Let's HEAL!

Beth Jones

Welcome to Let’s HEAL! with Beth Jones. I’m Beth, your leadership performance strategist and the HEALing Mentor. We’re still talking about healing our survival patterns, but this show is taking the conversation somewhere we don’t talk about it nearly enough.   The business world. Because we desperately need conversations about leadership performance and healing the survival patterns that keep us from achieving real success.   Our survival patterns don’t stay in our past. They follow us to work. They shape our leadership behavior and how we treat the people we are responsible for. And most of us have absolutely no idea it’s happening. It shows up as burnout despite success. As trauma responses in leadership that nobody has named yet. Decision-making under pressure that quietly erodes trust in leadership. Emptiness high achievers feel when everything looks right on the outside, but something still isn’t working inside. The higher the performance, the easier it is to look away from your wounds.   That is the conversation this show is stepping into now — and we are ready for it. The first fifty episodes of this show, raw, honest conversations with survivors, gifted healers, and people who have walked through the fire, built the foundation. Now we are taking everything we learned about healing into the room where it is needed most and asking the hard questions.   What happens when survival patterns run the show at work? How does healing our survival patterns make us more effective, more present, and more powerful as leaders? What does it look like to be forced into healing while you are still in the middle of your career? These are the conversations we’re having now. These are the conversations leaders need — and that organizations are not having.   I know one thing for sure: you, too, can heal. And when you do, you lead differently. Your team performs differently. Your decisions come from a different place. You love differently. You show up differently. This is how we build leadership effectiveness that lasts — and a life and legacy to match.   Come on, everybody. Let’s HEAL!

  1. Jul 28

    When the Duck Stops Gliding | Jessica Hammock

    Jessica Hammock is the Director of Behavioral and Mental Health for one of the largest charter school networks in Texas, responsible for crisis response and mental health training across 100 campuses and 25,000 students. When a death on campus happens, she is the person every principal calls. From the outside: completely calm. From the inside, her words: "my little heart is fluttering away like little legs underneath the pond."  In this conversation, Jessica and Beth go somewhere most leadership conversations don't reach. Jessica describes what it looks like to lead at scale while managing her own nervous system beneath the surface — the go mode, the over-functioning, and the moment she recognized that owning the weight of everybody else's outcomes was never hers to carry. What survival mode leadership looks like when you're the designated calm one. Why "leave your problems at the door" is physiologically impossible. The performance-based identity that showed up long before the leadership title did. And what it looks like to lead from giftedness instead of a false sense of responsibility.  Chapters: 00:00 — Cold open: the duck on the pond 00:19 — Leadership series intro 02:08 — Who Jessica is today 09:39 — What happens when the crisis call comes in 13:38 — “You’re not getting in the car” — when the boss says no 18:53 — “Leave your problems at the door is a lie” 21:05 — Owning what was never mine to own 26:14 — Resourcing vs. armor — where Jessica is today 32:33 — What healing taught her about leadership 38:23 — Sitting across from younger Jessica 40:59 — Closing / call to action Connect with Jessica Hammock: vibrantvoice.life | https://www.linkedin.com/in/vibrantvoice/ Connect with Beth: beth@empoweredsurvivors.com | http://empoweredsurvivors.com | Substack: @‌bethjoneshealingmentor

    When the Duck Stops Gliding | Jessica Hammock
  2. Jul 14

    I Couldn't Afford to Tell the Truth | Kathy Love

    What happens when the fear of losing a paycheck teaches you to swallow the truth — and what does that same fear look like once you're the one running the room? My guest is Kathy Love: two-time TEDx speaker, self-care coach, author, and podcast host, whose ex-husband was convicted of white-collar crime and sentenced to federal prison. We go back to where the co-dependency pattern started, long before the FBI ever showed up at her house, and bring it forward into how she leads and works today. Through The HEAL Framework™ — Hope, Evolve, And Love — Beth helps leaders recognize the survival patterns shaping how they lead. You, too, can heal. Chapters 00:00 Cold Open & Intro 07:44 Meet Kathy Love: From Federal Investigation to Self-Care Coach 16:53 Naming the Pattern: “An Extreme People Pleaser” 17:41 Falling in Love at 23 and Missing the Red Flags 34:55 The Slow Unraveling: “You Just Don't Understand” 38:39 The Card from the FBI 45:23 Coming Home to an Unfamiliar Calm 49:15 The Root Cause: A Fear of Being Alone 1:00:16 Changing Her Name, Rebuilding Herself 1:05:38 What Changed at Work After the Healing 1:07:40 Debate, Not Argument: Truth as a Leadership Tool 1:10:04 Close Connect with Kathy Love: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathylove111/ https://www.myselfcareshit.com/ Through The HEAL Framework™ — to Hope, Evolve, And Love, each as an action — Beth helps leaders, high-performers, and organizations understand that the survival patterns running leadership styles can be recognized, examined, and changed. Connect with Beth: beth@empoweredsurvivors.com | http://empoweredsurvivors.com | Substack: @‌bethjoneshealingmentor

