The UpLevel Podcast

Christie Mann & Rachel Baldi
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Conscious leaders create conscious cultures. The UpLevel Podcast is a transformational resource for leaders, coaches, and people managers who are ready to lead with greater presence, purpose, and humanity. With 85% of employees disengaged at work and mental health challenges costing organizations thousands per employee each year, the demand for emotionally intelligent, trauma-aware, and consciously coached leadership has never been more urgent. Each episode explores what it truly means to uplevel within ourselves, our organizations, and the systems we move through. Themes include emotional embodiment, grief, right relationship coaching culture, and the ROI of investing in human well-being. Named one of the web’s Top 10 Coaching Culture Podcasts and a Top 50 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcast by Feedspot, the show is a core part of UpLevel’s mission to build a more conscious, compassionate, and humane world by making deep, healing, and actionable conversations accessible to all. Hosted by Christie Mann, certified coach, author, and co-founder of UpLevel, the podcast invites you not just to do better, but to be better.

  1. Stewardship: The North Star of Fatherhood | Coaching in Real Time with Luke Partridge

    6d ago

    Stewardship: The North Star of Fatherhood | Coaching in Real Time with Luke Partridge

    Send us Fan Mail If you're a parent, a leader, or anyone navigating the tension between responsibility and authenticity, this conversation speaks directly to you. This week on The UpLevel Podcast, Luke Partridge, a seasoned talent acquisition leader with more than 20 years of executive search experience across the UK, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, and Asia, brings forward one of the most human leadership challenges there is: how to show up with integrity, collaboration, and authenticity while parenting three teenagers through constant shifts in family dynamics. Together with Christie Mann, Luke explores his core values of accountability, empathy, and authenticity, the three that form what he calls his "North Star of Fatherhood." Through perspective work and deep reflection, Luke moves from thinking about these values to genuinely experiencing them, and he discovers that vulnerability and transparency are real sources of strength. This episode embodies the season's theme of stewardship: what it means to model values rather than simply teach them, to create the conditions for others to thrive, and to lead from a place of integrity even in the most pressurized moments. Listen in as Luke finds that being a work in progress, admitting what you don't know, and honoring your values when it's hard is exactly what the people who trust us most need from us. In this episode, we’ll explore: Fatherhood as a leadership practiceAccountability, authenticity, and empathyCreating a healthy family cultureHow vulnerability builds trustThe connection between parenting and leadershipModeling values through everyday actionsA practical reflection practice for staying groundedWhat it means to steward the next generationAbout Luke: Luke Partridge is a seasoned talent acquisition leader with over 20 years of executive search experience across the UK, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, and Asia. Based in Hong Kong, he currently serves as a Talent Partner at Equinix, where he partners with business leaders to build high-performing teams in the digital infrastructure space. Previously, Luke honed his expertise at Meta (Facebook), earning praise for his strategic recruitment approach, candidate experience, and ability to align talent with complex business needs. Passionate about proactive talent strategies and team development, he brings deep insight into how to curate your career, getting the maximum from your work path, and using modern recruiting practices, including generative AI applications in talent acquisition. An avid marathon runner and fundraiser, Luke has completed ultra-challenges for Oxfam, UNICEF, and the MS Society while volunteering with environmental causes. A father of 3 and lifelong learner, he shares practical wisdom on building exceptional teams through his writing and speaking. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukepartridge/ 🎉 The UpLevel Podcast was listed as one of the Top 10 Best Coaching Culture Podcasts!!! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/coaching_culture_podcasts 🎉 It was also ranked #4 among the top 50 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcasts! https://podcast.feedspot.com/workplace_mental_health_podcasts www.uplevelproductions.com https://www.instagram.com/uplevelproductions/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/uplevelproductionscompany https://www.facebook.com/uplevelproductionscompany

    36 min
  2. From Executor to Builder: Meeting Your Future Self | Coaching in Real Time with Marlenne Johnson

    Jun 10

    From Executor to Builder: Meeting Your Future Self | Coaching in Real Time with Marlenne Johnson

