Lead Well! with Christine Schickinger

Why do intelligent, capable people struggle to change behaviors they know are not serving them?

In this episode, I speak with Sharissa Bradley about chronic stress, habit formation, health, and self-responsibility.

Sharissa shares her personal journey from growing up in a deeply stressful family environment to developing autoimmune illness herself, and the moment she realised she was heading toward a version of life she did not want.

What makes this conversation particularly relevant is that it moves beyond motivational advice into the mechanisms behind behavior.

We discuss:

how survival mode affects decision-making and health
why habit change requires significant cognitive...

What happens when a relationship no longer reflects who you’ve become?

In this episode, Christine speaks with Michele Heffron, certified relationship and divorce coach, about major life transitions, identity change, fear, and the difficult decisions people sometimes avoid for years.

The conversation explores a growing phenomenon often called “gray divorce,” where long-term relationships end later in life, often after decades together.

But the deeper theme is broader.

This episode is about what happens when people slowly lose themselves inside a situation that no longer feels aligned.

Topics include:

chronic relationship misalignment
fear-based future thinking
self-worth and internal narratives
identity shifts...

In this episode of Lead Well!, I speak with author Steve Borodkin about survival, abuse, healing, vulnerability, animals, art, and what honesty really requires.

Steve’s memoir Street Level tells a deeply personal story of trauma and survival. But what struck me most in this conversation was not only what he went through. It was the fact that he emerged with remarkable warmth, empathy, and humanity.

We explore:

Why trauma processing is not a one-time event
The role of therapy, honesty, and long-term inner work
Why vulnerability is especially difficult for men
How animals can become a source of healing and...

Communication is often treated as a skill.
In reality, it is a relational process shaped by awareness, intention, and internal state.

In this episode, Christine speaks with Andrew Blotky, executive coach and former communications leader at Meta and Johnson & Johnson. The conversation explores how leaders can communicate with clarity and authenticity, especially in times of uncertainty.

A central idea runs through the episode: communication is not defined by what is said, but by what is received.
This shifts the focus from output to alignment. From message delivery to audience understanding.

Key themes include:

Why communication requires clarity of intent...