Leadership in Real Life - Raw Stories of Leading and Learning for the Everyday Manager
Episodes
Ep. 30 Empowering Leadership: The Art of Letting Go
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Erika Taylor-Beck discusses the common misconception among new managers that they are helping their teams by doing the work for them. She emphasizes t...
Ep. 29 One-on-One Meetings
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation, Erika Taylor-Beck discusses the significance of one-on-one meetings between managers and employees.She emphasizes the need for r...
Ep. 28 Importance of Reverse Shadowing and Getting Different Perspectives
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation, Erika Taylor-Beck discusses the concept of reverse shadowing and its significance for leaders. She emphasizes the need for leade...
Ep. 27 Lessons in Leadership: Accountability and Expectations
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation, Erika Taylor-Beck discusses the critical role of accountability in leadership, using personal anecdotes and professional insight...
Ep. 26: Employee Termination - Best Practices for Firing an Employee
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Erika Taylor-Beck discusses the challenging process of terminating an employee, offering guidance on how to handle it professionally ...
Ep. 25 Navigating the Messy Middle: Insights from Andrea Liebross
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Erika Taylor-Beck as she welcomes Andrea Liebross, founder of Andrea Liebross Coaching, author, and host of the podcast, "She Thinks Big," to dis...
Ep. 24 From Burnout to Boundaries -- A Conversation with Chelsey Kramer
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Leadership in Real Life, host Erika Taylor-Beck sits down with career coach Chelsey Kramer for an honest and insightful conversatio...
Ep. 23 Leading by Example: The Leadership Skill That Speaks Louder Than Words
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do the most trusted and effective leaders have in common? They walk their talk. In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked but powerful lea...
Ep. 22 Walk Before You Run - Why Leaders Should be Good Managers First (Hillary Emer)
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation, Erika Taylor-Beck and Hillary Emer discuss the nuances of management and leadership, emphasizing the importance of feedback, und...
Ep. 21 You’re Not Bad at Delegating—You’re Just Vague as Hell
11 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most leaders are not good at delegating, but it's because they're not taught how to do it effectively. Even in our personal lives, we make ass...
Ep. 20 Empowering Leaders & Entrepreneurs: Abby Mundell on Fractional CMO Insights, Emotional Intelligence & Workplace Culture
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation, Abby Mundell shares her journey as a fractional CMO and her passion for helping female entrepreneurs navigate the complexities o...
Ep. 19 Balancing AI Efficiency with Human-Centered Leadership
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Leadership in Real Life, Erika Taylor-Beck discusses the intersection of AI and leadership, emphasizing the importance of balancing...
Ep. 18 Overcoming Bad Leadership, Managing Change, and Building Emotional Intelligence (with James Gorman)
26 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Leadership in Real Life, Erika Taylor-Beck interviews James Gorman on leadership challenges, toxic workplaces, generational shifts,...
Ep. 17 The Emotional Toll of Leadership: Boundaries, Empathy & Team Dynamics with Jenny Bramble
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the emotional complexities of leadership in this episode of Leadership in Real Life. Erika Taylor-Beck talks with Jenny Bramble, VP at Zen Hea...
Ep. 16 From Tech Sales to Entrepreneurship: Samantha Burmeister on Leadership, Team Dynamics & Workplace Culture
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Leadership in Real Life, host Erika Taylor-Beck chats with Samantha Burmeister, founder of Nomad Copy Agency, about her evolution f...
Ep. 15 Leading Through Toxicity: Emotional Labor, Authenticity & Systemic Change
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this powerful episode of Leadership in Real Life, Erika Taylor-Beck explores the emotional labor leaders carry when navigating toxic workplace cult...
Ep. 14 Burnout & Boundaries: Real Talk for Leaders on Emotional Fatigue and Self-Care
19 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling overwhelmed or emotionally exhausted? In this episode of Leadership in Real Life, Erika Taylor-Beck unpacks the signs of burnout, shares pract...
Ep. 13 Why Great Leaders Document Everything: The Power of Written Communication
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into a powerful but often overlooked leadership skill: documentation. Whether you're managing a team, running a business,...
Ep. 12 Leading with Confidence (Even When You Don’t Have All the Answers)
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Struggling with decision-making as a leader? The pressure to have all the answers can be overwhelming, but great leadership isn’t about knowing ever...
Ep. 11 Master Your Time: Time Management for Leaders: Maximize Productivity & Lead Effectively
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As a leader, your time is your most valuable asset. Are you managing it effectively? In this episode, we explore the time management strategies that t...
Ep. 10 Empathy in Leadership: How Understanding Your Team Creates Stronger Workplace Culture
22 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the power of empathy in leadership and how it can transform your workplace culture. Learn how empathetic leaders build t...
Ep. 9 Mastering Executive Presence - Command Respect and Advance Your Leadership Skills and Career
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you ready to transform your leadership impact? In this powerful 17-minute episode, we break down the science and art of executive presence - that ...
Ep. 8 Effective Delegation for Sustainable Leadership
16 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you drowning in tasks as a leader? In this game-changing episode of Leadership in Real Life, we dive deep into effective delegation - the critical...
Ep 7. Benefits of Leadership Coaching
16 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Coaching is a hot topic right now, but what are the benefits of hiring an external leadership coach? They provide confidentiality and psychological sa...
How the Fear of Being Liked Impacts Leadership and Decision-Making (James R. Elliot)
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
James R. Elliot is a business coach, author, and the founder of Unleash Your Power. James and I talked about the ways the fear of being liked can impa...
Redefining Leadership
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We often think of leadership as a position or a role within an organization, but many people can be considered leaders, even without the title. Leader...
Building Emotional Intelligence for Management Success
09 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Relationships are at the heart of being a leader and an entrepreneur. By mastering emotional intelligence, you will have a better foundation for build...
Building Credibility as a New Manager
02 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Being a new manager can be difficult - there is so much to learn and so many people to meet. Erika provides some tips to help new managers get started...
Learning how to step out of the shadows to be seen
01 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TW: Mentions of Sexual Abuse and Self-InjuryErika explains the circumstances that led her to move to North Carolina. She also talks about aligning wit...
Leadership In Real Life - Intro Episode (2.28.25)
01 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm Erika Taylor-Beck, founder of Authentic Foundations.This is my first, official episode of Leadership in Real Life. It's morphed a bit from it's in...