EPISODE · Oct 21, 2025 · 43 MIN
962: La Tonya Roberts: Being Authentic vs Being “Good” as a Woman Leader
from Shameless Leadership · host Sara Dean
One of the trickiest parts of leadership for women, and even more so for women of color, is the tension between being authentic and being “good”. When we focus on being “good,” we often self-sacrifice and push ourselves to uphold someone else’s vision of who we “should” be as a leader. This can be exhausting, unsustainable, and even damaging to our sense of self over time. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to discuss this topic with La Tonya Roberts. La Tonya Roberts is the CEO of Harmony Consulting Group, where she transforms growth-focused organizations into high-performing businesses as a Fractional COO and HR Consultant. Drawing from 18+ years of experience across 30 countries, she helps companies scale operations, build inclusive cultures, and develop leadership teams that drive growth. Listen in to hear La Tonya share: Her pivotal moment of inviting women to be vulnerable in order to find their own form of authentic leadership Why leaders need to be “real people” to the people they lead How being vulnerable as a black single mom impacted her ability to be a more authentic leader Why leaders need to be able to see and hear what is and IS NOT being said How she made herself fit the mold of a “good leader” for many years and then broke the mold to find her authentic voice and a higher level of success How to get what you need as a woman leader to thrive in any given role. Links Mentioned: Connect with La Tonya: harmonyconsultinggroup.org La Tonya on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/la-tonya-roberts La Tonya on Instagram: instagram.com/coachlatonyaroberts La Tonya on Facebook: facebook.com/coachlatonyaroberts [TIME SENSITIVE] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What this episode covers
One of the trickiest parts of leadership for women, and even more so for women of color, is the tension between being authentic and being “good”. When we focus on being “good,” we often self-sacrifice and push ourselves to uphold someone else’s vision of who we “should” be as a leader. This can be exhausting, unsustainable, and even damaging to our sense of self over time. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to discuss this topic with La Tonya Roberts. La Tonya Roberts is the CEO of Harmony Consulting Group, where she transforms growth-focused organizations into high-performing businesses as a Fractional COO and HR Consultant. Drawing from 18+ years of experience across 30 countries, she helps companies scale operations, build inclusive cultures, and develop leadership teams that drive growth. Listen in to hear La Tonya share: Her pivotal moment of inviting women to be vulnerable in order to find their own form of authentic leadership Why leaders need to be “real people” to the people they lead How being vulnerable as a black single mom impacted her ability to be a more authentic leader Why leaders need to be able to see and hear what is and IS NOT being said How she made herself fit the mold of a “good leader” for many years and then broke the mold to find her authentic voice and a higher level of success How to get what you need as a woman leader to thrive in any given role. Links Mentioned: Connect with La Tonya: harmonyconsultinggroup.org La Tonya on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/la-tonya-roberts La Tonya on Instagram: instagram.com/coachlatonyaroberts La Tonya on Facebook: facebook.com/coachlatonyaroberts [TIME SENSITIVE] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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962: La Tonya Roberts: Being Authentic vs Being “Good” as a Woman Leader
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