Episodes

Should I stay or should I go? How long is too long to wait for that next promotion, bigger opportunity, or the recognition I've been working toward? It's a question I'm hearing more and more from my clients, especially as the job market gets tougher and the decision to leave a company isn't so straightforward. In this episode, I'm digging into the growing issue of mid-career stagnation, sharing what I'm seeing with clients who are weighing loyalty against new opportunities, why staying isn't ne...

Are you really owning your job, or just getting through it? In this episode, I’m thinking about what it actually means to take ownership of your work when you’re not the owner. I’m talking about accountability, curiosity, emotional intelligence, resilience - and how those qualities can help me move through the barriers, complexity, and frustration that come with work. Resources Want to Set Yourself Apart? Own Your Job Winnie da Silva on LinkedIn | On the Web | Substack | YouTube | Email - win...

Welcome to Season Seven! Do you like tiny experiments? That's what's happening this season on Transformative Leadership Conversations. Winnie da Silva is going to be sharing short weekly episodes called Winnie Unscripted tackling all things leadership, from what's in the news, to new insights and ideas from client work to questions for experts and leaders in the community. There will also be a monthly full-length interview with a leading expert sharing their thoughts and experiences. Want to ...

“The moments that stretch us most as leaders often become the moments that transform us most — if we are willing to engage them intentionally.” - Winne da Silva Growth sounds inspiring until it asks you to let go of the habits, mindsets, and approaches that got you where you are today. So what happens when your greatest strengths start becoming your biggest limitations? And how do you continue evolving as a leader in a world that's changing faster than ever before? In this final episode of Sea...

"Transformation of any kind is rarely one insight, one coaching session, one workshop, or one conversation.” - Winnie da Silva Leadership challenges are rarely just about what’s happening on the surface. The issue that keeps resurfacing, the team dynamic that won’t improve, or the frustration you can’t seem to solve may actually be driven by something much deeper. In this episode, I share three real client stories from my executive coaching, leadership development, and team effectiveness work ...

“Trust doesn’t just magically happen or appear. It’s built through deliberate action and honest conversations.” - Winnie da Silva Trust impacts everything at work - communication, collaboration, influence, decision-making, and team culture. But most leaders still treat it like something that naturally develops over time instead of something that needs real intention and strategy. In this episode, I’m unpacking how trust actually gets built, why it breaks down so easily, and the practical framew...

“Adaptive leadership is about choosing the right leadership approach for the right people in the right situation.” - Winnie da Silva Some leaders hold on too tightly. Others delegate too fast. In this episode, I break down the adaptive leadership framework I’ve used for years with everyone from first-time managers to CEOs, and explain why effective leadership is rarely about sticking to one style. I walk through the continuum of directing, collaborating, and delegating, and share how I decide ...

“If we want better results, we have to examine the stories and assumptions driving our behavior.” - Winnie da Silva Some leadership challenges don’t start with strategy or communication, but rather they start with the stories we’re telling ourselves. The assumptions running quietly in the background about who I am, who other people are, and how things work. In this episode, I explore how those internal narratives shape our behavior, influence our leadership, and ultimately impact the results w...

“When you can show up in service of someone else’s work ahead of your own, it stops feeling transactional.” - Carly Valancy Networking has become one of the most dreaded words in professional life. It feels transactional, awkward, and exhausting. But in a world increasingly driven by AI and digital communication, real human connection may be more valuable than ever. In this episode, I sit down with Carly Valancy, founder of Reach Out Party, to talk about her philosophy of “anti-networking” - a...

“Leadership growth happens when we begin practicing new behaviors in the real world.” - Winnie da Silva Some of the biggest leadership breakthroughs don’t come from massive reinventions. They come from one small shift repeated consistently over time. In this episode, I’m digging into why so many leaders get stuck thinking about growth instead of actually practicing it and why tiny experiments might be one of the most powerful tools for real leadership development. You’ll hear me discuss: Why...

“Leadership at scale isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about drawing out other people’s thinking.” - Winnie da Silva Why do so many leaders feel like they have to carry all the answers, and what is it actually costing them? In this episode, I unpack one of the most overlooked leadership tools: asking better questions. I share why constantly jumping in with solutions can quietly limit your team’s thinking, and how shifting toward thoughtful, open-ended questions can completely change the ...

“The issue isn’t the strength of the idea. It’s whether it connects to what the other person cares about.” - Winnie da Silva Why do some ideas land instantly… while others just hang in the air, no matter how well you explain them? In this episode, I break down a simple but powerful leadership concept that can completely change how you influence others, especially when you don’t have formal authority. I share how understanding what people truly care about (their “currency”) can shift conversati...

