The Way She Leads

Megan Akatu
  • 5.0 (6)
  • CAREERS

The Way She Leads is a podcast for high-achieving women who have done all the “right” things, achieved traditional success, and are ready for a deeper, more aligned way of leading that is filled with clarity, resonance and ease. Join us for genuine conversations with real leaders and experts, exploring feminine leadership and what becomes possible when we reclaim our gifts, intuition, and joy, and lead from wholeness instead of exhaustion. Welcome in!

Episodes

  1. 1D AGO

    4. What Gen Z Is Teaching Us About Leadership (That We Didn’t Learn)

    Megan sits down with Veronica Bellamy Leak, Director of Human Resources with over 20 years of experience to  explore how leadership has evolved and what it truly means to lead humans, not just manage performance. Veronica shares powerful insights on “heart posture,” navigating generational differences at work, and why today’s most effective leaders are those who embrace empathy, curiosity, and self-awareness.  Key TakeawaysLeadership has shifted from task-focused to human-centered, people now bring their full lives into work, and great leaders know how to meet them there“Heart posture” matters, How you show up internally impacts how your team experiences youGenerational differences at work often create tension, especially around boundaries, work ethic, and prioritiesSelf-awareness is foundational. Leaders who are honest about their mistakes create trust and psychological safetyLiving “in the gray” allows leaders to respond to real people and situations, rather than rigid policiesRemoving your own emotional reactivity (while keeping empathy) helps you lead more effectivelyResourcesPodcast: Therapy for Black Girls by Joy Harden BradfordBook:The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama FOLLOW ME: 🔗 LinkedIn | Instagram | Web 🎁 FREE STUFF → SAY IT LIKE THIS: Scripts that communicate your message, keep you in your power without shrinking or steamrolling → FREE MONTHLY Somatic Breathwork Session. Add your name here to receive details on the next session → Join my newsletter here for more leadership insights #feminineleadership #leadyourselffirst #itsthelittlethings #womeninleadership #quietpower #feminineenergy #influence #thewaysheleads

    40 min

  2. APR 15

    3. Choices vs. Decisions: Why Smart Women Get Stuck and How to Move Forward

    What if the reason you feel stuck… isn’t because you don’t know what to do?In this conversation, Megan sits down with executive coach and former Amazon leader Sarah Castle to unpack a subtle but powerful distinction: the difference between a choice and a decision. Together, they explore why high-achieving women, who make decisions every day at work, can still feel stuck when it comes to their own lives. From risk tolerance to intuition, confidence to capacity, this episode offers a grounded and expansive look at what it really takes to move forward with clarity. 🔑 Key Takeaways The difference between a choice (direction) and a decision (commitment)Why women can be decisive at work, and hesitant in their own livesHow perfectionism and risk-aversion quietly delay decision-makingThe concept of “one-way vs. two-way doors” (and how it changes everything)Why confidence comes from reps (not certainty)How unclear ownership and expectations slow down teams (and drain energy)The role of intuition + embodiment in making aligned decisionsHow to stop giving away your decision-making power Sarah Castle is the founder of Castle Coaching and a former executive at Amazon and General Electric. She now works with CEOs and senior leadership teams, bringing coaching practices into strategic planning and leadership development. Her work bridges high-performance business strategy with human-centered leadership, helping leaders grow companies while staying aligned with what matters most. Resources ​​Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell  Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall Duke Women's Basketball head coach video on things don't get easier, we just get better

    36 min

  3. APR 8

    2. Boundaries Won’t Save You… Until You Do This First

    If you’ve ever been told to “just set better boundaries”…and then you totally chicken out, this episode is for you. I’m joined by a boundary coach Janis Hillard, founder of Good Courage, and someone who brings both depth and honesty to a topic that we hear a lot about and don’t actually know how to do it. We explore how high-achieving women unknowingly create burnout through people-pleasing patterns, why exhaustion is often your first signal that something is off, and how boundaries are less about saying “no” and more about how you lead yourself. 🔑 Key TakeawaysBoundaries are not about other people, they are for YOUExhaustion is a signal, not a badge of honorSelf-awareness is the foundation of every boundaryPeople-pleasing shows up everywhereBoundaries are a practice, not perfection ResourcesSky Full of Elephants by Cebo CampbellBinti, The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor FOLLOW ME: 🔗 LinkedIn | Instagram | Web 🎁 FREE STUFF → SAY IT LIKE THIS: Scripts that communicate your message, keep you in your power without shrinking or steamrolling → FREE MONTHLY Somatic Breathwork Session. Add your name here to receive details on the next session  → Join my newsletter here for more leadership insights #feminineleadership #leadyourselffirst #itsthelittlethings #womeninleadership #quietpower #feminineenergy #influence #thewaysheleads

    19 min

  4. APR 2

    1. The Permission Slip High Achievers Never Give Themselves

    Megan sits down with her business bestie, Laura Saldivar Luna, for a conversation that is equal parts soul and strategy. In this episode, Laura opens up about her own winding journey: becoming the first in her family to graduate college, rising to the C-suite, and then doing the harder work of learning to trust herself. From self-leadership to best practices in how to lead people and organizations, Laura breaks down what the most successful leaders are doing in the face of uncertainty. Key takeawaysGrounding is a leadership skill. Re-centering yourself before you act is actually the fastest route. The Monday ritual. A weekly structure doesn't have to be rigid to be powerful. Dreaming out loud works. From her first day as an entrepreneur to her most ambitious career goals, Laura has told people what she was building before she knew how she'd build it. A new leadership paradigm is here. The leaders navigating uncertainty best right now have three things: community, power practices, and a willingness to rest. Command-and-control is crumbling. What we cover 06:31 Self-trust, self-worth, and power practice19:24 The Monday morning ritual: how structure becomes sacred22:39 Dreams, priorities, and the power of telling people what you want35:21 The most powerful practice: looking in the mirror and being with the truth of what is49:49 What today's most effective leaders have in common: community, power practices, and the radical act of restConnect with LauraLaura Saldivar Luna Founder, CEO Coach of Piñata Possible Web | Instagram | LinkedIn What Reading: Big Dumb Eyes | Nate Borgatze FOLLOW ME: 🔗 LinkedIn | Instagram | Web 🎁 FREE STUFF → SAY IT LIKE THIS: Scripts that communicate your message, keep you in your power without shrinking or steamrolling → FREE MONTHLY Somatic Breathwork Session. Add your name here to receive details on the next session → Join my newsletter here for more leadership insights #feminineleadership #leadyourselffirst #itsthelittlethings #womeninleadership #quietpower #feminineenergy #influence #thewaysheleads

    59 min

  5. MAR 20

    The "Why" of The Way She Leads

    Welcome to The Way She Leads! Get to know me, Megan Akatu, more about my story and why this podcast was created. More ways to connect with me: YouTube | LinkedIn | Instagram | Website Join me for a free monthly Somatic Breathwork Session! Book a connection call

    3 min
  • 5 Episodes

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

The Way She Leads is a podcast for high-achieving women who have done all the “right” things, achieved traditional success, and are ready for a deeper, more aligned way of leading that is filled with clarity, resonance and ease. Join us for genuine conversations with real leaders and experts, exploring feminine leadership and what becomes possible when we reclaim our gifts, intuition, and joy, and lead from wholeness instead of exhaustion. Welcome in!

Information

  • Creator
    Megan Akatu
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Megan Akatu
  • Show Website
    The Way She Leads

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