The Leading Below the Surface Podcast with LaTonya Wilkins

Honest conversations on grounded leadership, identity, and what it means to lead and coach below the surface. Hosted by LaTonya Wilkins — award-winning executive coach and author of Leading Below the Surface — this podcast goes beyond strategy and into the real work: who you are, how you lead, and what becomes possible when you start leading below the surface. For leaders, coaches, and anyone navigating growth with intention. Learn more at changecoaches.io. Subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter at https://change-coaches.kit.com/profile

The Leading Below the Surface Podcast with LaTonya Wilkins is a education podcast hosted by LaTonya Wilkins, with 72 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

LaTonya Wilkins hosts The Leading Below the Surface Podcast with LaTonya Wilkins, a education show with 72 episodes published.

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  The Leading Below the Surface Podcast with LaTonya Wilkins

  On the Other Side — Identity, Cancer, and Grounded Leadership with Shaylee Robanske

  Sep 8, 202635 min

  What happens when the life you've carefully built gets interrupted by a diagnosis you never saw coming? In this episode of Leading Below the Surface, LaTonya Wilkins talks with Shaylee Robanske, an Operations Division Manager for the City of Portland and a past Coaching Below the Surface™ participant, about receiving an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis with no family history and no symptoms, and how she led herself through six months of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. They get into how a childhood in sports and sixteen years as a 911 dispatcher shaped her ability to stay calm under pressure, what her family went through alongside her, and what she now calls "Shaylee 2.0." This one is for you if you've ever had to lead yourself through something you never prepared for. Prefer to watch? This episode is also available on YouTube with chapters: https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts Episode Chapters & Key Moments [00:00] A mammogram changes everything with no warning signs. [00:36] Meet Shaylee, a Coaching Below the Surface™ alum from Portland, OR. [02:08] Growing up in sports and watching the WNBA's Portland Fire take off. [04:05] Sports-taught leadership: communication, focus, leading through adversity. [07:31] The point guard mindset of knowing when to step in or back off. [10:58] Shaylee's role: leading Portland's maintenance operation of 95 staff, $27M budget, 25 programs. [13:03] No history, no symptoms: a routine mammogram leads to a cancer diagnosis. [16:12] Cancer-free now: surgery, chemo, radiation, ongoing meds, and a clinical trial. [18:29] The real experience of "going below the surface", grace and slowing down. [21:13] Her wife's emotional journey through the diagnosis. [22:39] Her advice is to get screened, trust your body. [23:56] Staying grounded through coaching. [24:31] 16 years as a 911 dispatcher — the source of her calm. [27:57] Dispatch lessons: de-escalation, judgment, staying organized under pressure. [28:58] Turning 50 mid-treatment and becoming "Shaylee 2.0." [32:56] Saying no, taking feedback, and re-entering work as a leader. [34:17] Where to find and follow Shaylee. Learn More Send me an email: info@changecoaches.io Join our Coaching Below the Surface Waitlist: https://changecoaches.io/coaching-below-the-surface-interest-form/ Coaching Below the Surface™ (ICF-approved program): https://changecoaches.io/coaching-below-the-surface/ Leading Below the Surface newsletter (semi-monthly): https://change-coaches.kit.com/profile Change Coaches on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts Follow Change Coaches on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/change-coaches Connect with LaTonya Wilkins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latonyawilkins/ Connect with Shaylee on LinkedIn: Shaylee R TAGS #LeadingBelowTheSurface #CoachingBelowTheSurface #BreastCancerAwareness #LeadershipDevelopment #CancerSurvivor #WomenInLeadership #AuthenticLeadership #ChangeCoaches #ICFCoaching #PublicServiceLeadership

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  The Leading Below the Surface Podcast with LaTonya Wilkins

