What if the biggest leadership challenge isn’t managing others but managing yourself?

In this episode of Leaderish: Leadership lessons straight up, hosts Regina Taute and Doris Dunn sit down with Gayathri Rhiddi, Executive Coach and Founder of Realize to Win, to explore conscious leadership and the deep inner work that drives authentic, effective leadership.

Gayathri introduces her SIRE Model, a practical framework that helps leaders strengthen self-awareness, regulate emotions, and express their values with clarity and impact. Together, they unpack how conscious leadership isn’t just a mindset but a discipline, a daily practice of presence, accountability, and grace.

You’ll learn:

✅ What conscious leadership really means in modern organizations

✅ How the SIRE Model (Self-Awareness, Inspiration, Regulation, Expression) helps leaders grow from the inside out

✅ How to pause and shift behavior using Gayathri’s “Halt, Rise, and Shift” method

✅ Why presence, intention, and accountability are essential to leading consciously

✅ How self-reflection and nervous system awareness create stronger, calmer leaders

Whether you’re a leader, coach, or HR professional, this conversation will help you connect neuroscience, mindfulness, and leadership strategy in practical ways.

Listen for These Key Moments

00:00 – Introduction: What is conscious leadership?

03:40 – The SIRE Model explained

10:50 – The role of presence and intentionality in leadership

17:30 – How to regulate emotions and retrain your nervous system

23:45 – Halt, Rise, and Shift: A behavioral reset for leaders

31:00 – The power of grace and self-accountability

39:00 – Final reflections on awareness, alignment, and inner growth

Download the SIRE Model Framework

Access Gayathri’s website and free SIRE Model Resource here: https://realizetowin.com

About Leaderish

Leaderish: Leadership lessons straight up is hosted by Regina Taute, Leadership and Talent Management Coach, and Doris Dunn, Executive Coach and Leadership Strategist. Each episode explores wildly practical ways to grow as a conscious, effective leader. No jargon, just real conversations that help you lead better and live better.

Connect with Us

👉 Subscribe for more leadership and coaching conversations:@LeaderishPodcast

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts

💼 Learn more about Leadership and Interview Coaching with Regina at https://collectivegrowthcc.com

💼 Learn more about Business Coaching with Doris: https://www.dunnwise.com

conscious leadership, leadership podcast, self-awareness for leaders, executive coaching, leadership development, emotional intelligence, mindfulness in leadership, conscious leader model, SIRE model, Gayathri Rhiddi, Realize to Win, Regina Taute, Doris Dunn, inner work for leaders, behavioral shift, leadership presence, self regulation, leadership mindset, women in leadership, authentic leadership

Episode: S4E20 – Hiring Smarter, Not Harder: What Every Manager Should Know

Guest: Joel Schwann, Founder of Schwann Stratifier

In this follow-up to one of our most popular job-seeker episode, we flip the script. This week, Leaderish co-hosts Doris Dunn and Regina Taute welcome back Joel Schwann to explore the other side of the hiring equation — what hiring managers can do to find, evaluate, and retain great talent more effectively.

Joel brings nearly a decade of experience in HR, recruiting, and workforce planning. Together, they dig into the practical and often overlooked parts of hiring that make or break the process — from writing a solid job description to avoiding “permanent contractors” and ensuring fairness across interviews.

💡 Highlights:

• The power of a strong job description and why most companies skip this critical step.
• How to determine whether you really need a contractor or a full-time employee.
• The importance of setting clear non-negotiables (and stopping at five).
• Why structured interviews matter — and how to avoid bias.
• How many interviews are too many (hint: fewer than you think).
• Real talk about AI screening, candidate experience, and ghosting.
• What organizations like Amazon are getting wrong about unpaid interview projects.

Whether you’re leading a team or building one, this episode is packed with practical strategies to help you hire smarter, faster, and more humanely.

Sequence:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome Back

00:38 Discussing Job Market Trends

01:44 Introducing Joel Schwan and Workforce Planning

02:16 Challenges for Hiring Managers

04:58 Importance of Job Descriptions

07:16 Evaluating Resumes and Skills

14:18 Interview Questions and Techniques

18:37 Structured Interviews and Fairness

19:41 How Many Interviews Are Necessary?

19:56 The Ideal Interview Process

20:20 Panel Interviews and Exceptions

20:42 Candidate Experience Matters

21:39 Interviewing for Different Levels

26:18 Efficient Interview Scheduling

32:05 The Role of Assessments

36:44 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

🎧 Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.

📩 Want to be a guest? Email us at leaderishpodcast@gmail.com

We'd love to connect! You can find us in all of these places:

• Regina
• • Email: regina@collectivegrowthcc.com
  • Website: https://www.collectivegrowthcc.com
  • Newsletter subscription: https://collectivegrowthcc.com/resources#blog
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginataute
  • Free Coaching Session: https://calendly.com/collective_growth/complimentary-30-min-coaching-session
• Doris
• • Email: doris@dunnwise.com
  • Website: https://www.dunnwise.com
  • Newsletter subscription: https://www.dunnwise.com/blog
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
  • Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call
• Joel:
• • Website: https://www.schwanstratifyr.com/
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelschwan/
  • Free Resume Template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16yPPIAnFpzM1Xfc-BdGMnByM19wgsUqe/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114233432138195416514&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Free AI Resume Assistant: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-ldX568rNT-schwan-stratifyr-resume-assistant

In this episode of Leaderish: Leadership Lessons Straight Up, Doris and Regina sit down with Jennifer Miller—psychological scientist, statistician, and co-founder of Millan Chicago—to explore the power of telling a story with data.

Jennifer shares how her background in psychological science and statistics gives her a unique lens for helping organizations turn complex data into actionable insights. Together, we discuss:

• Why defining what you measure matters more than the numbers themselves
• How data can reveal stories about culture, retention, and employee experience
• The difference between organizational-level insights and team-level action
• Why communication, transparency, and trust are essential when sharing survey results
• How curiosity and context help leaders stitch together data points into a bigger, more meaningful story

Jennifer also gives us a fascinating peek into her research journey—from bird vocalizations to people analytics—and how the science of human behavior shapes the way leaders can use data to make better decisions.

Whether you love numbers or dread them, this episode will change the way you think about data and storytelling in leadership.

Sequence:

00:00 Introduction and Warm Welcome

01:00 Meet Jennifer Miller: Background and Expertise

02:01 The Importance of Data in Organizations

03:56 Engagement and Culture Measurement

06:26 Challenges in Data Collection and Utilization

13:24 Confidentiality and Anonymity in Surveys

16:22 Using Data to Drive Organizational Change

22:44 Addressing Employee Feedback on Food Options

23:23 The Importance of Transparency and Trust

26:12 Predicting Employee Engagement

28:34 Combining Data for a Holistic Employee Story

30:16 Jennifer Miller's Academic Journey

31:36 Fascinating Insights into Bird Studies

38:43 Final Thoughts and Aha Moments

39:25 Closing Remarks and Call to Action

We'd love to connect! You can find us in all of these places:

• Regina
• • Email: regina@collectivegrowthcc.com
  • Website: https://www.collectivegrowthcc.com
  • Newsletter subscription: https://collectivegrowthcc.com/resources#blog
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginataute
  • Free Coaching Session: https://calendly.com/collective_growth/complimentary-30-min-coaching-session
• Doris
• • Email: doris@dunnwise.com
  • Website: https://www.dunnwise.com
  • Newsletter subscription: https://www.dunnwise.com/blog
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
  • Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call
• Jennifer:
• • Email: jennifer@millanchicago.com
  • Website: https://www.millanchicago.com/
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermiller3/