She was hitting every goal. Winning every award.
But falling apart on the inside.
In this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast, Michael Hunter sits down with Hannah Bauer — a leader with nearly three decades inside organizations, not outside them.
She has served as CEO, Board Chair, and Executive Director through growth, crisis, and recovery. She is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, a Baldrige Excellence Examiner, and one of a small group of faculty trusted by John Maxwell to develop leaders globally.
And she almost lost everything chasing the wrong version of herself.
This is the conversation most leadership podcasts are too polished to have.
No frameworks without feeling.
No strategy without humanity.
Just the real, uncomfortable truth about what it actually costs to lead well — and what it takes to come back when you've lost yourself in the process.
Hannah went all heart. Then all systems.
Both failed.
What she found in between changed everything about how she leads, coaches, and shows up in the world.
Discover how to align people, purpose, and performance without the chaos.
Please hit subscribe for more conversations on conscious leadership, building authentic teams, and moving beyond simply surviving to actually thriving:
Youtube Uncommon Leadership Podcast
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📌 In This Episode:
00:00:00 — Introduction
00:02:51 — The Pendulum Trap that Leaders Fall Into
00:06:30 — The Hidden Loneliness of Leadership
00:10:44 — The Danger of Cognitive Dissonance
00:17:12 — Asking Your Team for Forgiveness
00:18:42 — You Can't Lead People You Don't Know
00:27:49 — Leading Through 2 Heart Attacks
00:35:28 — Your Frustration = Your Purpose
00:37:57 — Why Heart-led Leadership Ruins Teams
00:38:46 — Survival Skills vs. True Calling
00:43:53 — When Purpose and Performance Align
00:44:48 — Why Letting Go Can Be an Act of Love
00:48:48 — The "Mini Shifts" to Beat Burnout
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🎙️ About Uncommon Leadership:
Hosted by Michael Hunter of Uncommon Teams, we explore how to align personal fulfillment with business success. We help executives and managers create authentic teams and cultivate the resilience, adaptability, and ease necessary to navigate today's workplace challenges.
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Speakers in this episode:
Hanna Bauer| Guest
Helping leaders align people, purpose, and performance so organizations work the way they're meant to work — without chaos, burnout, or constant rework.
Connect with Hanna Bauer:
Michael Hunter | Host
Michael Hunter is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and the founder of Uncommon Teams. Drawing on his experience working with leaders at tech giants like Microsoft and Salesforce, Michael helps founders and Heads of People align personal fulfillment with sustainable business success.
Work with Michael Hunter:
🎵 Music Credits:
Title: Soothing
Author: Verclub
Source: Envato
License Code: S5F84G9LCU
