How to Lead with Heart with Shaunna Black – Episode 361
Sep 22, 2026
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In this episode, I’m joined by Shaunna Black, a transformation and turnaround leader who has spent decades helping organizations navigate change and move from chaos to clarity. We talk about why successful transformation starts with people—not action plans—and why leaders must enter challenging situations as students first, listening, learning, and building trust before trying to fix anything.
Shaunna shares her approach to servant leadership, creating cultures rooted in trust and psychological safety, and leading from the inside out during times of uncertainty. We also explore the current challenges leaders are facing with disengagement, layoffs, AI, and organizational change—and why heart-centered leadership may be more important now than ever. At the heart of our conversation is a powerful reminder: relationship is the container in which all work is done.
Top 3 Takeaways:
1. Lead from the inside out.
Before you can effectively lead others through chaos, you have to develop self-awareness, practice self-care, and create calm within yourself.
2. Enter transformation as a student, not a hero.
Listen to people, understand the history, and build trust before coming in with solutions. People need to know that you care before they care what you know.
3. Make relationships the priority.
Your job as a leader isn't simply to get things done. It's to serve the people who get the work done—and create an environment where they feel safe, valued, connected, and empowered to succeed.n
Episode Minutes:
- Minute 5:00 - Leadership Roots: Culture Of Service, Sports and Family
- Minute 13:00 - How Purpose, Trust, Accountability, and servant leadership shape a healthy culture
- Minute 38:00 - How overwhelmed leaders need to tune out the noise and start with self-awareness and self-care.
- Minute 45:00 - Leading With Heart
Links + Resources from This Episode:
- Learn more about Shaunna’s work at www.shaunnablack.com
- Get Shaunna’s book, Leading with Heart
- Connect with Shaunna Black on LinkedIn
- Take the free 3-minute Authentic Imprint™ Assessment
- Get a copy of Dana’s book, The Internal Revolution: Lead Authentically and Build Your Personal Brand from Within
- Learn more about The Strengths Journal
About Shaunna Black
Shaunna Black is a heart-centered executive coach, speaker, author, and award-winning technology leader who helps high-performing executives and ascending leaders navigate the moments that matter most—whether a critical leadership transition, complex restructuring, underperforming business unit, or a new role without a roadmap. She delivers clarity, strategy, and courageous guidance that empowers smart, capable leaders to achieve extraordinary results.
With over two decades of experience spanning global technology, industrial manufacturing, and operations in 25+ countries, Shaunna is a former Fortune 500 executive, venture operating partner, and management consultant who has led billion-dollar M&A integrations, scaled global operations, and guided organizations through high-stakes crises—including the 2011 Japan tsunami and pandemic disruptions. Her approach is grounded in the conviction that when leaders thrive, so do the people and organizations around them.
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