What happens when the version of “professionalism” you were taught was never meant for you?

In this episode of The Grace Space Podcast, host Kaitlyn Rios sits down with Lauren (L2) Howard, CEO of Clinical Operations Group and founder of ElleTwo and Quirky, for a raw, funny, deeply human conversation about mental health, toxic systems, and the courage it takes to rebuild your identity after environments that tried to shrink you.

Together, they explore the emotional cost of outdated professionalism, the healing power of humor, and why telling the truth — even the messy parts — is one of the most radical acts of self‑care.

This episode is an invitation to stop performing, start breathing, and remember that being different has never meant being broken.

💬 What We Talk About

• The hidden mental health toll of harmful workplaces and societies
• Why “professionalism” often harms women, neurodivergent folks, and anyone who doesn’t fit the mold
• How humor becomes a survival tool — and a healing one
• The story behind Quirky, her community for the “eh‑ntisocial”
• The courage it takes to tell the truth about what hurt you
• Rebuilding identity after burnout, gaslighting, or systemic harm
• Why mental health advocacy must be both personal and systemic

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🔥 Key Moments

• The moment she realized the version of professionalism she was performing wasn’t built for her
• How ElleTwo was born from frustration with patriarchal workplace norms
• Why humor is one of her most powerful tools for connection and healing
• The origin story of Quirky — and why so many people need a space like it
• How she rebuilt her identity after seasons that made her question it
• The truth about boundaries, self‑trust, and refusing to shrink

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🧠 Reflection Prompts for Listeners

• Where am I blaming myself for a system that harmed me?
• What version of “professionalism” have I been performing — and who is it serving?
• What story am I finally ready to tell the truth about?
• What boundary is my mental health asking me to set?
• Where could humor soften something I’ve been carrying alone?

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🌟 About Our Guest

Lauren (L2) Howard is the CEO of Clinical Operations Group, the founder of ElleTwo, and the creator of Quirky, a digital community for the “eh‑ntisocial” — the people who want connection without the pressure to perform. She is also the host of Different, Not Broken, where she artfully overshares because isolation lies.

Known for her bold storytelling, clinical expertise, and humor‑soaked honesty, Lauren is redefining what it means to be “professional,” advocating for mental health, and helping people reclaim their identity after harmful workplace experiences.

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🔗 Connect with Lauren

• Quirky: A community for the eh‑ntisocial
• ElleTwo: Redefining professionalism for women
• Different, Not Broken Podcast
• LinkedIn: Lauren (L2) Howard

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🔗 Connect with Kaitlyn / The Grace Space

• Website: facedwithgrace.org
• Email: connect@facedwithgrace.org
• Instagram: @facedwithgrace

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💛 If This Episode Resonated

If this conversation spoke to you, please subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who needs the reminder that they are not broken — they are becoming.

What if the most important leadership work you’ll ever do happens at home?

In this episode of The Grace Space Podcast, host Kaitlyn Rios sits down with Brittany Anderson, Founder & CEO of Renala, to explore how identity, vision, values, and communication — tools we often reserve for our careers — can transform our families too.

Brittany shares her journey as a military spouse navigating deployments, reinvention, and a near-divorce that became the catalyst for rebuilding her family with intention. Together, they explore how play, creativity, and strengths-based tools can help families reconnect, communicate, and create a shared identity.

This episode is an invitation to lead your family with the same care, strategy, and heart you bring to your work — and to discover how the hardest seasons can become the foundation for a more connected, resilient home.

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What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Why leadership at home is often overlooked — and why it matters

• How a near-divorce reshaped Brittany’s understanding of identity and connection

• The power of family vision, values, and purpose

• How LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and creative tools unlock deeper communication

• Why play is a powerful tool for navigating conflict

• How families can rewrite their story with intention

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Key Topics & Moments

• Military life, uncertainty, and identity

• The emotional cost of high-functioning leadership

• Family values and vision as stabilizing forces

• Play as a tool for connection and repair

• Strengths-based approaches to family communication

• Rebuilding trust and rewriting family narratives

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Reflection Prompts for Listeners

• Where am I leading reactively at home instead of proactively?

• What values do I want my family to be known for?

• What story are we currently living — and what story do we want to write?

• How might play or creativity help us reconnect?

