie brings deep expertise in business strategy and organizational leadership, having led and supported multimillion‑dollar initiatives across corporate, nonprofit, and community sectors. Her ability to bridge vision and execution enables her to operate seamlessly at both strategic and operational levels, delivering measurable impact through disciplined planning, stakeholder engagement, and organizational excellence. As the creator and host of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions Podcast, Dr. Magruder advances a powerful mission: helping individuals develop emotional maturity as a cornerstone of effective leadership and meaningful living. Her work fosters self‑awareness, challenges limiting patterns, and expands leaders’ capacity to act with intention, empathy, and resilience. Dr. Melanie holds a Doctorate in Management of Organizational Leadership, an MBA, and multiple certifications in coaching, adult learning, and leadership development. She is also a published author, experienced facilitator, and respected community advocate dedicated to elevating leaders and strengthening the communities they serve. Leadership Strategies Course: https://drmelanieempowers.kit.com/9a1f83884e Register and Confirm Enrollment  Share Your Thoughts or Topic Recommendations! Contact Info: https://linktr.ee/drmelanieempowers

  7. Aug 21

    Episode One of the Awakening Segment: How Old Are Your Emotions?

    Most leaders don’t fail because they’re inexperienced; they fail because they’re emotionally unprepared for leadership's weight, complexity, and visibility. In this opening episode of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions, Dr. Melanie Empowers reveals the hidden gap between professional competence and emotional maturity, and why closing that gap is the defining work of modern leadership. Listeners will explore the moment every leader faces: realizing that their emotional habits, reactions, and blind spots shape their leadership more than their expertise. This episode reframes emotional intelligence as a professional development imperative, introduces the season’s emotional maturity arc, and sets the expectation that leadership growth begins with self‑awareness, not skill acquisition. By the end of Episode 1, listeners understand the season’s central thesis: you cannot lead others well until you learn to lead yourself emotionally, and they’re invited to commit to the journey of becoming an Emotionally Prepared Leader. About Dr. Melanie Dr. Melanie Magruder is an accomplished, certified Leadership and Professional Development Coach recognized for guiding emerging leaders, seasoned professionals, and cross‑functional teams through transformative growth. Known for clear insight, an engaging presence, and practical, evidence‑based coaching, she distills complexity into clarity, strengthens alignment, and equips clients to lead with purpose in fast‑moving, high‑stakes environments. A strategist at heart, Dr. Magruder brings deep expertise in business strategy and organizational leadership, having led and supported multimillion‑dollar initiatives across corporate, nonprofit, and community sectors. Her ability to bridge vision and execution enables her to operate seamlessly at both strategic and operational levels, delivering measurable impact through disciplined planning, stakeholder engagement, and organizational excellence. As the creator and host of Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions Podcast, Dr. Magruder advances a powerful mission: helping individuals develop emotional maturity as a cornerstone of effective leadership and meaningful living. Her work fosters self‑awareness, challenges limiting patterns, and expands leaders’ capacity to act with intention, empathy, and resilience. Dr. Magruder holds a Doctorate in Management of Organizational Leadership, an MBA, and multiple certifications in coaching, adult learning, and leadership development. She is also a published author, experienced facilitator, and respected community advocate dedicated to elevating leaders and strengthening the communities they serve. Series 18 Episodes Guide: https://tr.ee/SUHWkGiF83 Five-Week FREE Leadership Strategies Course: https://drmelanieempowers.kit.com/9a1f83884e Dr. Melanie Empowers Share Your Thoughts or Topic Recommendations! Contact Info: https://linktr.ee/drmelanieempowers

  8. Aug 16

    Intro: Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions

    This is the first episode of the Growing Up podcast. An overview of what we will discuss, audience interaction, and why this podcast was created. We talk a bit about how our emotions often are not our current age. As a matter of fact, people usually react, interact, or engage with others based on past experiences, not necessarily based on the present moment. Growing Up: The Age of Your Emotions is a reflective, eye‑opening podcast that helps you understand the emotional age behind your reactions, relationships, and everyday interactions. At its core, the show invites you to explore how much of what you feel today is shaped by experiences from years ago, and how those buried emotional moments still influence the way you show up in the world.  Each episode creates a thoughtful space to examine the stories, triggers, and patterns that surface in adulthood but originate in childhood or earlier life chapters. Rather than offering therapy or advice, the podcast asks powerful questions, such as “What is the age of that emotion?” that guide you toward deeper self‑awareness and emotional maturity.  Listeners describe the conversations as enlightening, grounding, and transformative — a weekly opportunity to grow, heal, and understand yourself with more clarity and compassion. Dr. Melanie Empowers is not a licensed mental health provider, therapist, or counselor. The content shared through this podcast is for educational, personal growth, and leadership development purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or replace professional mental health care. Dr. Melanie holds a Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership and is a highly experienced leadership professional with over 30 years in Corporate IT, specializing in leadership and organizational development. She also holds multiple professional certifications, including being a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through an ICF‑credentialed institution. The insights shared here are grounded in leadership experience, coaching practice, and organizational expertise. If you are in need of mental health support, please seek guidance from a licensed mental health professional in your area. We hope the podcast topics are interesting enough to keep you tuning in regularly and participating. Until next time, Peace and understanding, DrMelanieEmpowers Share Your Thoughts or Topic Recommendations! Contact Info: https://linktr.ee/drmelanieempowers

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Growing Up, the Age of Your Emotions podcast is a place to recognize at what age or level you engage with others. Leadership is an important aspect of our lives, no matter the capacity in which it is demonstrated. Most often, our feelings, interactions, or reactions are based on past experiences. The current situation or engagement highlights what may have been buried or thought resolved. This is not a therapy session, nor do we advise on what you should or should not do. We do discuss events and ask, "What is the age of that or your emotion?" Join us; you will find the conversations enlightening and beneficial as you learn and continue the journey of growing up and discovering the age of your emotions. 

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