Empowered Team Podcast

Hosted by Kari Schneider

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405

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the Empowered Team Podcast where we explore how to optimize your performance in leadership, business, and life.

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August 17, 2026Episode 40744 min

Clean Pain Series - Episode 2: Why Emotional Pain Might Be Your Greatest Asset

In Part 2 of the Clean Pain Series, Kari Schneider explores the hidden cost of emotional suppression — and why avoiding difficult emotions may be creating more suffering, stress, and even physical illness than we realize. Drawing from personal experience, leadership coaching, neuroscience, and the work of researchers like Dr. Susan David, Brené Brown, and Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Kari breaks down the difference between clean emotional pain and the unnecessary suffering we create when we resist what we feel. This episode dives into: The cultural conditioning that teaches us to avoid emotional pain Why toxic positivity and emotional suppression don’t work How unresolved emotions show up in the body The connection between emotional pain, anxiety, stress, and autoimmune illness Why high achievers often become emotionally numb How emotions serve as valuable data — not weakness Practical ways to process difficult emotions in healthy ways The leadership, resilience, and empathy built through emotional honesty Kari also shares deeply personal reflections on grief, divorce, healing from Graves Disease, and learning how to process emotions after years of pushing through pain. Key Takeaways: Emotional pain is information, not dysfunction You cannot selectively numb negative emotions without also numbing joy Unprocessed emotions eventually surface physically or emotionally Naming emotions helps regulate the nervous system Emotional resilience comes from feeling — not avoiding If you’re a leader, high achiever, entrepreneur, athlete, or someone who’s exhausted from “holding it together,” this episode offers a new framework for emotional strength and authentic fulfillment. Memorable Quote: “The emotions we most want to avoid are often the emotions that contain the greatest wisdom.” #EmotionalIntelligence #LeadershipDevelopment #SelfMastery #MentalHealth #EmotionalResilience #EmpoweredTeamPodcast #KariSchneider #CleanPain

August 10, 2026Episode 40637 min

Clean Pain Series Episode 1: Pain is Data- How to Listen Instead of Fight

In this deeply personal and eye-opening solo episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider shares a harrowing experience after being kicked by a horse—and the profound lessons it revealed about pain, awareness, and self-leadership. Drawing from both lived experience and her background in athletic therapy and physiology, Kari unpacks the true role of physical pain—not as something to avoid, but as critical data your body is trying to communicate. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why pain is your body’s most powerful communication system—not a punishment The difference between clean pain (necessary and informative) and suffering (what we add on top) How ignoring pain can lead to bigger health consequences The neuroscience behind pain perception and nervous system signaling The “READ Method” to interpret and respond to pain effectively: Recognize Explore Accept Decide Kari also shares the shocking reality of her misdiagnosis, internal injuries, and how tuning into her body ultimately protected her life. Key takeaway: Pain is not the enemy—it’s a question. Your job is to get curious enough to answer it. This episode kicks off a powerful 3-part series exploring: Physical Pain (this episode) Emotional Pain Suffering If you’ve ever pushed through pain, ignored your body, or felt disconnected from what it’s trying to tell you—this episode is your wake-up call. 🎧 Listen now and learn how to turn pain into insight, awareness, and better decisions for your health and life. REFERENCES: Dr. Lorimer Moseley TEDx Talk — Why Things Hurt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwd-wLdIHjs Pain Revolution (his nonprofit): https://www.painrevolution.org Explain Pain (book — Butler & Moseley): https://www.noigroup.com/product/explain-pain-second-edition/ Steven Hayes — ACT Therapy A Liberated Mind (book): https://www.amazon.com/Liberated-Mind-Pivot-Toward-Matters/dp/073521400X Association for Contextual Behavioral Science: https://www.contextualpsychology.org Dr. Bessel van der Kolk The Body Keeps the Score (book): https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score Buddhist Second Arrow — Sallatha Sutta Full text, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.006.than.html Epictetus Enchiridion (free full text): https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45109 Chronic Pain Statistics Medal Alert

August 3, 2026Episode 40527 min

Vision vs Reality: Leadership Lessons from Rebuilding Wick Cliff Lodge

What happens when the dream you've carried for years finally becomes reality? After the grand opening of Wick Cliff Lodge, Kari Schneider reflects on the six-year journey that transformed far more than a lakeside property—it transformed the leader behind it. Through honest stories, unexpected setbacks (including one unforgettable antique jug), and deeply personal moments of navigating approval, partnership, and perseverance, Kari shares three leadership lessons every entrepreneur, leader, and high performer needs to hear. In this episode you'll discover: Why every meaningful vision eventually collides with reality—and why that's a good thing. How seeking approval quietly drains your energy and limits your leadership. Why trusting your own judgment becomes one of your greatest competitive advantages. The hidden cost of listening to context-free advice. How resilience isn't just about pushing through—it's about becoming someone new along the journey. Why your biggest vision is still only the beginning of what's possible. Whether you're building a business, leading a team, navigating a major life transition, or pursuing a dream that feels bigger than you, this episode will remind you that success isn't simply reaching the destination—it's who you become along the way. Key Takeaway: The greatest project you'll ever build is yourself. Release the need for approval, trust your experience, embrace the gap between vision and reality, and you'll discover possibilities far beyond the dream you started with. If this episode resonates with you, share it with someone who is building something meaningful. They may need the reminder that worthy visions always require worthy growth. If you are curious about the space behind this episode… check out www.wickclifflodge.com and wickclifflodge on instagram.

July 27, 2026Episode 40427 min

Your Energy is Won Before 9am: My 5 Morning Musts

What if the biggest factor influencing your leadership, focus, and emotional resilience happens before 9:00 AM? In this episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, Kari Schneider shares the five morning habits she refuses to skip because they directly impact her energy, mental clarity, physical health, and long-term performance. After years of observing what strengthens—or drains—her energy, Kari identified five simple but powerful science backed daily practices that consistently help her show up at her best. These habits have become even more important while healing from multiple rib fractures and navigating recovery. In this episode, Kari breaks down the exact routine she uses to support high performance without burnout. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why hydration first thing in the morning matters more than most people realize How morning sunlight and time outdoors regulate your circadian rhythm and hormones Why daily movement is essential for energy, recovery, and cognitive performance The supplements Kari uses to support brain health, nervous system regulation, and recovery Her breakfast strategy for stable energy and fewer sugar cravings throughout the day Key Takeaway Your energy doesn’t just affect how you feel—it affects how you lead, communicate, decide, and serve others. If you want to lead powerfully, you need systems that protect your physical and mental energy. Master your mornings, and you strengthen your leadership. Ask yourself: What am I doing before 9 AM that gives me energy… and what might be draining it? Choose one habit from this episode and begin there. Listen now and start building the kind of energy that helps you live—and lead—at your best!

July 20, 2026Episode 40333 min

You're Not Distracted. You're Depleted. How to Get Your Focus Back

Everyone talks about managing time. But what if time is not the problem? In this episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, Kari Schneider explores one of the biggest challenges facing leaders, professionals, and high performers today: the erosion of attention. Research shows that our average screen attention span has dropped from 2.5 minutes to just 47 seconds. Meanwhile, every interruption can require up to 23 minutes of recovery time. The result? More stress, less productivity, and a growing sense of depletion. Kari unpacks groundbreaking research from Dr. Gloria Mark and Dr. Amishi Jha to reveal how attention actually works and why understanding it can dramatically improve your leadership, performance, and well-being. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: • Why attention is the true currency of a high-performing life • The hidden cost of interruptions and multitasking • The three attention systems: Flashlight, Floodlight, and Juggler • Why decision fatigue is not a character flaw, but biology • How your attention directly impacts energy, productivity, and leadership effectiveness • The “Token Model” for managing cognitive energy throughout the day • How to schedule your calendar around attention instead of tasks • Practical ways to restore focus and prevent burnout Key Takeaway Stop managing your time and start managing your attention. The quality of your life, leadership, relationships, and results depends on where your attention goes. When you learn to protect it, replenish it, and direct it intentionally, everything changes. Citations and Research Primary Sources Dr. Amishi Jha, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami and Director of Contemplative Neuroscience. Author of Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day (2021). Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and field-tested with members of the U.S. military, first responders, elite athletes, and corporate leaders. Website: amishi.com Dr. Gloria Mark Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. Author of Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity (2023). Her work includes more than 20 years of empirical, screen-based attention research. The 47-second attention finding was replicated across multiple independent studies conducted from 2014 to 2020. Website: gloriamark.com Supporting Data • Gallup, State of the Global Workplace Report (2024): Estimated a $9 trillion global productivity loss associated with employee disengagement. • University of California, Irvine: Research found that returning to a task after an interruption can take approximately 23 minutes. • Jha et al. (2007): Mindfulness Training Modifies Subsystems of Attention, published in Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience. The study demonstrated that mindfulness training can improve alerting, orienting, and conflict-monitoring attention systems. 🎧 Share this episode with someone who feels busy all day but ends the day wondering where their energy went.

July 13, 2026Episode 40226 min

Want It. Hate It. Do It Anyway.