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Guest Spotlight

Brittany Anderson is the Founder & CEO of Renala, where she helps families and organizations build identity, connection, and purpose through immersive experiences, playful retreats, and strengths-based coaching. A certified transformational coach and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator, she brings two decades of experience in storytelling, strategy, and leadership development — along with her own lived journey of rebuilding her marriage and family with intention.

Connect

• Kaitlyn Rios / Faced With Grace

www.facedwithgrace.org

connect@facedwithgrace.org

• Brittany Anderson / Renala

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renalafamilies/

What do you do when the moment doesn’t go according to plan?

In this episode of The Grace Space Podcast, Kaitlyn Rios is joined by Haylee Foy, founder of Building Better Mindsets, for an honest conversation about navigating difficult situations when there’s no script, no perfect response, and no one-size-fits-all solution.

Haylee shares her personal journey through toxic workplaces, followed by an early and humbling moment in her coaching career — when a client took a phone call in the middle of a group coaching session, freezing her in her tracks and forcing her to confront the reality that leadership often requires adaptation, not perfection.

Together, they'll explore how hard lessons, creative pivots, and unconventional tools — including the introduction of art into Haylee’s coaching practice — can fundamentally reshape how we lead, respond, and grow. This episode is about learning to navigate complexity creatively, trusting yourself in real time, and allowing difficult moments to shape you into the leader you’re becoming.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• How toxic workplaces quietly shape leadership instincts and self-trust

• An early coaching moment that forced Haylee to rethink control, authority, and adaptability

• Why there is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership or growth

• How creativity and art can unlock new pathways for communication and healing

• What it means to lead in moments that don’t go as planned

• How hard lessons become formative — not failures

Reflection Prompts for Listeners

• Where am I clinging to a “right way” when flexibility is needed instead?

• What difficult moment shaped me more than any success ever did?

• How might creativity help me navigate a situation I feel stuck in right now?

Guest Spotlight

Haylee Foy is the founder of Building Better Mindsets, a leadership and creative wellbeing practice centered on helping individuals and teams move out of survival mode and into intentional, adaptive leadership.

After navigating toxic workplace environments and confronting early challenges in her coaching career, Haylee began integrating creativity and art into her work — transforming how clients process difficult experiences, build self-awareness, and respond to complexity.

She is known for her grounded presence, trauma-informed approach, and belief that the hardest lessons often become the foundation for the most effective leadership.

Resources Mentioned

• Building Better Mindsets

• Creative and art-based leadership practices

Connect

• Kaitlyn Rios / Faced With Grace

www.facedwithgrace.org

connect@facedwithgrace.org

• Haylee Foy / Building Better Mindsets

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayleefoy/

If This Episode Resonated

If this conversation resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need permission to lead a little more creatively — and a little more honestly — today.

What if the real reason organizations struggle isn’t people — but the systems around them?

In this episode of The Grace Space Podcast, host Kaitlyn Rios is joined by Chris Dundy, CEO of Flagship LMS, for a grounded and eye‑opening conversation about how organizations support growth, cultivate learning, and create environments where people can actually succeed.

Chris shares insights from nearly two decades of building training systems for Fortune 500 companies, global organizations, and government agencies — revealing why most teams don’t fail from lack of effort, but from lack of clarity, consistency, and support.

Together, they explore the emotional impact of poor systems, the misconceptions leaders have about training and development, and the cultural shifts required to build organizations where learning is continuous and improvement is sustainable.

This episode is about dignity, clarity, and the systems that allow people to thrive.

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What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Why most organizational struggles are system problems, not people problems

• The emotional cost of unclear expectations and inconsistent processes

• What leaders misunderstand about training and development

• How organizations cultivate true learning cultures

• The systems that make success repeatable

• How continuous improvement becomes a cultural norm

• Why clarity is one of the most compassionate leadership tools

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Key Topics & Moments

• Systems as a form of support

• The human impact of organizational structure

• Training that actually changes behavior

• Learning cultures vs. checkbox training

• Continuous improvement as a relational practice

• The dignity of clarity and consistency

• Why people thrive when systems are built well

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Reflection Prompts for Listeners

• Where am I internalizing a system failure as a personal failure?

• What clarity do I need that I haven’t been given?

