Lead with Spark | Authentic Leadership for Women, Executive Presence & Career Confidence

Lynsey Mulder
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Welcome to the Lead with Spark Podcast: Authentic Leadership for Women Who Want More. You're leading a team, building a career, and trying to actually have a life. But somewhere between the title, the to-do list, and everyone else's expectations, you've started wondering: Is this it? This podcast is for ambitious women leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs who are ready to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose, without burning out or losing themselves in the process. I'm Lynsey Mulder, leadership coach, keynote speaker, and former Fortune 100 Senior Vice President turned full-time champion for purpose-driven women. I earned my first coaching certification decades ago, long before leadership development for women became a conversation. Since then, I've built teams, raised a family, navigated the C-suite, and checked every success box, until burnout made me stop and reimagine everything. Today, I coach high-performing women, business owners, and executives ready to lead from the inside out. On Lead with Spark, we dig into what authentic leadership actually looks like in real life: executive presence, leadership communication, career confidence, values-driven decision-making, setting boundaries, overcoming imposter syndrome, balancing life, and reclaiming the energy and purpose that got you here in the first place. Whether you're leading a team, running a company, navigating a career transition, or just trying to lead your life more intentionally, you'll find real conversations, actionable leadership strategies, and personal development insights that meet you where you are. Because leadership isn't just about what you do. It's about who you are. Ready to lead with more purpose, presence, and power? Hit subscribe and join a growing community of women in leadership who are done settling for "fine." Keep showing up. Keep leading with spark. You've got this, and I've got you. Connect through wwwLynseyMulder.com.

  1. 4d ago

    E69 Quietly Cracking: How to Catch It Before You Break

    Your reviews are glowing. Your dashboard is green. Your boss thinks you are crushing it. And underneath all of that, you feel like you are slowly disappearing. That isn't burnout. It's quiet cracking, and almost everything written about it is aimed at HR and employers. In this sequel to the Energy Ledger episode, Lynsey talks directly to the high performer whose numbers look fantastic while her sense of self gets a little smaller every quarter. She shares her own season when stretch became strain, and three ways to catch the crack before it becomes a break. Together we will talk about Why burnout is loud and quiet cracking is quiet, and why that makes it so easy to miss How "cracking hides behind very good metrics" Lynsey's own season of glowing reviews, running on fumes, and the family plans that quietly disappeared The difference between stretch, which builds you, and strain, which never lets up The signature of quiet cracking: shrinking initiative, emotional withdrawal, and going quiet in rooms where you used to speak up The monthly gap check: are your results and your meaning moving in the same direction? Installing circuit breakers before you need them, including the Ask the Experts exercise One line to take with you "Cracks are information. They're not failure. They show you exactly where the light needs to get in." This week's challenge Do your first gap check this week. Draw two columns, results and meaning, and put an arrow up or down on each. Then send one Ask the Experts text to one person: "Describe a time when you saw me at my best." Let yourself read the answer. And sit with this question: where are you still delivering, but no longer showing up as your real, authentic self? Connect Audaciously Unapologetic Retreat, October 15 to 18, CIVANA Wellness Resort and Spa, Carefree, Arizona. Application only, limited to 20 women. Apply or schedule a chat at audaciouslyunapologetic.com Book a free discovery session with Lynsey at lynseymulder.com Missed the episode this one builds on? Listen to E64, "Finish the Year Strong," on the energy ledger Follow Lead with Spark on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean, and share this episode with a friend whose results look great but who hasn't seemed like herself lately

