Empowered Team Podcast

The Confidence Code: 5 Keys to Unshakable Self-Belief

In this empowering solo episode of The Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider unpacks one of the most requested leadership topics: Confidence and why most of us are doing it wrong.

Using humor, a deeply relatable (and slightly humbling) story about weed-eating 😅, and the psychology behind the Dunning-Kruger effect, Kari breaks down the real journey of confidence from overconfidence and the Valley of Despair to sustainable self-belief.

You’ll learn:

• Why knowledge alone doesn’t lead to true confidence

• How overconfidence keeps you “stranded on Mount Stupid”

• The 5 key elements that create lasting, humble confidence

• What “cross-confidence” is and how to use it when you're in a new zone

• Why serving others might be the ultimate confidence hack

This episode is a must-listen for leaders, entrepreneurs, and growth-minded individuals ready to shift from shaky self-doubt to solid self-trust.

🔑 Key takeaway: Confidence isn’t something you “get” it’s something you create.

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Ready to use AI to support your leadership? Grab our free guide “the 50 best AI prompts for executives” https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide

Valarie Sandjivy: A CEO's Guide to Adaptability and Inner Power

In this powerful episode of The Empowered Team Podcast, Kari Schneider sits down with executive coach and leadership mentor Valarie Sandjivy, founder of Ellipsus. With over 20 years of experience coaching C-suite leaders and entrepreneurs, Valarie offers a rare glimpse into the inner world of high-performing leaders.

Together, they explore:

• Why “it’s lonely at the top” and how to find space for your own evolution.
  
  
• The true role of emotional intelligence in hitting key performance outcomes.
  
  
• What “emotional mastery” really means — and how it helps leaders hold more without burning out.
  
  
• Why innovation starts with the inner game.
  
  
• How to shift from survival mode to possibility thinking.
  
  
• The overlooked power of presence and the subtle difference between fighting and surrendering.
  
  

Valarie shares personal stories, bold truths, and a surprisingly grounded approach to leadership that challenges conventional hustle culture. Whether you’re leading a business, a team, or just your own life — this conversation will expand what you think is possible.

🎯 Key takeaway: The most powerful leaders are not the ones who do more — they’re the ones who can hold more with clarity, calm, and emotional coherence.

 

Take Valarie’s FREE Leadership Assessment: https://www.ellips.us.com/quiz

Connect with Valarie:

• Website: https://www.ellips.us.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriesandjivy/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valarie_sandjivy/
• Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/valarie.sandjivy
  
  

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Ready to use AI to support your leadership? Grab our free guide “the 50 best AI prompts for executives” https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide 

The Superpower of Presence (not AI) is Your Key to True Leadership

In this solo episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider issues a heartfelt and powerful call for presence. In a world dominated by tech, AI, and endless distractions, why do we feel more disconnected than ever before?

She explores why presence is the most critical leadership skill today and how it fuels trust, creativity, and authentic connection.

You’ll learn the 4 dimensions of presence that top leaders and extraordinary humans use to inspire, influence, and connect on a deeper level:

• Connection
  
  
• Calm
  
  
• Captivated attention
  
  
• Curiosity
  
  

This episode is for leaders, parents, partners anyone who wants to show up more powerfully in their life. With real-life stories, scientific insights (like social presence theory and mirror neurons), and simple practices you can start today, this is your guide to cultivating meaningful impact in a noisy world.

🎧 Don’t miss this one - your presence could be your greatest legacy.

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Ready to use AI to support your leadership? Grab our free guide “the 50 best AI prompts for executives” https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide 

 

Before 8am : My 5 Non Negotiables for Energy and Focus

In this solo episode of The Empowered Team Podcast, Kari Schneider reveals the five non-negotiable habits she commits to every single morning, no matter the time zone, weather, or environment. Whether she’s in a cabin by a frozen lake or traveling internationally, these core practices set the foundation for her mental clarity, physical energy, and laser-sharp focus.