• What would it look like to work inside a system that truly supports growth?

• How can I contribute to a culture of learning — even in small ways?

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Guest Spotlight

Chris Dundy is the CEO of Flagship LMS, where he helps organizations build training systems that are practical, measurable, and built for real‑world performance. He has partnered with Fortune 500 companies, global organizations, and government agencies to create learning environments that support growth, clarity, and continuous improvement. Chris is passionate about helping organizations build systems that make success repeatable — and helping people thrive inside them.

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Resources Mentioned

• Flagship LMS

• Organizational learning and development frameworks

• Continuous improvement practices

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Connect

Kaitlyn Rios / Faced With Grace

www.facedwithgrace.org

connect@facedwithgrace.org

Chris Dundy / Flagship LMS

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherdundy

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If This Episode Resonated

If this conversation resonated with you, consider this:

You’re not failing — the system might be.

And you deserve clarity, support, and an environment that helps you grow.

If this episode spoke to you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need to hear that their struggle isn’t a personal flaw — it’s a structural one.

In this honest conversation, Kaitlyn Rios and Kris Fanning explore the true realities of choosing impact over ease in the nonprofit world. From invisible labor to emotional resilience, they delve into the grit required to build meaningful change without a safety net.

Key Topics:

• The emotional and physical toll of nonprofit work and invisible labor
• The pivotal moments and mindset shifts that lead to impactful career changes
• The significance of purpose and how to recognize it in your life
• Strategies for managing imposter syndrome and maintaining self-belief
• The importance of small wins and self-acknowledgment during hard times
• Building organizational foundation with patience and grace
• The challenges and rewards of leading unpaid boards and volunteer teams
• Practical advice on balancing purpose-driven work with business acumen

Timestamps:

00:02 - The hidden struggles of choosing impact over ease
00:31 - Kris Fanning’s journey from healthcare to nonprofit leadership
02:05 - Sharing the lesser-known stories behind their public personas
03:05 - What it feels like when a system no longer fits
03:37 - Recognizing purpose as a guiding principle
04:53 - The power of vision books in goal-setting
06:17 - The catalyst moments that triggered career leaps
09:22 - The unseen labor and emotional weight of nonprofit leadership
11:28 - Managing the solitude and overwhelm of building impactful organizations
12:21 - Practical tips for mental resilience and self-care
14:33 - The importance of celebrating small wins amidst big challenges
15:23 - Leading without a traditional team — the nuances of influence and authority
17:02 - Navigating the dynamics of unpaid boards and volunteer leadership
18:38 - Overcoming imposter syndrome in high-stakes environments
19:59 - Moments of affirmation that reinforce impact-driven decisions
21:26 - Personal growth through purpose-driven work
22:39 - The importance of patience and strong foundation building
23:05 - Common misconceptions about purpose and impact work
24:25 - How to connect with Kris Fanning and Texas

Faced With Grace:

www.facedwithgrace.org

connect@facedwithgrace.org

TicKidsResources & Links:

• Texas TicKids - Learn more about Kris Fanning’s impactful organization

Connect with Kris Fanning:

• Facebook

These show notes aim to capture the raw, insightful dialogue on leadership, purpose, and resilience. Whether you're considering a leap into impact work or already navigating its challenges, this episode offers real-world wisdom to guide your journey.

We are living in heavy times.

Between personal challenges, constant news cycles, and the pressure to perform professionally, many of us are carrying more than we let on.

In this episode of The Grace Space Podcast, Kaitlyn Rios sits down with Jenn Farr — senior corporate leader, creator of The Treehouse Principle, and Crisis to Creation coach — for an honest and expansive conversation about what it means to show up while the world is heavy.

Jenn shares how personal crisis reshaped her identity, clarified her boundaries, and transformed her approach to leadership. Together, they explore how organizations respond when humanity interrupts productivity — and why crisis leadership cannot operate from rigid precedent in a world that is constantly evolving.

This episode is about:

• How crisis reveals culture

• The identity shift that follows survival

• Why “business as usual” doesn’t work after life changes

• The emotional weight of modern times

• Transforming hardship into intentional leadership

This conversation is not political.

It is human.