“The goal isn’t ideas—it’s behavior change that drives business results.” - Winnie da Silva Why do so many leadership programs fall flat even when the content is solid? I’ve seen this play out time and time again over the past two decades. It’s rarely about the quality of the program itself. It’s about what’s happening around it. In this episode, I break down the two factors that actually determine whether leadership development creates real, lasting change. I also share where things tend to go...

“In leadership, the visible problem is often just the symptom.” - Winnie da Silva Is the problem you’re trying to solve actually the real problem or just the most obvious one? In this episode, I unpack why so many leadership challenges don’t get resolved the way we expect, and how quickly jumping to solutions can keep us stuck in the same cycles. I share a real client story and walk through how to slow down just enough to uncover what’s really driving the issue, so you can create solutions tha...

“Coaching isn’t remediation. It’s acceleration.” - Winnie da Silva Is executive coaching really just a last resort for struggling leaders… or is that completely missing the point? In this episode, I unpack one of the biggest myths around coaching and share what I actually see in my work with high-performing leaders. I explain why leadership coaching is about growth, not fixing, and why the right support at the right time can completely shift your leadership impact. You’ll hear me discuss: Why...

“Real leadership work isn’t about fixing people—it’s about addressing root issues.” - Winnie da Silva Are you stepping into bigger leadership… but still thinking and operating the same way? In this episode, I break down what it really takes to grow as a leader when the pressure, complexity, and expectations all level up. I share how I work with leaders and teams, the frameworks behind that work, and why lasting change comes from mindset shifts instead of quick fixes. You’ll hear me discuss: ...

“Most leadership problems aren’t what they seem.” - Winnie da Silva You might think the issue in front of you is the real problem… but what if it’s just the surface? This season, I’m shifting things a bit. Instead of longer guest conversations, I’m bringing you shorter, more focused episodes designed to help you think more clearly, challenge your assumptions, and take immediate action in your leadership. Because the truth is, most leadership challenges aren’t as straightforward as they seem, an...

Today's episode includes a discussion of child sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. While our goal is awareness and prevention, some listeners may find this topic difficult. Please take care of yourself and feel free to pause or skip this episode if needed. “Rescuing one girl matters - because that one life can change the future of an entire family.” - Leah Henck How does trafficking continue to thrive in plain sight - even in places with laws designed to stop it? In this special episode,...

“Leadership growth doesn’t have to come from huge reinventions. Often, it comes from tiny experiments.” Busyness has a sneaky way of convincing us that it equals importance - and for a long time, I let that idea drive how I measured my value as a leader. In this bonus episode, I’m sharing what happened when I decided to interrupt that pattern with one small, intentional experiment. No grand strategy. No perfectly mapped plan. Just 45 minutes a week to think - really think - and see what surface...

“When leaders lose confidence, it’s usually traced back to these four patterns: the unknown, the comparison, the undermining relationship, and the identity transition.” Confidence doesn’t usually disappear overnight. More often, it slips away quietly, shaped by patterns we don’t always notice while we’re inside them. After two decades of coaching leaders, building teams, and watching incredibly capable people question themselves, I started to see the same confidence breakdowns show up again and...

“Confidence is a skill. It is a skill just like every other skill that we have, that we can use, that we practice.” - Dr. Angela Stopper Confidence can feel so uneven. Solid in one moment and shaky in the next. It’s one of those topics that shows up in almost every leadership conversation I have, yet most of us still aren’t quite sure how it actually works. Is it innate? Is it something you earn? Or does it grow through experience? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Angela Stopper, Chief Lea...

“It’s not that you already know the answers or already are perfect at something, but that you believe that you can get there.” - Julienne Silverman Confidence can look rock–solid from the outside… but inside, it’s usually a mix of courage, doubt, experience, improvisation, and a whole lot of personal growth. And sometimes the biggest boosts to our confidence come from the moments we’d never expect. In this episode, I sit down with investment banking executive Julienne (Julie) Silverman for a t...

“We are not meant to force ourselves into monochromatic, one-tone grinds that look and feel the same every single day.” - Winnie da Silva High-performing leaders love a good challenge, so here’s one: can you actually sit still without feeling guilty? Most of us can’t, and there’s a reason for that. Pushing through isn’t always strength, but sometimes the moment you slip into self-neglect without even noticing. In this episode, I wrap up our month-long series on “excellence without exhaustion” b...

"Chronic stress is anti-correlated with all the things you want to have as a leader. It's anti-correlated with empathy, it's anti-correlated with creativity, and it's anti-correlated with complex decision making.” - Jan-Philipp Martini “If you can get more insight into what drives you, you can handle yourself — and your leadership — much better.” – Martin Redigolo Stress has a funny way of showing up long before we notice it - our bodies feel it first, and our calendars catch up later. In thi...