In this solo episode, Kari Schneider breaks down a powerful mindset shift that can transform your follow-through, leadership, and self-mastery: the critical difference between wanting something and liking the process of getting there. Drawing on neuroscience research from Kent Berridge and Terry Robinson, Kari explains how the brain’s dopamine (desire) and opioid (pleasure) systems operate separately—and how confusing them keeps high performers stuck. Key themes in this episode: The neuroscience of wanting vs. liking and why it matters for motivation How confusing preferences with priorities leads to poor decision-making The hidden danger of mislabeling vs. misalignment and how it shapes identity Why leaders often default to comfort instead of values—and how to correct it A simple pattern interrupt tool to regain momentum instantly Standout insight: You don’t have a motivation problem—you have a mislabeling problem. When you say “I don’t want to,” you may actually be reinforcing an identity that isn’t true. Memorable moment: “You’re allowed to hate the alarm clock and still be someone who gets up.” Key takeaway: Stop asking “Do I like this?” and start asking: “Do I want what this leads to?” That single question can realign your actions with your values and help you take consistent, meaningful action—even when it’s uncomfortable. If this resonates, share it with someone who’s stuck between what they want and what they feel like doing—and start building a life aligned with your values, not your preferences. Supporting Researches: BJ Fogg — Stanford Behavior Design Lab. Tiny Habits published 2019. His core argument that motivation is unreliable is accurately represented. Daniel Kahneman — Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011). The experiencing self vs. remembering self distinction is accurately applied. Note: Kahneman’s framing is about experienced vs. remembered utility — the application to want/like is an extrapolation, not a direct Kahneman quote. Present it as ‘Kahneman’s framework offers a useful parallel’ rather than a direct citation. James Clear — Atomic Habits (2018). ‘Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become’ is a real and verified quote from the book. Viktor Frankl — Man’s Search for Meaning (1946). Application is accurate. No direct quotes attributed to him in the script, so no risk there.

July 6, 2026Episode 40145 min

Dr Kelly Monahan Interview: AI Won't Replace Leaders - But Poor Leadership Will

What if the biggest risk of AI isn’t the technology—but how we lead through it? In this powerful episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, Kari Schneider sits down with Dr. Kelly Monahan—organizational psychologist, former leader at Meta, Deloitte, and Accenture, bestselling author of Essential, and upcoming author of Reclaim the Plot. Kelly has spent the last decade studying the intersection of AI, leadership, and human behavior—and what she reveals is both urgent and deeply human. From witnessing the collapse of Kodak as a child to leading workforce transformations herself, Kelly brings a rare, lived perspective on what happens when organizations fail to adapt to technological change—and how we can do better this time. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why companies are still making “Kodak mistakes” in the age of AI The dangerous obsession with efficiency—and what it’s costing your people Why leaders must shift from “chess master” to “gardener” in today’s workplace The truth about “shadow AI” and why employees are already adapting without you How to build a culture of learning that actually keeps up with change What Gen Z is demanding—and why it’s reshaping the future of leadership The critical question every leader must ask: Just because we can… should we? Standout Insight: AI isn’t just a tool—it’s the “elevator moment” of our time. The real opportunity isn’t speed… it’s reimagining the entire blueprint of work. Key Takeaway: The future of leadership isn’t about control, certainty, or efficiency. It’s about curiosity, trust, and creating environments where people can adapt, learn, and thrive. Connect with Dr. Kelly Monahan: Website: https://drkellymonahan.com LinkedIn: Dr. Kelly Monahan Book: Essential (available now) Upcoming: Reclaim the Plot (September release) If you’re leading a team, building a business, or navigating change—this episode will challenge how you think about work, people, and what truly matters next.

