Embracing the Cringe in Your Leadership — And Why It Changes Everything w/Cat Del Carmen | Ep #53

🎙️ Welcome back to Leadership Beyond the Title Podcast! 📜 Summary If you've ever felt like you needed permission to show up fully as yourself — or like leadership required perfection, polish, and playing it safe — this episode will feel like a deep exhale. In this conversation with business coach Catalina Del Carmen, we explore what it really means to embrace the cringe in your leadership — the awkwardness, the vulnerability, the moments where you're unsure how you'll be received — and why those moments are often the gateway to authenticity, impact, and visibility. Cat shares how creating content became the first place she allowed herself to show up as a whole human, not a curated persona. We talk about the famous Cringe Challenge — why doing the uncomfortable thing on purpose grows confidence and presence — and how this mindset can be used not only in entrepreneurship but inside corporate systems and leadership roles. You'll also hear powerful stories from Cat's early leadership career at Nordstrom and Adobe — including: ✨ how leaders who trusted and believed in her shaped her leadership identity ✨ why leaning into your strengths (even if they don't feel "professional") changes everything ✨ how to lead people with different working styles — especially neurodivergent folks ✨ and why servant leadership and honesty build trust faster than perfection ever could This episode is an invitation to stop performing, stop waiting to be chosen, and instead lead from the truth of who you are — messy, brave, imperfect, and powerful.   📖 Chapters 00:00 The Cringe Challenge — What It Really Means Where the idea came from and why discomfort is part of growth — not a problem.   07:30 Marketing Rules vs. Giving Yourself Permission How overthinking, perfectionism, and "doing it right" stop us from being visible.   15:00 Belief, Sponsorship & Being Seen Before You're Ready How leaders who saw Cat's strengths helped shape her confidence and identity.   22:00 Authentic Leadership & Owning Your Strengths Why the qualities that come easiest to you are often your greatest assets.   30:00 ADHD, Motherhood & Doing Things Differently Building systems around who you are — not who the world expects you to be.   38:00 Leading People Where They Are Servant leadership, honest conversations, and meeting people with compassion.   50:00 Final Takeaway — Do It Your Way (Even If It's Different) Trusting your ideas, embracing the cringe, and giving yourself permission.   💼 Work With Me: 1:1 Leadership Coaching If you're a woman of color who wants to grow your career without shape-shifting, overperforming, or silencing yourself — my 1:1 leadership coaching is designed for you. We'll get clear on the kind of leader you are (and want to be), create simple ways for you to be seen at work that don't require you to be loud or "on," and strengthen the relationships that actually influence decisions — so opportunities come to you instead of you waiting to be picked. 🔗 Apply for 1:1 coaching by booking a call here: BOOK A CALL HERE   Where to Find TaSheena Sign up for "A Seat At The Table," my Weekly Newsletter that empowers leaders and their teams to build their own seats at the table. LinkedIn | Instagram | Website