Candor & Courage At Work®

Showing Up Fully Without Running on Empty | Ep17

How do you balance a meaningful career with being present for your family, without completely depleting yourself in the process?
In this episode, we talk with the winner of our goal-setting contest about her biggest challenge for 2026: refilling her energy bucket so she can show up fully for the things and people that matter most to her. 
It's a candid conversation about building meaningful professional connections while protecting what you need to show up fully at home.
If you've ever felt like your own needs always come last, this conversation offers both recognition and some permission to approach things differently.
Learn more at candorandcourageatwork.com & connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hr-habitude
 
00:00 Introducing Our Guest, Elena Skorupan
05:46 Elena’s Priorities for 2026
07:34 Deepening Relationships at Work
13:34 Refilling Personal Energy Buckets
16:28 Denise and Maggie’s Commitments for 2026

Ditch the Resolutions, Actually Follow Through on Your Goals | Ep16

If you're tired of setting goals only to abandon them by “Quitter’s Friday” (the second Friday in January), this episode is for you. 
We're sharing a better way to approach goals (that actually makes them stick), inspired by James Clear’s Atomic Habits, lessons from legendary coach Nick Saban, and our own experiences.
Denise opens up about how one candid moment helped her break a lifelong habit of procrastination. We also break down why most workplace goals fail (hint: it's not about willpower) and what to do instead.
If you want to turn your 2026 resolutions into REVolutions, this episode will help you take the first step.
Learn more at candorandcourageatwork.com & connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hr-habitude

Managing Up When The Stakes Are High | Ep15

What do you do when your boss asks for feedback… and you know they might not like the answer?
That question was at the heart of both of our stories in this episode, where we revisit two career-defining moments of high-stakes candor. In each case, there was no time to rehearse, just a split-second choice between staying silent or saying what needed to be said, even if it meant telling your boss they were being a jerk.
These aren't theoretical scenarios. These are the high-stakes moments that test whether you'll show up as the person you claim to be, or retreat into safety.
By the end of this episode, you'll understand why courage is contagious (even when no one else knows about it), how to recognize when someone is ready to hear your candor, and how having "less to lose" makes candor easier (and what that means as your career progresses).
Learn more at candorandcourageatwork.com & connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hr-habitude

Challenge Yourself: 5 Questions for Growth | Ep14

As 2025 winds down, it’s the perfect time to pause and reflect. In this episode, we share five powerful questions designed to help you get clear on your professional goals, especially when it comes to learning with candor and courage at work.
Whether you're looking to stretch your strengths, scratch a creative itch, or lean into your personal brand, these questions will guide you toward a year that energizes (not exhausts) you.
Plus, we’re inviting one lucky listener to connect with us for a virtual goal-setting session in early 2026. Want in? Head to candorandcourageatwork.com to enter by November 30.
Let’s make sure your 2026 is an evolution, not a resolution.
Learn more at candorandcourageatwork.com & connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hr-habitude

The Power of Candor & Courage At Work (One Year in Review) | Ep13

One year ago, we started the podcast with one big question: What would change if more leaders spoke honestly and bravely at work?
In this special anniversary episode, we revisit some of our favorite moments and takeaways from the past 12 episodes. If you’re new here, this is the perfect introduction. And if you’ve been with us from the beginning, it’s a chance to reflect on the ideas and insights that still resonate.
We share why we launched the podcast, how important it is to find the yin to your yang, and why we deliberately focus on practicing candor and courage at work, where the stakes are higher, but the impact can be greater.
Thank you for being on this journey with us. We’re just getting started!
Learn more at candorandcourageatwork.com & connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hr-habitude

Speak Up Without Burning Bridges at Work | Ep12

When the wrong words could cost you trust, credibility, or even your job… how do you speak up anyway? 
In this episode, we explore High Stakes Candor, what it means to prioritize the other person’s success over your temporary discomfort, and why that mindset is essential when the stakes are high. Plus, Denise shares about the time she had to decide whether to live up to her reputation for candor or to be “nice” to her boss.
By the end of this episode, you’ll learn how to recognize “coasting” in high-value relationships, avoid the silent avoidance trap most leaders fall into, and calibrate how much candor is the right amount.
Learn more at candorandcourageatwork.com & connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hr-habitude

How to Build Psychological Safety and Follow Through on What Matters (Part 2 with Kent Vaughn) | Ep11

Courageous leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about asking the right questions.
In this episode, we explore what courage looks like in practice: creating psychological safety, supporting career development for your employees, and following through on what you say you’ll do (even if it means calling every two weeks for ten months).
You’ll learn why psychological safety is non-negotiable, how to see your team members’ goals through their lens (not yours), what courageous perseverance really looks like in action, and how to set one specific goal that you WILL follow through on this week.
 
Resources Mentioned:
Three Keys of Execution
Everyone Can Lead
Blaze Performance
Get Clear Living
About the Guest:
Kent Vaughn is the CEO & Co-Founder of Blaze Performance and Co-Founder of Get Clear Living. Before launching his own companies, he held leadership roles at Kimberly-Clark and Franklin Covey, where he worked closely with executive teams to improve strategy and execution. Over the past 30 years, Kent has partnered with hundreds of organizations to strengthen operational leadership, boost employee engagement, and drive organizational performance. You can connect with him on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/kent-vaughn-a75a795).
Learn more at candorandcourageatwork.com & connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hr-habitude

Why Great Managers Practice Self-Leadership and Build Trust: A Conversation with Kent Vaughn (Part 1) | Ep10

No one brings their A-game to work for a manager who doesn’t “walk the talk.”
In this episode, executive coach Kent Vaughn joins us to explore what it really takes to lead with integrity… starting with yourself. From self-leadership and personal accountability to giving (and receiving) feedback, Kent breaks down the core habits that separate great leaders from the rest.
You’ll learn why intentions don’t build trust, how to use the “mirror test” to stay aligned with your values, why vulnerability accelerates leadership growth, and how strong manager-employee relationships impact both retention and performance.
 
Resources Mentioned:
Three Keys of Execution
Everyone Can Lead
It’s Your Ship
Blaze Performance
Get Clear Living
About the Guest:
Kent Vaughn is the CEO & Co-Founder of Blaze Performance and Co-Founder of Get Clear Living. Before launching his own companies, he held leadership roles at Kimberly-Clark and Franklin Covey, where he worked closely with executive teams to improve strategy and execution. Over the past 30 years, Kent has partnered with hundreds of organizations to strengthen operational leadership, boost employee engagement, and drive organizational performance. You can connect with him on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/kent-vaughn-a75a795).
Learn more at candorandcourageatwork.com & connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hr-habitude

Bonus: The Empowered Career Woman with Maggie Carrington

The rise to the top is full of twists and turns.
 
Maggie was recently a guest on the Silver Divorce podcast, hosted by Lisa McCluskey. In the episode, Maggie shares her career journey and decision to start her own firm at age 60.
 
Maggie Carrington is a seasoned HR strategist and business advisor with over 35 years of experience transforming people operations into powerful drivers of performance, culture, and growth. Trusted by executive teams and boards alike, Maggie has helped organizations across industries. In doing so, she has enabled organizations to enjoy optimized, award-winning team performance, achieved cost efficiencies, elevated efficiencies throughout the employee lifecycle, and helped create transformative employee experiences. Known for bridging the gap between people and profit, Maggie brings a data-driven approach to workforce transformation—ensuring people strategy is a true driver of the bottom line.
To broaden her impact, Maggie founded HR Habitude: Making Work A Better Place To Be® to provide fractional and project-based human resources consulting services to organizations and career coaching to professionals.
In 2024, Maggie and Denise, a colleague, launched Candor & Courage At Work® to share lessons they've learned by being candid and courageous as HR leaders to enable professionals of all walks to use those traits in daily work life to be more successful.
 
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The Empowered Career Woman is presented by Medicare Misty. www.medicaremisty.com.
Email: empoweredcareerwoman@gmail.com
Facebook and Instagram: @emp.career.woman
Produced by: Whitfield Media Group, Chattanooga, TN
Editing: Tyler Owens
About your host: Lisa McCluskey, MBA is a retired Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Physician Sales at CHI Memorial, Chattanooga. She is founder and host of the Silver Divorce Podcast and Empowered Career Woman podcast. Follow the Empowered Career Woman on Facebook and Instagram @emp.career.woman.
This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes and is not intended as legal advice.

Timeless Leadership Lessons from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People | Ep9

More than 30 years after The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People hit the shelves (and cassette players), Stephen Covey’s work still shapes leaders today. 
In this episode, rather than walking through each habit one by one, we’re unpacking the deeper mindset shifts the book inspires and why Covey’s ideas remain essential for anyone who wants to lead with integrity and build teams that thrive.
Whether you're revisiting The 7 Habits or discovering them for the first time with us today, this episode will help you think more intentionally about how you lead and how your team works together.
Learn more at candorandcourageatwork.com & connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hr-habitude