944: LEADERSHIP MINDSET: The Gifts of Suspending Certainty episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 17, 2025 · 30 MIN

944: LEADERSHIP MINDSET: The Gifts of Suspending Certainty

from Shameless Leadership · host Sara Dean

I was recently sitting in one of my Change Leadership classes for my Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, and my teacher asked us, “What would it look like if, as change leaders, we were to suspend certainty more often?”  I immediately made a note to myself, “podcast episode on suspending certainty!”  As someone who craves certainty but understands that nothing is certain, I often think about becoming more comfortable with impermanence.  I’ve never heard this referred to as “suspending certainty”, but this term struck me, and I knew I wanted to dig into it with you all!   In this episode, we talk about the importance of suspending certainty in leadership and personal growth. We talk through the benefits of embracing uncertainty, including: Increased curiosity Access to new perspectives Openness to learning and new opportunities Increased surprise, delight, and joy Gifts that come when we step out of our “I got it all figured out” ego Resilience, resourcefulness, tenacity, creativity, fun, and JOY are all born out of figuring out new things, embracing new realities, letting go of the old, and stepping into new opportunities where we don’t know exactly how things will go.  What might happen for you if you felt prepared to step into uncertainty at any time?  Suspending certainty will help you with this preparation.  Episode Highlights: 00:00 Introduction and Exciting Updates 03:35 The Concept of Suspending Certainty 04:03 Understanding the Gifts of Suspending Certainty 11:10 Benefits of Embracing Uncertainty 20:10 Navigating Personal and Collective Uncertainty 30:30 Conclusion and Upcoming Workshop Links Mentioned: Attend my free workshop for women small business owners, Focused and Fierce: Lead with Purpose and Build Your Business in a Noisy World: saradean.com/fierce Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I was recently sitting in one of my Change Leadership classes for my Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, and my teacher asked us, “What would it look like if, as change leaders, we were to suspend certainty more often?”  I immediately made a note to myself, “podcast episode on suspending certainty!”  As someone who craves certainty but understands that nothing is certain, I often think about becoming more comfortable with impermanence.  I’ve never heard this referred to as “suspending certainty”, but this term struck me, and I knew I wanted to dig into it with you all!   In this episode, we talk about the importance of suspending certainty in leadership and personal growth. We talk through the benefits of embracing uncertainty, including: Increased curiosity Access to new perspectives Openness to learning and new opportunities Increased surprise, delight, and joy Gifts that come when we step out of our “I got it all figured out” ego Resilience, resourcefulness, tenacity, creativity, fun, and JOY are all born out of figuring out new things, embracing new realities, letting go of the old, and stepping into new opportunities where we don’t know exactly how things will go.  What might happen for you if you felt prepared to step into uncertainty at any time?  Suspending certainty will help you with this preparation.  Episode Highlights: 00:00 Introduction and Exciting Updates 03:35 The Concept of Suspending Certainty 04:03 Understanding the Gifts of Suspending Certainty 11:10 Benefits of Embracing Uncertainty 20:10 Navigating Personal and Collective Uncertainty 30:30 Conclusion and Upcoming Workshop Links Mentioned: Attend my free workshop for women small business owners, Focused and Fierce: Lead with Purpose and Build Your Business in a Noisy World: saradean.com/fierce Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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944: LEADERSHIP MINDSET: The Gifts of Suspending Certainty

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The Uncaged Pod Jess MacMillan The Uncaged Pod is the podcast for bold, soul-led women who are ready to break free from the cages of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and limiting beliefs. Hosted by Jess MacMillan, mama, keynote speaker, and women's empowerment advocate, this show delivers raw conversations, powerful insights, and unapologetic truths that will inspire you to reclaim your voice, rewrite your story, and rise with unstoppable confidence.Each week, Jess and her guests dive into topics around leadership, personal growth, entrepreneurship, and motherhood, offering real-life strategies, soulful reflections, and empowering stories to help you lead, live, and love uncaged.Whether you're an entrepreneur, a creative, or a woman who’s remembering who she really is, The Uncaged Pod is your invitation to step into your power and live life on your own terms. Explicit Real Construction Talk Compass Leadership Real Construction Talk is a podcast for leaders in the construction industry. The truth is that "as the leader goes, so goes the company." RCT's goal is to open dialog about what really happens on the job site and in the office to help owners and leaders grow, deal with hard situations and fix leadership problems. More info on RCT can be found at http://www.realconstructiontalk.com and is powered by Compass Leadership LLC: http://www.compassleadership.coach. Explicit Studio SheEO Rachael Novak Entrepreneur, successful real estate team leader, mom of 3 and overall life enthusiast Rachael Novak discusses & guides conversations through topics like leadership, lifestyle, business and personal badassery. Her mission is to help growth-minded women evolve into the next iteration of their own personal & professional mastery, whether an intra- or entrepreneur. Listen in to her frameworks around taking ownership and become the CEO, or SheEO, of your life. Explicit All Innovation Dante McClain & Keenan Hart All Innovation is the podcast where groundbreaking ideas meet transformative technology. Hosted by Dante McClain and Keenan Hart, we explore the intersection of thought leadership and tech innovation, featuring stories from visionaries shaping the future.From bold concepts in leadership and creativity to breakthroughs in AI, wellness, and beyond, each episode uncovers the ideas and tools redefining how we think, work, and live. Perfect for curious minds, tech enthusiasts, and forward-thinking leaders, All Innovation delivers conversations that inspire and challenge the way you see the world.Join Dante and Keenan to push the boundaries of thought and technology—one episode at a time. Explicit

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This episode was published on June 17, 2025.

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I was recently sitting in one of my Change Leadership classes for my Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, and my teacher asked us, “What would it look like if, as change leaders, we were to suspend certainty more often?”  I immediately made...

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