Genevieve Retzlaff, founder and CEO of Grow Better Together, shares her vision for leadership as an ongoing journey that has 3 distinct phases and starts with self-awareness. By understanding our triggers and developing emotional intelligence, we can create a foundation for growth that empowers teams and organizations. Genevieve emphasizes the importance of building trust, fostering psychological safety, and embracing diversity to inspire collaboration and innovation. Her approach encourages us to lead with intention, adapt to challenges, and prepare our teams for long-term success.

Highlights

• Start with Self-Awareness: Discover how self-reflection and emotional intelligence are the foundation of strong leadership.
• Foster Psychological Safety: Learn how to create spaces where team members feel safe to share ideas and take risks.
• Embrace Vulnerability: Explore how openness and honest communication can build stronger, more connected teams.
• Diversity Drives Success: Understand how embracing diverse perspectives can enhance team innovation and performance.
• Create Space for Growth: See why intentional time for reflection and planning is essential for effective leadership development.

Resources Mentioned

The Inspire Your Team to Greatness assessment (the Courage Assessment)

How can you inspire our team to be more proactive, take ownership and get more done?

You demonstrate and empower The Courage of a Leader. In my nearly 3 decades of work with leaders, I’ve discovered the 11 things that leaders do – even very well-intentioned leaders do – that kill productivity.

In less than 10 minutes, find out where you’re empowering and inadvertently kills productivity, and get a custom report that will tell you step by step what you need to have your team get more done.

https://courageofaleader.com/inspireyourteam/

About the Guest:

Genevieve Retzlaff, founder and CEO of Grow Better Together, empowers leaders to transform into conscious, trust-building change agents. With over 15 years of expertise in HR partnership and talent development, coupled with 6+ years as a certified executive and team performance coach, she specializes in aligning human dynamics with business goals to foster authentic leadership and high-performing teams. Genevieve guides organizations through:

• Leadership transformation and team alignment
• Building capacity and efficiency for large-scale events in major venues
• Integrating human strategies with business objectives

She is passionate about helping leaders unlock their self-awareness, build trust, and create environments where teams thrive through values-driven, strengths-based leadership.

https://www.grow-better-together.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/grow-better-together/

The Grow Better Together Leadership Program - https://www.grow-better-together.com/leadership-program

About the Host:

Amy L. Riley is an internationally renowned speaker, author and consultant. She has over 2 decades of experience developing leaders at all levels. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Deloitte and Barclays.

As a trusted leadership coach and consultant, Amy has worked with hundreds of...

Russell Harvey, known as The Resilience Coach, shares valuable insights on building resilience as a mindset and a practical skill. He challenges us to see resilience not just as recovery from setbacks but as a way to grow, learn, and move forward with purpose. Russell explores how self-awareness, intentional reflection, and recognizing patterns in our behavior can help us better understand our emotional responses and develop strategies to manage them effectively.

Throughout our conversation, Russell emphasizes the importance of maintaining energy, building support systems, and staying connected to a clear purpose. He discusses how resilience is built through small, consistent actions and the ability to embrace challenges with a balanced perspective. His approach highlights the value of grounded optimism, strategic pauses, and leveraging our strengths to navigate uncertainty with confidence and clarity.

5 Key Takeaways:

1. Spring Forward with Learning: Explore how resilience isn't about bouncing back but about learning and moving forward with purpose.
2. Re-Energize Intentionally: Understand the difference between good tired and burnout, and learn how to recover effectively.
3. Know Your Strengths: Discover how leveraging your natural strengths can fuel resilience and build confidence.
4. Build Your Support Network: Learn why having trusted connections is essential for resilience and long-term success.
5. Grounded Optimism: Explore how facing reality honestly creates space for true hope and meaningful action.

Resources Mentioned

The Inspire Your Team to Greatness assessment (the Courage Assessment)

How can you inspire our team to be more proactive, take ownership and get more done?

You demonstrate and empower The Courage of a Leader. In my nearly 3 decades of work with leaders, I’ve discovered the 11 things that leaders do – even very well-intentioned leaders do – that kill productivity.

In less than 10 minutes, find out where you’re empowering and inadvertently kills productivity, and get a custom report that will tell you step by step what you need to have your team get more done.

https://courageofaleader.com/inspireyourteam/

About the Guest:

Russell Harvey is a Resilience Coach, Facilitator, and Public Speaker with a mission to positively impact 100,000 people by 2025. With over 20 years of experience in Learning, Leadership, and Organisational Development, Russell helps individuals and teams build confidence, gain clarity, and drive positive change.

Using a strengths-based approach and positive psychology, Russell strikes a balance between being practical, creative, and supportive while challenging his clients to progress.

Outside of his coaching work, Russell is the Chair of Governors at a local primary school, a volunteer with Leeds Young Authors, and runs public speaking workshops for students.

https://www.theresiliencecoach.co.uk/

About the Host:

Amy L. Riley is an internationally renowned speaker, author and consultant. She has over 2 decades of experience developing leaders at all levels. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Deloitte and Barclays.

As a trusted leadership coach and consultant, Amy has worked with hundreds of leaders one-on-one, and thousands more as part of a group, to fully step into their leadership, create amazing teams and achieve extraordinary results.

Amy’s most popular keynote speeches are:

• The Courage of a Leader: The Power of a...

Melissa Lagowski, founder of Big Buzz Idea Group, shares her passion for helping people embrace their voices as leaders, regardless of their role. She believes that when we speak up with intention, we foster stronger, more inclusive teams and organizations. Melissa encourages a mindset of curiosity and reflection, showing how thoughtful dialogue and intentional actions can lead to meaningful impact.

In our conversation, Melissa offers strategies for creating spaces where ideas can flourish and diverse perspectives are valued. She highlights the importance of building trust, preparing thoughtfully, and approaching discussions with care. Her insights remind us that leadership begins with small, consistent steps toward advocating for ourselves and others.

Highlights

1. The Power of Curiosity: Discover how asking thoughtful, open-ended questions fosters deeper conversations and builds understanding.

2. Timing Matters: Learn when and how to address sensitive topics for the greatest impact.

3. Building Relationships: Find out how fostering genuine connections strengthens teams and creates trust.

4. Reflect and Prepare: Explore how self-reflection and preparation can help you express your voice with confidence.

5. Create Psychological Safety: Understand how to cultivate an environment where diverse perspectives are welcomed and valued.

Resources Mentioned

The Inspire Your Team to Greatness Assessment (the Courage Assessment)

How can you inspire our team to be more proactive, take ownership and get more done?

You demonstrate and empower The Courage of a Leader. In my nearly 3 decades of work with leaders, I’ve discovered the 11 things that leaders do – even very well-intentioned leaders do – that kill productivity.

In less than 10 minutes, find out where you’re empowering and inadvertently kills productivity, and get a custom report that will tell you step by step what you need to have your team get more done.

https://courageofaleader.com/inspireyourteam/

About the Guest:

Melissa Lagowski created Big Buzz Idea Group as a boutique agency to provide management, marketing and event services to nonprofits and associations. She launched the company in November 2004 so nonprofits would have an honest outsourcing partner. Melissa provides full operational support or a la carte services that will allow charitable organizations to run more effectively.

With 34 years of corporate and nonprofit experience, Melissa has consulted national organizations, managed local chapters, provided virtual office assistance to numerous NPOs, launched and executed large fundraisers, conceived innovative and lucrative new programming, coordinated client conferences, workshops dinners, and awards functions.

She manages consulting platforms, mastermind groups and virtual roundtables to assist nonprofits to become self-sufficient and proficient in management.

Her largest project to date is Ribfest Chicago, where she is responsible for every facet of the event including festival promotion, sponsorship development, entertainment booking and vendor procurement and management. The event now draws 70,000 people annually and was featured on Food Network’s “Eating America” with Anthony Anderson (2014).

Melissa is a member and Executive Director of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Chicago Area Chapter.