Disruption has become a constant companion for many leaders. Whether it's uncertainty in the marketplace, changes inside an organization, or challenges at home, the question isn't how to eliminate disruption. It's how to remain steady when it arrives. Nature may offer a better answer than we realize.

In this conversation on the Leading with Instinct podcast, Katie Navarra-Bradley, Professional Facilitator and Leadership Coach with Katie the Coach, and Ginny Telego, President of Collaboration Partners, discuss relaxed readiness. Horses instinctively stay calm, alert, and prepared without living in a constant state of anxiety. Leaders can learn from this example

Horses naturally assess a threat, respond appropriately, and quickly return to grazing once the danger has passed. Ginny and Katie connect these observations to neuroscience, burnout, decision-making, emotional contagion, and leadership effectiveness to help you navigate uncertainty, make wiser decisions, and create calmer, more resilient teams.

Takeaways

— Leadership can’t eliminate uncertainty; But leadership is about developing the ability to stay calm and prepared within it.

— Horses demonstrate that true readiness comes from awareness and discernment, not constant tension or hypervigilance.

— Leaders who continually replay stressful events drain the energy needed to respond effectively to the challenges that truly matter.

— Emotional regulation is contagious. A leader's ability to remain grounded directly influences the confidence and stability of the people around them.

— Burnout often begins when we lose the ability to "return to grazing" after disruption, allowing stress to become our permanent state.

— Preparation creates confidence. Being ready for difficult situations allows leaders to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting emotionally.

— Relaxed readiness is a leadership practice that grows stronger every time we notice our stress, regulate it, and return to our best thinking.

The Leading With Instinct Podcast is brought to you by Collaboration Partners and KatieTheCoach.com.

Chapters:

00:56 Readiness During Forest Fires

08:56 Three Stages of Readiness

13:24 Get Back to Grazing

17:33 Relaxed Readiness Defined

24:58 Wired with a Negativity Bias

31:22 Examples from the Arena

37:10 Horses Release Stress Quickly

38:32 Can We Find That Reset?

39:01 Responding to Disruption

Helpful Links:

Katie Navarra-Bradley, Katie The Coach: https://katiethecoach.com/

Ginny Telego, Collaboration Partners: https://www.thecollaborationpartners.com/

What does a leader look like? Who are leaders choosing to develop? Many organizations still rely on assumptions about ability, and about who looks like a leader, unintentionally overlooking people whose experiences may have developed exactly the skills modern leadership requires.

In this conversation on the Leading with Instinct podcast, Katie Navarra-Bradley, Professional Facilitator and Leadership Coach with Katie the Coach, and Ginny Telego, President of Collaboration Partners, explore a question that began with a challenge: How can equine-assisted leadership programs become more inclusive for people with different physical abilities?

his episode is a deep examination of leadership pipelines, workplace assumptions, and who gets invited into opportunities for growth.

Drawing parallels between herd dynamics and human organizations, they discuss how horses assess safety without judgment and why humans often default to assumptions rather than curiosity. The strongest leaders pause long enough to question assumptions, ask better questions, and create space for people to contribute in ways that align with their strengths.

Takeaways

— Leadership potential is often hidden behind assumptions about capability.

— Curiosity is more valuable than certainty when evaluating people.

— Inclusion begins with conversation, not accommodation.

— Horses respond to authenticity before appearance.

— Quiet leadership qualities are often overlooked.

— Discernment requires pausing long enough to question assumptions.

— Value does not disappear simply because someone contributes differently.

The Leading With Instinct Podcast is brought to you by Collaboration Partners and KatieTheCoach.com.

Chapters

00:29 Introduction

02:04 Inclusion of Employees with Disabilities

06:05 Disabled Horses in the Herd

10:56 Creating Opportunities

18:09 Making Assumptions

21:47 Developing Partnerships

25:58 Shifting Perspectives and Perceptions

28:18 Rethinking Inclusion Options

32:19 Takeaways and Final Thoughts

Helpful Links:

Katie Navarra-Bradley, Katie The Coach: https://katiethecoach.com/

Ginny Telego, Collaboration Partners: https://www.thecollaborationpartners.com/

The strongest leaders are the ones who can stay grounded long enough to notice what matters, regulate themselves under pressure, and create enough trust that others are willing to move with them through uncertainty. When a crisis comes, panic can follow. And if leaders lose trust, chaos will ensue.

In this conversation on the Leading with Instinct podcast, Katie Navarra-Bradley, Professional Facilitator and Leadership Coach with Katie the Coach, and Ginny Telego, President of Collaboration Partners, share a personal conversation centered around a real wildfire evacuation experience in Colorado. Ginny walks listeners through the emotional reality of seeing smoke near her home, the memories it triggered from previously losing her home in a fire, and the leadership lessons that surfaced as she prepared to evacuate her horses before an official order was ever given.

Together, they connect the experience to business leadership, emotional regulation, trust, decision-making, and how leaders navigate uncertainty in real time. These are real leadership situations businesses face every day, including crises, emergencies, organizational uncertainty, and moments where teams take emotional cues from the leader before they ever hear the words being spoken.

This episode challenges leaders to think about where uncertainty currently exists in their own leadership, how they communicate during pressure, and whether they are creating trust or simply demanding compliance.

Takeaways

– Leadership under pressure begins with regulating yourself before trying to lead others

– Trust built before a crisis determines how people respond during one

– Horses respond to energy before commands. People often do too

– “Notice, decide, move, lead” creates clarity during uncertainty

– Presence and emotional awareness help leaders avoid panic-driven decisions

– Calm direction creates trust far more effectively than forced compliance

– Leaders need a “North Star” they can return to during uncertainty

– Pausing before communicating during a crisis can completely change outcomes

– Emotional congruence matters as people sense what leaders are truly feeling

– Small moments of intentional leadership practice prepare us for bigger challenges later

The Leading With Instinct Podcast is brought to you by Collaboration Partners and KatieTheCoach.com.

Chapters

00:57 Introduction

01:27 Stories from a Colorado Wildfire

07:39 Past Experiences with Loss from Fire

10:18 Presence during Crisis

18:38 Navigating Our Emotions

29:07 Forced Compliance vs Earning Trust

38:29 Closing Thoughts/Channeling Your Inner Ginny

Helpful Links:

Katie Navarra-Bradley, Katie The Coach: https://katiethecoach.com/

Ginny Telego, Collaboration Partners: https://www.thecollaborationpartners.com/