What happens when uncertainty hits and a good leader suddenly falls back into old habits? In this episode, I explore why even capable, self-aware leaders can revert to command-and-control when pressure rises and how to recognize when you're leading authentically versus performing the version of leadership you think others expect.

You'll learn a simple question to interrupt reactive patterns, identify when you're tempted to take ownership back from your team, and recognize when organizational structures not just personal habits are getting in the way of effective leadership.

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. Pressure can trigger old leadership patterns. Even leaders who have done the work can revert to familiar behaviors when uncertainty feels threatening.

2. Authentic leadership requires a moment of choice. Ask yourself: Am I leading from who I actually am, or performing who I think I'm supposed to be?

3. Not every leadership challenge is personal. Structural barriers can limit your team's ownership, so leaders need to distinguish between what they can change themselves and what needs to be addressed within the system.

Episode Minutes:

Minute 1: The Moment Change Gets Real

Minute 3: Authentic Imprint vs Default Performance

Minute 6: Give Trust to Get Trust

Links + Resources from This Episode:

Take the free 3-minute Authentic Imprint™ Assessment

Get a copy of Dana's book, The Internal Revolution: Lead Authentically and Build Your Personal Brand from Within

Learn more about The Strengths Journal

This summer on Dominate Your Day, we are returning to the episode vault to bring back experts to discuss each of Gallup's five essential areas of wellbeing: Purpose, Social, Financial, Physical, and Community.

Today we explore Community Wellbeing what Gallup defines as liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in and belonging to something larger than yourself.

Sharon Eubank global humanitarian leader and author of Doing Small Things with Great Love explains why you are most powerful where you live and why the right small act at the right time changes everything.

Jessica Bartnick co-founder and CEO of Foundation for CHOICE, a Dallas nonprofit that has helped thousands of low-income students get into and through college shares what happens when one person wakes up and decides to do something.

Wendy Steele founder of Impact100 and author of Invitation to Impact talks about how gathering women around one shared goal turned $1,000 into $123 million across 65 chapters worldwide.

Episode Minutes:

Minute 2: You Are Most Powerful Where You Live

Minute 8: Waking Up To Change The World

Minute 15: Not I But We

Minute 20: The Internal Revolution

Links + Resources from This Episode:

Get a copy of Sharon Eubank's book Doing Small Things with Great Love Find service opportunities near you at www.justserve.org

Learn more about Foundation for Choice at www.foundationforchoice.org

Learn more about Impact 100 at www.impact100global.org

Take the free 3-minute Authentic Imprint™ Assessment

Get a copy of Dana's book, The Internal Revolution: Lead Authentically and Build Your Personal Brand from Within

Learn more about The Strengths Journal

A team that consistently delivers results isn't always a healthy team. In this episode, we explore why high-performing teams can still become stuck in passive waiting hesitant to share ideas, embrace change, or take risks.

Learn the three leadership shifts that help teams move from fear to trust: building psychological safety, fostering collaboration over competition, and modeling calm under pressure.

Sometimes the biggest culture changes begin with one simple conversation.

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. Psychological safety fuels innovation. People are far more likely to share ideas and embrace change when they know honesty won't be punished.

2. Collaboration creates stronger teams. Publicly celebrating shared wins and focusing on collective success builds trust, engagement, and retention.

3. Culture changes one conversation at a time. Leaders don't need a major initiative to create change—they need the courage to go first and ask honest questions.

Episode Minutes:

Minute 2: Collaboration versus competition

Minute 4: "Teams borrow their leader's nervous system far more than they borrow their leader's strategy."

Minute 5: The small conversation that starts change

Links + Resources from This Episode:

Take the free 3-minute Authentic Imprint™ Assessment

Get a copy of Dana's book, The Internal Revolution: Lead Authentically and Build Your Personal Brand from Within

Learn more about The Strengths Journal

This summer on Dominate Your Day, we are returning to the episode vault to bring back experts to discuss each of Gallup's five essential areas of wellbeing: Purpose, Social, Financial, Physical, and Community.

Today we explore Social Wellbeing what Gallup identifies as having strong relationships and love in your life. According to Gallup, people who are thriving in social wellbeing have several hours of meaningful social interaction every single day. Yet we are living through a loneliness epidemic unlike anything we have seen before.

This episode is for every leader who feels it. Dr. Camille Preston business psychologist, executive coach, and author of Living Real discusses the danger of shallowing and why the world is craving real connection.

Shari Leid connection coach, friendship expert, author of Table for 51 and Flip the Box, and founder of the Flip the Box Method shares what happened when she shared a meal with a stranger in all 50 states and what it taught her about why we struggle to connect.

Andy Lopata professional relationship strategist and author of six books explains the blended mindset that makes relationships work and the Curiosity Cycle that builds trust.

Episode Minutes:

Minute 4: Life as A Sine Wave

Minute 8: What Stops Us From Connecting

Minute 16: The Curiosity Cycle

Links + Resources from This Episode:

Learn more about Dr. Camille Preston's work at www.aimleadership.com

Get a copy of Dr. Camille Preston's book, Living Real: Redifining Success, Pretense, and Happiness

Get Dr. Camille Preston's Living Real Gathering Kit at www.livingreal.aimleadership.com

Learn more about Shari Leid's work at www.animperfectlyperfectlife.com

Get a copy of Shari Leid's books Table for 51 and Flip the Box

Find Andy Lopata's books, podcast, and assessments here

Take the free 3-minute Authentic Imprint™ Assessment

Get a copy of Dana's book, The Internal Revolution: Lead Authentically and Build Your Personal Brand from Within

Learn more about The Strengths Journal

Waiting is never just "waiting."

