Description

What separates great leaders from ones who quietly destroy their teams? And when you're the one burning out at the top — do you stay or go? Kealy Spring, licensed therapist and executive coach in the San Francisco Bay Area, breaks down the inner psychology of leadership, what executive coaching actually is, and why most people calling themselves coaches probably aren't.

In This Episode

• Therapy vs. coaching — where they overlap and where the line actually is
• The energy audit: a practical tool for diagnosing burnout before deciding to stay or quit
• Golden handcuffs — how to think through ambivalence when the pay is great but you're miserable
• The 3-step cognitive reframe for catching distorted thinking at work (mind reading, personalization, and more)
• Imposter syndrome across career stages — and why it hits differently for women
• The double bind for women in leadership: likable vs. competent, and how to navigate it
• Why less than 10% of coaches are actually thriving — and what the unregulated industry gets wrong

Key Takeaways

🔑 The energy audit isn't about adding to your plate — it's about gathering data so you know where to work the edges.

🔑 Cognitive distortions don't stay home when you go to work. Name it → check your evidence → reframe.

🔑 Coaching is strategic and time-limited. Therapy goes deeper into patterns and history. You may need both.

Resources Mentioned

• Kealy's therapy practice: ⁠keelyspring.com⁠ | Coaching: Spring Ahead Coaching
• Kealy's podcast: Therapeutically Aligned https://www.youtube.com/@therapeuticallyaligned 
• ⁠Hampton⁠ — peer advisory groups for founders
• Simon Sinek's Start With Why | Self-Determination Theory
• ☕ Larry's Coffee: https://larryscoffee.com/relate

Brittani's Resources:

Website: ⁠https://www.brittaniprocknow.com/⁠

IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/brittani_procknow⁠

Intimacy Workbook: ⁠https://howtorelate.kit.com/b956780219⁠

Newsletter: ⁠https://howtorelate.kit.com/e9f87bb2dc⁠

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