00 Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to Inside the Messy Middle: Leadership Lessons from the Field, created to center the voices of practicing middle managers and share honest, unpolished lessons about what leadership feels like in the “messy middle,” especially amid workplace change driven by AI. I'm your host, Meenakshi Iyer, a Strengths-based Leadership and Lean-Agile Coach and Facilitator. My mission to help organizations equip middle managers to turn strategy into outcomes through clear, collaborative, strengths-based, burnout-free leadership. Born and raised in India, and living in the US since 2008, my 27+ year portfolio career spans both countries and cultures, across technology, healthcare, HR, and learning and development, including leading global digital transformation.   In this podcast, I'll be speaking with practicing middle managers - not coaches or experts - about identity and lived experience, leading across cultures and time zones, invisible labor, multigenerational dynamics, influence without authority, and the evolving world of work. Welcome to this global community of leaders in middle management where you feel seen, supported, and equipped to lead at your own messy middles! Cheers, Meenakshi. Connect with me on LinkedIn Learn more about NorthStar Solutions and Services LLC