Welcome to The Breakout Room.

In this powerful conversation, co-hosts Paul Byrne and Betsy Leatherman explore the subtle leadership genius that so many of us were taught to bury. From the early lessons that taught us to minimize our strengths to the lifelong journey of reclaiming them with intention and care, this episode is a deep dive into conscious leadership, self-awareness, and reintegration.

KEY MOMENTS IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:00:28 - Unlocking Leadership Potential

00:00:54 - Conscious Leadership vs Creative Leadership

00:01:40 - The Practice of Conscious Leadership

00:02:40 - The Challenge of Staying Conscious

00:02:58 - The Role of Conscious Leaders

00:03:18 - The Gift of Grandparents

00:04:53 - Fine-Tuning Leadership

00:05:41 - Reintegrating Disowned Gifts

00:06:23 - Navigating Arrogance in Leadership

00:09:10 - The Power of Discernment in Leadership

00:11:01 - The Struggle of Experienced Leaders

00:11:47 - Reintegrating the Self into Leadership

00:11:54 - Navigating Dyslexia and Insecurity in Leadership

00:17:02 - The Concept of Leadership Genius

00:25:47 - Understanding Your Own Leadership Genius

00:27:38 - The Role of Humor and Passion in Leadership

00:29:14 - Advice on Identifying and Utilizing Leadership Genius

00:30:43 - Discovering Your Leadership Genius

00:32:30 - The Role of AI and Relationships in Leadership

00:34:14 - The Power of Team Leadership Genius

00:34:50 - Intellectualization as a Barrier to Relationship

00:35:19 - Closing Remarks

What once felt overgrown, messy, or too much might actually be the most vibrant part of your leadership. It sets the tone for a thoughtful, deeply personal exploration of how our most authentic traits often get pushed aside in favor of what we think leadership "should" look like. This is not your typical executive coaching session; it's a reminder that the parts of ourselves we left behind might be the very keys to our greatest impact.

Paul and Betsy reflect on the stories we tell ourselves and the beliefs we carry into adulthood that shape how we show up at work, at home, and in our communities. They walk through the difference between creative and reactive leadership styles, how the Leadership Circle Profile reveals both brilliance and blind spots, and why truly impactful executive coaching isn't about changing who you are, but about reclaiming what you were taught to hide.

With decades of experience in leadership development and executive coaching, Paul and Betsy offer not only frameworks and tools, but also authentic stories that reveal their own ongoing work. Paul opens up about the experience of growing up with dyslexia, the narrative of invisibility he internalized, and how that shaped his leadership style. Betsy shares a candid story about receiving feedback on her own "sneaky arrogance," and how she learned to reframe it as a powerful leadership asset when used with intention.

This episode is filled with real-life examples, honest stories from the road, and rich insight into how high-performing leaders navigate the tension between humility, confidence, and courageous authenticity. Through their candid dialogue, Paul and Betsy show what it means to do the work—to bring back the orphaned parts of ourselves that leadership culture often told us to suppress.

If you're looking for a space where professional growth meets personal reflection, where humor and humanity sit alongside strategy and insight, you are in the right room.

🔗 Follow Us:

PAUL: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ptbyrne]

BETSY: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsy-leatherman-99b7b4/]

Thanks for joining us in The Breakout Room.