    Send us Fan Mail Many talented professionals reach a moment when they know they're capable of more influence, more impact, and more leadership, yet something keeps them standing at the edge of that next chapter. In this episode of The UpLevel Podcast, we invite you inside a real coaching conversation with Marlenne Johnson, an organizational transformation strategist, storyteller, and systems thinker who helps organizations move through complexity with greater clarity, intention, and humanity. Throughout her career, Marlenne has partnered with leaders and teams to guide change, strengthen employee experiences, and create meaningful transformation. Now she finds herself facing a leadership question of her own: How do I move from being known as an executor to becoming a builder, thought leader, people leader, and community leader? Together, Christie Mann and Marlenne design a coaching alliance and explore the beliefs, habits, and assumptions that can keep even the most capable leaders from fully stepping into their potential. Through a future-self visualization rooted in Co-Active coaching, Marlenne connects with the version of herself she hopes to become, only to discover that the qualities she's seeking may already be present. In This Episode: Designing an alliance for safety, bravery, and growthHow future-self coaching can open up leadership growthWhy so many leaders wait for permission before stepping forwardThe difference between executing work and creating lasting impactHow self-trust shapes leadership presenceThe role community plays in personal and professional growthPractical ways to bridge the gap between who you are and who you're becoming About Marlenne: Marlenne Johnson is an organizational transformation strategist, storyteller, and systems thinker whose work lives at the intersection of people, power, and change. With a career spanning recruiting, employee experience, and organizational effectiveness, she specializes in helping leaders navigate complex transformation by turning ambiguity into structure and intention into action. Her perspective is grounded in a deep curiosity about how individuals move within systems: how culture, incentives, and identity shape the choices people make inside organizations. Marlenne is known for her ability to see patterns others miss and for bringing both strategic clarity and emotional intelligence to conversations about leadership, transformation, and personal agency. Through her writing and her work, she explores what she calls the work of the “Soul Architect”: the ongoing practice of examining the systems we inherit, the roles we play within them, and the conscious choices available to us as we build something new. She is also the co-founder of the storytelling podcast My Story Is Not Unique, a space for honest conversations about identity, resilience, and the shared human experiences that shape how we lead, live, and grow. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlennejohnson/ My Story is Not Unique Podcast 🎉 The UpLevel Podcast was listed as one of the Top 10 Best Coaching Culture Podcasts!!! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/coaching_culture_podcasts 🎉 It was also ranked #4 among the top 50 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcasts! https://podcast.feedspot.com/workplace_mental_health_podcasts www.uplevelproductions.com https://www.instagram.com/uplevelproductions/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/uplevelproductionscompany https://www.facebook.com/uplevelproductionscompany

    29 min
  3. How Do Leaders Stay Grounded During Uncertainty? | Joni Mar Leads a Real Coaching Session

    May 27

    How Do Leaders Stay Grounded During Uncertainty? | Joni Mar Leads a Real Coaching Session

    Send us Fan Mail If you lead others through uncertainty while privately wondering how to stay grounded yourself, this episode is the most honest conversation you'll see today. What happens when the person usually holding the space… becomes the one being held? This week, join us for a deeply personal episode of The UpLevel Podcast; the script is flipped. For the first time this season, our host Christie Mann fully steps into the client's seat and is coached live by her longtime mentor, dear friend, and master coach, Joni Mar. What unfolds is a raw, honest, and deeply human conversation about fear, leadership, uncertainty, and what it means to continue showing up in a rapidly changing environment. As Season 11 centers on stewardship, this episode offers a deeply human example of what it means to embody the work rather than simply discuss it. Together, Christie and Joni move beneath analysis and into embodiment—exploring anxiety around travel, leadership, safety, isolation, responsibility, and the emotional toll of living in a world that feels increasingly volatile. What emerges is a powerful reminder: Leadership isn't about having it all together. It's about staying human enough to remain connected—to ourselves, to others, and to the work we're here to do. In This Episode: What live coaching actually looks and feels likeThe emotional reality many leaders are carrying right nowHow fear and uncertainty show up in the bodyWhy grounding practices matter more than everThe paradox of creating safety while still answering the call to leadWhat it means to steward yourself while stewarding othersAbout Joni: Joni Mar, MCC, CPCC, CNTC, CTIC For more than two decades, Joni Mar has been helping leaders wrestle with a deceptively simple question: Who do I need to become to lead what's next? Known for her warmth, grounded presence, and ability to ask the question beneath the question, she helps leaders uncover the hidden patterns shaping how they think, decide, and lead. Joni believes the most powerful leadership shift is expanding a leader's awareness of who they are being while they lead because the hardest part of leadership isn't strategy, it's identity. A Master Certified Executive Leadership Coach and senior faculty member with the Co-Active Training Institute, Joni has been training coaches since 2003. An early contributor to the global expansion of coaching, Joni introduced Co-Active Coaching to the Hong Kong market and has spent more than a decade working between North America, Asia and Europe, bringing a deeply cross-cultural lens to leadership and human development. A long-time steward of the field, Joni now focuses on supporting the next generation of coaches and helping leaders bring greater wisdom, compassion, and courage into the systems they serve. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonimar/ https://www.instagram.com/joni.mar/ 🎉 The UpLevel Podcast was listed as one of the Top 10 Best Coaching Culture Podcasts!!! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/coaching_culture_podcasts 🎉 It was also ranked #4 among the top 50 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcasts! https://podcast.feedspot.com/workplace_mental_health_podcasts www.uplevelproductions.com https://www.instagram.com/uplevelproductions/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/uplevelproductionscompany https://www.facebook.com/uplevelproductionscompany

    39 min
  4. Wisdom From Our Elders Part V | Stewardship: What Are You Entrusted to Carry Forward?