  2. Sep 30

    E68 The $15 Umbrella: How to Stop Worrying About Who's Watching

    A girls' trip to Florida, an $80 umbrella rental, and a $15 bargain umbrella that lasted about four seconds before the wind flipped it inside out. The funniest part wasn't the umbrella. It was what Lynsey and her friend did next: before they checked the damage, they checked the audience. In this episode, Lynsey unpacks that instinct to scan the room before we let ourselves laugh, speak up, or try something new. She shares the research behind the spotlight effect, why comparing our inside to someone else's outside is never a fair fight, and three simple practices to help you stop performing for a crowd that mostly isn't even looking. Together we will talk about The $15 beach umbrella and the "meerkat scan" that came before the laughter The spotlight effect, and the Cornell study that shows people notice us about half as much as we think Why comparison turns into a competition the other person doesn't even know she's in The difference between the crowd in your head and the handful of people whose opinions truly matter Three practices: catch the scan, choose the giggle, and assume the same interior How comparison can turn into compassion with one simple compliment One line to take with you "Most of the time, it's not actually broken. It's just an inside-out umbrella." This week's challenge Think of one thing you've been holding back on because of what someone might think: an idea at work, a class, that bright dress with the tags still on. Ask yourself who, specifically, you're worried about. If you can't put a name on it, notice that. Then this week, flip the canvas back and do the thing. Connect with Lynsey Craving a room where the highlight reels get set down at the door? The Audaciously Unapologetic Retreat is October 15 to 18 at CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa in Carefree, Arizona. A small group, by application only. Apply or schedule a chat with Lynsey at audaciouslyunapologetic.com Want to work on this one on one? Book a free discovery session at lynseymulder.com Follow Lynsey on: Facebook: @LynseySMulder LinkedIn: @Lynsey-Mulder Instagram: @LynseyMulder Pinterest: @LynseyMulder YouTube: @LynseyMulder If this episode helped, share it with one woman who needs to hear it, and leave a review so more women can find the show

  3. Sep 23

    E67 How to Stop Comparing Your Insides to Everyone Else's Highlight Reel

    How to Stop Comparing Your Insides to Everyone Else's Highlight Reel Have you ever looked around a room full of accomplished people and thought, "What am I doing here?" Last week at a conference in Tampa Bay, Lynsey did exactly that, and within ten minutes she had talked herself right out of her own résumé. Then she walked up to one of the speakers, had a real conversation, and discovered that the woman she admired was carrying the very same worries. In this short solo episode, Lynsey shares what she realized on the walk away: you are comparing what you can see of someone else to what you can feel in yourself. That is apples and oranges, and it is never a fair fight. If imposter syndrome has been whispering to you lately, this one is for you. Together we will talk about Why imposter syndrome shows up even after decades of experience, and what the whisper really sounds like (01:32) The conversation that changed everything, and the realization behind "outside versus inside" (02:32) How to catch the unfair comparison with one simple question (05:10) Why pedestals do not survive proximity, and the question to ask someone you admire (05:56) The day someone put Lynsey on a pedestal, and what she said back (06:47) How to build your identity from the inside out, and why "developing my people" is never just a task on your list (07:41) The quiet wins list: three a week, small, unposted, and yours (09:00) One line to take with you "Her outside was never meant to be measured against your inside." This week's challenge Ask yourself: "What is the one thing I did this week that nobody will ever post about, but it's exactly who I want to be?" A better mom, a better listener, a leader who built her team up, someone who showed up for her community. Write it down. That is quiet win number one. Then add two more before the week is over. Connect Craving a room where the highlight reels get set down at the door? The Audaciously Unapologetic Retreat is October 15 to 18 at CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa in Carefree, Arizona. A small group, by application only. Apply or schedule a chat with Lynsey at audaciouslyunapologetic.com Want to work on this one on one? Book a free discovery session at lynseymulder.com Follow Lynsey on: Facebook: @LynseySMulder LinkedIn: @Lynsey-Mulder Instagram: @LynseyMulder Pinterest: @LynseyMulder YouTube: @LynseyMulder If this episode helped, share it with one woman who needs to hear it, and leave a review so more women can find the show

  4. Sep 16

    E66 Your People Are Not Broken, Your System Is: Honest Conversations with Betsy Kauffman

