Shedding the Corporate Bitch

Hosted by Bernadette Boas

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Aug 2026

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Welcome to Shedding the Corporate Bitch — the podcast where executive leadership gets real. Hosted by executive coach, strategist, and unapologetic truth-teller Bernadette Boas, this show is built for senior leaders, CHROs, and HR executives who are done with surface-level leadership advice and ready for the conversations that actually move the needle. Drawing from 25 years in corporate — including being fired — and over a decade coaching leaders at the highest levels, Bernadette delivers the raw insights, honest dialogue, and practical strategies you won't find in a leadership textbook. Each episode tackles what's really happening in today's organizations: toxic cultures, burned-out teams, leadership gaps, talent retention crises, and the fear, doubt, and imposter syndrome that quietly undermine even the most accomplished executives. Joined by world-class leaders, HR innovators, and organizational experts, Bernadette doesn't just identify the problems — she hands you the tools to solve them. This is the podcast for leaders who are ready to shed what's holding them — and their organizations — back, and build something that actually works. Follow now. Your next level starts here.

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August 18, 2026Episode 50529 min

Leadership Blind Spots: Why Your Best People Keep Quitting

We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! About This Episode Most leaders assume their team's friction is a personality clash. Executive and business coach Debbie Longo says it's almost always behavior, and the leadership blind spot she runs into most is control and manipulation. In this episode, Debbie walks through how a single thought becomes a behavior, why some leaders need to hit a “bottom” before they'll change, and why real, lasting change starts with seeing the pattern in yourself before anyone else has to point it out. Bernadette and Debbie also get into the tension every HR leader and manager feels: real behavior change can happen fast, but it doesn't happen on command, and pushing for speed without patience is often what derails it. What You Will Learn • Rebuild trust with your team by recognizing the one behavior pattern most executives never catch in themselves • Stop the control-and-manipulation cycle before it tanks sales and drives out your best people • Use a 2-minute nightly inventory to catch blind spots before they cost you your job • Turn pressure from your board or boss into a fast, focused action plan instead of denial • Understand why real behavior change can show up in weeks, and what determines the pace • Protect your influence and credibility by leading from awareness instead of ego • Give HR and managers a clear, patient way to talk about the pace of real change Key Quote “I changed my thinking, and everyone around me changed.” — Debbie Longo Episode Chapters 00:01 – Why behavior, not personality, drives leadership effectiveness 00:04 – The mindset-shift example: catching a bad outcome before it happens 00:07 – What hitting bottom actually looks like (divorce, job loss, losing a house) 00:08 – Why HR and managers underestimate how long real change takes 00:10 – The message to HR leaders and hiring managers: patience over pace 00:14 – How control and manipulation actually develops 00:16 – Why controlling leaders can't see it in themselves 00:20 – "I change myself... everybody around me changes" — the ripple effect 00:20 – Where accountability fits in (board/boss pressure forcing change) 00:22 – How Debbie tells a client they're not actually changing 00:24 – The #1 tip: the nightly self-inventory exercise 00:26 – Wrap-up and where to find Debbie About the Guest Debbie Longo is an Executive Behavioral Coach, speaker, and podcast host with more than 24 years of experience helping leaders improve communication, accountability, and performance by changing behaviors that drive results. She equips executives and business owners with practical strategies that strengthen leadership, culture, and long-term business success. About the Host Bernadette Boas is a corporate executive leadership coach, speaker, and founder of Ball of Fire Coaching. Related Episodes The Accidental Leader: Manager vs. Leader Your Team is Being Under-Directed!! 5 Steps to Move From Top Performer to True Leade r Leadership Gap Diagnostic CTA Take the free Leadership Gap Diagnostic → balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in Subscribe CTA Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast app so you never miss a Powerhouse conversation. Support the show

