You're standing atop a waterfall with someone who's never run one before. Do you give them every single detail about the entire run—every rock, every current, every decision point? Or do you give them three clear steps they can actually hold onto? One approach gets followed. The other leaves people frozen, overwhelmed, staring at you with wide eyes.

In this episode from Kendall's "What the Wellness Center?!" series, she welcomes Paul Kuthe of Tributary Coaching—a former professional kayaker and adventure guide turned business coach—who translates hard-won wilderness lessons into team leadership wisdom. As Paul explains about overwhelming a student with information: "They'd be still sitting right behind that first rock... trying to take in all of the steps and all of the things to accomplish this goal all at once."

The conversation covers uniting teams behind both straightforward and controversial goals, the three most common mistakes leaders make with goal-setting, and Paul's powerful "Goal Story Formula"—an expanded SMARTER framework that makes goals exciting, narrative, and shareable. He also shares a refreshingly simple mission statement formula: "We will accomplish X by [timeframe] because [reason]."

If your team goals tend to get set, forgotten, and quietly abandoned, this episode offers both the diagnosis and the fix.

Get all the links, resources and show notes here: https://wellnesscentercreators.com

And for information regarding our upcoming retreat, go to: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/retreats

Sponsored by Jane App, Jane offers online booking, charting, scheduling, secure video and invoicing on one secure, beautifully designed system: https://jane.app/ Use code wellness1mo for a one-month grace period on your new Jane account.

Listen to The Authority Plan Insider (https://theauthorityplan.com), a mini-series that will guide you through a simple system that will help you create a podcast that really delivers, that creates the impact that you want to make and lets you be in the driver's seat.

You walk into your clinic and immediately feel it—that tension in the air, the energy that's just... off. You don't need anyone to say a word. Something's wrong. Your business, it turns out, has its own nervous system. And learning to read it might be one of the most important leadership skills you never knew you needed.

Anna and Kendall explore this powerful metaphor, examining how wellness centers develop their own regulatory patterns separate from their owners. As Kendall reflects: "After a few months of even having my company, it started to take on a life of its own... it has its own nervous system and we have to nurture it."

The conversation dives into what causes dysregulation—usually miscommunication, employees feeling unheard, or unresolved tension that festers. Anna shares a key team agreement: "Give the benefit of the doubt all the time" and "talk to each other, not about each other." Both hosts discuss practical regulation strategies: slowing down, creating systems to prevent recurring issues, and recognizing when you need to speed up or step back.

Perhaps most valuable is the discussion of leadership's role in setting tone. As Kendall notes: "It works so much better to show up and model groundedness and stability... it's my job to be the steady force." This episode offers both framework and permission for leaders navigating the inevitable ebbs and flows of running a wellness business.

Get all the links, resources and show notes here: https://wellnesscentercreators.com

And for information regarding our upcoming retreat, go to: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/retreats

Sponsored by Jane App, Jane offers online booking, charting, scheduling, secure video and invoicing on one secure, beautifully designed system: https://jane.app/ Use code wellness1mo for a one-month grace period on your new Jane account.

Listen to The Authority Plan Insider (https://theauthorityplan.com), a mini-series that will guide you through a simple system that will help you create a podcast that really delivers, that creates the impact that you want to make and lets you be in the driver's seat.

You went to Greece for two weeks. And your wellness center didn't burn down. For many practice owners, that sentence feels more like a fantasy than a realistic goal. You're the center of everything, working unsustainable hours, convinced that without you, everything falls apart. What would it take to actually step away?

In this episode from the Thriving Wellness Series, Kendall interviews Shawniel Chamanlal, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, author of "Unapologetic Success," and CEO of Healing Springs Wellness Center—a multidisciplinary practice offering culturally competent, trauma-informed care. Shawniel will be presenting "Dream Beyond Your Limits: Manifest Your Abundant Wellness Center" at the 2026 Wellness Center Creators Retreat.

Her framework starts with identifying where scarcity still lives: "We are sometimes told that as practitioners, we're not going to make a lot... and so clarity comes from knowing what your numbers are." From there, she walks practice owners through connecting vision to values, working backwards from goals, and choosing themselves financially—because wellness center owners are often the last to get paid.

Shawniel also addresses inclusive culture beyond diversity statements: what psychological safety actually looks like inside a team, how to filter for shared values in interviews, and why collective accountability—not just stated values—builds belonging that lasts.

If burnout is your baseline or your vision for your practice has shrunk to just surviving, this episode offers a powerful invitation to dream bigger.

Get all the links, resources and show notes here: https://wellnesscentercreators.com

And for information regarding our upcoming retreat, go to: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/retreats

Sponsored by Jane App, Jane offers online booking, charting, scheduling, secure video and invoicing on one secure, beautifully designed system: https://jane.app/ Use code wellness1mo for a one-month grace period on your new Jane account.

Listen to The Authority Plan Insider (https://theauthorityplan.com), a mini-series that will guide you through a simple system that will help you create a podcast that really delivers, that creates the impact that you want to make and lets you be in the driver's seat.