When one thing has ended, and another needs to begin, it can be easy to feel stuck. You can feel the pull to move forward, but uncertainty, hesitation, and competing energy make it hard to act. That in-between space can feel uncomfortable. It can also be the place where real momentum begins.

In this conversation on the Leading with Instinct podcast, Katie Navarra-Bradley, Professional Facilitator and Leadership Coach with Katie the Coach, and Ginny Telego, President of Collaboration Partners, explore what the Year of the Fire Horse represents for leaders stepping into 2026. They talk about movement, freedom, and intentional forward motion—and how horses model these qualities every day. It is an invitation to move with clarity instead of pressure.

Change is hard, but usually necessary. Often, leaders know it, but can’t move forward. Katie and Ginny explore how leaders can recognize what gives them energy, what drains it, and how intentional choices create sustainable progress rather than burnout.

Shedding your 2025 “Year of the Snake” skin might be hard to do, but it’s important. The Year of the Horse is about understanding when you’re ready to move, trusting your instincts, and stepping forward with clarity, confidence, focus and purpose.

Takeaways

— Letting go is the first step, while the next step forward requires clarity

— Forward motion is easy to do if you will simply do it

— Uncertainty is part of change. It’s a sign that you’re paying attention to what matters.

— Energy misalignment creates chaos for people and teams

— Horses model how intention regulates momentum

— Leaders must consider what gives energy and what drains it

— Sustainable progress comes from clarity instead of coming from urgency

— Self-permission often unlocks the next step

— Change works best when others are brought along thoughtfully

The Leading With Instinct Podcast is brought to you by Collaboration Partners and KatieTheCoach.com.

Chapters

00:32 — Introduction/Shedding the Old Skin

07:50 — From Snake to Fire Horse

15:31— Ready for Hard Change

22:03 —Creating Forward Motion

34:26— Questions to Ask Yourself if Stuck

Helpful Links:

Katie Navarra-Bradley, Katie The Coach: https://katiethecoach.com/

Ginny Telego, Collaboration Partners: https://www.thecollaborationpartners.com/

Setting goals in the New Year? Good for you, but be careful. Beating yourself up for goals you didn’t hit is too easy. The hard work comes in setting clear goals from the beginning. If you’re feeling stuck, you’re not alone. And feeling stuck doesn’t mean you failed. Clarity, movement, and direction matter more than rigid destinations when it comes to actually hitting those marks.

In this episode of the Leading with Instinct podcast, Katie Navarra-Bradley, Professional Facilitator and Leadership Coach with Katie the Coach, and Ginny Telego, President of Collaboration Partners, reflect on the podcast’s one-year anniversary, (a stretch goal in itself!) and unpack what goal-setting actually looks like when leadership, business, and life collide.

This conversation weaves together stories of business setbacks and major life disruptions, with lessons learned in the arena with horses. Horses become powerful mirrors, revealing how unclear energy, misaligned intentions, or the wrong goal at the wrong time can stall movement altogether.

Rethink success, not as hitting every mark on a timeline, but as staying in motion, adjusting when needed, and choosing goals that fit the reality of the moment.

Takeaways

-Feeling stuck often means clarity is missing

-Direction creates movement; fixation on outcomes can create paralysis

-Course correction is leadership in action

-Shared leadership and trusted perspectives help prevent unnecessary self-punishment

-Breaking goals into directional steps builds momentum and resilience

-The “right” goal depends on timing, environment, and current reality

-Progress is often quieter and more meaningful than we expect

The Leading With Instinct Podcast is brought to you by Collaboration Partners and KatieTheCoach.com.

Chapters

00:34 — Introduction

02:52 — One-year anniversary. Goal Achieved!

05:39 — Destination vs Direction

08:47 — Major life disruptions and forced course correction

11:38 — Finding your “herd” for perspective and support

14:49 — Ignoring outside pressure to pursue the right path

19:09 — Imposter syndrome

22:16 — How Horses can show direction

25:31 — Setting the right goals

32:46— Directional goals vs. rigid outcomes

36:00 — Letting go of control and choosing intention

Helpful Links:

Katie Navarra-Bradley, Katie The Coach: https://katiethecoach.com/

Ginny Telego, Collaboration Partners: https://www.thecollaborationpartners.com/

Confidence isn’t a permanent state for most leaders. Even highly capable leaders can find themselves questioning decisions, second-guessing instincts, or wondering if they truly belong in the moments that matter most. These “imposter thoughts” are likely familiar to you, and more common than most people realize. They are certainly more real than most leaders will want to admit.

In this conversation on the Leading with Instinct podcast, Katie Navarra-Bradley, Professional Facilitator and Leadership Coach with Katie the Coach, and Ginny Telego, President of Collaboration Partners, are talking about our common fears of inadequacy. Drawing from real client experiences, research, and their work facilitating leadership development with horses, they talk about what imposter thoughts actually look like in practice, how they affect decision-making, and why even highly successful leaders wrestle with them privately.