    May 13

    Wisdom From Our Elders Part V | Stewardship: What Are You Entrusted to Carry Forward?

    Send us Fan Mail What are you being asked to carry forward? This question opens Season 11 of The UpLevel Podcast, a season focused on Stewardship: Being the Work. And to kick it off, we return to a conversation that has become a meaningful annual ritual. This International Coaching Week 2026, we gather a circle of elders—mentors, teachers, and leaders whose wisdom has shaped us and so many others. These are the people who walked the path before us, who held the work before we knew how to hold it, and who, in many ways, made it possible for us to be here. In this conversation, hear from: Caroline Hall, MA, CPCC, PCCClark Friedrichs, MCC & CPCCDeborah Colman, Master Certified Coach, MCC, CPCC, MA (Ed.)Dori Ben-Chanoch, PCC, CPCCJoni Mar, MCC, CPCC, CNTC, CTICTogether, we explore what it means to step into eldership as a way of being, a way of releasing the need to prove and stepping fully into contribution. Listen now! In this episode, we’ll explore: The connection between stewardship, leadership, and elderhoodWhat it means to carry wisdom forward without holding too tightly to itHow to stay relevant, present, and human in a rapidly changing worldThe role of relationship as the foundation of leadershipWhat today’s leaders are being called to protect, nurture, and pass on Panel: Caroline Hall, MA, CPCC, PCC Clark Friedrichs, MCC & CPCC Deborah Colman, Master Certified Coach, MCC, CPCC, MA (Ed.) Dori Ben-Chanoch, PCC, CPCC Joni Mar, MCC, CPCC, CNTC, CTIC 🎉 The UpLevel Podcast was listed as one of the Top 10 Best Coaching Culture Podcasts!!! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/coaching_culture_podcasts 🎉 It was also ranked #4 among the top 50 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcasts! https://podcast.feedspot.com/workplace_mental_health_podcasts www.uplevelproductions.com https://www.instagram.com/uplevelproductions/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/uplevelproductionscompany https://www.facebook.com/uplevelproductionscompany

    1h 6m
  5. The UpLevel Podcast Season 10 Finale with Christie Mann

    Apr 29

    The UpLevel Podcast Season 10 Finale with Christie Mann

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when you spend 15 months living inside one question? In this Season 10 finale of The UpLevel Podcast, our host Christie Mann reflects on a journey of transformation—one that has unfolded through conversations touching every dimension of life: how we relate to ourselves, to each other, to leadership, to systems, to the land, and to lineage. For the past 15 months, we’ve explored one central inquiry: What does it mean to be in right relationship? Across conversations with leaders, elders, innovators, and practitioners from around the world, this question has taken us into the depths of self-awareness, leadership, community, lineage, and our relationship with the planet. In this closing episode, we honor the voices who shaped this season, from indigenous wisdom keepers and corporate leaders to coaches, artists, and innovators. Right relationship asks us to be more present, more honest, and more responsible for how we show up in every interaction, every system, and every moment. And it points us forward because right relationship doesn’t end here. It leads to a deeper question: What are we here to care for? And that question opens the door to what’s next. Stay tuned for Season 11 of The UpLevel Podcast, Stewardship: Being the Work. In This Episode: Embracing Conscious Beginnings and CompletionsPodcast Growth and Global Community ImpactSeason Overview: The Inquiry and Its DepthHonoring Season Guests and Their WisdomCulmination: Leadership Transformation and Season ReflectionsRight Relationship as a Lifelong PracticeTransition: From Relationship to Stewardship (Season 11 Preview)Invitation and Appreciation About Christie: Christie is a best-selling author, certified executive coach (CPCC, PCC), and the Co-Founder and CEO of UpLevel Productions—a global leader in leadership transformation. She’s the host of The UpLevel Podcast, consistently ranked among the Top 10 Coaching Culture podcasts worldwide. Driven by a deep commitment to fostering a more conscious, compassionate, and humane world, Christie is a visionary who empowers leaders and organizations to unlock their full potential and create meaningful, lasting impact. Website: https://www.christiemann.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiemann/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/christiemann1/ 🎉 The UpLevel Podcast was listed as one of the Top 10 Best Coaching Culture Podcasts!!! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/coaching_culture_podcasts 🎉 It was also ranked #4 among the top 50 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcasts! https://podcast.feedspot.com/workplace_mental_health_podcasts www.uplevelproductions.com https://www.instagram.com/uplevelproductions/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/uplevelproductionscompany https://www.facebook.com/uplevelproductionscompany

