The Elevated Leader with Laurie Maddalena

How can leaders elevate their impact without sacrificing their energy, focus, and quality of life? In this episode, Kevin talks with Laurie Maddalena about what it means to become an elevated leader in today's changing world of work. Laurie challenges the outdated belief that leadership requires constant overwhelm, availability, and personal sacrifice, and instead makes the case for leading with greater intention, self-awareness, reflection, and energy. Kevin and Laurie discuss why many leaders are promoted without real preparation, how the role shifts from doing the work to developing people, and why managers must move from being fixers to facilitators. They also discuss practical ways to protect focus and manage energy rather than just time.

0:00 Intro: Why Leadership Must Elevate
1:36 Meet Laurie Maddalena
2:33 Why She Wrote The Elevated Leader
3:54 The Big Idea Behind the Book
6:08 What Defines an Elevated Leader
7:11 The Starbucks Barista Problem
8:14 Laurie's Own Leadership Wake-Up Call
10:34 Is Everyone Meant to Lead?
13:37 Overview of the Elevated Leadership Model
14:23 Self-Awareness, Sleep, and Energy
15:35 Why Reflection Is Undervalued
18:20 Creating Clarity and Caretaking the Culture
20:24 Energy Patterns and Productivity Sprints
23:57 Treat Your Calendar Like "Cardiologist Time"
26:16 The Problem With Open-Door Policies
27:29 What Organizations Should Do to Support Leaders
29:11 Training Leaders Like a True Profession
31:55 What Laurie Is Reading Right Now
32:43 Where to Find Laurie
33:16 Closing: What Action Will You Take?

Laurie's Story: Laurie Maddalena is the author of The Elevated Leader: Boost Your Confidence and Transform Your Team by Mastering Coaching, Accountability, and Difficult Conversations. She is a leadership provocateur, confronting outdated leadership models that reward exhaustion over effectiveness. As the founder of Envision Excellence, she helps managers go from "The Fixer" to "The Facilitator," enabling high-achieving leaders to deliver elite results without burnout. A former VP of HR by age 30, Laurie is a Certified Speaking Professional and has worked directly with influencers like Brené Brown and Jack Canfield. Laurie intentionally caps her workweek at 40 hours—demonstrating that sustainable success and elite results are not mutually exclusive, but essential to modern leadership.

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