  Episode 72: Human Connection at Work Is Broken. Here's What Actually Works

  Aug 18, 202641 min

  What if the highest-ROI program in your organization isn't a new tool or a new hire, but a mentoring program built on psychological safety? LaTonya Wilkins talks with Artimisha Curl, Head of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Belonging at El Camino Health, about the mentoring pilot they built from the ground up, why most programs fail before they start, what happens when mentors and mentees stop being separated, and why leaders learned as much as the people they mentored. Prefer to watch? This episode is also available on YouTube Change Coaches on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts Episode Chapters & Key Moments [00:00] Welcome back & meet today's guest: Artimisha Curl A 23-year HR veteran who built something unexpected For anyone building community, making a business case or supporting burnt-out leaders [03:00] What sparked the mentoring program pilot The gap between talent and access Why potential is everywhere, but access is not [06:00] Equity, access, & who mentorship is really for Not a stereotypical mentoring cohort: that was the point Why leaders need expanded networks [09:00] Cross-functional matching: pairing a chief legal officer with marketing Why matching "just like us" reproduces inequity How intentional, non-obvious pairing opened the organization's eco-system [12:00] Why this program went beyond traditional mentoring The truth about voluntold mentoring programs What made people actually want to show up [15:00] The learning series: psychological safety, belonging & leading across differences Four workshops gave people shared language for what they felt The moment "psychological safety" clicked for healthcare leaders [18:00] What mentors & executive leaders actually got out of it Truth: C-suite leaders are hungry for development Why mixing mentors & mentees changed everything [21:00] The art and science of matching: how blind trust became a game changer What happens when people don't fully understand each other's daily roles Why that trust built the strongest cross-functional partnerships [24:00] Measuring benefits beyond the traditional survey Artimisha hears about the program in unexpected spaces What self-sustaining development looks like [27:00] The subgroups that formed all on their own Thursday's session nobody planned and why it mattered When psychological safety outlives the program [30:00] From pilot to permanent: building the internal pipeline Why pipelines aren't built by accident Developing talent from the inside out not just recruiting from outside [33:00] The application process and keeping access equitable How vetting works, and who's eligible Balancing structure with genius accessibility [36:00] The ripple effect on culture Why culture changes slowly and then all at once Micro-cultural shifts on teams that never touched the program directly [39:00] How to sell this program to your boss The vision is clear, the ROI data isn't there yet Finding change agents to carry the vision [42:00] Talking points for the ROI skeptics Tangible vs intangible ROI The story matters as much as the numbers [44:00] Remote workers, wellness & where to find Artimisha A lifeline for people working from home Where to connect with Artimisha Learn More Email: info@changecoaches.io Coaching Below the Surface Waitlist: https://changecoaches.io/coaching-below-the-surface-interest-form/ Coaching Below the Surface (ICF-approved): https://changecoaches.io/coaching-below-the-surface/ Newsletter: https://change-coaches.kit.com/profile Change Coaches on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts Change Coaches on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/change-coaches LaTonya Wilkins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latonyawilkins/ Artimisha Curl on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/artimisha-curl #LeadingBelowTheSurface #MentorshipMatters #PsychologicalSafety #DEIB #LeadershipDevelopment #TalentDevelopment #HealthcareLeadership #WorkplaceCulture #InternalMobility #ICFCoaching #ChangeCoaches

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  The Leading Below the Surface Podcast with LaTonya Wilkins

  Stop Marketing Harder. Become a Better Coach — and Connector.