August 11, 2026Episode 50437 min

Why Growth Alone Won't Change Your Career: Part 4

We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! You did the work and you let go of the old story, the fear, the pattern that kept you stuck. So why does it still feel like nothing's actually changed? In this episode, Bernadette Boas breaks down the mistake nearly every leader makes right after a real breakthrough: mistaking the relief of letting go for the finish line. She walks through the five-part foundation — trust, integrity, motivation, empowerment, and results that turns genuine growth into an actual new career, plus the 4 specific moves to build a new identity on purpose instead of by accident. This is Episode 4 of the five-part From Stuck to Leading series, following Discover, Confront, and Shed. What We Cover ● 0:00 — Why relief isn't the finish line, and the exact point most people quietly stop building ● 8:00 — The foundation that makes growth actually stick: trust, integrity, motivation, empowerment, results ● 14:40 — "You'd be surprised how little others think of you" — the sentence that changed how she leads ● 21:30 — The 4 moves to build a new identity on purpose ● 30:00 — The networking party story: 40 friends down to 5 ● 35:00 — The coaching question, the dare, and what's next in Episode 5 Key Quote "You'd be surprised how little others think of you." — Bernadette Boas Links Mentioned ● Listen to Episode 1-3: balloffirecoaching.com/podcast ● Free Leadership Gap Diagnostic: balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in ● Book a 30-min Discovery Call: coachmebernadette.com/discoverycall ● Website: balloffirecoaching.com About the Show Shedding the Corporate B!tch is a weekly leadership podcast for executives ready to stop performing and start leading from who they really are. About the Host Bernadette Boas is an executive leadership coach, speaker, and author, and the founder of Ball of Fire Coaching, with 25+ years of corporate leadership experience and 16+ years coaching 400+ executives across Fortune 500 and high-growth organizations. Support the show

August 4, 2026Episode 50333 min

The Entrepreneurial Mindset Gap That's Killing Your Promotion

We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! You're the most reliable person on your team, and that reliability might be exactly what's keeping you from the next promotion. In this episode, executive and career transition coach Laura Berman Fortgang joins Bernadette to unpack the entrepreneurial mindset every corporate leader needs, and why the people who do everything right often stay stuck as the "understudy" instead of becoming the star. Laura has spent decades coaching executives and entrepreneurs through career change including work with guests on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She and Bernadette dig into why asking questions builds more real influence than giving answers, how to handle a manager who feels threatened by your visibility, and the delegation habits (especially common among women) that quietly cap a career. Laura also shares the four pillars — messaging, methodology, marketing, and managing yourself and your business that determine whether a corporate-to-entrepreneur transition actually works. What You Will Learn ● Build the entrepreneurial mindset that gets you noticed for promotion, without overstepping ● Grow your influence by asking better questions instead of giving answers ● Handle a manager who feels threatened by your initiative ● Recognize the delegation trap that keeps capable people invisible for the roles they want ● Know when you're actually ready to leave corporate and build your own business ● How to apply the four pillars — messaging, methodology, marketing, managing ● Hear the client story of a stuck senior executive who took the reins and landed a C-suite role Key Quote: “It's easier to find a new star than to replace the understudy.” — Laura Berman Fortgang About the Guest Laura Berman Fortgang is an executive and career transition coach and the author of Now What? Ninety Days to a New Life Direction. Her coaching career includes work with guests on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and she has spent decades helping corporate leaders and entrepreneurs navigate promotion, career change, and business transitions. Learn more at LauraBermanFortgang.com. About Bernadette Bernadette Boas is an executive leadership coach and founder of Ball of Fire Coaching, with 25+ years of corporate leadership experience — including VP and Chief Knowledge Officer roles — and 400+ executives coached across Fortune 500 and high-growth organizations. Related Episodes from our From Stuck to Leading Series: ● Episode 3 - Shed - https://balloffirecoaching.com/whats-holding-you-back/ ● Episode 2 — Confront https://balloffirecoaching.com/5-inner-fears-destroying-your-leadership/ ● Episode 1— Discover https://balloffirecoaching.com/from-stuck-to-leading/ Leadership Gap Diagnostic: Take the free Leadership Gap Diagnostic to find out what's really holding your career back: balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in Subscribe to Shedding the Corporate B!tch on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify for a new episode every week. Support the show

July 28, 2026Episode 50236 min

What Your Holding Onto Is Holding You Back - Ep 3 of From Stuck to Leading Series

We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! Most leaders don't stay stuck because they lack skill, they stay stuck because of an authentic leadership identity they haven't claimed yet. In Episode 3 of From Stuck to Leading self-coaching series, Bernadette Boas breaks down the difference between a Borrowed, Performed, and Owned leadership identity, and walks through exactly what happens the moment you stop performing for the people around you. This episode delivers the five concrete moves Bernadette's private clients use to shed a self-limiting story: finding the story behind a diagnostic gap, gathering the evidence that contradicts it, naming who you've been performing for, rewriting the story, and making one deliberate choice from it. It builds directly on Episode 1 (Discover) and Episode 2 (Confront). If you haven't caught those yet, start there before diving into this one. https://balloffirecoaching.com/podcast What You Will Learn ● The exact story quietly keeping you out of the room for your next promotion ● Why the people closest to you may resist your growth and why it isn't your problem to manage ● The difference between a Borrowed, Performed, and Owned leadership identity ● The 5-move method for shedding your limiting beliefs ● How to find the evidence that proves your limiting story was never true ● One deliberate choice you can make this week to start living your new story Episode Chapters0:00 — Cold Open + Series Recap (matches — "the most dangerous moment..." opens the episode) 3:00 — What Shedding Actually Means 12:00 — The Three Leadership Identities 22:00 — Moves 1 & 2: Story and Evidence 38:00 — Move 3: Who You're Performing For 42:00 — Moves 4 & 5: Rewrite and Choose 47:00 — Bernadette's Story: The Milkman's Daughter ( 52:00 — Close + Episode 4 Preview About This Self-Coaching Series From Stuck to Leading: Episode 1 — Discover, Episode 2 — Confront, Episode 3 — Shed (this episode), Episode 4 — Create and Episode 5 — Accelerate (every other Tuesday). Related Episodes ● Episode 2 — Confront https://balloffirecoaching.com/5-inner-fears-destroying-your-leadership/ ● Episode 1— Discover https://balloffirecoaching.com/from-stuck-to-leading/ DOWNLOAD FREE Leadership Gap Diagnostic Take the free Leadership Gap Diagnostic: balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in Subscribe Subscribe on YouTube (@ShedtheCorpBitchTV), Apple Podcasts , or Buzzsprout. Support the show

July 21, 2026Episode 50136 min

Why Top Performers Keep Getting Passed Over for Promotion with Tim Sharp

We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! You're outperforming everyone, and still getting passed over. A 30-year HR insider explains why companies reward compliance over contribution, and how to speak up without killing your career. Tim Sharp sat inside the HR rooms of the world's largest tech and pharma companies for three decades. What he saw drove him to write a book so honest his lawyer warned it could get him fired — so he published it under a pen name. In this episode, you'll learn: — Why the "good soldier" path stalls at middle management, and what the people who rise do differently — The "don't outshine the master" trap — How to manage your visibility without dimming it — What "soft corruption" in senior ranks means for who actually gets ahead — Who HR really represents (Tim's in HR — he said it, not me) — How Tim built real courage: 12 years sober, a values rebuild at 40, and the practice of speaking up GET TIM'S BOOK — important: it's published under his pen name. Search Amazon for: PHILIP ARMSTRONG FEYNG: "Busting Business Bullshit: From Corporate Nonsense to The Rise of The 20% Company" - HERE Connect with Tim: LinkedIn — @TSharp1 | Facebook & Instagram — @TimSharp ------------------------ From Bernadette, FIND YOUR LEADERSHIP GAP (free, 10 minutes): balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in Support the show

