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The Well-led Podcast

The Well-led Podcast

By: WRKdefined Podcast Network
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Where professionalism meets imperfection. The Well-led Podcast invites leaders to explore the space where the need to get results meets the reality of managing people. Discover how to demonstrate care, support, and grace for your team–because the workplace needs human leaders. https://www.one23ltd.com Formerly the comfy chairs podcast.All rights reserved by WRKdefined Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Go play

    Go play
    Aug 11 2026
    Creativity is often misunderstood as artistic talent or spontaneous inspiration, but effective leaders know it is something much more practical. Creativity is the ability to imagine new possibilities, solve problems, adapt to uncertainty, and create environments where innovation can flourish. In this episode, Kate Johnson is joined by Glory Lichon, Melissa Norcross, and Kristen Pavle and Dave Gorum of Play Into Being to explore what creativity looks like in everyday leadership. Together they discuss the role of self-trust, self-awareness, psychological safety, experimentation, collaboration, and play in creating workplaces where people feel safe enough to think differently. Rather than treating creativity as an individual talent, they describe it as something leaders intentionally cultivate through the environments they create, the questions they ask, and the freedom they provide for others to contribute their best ideas. Whether you're leading a department, building a business, or simply trying to think more creatively about the challenges in front of you, this conversation offers practical ideas for creating the conditions where better thinking—and better leadership—can emerge. Guest Information, listed alphabetically Dave Gorum is the Co-founder of Play Into Being, who has turned his aspirations of being an animator into a business designed to support creative founders. He describes his role as that of a Producer, informed by a core belief: Your project is alive and it chose you to come into being. The way you treat it is the way you treat yourself. Together with partner Kristen Pavle, Dave runs workshops, incubators, and 1:1 producing engagements to help founders navigate that vulnerable space where vision meets reality, without losing what makes the work alive in the first place. Dave Gorum | LinkedIn Play Into Being Play Into Being | LinkedIn Glory Lichon is a founder, speaker, veteran, and mentor devoted to redefining how women lead. She is the co-founder and CEO of Glow Bright Therapy, a multi-state pediatric therapy organization, and the founder of Elevate Beyond Boundaries, where she guides women founders and leaders through embodied leadership, nervous system regulation, and aligned expansion. Glory also hosts The Embodied LeadHer podcast, where she shares honest conversations and reflections on leadership, identity, capacity, and self-trust for women who are ready to lead from a more grounded and aligned place. Glory Lichon - Glow Bright Therapy, LLC | LinkedIn Glow Bright Therapy Elevate Beyond Boundaries The Embodied LeadHer - Podcast Melissa Norcross is the co-founder of Ad Lucem Group, an Executive Moderator at Collaborative Gain,, and co-author of The Intentional Executive, a purpose-driven playbook to transform leadership. She leverages her 20+ years as a strategy executive to coach and develop leaders who deliver extraordinary results while building highly engaged, collaborative teams. Melissa Norcross | LinkedIn Ad Lucem Group Kristen Pavle is Partner and Co-founder at Play Into Being where she blends producing, community, and education to help creative leaders bring their visions to life. As a relational designer, her background is in co-creating community ecosystems that prioritize collaboration, innovation, and meaningful connections. The throughline is finding play in your work, leading from the spark within you. LinkedIn profile: ⁠Kristen Pavle | LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Play Into Being⁠ ⁠Play Into Being | LinkedIn⁠ Key takeaways Creativity is not artistic ability; it is the leadership practice of imagining possibilities, solving problems, and making better decisions. Creative leadership begins with self-trust. Leaders who understand their values and purpose are better able to discern which ideas deserve attention. Self-awareness is essential because creativity flourishes under different conditions for different people. Leaders should intentionally create environments that support their own best thinking. Innovation requires psychological safety. Employees are far more willing to contribute ideas when they know mistakes are treated as opportunities to learn rather than reasons for blame. Failure and creativity are inseparable companions. Experimentation is only possible when people are free to discover what does and does not work. Leaders are responsible for designing environments—not controlling outcomes. The role of leadership is to create the conditions where creativity can emerge. Structure and creativity are not opposites. The most effective leaders balance clear expectations with enough flexibility to allow new ideas to develop. Well-designed prompts, thoughtful questions, and playful exercises help teams become more comfortable thinking creatively together. Creativity is collaborative. Leaders create better ideas by inviting multiple perspectives rather than relying solely on their own expertise. Choosing grace means giving people the room ...
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    28 mins
  • An expression of critical thinking

