Becoming Unshakable With Heather R. Younger
Self-Improvement
About
Leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about staying steady when you don't. Becoming Unshakable is about how we actually do it—staying credible, human, and grounded when the stakes are high and the playbook is gone.Through honest conversations with executives, frontline leaders, and people carrying real responsibility, Heather examines how leaders navigate change, build trust, and care for themselves and others without losing authority or effectiveness.This isn't about grit or powering through. It's about strengthening the inner steadiness that allows leaders and the organizations they're part of to function, adapt, and move forward, even when the ground is shifting.
Episodes
- Redefining the Journey: Why the Zigzag IS the Path to Becoming Unshakable
What if the moments that feel like detours in your life are actually leading you exactly where you need to be? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Frankie Hamilton for a conversation about resilience, career pivots, sel…
- What Actually Makes You Feel Safe in Uncertainty
What actually makes us feel safe when everything around us feels uncertain? In this solo episode of the Becoming Unshakable podcast, I reflect on a conversation that's showing up everywhere right now, inside organizations, leadership circl…
- Authenticity: The Foundation of Unshakable Leadership
What does it really mean to lead with authenticity in a world that constantly pressures us to fit a mold? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Aileen Warren, President and CEO of ICAN, for a deeply honest conversation ab…
- When Everything Feels Loud, Become The Calm
What do you do when the noise around you starts becoming noise inside you too? In this solo episode of the Becoming Unshakable podcast, I open up about something I think many leaders, parents, teammates, and professionals are quietly carry…
- From Perspectives to Performance: Using Data to Drive Results
Could the way we measure contributions at work miss the very things that make people most valuable? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Jacob D. Chase to discuss pressure, performance, leadership, and the human side of…
- The Myth of Doing It Alone
Have you ever convinced yourself that strength means handling everything on your own? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with the incredible Crystal Washington, Hall of Fame speaker, futurist, and someone whose wisdom alway…
- When Work Feels Uncertain, Here's How to Stay Grounded
Why do some days feel heavier than others, even when nothing obvious has changed? In this solo episode of Becoming Unshakable, I speak directly to those moments when everything feels like a struggle. The days when motivation is low, your e…
- How Grateful Leaders Stay Steady When Others Spiral
What does it really take to stay steady when everything around you feels uncertain? In this episode of Becoming Unshakeable, I sit down with Kisha Wynter, an executive coach and former GE leader, to explore what steadiness actually looks l…
- The Trust Formula: Transparency + Honest Dialogue
What does it really take to build trust in a world where skepticism feels like the default setting? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Scott Trumpolt to unpack what trust actually looks like in practice, beyond the buz…
- From Reactive to Steady: Leading Through Emotional Contagion
What kind of energy do you bring into the room when your team needs you most? In this solo episode of Becoming Unshakable, I shared a moment from my leadership journey that challenged how I show up for others. During a period of change, I…
- The 3-Step Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
What if the biggest shift in your leadership, your confidence, and your results came down to just three decisions about how you think? In this episode, I sit down with Bron Watson to explore what she calls a simple but powerful three-step…
- The Self-Awareness Advantage: Building a Team That Sees What You Can't
How well do you really know yourself as a leader? And what might your team see that you simply cannot see on your own? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with pharmaceutical executive and entrepreneur Hope Mueller to explor…
- How Faith and Gratitude Build Emotional Resilience
Have you ever wondered what it truly means to remain steady when life delivers moments that feel impossible to carry? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Rabbi Daniel Cohen for a deeply personal and reflective conversat…
- Self-Care for High-Growth Leaders
What does self-care really look like when you are scaling fast, raising four kids, and carrying the weight of other people's livelihoods on your shoulders? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Michele Henry, founder and…
- The Recovery Advantage: High Standards without Burning Out
What if the very drive that helped you succeed is the same force quietly pushing you toward exhaustion? In this conversation with Dr. Selina Neri, I explore a tension so many high performers live with but rarely name. The desire to hold hi…
- Turning Setbacks Into Strength: The 3 Types of Failure and How to Bounce Back
What if the very thing you are trying hardest to avoid is the doorway to becoming unshakable? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Amy C. Edmondson, Harvard Business School professor and the thinker behind psychological…
- The Resilience Toolkit: Practices That Help You Bounce Back?