July 14, 2026Episode 50036 min

The 5 Inner Fears Running Your Leadership: Part 2

We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! Your leadership gaps aren’t measuring what you haven’t learned. They’re measuring what you’ve been afraid to confront. In this episode, executive coach Bernadette Boas names the five inner fears, including leadership self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and fear of failure that quietly run even the most accomplished leaders from the inside out. This is Episode 2 of From Stuck to Leading, a 5-part self-coaching series built around the exact steps Bernadette uses with private clients. In this episode, you’ll finally see the direct line between what you’re carrying internally and the leadership gaps showing up in your diagnostic scores. Be sure to DOWNLOAD your free leadership gap diagnostic and refer to it while listening thoughout the series - balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in ABOUT THIS SERIES • Episode 1 — DISCOVER: Who are you as a leader when no one’s watching? HERE • Episode 2 — CONFRONT: Meet the 5 inner fears destroying your leadership ← this episode • Episode 3 — SHED: What do you release, change, or expand? (coming soon) • Episode 4 — CREATE: What does the leader you’re meant to be look like? (coming soon) • Episode 5 — ACCELERATE: What’s the one move that changes everything? (coming soon) WHAT YOU’LL LEARN • Why leadership self-doubt and imposter syndrome are creating your diagnostic gaps • How to identify which of the 5 inner fears is running your leadership • The direct link between your internal fears and your team’s trust, performance, and engagement • A 3-step Confront framework for facing what’s been running your leadership from the inside • How to read your Leadership Gap Diagnostic scores as fear gaps, not skill gaps KEY QUOTE “Your diagnostic isn’t measuring what you haven’t learned. It’s measuring what you’ve been afraid to confront.” — Bernadette Boas EPISODE CHAPTERS 0:00 — Cold Open / Series Intro 5:00 — Meet Your Five Inner Bitches 7:00 — Inner Bitch #1: The Imposter 9:30 — Inner Bitch #2: The Failure Avoider 13:00 — Inner Bitch #3: The Control Freak 15:00 — Inner Bitch #4: The People Pleaser 17:30 — Inner Bitch #5: The Approval Seeker 21:00 — Leadership Gap Diagnostic Spotlight Introduction 22:30 — Spotlight Question 1: Self-Awareness 25:30 — Spotlight Question 2: Executive Presence & Influence 27:00 — The 3-Step Confront Framework 33:30 — Coaching Question + I Dare You 34:30 — Outro + Episode 3 Tease RESOURCES • FREE Leadership Gap Diagnostic: balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in RELATED EPISODES • Episode 1 — DISCOVER: Who Are You as a Leader? HERE • Why Your Team Ignores You and What to Fix First • Confident as F*ck: How to Stop Leading Through Fear with RACHEL LAWRENCE ABOUT BERNADETTE BOAS Bernadette Boas is an executive coach, speaker, author, and founder of Ball of Fire Coaching. 25+ years in corporate America. 18+ years coaching 400+ executives across Fortune 500 organizations. Host of Shedding the Corporate Bitch podcast. SUBSCRIBE • YouTube: youtube.com/@ShedtheCorpBitchTV • Apple Podcasts: HERE Support the show

July 7, 2026Episode 49928 min

Career Path Strategy: How To Drive Your Own Career Direction

We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! If you've been powering through your workday instead of actually leading it, this episode will change how you think about your next move. Bernadette Boas sits down with career strategy and executive coach Randi Roberts to talk about what it really takes to take control of your career path starting with the moment Randi turned down a company-recommended assignment to protect what mattered most to her family. Randi shares how she rebuilt her own career like a strategic plan, why suggestions from leadership are not commands, and the small trusted circle she calls her "Holy Smokes List" when she genuinely doesn't know what to do next. What You Will Learn How to tell the difference between a leader's suggestion and a required decision Why rehearsing a hard career conversation before you have it changes the outcome How to build a personal board of directors for your career What a Holy Smokes List is and why every leader needs one The first question to ask when a role stops fitting How to think like "future you" when evaluating an opportunity Episode Chapters 00:00 – Cold Open: Are You Just Powering Through? 01:00 – Randi's Own Career Demotivation Story Begins 03:00 – Turning Down The Expat Assignment For Family 04:00 – The Real Risks Of Pushing Back On Leadership 06:00 – Rehearse The Hard Conversation Before You Have It 08:00 – Suggestions, Not Commands: Getting In The Driver's Seat 10:00 – Building Your Career Like A 25-Year Strategic Plan 13:00 – Think Like Future-You, Future-CEO-You 14:00 – The Pivotal Moment Randi Left Corporate 16:00 – Step One: Figure Out What's Itching 17:00 – Building Your Career Board Of Directors 20:00 – The Holy Smokes List, Explained 21:00 – Asking For Help Without Overthinking It 25:00 – Randi's Free Right Time Guide 26:00 – Close & Recap With Bernadette About the Guest Randi Roberts is a career strategy and executive coach who spent 30 years leading in corporate before launching her own coaching business nearly a decade ago. She helps professionals build intentional, strategic career paths instead of drifting through them. Learn more: https://www.corlinroberts.net/ Related Episodes How to Handle Workplace Disputes Before They Become Lawsuits — with Felicia Harris Hoss Employee Engagement Strategies That Actually Move the Needle with IAN WATTS Define What Winning Looks Like and Watch Performance Shift with JACKSON LYNCH Subscribe CTA Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to Shedding the Corporate Bitch on any podcast streaming platform or YouTube @ShedtheCorpBitchTV and never miss an episode. Support the show