Through powerful stories from the arena, Ginny and Katie reveal how horses immediately reflect internal confidence and the lack of it, without judgment, bravado, or performance. Leaders who hesitate, overthink, or avoid uncertainty see those same patterns mirrored back to them by the horses.

Takeaways

-Imposter thoughts affect leaders at every level, including CEOs

-Fear of failure often drives hesitation and overthinking

-Horses reflect real confidence, not performative confidence

-Speaking self-doubt out loud reduces its power

-Grounded confidence comes from internal and external alignment

-Past successes can be used to interrupt imposter thinking

-Physical posture and breath influence confidence

-Clear expectations reduce anxiety and hesitation

-Community support weakens isolation and doub

Chapters

00:28 Snowy Days

02:28 Introduction

04:23 We’re all Imposters

09:59 Fear of Public Failure

13:43 Confidence in Context

15:06 Stories of Client Experiences

26:03 Building Self-Image

33:03 Physical Confidence

41:39 Closing Thoughts and Contact Info

Helpful Links:

Korn Ferry’s Workforce 2024 Global Insights Report: https://www.kornferry.com/about-us/press/71percent-of-us-ceos-experience-imposter-syndrome-new-korn-ferry-research-finds

Workplace Impostor Thoughts, Impostor Feelings, and Impostorism: An Integrative, Multidisciplinary Review of Research on the Impostor Phenomenon : https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/annals.2023.0100?journalCode=annals

Workplace ‘impostor thoughts’ may have a genuine upside: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/workplace-impostor-thoughts-may-have-a-genuine-upside

Psycho-Cybernetics: Updated and Expanded (The Psycho-Cybernetics Series) :https://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Cybernetics-Updated-Expanded-Maxwell-Maltz/dp/0399176136


Katie Navarra-Bradley, Katie The Coach: https://katiethecoach.com/

Ginny Telego, Collaboration Partners: https://www.thecollaborationpartners.com/

The Leading With Instinct Podcast is brought to you by Collaboration Partners and KatieTheCoach.com.

Some seasons of leadership feel like a sprint. But every so often, something forces you to take a breath, slow your pace, and pay closer attention to what’s happening around you. That pause can feel uncomfortable, but it often reveals the very clarity you’ve been missing. Fast is fine, but speed without intention isn’t progress at all.

In this conversation on the Leading with Instinct podcast, Katie Navarra-Bradley, Professional Facilitator and Leadership Coach with Katie the Coach, and Ginny Telego, President of Collaboration Partners, explore why slowing down is often the smartest, most strategic move a leader can make.

Using stories from the horse world, neuroscience insights, and real-life leadership experiences, they unpack how urgency can create misalignment and how intentional deceleration helps teams move faster, with fewer mistakes and far more clarity. They share practical tools from equine training experiences, such as energy check-ins, five-minute resets, and the “stop your feet” cue that teams can use to prevent chaos before it starts.

When leaders slow down long enough to see clearly, they regain momentum with purpose, accuracy, and authenticity.

Takeaways

-Slowing down prevents mistakes that speed often creates

-Horses model relaxed readiness, not wasted energy

-Leaders can use pauses to assess and realign

-Rushing can cause systems to compensate in unhealthy ways

-Energy check-ins reduce stress transfer to teams

-Soft focus creates better awareness and decision-making

-Intentional pacing leads to better long-term outcomes

-Authenticity suffers when leaders rush into change

The Leading With Instinct Podcast is brought to you by Collaboration Partners and KatieTheCoach.com.

Chapters

00:34 – Introduction: Global travel and reconnecting

01:56 – Leroy’s story and “slow down to go fast”

04:20 – Research: why speed creates mistakes

08:51 – Tech, AI, and the myth of faster = better

11:55 – Horses mirroring human energy

18:24 – “Stop your feet” and preventing chaos

25:58 – Neuroscience, stress transfer, and energy check-ins

31:04 – Final reflection: slow is smooth, smooth is fast

Helpful Links:

Slow Management/ScienceDirect.com: Leading With Instinct_Go Slow to Go Fast

The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge :https://a.co/d/bFEF4tv

To Go Fast Your Company Needs to Slow Down, https://chiefexecutive.net/to-go-fast-your-company-needs-to-slow-down/

Katie Navarra-Bradley, Katie The Coach: https://katiethecoach.com/

Ginny Telego, Collaboration Partners: https://www.thecollaborationpartners.com/

Sometimes the simplest truths hit the hardest. A new Gallup study has revealed that what followers crave most from their leaders isn’t strategy or pay—it’s humanity. These four things matter most: hope, trust, compassion, and stability. But why are these qualities so difficult to deliver, and how can they change the way we lead, live, and connect?