Kari dives deep into how these morning habits from hydration to daylight exposure to brain-fueling nutrition, create a domino effect for peak performance. She also shares personal stories of sleep struggles, circadian rhythm mistakes, and how science-backed strategies have helped her and her clients build unshakable energy.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• How to ditch the alarm clock dread and wake up with natural energy
  
  
• Why early daylight is your secret weapon for mental clarity and better sleep
  
  
• The underestimated power of movement first thing in the morning
  
  
• What your brain is desperately craving before breakfast
  
  
• Supplements Kari swears by for cognitive performance and recovery
  

Take what works, leave what doesn’t but build a morning routine that’s so good, you’ll keep doing it on holidays.

 

📌 This one’s for you if you’re a: High performer, heart-led leader, or anyone craving calm, clarity, and confidence to lead the day.

 

Listen now and start creating your morning magic before 8am! 🌅

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Ready to use AI to support your leadership? Grab our free guide “the 50 best AI prompts for executives” https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide 

The Motivational Triad: Pleasure, Pain and the Path of Least Resistance

In this solo episode, Kari unpacks the Motivational Triad - a powerful psychological model explaining why we avoid things we want to do.

We’re wired to avoid pain, seek pleasure, and stay comfortable. But here's the twist: that wiring often sabotages our goals, habits, and even our identities.

Kari shares:

• How our brain’s default setting creates resistance—even to the things we love
  
  
• The effort paradox and why pleasure isn’t enough to motivate us
  
  
• What “activation energy” is and how to lower it to make change easier
  
  
• Why values and identity are the real keys to overriding your brain’s ancient programming
  
  
• Real-life strategies to set up “easy wins” and overcome resistance in your daily life
  
  

This episode is a must-listen for anyone feeling stuck, procrastinating on goals, or craving greater consistency in the areas that matter most.

Key takeaway:
Your brain is doing what it's designed to do. But when you understand the Motivational Triad and lower the activation energy, you take the power back.

Subscribe and listen now! 

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Ready to use AI to support your leadership? Grab our free guide “the 50 best AI prompts for executives” https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide 

Steven Gaffney: How to Build a Team That Wins Consistently

This week on The Empowered Team Podcast, Kari is joined by one of the most sought-after leadership experts in North America—Steven Gaffney, CEO of The Steven Gaffney Company and author of Unconditional Power.

With 30+ years of experience advising Fortune 500 companies and organizations ranked #1 in their industries, Steven reveals what it actually takes to build consistently high-achieving teams.

They dig deep into:

• Why emotional safety is the #1 leadership skill (and why most leaders miss it)
  
  
• The real problem with “honest communication” — it’s not what you think
  
  
• A 9-step formula to have difficult conversations that actually move the needle
  
  
• Why psychological safety isn’t enough — and what emotional safety looks like in action
  
  
• How leaders accidentally train people to lie to them (and how to reverse it)
  
  

Plus: why AI is not your enemy in leadership, how to rebuild team norms even after years of dysfunction, and the crossover lessons that can transform not just your team—but your marriage, too.

🎁 BONUS: Listen in to hear how to get a FREE digital copy of Steven’s book Just Be Honest and access his AI-powered leadership tool for building elite teams.

www.StevenGaffney.com 

www.JustBeHonest.com 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevengaffneycompany/ 

https://www.instagram.com/stevengaffneydc/ 

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Ready to use AI to support your leadership? Grab our free guide “the 50 best AI prompts for executives” https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide 

 

How to Say No (without feeling like a Jerk)

Saying no shouldn't come with guilt — but for high-achievers and people-pleasers, it often does.

In this episode, Kari breaks down five powerful, practical ways to say no with clarity, integrity, and connection — without sacrificing relationships or self-respect.

Learn how to:

• Break the cycle of burnout and resentment
  
  
• Set boundaries that build trust (yes, really!)
  