June 30, 2026Episode 49822 min

New Series: From Stuck to Leading - Ep 1 Leadership Identity: The Question That Stops Executives Cold

We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! In this 5-part series premiere of From Stuck to Leading , a five-part self-coaching experience on Shedding the Corporate B!tch, executive coach Bernadette Boas opens with the question at the foundation of every coaching engagement she runs: Who are you as a leader when no one is watching? Not your title, not your results, not your LinkedIn profile, but the leader who shows up when the pressure is on, the recognition is absent, and the next five minutes are going to reveal everything about who you actually are. Drawing on 18 years of coaching over 400 executives, Bernadette walks Powerhouses through two diagnostic spotlight questions from her Leadership Gap Diagnostic — a free 25-statement assessment that places leaders in one of four performance tiers. The gap between how you intend to lead and how your leadership actually lands, and the gap between knowing you need to develop and actively closing that gap, are the two fault lines most leaders have never honestly examined. This is the coaching experience designed to change that — without the price tag of private coaching. Download the free Leadership Gap Diagnostic and start the series with your full baseline in hand. What You Will Learn Throughout The Series: • How to close the gap between the leader you perform and the leader you actually are • Why self-awareness in leadership is about accuracy, not self-indulgence — and how most executives are overestimating theirs • The difference between intending to close your leadership gaps and actively doing it • How one executive went from being passed over for VP to landing the role, at a different company, on her own terms, in 18 months • How to use the free Leadership Gap Diagnostic to establish your baseline for all five episodes in this series Key Quote: "The leaders who sustain their impact, the ones who lead well under pressure, who earn genuine trust, who grow over decades instead of burning out, they are not the smartest or most talented. They are the ones who know who they are, clearly, honestly, and without the title doing the work for them." — Bernadette Boas Episode Chapters: 00:00:00 — Series Hook: Who Are You When No One Is Watching? 00:01:00 — Welcome + Series Introduction: From Stuck to Leading 00:02:00 — Bernadette's Story: From Fired to Foundation 00:03:00 — How to Use the Leadership Gap Diagnostic 00:05:00 — Branded Intro / How the Episode Works 00:06:00 — Spotlight Question 1: Do You Know How Your Leadership Actually Lands? 00:08:00 — Spotlight Question 2: Are You Actively Closing the Gap? 00:10:00 — The Four Leadership Tiers + Diagnostic Reminder 00:11:00 — The Identity Question: Returning to Who Are You When No One Is Watching? 00:13:00 — What Shaky Leadership Identity Looks Like 00:14:00 — Bernadette's Firing Story: The Identity Problem 00:16:00 — Client Story: Dana's Path to VP 00:18:00 — The I Dare You Challenge 00:19:00 — Wrap Up: What to Take Away Today 00:20:00 — Series Commitment + Subscribe CTA 00:21:00 — Preview of Episode 2: What Are You Avoiding? ABOUT THIS SERIES — From Stuck to Leading: The Five-Part Self-Coaching Conversation Every other Tuesday, Bernadette Boas asks one coaching question — the same question she asks every private client. Five episodes. Five questions. One complete leadership transformation arc. • Episode 1 — Who Are You as a Leader When No One Is Watching? [YOU ARE HERE] • Episode 2 — What Are You Avoiding That's Quietly Costing You Everything? [LINK WHEN LIVE] • Episode 3 — [Coming every other Tuesday] • Episode 4 — [Coming every other Tuesday] • Episode 5 — [Coming every other Tuesday] Subscribe to Shedding the Corporate B!tch on YouTube (@ShedtheCorpBitchTV) or your podcast platform so you never miss an episode in the series. About Bernadette Boas: Bernadette Boas is an executive coach, speaker, author, and founder of Ball of Fire Coaching. With 25+ years in corporate America — including VP and Chief Knowledge Officer roles — and 18 years coaching 400+ executives across Fortune 500 and high-growth organizations, she is the host of Shedding the Corporate B!tch. balloffirecoaching.com | coachmebernadette.com/discoverycall Related Episodes: • I Got Fired So You Could Lead — The story behind the framework: HERE • The TIMER Framework Solo Episode: HERE • Why Your Team Ignores You: HERE Subscribe & Follow: New episodes of the From Stuck to Leading series release every other Tuesday at @ShedtheCorpBitchTV on YouTube. Subscribe and hit the bell so you're notified when Episode 2 drops — it goes deeper on the question every executive has been avoiding. All episodes are also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms. Download the free Leadership Gap Diagnostic : tiny.cc/leadershipgapdiagnostic Support the show