In this conversation on the Leading with Instinct podcast, Katie Navarra-Bradley, Professional Facilitator and Leadership Coach with Katie the Coach, and Ginny Telego, President of Collaboration Partners, explore the powerful Gallup study through the lens of their equine-assisted leadership work.

Together they unpack why these four human needs are the foundation of real leadership and how horses, as natural truth-tellers, reflect what happens when our energy, intentions, and actions fall out of alignment. They also share deeply personal and practical stories that show what it looks like to rebuild hope and trust, both in the arena and within organizations.

The conversation is a reminder that leading with instinct isn’t about control—it’s about courage, connection, and creating space for others to succeed alongside you.

The Leading With Instinct Podcast is brought to you by Collaboration Partners and KatieTheCoach.com.

Takeaways

-Hope is the emotional foundation that connects today’s work to tomorrow’s outcomes.

-Trust grows through consistency, honesty, and transparency.

-Compassion means listening deeply, asking questions, and caring about people beyond their performance.

-Stability comes from routines and reliability that anchor teams through change.

-Command-and-control leadership may feel safe but often erodes engagement and confidence.

-True leadership requires vulnerability and the courage to let go of control and build a partnership.

-Energy matters: your team (and your horse) feel what you bring into the space.

-Culture shifts begin with self-awareness and presence, not new systems or slogans.

-Giving people hope doesn’t mean avoiding reality; it means creating belief in what’s possible.

-Meeting human needs isn’t “soft.” It’s a strategic essential that drives results and retention.

Chapters

00:50 – Finding Presence & Setting the Stage

02:31 – What Followers Need Most: Insights from Gallup

07:00 – The Real Challenges of Human-Centered Leadership

11:42 – Lessons from the Arena: Hope, Trust, and the Power of Connection

18:40 – Control vs. Trust: Stories That Change How We Lead

26:38 – Rebuilding Confidence—With Horses and Teams

32:58 – Practical Takeaways: Leading with Instinct and Impact

Helpful Links:

Gallup Study: The Four Things Followers Need: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/251003/strengths-based-leadership-things-followers-need.aspx

Ginny Telego, Collaboration Partners: https://www.thecollaborationpartners.com/

Katie Navarra-Bradley, Katie The Coach: https://katiethecoach.com/

Leaders often rely on quick decisions and familiar patterns, but lasting impact requires something deeper. Transformation begins when we quiet the noise, notice what is happening in the moment, and open ourselves to what is emerging. Presencing mastery offers a way to unlock clarity, trust, and authentic connection.

In this conversation on the Leading with Instinct podcast, Katie Navarra-Bradley, Professional Facilitator and Leadership Coach with Katie the Coach, and Ginny Telego, President of Collaboration Partners, are joined by Lissa Pohl, Chief Engagement Officer at the Engagement Quotient and a pioneer in Equine Assisted Learning (EAL).

Drawing from her recent article in the International Journal of Presencing Leadership and Coaching, Lissa explains how presencing moves beyond mindfulness and presence, offering a path to access deeper somatic and relational intelligence. The focus turns to how horses act as clean feedback experts, showing leaders how to disrupt default behaviors, shift from predatory to relational approaches, and practice leading from the future that wants to emerge.

These small shifts help leaders build resilience, foster trust, and create the space for genuine transformation in their organizations and relationships.

The Leading With Instinct Podcast is brought to you by Collaboration Partners and KatieTheCoach.com.

Takeaways

-Presencing is deeper than mindfulness. It’s accessing a state of stillness where new possibilities can emerge.

-Horses model presence naturally and offer clean, non-judgmental feedback.

-Equine Assisted Learning brings leadership concepts from the head into the whole body.

-Relational leadership shifts us away from unconscious predatory habits.

-Leaders must integrate intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual intelligence.

-Clean feedback creates calm, clarity, and authentic learning.

-Presencing helps leaders respond in the moment rather than relying on old patterns.

-Everyday practices like pausing, observing, and asking curious questions build presencing skills.

-These approaches create clarity and connection even in complex situations.

Chapters

00:40 Introduction/Meet Lissa Pohl

3:10 Unpacking Presencing Mastery

08:00 The Body as Intelligence

15:09: Learning Presencing from Horses

22:00 Horses as Clean Feedback Experts

25:53 From Predatory to Relational Leadership

33:06 Practical Steps for Presencing

Helpful Links:

Article - The Effectiveness of Equine Assisted Learning to Develop Presencing Mastery : https://revues.ulaval.ca/ojs/index.php/ijplc/article/view/54168

Lissa Pohl, The Engagement Quotient: https://enqcoaching.com/

Ginny Telego, Collaboration Partners: https://www.thecollaborationpartners.com/

Katie Navarra-Bradley, Katie The Coach: https://katiethecoach.com/

You thought you explained it clearly. You handed off the project. But what came back wasn’t at all what you envisioned. Sound familiar? Whether you’re leading a team, onboarding new employees, or collaborating with clients, one truth remains: people can’t meet expectations that were never clearly set. And clarity isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.

