Description

In this deeply personal solo episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider explores the hidden cost of hyper independence — the pattern of doing everything alone while quietly carrying exhaustion, loneliness, and emotional weight.

Drawing from her own lived experience as a leader, single mom, and entrepreneur, Kari unpacks why hyper independence isn’t a personality trait — it’s a coping mechanism shaped by survival, early responsibility, and environments where vulnerability didn’t feel safe.

• How hyper independence is formed through early neglect, cultural conditioning, and survival-based control

• Why capable leaders are often the most overlooked and misunderstood

• The emotional and relational cost of “handling everything” alone

• Why “let me know if you need anything” doesn’t actually help

• How to support a hyper-independent partner, friend, or teammate in ways that truly build trust

• What creates safety, reliability, and connection for people who struggle to ask for help

Kari also shares powerful real-life stories — from asking a neighbor for help during a brutal winter to learning how hyper independence quietly isolates even the strongest among us.

You are not broken — you’re adaptive.
And true strength isn’t doing everything alone… it’s learning how to let others in.

🎧 Listen now and share this episode with someone who carries more than they let on.

💬 Start a conversation with Kari’s AI → https://www.delphi.ai/karischneider

👉 Want to use AI to amplify your leadership? Grab our free guide “The 50 Best AI Prompts for Executives” → https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide