Crossroads + Catalysts Leadership Podcast
Leadership gets more complicated the higher you go—and too often, you're expected to figure it out as you go. Crossroads & Catalysts is a leadership podcast for managers, directors, emerging leaders, and experienced professionals who want practical strategies for becoming more effective and thoughtful leaders. Hosted by Shenita Brown, financial executive, leadership strategist, and speaker, each episode tackles the challenges that come with actually leading people: difficult conversations, accountability, team performance, communication, decision-making, executive presence, managing up, leading through change, and the transition from individual contributor to leader. But great leadership isn't only about how you manage others. It's also about how you manage yourself. That's why we explore the judgment, self-awareness, discipline, courage, and strategic thinking required to lead well—especially when the answer isn't obvious. You'll hear practical leadership advice, real-world experiences, and perspectives designed to help you think more critically about how you lead and what you can do differently. Whether you're a new manager learning how to lead a team, a director preparing for executive leadership, or an experienced leader sharpening your skills, you'll find conversations here that meet you where you are—and challenge you to keep growing. Because becoming a better leader isn't a destination. It's a practice. New episodes every week.
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Crossroads + Catalysts Leadership Podcast
This is a podcast for professionals at a career crossroads - whether you're looking at entering entrepreneurship, feeling stuck in a job that no longer serves you, or navigating leadership changes that leave you questioning your next move. Each episode explores the real challenges behind these momen...
Recent Episodes
80
Sept. 7, 2026
How to Delegate: A Leadership Tool for Developing Your Team
Learning how to delegate effectively is an essential leadership skill—but delegation isn't just about managing your workload. Used intentionally, delegation can be a powerful tool for developing employees, building ownership, and strengthening your team. In this episode of Crossroads & Catalysts, we're looking beyond the traditional idea of delegation as simply getting work off your plate. You'll learn how the right assignment can become a development opportunity, why explaining the "why" behin
79
Aug. 31, 2026
How to Coach Your Team to Think for Themselves
Coaching employees is one of the most important—and often overlooked—responsibilities of leadership. Great leaders don't just solve problems, set expectations, and hold people accountable. They develop people who can think, make decisions, and solve problems for themselves. In this episode of Crossroads & Catalysts, we're exploring what coaching really looks like in leadership and why always having the answer may actually be limiting your team's growth. Using the familiar idea of "teaching som
78
Aug. 24, 2026
Why Avoiding Accountability Creates Bigger Leadership Problems
Accountability in leadership isn't just about addressing poor performance—it's about having the courage to deal with problems before they become someone else's responsibility. When leaders avoid difficult performance conversations, tolerate missed expectations, or fail to follow through, the problem rarely goes away. It usually gets bigger. I share lessons from my own leadership experiences, including inheriting an employee whose performance issues had gone largely unaddressed for years and coa
77
Aug. 17, 2026
Difficult Conversations at Work: What Good Leaders Do Differently
Difficult conversations at work are an unavoidable part of leadership. Whether you're addressing employee performance, giving feedback, reinforcing accountability, or confronting missed expectations, how you handle uncomfortable conversations can shape your team's trust, performance, and culture. In this episode, we're moving beyond the theory of leadership and into the practice of it. I'll share real examples from my own leadership experience and explore why avoiding a difficult conversation r
76
Aug. 10, 2026
Why Great Employees Don't Always Become Great Leaders (And How to Make the Shift)
Are you a new leader or first-time manager wondering why leadership feels harder than you expected? Transitioning from an individual contributor to a leader requires more than making decisions and sitting in meetings—it demands a new leadership mindset. If you've recently been promoted to manager or are preparing for a leadership role, this episode will help you understand why the strengths that earned your promotion aren't necessarily the strengths your new role requires most. Many new leaders
75
Aug. 3, 2026
Want More Opportunities at Work? Become More Visible
Why does visibility matter at work? If you're doing great work but still feel overlooked for promotions, leadership opportunities, or high-impact projects, visibility may be the missing piece. In this episode, we'll discuss why visibility isn't self-promotion—it's an essential leadership skill that helps others recognize your value, your thinking, and your potential. Many professionals believe that if they simply work hard, their results will speak for themselves. While great work builds credib
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