The Feeling Leader

In this episode of The Feeling Leader, Kristen De Long speaks with Dr. Lakeya Cherry, a social worker, executive leadership coach, and former CEO of the Network for Social Work Management. Dr. Cherry shares her professional journey from studying psychology and law to pursuing social work, and the experiences that shaped her path through clinical practice, nonprofit leadership, and entrepreneurship.Throughout the conversation, Dr. Cherry reflects on her work as a leadership coach and consultant, supporting leaders across organizations through executive coaching, leadership development workshops, and organizational consulting. She discusses the importance of self awareness, emotional intelligence, and personal growth in leadership, as well as how leaders can develop the skills needed to support their teams more effectively.Dr. Cherry also speaks about the leadership inequities she observed in the nonprofit sector and how that work informed her doctoral research and current consulting practice. Together, Kristen and Dr. Cherry explore the many ways social workers move into leadership roles and the impact that intentional leadership can have within organizations and the communities they serve.Please be sure to follow Dr. Lakeya Cherry:https://lakeyacherry.com/➡️ 📝 🎙️Please check out the Show Notes folder for transcripts, references, and materials for every episode of The Feeling Leader.             ✨The Feeling Leader Show Notes✨(right click to open the link in a new browser)

What makes people feel safe enough to speak up, ask questions, or admit mistakes at work? In this episode of The Feeling Leader, we explore the concept of psychological safety and why it plays a critical role in how teams collaborate, learn, and adapt. Drawing on foundational research by Amy Edmondson and more recent studies on leadership and team dynamics, the episode examines how psychological safety develops within organizations and how leadership behaviors and communication cultures influence whether people feel comfortable taking interpersonal risks. We also explore why psychologically safe environments support learning, innovation, and well-being particularly in social work, nonprofit, and other human-serving organizations where collaboration and reflection are essential. ➡️ 📝 🎙️Please check out the Show Notes folder for transcripts, references, and materials for every episode of The Feeling Leader.             ✨The Feeling Leader Show Notes✨(right click to open the link in a new browser)

 In Part Two of the Chief Co-Regulator conversation, we move deeper into the philosophy and practice of relational leadership. The episode introduces an existential perspective on leadership through Heidegger’s concept of attunement, exploring how leaders must remain responsive to the emotional and relational climates around them. We discuss the importance of leader self-attunement, outline five practical steps leaders can use to support co-regulation within their teams, and consider how these practices translate to modern workplaces, including virtual environments. The episode concludes by examining why belonging, regulation, and relational awareness are not just interpersonal skills but organizational priorities that influence team functioning, culture, and long-term effectiveness. ➡️ 📝 🎙️Please check out the Show Notes folder for transcripts, references, and materials for every episode of The Feeling Leader.             ✨The Feeling Leader Show Notes✨(right click to open the link in a new browser)

In Part 1 of this two-part episode of The Feeling Leader, listeners are invited to accept their position as the Chief Co-Regulator. .Drawing on research by Richard E. Boyatzis, the episode discusses fMRI studies showing how people’s brains respond differently when recalling resonant versus dissonant leaders. The conversation also explores insights from John Bowlby on attachment patterns and how secure, anxious, and avoidant strategies can emerge in workplace relationships, particularly under stress. Listeners will also learn about emotional masking and surface acting in organizations, how mismatches in attachment styles can shape team dynamics, and how resource pressures described in Conservation of Resources Theory can influence leadership behavior and organizational environments.➡️ 📝 🎙️Please check out the Show Notes folder for transcripts, references, and materials for every episode of The Feeling Leader.             ✨The Feeling Leader Show Notes✨(right click to open the link in a new browser)

In this episode of The Feeling Leader, listeners are introduced to their own “internal leadership team.” Building on ideas introduced in the previous episode, we take a closer look at the roles of the prefrontal cortex and limbic system and how these regions influence leadership behavior under both calm and pressured conditions. This episode also takes a deeper dive into three major brain networks introduced in episode one: the default mode network, the task positive network, and the salience network, which help leaders shift between reflection, empathy, and goal directed action. Listeners will learn how to better support the functioning of these systems and manage the natural “seesaw” between reflection and execution in their own leadership practice. This episode emphasizes that leadership behavior is not simply a matter of personality or intention, but is deeply shaped by neural processes and resource availabilty within the brain.➡️ 📝 🎙️Please check out the Show Notes folder for transcripts, references, and materials for every episode of The Feeling Leader.             ✨The Feeling Leader Show Notes✨(right click to open the link in a new browser)

In this episode of The Feeling Leader, we explore the idea that leadership is not only behavioral or managerial but also biological and relational. Drawing on insights from social neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology, the episode examines how leaders shape the neural conditions in which people think, learn, collaborate, and make decisions.In this episode of The Feeling Leader, we explore the idea that leadership is not only behavioral or managerial but also biological and relational. Drawing on insights from social neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology, the episode examines how leaders shape the neural conditions in which people think, learn, collaborate, and make decisions.Listeners are introduced to how experiences of safety, belonging, and social threat are processed in the brain, including research by Naomi I. Eisenberger and Matthew D. Lieberman demonstrating how social rejection activates neural regions that overlap with those involved in physical pain. The episode also introduces key ideas from neuroleadership, including the SCAN and SCARF frameworks, along with research by Richard E. Boyatzis connecting neuroscience insights to leadership practice and organizational environments. Listeners are invited to reflect on their own experiences both as leaders and as individuals working within leadership environments, considering how everyday interactions influence the way people think, respond, and work together.➡️ 📝 🎙️Please check out the Show Notes folder for transcripts, references, and materials for every episode of The Feeling Leader.             ✨The Feeling Leader Show Notes✨(right click to open the link in a new browser)

In this introductory episode of The Feeling Leader, listeners are invited to meet the host and learn about the purpose behind the podcast. The episode introduces the central themes of the series including neuroscience, relational safety, and psychological safety, and explores why these ideas matter for leaders working in social work, nonprofit, and human-serving organizations.Listeners will also hear the host reflect on her positionality, sharing how her personal identities, professional experiences, and social locations shape her perspective on leadership and organizational life. The episode sets the stage for the series by inviting leaders into thoughtful conversations about how neuroscience and relational dynamics influence the environments leaders create within their organizations.➡️ 📝 🎙️Please check out the Show Notes folder for transcripts, references, and materials for every episode of The Feeling Leader.             ✨The Feeling Leader Show Notes✨(right click to open the link in a new browser)