In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Jules Wilhelm, the creator, founder, and president of Capacity Leader Center, Cardia Counseling Center, and EQ-niversity™, about what every change leader needs to know about emotional intelligence (EQ) but probably didn’t learn in school.

Jules, who has nearly 30 years of experience in elite counseling and coaching, is currently focused on transforming the leadership of the world’s top executives. Her mission? To train 1.1 million people in the skills that help us lead—and live—with greater connection, compassion, and emotional clarity.

During the conversation with Jess, Jules introduces her EQ Roadmap, a powerful four-step framework leaders can use to manage high-emotion moments, build trust quickly, and create safe, productive environments where change can take root. They also explore why even the smartest leaders lose their cool during stressful conversations, and how building “muscle memory” for emotionally intelligent leadership can transform everything from performance to retention.

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ How to use curiosity, emotional labeling, and co-regulation to de-escalate conflict and get unstuck

☑️ Why investing in emotional intelligence helps people feel seen—and stay—at work

☑️ How to teach your team to ask for what they really need (without awkwardness or therapy vibes)

Jules also shares how the ROI of emotional intelligence shows up in measurable business outcomes: better retention, faster conflict resolution, and stronger team performance. Whether you’re managing change in a high-pressure environment or just trying to lead with more humanity, this episode is packed with tools you’ll use.

If you want to learn how to lead change with more compassion, clarity, and emotional resilience, don’t miss this conversation with Jules Wilhelm.

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Alecia Huck, founder of Maverick & Company, about how she leverages change management (without calling it change management!) to help owner/founder-led companies get through the messy middle of rapid growth and culture change.

Drawing on twenty years of experience across industries—from professional services to construction, manufacturing, and even criminal justice—Alecia is known for direct communication, practical solutions, and distinct ways of thinking that stick in the brain and change what’s possible. Her favorite thing about her job is helping good leaders win and build great teams that build great companies.

During the conversation with Jess, Alecia shares her belief that change is both people and process, and that sustainable change only happens when leaders address both. She dives into why resistance is human (even when people ask for the change!), how to build emotional safety without therapy sessions in the conference room, and how to create systems that invite ownership, not just compliance.

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ Why asking the right questions during check-ins can transform team and company cultures

☑️ How to reset toxic team dynamics without shame or blame, and create ownership for the future state

☑️ The "change tolerance spectrum" and how to keep your team moving together despite differences

Alecia also drops gems on what it means to move from victimhood to sovereignty in the workplace, and why clarity and choice are more powerful than false consensus. Her tools and stories are immediately useful for any change leader managing high-stakes dynamics with imperfect humans.

If you want to learn how to lead change with more honesty, humor, and humanity—without sacrificing clarity or momentum—you won’t want to miss this amazing conversation with Alecia Huck.

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Jen Coken, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, and best-selling author, about the “inner game” of leadership and how women can own their authority, lead authentically, and overcome imposter moments.

Featured on ABC, MSNBC, and TEDx, Jen has 25 years of experience empowering leaders to break barriers and lead boldly. Known for her no-nonsense style and relatable humor, she has coached nearly 10,000 global leaders, including Fortune 1000 CEOs, to drive meaningful transformation. Her book, Make Imposter Syndrome Your Superpower, gives women in STEM actionable tools to turn self-doubt into a leadership advantage. Through retreats, keynotes, and coaching programs, she equips women to claim their authority and inspire lasting change.

During the conversation, Jen shares her journey from working in male-dominated industries to creating a coaching practice that helps women lead people, projects, and change as their authentic selves, without code-switching, downplaying accomplishments, or abandoning their intuition. Her philosophy centers on building inner authority (authenticity) and outer influence (inspiring teams), while also managing the “hidden leader” moments when self-doubt or external criticism can cause leaders to shrink.

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ The four leadership types and how they can help leaders guide teams through change more effectively

☑️ How to address high performers who create resistance or undermine transformation efforts

☑️ Tools for overcoming self-doubt, and how to position yourself for leadership during times of transition

If you want to learn how to build unshakable confidence, inspire your team, and lead meaningful change while staying true to yourself, you won’t want to miss Jen’s insights in this episode.

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Traci Coven, the CEO of Inner Game Performance and Certified Change Practitioner, about how standardizing change management practices can improve stakeholder engagement and change initiative success, and how she’s using her background in change management to help athletes develop resilience and a champion mindset.

As the founder, CEO, and certified athlete mindset coach for Inner Game Performance, Traci is driven by a singular purpose: to unlock extraordinary athletic potential by building RAPID Resilience. Her passion for sports, coupled with a robust background in corporate change management, defines her unique value proposition. Before launching Inner Game Performance, Traci held a pivotal role as Director of Change Management and Implementation at DaVita, orchestrating large-scale clinical transformations.

During the conversation, Jessica and Traci dive into the importance of structured change processes in healthcare, the critical need for leadership alignment during organizational change, and why involving frontline workers in pilot testing can boost trust and adoption. Traci explains how a lack of standardization [in change management] when piloting clinical initiatives often leads to wasted resources and poor results, stating, “When pilots aren't set up for success with clear metrics and feedback loops, scaling becomes nearly impossible.”

Jessica and Traci also talk about her work with Inner Game Performance, where Traci shares how her experience in change management informed her approach to athlete mindset coaching. She emphasizes that just like in organizations, athletes need clear processes to navigate change, adapt to new roles, and perform under pressure.

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ Why standardizing pilot processes is essential to scaling clinical initiatives and sustaining long-term outcomes

☑️ The role of leadership alignment in reducing resistance and ensuring smoother change implementations

☑️ How the principles of change management apply to athlete development, focusing on building rapid resilience and adaptability

If you want to learn how structured change processes and human-centered leadership can elevate both business and athletic performance, be sure to tune in and hear what Traci has to say!