  
• Spot a “dirty yes” before it drains you
  
  
• Deliver a “no” with empathy, strength, and leadership
  
  
• Preserve your energy while deepening your influence
  
  

Featuring real coaching insights and Kari’s personal take on the strategies that work best, this episode is for anyone ready to reclaim their time, energy, and power — without being the bad guy.

👉 Listen now and start saying no in ways that align with who you truly are!

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Ready to use AI to support your leadership? Grab our free guide “the 50 best AI prompts for executives” https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide 

 

Feelings Drive Business. Let's Own It.

We’ve all heard the phrase: “It’s just business.”

But in this episode, Kari blows the lid off this outdated myth—and exposes how suppressing emotions in leadership isn’t just cold... it’s costly.

Drawing from over 20 years in business and coaching high-performance leaders, Kari unpacks:

• The hidden emotional labor leaders carry every day.
• Why suppressing emotion leads to poor decisions & burnout.
• How empathy and emotional intelligence increase trust, retention & innovation.
  
• How to strategically bring emotion into business (without drama or unprofessionalism).
  
  

💡 Plus: Real-world stories—from grand openings to firing fears, and even a hard business deal with her father—that reveal the emotional weight behind every major business move.

Key Takeaway:
Business is emotional because people are emotional. When you stop pretending and start leading with emotional intelligence, everything changes—for the better.

Perfect for: Founders, CEOs, leaders, and changemakers who want to lead with integrity, clarity, and purpose in the modern business world.

🔗 Don’t forget to subscribe and share with a leader who needs this!

 

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Ready to use AI to support your leadership? Grab our free guide “the 50 best AI prompts for executives” https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide 

Manny Fiteni: Why Most Managers Fail and What Great Leaders Do

In this episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider welcomes Manny Fiteni, founder of Mind Growth 360 and a leadership transformation expert from Australia. With over 35 years of experience leading teams of up to 300 people, Manny has seen firsthand why most managers fail — and how real leadership is cultivated from the inside out.

Together, they explore:

• The difference between managing and leading (and why most get it wrong)
  
  
• Manny’s 3 core pillars: Environment, True Leadership, and Mind Congruency
  
  
• How subconscious programming silently sabotages managers
  
  
• The top 11 traits of high-performing leaders — and how to spot them
  
  
• Why storytelling is one of the most underused superpowers in leadership
  
  

Whether you're leading a team or leading yourself, this episode delivers hard-earned wisdom, mindset shifts, and frameworks to elevate how you influence others — and grow from the inside out.

🧠 Mentioned in the episode:

• MindGrowthCorporation.com – Manny’s hub for leadership and performance tools
  
  
• Mind Growth 360 – A personal development platform designed to elevate leaders
  
  
• Connect with Manny on LinkedIn or Instagram for ongoing insights.
  
  

🎧 Ready to lead differently? Press play.

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Ready to use AI to support your leadership? Grab our free guide “the 50 best AI prompts for executives” https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide 

 

Fresh Start or Let It Go? The Truth About Sticking With Big Goals

In this solo episode, Kari Schneider, life strategist and host of the Empowered Team Podcast, dives deep into a question every leader faces: Do I need a fresh start… or is it time to let go?

You'll discover:

• What the Fresh Start Effect really is (backed by psychology!),
  
  
• How unrealistic expectations sabotage even the best goals,
  
  
• A 3-part framework to reboot your momentum with clarity and courage,
  
  
• And the real reason we get stuck after a failure — and how to turn it into your next breakthrough.
  

Whether you're chasing a business goal, personal transformation, or a bold new vision, this episode gives you the tools to reflect, reframe, and recommit.

🎯 If the goal still lights you up — it’s not over. It’s time to start again, but smarter.

Tune in and empower your next step! 

Resources: https://psychologycompass.com/blog/reaching-goals/ 

Supporting podcast Episode #123 How to Make Hard Easy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindset-monday-how-to-make-hard-easy/id1439022418?i=1000512171116