    I Couldn't Afford to Tell the Truth | Kathy Love
  3. Jun 30

    When Empathy Is a Survival Skill | Kristan Gainey Keene

    What happens when the skill that makes you an exceptional leader is the same skill that’s quietly exhausting you? Kristan Gainey Keene spent thirty years in enterprise technology building programs that helped people feel seen, heard, and included. What she didn’t know was that every one of those skills was forged in an unsafe childhood. In this conversation, Kristan and Beth go to the place most leadership interviews never reach: the personal history underneath the professional expertise. Chapters: 00:00 Cold open 00:28 Intro 00:59 Meet Kristan Gainey Keene 01:51 Who Kristan is today 03:12 Why storytelling is an identity 04:24 The AAA Forum: storytelling as belonging 09:00 “Bring a Man” — including men in the conversation 11:58 Creating safe spaces during hard times 13:26 Work as the safe place 14:20 Where the warmth comes from 15:40 “I thought they were my feelings” 20:38 The healing journey begins 25:04 Leadership before healing 26:31 Beyond belonging — acceptance 28:23 Curiosity over resistance 35:03 The story that changed a C-suite leader 37:29 What would you say to her? 41:00 Connection as the opposite of addiction Connect with Kristan Gainey Keene: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristangaineykeene/ Through The HEAL Framework™ — to Hope, Evolve, And Love, each as an action — Beth helps leaders, high-performers, and organisations understand that the survival patterns running their leadership styles can be recognised, examined, and changed. You, too, can heal. Connect with Beth: Website: https://empoweredsurvivors.com Substack | LinkedIn: @‌BethJonesHEALingMentor Email: beth@empoweredsurvivors.com Book: Becoming an Empowered Survivor (Amazon) #LeadershipPerformance #SurvivalModeLeadership #TraumaInformedLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #EmotionalIntelligence

    When Empathy Is a Survival Skill | Kristan Gainey Keene
  4. Jun 16

    What Happens When a Leader Puts the Human First | Laura Roach

    Laura Roach is a partner at McCathern and one of the most recognized family law mediators in Texas. In this conversation, Laura shares what her breakdown taught her about leadership, why she tells her young attorneys to go home to their families, and the business case for doing your own work: better talent, stronger teams, and more revenue. Beth explores how Laura’s story connects to tone at the top—the leadership behavior that determines whether people feel safe to be human at work. Chapters: 0:00 Cold Open 0:13 Intro 0:50 Who is Laura Roach? 4:05 The protector and the blunt truth-teller 8:20 Laura’s breakdown and the road to recovery 12:45 What vulnerability changed about her leadership 14:00 Why her team isn’t afraid to bring her problems 22:45 Fighting ego to get help 26:00 The people you lose and the people you find 29:40 “Go home to your babies” — human-first leadership in practice 32:40 Work-life balance vs. life-work integration 36:15 The ROI of recovery: revenue, talent, and the cycle that repeats 38:30 Close Connect with Laura Roach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-roach-09563467/ | lroach@mccarthernlaw.com Through The HEAL Framework™ — to Hope, Evolve, And Love, each as an action — Beth helps leaders, high-performers, and organizations understand that the survival patterns running leadership styles can be recognized, examined, and changed. Connect with Beth: beth@empoweredsurvivors.com | http://empoweredsurvivors.com | Substack: @‌bethjoneshealingmentor

    What Happens When a Leader Puts the Human First | Laura Roach
  5. Jun 2

    I Discovered I Am a Black Man at 19 | Rick Hightower

    Rick Hightower grew up in an all-Black neighborhood in Atlanta, arrived at TCU (a university in Ft Worth, TX) at 19, and discovered for the first time what it meant to be a Black man in a predominantly white world. That discovery shaped his entire career. In this conversation, Beth and Rick explore the survival patterns that navigating race creates, Rick introduces the concept of aversive racism, and Beth shares her own unconscious bias story and asks whether it crossed into how she led. Today’s lesson: conscious living. Chapters: 00:00 Cold open 00:10 Intro 00:45 Meet Rick Hightower 03:25 Two heart attacks and a wake-up call 05:20 The courage to speak up before retirement 12:00 Right under your nose but you don’t see 13:15 “I haven’t had any major trauma” 14:48 I discovered I was Black at 19 16:32 The calculus class that changed everything 20:00 Working harder and watching others get more 22:05 The false arrest at TCU 24:00 Black professionals and the exceptional standard 27:45 Conscious living and picking your battles 29:50 Prepare to be wrong 32:05 What navigating race costs your relationships 35:03 Seeking joy and setting boundaries 35:35 Beth’s unconscious bias story 39:56 Aversive racism explained 43:13 The mask, the pandemic, and conscious living 47:10 Close Connect with Rick Hightower: LinkedIn:   / rick-hightower-3405bb179  Instagram: instagram.com/hightower_rick Facebook: facebook.com/rick.hightower.7 Website: therickhightower.com Connect with Beth: beth@empoweredsurvivors.com empoweredsurvivors.com Substack