    18 min
  6. How Right Relationship Transforms Leadership, Culture, and Performance with Carlo Bos and Heather Davidson

    Apr 1

    How Right Relationship Transforms Leadership, Culture, and Performance with Carlo Bos and Heather Davidson

    Send us Fan Mail What does it actually look like to live and lead in right relationship? In this final episode of season 10, The UpLevel Podcast brings together two leaders who have been deeply embedded in this work, both in conversation and in real-time practice. Over the past 15 months, we’ve explored right relationship across industries, identities, and lived experiences. It only felt right to close this chapter with Carlo Bos and Heather Davidson, whose partnership with UpLevel has become a living example of what right relationship can look like at scale. Carlo is a leadership development expert, executive coach, and former co-CEO of the Co-Active Training Institute, and Heather Davidson is an innovative learning and development leader and strategic problem solver with nearly two decades of experience across Google, Amazon, and GE. We’ll explore what it means to lead from self-acceptance and courageous conviction while remaining open enough to be shaped by others. We look at how co-creation, trust, and shared purpose become the foundation for effective leadership—and how presence, mindset, and nervous system regulation influence every interaction. As we close this season on right relationship, this conversation becomes both a reflection and a bridge. A reflection of what we’ve been exploring together and a bridge into what’s next. Listen now! In this episode, we’ll explore: What right relationship looks like in real leadership practiceSelf-acceptance, conviction, and adaptability in leadershipCo-creation as a driver of performance and cultureDesigning relationships within complex organizationsLeadership in the age of artificial intelligenceThe role of mindset, presence, and nervous system regulationNavigating power, hierarchy, and disagreementBuilding trust and alignment at scaleStewardship and thinking in generations, not just outcomes Disclaimer: The views Heather Davidson shares in this conversation are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Google or any other current or former employer. About Carlo: Carlo Bos is a leadership development expert, executive coach, and former Co-CEO of the Co-Active Training Institute, where he led during a pivotal period of transformation from 2018 to 2023. Over the past 20 years, he has worked with executives across industries as an assessments expert, program designer, and master facilitator, building and scaling leadership programs that have reached thousands.  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boscompanyleadershipcoach/ About Heather: Heather Davidson is an innovative Learning and Development leader and strategic problem solver with nearly two decades of experience at Google, Amazon, and GE. She views leadership as the ultimate lever for business performance and specializes in translating complex strategy into behavioral change and measurable results.  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-davidson-be-awesome/ www.uplevelproductions.com https://www.instagram.com/uplevelproductions/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/uplevelproductionscompany https://www.facebook.com/uplevelproductionscompany

    1 hr
  7. Debbie Levin on Authentic Leadership, Sustainability, and Right Relationship

    Mar 18

    Debbie Levin on Authentic Leadership, Sustainability, and Right Relationship

    Send us Fan Mail How do we connect to our purpose and bring people and entire industries into right relationship for good? This week on The UpLevel Podcast, we’re joined by Debbie Levin, CEO of the Environmental Media Association. Since taking over EMA in 2000, Debbie has helped transform the organization into a powerful force for change, harnessing the influence of media and entertainment to pioneer a high-impact model of environmental activism. In this conversation, we explore how Debbie authentically embodies the voice of sustainable living, using storytelling and cultural influence to move awareness into action, and ultimately into real solutions. We also reflect on how right relationship begins within ourselves, and how authenticity, presence, and community can help guide us through uncertain times. This is a conversation about purpose, stewardship, courage, and the power of living in alignment with who you truly are. In This Episode: How authenticity and genuine connection transform both business partnerships and personal relationshipsExplore how powerful bonds form when people come together around shared values and purposeGain insights on protecting your well-being in an era of media overload, misinformation, and constant global tensionHow confidence and self-trust grow over time, and why letting go of people-pleasing can unlock true leadershipFollow Debbie’s unexpected journey into the Environmental Media AssociationLearn how storytelling and celebrity influence can shift culture and bring sustainability into the mainstreamReflections on her Jewish heritage and the emotional complexity of navigating rising global tensionsReflections on heritage, resilience, and the responsibility to future generations About Debbie: Debbie Levin, CEO of EMA, has been singular in harnessing the power of the media and entertainment communities to pioneer a high-impact model of social activism since taking over the organization in 2000. Debbie has her pulse on the millennial generation and is known as the consummate connector within the global celebrity world, the corporate world, and the sustainability communities. She authentically embodies the iconic persona and voice, clearly embracing and educating the sustainable lifestyle. She utilizes storytelling and message development to drive awareness into action and solutions. Over her 26 years as CEO of EMA, she has expanded the organization to serve as a leading tool to connect industries, brands, influencers, and entrepreneurs in order to collaborate, advocate, and drive action, empowering individuals and the corporate world.  Website: https://www.green4ema.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-levin-656b892/ 🎉 The UpLevel Podcast was listed as one of the Top 10 Best Coaching Culture Podcasts!!! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/coaching_culture_podcasts 🎉 It was also ranked #4 among the top 50 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcasts! https://podcast.feedspot.com/workplace_mental_health_podcasts www.uplevelproductions.com https://www.instagram.com/uplevelproductions/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/uplevelproductionscompany https://www.facebook.com/uplevelproductionscompany

