3 Mindset Shifts for Sustainable Goals (Without Burning Out)

Have you ever started the year motivated and confident, only to feel behind or overwhelmed a few weeks later?

In this episode of You're the Boss, Now What?, Desiree shares three mindset shifts that help leaders set goals and habits in a way that actually lasts, even when life doesn’t go as planned.

This is not a New Year’s resolutions episode.
It’s a conversation about sustainability, self-trust, and learning how to lead yourself without burning out.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why focusing on outcomes creates pressure and frustration
• How input-based habits give you back control
• Why habits should be treated as feedback, not judgment

If you want to make progress this year without starting over every January, this episode is for you.

Next week, Desiree is joined by Andy Storch for a conversation about career growth, ownership, and reputation — without self-promotion and without burnout.

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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Overwhelmed as a manager? Leadership doesn't have to feel this heavy. Desiree Petrich shares one mindset shift to release pressure, beat burnout, and lead with clarity + energy into 2026

Last week we unpacked the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. Today? We close the year simpler: one word to lighten your load as a new manager.

If leadership feels overwhelming right now, you're not alone. Managers often carry too much: expectations to be everything to everyone, 110% performance, juggling work + home. It builds to manager burnout, resentment, drained confidence.

In this You're the Boss, Now What? episode, I share release - the mindset shift that drops unhelpful commitments without adding more to-do's. No fixing yourself. Just letting go.

You'll Walk Away With:

1. Expectations no longer serving your leadership (and how to spot them)
2. Why doing it all yourself fuels burnout - plus how to stop
3. Proof: Leadership can feel meaningful without constant struggle

Slow down, reflect, enter 2026 lighter. Perfect for coaching for managers, imposter syndrome in leadership, and new manager tips.

Reflection Questions from the Episode:

• What expectations won't you carry into 2026?
• Commitments you're dreading? How can you release or delegate them?
• What's the story making leadership harder than it needs to be?

Connect: Follow on LinkedIn for leadership overwhelm tips, team dynamics, work boundaries, better management without burnout.

Resources:

• Habit Tracking App: Strides

Primary Keywords: Coaching for Managers, Leadership Podcast for New Managers, How to Be a Better Manager, Imposter Syndrome in Leadership, New Manager Tips
Secondary Keywords: Manager Burnout, Leadership Overwhelm, How to Lead Without Burning Out, Boundaries at Work for Managers, Confidence in Leadership

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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You can have the perfect strategy and still have a team that’s disengaged, drained, or stuck. These seven commitments are what actually change culture.

In Part 3 of this series, Desiree and Tessa walk through the seven commitments that shape your mindset, energy, and team culture—often more than any strategy ever will.

You’ll learn:

• Zone of Genius vs. “I’m ok at this” and why competence keeps you stuck.
• How to spot contentment vs. complacency so you stop settling for work that drains you.
• Why rest and play fuel better leadership (and why “busy” is not a badge of honor).
• How to flip unhelpful stories like “I’m not a good leader” into something true and useful.
• What you’re really seeking—approval, control, or security
• The shift from scarcity to abundance, especially around time and resources.
• How to see your team as allies, not obstacles, and why going first is the only way to change culture.

Pick one commitment and practice it in a single real situation this week—a meeting, a conflict, or a decision. Tiny, consistent shifts are how you move from surviving leadership to actually enjoying it.

Other Episodes mentioned in this podcast:

Using Working Genius to Boost Team Performance

Hiring for Task (The Straegy That Stops New Hires From Checking Out Early)

Links Mentioned in Episode

• The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership
• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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You can feel it in your team: everyone’s nice… but no one’s honest. Real opinions happen in side chats, gossip is normal, and you’re overcommitting and burning out trying to “keep the peace.” If you’ve ever thought, “Why won’t my team just say what they really think?” or “Why am I the only one holding everything together?” — this episode is for you.

In Part 2 of this series on The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, Desiree and Tessa focus on three to help you stay calm and grounded.

• Speaking candidly (without blowing things up)
  How to pair candor + care so you can say the hard thing while still protecting trust.
• Eliminating gossip
  Why “venting” keeps you stuck and how leaders accidentally encourage it.
• Practicing integrity so you stop overpromising
  Getting real about people-pleasing, overcommitting, and dropping balls.

You’ll also hear:

• The difference between appreciation & validation
• Easy ways to show meaningful appreciation
• How these commitments work together to help your team be honest & direct

After listening, choose one conversation you’ve been avoiding and ask: “How can I bring candor, integrity, and appreciation into this so I feel more in control?”

Links Mentioned:
● The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership
● Radical Candor by Kim Scott
● The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree

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Most leaders want to lead with clarity,but in real life, it’s easy to slip into blame, defensiveness, people-pleasing, or overwhelm. You’re trying your best, yet you’re drained and stuck in the same patterns with your team.

In this episode, Desiree and leadership consultant Tessa break down the first three commitments of Conscious Leadership—taking 100% responsibility, choosing curiosity, and feeling your feelings—and how these shift you from reactive to grounded.

You’ll learn:

• What “above the line vs. below the line” looks like in real conversations
• How to take responsibility without becoming the hero or victim
• How curiosity instantly lowers defensiveness
• Why naming emotions boosts trust and presence

If you want to be a calmer, more intentional leader, these three commitments are the foundation.

