With a clear vision for empowering women, we are joined on the podcast by author and speaker, Leslie Grossman, a trailblazer in leadership, gender equality, and women's empowerment. After decades of coaching and mentoring women leaders in America, Leslie is now largely focused on helping women gain sight of and reach their vision. Her interest in the topic of vision and vision formation stems from a study she once conducted as a researcher, asking women whether they had a vision within their role as leaders. More often than not, they did. It’s the next step, trying to get to their vision, where many often get stuck.

What Leslie has learned after years of working with women in business, is that a crucial step is often to simply get out of one's own way. Leslie describes a phenomenon where people become complacent when things are going "fine." Sometimes, it's only when we're pushed out of our comfort zone that we truly discover our vision, and where we want to get to. One important thing to keep in mind? No one reaches their vision alone. Having a “circle of collaboration” around you is vital in creating your vision.

Leslie provides tools for creating a vision, explains the difference between visions and goals, and discusses how visions can evolve over time. We left this conversation inspired to re-evaluate our own visions, and we believe you will too. You can read Leslie's latest book, "Start with Vision," to help you start considering your own vision.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/

We are joined by Rebecca Henson, Founder and Director of the Springsong Museum in Silver Spring, Maryland, which promises to be a world-class community museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Rachel Carson. With a background in history and environmental policy, and as a Silver Spring local, Rebecca tells us about Rachel Carson—a writer, biologist, and Montgomery County resident who is often regarded as the “Mother of the Modern Environmental Movement.” She also shares her own journey to discovering this visionary and the importance of connecting with the place where one lives.

With a shared interest in history, environmental work, the world around her, and the interconnection between humans and nature—and especially the fact that Rachel Carson touched so much of the very community Rebecca and her family call home—Rebecca felt a deep kinship with Rachel. This connection inspired her to learn more about the woman and eventually dedicate her time to bringing the Springsong Museum to life. Rebecca shares a personal struggle and how the idea of material immortality—something she discovered is a tenet of Rachel Carson’s work—along with her own connection to the seashore, helped her heal and led her to the work she does today.

Surrounded by 25 acres of nature, the Springsong Museum is being designed to merge nature and accessibility through the efforts of many community members. It stands as a true celebration of renewal, nature, and community.

We hope you enjoy listening to Rebecca’s journey of discovering Rachel Carson, and, along the way, learning so much about herself and the community around her. We encourage you to follow the Springsong Museum’s journey and visit it once it opens!

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/

Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes has dedicated her career to public service and currently serves as the Director of the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, leading a robust team. Throughout our conversation, she shares insights on balancing her career and motherhood—a challenge faced by many parents, especially women, every day. While some may avoid the topic of managing both children and a career, Dr. Morris-Hughes addresses it head-on, always striving to make the workplace better for future generations.

Dr. Morris-Hughes discusses the significant impact that coaches and leaders have had on her journey, particularly when she began her career, while at the same time becoming a new mother. Dr. Morris-Hughes highlighted the distinction between being a leader and being the leader, sharing a personal story where she initially thought coaching was being offered because she was falling short. In reality, it was the opposite—she was being given the support and resources to grow into the potential her superiors saw in her. From the beginning of her coaching journey, values have been a cornerstone of her professional and personal growth, prompting all of us to reflect on our own guiding principles: What values do we prioritize?

Later in the episode, Dr. Morris-Hughes talked about how her upbringing influenced her career and how coaching helped her realize that she didn’t need to "burn the candle at both ends." This realization not only made her a more effective leader but also a better mother, demonstrating how an external perspective can dramatically reshape our own.

Towards the end of our conversation, she introduced the concept of "becoming a corporate athlete" and emphasized how the same steps an athlete takes to stay at the top of their game also apply to leaders aiming for peak performance. Dr. Morris-Hughes also discussed her concept of “professional vacations”—time she sets aside specifically for innovation—and how she encourages her team to do the same, leveraging the coaching and development tools that have been instrumental to her success.

We concluded our conversation with Dr. Morris-Hughes shares three key lessons she’s learned through coaching: protect your time, create space to rest and recharge, and always maintain perspective. She carries each of these every day, and does her best to instill them in each person she mentors along the way.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/