June 23, 2026Episode 49736 min

How to Handle Workplace Disputes Before They Become Lawsuits — with Felicia Harris Hoss

We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! Workplace dispute resolution is one of the least discussed and most costly blindspots in executive leadership. In this episode of Shedding the Corporate B!tch , executive coach Bernadette Boas sits down with Felicia Harris Hoss , of Harris Hoss Mediations & Arbitration , a nationally recognized mediator with 30 years of trial law experience, to break down early dispute resolution and why it is one of the most powerful, underutilized tools available to corporate executives and HR leaders. Felicia explains why less than five percent of filed lawsuits ever reach trial, what that means for how executives should be approaching conflict, and why the decision to mediate early is not a sign of weakness, it is a strategic move that preserves relationships, resources, and reputation. She walks through the four Cs of mediation, the questions every executive should be asking their attorney, and how to shift from a reacting posture to a responding one in any dispute. If you lead people, manage HR concerns, or sit in any seat where workplace conflict can escalate into legal action, this conversation will change how you think about resolution. What You Will Learn • What early dispute resolution (EDR) is and why it is ABA official policy • When to engage a mediator before a lawsuit is filed • Why litigation means surrendering control — and what executives can do instead • The four Cs of mediation: confidentiality, control, creativity, certainty • What questions to ask your attorney about workplace disputes and resolution options • How the respond vs. react mindset shifts negotiation outcomes • What 'winning' actually looks like in a corporate dispute Key Quote "If you go to the courthouse, you pass that baton called control to strangers. — Felicia Harris Hoss" Episode Chapters 00:00:00 — The Legal Dispute Already Living in Your Organization 00:02:00 — Why Staying in the Room Changes Everything 00:03:00 — Meet Felicia Harris-Hoss: From Trial Partner to Neutral 00:06:00 — What Mediation Actually Is (And Isn't) 00:09:00 — Workplace Scenarios That Call for a Mediator 00:12:00 — Why Early Mediation — Before Positions Harden 00:13:00 — The Human Cost Behind Every Corporate Lawsuit 00:15:00 — Why Early Mediation Wasn't Working — And What Changed 00:17:00 — Ego, Fear, and the Real Reason Leaders Avoid Resolution 00:18:00 — The Courtroom Hands Control to Strangers 00:21:00 — The Four C's of Mediation: Confidentiality, Control, Creativity, Certainty 00:26:00 — Key Questions Every Leader Should Ask Their Attorney 00:27:00 — What to Know Before You Bring a Dispute to HR 00:31:00 — Why Even Lawyers Get Confirmation Bias 00:32:00 — Respond, Don't React: The Mindset That Changes Outcomes 00:34:00 — Bernadette's Takeaways for Every Leader and HR Professional About the Guest Felicia Harris Hoss, of Harris Hoss Mediations & Arbitration, is a 30-year trial attorney and nationally credentialed mediator who specializes in early dispute resolution for executives, corporations, and complex business conflicts. She co-authored Resolution 500 for the American Bar Association, which was unanimously adopted in 2024, making early dispute resolution official ABA policy. She also helped establish the American Arbitration Association's EDR Mediation Panel. Learn more at HarrisHossPLLC | Connect on LinkedIn HERE Related Episodes Employee Engagement Strategies That Actually Move the Needle with Ian Watts— HERE Your Calendar is Lying - The Timer Leadership Framework— HERE Slow Down To Go Fast with Loretta Stagnitto — HERE Subscribe CTA If this conversation gave you a new way to think about conflict, leadership, and control, subscribe to Shedding the Corporate Bitch on YouTube at @ShedtheCorpBitchTV for new episodes every week. You can also DOWNLOAD our free Leadership Gap Diagnostic and identify where your leadership needs the most attention right now. Support the show

