In this deeply personal solo episode of the Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider explores the hidden cost of hyper independence — the pattern of doing everything alone while quietly carrying exhaustion, loneliness, and emotional weight.

Drawing from her own lived experience as a leader, single mom, and entrepreneur, Kari unpacks why hyper independence isn’t a personality trait — it’s a coping mechanism shaped by survival, early responsibility, and environments where vulnerability didn’t feel safe.

• How hyper independence is formed through early neglect, cultural conditioning, and survival-based control
• Why capable leaders are often the most overlooked and misunderstood
• The emotional and relational cost of “handling everything” alone
• Why “let me know if you need anything” doesn’t actually help
• How to support a hyper-independent partner, friend, or teammate in ways that truly build trust
• What creates safety, reliability, and connection for people who struggle to ask for help

Kari also shares powerful real-life stories — from asking a neighbor for help during a brutal winter to learning how hyper independence quietly isolates even the strongest among us.

You are not broken — you’re adaptive. And true strength isn’t doing everything alone… it’s learning how to let others in.

🎧 Listen now and share this episode with someone who carries more than they let on.

💬 Start a conversation with Kari’s AI → https://www.delphi.ai/karischneider

👉 Want to use AI to amplify your leadership? Grab our free guide “The 50 Best AI Prompts for Executives” → https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide

In this powerful conversation, Kari sits down with Andrea Wanerstrand, a leadership strategist and executive coach who’s shaped teams at Microsoft, Meta, and T-Mobile. With 25+ years of experience, Andrea shares why emotional intelligence is the new superpower, how leaders unknowingly create fear-based cultures, and why your nervous system is your secret advantage.

They dive deep into:

• What really makes high-performing teams thrive
• Why fake-it-til-you-make-it fails, and what to do instead
• The shift from "know-it-all" to "learn-it-all" leadership at Microsoft
• How to lead through change without burning out
• The connection between self-regulation, confidence, and culture
• The mindset practice that helps leaders stay human in an AI-driven world

Andrea also gives us a sneak peek into her Mindset Maven Method Lab, an 8-week cohort launching in 2026 designed to help leaders stay energized, focused, and impactful—without grinding themselves into the ground.

Key takeaway: Leadership today demands more than strategy—it requires self-mastery, emotional regulation, and authentic presence. This episode gives you the mindset map to start now.

🔗 Links & Resources:

• Andrea’s website: a3culturelab.com
• Connect with Andrea on LinkedIn: Andrea Wanterstrand
• Sign up for the 2026 Mindset Maven Method Lab: https://mindsetmaven.com/

💬 Start a conversation with Kari’s AI → https://www.delphi.ai/karischneider

👉 Want to use AI to amplify your leadership? Grab our free guide “The 50 Best AI Prompts for Executives” → https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide

New Year energy is high, but what separates a feel-good intention from a real, life-changing result?

In this solo episode, Kari unpacks why motivation alone won’t get you across the finish line—and how to turn dreams into reality with structure, deadlines, and identity shifts. You’ll hear:

• Why most goals fail (and how to fix it)
• The concept of the “Far, Next, and Now Vision” framework
• How to use time-bound responsibility to create unstoppable momentum
• The real reason “dreamers” don’t hit goals—and how to stop being one
• A powerful personal story of Kari's own transformation after divorce
• Common January traps that derail your progress (and how to avoid them)
• Why B- work is the surprising secret to staying on track

I’m also inviting you into my Empowered Blueprint 5-Day Planning Experience. If you’re done hoping 2025 will be different and ready to design it with intention, this is where we begin. 👉 https://theempowered.ca/5day-blueprint-challenge

💬 Start a conversation with Kari’s AI → https://www.delphi.ai/karischneider

👉 Want to use AI to amplify your leadership? Grab our free guide “The 50 Best AI Prompts for Executives” → https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide

In this deeply personal solo episode, host Kari Schneider opens up about navigating her divorce and the hardest year of her life — and the unexpected wisdom that came with it.

From the grief of letting go to the powerful clarity that only hardship brings, Kari shares raw insights on:

• What grief reveals about love and commitment
• Why loyalty is rarely what we think it is
• The painful truth behind betrayal and what it actually shows us
• How trust is built (and broken) through action, not words
• Reclaiming your power through self-respect
• What forgiveness truly is — and what it isn’t
• A fresh lens on gratitude, even when life doesn’t go as planned

Each lesson includes powerful reflection questions to help you apply the insights in your own life and leadership.

If you’ve been through personal or professional upheaval this year, this episode is for you. It’s not about what happens to us — it’s about who we choose to become because of it.

🎧 Listen now and step into your next chapter with clarity, strength, and grace.

💬 Start a conversation with Kari’s AI → https://www.delphi.ai/karischneider

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Want to use AI to amplify your leadership? Grab our free guide “The 50 Best AI Prompts for Executives” → https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide

What does abundance look like when your life feels like it’s crumbling?

In this deeply personal solo episode, Kari pulls back the curtain and shares what’s really going on behind the scenes: an unexpected divorce, moving homes under pressure, and facing major uncertainty—while running a business and parenting solo.

But instead of waiting for it all to be “figured out,” she brings you inside her live-time process of creating abundance from the ground up.

Key Takeaways:

• Why scarcity and survival thinking feel useful—but keep you stuck
• Kari’s personal framework for generating emotional abundance
• The 4 feelings that define abundance (especially when it's not external): Confidence, Connection, Freedom, Fulfillment
• How to anchor into self-leadership when everything is unclear

Who this is for: Leaders navigating change, business owners facing uncertainty, anyone trying to hold it together when life goes sideways—and still grow through it.

Don’t just survive your hard seasons. Learn how to thrive inside them. Listen now + share with a friend who needs this.

💬 Start a conversation with Kari’s AI → https://www.delphi.ai/karischneider

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Want to use AI to amplify your leadership? Grab our free guide “The 50 Best AI Prompts for Executives” → https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide

In this compelling conversation, host Kari Schneider welcomes Reuven Shelef, CEO of Out of the Box Consulting and creator of the Untangling Complex Challenges methodology.

Reuven shares how a childhood of working citrus orchards and septic lines gave him an early relationship with quality, discomfort, and problem-solving. From strategic engineering to human behavior, his work now helps leaders and organizations move from confusion to clarity—and into decisive, aligned action.

• The surprising spiritual and sensory roots of Reuven’s methodology
• How to shift from patching symptoms to solving root causes
• The 7-step process to untangle any personal or business challenge
• Why documenting, mapping, and visual thinking matter more than ever
• How to move from insight to action—even when you feel overwhelmed
• The one thing most people miss in creating real transformation
• Aligning who you are with what you do for long-term fulfillment

Whether you're a leader feeling stuck, a team grappling with cross-functional breakdowns, or simply someone who wants more flow in your life—this conversation will reframe how you approach complexity.

📌 Connect with Reuven: https://reuvenshelef.com/ Book a free strategy call with Reuven: https://meetreuven.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reuvenshelef/

💬 Start a conversation with Kari’s AI → https://www.delphi.ai/karischneider

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Want to use AI to amplify your leadership? Grab our free guide “The 50 Best AI Prompts for Executives” → https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide

This is the episode to reset, recalibrate, and intentionally step into your next year. In this solo episode, Kari walks you through the critical importance of end-of-year reflection — not for nostalgia, but for real transformation.

Discover:

• Why top performers use reflection to elevate performance (Harvard study: +23% increase).
• The neuroscience behind cognitive drag and how to clear it.
• How to use integration over information to actually grow.
• The powerful concept of identity recalibration — becoming the version of yourself your future needs.
• A simple yet profound 3-step reflection framework (Review. Release. Recalibrate).
• How Kari’s personal reflections helped her through divorce, illness, and the restoration of Wick Cliff Lodge.

You’ll also get a sneak peek of Kari’s LIVE Year-End Reflection Workshop on Dec 17 — with guided prompts, music, and a powerful group environment to deepen your transformation.

🎯 Stop autopiloting through your life. Start leading it. Join us for this soul-shifting ritual and learn how to drop the emotional clutter and design your next chapter — with clarity and purpose.

👉 Link to register for the Live Year-End Reflection Event: https://theempowered.ca/reflection 👉 Free Workbook Included

💬 Start a conversation with Kari’s AI → https://www.delphi.ai/karischneider

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Want to use AI to amplify your leadership? Grab our free guide “The 50 Best AI Prompts for Executives” → https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide

Ever felt like your message didn’t land the way you intended?

In this solo episode of The Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider breaks down one of the most overlooked (yet constant) challenges in leadership and relationships: the interpersonal gap—when what you mean and what’s heard don’t match.

Coined by John Wallen, this concept helps explain everything from workplace tension to misunderstandings at the dinner table. Kari shares:

• The 7 signs that you’re stuck in a communication gap
• A powerful framework to bridge the gap in real time
• How emotional filters, body language, and culture shape what people actually hear
• 3 tools to build advanced communication skills (spoiler: it’s not about talking more)

Whether you're leading a team, managing a household, or navigating high-stakes conversations, this episode gives you the clarity and insight to communicate with impact—and finally feel understood.

💡 Key Takeaway: Advanced communication isn’t about saying it right—it’s about being understood deeply.

IIf you’re ready to go deeper into communication that builds trust and connection, revisit this foundational episode: Ep. 317 – Communication for Connection - https://bit.ly/CommunicationForConnection-ETP-iTunes

💬 Start a conversation with Kari’s AI → https://www.delphi.ai/karischneider

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Empowered Team and take your leadership to the next level: https://theempowered.ca/team-learn-more

👉 Want to use AI to amplify your leadership? Grab our free guide “The 50 Best AI Prompts for Executives” → https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide