Rooted Leadership with Meredith Tieszen

Send us Fan MailTwenty-five years ago, Meredith was a flight attendant living beneath the landing path at DFW Airport when the skies suddenly went silent.This is the story of her friend Jeff, who was working aboard American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. It's also the story of an unexpected phone call, one of the first flights to return to the air, and a lesson learned at Gate C4 that has stayed with her ever since.In this special episode, Meredith reflects on service, courage, and the people who quietly carry more than they know. The people who showed up. The people who did their jobs. The people who ran toward danger when others were running away.A tribute to Jeff, to the crews and first responders, and to everyone whose life was forever changed that day.Support the show

Send us Fan MailLeadership isn't built in big moments. It's built in the choices we make every day.In this episode, Meredith shares the Four C's that help leaders earn trust, build strong teams, and lead with purpose. Whether you're leading a company, a classroom, a family, or simply yourself, these four qualities create the foundation for lasting influence.Because great leadership starts at the root.Support the show

Send us Fan MailFor about two days in 2008, Meredith was convinced she was about to lose every client she had.A technology failure had begun charging customers multiple times for a single order.Some were charged as many as twelve times.What happened next became one of the most important leadership lessons of her career.In this episode of Rooted Leadership, Meredith shares the five principles that guided her through a business crisis, what true accountability looks like, and how trust is built when everything is on the line.You'll learn:What to do first when a crisis hitsWhy leaders should own problems before explaining themThe difference between making people even and making people wholeHow accountability works when the mistake wasn't yoursWhy the way you deliver an apology is part of the apologyBecause your reputation is not built when everything goes right.It's built in the moments when everything goes wrong and your name is on the door.Support the show

Send us Fan MailThey gave Meredith the worst-performing region in the company.Thirteen states. The worst numbers. Multiple leaders had already failed.Three years later, it became the number one region in the company.In this episode of Rooted Leadership, Meredith shares what she learned from inheriting a struggling business, why difficult assignments can become career-defining opportunities, and the four questions every leader should ask before saying yes to a turnaround role.You'll learn:How to distinguish an opportunity from a trapThe four questions to ask before accepting a difficult assignmentWhat turnaround leaders should do in their first ninety daysWhy the loudest problem is rarely the most important oneHow small wins create momentum inside struggling teamsBecause sometimes the job nobody wants becomes the opportunity that changes everything.Support the show

Send us Fan MailThe first person Meredith ever fired was a woman in her forties.Meredith was fourteen years old.And she did the whole thing crying.In this deeply personal episode of Rooted Leadership, Meredith shares the story of Mrs. Smith, the lessons she got wrong, the one thing she somehow got right, and the leadership principles that took the next twenty years to fully understand.If you have a difficult conversation sitting on your calendar, this episode is for you.You'll learn:Why leaders should never fire for a single incidentThe difference between being clear and being cruelHow to protect a person's dignity, even in hard decisionsWhy your emotions are your responsibility in difficult conversationsThe "grocery store test" every leader should useBecause leadership is not measured by whether a conversation is hard.It's measured by how you conduct yourself when it is.Support the show

Send us Fan MailWhat questions should you ask in an interview?Most people prepare answers. Very few prepare the right questions.In this episode of Rooted Leadership, Meredith shares nine questions every leader should know before walking into an interview, whether you're the candidate or the one doing the hiring.Along the way, she tells the story of a distributor who refused to take orders from her when she was fourteen years old and the leadership lesson that has stayed with her ever since:You can have the authority and still not have it.You'll learn:The three questions to ask any company before accepting a roleHow to uncover the truth about a company's cultureWhat great executives listen for when they're interviewing candidatesWhy titles don't create authorityHow to recognize whether leadership will actually stand behind you when it mattersIf you're interviewing, hiring, leading a team, or preparing for your next opportunity, this conversation will help you ask better questions and make better decisions.Because an interview goes both ways.Don't shrink. Don't settle. Live life rooted.Support the show

Send us Fan MailFor years, I thought strength meant carrying more.More responsibility. More pressure. More expectations. More weight.I became the person everyone depended on. The one who figured it out. The one who could handle it. The one who didn't need help.Or at least that's what I told myself.In this episode, I'm sharing two stories from my marriage that completely changed how I think about leadership, relationships, and what it really means to be strong. One starts with a bed that wasn't made "correctly." The other starts with a spoon sitting on a kitchen counter.Neither story is really about a bed.And neither story is really about a spoon.They're about learning to see the heart behind the action, receiving love when it doesn't arrive exactly the way we expect it to, and discovering that strength isn't always found in carrying more.Sometimes strength is allowing yourself to be loved.Sometimes it's letting someone help.Sometimes it's choosing gratitude over being right.In this episode, we'll talk about:The hidden danger of being the person who can handle everythingWhy high-capacity women often struggle to receive helpThe leadership lesson hidden in an imperfectly made bedHow a spoon on the counter became one of my favorite marriage storiesWhat I've learned about grace, partnership, and being truly seenWhy the strongest people aren't always the ones carrying the mostRooted ReflectionWhat small act of love have you stopped seeing because you've become focused on what's imperfect?Because sometimes the things that matter most aren't the grand gestures.Sometimes they're the little winks from God sitting on a folded paper towel next to a coffee pot.Live life rooted. 🌱Support the show

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when you finally achieve the thing you thought would make you feel enough?In this powerful episode, Meredith shares the surprising reality that success, promotions, titles, and accomplishments can't solve identity struggles.Through deeply personal stories about achievement, self-worth, leadership, faith, and learning to stop defining herself by accomplishments, Meredith explores why so many high-achieving women continue chasing the next milestone only to find themselves feeling the same as before.If you've ever thought, "I'll finally be confident when I achieve _____," this episode is for you.You'll Learn:Why success doesn't create identityThe hidden trap of achievement-based worthHow comparison steals confidenceThe difference between achievement and purposeWhat it means to build your identity on something deeperKey Quote"Achievement can be added to your identity. It was never meant to become your identity."Support the show

Send us Fan MailThe two words that quietly undermine more women than almost anything else aren't dramatic.They're ordinary."I'm just."In this episode, Meredith explores how seemingly innocent language can diminish your influence, weaken your leadership presence, and reinforce limiting beliefs about who you are.Sharing personal stories from her own career journey, Meredith reveals the difference between humility and shrinking and explains why so many women unintentionally minimize their value.If you've ever said "I'm just helping," "I'm just filling in," or "I'm just...", this episode will change how you hear yourself forever.You'll Learn:Why language shapes leadershipThe difference between humility and shrinkingHow to recognize self-minimizing behaviorWhy capable women often struggle to own their contributionsWhat to say instead of "I'm just"Support the show

Send us Fan MailHave you ever walked into a room and immediately wondered if you belonged there?In this deeply personal opening episode, Meredith shares the story of navigating leadership without a college degree, battling self-doubt in high-pressure environments, and learning that leadership starts long before someone gives you a title.Through stories of parking lots, boardrooms, fear, insecurity, and faith, Meredith explores what it means to take responsibility before you feel ready and why the rooms that intimidate us often become the places where we grow the most.If you've ever questioned your worth, your qualifications, or your ability to lead, this conversation is for you.You'll Learn:Why leadership starts before confidenceThe hidden cost of feeling like an outsiderHow self-doubt impacts leadershipWhy courage comes before readinessThe difference between belonging and believing you belongSupport the show

Send us Fan MailRooted Leadership with Meredith Tieszen is a podcast for women who want to lead with confidence, faith, courage, and authenticity in every area of life.Through personal stories, leadership lessons, hard-earned wisdom, and honest conversations about life, business, relationships, purpose, resilience, and faith, Meredith helps women stop shrinking, stop settling, and step fully into who God created them to be.Whether you're leading a business, a team, a ministry, a family, or simply the next season of your own life, this show will help you develop deeper roots, stronger character, greater influence, and lasting impact.New episodes weekly.Don't shrink. Don't settle. Live life rooted.Support the show