    When a senior leader calls Betsy Kauffman and says, I have this person and they need help, they usually mean the person is broken. Betsy's whole career is built on a different premise: your people are not broken, your system is. Betsy Kauffman is the founder and CEO of Cross Impact Coaching, a TED speaker with over 1.6 million views, and the author of The Fix. After 25 years leading large-scale technology transformations, she now helps leadership teams close the gap between strategy and execution. In this episode, she and Lynsey get into why misalignment quietly drains companies, how to have the honest conversations most of us avoid, and the four-tip framework from her TED Talk that works whether you are the CEO or an individual contributor. Together we will talk about: Why AI is the latest in a long line of technology waves, and why the human element matters more now, not less The premise of The Fix: people are usually not broken, the system, processes, or how a team makes decisions is what is driving the behavior The triggers of misalignment: no shared understanding of the top priority, no agreement on how decisions get made, and no safety to talk about the hard stuff The hidden cost of a leadership team that is not aligned, from wasted resources to your best performers walking out the door The four tips for honest conversations at work: confidence, intent, data, and a solution, plus the pro tip of saying it out loud first Why alignment does not always equal agreement, and how to disagree and still commit to a united front How to recover when you say the wrong thing: own it, go straight to the person, and do it quickly One line to take with you: "Alignment does not always equal agreement. You may not agree, but you get behind it, and that is what alignment is." This week's challenge: Before your next hard conversation, use Betsy's four tips: lead with the confidence to speak up, know your intent, bring the data or the why, and come with a solution. Then practice it out loud, in the car or the mirror, before you walk in. Your brain files it as evidence that you can do it. Connect with Betsy Kauffman: LinkedIn: @ BetsyKauffman https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsykauffman/ Website:https://crossimpact.co/media/ Free Leadership Alignment Survey:https://crossimpact.co/alignment/.  Connect with Lynsey: Website:com Facebook: @LynseySMulder LinkedIn: @Lynsey-Mulder Instagram: @LynseyMulder Pinterest: @LynseyMulder YouTube: @LynseyMulder Follow Lead with Spark on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Podbean so you never miss an episode

    E66 Your People Are Not Broken, Your System Is: Honest Conversations with Betsy Kauffman

  5. Sep 9

    E65 Every Yes Is a No to Something Else

    I recently coached a client on boundaries, and about ten minutes into the conversation I knew it was something I needed to share with you too. She told me she has such a hard time saying no that she gives everything away, and then feels hurt when someone does not choose her. Then she said the sharper version: I do not say no, I am always looking for how I can say yes. In this episode I walk through the reframe that changes that pattern, the three steps I gave her, and the quiet moment on the call when it finally clicked for her. What you will learn How to flip a boundary from a refusal into a decision you already made Why your priorities lose to other people’s requests, and the one change that fixes it The move one number rule that keeps a new boundary from collapsing in week two How to write present tense statements your brain will actually accept A thirty second tracking habit that proves you can already do the thing you think you cannot Join the Audaciously Unapologetic Retreat October 15 to 18, 2026, CIVANA Wellness Resort and Spa, Carefree, Arizona. A few select women, application only. Apply or schedule a chat at audaciouslyunapologetic.com Connect with Lynsey Website: lynseymulder.com Facebook: @LynseySMulder LinkedIn: @Lynsey-Mulder Instagram: @LynseyMulder Pinterest: @LynseyMulder YouTube: @LynseyMulder If this episode landed, the kindest thing you can do is send it to one woman who says yes too fast

  6. Sep 2

    E64 You Do Not Have a Time Problem: How to Finish the Year Strong on the Energy You Have

    It is the end of August, which means sometime in the next two weeks you will open your calendar, look at what is left of the year, and feel one of two things. The sprint: grab every unfinished January goal and muscle to December 31st on caffeine and sheer personality. Or the quiet quit: eh, we will regroup in January, and coast through four months of your one precious life. Both are traps. In this solo episode, Lynsey offers a third way. You do not have a time problem, you have an energy problem, and no planner has ever minted a 25th hour. She walks you through the energy ledger, a 10-minute audit of where your energy actually goes, and the year-end edit built on three lists: cut, park, and protect. Then she names the real reason we do not cut anything, and it is not discipline. It is fear. Together we will talk about: Why the year-end sprint and the quiet quit are both traps, and what the third way looks like The reframe that changes everything: you do not have a time problem, you have an energy problem The energy ledger, a 10-minute line-by-line audit of last week's calendar marked simply plus or minus The year-end edit in three lists: cut the performative work and ghost goals, park the good-but-wrong-time ideas, and protect the two or three things that actually mattered Why one protected thing must be your own renewal, because renewal is infrastructure, not indulgence The hidden fears underneath a bloated calendar, and why they will quietly veto every boundary until you name them One line to take with you: "Renewal is not what you do after the important work. Renewal is what makes the important work possible. That is not indulgence, that is infrastructure." This week's challenge: Do the energy ledger, then make one cut and name one protect. Just one of each. Then tell someone about both, because a boundary spoken out loud is ten times stronger than one that only lives in your head. The Audaciously Unapologetic Retreat: October 15 to 18, 2026 at CIVANA Wellness Resort and Spa in Carefree, Arizona. Four days and three nights built around clarity, confidence, and connection: inner work to rebuild your foundation, the immunity map that x-rays what has really been in your way, a real action plan for your next chapter, plus sound baths, yoga, private dinners under the desert sky, and a burning ceremony. Co-facilitated by Lynsey Mulder and Paula Shannon. By application, intentionally capped. Apply, or schedule a no-pressure chat with Lynsey first, at https://audaciouslyunapologetic.com/  Connect with Lynsey: Website: LynseyMulder.com Facebook: @LynseySMulder LinkedIn: @Lynsey-Mulder Instagram: @LynseyMulder Pinterest: @LynseyMulder YouTube: @LynseyMulder Follow Lead with Spark on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Podbean so you never miss an episode

  7. Aug 26

    E63 The Permission Slip: The Memo That Is Never Coming

    You have been waiting on a memo. The one where your boss, the board, or some committee of very official people sits you down and says you are now allowed to lead your way. Trust your gut. Push back in the meeting. Run the team the way you actually want to. Signed, everyone. Lovingly, here is the truth: that memo does not exist. It was never in the mail. In this solo episode, Lynsey names why so many accomplished women keep their real leadership in a drawer, waiting at a window where no one is working. She traces it back to a lifetime of permission-based success, counts what the waiting actually costs, and hands you three permission slips to write yourself this week. Because the vetting is done. The only approval still outstanding is yours. Together we will talk about: Why waiting for permission is training, not a character flaw, and where the game quietly changed on you mid-career The four costs of waiting: the world gets a photocopy of you, your ideas go unclaimed, the people watching you learn to wait too, and the slow leak of burnout The reframe: permission is not granted to leaders, it is taken, quietly and usually without an announcement Why this is not about going rogue, and the difference between skipping accountability and bringing your actual self to the role you already earned Three permission slips to write yourself: to lead in your own style, to speak before you are certain, and to invest in yourself without earning it first The present-tense trick that helps your brain believe the slip is already true One line to take with you: "Permission is not granted to leaders. It is taken, quietly, confidently, and usually without an announcement." This week's challenge: Write one permission slip this week. Your way, out loud, in present tense, as if it is already true. Put it somewhere you will see it every morning and read it aloud, even if it feels a little silly. Your brain believes what it hears you say, especially in your own voice. The Audaciously Unapologetic Retreat: October 15 to 18, 2026 at CIVANA Wellness Resort and Spa in Carefree, Arizona. Four days and three nights for high-performing women, built around clarity, confidence, and connection: coaching that gets underneath your patterns, sound baths, yoga, meditation under the desert sky, private dinners, and a curated circle of women who become the personal board of directors you have been missing. Co-facilitated by Lynsey Mulder and Paula Shannon. By application, intentionally capped. Apply, or schedule a no-pressure chat with Lynsey first, at https://audaciouslyunapologetic.com/  Connect with Lynsey: Website: LynseyMulder.com Facebook: @LynseySMulder LinkedIn: @Lynsey-Mulder Instagram: @LynseyMulder Pinterest: @LynseyMulder YouTube: @LynseyMulder Follow Lead with Spark on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Podbean so you never miss an episode

  8. Aug 19

    E62 Worthy of Rest: Belief, Burnout, and the Stories Running Underneath Your Leadership, with Dr. Alicia Newsome