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Catalyst Constellations co-founders, Tracey Lovejoy and Shannon Lucas, about what it means to be a change Catalyst, why these individuals are often misunderstood in the workplace, and how Catalysts can leverage their strengths to help organizations successfully innovate and change, without burning out in the process.

As leaders and co-authors of the book Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out., Tracey and Shannon share how their personal and professional experiences led them to identify a distinct group of people who are visionary and action-oriented and how understanding this group, called Catalysts, can transform how change leaders work, collaborate, and thrive.

Tracey Lovejoy is a visionary leader dedicated to empowering Catalysts and driving transformative change. After leaving her leadership role at Microsoft, she built a research base around a group of high-energy changemakers and formed Catalyst Constellations with Shannon Lucas in 2017.

Shannon Lucas, a global innovation leader with more than two decades of experience driving intrapreneurship within Fortune 500 companies and startups, found her own “aha” moment when working with Tracey—realizing that being a Catalyst explained both her passion and burnout cycles. Together, they now help Catalysts thrive and lead sustainable change.

During the episode, Jessica, Tracey, and Shannon explore the five key attributes that define a Catalyst, how their unique wiring can both accelerate change and unintentionally create friction, and why self-awareness, humility, and energy management are critical for long-term success.

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ What it means to be a Catalyst, and why these future-focused individuals are essential for helping organizations adapt, innovate, and stay ahead in complex, ever-changing environments

☑️ How Catalyst traits like speed, intensity, and rapid iteration can become a barrier to change without the right guardrails, and why learning to listen, slow down, and lead with humility is essential for impact

☑️ Why burnout is common among Catalysts, and how understanding your own energy and decoupling your identity from your ideas can help prevent it

If you’ve ever felt like the only one pushing for change—or wondered why leading innovation feels so exhausting—this episode will make you feel seen. Tune in to learn how to work with your Catalyst nature, not against it!

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Christy Ritchie, Director of Organizational Change Leadership at Stanford Health Care and the Founder of Navigation Partners, a change management consulting firm, about the importance of understanding how organizational changes impact people, and why change management skills need to be a part of every leadership toolkit.

As a leader in human capital, Christy leverages her Doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership and my MBA to design and implement Human Capital solutions that align with strategic business priorities, organizational culture, and stakeholder interests. She has over two decades of experience in leading and consulting on change management, communications, training, culture, staffing, and leadership development initiatives for diverse and complex clients across various industries and sectors.

During the conversation, Jessica and Christy discuss how the people-side of change is often overlooked, especially during technology implementations and M&A. Says Christy, “From a business perspective, we’re so focused on finding the right application and making sure it’s customized to meet our business process flow, that we’re very rarely thinking about how people are going to react.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ Why leaders must get input from the people who are impacted directly by a change, versus relying solely on their knowledge of how they think the work is being done

☑️ How change management skills are more than just managing people and communication, and why they need to be part of the standard leadership toolkit

☑️ An overview of how to build the right team to support change implementation, and the value of including stakeholders with different perspectives

If you want to learn more about why change management is an essential leadership skill, be sure to tune in and hear what Christy has to say!

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Renelle Everett Darr, founder of InSight Coaching & Consulting and host of Conscious Insights: Strategies for Leadership Evolution podcast and video series, about conscious leadership and consciousness awakening for change leaders.

Renelle is deeply committed to activating evolved workplaces that nurture and fuel human potential and organizational growth. She works with CEO's, top teams, and organizations to navigate this ever-changing, complex landscape. With over 25 years of global transformation expertise, she brings an energetic and inspiring presence to leadership and organizational transformation. She is known for her ability to see the bigger picture, help leaders and teams integrate the head and heart, and make courageous leaps forward.

During the conversation, Renelle shared her definition of conscious leadership and how she explains it to people she supports in her work. Says Renelle, “Conscious leadership is a shift from being fully in our heads, reactive, and triggered to really leading with our whole self, meaning also our bodies. Our gifts come from the same place a lot of our triggers come from and how we learned to keep ourselves safe, and that shows up in leadership.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ A deep look at conscious leadership and how our triggers and gifts show up in our work as change leaders

☑️ The impact of perfectionism on change leaders in the workplace

☑️ How to develop self-awareness as a change leader when you don’t have direct access to a coach to support the process

If you want to learn more about conscious leadership, be sure to tune in and hear what Renelle has to say!

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Shana Bosler, Director of Learning and Development at Emergenetics International, about behavioral preferences and how our preferences influence individual change attitudes.

Shana Bosler is the Director of Coaching, Learning & Development at Emergenetics International, where she leads global initiatives in professional development, team dynamics, and leadership training. As an Emergenetics Master Associate, she has certified hundreds of professionals in the Emergenetics theory, equipping them to foster cognitive diversity and enhance organizational performance. D

uring the conversation, Jessica and Shana discussed resistance to change and how to reframe it from a behavioral preference perspective based on Emergenetics’ tool. Says Shana, “Some individuals may need more time to get on board because they’re energized by pushing the original decision forward. There’s a gift in that because a lot of times, the first decision was the right one. Sometimes, these folks could be perceived as resistors, but they’re bringing a gift to the organization in pushing forward the original decision and freeing up time to do other things.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ How understanding behavioral preferences can help change leaders be more effective and navigate change

☑️ How colleagues can share similar behavioral preferences but show up differently due to situational differences, and how these factors emerge in the workplace

☑️ A dive into the behavior of flexibility and how it manifests through the lens of change

If you want to learn more about behavioral preferences and their influence, be sure to tune in and hear what Shana has to say!