Ep 47: You Don’t Have to Be Everything: A New Model for Leadership in Uncertain Times with Laurie Fainer

Modern leadership is asking the impossible.

Be calm in chaos. Decisive without all the information. Empathetic while still delivering results. And somehow… don’t lose yourself in the process.

In this episode, I am joined by executive coach and advisor Laurie Fainer, for a deeply human conversation about what leadership really looks like behind closed doors.

Together, we dismantle the belief that great leaders must always have the answer.

Instead, we explore a new model of leadership grounded in:

1. Psychological safety
2. Nervous system regulation
3. Servant leadership
4. Trust built through presence, not performance

You’ll hear about:

1. Why leaders feel pressure to be “everything to everyone”
2. How reactivity under stress quietly erodes trust
3. The power of pause in high-stakes moments
4. Why conflict isn’t the problem, and what actually is
5. Provide a simple, practical framework for navigating difficult conversations
6. Learn how real leadership development happens in everyday moments
7. What culture really looks like when behavior doesn’t match values
8. Why AI will make leadership more human, not less

This episode isn’t about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming present.

It’s about learning how to lead from calm instead of chaos, and discovering that you don’t have to carry it all alone.

Before you move on with your day, pause and ask yourself:

Where can I lead from calm today instead of chaos?

Further Reflection & Resources

If this conversation resonated, you may enjoy exploring the work of:

1. Amy Edmondson on Psychological Safety
2. Brené Brown on courageous leadership
3. Stephen Porges on nervous system regulation
4. Robert Greenleaf on Servant Leadership
5. Daniel Goleman on Emotional Intelligence

These thinkers echo what this episode reveals: Leadership today isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about learning how to stay human in uncertainty.

Connect with Laurie Fainer:

Website

LinkedIn

More from Caroline

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