I'm A People Person

Leading People Who Didn't Choose You

"I inherited my team, including someone who wanted my job and thinks they should've gotten it. How do I lead people who didn't choose me?" That's the question from #inheritedteam, and it's one of the hardest, most human situations a leader walks into. In this episode I get honest about what it feels like on both sides of that seat, the one who got it and the one who didn't. Because here's the truth: when you inherit a team, you didn't inherit resentment. You inherited relationships that were built for a different leader. Your job is to renegotiate them, not resent them. I break down the two layers of an inherited team, the person who wanted your job and the whole crew you didn't hire, and I give you three tangible moves to lead them well: name the elephant instead of managing around it, earn the mandate instead of assuming it, and lead the team in front of you instead of the one you'd have hired. I also own the mistake I made, moving too fast to fix too much, and the belief that changed everything for me: don't confuse untrained for incapable. People perform to the level they've been led to. Most of what looks like underperformance is just missing modeling. Give people the chance to live into it, and you'll be amazed what they do. If you've ever walked into a team that wasn't yours and wondered how to actually lead it, this one's for you. Submit your questions for the podcast at https://imapeopleperson.show/ Discover your Everyday Innovator archetype at https://everydayinnovators.ai/

The Buy-In Boogie: Leading Without Authority

"There are times in human capital where I need people to do something and I have no real authority to make them happen. I spend so much time working to convince people. It's exhausting. Is there a better way, or is this just the job?" listener: #itsthejob? Short answer: it's the job. Longer answer: that's not a consolation prize. In this episode Tamara names the thing most people in human capital do every day and never talk about. She calls it the Buy-In Boogie. All the dancing around you feel like you have to do to get someone to yes. Couching things as questions. Wondering out loud. Acting like you're discovering something you already know the answer to. Most people treat that dance as the tax they pay for not having authority. Tamara makes the case that it's the actual skill, and that almost nobody teaches it, because nearly every leadership book ever written assumes the person across from you reports to you. Inside: the four moves of the Boogie, the hallway conversations that got another team to ask her for help with an idea that was hers all along, why being open to what your dance partner brings is what separates influence from manipulation, and the reason the times you don't dance only land because of all the times you did. Plus the thing a former boss once said to her that took years to understand: "I don't know exactly what you do, but I know things get unstuck when you're in the room." The People ARE the Work. Got a situation of your own? Send it in at www.imapeopleperson.show Curious how you're wired to influence and solve problems? Discover your Everyday Innovator archetype at http://www.everydayinnovators.ai

Watch Them Struggle, or Save Them?

48 Hours from Idea to Live App: Why AI Is the Great Equalizer

I've been building companies and leading people strategy for decades, but I've never been a developer. For years, that meant my best ideas stayed trapped in my head—or cost me tens of thousands of dollars every time I wanted to build something real. Then AI changed everything. In this episode, I'm sharing my story of going from paying $10K+ per change on my Everyday Innovator assessment to building HeyAnna—a fully functional collaboration app—in 48 hours after a breakfast conversation in Kiowa, Colorado. This isn't a tech podcast. This is about what happens when the barrier between "I have an idea" and "I built the thing" disappears. We're all so busy being afraid of what AI might replace that we're missing what it makes POSSIBLE. For the first time in history, you don't need permission, investors, or a technical co-founder to turn your ideas into reality. I lived through Facebook, Uber, and the birth of the internet. This moment is bigger. AI isn't just changing how we work—it's democratizing who gets to build. What we cover: The real cost of being non-technical (and how AI eliminates it) My journey from paying developers to building myself with Claude and Lovable The exact moment everything changed (spoiler: it involved eggs and Jeff) Why "I'm not technical" is no longer a valid excuse What courage looks like when the tools finally match your vision If you've been carrying around an idea but feel stuck because you "don't know how to code," this episode is for you. The tools are here. The moment is now. Let's build. Two two apps I reference in the website: www.everydayinnovators.ai www.heyanna.app

Shedding The Grip of Imposter Syndrome — From Berkeley Doubts to Boardroom Belonging

I'm pulling back the curtain on imposter syndrome—how early labels shape who we believe we're allowed to be, why that "I'm-a-fraud" voice screams loudest the moment we don't have the answer, and what an impostor spiral feels like in real time. I'll share a colleague's story of kids who never questioned their college destiny, the semester I spent at UC Berkeley waiting for someone to tell me admissions messed up, and the boardroom flashes where I still catch myself posturing instead of admitting I don't know (yet). Then I'll dive into my three go-to tools for loosening impostor syndrome's grip: a quick naming practice that snaps me out of autopilot, a commute-time audio journal that drains the spiral of its power, and a curiosity script that turns "I don't know" into genuine inquiry—and credibility. Hit play, and let's trade posture for presence and claim the space we've earned.

Conquering Fear One Box Jump at a Time

Realizing I Need to Drop the Rope

Pouring Into Others Is the Antidote to Overwhelm

What I Learned When I Ditched the Red Power Suit

Stress Reveals Who You Really Are