How many of your decisions this week were shaped by what you actually believe and how many were shaped by what you wanted other people to think of you?

This is the most camouflaged leadership trap I know. It doesn't look like weakness. It looks like being collaborative. Like being emotionally intelligent. Like being a good person. But it's approval-seeking and it's costing you more than you know.

And for the first time in the series, it doesn't just diagnose. It shows you a way through.

I share my parents' story a love marriage that cost them everything the community approved of, and gave them everything that actually mattered. And a 2012 workshop that fell apart completely and taught me the most important thing I know about what happens when you finally drop the mask.

The version of you that stops trying to be liked is the version that finally starts to lead.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: The leadership trap of approval seeking

02:54 How approval seeking manifests in leadership behaviors

04:48 The story of the speaker's parents and leadership values

08:21 The importance of authenticity and dropping the mask

10:14 Action steps to overcome approval seeking in leadership

14:51 Redefining Leadership

15:20 The Practice of Leadership

More on me:
Take the Pressure Pattern Check

For more information about me go to: chethirani.com

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Burn The Rules Here

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Most high-performing leaders spend years building a life that looks exactly like success is supposed to look. The title. The salary. The house. The holidays. The family photo that belongs on the front of a magazine.
Deepika Sandhu had all of it. And she still felt profoundly, quietly empty.

So she did something that almost nobody does. She scheduled her own breakdown. Put it in her calendar. Showed up for it. And in the space that created the slowing down, the silence, the sitting with herself she found the clarity that 25 years of relentless performance had never given her.

Today, Deepika is the founder of Soul Sparks Press North America's fastest growing publishing house, built to over 106 authors in 21 months. She's a six-time award-winning bestselling author, CEO of the Year at the Unicorn Summit, and someone who now describes her life not by what it looks like but by how it feels.

This conversation is between two people who are genuinely inside each other's worlds. Which is exactly why it goes to places most podcast conversations don't.

Chapters
00:00 The Pressure of Silicon Valley Leadership
04:45 Transitioning from Corporate to SoulSparks Press
07:41 Redefining Success and Impact
10:26 The Journey of Self-Discovery
13:07 The Power of Scheduled Breakdowns
15:51 Dismantling Old Beliefs
18:45 Taking Risks and Embracing Entrepreneurship
21:48 Managing Pressure and Doubt
24:24 The Importance of Support and Community
27:11 Flow vs. Deadlines in Creativity
30:01 The Evolution of Self and Business
32:56 Navigating Pressure Moments
35:42 Overcoming Doubt and Inner Critic
39:38 Trusting the Process
45:44 Owning Your Choices
50:36 Lessons from Life Transitions
56:24 Finding Your Authentic Voice
59:31 The Power of Storytelling
01:10:29 Redefining Leadership
01:10:57 The Practice of Leadership

Connect with Deepika:
Instagram
Soul Sparks Press on Instagram
Soul Sparks Press Website

More on me:
Take the Pressure Pattern Check

For more information about me go to: chethirani.com

Get my Award Winning Bestselling book:

Burn The Rules Here

Connect, Follow & Subscribe:

LinkedIn

Youtube

Instagram

Facebook

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The return-to-office debate has nothing to do with culture, collaboration, or productivity. It has everything to do with control. And the leaders mandating it mostly can't tell you why beyond 'we need people back in the building.'

But before the remote work crowd starts cheering this episode comes for you too. Because flexibility isn't automatically freedom. And a green dot on Slack isn't the same as doing your best work.

The real problem isn't where people sit. It's whether your leaders can actually lead regardless of where anyone is.

If that question makes you uncomfortable, this episode is for you.

Chapters

00:00 The Real Debate Behind Return to Office

02:53 The Leadership Quality Problem

05:41 Key Factors for Team Success

08:30 Building Trust and Connection

More on me:
Take the Pressure Pattern Check

For more information about me go to: chethirani.com

Get my Award Winning Bestselling book:

Burn The Rules Here

Connect, Follow & Subscribe:

LinkedIn

Youtube

Instagram

Facebook

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