The Unburdened Leader

EP 154: Leading from Safety, Not Survival: Deb Dana on Co-Regulation and Leadership

May 08, 2026

It is hard to be human. And right now, it is even harder to be humane, to ourselves and to others.And so many high-achieving, deeply caring leaders are under pressure to stay regulated, calm, and adaptable, no matter what they’re facing. They look serene on the outside, but internally? They feel like a hot mess. They mask what they’re feeling and push through so they can try to be the person, friend, leader they want to be. They fake regulation at the expense of their actual wellbeing.As the ...

EP 153: Power Dynamics and Personal Power: Dr. Amanda Aguilera on the Right Use of Power

April 24, 2026

The way you relate to power is the way you relate to everything around and within you–your work, your people, your sense of what's possible. And most of us have never actually examined that relationship.And in this season we are in, when everything is changing so quickly, any unexamined beliefs we hold will quietly run the show. They will shape the risks we take, the rooms we walk into, and the moments we either step up or shrink back. If we don’t have something to ground us internally to our...

EP 152: Trauma Happens When We're Left Alone: Chris Burris on Psychological Safety and IFS in Groups

April 10, 2026

You have probably heard of the concept of psychological safety and what it takes to foster it on your team and in spaces you lead.Maybe you’ve read books or taken trainings. Here’s the tricky thing: psychological safety is an emergent quality of the group environment, shaped by leadership behaviors and team norms. You, as the leader, are a key variable. So when you walk into a high-stakes meeting, and your self-protective parts are running the show? It impacts everyone around you and whether ...