    I Discovered I Am a Black Man at 19 | Rick Hightower
  6. May 19

    When Success Is the Wrong Fuel | Molly Moore Smith

    What happens when the fuel running your entire career is a lack of self-worth, and you don’t realize it until the validation spigot turns off? Molly Moore Smith spent over 25 years in the tech industry, rising from entry-level to VP while her entire identity ran on external validation. In this episode, Molly names the survival patterns that drove her leadership for two decades — perfectionism, people pleasing, control, and numbing — and shares the moment she uttered the scariest words of her adult life to her boss on a Zoom call. Chapters: 00:00 Cold Open — “If success in this role means I have to spend 50% of my time doing these things, then I’m not the right person for the role” 01:02 Introduction: Molly Moore Smith 04:50 Where the Drive Began: Scarcity, Divorce, and the First Job That Rewarded Effort 06:27 External Validation as the Only Fuel 08:50 The Validation Spigot Turns Off 11:30 The Cost at Home: Mommy Guilt and the 80/20 Marriage 14:35 Naming the Survival Patterns: Perfectionism, People Pleasing, Control, Numbing 17:55 The 2019 Health Pivot 20:10 The Biggest Funk: Misalignment, Stopping Drinking, and the Zoom Call 23:00 The Scariest Sentence She Ever Said to Her Boss 26:40 What Healing Freed Up: Writing a Book, Spiritual Awakening, Energy Healing 30:20 The Emotion Code: How Trapped Emotions Drive Leadership Behavior 36:52 What Would You Say to Her? 39:42 You, Too, Can Heal Connect with Molly Moore Smith: http://nextbeststep.co linkedin.com/in/molly-smith-cecp-24345712 http://youtube.com//@mollypositivepants Through The HEAL Framework™, Beth helps leaders recognize, examine, and change these patterns. Connect with Beth: beth@empoweredsurvivors.com http://empoweredsurvivors.com Substack: @‌bethjoneshealingmentor Subscribe wherever you get your podcast.

    When Success Is the Wrong Fuel | Molly Moore Smith
  7. May 5

    When Survival Mode Becomes Your Leadership Style | Chason Forehand

    What happens when the survival strategies that got you through childhood become the leadership behaviors your team has to navigate every day? Chason Forehand spent years leading teams in hospitality while carrying unresolved trauma that shaped how he showed up: trust issues that became harshness, emotional walls that shut down empathy, and a need for control that kept his team at arm’s length. In this episode, Chason and Beth name the survival patterns that drive leadership behavior, where they come from, and what it takes to recognize them. Through The HEAL Framework™, Beth helps leaders understand that these patterns can be recognized, examined, and changed. Chapters: 00:00 Cold Open — “I was failing at that because I was struggling myself.” 01:02 The Leadership Series Begins: Why This Conversation Is Long Overdue 08:05 Chason’s Story: From Childhood Abuse to Running Restaurants 10:22 How Addiction Morphs — From Substances to Workaholism 17:55 Trust Issues at Work: When Survival Becomes Harsh Leadership 20:39 The Mask of High Performance: Succeeding While Struggling 28:09 What Emotional Intelligence Looks Like After Healing 29:48 Three Questions That Changed Everything: What Am I Feeling, Where Does It Come From, What Do I Want to Do About It 30:57 Why Healing Is a Career Imperative for Leaders 31:43 You, Too, Can Heal Connect: beth@empoweredsurvivors.com | empoweredsurvivors.com Connect with Chason Forehand: Chason Forehand | Linktree or Chason Forehand | LinkedIn Subscribe wherever you get your podcast.

    When Survival Mode Becomes Your Leadership Style | Chason Forehand

About

Welcome to Let’s HEAL! with Beth Jones. I’m Beth, your leadership performance strategist and the HEALing Mentor. We’re still talking about healing our survival patterns, but this show is taking the conversation somewhere we don’t talk about it nearly enough.   The business world. Because we desperately need conversations about leadership performance and healing the survival patterns that keep us from achieving real success.   Our survival patterns don’t stay in our past. They follow us to work. They shape our leadership behavior and how we treat the people we are responsible for. And most of us have absolutely no idea it’s happening. It shows up as burnout despite success. As trauma responses in leadership that nobody has named yet. Decision-making under pressure that quietly erodes trust in leadership. Emptiness high achievers feel when everything looks right on the outside, but something still isn’t working inside. The higher the performance, the easier it is to look away from your wounds.   That is the conversation this show is stepping into now — and we are ready for it. The first fifty episodes of this show, raw, honest conversations with survivors, gifted healers, and people who have walked through the fire, built the foundation. Now we are taking everything we learned about healing into the room where it is needed most and asking the hard questions.   What happens when survival patterns run the show at work? How does healing our survival patterns make us more effective, more present, and more powerful as leaders? What does it look like to be forced into healing while you are still in the middle of your career? These are the conversations we’re having now. These are the conversations leaders need — and that organizations are not having.   I know one thing for sure: you, too, can heal. And when you do, you lead differently. Your team performs differently. Your decisions come from a different place. You love differently. You show up differently. This is how we build leadership effectiveness that lasts — and a life and legacy to match.   Come on, everybody. Let’s HEAL!