June 16, 2026Episode 49635 min

I Got Fired So You Could Lead Better

We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! The 5-Step Transformation Framework That Turns Your Biggest Leadership Gap Into Your Greatest Strength About This Episode: After 25 years in corporate America as VP, Chief Knowledge Officer, global team leader, Bernadette Boas was fired and labeled a tyrant. What she built out of that experience is a proven, five-step leadership transformation framework she has since used with 400+ executives across SMB - Fortune 500 companies and high-growth organizations. This episode is for the manager who is still in the seat, not facing termination, but feeling the gap between the leader they are today and the leader they know they are capable of being. That gap is showing up in your team, your results, and the exhaustion of performing a version of leadership that doesn't actually feel like you. Bernadette walks you through every step of her Shift to Riches Formula — Discover, Confront, Shed, Create, and Accelerate, and gives you three specific actions to begin your own transformation today. What You'll Learn • Why the gap between the manager you are and the leader you want to be starts on the inside, not in your title or your org chart • How to identify the fears, insecurities, and ego-driven behaviors quietly costing you trust and results • The 5-Step Shift to Riches Formula — Discover, Confront, Shed, Create, Accelerateand how to apply each step immediately • Why building new goals without confronting old patterns is performance, not transformation • The three requirements for sustaining leadership change when organizational chaos pulls you back • Three actions to take today, not next week, to begin your own leadership shift Key Quote "The leader you are today was shaped by the fear you chose not to confront. The leader you're meant to be is waiting on the other side of that work." — Bernadette Boas The 5-Step Shift to Riches Formula • Step 1 — Discover: Who you are, who you want to be, and what internal fears and insecurities are getting in the way • Step 2 — Confront: Looking directly and honestly at what you discovered — without rationalization, blame, or shame • Step 3 — Shed: Releasing the behaviors, beliefs, and patterns that are no longer serving your leadership • Step 4 — Create: Building new behaviors, a new leadership identity, and new goals grounded in who you are choosing to become • Step 5 — Accelerate: Sustaining the transformation through iteration, accountability, and continued investment in your growth Your Three Actions From This Episode 1. Name your dominant internal fear or insecurity — fear, ego, self-doubt, imposter syndrome. Write it down. That is your Discover work. 2. Identify one behavior to shed — just one — that is showing up in your leadership and costing you trust, impact, or peace. Name it. 3. Write one sentence about the leader you are choosing to create. Not the leader your organization needs. The one you want to be. That sentence is your north star. Resources & Links Free Leadership Gap Diagnostic: balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in Book a Discovery Call with Bernadette: coachmebernadette.com/discoverycall Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@ShedtheCorpBitchTV Bernadette's Website: balloffirecoaching.com Podcast Page: balloffirecoaching.com/podcast About Bernadette Boas Bernadette Boas is an Executive Coach, keynote speaker, and founder of Ball of Fire Coaching. A former Global VP and Chief Knowledge Officer, she has coached 400+ executives across Fortune 500 companies and high-growth organizations over 16 years. She is the author of Shedding the Corporate Bitch, published in 2011, and is currently authoring its sequel — Shift to Riches: The Guide to Your Success. Support the show