    47 min
  8. How to Build a Lasting Relationship: Lessons on Conflict, Communication, and Commitment from 50 Years Together with Cynthia & David Darst

    Mar 4

    How to Build a Lasting Relationship: Lessons on Conflict, Communication, and Commitment from 50 Years Together with Cynthia & David Darst

    Send us Fan Mail What does “right relationship” actually look like over nearly 50 years of partnership? This week on The UpLevel Podcast, join us for a deeply human and unexpectedly playful conversation as we sit down with Master Certified Coaches Cynthia and David Darst, senior faculty with the Co-Active Training Institute and CRR Global and life partners, to explore how right relationship is more than just a destination… it’s a living, evolving practice. Cynthia also shares powerful insights from her book, Meet Your Inside Team, and explains how doing your internal work prevents you from projecting your fears and stories onto the people you love. This episode is full of laughter, lived wisdom, humility, and the kind of insight that only comes from decades of choosing each other again and again. In this episode, we’ll explore: Why right relationship doesn’t mean harmonyThe importance of learning how to “fight clean”The power of taking your own side without attacking the otherWhat it means to practice not knowing your partnerHow to recover when you miss each otherDesigning co-leadership consciouslyStaying in relationship even through the reality of deathAnd why you’re never holding the relationship alone About Team Darst: Cynthia Loy Darst, MCC, and David Darst, MCC, are Team Darst. With more than 50 years of combined coaching experience, Cynthia and David have traveled the world working with teams and training others in the skills that elevate coaching, leadership, and everyday life. Both are senior faculty members with The Co-Active Training Institute (CTI) and with CRR Global (formerly The Center for Right Relationship). Cynthia’s book, Meet Your Inside Team, has significantly influenced how they each work with individuals. The concepts they teach through both CTI and CRR are deeply integrated into their client work—as well as into their own partnership. www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-loy-darst-teamdarst/ www.linkedin.com/in/david-darst-45149a309 🎉 The UpLevel Podcast was listed as one of the Top 10 Best Coaching Culture Podcasts!!! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/coaching_culture_podcasts 🎉 It was also ranked #4 among the top 50 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcasts! https://podcast.feedspot.com/workplace_mental_health_podcasts www.uplevelproductions.com https://www.instagram.com/uplevelproductions/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/uplevelproductionscompany https://www.facebook.com/uplevelproductionscompany

    54 min
See All (124)

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Conscious leaders create conscious cultures. The UpLevel Podcast is a transformational resource for leaders, coaches, and people managers who are ready to lead with greater presence, purpose, and humanity. With 85% of employees disengaged at work and mental health challenges costing organizations thousands per employee each year, the demand for emotionally intelligent, trauma-aware, and consciously coached leadership has never been more urgent. Each episode explores what it truly means to uplevel within ourselves, our organizations, and the systems we move through. Themes include emotional embodiment, grief, right relationship coaching culture, and the ROI of investing in human well-being. Named one of the web’s Top 10 Coaching Culture Podcasts and a Top 50 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcast by Feedspot, the show is a core part of UpLevel’s mission to build a more conscious, compassionate, and humane world by making deep, healing, and actionable conversations accessible to all. Hosted by Christie Mann, certified coach, author, and co-founder of UpLevel, the podcast invites you not just to do better, but to be better.

Information

  • Creator
    Christie Mann & Rachel Baldi
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    124
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The UpLevel Podcast
  • Show Website
    The UpLevel Podcast

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