  Jul 21, 202615 min

  What if becoming a better coach and connector, not just a better marketer, is the real path to sustainable growth? In this solo episode of Leading Below the Surface, LaTonya Wilkins gets honest about why so many coaches and leaders are stuck doing all the right activities and still not breaking through. She unpacks the difference between surface-level networking and below-the-surface connection, why the people who seem to "get ahead" often crash out, and what it actually means to differentiate yourself in an AI age, not with tools, but with identity. Prefer to watch? This episode is also available on YouTube with chapters: https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts Episode Chapters & Key Moments [00:00] Welcome back & announcements from Change Coaches LaTonya returns with a solo deep dive: the first in a while. Updates on the newsletter, YouTube, and what's coming next [03:00] Coaching Below the Surface™ — two cohorts coming September 2026. What the program is, who it's for, and why it exists. The link between the book Leading Below the Surface and this training [06:00] Marketing & networking on the surface vs. connecting below it. Are these two things mutually exclusive? LaTonya says yes. Why below-the-surface connection is more sustainable, more grounded, and more aligned [09:00] Two coaches who felt like they weren't "real" coaches. The coach gets clients but unable to go deeper with them. The coach with an ACC who still didn't feel like a coach [12:00] The leader who networks well but crashes out every time. Why the people who seem to get everything often don't last. What LaTonya has seen happen when values and skill aren't aligned [15:00] Short term appearance vs. long term reality. The most important distinction in this episode. Why chasing short-term wins is a losing long game. [18:00] Lizzo, AI, and why the leveling is already happening. What a flopped album has to do with your coaching business. Why AI is a tool and not the differentiator everyone thinks it is [21:00] Your differentiator isn't a tool, it's your identity as a leader. What LaTonya means by identity (and what she doesn't). The questions that most coaches and leaders never get around to asking [24:00] What competent coaches and great leaders have in common. They don't chase clients and they don't have unmanageable team issues. How staying ahead is a byproduct of going deeper [27:00] What to do next. How to go deeper with Coaching Below the Surface™. Where to find LaTonya and stay connected Learn More Send me an email: info@changecoaches.io Join our Coaching Below the Surface Waitlist: https://changecoaches.io/coaching-below-the-surface-interest-form/ Coaching Below the Surface™ (ICF-approved, September 2026 cohorts): https://changecoaches.io/coaching-below-the-surface/ Leading Below the Surface newsletter (semi-monthly): https://change-coaches.kit.com/profile Change Coaches on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts Follow Change Coaches on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/change-coaches Connect with LaTonya Wilkins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latonyawilkins/

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  The Leading Below the Surface Podcast with LaTonya Wilkins

  EP 70: Is Organizational Coaching Actually Working? AI, Capacity & the Truth About Coaching in Organizations

  Jul 16, 202652 min

  Why do companies hire a coach instead of fixing the real problem? In this episode of Leading Below the Surface, LaTonya Wilkins sits down with Katherine Lord, MSW, LSW, Director of Organizational Member Experience at ICF Coaching in Organizations for a candid conversation about what coaching actually does and doesn't do, why “ROI” is the wrong lens for measuring its impact, and how organizations sometimes use coaching to avoid holding up the mirror to themselves. From the “barge in a canal” theory of organizational change to why an AI coach will never replace a human one, this episode goes below the surface of what coaching in companies really looks like. 🎥 Prefer to watch? This episode is also available on YouTube with chapters: https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts Episode Chapters & Key Moments [00:00] Welcome & introducing Katherine Lord [04:29] Katherine's path from social work to coaching at ICF [08:06] “Therapy's backward, coaching's forward” [12:12] Return on Investment vs. Return on Expectation (ROE) [16:27] Why there's no clean ROI formula for coaching [20:28] The case for humans over widget, and over AI, as the investment [22:48] Organizational coaching is still coaching [24:53] Do orgs hire coaches to avoid systemic problems? [29:53] A real case study: burnout, silos, and a mirror the org wasn't ready for [31:31] Where AI and coaching actually intersect [35:09] AI as a “capacity builder” and not a magic pill [37:58] Tech backlash: why forcing AI adoption backfires [42:14] “We scale what we value” [43:25] Human-to-human connection vs. talking to Alexa [45:48] What should orgs look for when hiring a coach? [48:47] Debunking the myth that big companies only hire big coaching firms Associated Links 🔹 Katherine Lord: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineblord/ 🔹 ICF Coaching in Organizations: https://coachingfederation.org/about/the-icf-ecosystem/icf-coaching-in-organization/ 🔹 International Coaching Federation: https://coachingfederation.org 🔹 Explore Coaching Below the Surface™ (ICF-approved): https://changecoaches.io/coaching-below-the-surface/ 🔹 Follow Change Coaches on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/change-coaches 🔹 LaTonya Wilkins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latonyawilkins/ 🔹 If this conversation resonated, come go deeper with me. I send a semi-monthly newsletter on grounded leadership, identity, and what it means to lead below the surface. Join here: https://change-coaches.kit.com/profile TAGS #CoachingInOrganizations #ExecutiveCoaching #CoachingROI #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalChange #ICF #AIandCoaching #WorkplaceCulture #LeadingBelowTheSurface #ChangeCoaches

