All episodes

Ep 113. What Real Help Looks Like: Fighting Child Hunger and Poverty in Northern Kenya

Ep 113. What Real Help Looks Like: Fighting Child Hunger and Poverty in Northern Kenya

14m 53s

In this special episode of Lead Well!, Christine participates in Podcasthon, a global initiative where over 1,600 podcasters highlight charities and nonprofits creating real impact.

Christine speaks with Benson and Peter, leaders of a community-based organization working in Turkana, Northern Kenya, one of the driest and most challenging regions in East Africa.

They discuss the realities children face in the region, including malnutrition, drought, lack of healthcare access, and the difficult choices families must make every day.

For many children, going to school depends on something very basic: having food to eat.

Benson shares how witnessing children suffering from malnutrition...

Ep 112. Layered Leadership: Why Creativity Belongs in the C-Suite

Ep 112. Layered Leadership: Why Creativity Belongs in the C-Suite

25m 23s

What if leadership is not a title or a checklist, but a layered practice that develops over time?

In this episode of Lead Well!, I speak with Lawrence R. Armstrong, Chairman and former CEO of Ware Malcomb and author of Layered Leadership. We explore why many leaders struggle to delegate, how creativity becomes a strategic advantage, and why wellness is not optional for sustainable performance.

Larry shares how he built a global company over four decades while continuously evolving his leadership approach. We discuss whole-brain thinking, empowering a “number two,” building cultures of curiosity, and designing systems that encourage innovation...

Ep 111. Leadership Image: Why Competence Is Not Enough

Ep 111. Leadership Image: Why Competence Is Not Enough

33m 16s

In this conversation with Sharon Burstein, international leadership image expert and author of What’s Your Leadership Image?, we explore a dimension of leadership that most professionals underestimate: the image you project — and how it either reinforces or undermines your credibility.

But this is not about polishing the surface. It is about alignment.

Sharon distinguishes between leadership and leadership image:
Leadership is what you do.
Leadership image is who you are — and how consistently that identity is communicated through posture, voice, clarity, behavior, and presence

Ep 110. From Boardrooms to Base Camp

Ep 110. From Boardrooms to Base Camp

26m 21s

In Episode 110 of Lead Well!, I speak with adventurer, mountaineer, author, and former lawyer Jeff Rasley.

After a successful legal and business career, Jeff walked away from boardrooms and into the Himalayas. What began as a midlife trek to Everest Base Camp became a lifelong commitment to service, leadership, and cultural humility.

Today, Jeff is President of the Basa Village Foundation, partnering with a remote Nepali village to build schools, clinics, water systems, and even a hydroelectric project, all designed and executed by the villagers themselves

Ep 109. The Hidden Cost of Attention: Why You Can’t Switch Off After Work

Ep 109. The Hidden Cost of Attention: Why You Can’t Switch Off After Work

18m 7s

In this episode of Lead Well!, I explore one of the most underestimated cognitive phenomena in modern work life: attention residue.

Based on research by Sophie Leroy, we look at what happens in your brain when you switch tasks. Part of your attention stays behind. And that “mental leftover” reduces performance, increases reactivity, and makes it harder to truly recover after work.

This is not just a productivity issue.
It’s a nervous system issue.
And it’s a leadership issue.

Ep 108. Presence Part 3: The Moment Before You React

Ep 108. Presence Part 3: The Moment Before You React

11m 43s

What if presence doesn’t start when you are already stressed, but one moment earlier?

In Part 3 of the Presence series, I explore a subtle but decisive phase that most people miss: the orienting moment. The split second between perceiving something and reacting to it.

This is the moment where your nervous system decides whether to stay regulated or switch into fight, flight, or freeze. And it is the easiest point to access presence.

Ep 107. Presence II. Why Presence Starts in the Body

Ep 107. Presence II. Why Presence Starts in the Body

13m 30s

Presence doesn’t start in the mind.
It starts in the body.

In Episode 107, I explore why thinking alone won’t get you present and how your body becomes your most reliable feedback system.
A continuation of last week’s episode on Presence as a condition for living well.

Ep 106. Presence. Why Being Here Is Not Optional.

Ep 106. Presence. Why Being Here Is Not Optional.

14m 0s

In this solo episode of Lead Well!, I explore why so many capable, reflective people feel disconnected from their own lives. Not because they lack insight. But because they are rarely fully present in the moments that matter.

Presence is often misunderstood as meditation, slowing down, or stepping away from real life. That is not what this episode is about.

Presence means being where you already are.
Mentally. Emotionally. Physically.

Using a simple everyday metaphor. Missing an exit while driving. I show how absence quietly shapes our decisions, our productivity, and our sense of meaning.

Ep 105. Following Hope. How One Radical Decision Changed Everything

Ep 105. Following Hope. How One Radical Decision Changed Everything

22m 27s

At sixty years old, Anne Abel found herself at a breaking point.

After leaving a dangerous teaching job, the structure that had helped her manage lifelong depression disappeared. What followed was not a neat reinvention plan, but a radical decision that started as survival.

Anne followed Bruce Springsteen’s Australian tour.

What unfolded was a journey of connection, meaning, and unexpected healing. One that later became her memoir High Hopes.

Why Your Environment Shapes Your Decisions More Than You Think

Why Your Environment Shapes Your Decisions More Than You Think

20m 4s

How much does your environment influence your thinking, emotions, and decisions?

In this episode, Christine explores why environment is often the missing piece in change models. From hunger and sleep to safety, noise, and the people around us, small environmental factors can radically shift outcomes.

You’ll learn:

Why environment is a leverage point for change
How basic needs affect judgment and emotional regulation
A practical framework to decide what you can control, influence, or let go
Why changing where you are is often easier than changing who you are

Listen now and start noticing how your surroundings shape your day.