In this conversation, Katie Navarra-Bradley, Professional Facilitator and Leadership Coach with Katie the Coach, and Ginny Telego, President of Collaboration Partners, explore the leadership blind spot that hinders productivity, fuels frustration, and undermines success: unclear expectations. What emerges is a practical, and energizing conversation about bridging the gap between what leaders expect and what teams deliver.

Through stories from the horse arena, the workplace, and their own coaching and leadership experiences, Ginny and Katie unpack how assumption bias, generational shifts, time pressure, and poor communication keep leaders from setting their people up for success. They also offer real tools for change. You’ll find simple, effective ways to align your vision with your team’s actions and outcomes.

This is a reminder that no one performs well in the dark. Clear expectations fuel confident action. When leaders lead with clarity, context, and curiosity, everyone moves forward.

The Leading With Instinct Podcast is brought to you by Collaboration Partners and KatieTheCoach.com.

Takeaways

-Assumption bias often causes leaders to overestimate what others understand or know.

-Today’s workforce, especially Gen Z, craves clarity and context, not micromanagement.

-Without clearly defined success, frustration and rework are inevitable for both leaders and team members.

-Leaders often unintentionally skip the clarity step due to time pressure or lack of leadership training.

-Psychological safety is key: create a culture where asking for clarification is welcomed, not judged.

-Regular check-ins help reinforce expectations and prevent disconnects.

-Tools like kickoff meetings, shared language, and aligning daily tasks with big-picture goals foster ownership and engagement.

-Preparing people well is foundational, not optional, for strong performance and culture

Chapters

00:46 Preparing Expectations

04:35The Expectation Gap

12:46 Taking Time for Efficiency

15:04 Leadership Training for Leaders

19:44 Solutions to Clarify Expectations

22:38 Defining Success

32:44 Why Does This Matter?

35:44 Actionable Steps to Improve Clarity of Expectations

Helpful Links:

Ginny Telego, Collaboration Partners: https://www.thecollaborationpartners.com/

Katie Navarra-Bradley, Katie The Coach: https://katiethecoach.com/

There was a time when everyone wanted to be the boss. It was part of the career trajectory from the moment someone entered the workforce. That is changing. The next generation has seen what being “the boss” has meant to others, and seen the impact leadership has had, both in good and bad ways, on those around them. More and more, aspiring to leadership may not be the goal.

In this conversation, Katie Navarra-Bradley, Professional Facilitator and Leadership Coach with Katie the Coach, and Ginny Telego, President of Collaboration Partners, talk about the new phenomenon of 'conscious unbossing' and its implications for leadership in a cross-generational workforce.

They discuss why millennials and Gen Z are hesitant to take on leadership roles, the importance of mentorship, and how organizations can create engaging opportunities for emerging leaders. They correlate this behavior and the way business leaders may be responding to behavior that they see in their horses and in their equine-assisted workshops.

Katie and Ginny highlight the need for a paradigm shift in how leadership is perceived and developed, drawing parallels between human leadership dynamics and horse herd behavior.

The Leading With Instinct Podcast is brought to you by Collaboration Partners and KatieTheCoach.com.

Takeaways

-Conscious unbossing reflects a shift in how younger generations view leadership.

-72% of millennials prefer individual contributor roles over management.

-Leadership roles are often perceived as thankless and burdensome.-

-Mentorship plays a crucial role in preparing future leaders.

-Organizations need to create supportive cultures for leadership development.

-Engaging learning experiences can enhance leadership skills.

-Shared leadership models can alleviate the pressure on individual leaders.

-Confidence is key for younger generations to step into leadership roles.

-Work should be enjoyable and fulfilling for all employees.

-Understanding generational perspectives is essential for effective leadership.

Episode Resources:

“Why Gen Z is Saying No to Management”

https://www.kornferry.com/insights/this-week-in-leadership/why-gen-z-is-saying-no-to-management

“Conscious Unbossing: Rebuilding the Leadership Pipeline for a New Generation”

https://www.ddiworld.com/blog/conscious-unbossing

“No One Wants to Be a Leader”

https://www.fastcompany.com/91357457/why-its-still-great-to-be-a-leader

Chapters

00:38 Understanding Conscious Unbossing

08:36 The Impact of Generational Perspectives on Leadership

09:38 The Role of Mentorship in Leadership Development

11:58 Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders

14:35 Creating Engaging Leadership Opportunities

21:58 Examples through Equine Experiences

28:27 Action Steps for Emerging Leaders

36:12 Conclusion and Call to Action

Helpful Links:

Ginny Telego,...