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  The Leading Below the Surface Podcast with LaTonya Wilkins

  EP 69: Why You Over-Function (and How to Stop)

  Jun 17, 202647 min

  What if healing your inner child could unlock the wisdom of your ancestors? In this episode of Leading Below the Surface, LaTonya Wilkins sits down with Tamala Floyd, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Psychotherapist, and the first Black IFS lead trainer for a raw and revelatory conversation about Internal Family Systems (IFS), ancestral trauma, and what it really takes to heal below the surface. From navigating white-dominated spaces to transforming inherited rage, Tamala shares how IFS can reach the communities that need it most and how you can start your own healing journey without ever stepping into a therapy office. 🎥 Prefer to watch? This episode is also available on YouTube with chapters: https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts Episode Chapters [00:00] Welcome & introducing Tamala Floyd LaTonya shares how she discovered Tamala's book through a previous guest Why she's fangirling — and what makes this conversation different [03:15] Being the first Black IFS lead trainer How Tamala came to IFS through The Body Keeps the Score What it means to be a gatekeeper — and why representation in leadership matters [07:30] Bringing IFS into Black and marginalized communities Why language and framing matter when working across cultures The "storyteller part" — and why Tamala pushed back on the traditional IFS approach [11:00] What IFS actually is — and why it's not a fad Parts, protectors, and getting to the root of trauma (not just managing it) [15:00] LaTonya's personal IFS session & the ten-year-old within A vulnerable share about divorce, displacement, and emotional catharsis What it felt like to finally talk to her younger self [18:00] Tamala's ten-year-old — abandonment, rejection, and healing How Tamala's own wound shaped her people-pleasing and rage What happened when that part finally released its burden [20:30] Reconnecting with your inner child through travel, play, and joy How Tamala's ten-year-old "drags her by the hand" to the beach Why adult joy doesn't have to look exactly like childhood joy — just carry its spirit [26:00] Where to start: what's not working & what triggers you Two entry points for doing your own IFS work The question to ask yourself when a protective part shows up: What am I afraid would happen if I didn't do this? [31:00] Jealousy, envy, and the fixed vs. growth mindset What envy is really protecting — and the scarcity wound underneath Why two things can be true at once [34:00] Parts, contradictions, and why you're not inconsistent How to make sense of holding opposing beliefs at the same time "You're dealing with two different parts of me" — the most freeing reframe [37:00] Legacy burdens and bringing in ancestral wisdom Tamala's original contribution to IFS: inviting ancestors in to release inherited wounds Why it's not your burden to carry — and how to let it go for your whole lineage [41:00] Altars, ancestors, and practical ways to connect Where to start if you want to connect with your ancestors today Plants, photos, and conversations — small acts with big resonance [43:00] Healing Works Academy — IFS for everyone Why Tamala created an online space for self-guided IFS healing [45:00] Where to find Tamala & final thoughts Resources, platforms, and how to go deeper with this work Resources 🔹 Tamala Floyd: https://tamalafloyd.com 🔹 Healing Works Academy: https://www.tamalafloyd.com/work-with-me/ 🔹 Book: Listening When Parts Speak — available at Bookshop.org 🔹 Explore Coaching Below the Surface™ (ICF-approved): https://changecoaches.io/coaching-below-the-surface/ 🔹 Follow Change Coaches on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/change-coaches 🔹 LaTonya Wilkins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latonyawilkins/ 🔹 If this conversation resonated, come go deeper with me. I send a semi-monthly newsletter on grounded leadership, identity, and what it means to lead below the surface. Join here: https://change-coaches.kit.com/profile

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