What does it really mean to become unshakable when your career, your family life, and the world around you all feel uncertain at the same time? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sat down with Christine Ann Miller for a conversation…
- How Leaders Remain Compassionate While Scaling Fast
What does it really take to stay grounded, human, and compassionate as a business grows faster than you ever imagined? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Nicolas Breedlove for a deeply honest conversation about leaders…
- Helping Gen Z Thrive: The Path to Becoming Unshakable
What does it really mean to become unshakable when life starts testing you before you can even put words to what you are feeling? In this deeply personal episode of the Becoming Unshakable podcast, I sit down with my daughter, Gabriela, fo…
- Why Self-Leadership Starts with Knowing and Living Your Values with Dr. Robyne
What happens when two podcasters decide to slow down, join forces, and have the kind of conversation many leaders are quietly craving right now? This week, I am doing something I have never done before. I am collaborating with my friend an…
- Identifying the Leadership Gaps That Matter Most
What does it actually take to spot the leadership gaps that matter, especially when life and work keep speeding up? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Erik Dodier, an entrepreneur who describes his career as a "30-year…
- Are you willing to be served in 2026?
What happens when the identity I hold most proudly becomes the very thing that limits connection? In this solo episode of Becoming Unshakable, I share a moment of reflection that surfaced for me during a retreat I attended in Canada at the…
- Soft Landings and Hard Truths in Team Building
What does it take to lead with heart in one of the most demanding, misunderstood public service sectors? In this episode of the Leadership With Heart Podcast, I spoke with Billie Jo McCarley, Deputy Director of Operations at the Miami-Dade…
- Faith Bigger Than Fear: Finding Ground in an Unsteady World
In this episode of the Becoming Unshakable podcast, I sit down with Neri Karra Sillaman, and this conversation stayed with me long after we stopped recording. I first met Neri at the Thinkers50 event in London, where she was recognized as…
- Signal Up: The Secret Language of Unshakable Teams
What are the signals your team is receiving from you every single day, even when you think you are not sending any at all? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I reflect on my recent work facilitating deep listening sessions inside orga…
- Resilience is More Than Grit
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to talk about resilience as if it is a single gear we should keep turning forever? That question has been sitting with me for a while. I have spent years teaching leaders how to build resilience and how…
- The Two Traits Every High-Impact Leader Must Master
Have you ever met someone in a fleeting moment and instantly sensed there was a deeper conversation waiting to happen? That is precisely what happened when I met Grantley Morgan at Thinkers50 in London. It was my very first time in the cit…
- How to Keep It Together When Everything Is Out of Control
What happens when innovation is shaping your life in ways you never see? That is the question at the heart of this conversation with Portia Lane Child, Director of Innovation and Strategy Services at BAE Systems. While most of us recognise…
- Deciding How to Pivot When Life Hits
Have you ever wondered how some people keep standing even when life seems determined to knock them flat? That question lingered with me as I spoke with Dave Munson, the founder and CEO of Saddleback Leather Co., whose journey is marked by…
- How Our Pasts Can Propel Us Into Our Futures
In this solo episode of Becoming Unshakable, I invite you to join me for a quiet reflection on how our past experiences can shape and strengthen who we are becoming. I talk about my love for fall, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot, a…
- Asking for Help Is Strength, Not Failure
In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I had the privilege of welcoming two inspiring guests, Mary Beth Sandin and Kristina Fusella. It was my first time hosting two people at once, and the conversation felt like sitting down with old fri…
- When Compassion Meets Combat: A Paratrooper's Take on Leading People Through Tough Times
When you've led people through war zones, you learn what unshakable leadership really means. In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with retired Army officer, author, and speaker Clay Novak to explore what happens when compassi…
- Self-leadership Isn't Selfish It's Intelligent
In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, Heather reflects on a moment that reminded her what true leadership looks like from the inside out. Fresh from speaking to 13,000 nurses at the Atlanta World Congress Center, she shares how an experi…
- One Step That Changes Everything in Hard Times
Jodi O. Brown has lived the kind of story most of us hope we never face. What began as a picture-perfect life shifted overnight when she learned the symptoms she had been ignoring were signs of a brain tumor wrapped around her brainstem. O…
- Leading with Humility: The Discipline of Self-Leadership
In this episode of Becoming Unshakeable, I sit down with Jim Matuga, Founder of InnerAction Media, to explore a side of leadership that often goes unspoken: followership. Jim brings a refreshing perspective that challenges the assumption t…
- 426: Becoming Your Own Compass When the Path Isn't Clear
In today's episode of Becoming Unshakeable, I'm doing something a little different. This is one of my solo shows where I answer questions that listeners have sent directly to me. It's my way of making sure your voice is part of this conver…
- Turning Fear into Fuel: The Power of Courageous Choices
Welcome to this episode of Becoming Unshakeable! If you've been a follower and fan of Leadership with Heart, you're in exactly the right place. From here on out, Becoming Unshakeable will be the new name of my show—and I can't wait to brin…
- Overcoming Barriers, Leading with Purpose: Susan Frew's Story
Welcome to this episode of Becoming Unshakeable! If you've been a follower and fan of Leadership with Heart, you're in exactly the right place. From here on out, Becoming Unshakeable will be the new name of my show—and I can't wait to brin…
- What It Means to be Unshakeable
In this episode, I open up about what it truly means to become unshakeable. Not perfect. Not untouchable. But rooted in a steady strength that grounds you and steadies the people around you. I share why this evolution from Leadership with…
- Wake-Up Calls and Brave Choices
Welcome to one of the first guest episodes of Becoming Unshakeable! If you've been a follower and fan of Leadership with Heart, you're in exactly the right place. From here on out, Becoming Unshakeable will be the new name of my show—and I…
- Show Up and Participate: The Mindset of an Unshakeable Leader
Welcome to the second episode of Becoming Unshakeable! If you've been a follower and fan of Leadership with Heart, you're in exactly the right place. From here on out, Becoming Unshakeable will be the new name of my show—and I can't wait t…
- Grounded & Growing
Welcome to the very first episode of Becoming Unshakeable! If you've been a follower and fan of Leadership with Heart, you're in exactly the right place. From here on out, Becoming Unshakeable will be the new name of my show, and I can't w…
- 419: Stepping into My True North
After six amazing years, this is the final episode of the Leadership with Heart podcast. If you've been with me since the beginning, thank you. Truly. This journey has been one of the most meaningful parts of my career and my life. When I…
- 418: Championing You-ness: Cultivating a Culture of Contribution
In this episode of the Leadership with Heart podcast, I sit down with Lorii Rabinowitz, the CEO of Denver Scholarship Foundation, for a heartfelt and eye-opening conversation about what it means to lead with empathy, clarity, and purpose.…
- 417: The Human in Human Resources: Kurtis Strauel's 30-Year Journey
On this week's episode of the Leadership with Heart podcast, I sit down with Kurtis Strauel, Senior Director of Human Resources at Mark-Taylor Residential, to discuss the power of leading from the heart in a field that is often misundersto…
- 416: Data, Heart & Leadership: A Conversation with Sarah from American Senior Living
What happens when a leader blends deep operational structure with genuine human care? That's the question at the heart of my latest conversation on the Leadership with Heart podcast, where I'm joined by Sarah Mazzocco, Chief People Officer…
- 415: Made in America: A Mission Beyond the Label
Dean Wegner is a former Army Ranger, a West Point graduate, and now the CEO and co-founder of Authentically American, an apparel brand rooted in purpose. But more than that, he's a husband, a dad of four, and someone who truly understands…
- 414: Unshakable from Within: Self-Leadership Through Life's Transitions
In this solo episode, I open up about one of the most emotional experiences of my life after dropping my son off at the United States Naval Academy. It stirred something profound within me, and I felt compelled to share what I learned abou…
- 413: From Data to Grace: A New Era of Self-Leadership
In this episode of Leadership with Heart, I sit down with Laura Chevalier, Chief Growth Officer at Optomi Professional Services, for a conversation that explores the powerful intersection of data, grace, and self-leadership. Laura shares h…
- 412: Beyond the Budget: Human Impact in Nonprofit Leadership
In this episode, I sit down with Lorna Little, President and CEO of St. Anne's Family Services in Los Angeles. Lorna leads an organization that touches the lives of thousands of families facing housing insecurity, young mothers seeking sta…