Try this:
Pick one current issue and ask:

1. How did I contribute?
2. What am I curious about?
3. What am I feeling right now?

Key Takeaways:

• Responsibility = ownership, not blame
• Curiosity opens the door to real dialogue
• Your emotions don’t disqualify you—avoiding them does

Links Mentioned:
● The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership

● The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

● Radical Candor by Kim Scott

● Soundtracks by Jon Acuff

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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Love this show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.

Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree

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Most people hear the word “gratitude” and think of journaling or writing lists. But for leaders, gratitude is something much deeper, it’s a shift in how you show up at work, how you navigate pressure, and how you lead your team through tough moments.

The truth is, many leaders operate in constant survival mode. You’re reacting, firefighting, carrying the emotional weight of your team, and trying to stay composed even when you’re stretched thin. And when that becomes normal, confidence drops, relationships strain, and work starts feeling heavier than it should.

In this episode, Desiree Petrich breaks down four ways gratitude strengthens your leadership identity, improves team dynamics, and creates a healthier work environment. These perspectives will help you handle difficult employees, build trust faster, reduce conflict, and lead with more steadiness — without needing to pretend everything is fine or write in a gratitude journal every morning.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• How gratitude shifts you out of survival mode so you stop leading from stress and start leading from clarity
• Why gratitude builds self-awareness and helps you see your patterns, your growth, and the moments you should acknowledge in yourself
• How gratitude strengthens executive presence, helping you show up calmer, more grounded, and more influential in meetings
• Why gratitude protects your leadership energy, giving you more capacity to handle team dynamics, conflict, accountability, and tough conversations

If you want to be a more confident leader, build trust, and strengthen the culture around you — gratitude is one of the simplest, most powerful tools you can practice.

When you finish listening:
Choose one moment today to practice active appreciation. Say out loud something you’re grateful for in yourself, in a teammate, or in the effort it took to get through a hard moment. This is where real leadership transformation begins.

1. Gratitude stabilizes your leadership state so you’re not leading from urgency or overwhelm.
2. Gratitude sharpens self-awareness, which improves communication, delegation, and accountability.
3. Gratitude strengthens executive presence and helps you show up calmer and more confident.
4. Gratitude protects your leadership energy so you can handle difficult employees, conflict, and pressure without burning out.

Practice one moment o

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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Communication at work is starting to feel artificial. In this episode, we break down how leaders can use human fluency to build trust, create psychological safety, and communicate with clarity without losing professionalism.

Have you ever left a meeting wondering if anyone actually said what they meant?

If so, you're not alone. Remote work, AI tools, and the pressure to “sound professional” are creating communication that looks polished on the outside but lacks honesty on the inside. And when communication feels more like performance than collaboration, team dynamics break down, trust erodes, and even your best employees start pulling back.

In this episode, I’m joined by Nadine Lavigne to talk about human fluency and why it’s becoming one of the most important skills in modern leadership.
If you want to fix a toxic culture, rebuild trust, communicate with more confidence, and create psychological safety without becoming overly casual or losing authority, this conversation is for you.

Last week, we talked about rebuilding trust when workplace drama takes over a team.
This week, we’re taking the next step and getting to the root of why communication feels strained on so many teams right now.

We unpack what it actually looks like to sound like a human at work again so you can lead more effective meetings, handle conflict with confidence, and build a team that communicates honestly instead of politely.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why leaders today need human fluency to build trust, connection, and credibility
• How to stay authentic without losing authority or professionalism
• Simple communication shifts that create psychological safety and reduce conflict
• The role AI can play in improving—not replacing—real human leadership
• Why “polite” teams often struggle more with accountability, follow-through, and conflict
• How human fluency helps you handle difficult employees and fix communication breakdowns
• New manager tips you can use immediately to improve team conversations, clarity, and expectations

Connect with Nadine on LinkedIn

Nadine Lavigne is a partner in the Talent Development space, a leadership coach, speaker, facilitator and founder of BeREAL Partners.With over 20 years in corporate leadership roles at GE, Boeing, and various tech companies like IBM, she now helps individuals and teams lead with more authenticity, trust, and purpose. Nadine is passi

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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Your team finally hits its stride, but how do you keep it that way? Learn the simple mindset that prevents conflict before it starts, builds trust fast, and keeps meetings focused. Practical scripts you can use today.

Last week we talked about five steps to turn workplace drama into team trust. The week before that, how to handle a negative employee. Today we protect those gains by shifting how you show up, before issues grow.

Teams slip back into artificial harmony, side conversations, and missed expectations. Leaders either jump to conclusions or avoid hard talks, and meetings drag without decisions.

Pain points
• Circular, low-energy meetings and quiet disengagement
• Second-guessing intentions and reacting to incomplete stories
• Pressure to have all the answers as a new manager

Solution
Lead with curiosity. Desiree breaks it into four practical habits you can model and coach:

1. Assume positive intent to create space before you respond.
2. Encourage the right kind of conflict so passion fuels progress, not drama.
3. Test the story you’re telling yourself to get out of assumptions and into facts.
4. Ask better, smaller questions like “What am I missing?”, “What does success look like for you?”, and “What’s getting in your way?”, so people own the outcome.

You’ll also hear how personality wiring (DISC and Working Genius) affects your default reactions, and why curiosity beats certainty when you want a team that’s engaged, accountable, and drama-free.

Key Takeaways
• Curiosity before conclusions keeps conflict constructive.
• Treat conflict as feedback to solve the real issue, not the symptoms.
• Small, open questions unlock clarity, buy-in, and faster decisions.

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

Liked this episode? Share it with a fellow podcaster!

Love this show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.

Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree

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Connect: Linked In | Instagram | Website