In this episode, I explore the difference between passive waiting where growth quietly stalls while you wait for circumstances to change and active waiting, where you continue learning, building, and leading even when the timeline is out of your control.

Through the powerful example of Admiral James Stockdale, you'll discover that resilience isn't about controlling the outcome it's about choosing how you show up in the middle of uncertainty. You'll also walk away with four practical questions to help you stay intentional, hopeful, and moving forward while you wait.

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. Waiting is a leadership choice. You may not control the timeline, but you can control how you respond to it.

2. Active waiting creates momentum. Continue learning, building, and investing in others, even when the outcome hasn't arrived.

3. Awareness comes first. Simply recognizing whether you're in passive or active waiting is the first step toward leading with greater resilience and purpose.

Episode Minutes:

Minute 1: Admiral Stockdale's story and what it teaches about endurance

Minute 3: Understanding passive versus active waiting

Minute 5: Recognizing authority vs. posture in leadership

Links + Resources from This Episode:

Take the free 3-minute Authentic Imprint™ Assessment

Get a copy of Dana's book, The Internal Revolution: Lead Authentically and Build Your Personal Brand from Within

Learn more about The Strengths Journal

In this episode of Dominate Your Day, I sit down with executive leader Juli Primeaux for a conversation about what leadership really looks like in today's fast-changing, distracted workplace. Juli shares what it means to lead through organizational change and uncertainty while staying grounded in who you are.

We talk about the connection between CliftonStrengths, self-awareness, and authentic leadership, and why understanding your strengths can become a true "cheat code" for navigating tough decisions and leading people well. From practical strategies for managing stress to insightful lessons on leading across generations, this episode is full of wisdom every leader needs right now. And trust me, you'll want to hear Julie's unforgettable advice about "not loading bombs on planes."

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. Your strengths are powerful but only when you understand how they show up under stress. Self-awareness helps leaders recognize both their superpowers and their blind spots.

2. Authenticity builds trust. Teams don't need perfect leaders; they need real leaders who communicate clearly, stay grounded, and model vulnerability.

3. Well-being isn't optional for leaders. Taking pauses, creating small wins, and intentionally refilling your bucket are essential for sustainable leadership.

Episode Minutes:

Minute 12: Developing a personal mission and connecting core values to leadership purpose

Minute 17: The importance of self-care, taking pauses, and refill strategies

Minute 31: Emotional recognition and self-regulation techniques for stress management

Minute 39: Advice for leaders facing chaos and disconnection with their teams

Links + Resources from This Episode:

Connect with Juli Primeaux on LinkedIn

Take the free 3-minute Authentic Imprint™ Assessment

Get a copy of Dana's book, The Internal Revolution: Lead Authentically and Build Your Personal Brand from Within

Learn more about The Strengths Journal

What if one of the most powerful things you could do for your team takes only five minutes?

In this episode, I explore why relational energy may be the most overlooked factor in leadership wellbeing especially during seasons of rapid change. I share a simple but powerful shift that helped a high-performing team feel more connected, seen, and energized, and why small moments of recognition can have a bigger impact on team resilience than most leaders realize.

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. Relational energy is a critical leadership resource. Beyond physical, emotional, and mental energy, relational energy fuels trust, connection, and belonging. When it's strong, teams communicate openly and stay engaged; when it's depleted, work can quickly become transactional.

2. Fast-moving change often erodes connection first. During busy or high-growth seasons, leaders naturally prioritize deliverables and deadlines. But when recognition and human connection disappear, team resilience begins to weaken even if performance still looks strong on the surface.

3. Small moments of recognition create lasting impact. Asking one simple question "What's one win from this week?" can restore visibility, reinforce progress, and strengthen team connection. Sometimes the smallest leadership practices create the biggest cultural shifts.

Episode Minutes:

Minute 3: Managing Emotional States

Minute 5: Protecting Relational Energy

Minute 6: Introducing wins to boost relational energy

Links + Resources from This Episode:

Take the free 3-minute Authentic Imprint™ Assessment

Get a copy of Dana's book, The Internal Revolution: Lead Authentically and Build Your Personal Brand from Within

Learn more about The Strengths Journal

This summer on Dominate Your Day, we are returning to the episode vault to bring back experts to discuss each of Gallup's five essential areas of wellbeing: Purpose, Social, Financial, Physical, and Community.

Today we explore Career Wellbeing what Gallup defines as liking what you do every day and having a sense of purpose in your work. Only 20 percent of people globally say they are thriving in this area. This episode is for the other 80 percent.

Gina Riley executive career coach and author of Qualified Isn't Enough shares why your authentic story is your greatest career asset.

Angela Burgess founder of Broad Oaks Consulting describes what it feels like when your values stop aligning with your work, and what happens when you find the courage to go a different path.

Georgie Enthoven author of Work That's Worth It talks about the 90,000 hours every leader has and the questions we need to start asking.

Michelle Merritt Chief Strategy Officer of D&S Executive Career Management explains why 85 percent of opportunities come through people and how to work that truth intentionally.

Episode Minutes:

Minute 5: The Developer Strength Story

Minute 8: Success is not Linear

Minute 15: Introverts Make The Best Networkers

Links + Resources from This Episode:

Learn more about Gina's work at www.ginarileyconsulting.com

Learn more about Angela's work at www.broadoaksconsulting.com

Learn more about Georgie's work at www.georgienthoven.com

Connect with Michelle Meritt on LinkedIn

Take the free 3-minute Authentic Imprint™ Assessment

Get a copy of Dana's book, The Internal Revolution: Lead Authentically and Build Your Personal Brand from Within

Learn more about The Strengths Journal