June 29, 2026Episode 40037 min

400 Episodes and Still Here: The Truth About Consistency No One Tells You

In this milestone 400th episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, Kari Schneider pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to stay consistent—not for weeks or months, but for years. Drawing from 8 years of showing up every single week, Kari shares the five most powerful lessons consistency has taught her—lessons that challenge the common belief that discipline and willpower are the answer. This episode goes beyond surface-level advice and dives into the psychology, research, and lived experience behind sustainable high performance. You’ll discover why consistency alone doesn’t guarantee success, how to build self-trust through follow-through, and why purpose—not motivation—is the foundation for long-term growth. Whether you're leading a team, building a business, or trying to show up stronger in your own life, this episode will reshape how you approach consistency—and what’s actually required to sustain it. Key Topics & Takeaways: Why passion—not willpower—is the real fuel behind consistency The critical difference between showing up vs. making progress How to adapt and evolve while staying consistent The truth about the process: why it often doesn’t feel good How consistency builds self-trust—the foundation of leadership Why purpose outlasts motivation (and how to anchor into it) The role of feedback loops and recalibration in long-term success A powerful strategy to stay consistent without burnout: short-term commitments with redecision points Notable Insight: Consistency isn’t about loving every step—it’s about becoming someone who follows through, no matter what. Call to Action: Identify one area in your life where you want to build consistency. Ask yourself: Am I driven by passion or obligation? Am I progressing—or just repeating? Then commit—fully—for a defined period of time, and build from there. KEY REFERENCES PODCAST STATISTICS 44-47% quit after 3 episodes → Amplifi Media + Loopex Digital 2026 Why podcasters quit (burnout, passion loss) → Podbean Blog Shocking failure rates study of 1,200+ shows → Podcasters United https://www.amplifimedia.com/blogstein-1/lyspqop3ylro9a2t7y2de820uwkgwx https://www.loopexdigital.com/blog/podcast-statistics https://blog.podbean.com/why-podcasters-quit-podcast-burnout/ https://podcastersunited.org/feed-your-brand/the-shocking-podcast-failure-truth-why-1200-podcasters-quit-and-the-10-signs-your-podcast-is-next/ ANGELA DUCKWORTH — GRIT Grit defined (passion + perseverance) → https://angeladuckworth.com/grit-book/ Original peer-reviewed research (2007) → https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17547490/ and https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6290064_Grit_Perseverance_and_Passion_for_Long-Term_Goals Grit research overview → https://angeladuckworth.com/research/ JAMES CLEAR — ATOMIC HABITS Identity-based habits → https://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits Full book summary → https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits-summary

June 22, 2026Episode 39942 min

What 8 Fractures and A Punctured Lung Taught Me About Leadership

In this deeply personal and unforgettable episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider shares the harrowing story of a life-threatening accident that left her with eight fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and a critical wake-up call about leadership, systems, and self-trust. What began as a normal day quickly turned into a fight for survival—and ultimately, a masterclass in leadership under pressure. In this episode, Kari unpacks 5 powerful lessons: Trust Your Internal Signal: Why ignoring your gut—especially in high-stakes moments—can cost you everything The Danger of Authority Bias: How deferring to “experts” without question can lead to catastrophic outcomes Systems Won’t Save You: Why even the best systems fail in critical moments—and what leaders must do instead You Are More Capable Than You Think: The science of resilience and how adversity reveals hidden strength Asking for Help is a Leadership Skill: Why vulnerability builds trust—and can literally save your life Leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about trusting yourself, questioning what doesn’t feel right, and having the courage to ask for help when it matters most. Which of these five lessons are you ignoring right now? Identify it—and take one step today to lead differently. #Leadership #SelfTrust #Resilience #EmpoweredTeams #PersonalGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment

June 15, 2026Episode 39833 min

Action Game Series: The Real Reason You aren’t Taking Action

What if the real reason you’re not taking action isn’t about motivation, time, or strategy—but about who you believe you are? In this powerful solo episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, Kari Schneider dives into the hidden force driving every action you take (or don’t take): your identity. Backed by research and real-life experience, Kari unpacks how identity-based thinking shapes behavior, influences long-term success, and determines whether you follow through or stay stuck. Drawing from her own recent life transitions and recovery from serious injury, Kari shares how shifting her identity helped her navigate one of the hardest seasons of her life—and how you can do the same. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why identity—not discipline—is the foundation of consistent action The science behind “I am” language and behavior change How your brain sees your future self as a stranger (and how to fix it) Why you can’t outperform your identity—no matter how hard you try A simple 3-step framework to start shifting your identity today Key Takeaway: Every action you take is a vote for the person you believe you are. Change your identity—and your actions will follow. Call to Action: Declare who you are becoming. Share this episode and tag Kari with your “I am” statement. Resources: James Clear — Identity-Based Habits Atomic Habits (book reference) Article on identity: https://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits Hal Hershfield — Future Self Research UCLA profile & research: https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty-and-research/marketing/faculty/hershfield UCLA newsroom interview: https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/hal-hershfield-finding-harmony-with-future-self-book HBR article: https://hbr.org/2013/06/you-make-better-decisions-if-you-see-your-senior-self NPR feature: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1182387784 William Swann — Self-Verification Theory Wikipedia overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-verification_theory Simply Psychology summary: https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-verification-theory.html Amy Cuddy — Embodiment (use with caveat above) Original 2010 paper: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797610383437 TED Talk (47M views): https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_may_shape_who_you_are Updated Q&A on the research: https://ideas.ted.com/inside-the-debate-about-power-posing-a-q-a-with-amy-cuddy/