    If you are carrying a lot, leading a lot, achieving a lot, and still wondering why you feel exhausted underneath all of it, this conversation is for you. Dr. Alicia Newsome returns for Part 2 of our series, and this time we zoom out from the body to the whole picture: the beliefs running underneath your leadership, the exhaustion our culture quietly applauds, and her new book, Worthy of Rest. This is the honest, practical half of the conversation, the one about the story you have been telling yourself since you were eight years old and how it is still shaping the decisions you make in the boardroom. Together we will talk about: The Integrative Leadership Framework: body, business, and belief, and why all three have to move together Why the eight-year-old version of you cannot be the one driving the car, and the pause-and-name practice that puts her safely in the back seat Perfectionism, burnout, and worthiness are symptoms, not root causes; fourteen perfectionists in a room have fourteen different stories The types of rest most of us have never heard of: sensory, emotional, spiritual, and physical, and why a nap is not always the answer Alicia's practice of taking three full weeks off twice a year, what it reveals about your business, and Lynsey's vacation SOP that keeps 500 emails from piling up while she is gone Building a team around your life: hiring for how people think, paid test projects, the human-in-the-loop AI standard, and the three things every hire should do for you Why every yes is a no to something else, and how to give yourself permission to use a two-letter word One line to take with you: "We live in a culture that worships exhaustion." This week's challenge: Look at what you have said yes to this month. Find the one that was never a full yes, the one you hesitated on, and ask yourself what you said no to in order to make room for it. Then practice the two-letter sentence. No is a complete answer. Connect with Dr. Alicia Newsome: Grab her free gift for Lead with Spark listeners at www.draliciagifts.com Learn about working with her, completely virtually, at www.dralicianewsome.com Follow her on: Instagram @ dr.alicianewsome LinkedIn @ dr-alicia-newsome YouTube @ dr.alicianewsome Facebook @ dralicianewsome Watch for her upcoming book, Worthy of Rest, which we dig into in Part 2 Connect with Lynsey: Follow Lead with Spark on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Podbean so you do not miss Part 2 with Dr. Alicia next week, and leave a review if this one hit home Ready to go deeper? Learn about the Audaciously Unapologetic retreat in Carefree, Arizona at audaciouslyunapologetic.com Website: LynseyMulder.com Facebook: @LynseySMulder LinkedIn: @Lynsey-Mulder Instagram: @LynseyMulder Pinterest: @LynseyMulder YouTube: @LynseyMulder Start here: this is Part 2 of a two-part series. If you missed Part 1, go back for the conversation on hormones, chronic stress, and what your body has been trying to tell you.

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Welcome to the Lead with Spark Podcast: Authentic Leadership for Women Who Want More. You're leading a team, building a career, and trying to actually have a life. But somewhere between the title, the to-do list, and everyone else's expectations, you've started wondering: Is this it? This podcast is for ambitious women leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs who are ready to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose, without burning out or losing themselves in the process. I'm Lynsey Mulder, leadership coach, keynote speaker, and former Fortune 100 Senior Vice President turned full-time champion for purpose-driven women. I earned my first coaching certification decades ago, long before leadership development for women became a conversation. Since then, I've built teams, raised a family, navigated the C-suite, and checked every success box, until burnout made me stop and reimagine everything. Today, I coach high-performing women, business owners, and executives ready to lead from the inside out. On Lead with Spark, we dig into what authentic leadership actually looks like in real life: executive presence, leadership communication, career confidence, values-driven decision-making, setting boundaries, overcoming imposter syndrome, balancing life, and reclaiming the energy and purpose that got you here in the first place. Whether you're leading a team, running a company, navigating a career transition, or just trying to lead your life more intentionally, you'll find real conversations, actionable leadership strategies, and personal development insights that meet you where you are. Because leadership isn't just about what you do. It's about who you are. Ready to lead with more purpose, presence, and power? Hit subscribe and join a growing community of women in leadership who are done settling for "fine." Keep showing up. Keep leading with spark. You've got this, and I've got you. Connect through wwwLynseyMulder.com.

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