What Really Holds Leaders Back | Michael Cusick (Part 1)

What if the biggest thing holding you back as a leader isn't your strategy — it's the story you tell yourself?In this episode of Reframe Fix, host Jake Smith sits down with therapist, coach, and author Michael Cusick for a candid conversation about the inner work behind great leadership. Drawing on more than 30 years as a therapist and spiritual director, Michael unpacks why self-awareness and self-regulation — not willpower or tactics — separate leaders who thrive from those who stall.Together they explore the difference between authority and vulnerability, how our nervous system and built-in "negativity bias" quietly run the show, why shame creates distance and feeds the "false self," and what it really takes to show up present, congruent, and fully human. Jake also shares his own story of facing deep shame and finding freedom on the other side of it.A grounded, honest look at the parts of leadership no strategy deck can fix.