And it offers insight for anyone navigating personal hardship while still expected to perform professionally.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• How crisis exposes the truth of organizational culture

• The internal transformation that follows life-altering events

• Why precedent-driven crisis management falls short

• The emotional impact of living in a constant-news world

• How leaders can create psychologically safer environments

• What it means to move from crisis into creation

Reflection Prompts for Listeners

• What am I carrying right now that others may not see?

• How would my workplace respond if I needed real support tomorrow?

• Where might I be leading from policy instead of presence?

• How have hard seasons reshaped the leader I am becoming?

• What might “creation” look like on the other side of my current challenge?

Guest Spotlight

Jenn Farr is a senior corporate leader and a coach for Crisis to Creation, a coaching platform dedicated to helping individuals transform life’s most challenging seasons into clarity, strength, and intentional leadership.

Drawing from decades of corporate leadership experience and profound personal transformation, Jenn guides professionals through identity shifts, boundary recalibration, and purpose realignment after life-altering events.

Her work centers on the belief that crisis does not have to be the end of momentum — it can be the beginning of intentional creation.

Connect

• Kaitlyn Rios / Faced With Grace

Connect@facedwithgrace.org

www.facedwithgrace.org

• Jenn Farr

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-farr/

If This Episode Resonated

If this conversation resonated with you, consider this:

The world may feel heavy.

But heaviness does not disqualify you from leadership.

In fact, the leaders who acknowledge weight — instead of denying it — are often the ones who build cultures where people can survive, grow, and belong.

If this episode spoke to you, I invite you to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need permission to show up honestly — even when the world feels heavy.

What happens when your confidence erodes—not because you lack ability, but because you spent too long in an environment that asked you to shrink?

In this episode of The Grace Space Podcast, Kaitlyn Rios is joined by Karli Grove, founder of Kantency Consulting Ltd., for a grounded, reflective conversation about rebuilding confidence after hard seasons of work, leadership, and life.

Together, they explore the concept of the Confidence Resume—a tool from Kaitlyn’s book Grit to Grace—designed to help people reclaim the evidence of who they are beyond job titles, performance reviews, or toxic narratives.

This episode invites listeners to slow down, tell the truth about what they’ve navigated, and remember the strength they’ve been carrying all along.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Why confidence often fades quietly before we realize it
• How toxic or misaligned environments distort self-perception
• What a Confidence Resume is—and what it is not
• The power of naming strengths that went unseen or uncelebrated
• Why rebuilding confidence doesn’t require proving anything
• How grace creates space for reflection, integration, and self-trust

Key Topics & Moments

• Grace as an environment—not a performance
• The difference between lost confidence and reshaped confidence
• Strengths demonstrated under pressure
• Navigating complexity with integrity and restraint
• Wins that never made it into a review but mattered deeply
• Truth statements as anchors for self-trust

Reflection Prompts for Listeners

• What strengths did I demonstrate during a season that challenged me?
• What did I carry that was never acknowledged—but still mattered?
• What truth statement do I need to write for myself today?

Guest Spotlight

Karli Grove is the founder of Kantency Consulting Ltd., where she helps leaders and organizations slow down, see the full systems at play, and navigate transformation with intention and clarity. She is known for her curiosity about human behavior, her use of storytelling as a strategic tool, and her ability to help teams uncover what’s beneath the surface before reacting to symptoms.

Resources Mentioned

• Grit to Grace by Kaitlyn Rios
• The Confidence Resume (from Grit to Grace)

Connect

• Kaitlyn Rios / Faced With Grace
  facedwithgrace.org

  connect@facedwithgrace.org

• Karli Grove
  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karligrove/

  kantency.com

If This Episode Resonated

If this conversation stirred something in you, consider starting your own Confidence Resume—not as homework, but as an act of self-respect.

And if this episode spoke to you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might also need to spend a little time in The Grace Space today.

In the premiere of The Grace Space Podcast, host Kaitlyn Rios sits down with Sara Fung — a nurse-turned-career-coach — to explore what happens when burnout turns to confidence and purpose . Together they unpack burnout, renewal, and the Confidence = 3 RS Formula: REFLECTION, REFRAMING, & REBUILDING with SUPPORT layered across all three.

To Connect With The Grace Space Guest:

www.sarafung.com

www.thernresume.com

To Connect With the Host:

www.facedwithgrace.org

connect@facedwithgrace.org