    An expression of critical thinking
    Aug 4 2026
    What does creativity have to do with leadership? More than you might think. When many people hear the word creativity, they picture artists, musicians, or designers. In reality, and in leadership, creativity is something much broader and much more essential. Rather than artistic talent, leadership creativity is an expression of critical thinking: the ability to generate ideas, recognize the right ideas, and create the conditions where people can think, experiment, and solve problems well. Throughout the episode, you'll discover practical leadership behaviors that make creativity visible in everyday work, through thoughtful decision-making, wise problem-solving, and the willingness to give people room to learn and grow. If you would like practical tools that accompany conversations like this one, you can request the current free leadership toolkit at https://www.one23ltd.com/toolkits Subscribers to the onetwentythree ltd newsletter receive these resources automatically each month. Key takeaways Creativity is not artistic ability. In leadership, creativity is the practical expression of critical thinking that helps people discover and implement the best ideas. Strong leaders balance three kinds of creativity: rational creativity that explores ideas, reasonable creativity that tests ideas, and empathetic creativity that ensures ideas work for people. Experimentation should be expected rather than feared. Leaders who normalize thoughtful trial and error build stronger judgment, greater learning, and better long-term results. Creativity is ultimately about making space—for questions, reflection, mistakes, curiosity, and growth. Those spaces are often where grace becomes visible in leadership. Timestamps 00:00 Why creativity belongs in leadership 01:45 Creativity as critical thinking 03:05 Rational creativity: asking better questions 05:52 Protecting time to think 06:32 Reasonable creativity: experimentation and learning 08:02 Saying no to the first idea 08:39 Empathetic creativity: designing for people 10:05 How creativity becomes grace Keywords leadership creativity, creativity in leadership, critical thinking, critical thinking for leaders, creative leadership, leadership innovation, workplace creativity, creative problem solving, creative thinking, leadership skills, innovation in the workplace, leadership development, empathetic leadership, employee creativity, psychological safety, employee engagement, problem solving, rational creativity, reasonable creativity, choosing grace, leadership podcast, leadership effectiveness, workplace innovation, innovation culture, strengths-based leadership
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    12 mins
  • Do not pretend to be perfect

    Do not pretend to be perfect
    Jul 28 2026
    Authentic leadership is not about revealing every emotion or lowering expectations. It is about accepting your humanity while remaining accountable for results. In this episode, you'll learn why grace is a leadership discipline rather than leniency, how psychological safety supports learning instead of comfort, why accountability and grace strengthen one another, and three practical habits that help leaders create cultures where people can learn, improve, and perform at a high level. If you would like practical tools that accompany conversations like this one, you can request the current free leadership toolkit at https://www.one23ltd.com/toolkits Subscribers to the onetwentythree ltd newsletter receive these resources automatically each month. Key Takeaways Grace changes a leader's response to mistakes without lowering expectations. Authenticity means accepting your humanity while remaining professional and accountable. Psychological safety exists to support learning, experimentation, and honest communication. Leaders create innovation by making thoughtful experimentation safe and expected. Self-compassion reduces perfectionism and strengthens resilience. Employees learn as much from how leaders respond to failure as they do from success. Accountability and grace work together to improve performance. Professionalism and imperfection are compatible. Admitting "I don't know" models courage and authenticity. Continuous improvement begins by asking, "What did we learn?" Timestamps 00:00 Grace is a leadership responsibility 00:50 What authentic leadership really means 02:08 Why psychological safety matters 03:17 Normalize experimentation and learning 04:11 Self-compassion improves leadership 04:57 Accountability and grace work together 05:55 Professionalism and imperfection belong together 06:53 Three habits of authentic leaders 08:02 Replace perfectionism with learning 09:58 Choose grace without lowering standards Keywords authentic leadership, leadership authenticity, psychological safety, accountability, leadership grace, self-compassion, continuous improvement, leadership development, workplace culture, human leadership
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    11 mins
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