Leadership Beyond the Title · 2026-07-01 · 15 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
17 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
After taking most of spring off from content creation, Tichina launched a summer experiment to rethink how she shows up as a leader and communicator. A quarter of the way through her planned episodes and weekly Substack newsletters, she's candid about still not showing up the way she wants while extracting valuable lessons applicable to anyone trying new things professionally. The episode centers on three core realizations: first, that experimentation has always been her path to growth and influence - taking on unfamiliar projects without perfect preparation forced her into new rooms and networks. Second, that vulnerability and sharing behind-the-scenes work actually builds trust more than perfection; she's learning to tell stories about her coaching practice, personal failures, and growth without violating client confidentiality. Third, that following her gut matters more than over-studying or waiting for perfect conditions - she references her sons' approach to sports (making mistakes, rebounding, and continuing) as a metaphor for her content and coaching work. For B2B leaders and entrepreneurs experimenting with new content strategies, positioning, or business pivots, this episode offers practical reassurance that working in public, making mistakes, and iterating beats polished inaction.
She's spending the summer leading through every season of life by publishing new podcast episodes every Wednesday and weekly Substack newsletters, shifting from her previous absence in spring to show up in long-form content rather than heavily on social media like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
As an introvert, she feels self-promotion is over the top and not humble; she also fears judgment, wrong impressions, and doesn't want spotlights, but she's learning that people actually want to see leaders work in public and share their real stories and struggles.
Waiting for perfect conditions, over-studying, or trying to have everything buttoned up before launching means you miss opportunities that come from visibility and iteration; her example of becoming a coach and getting offered an internal coaching role only happened because she visibly displayed her new skill.
Stop over-preparing and waiting for ideal resources or certainty before acting on ideas you've had; instead, ship imperfect work early, learn as you go (flying the plane while building it), and trust that execution reveals the right path better than endless study.
She observes they make constant mistakes but don't stop the game - they rebound and keep going, which she applies to her coaching and podcast: missing the mark on views or clarity doesn't mean stopping; you gather yourself and try again.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode consists almost entirely of personal reflection and motivational platitudes (experimentation is good, vulnerability builds trust, follow your gut) that are already well-established in leadership discourse. There are virtually no novel, non-obvious claims or frameworks that would teach a B2B operator something they haven't already encountered. The content is largely throat-clearing about the speaker's creative process rather than substantive business lessons.
It's okay to try different things out. It's okay to try and see what works or what doesn't work.
People actually don't trust the person who's always perfect. They trust the person who's willing to be open, to have courage.
The thinking here is entirely recycled from mainstream leadership and personal development canon: vulnerability as a leadership tool, experimentation as learning, overcoming perfectionism, authenticity over polish. The sports metaphor (missing a basket, getting your rebound) is commonplace. There is no contrarian positioning, first-principles thinking, or fresh intellectual contribution - only repackaging of familiar wisdom.
People can copy you, but they can't. They don't have your flavor, they don't have your style.
Courage literally is a Latin word that means throwing your heart over the fence.
This is a solo episode with no guests. The speaker is a coach/podcaster reflecting on her own practice, not a seasoned operator with demonstrable scale or a track record of building, managing, or scaling a significant business. Without guest voices or evidence of substantial operational achievement, this dimension does not apply.
I am really trying to find my voice. I'm really trying to learn how to become a better speaker.
The episode contains almost no concrete data, named examples, metrics, or verifiable evidence. The speaker mentions she does 'lots of team coaching, lots of individual coaching' and received one email compliment, but provides no numbers, timelines, company names, revenue figures, or measurable outcomes. Everything is vague and anecdotal.
I got an email today that said, tichina, so many, um, light bulbs went off today when we coached together.
Business is good. Lots of team coaching, lots of individual coaching.
This is a solo monologue with no host-guest interaction, follow-up questions, or productive disagreement. The speaker meanders through topics without sharp structure, loses train of thought multiple times ('I'm, um, I'm, um. Yeah, I'm not keeping count'), and there is no one to probe deeper, challenge claims, or sharpen thinking. The delivery is conversational but lacks intellectual rigor.
I'm, um, I'm, um. Yeah, I'm not keeping count, as you can see.
And I wanted to share that a part of doing that was because I wanted to or I am learning how to really show up in the right way, which is my way.
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
I'm about a quarter of the way into my summer series - and I wanted to pull back the curtain on the experiment itself. This summer, I decided to come back and show up differently: a new podcast episode every Wednesday, weekly Substack newsletters, long-form content, and finding my own voice instead of copying how everyone else does it. Four-ish episodes in, I'm still figuring it out - and that's exactly the point. This is an honest, behind-the-scenes check-in on how it's going: what I'm learning, what I'm still not doing the way I want to, and why leading imperfectly in public is part of becoming.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: So I am a quarter of the way in with some of the podcast episodes that I have planned out for this summer where I am doing this experiment, I would call it, of leading through every season of life. And this summer I just decided that I wanted to come back in a different way that I had spent so much time, I spent all of pretty much spring without a podcast episode, without coming and showing up. And I was thinking a lot about what that looked like. And so in this episode today, I just want to share how's it going, how's the experiment going with me and my podcast and some of the other things in my business and just let you get a little view in of how I'm leading my business in this season of life. Welcome back to Leadership beyond the title podcast. This summer I am talking about leading in every season of life where I am bringing you a new episode every Wednesday. And I'm just exploring stories, my stories, the stories of my clients and how we are showing up and becoming leaders at in this day and age. And so if you haven't watched or haven't tuned in to any of the episodes before this, go back, listen to them. You're in for a treat. Now let's get into this episode. So I just wanted to come before you because I'm sure a lot of you are saying to yourself, what's going on with Tichina? I transparently have not shown up a lot on social spaces. So when I say social spaces, I mean the Instagram, the TikToks, the LinkedIns, and I've spent more of my time focusing on my podcast and my substack newsletters. And I wanted to share that a part of doing that was because I wanted to or I am learning how to really show up in the right way, which is my way. There's no really right or wrong way. But I really want to show up in a way that was different than I had been before. And I'm experimenting with long form content. Well, the reality is I'm still not showing up, um, completely as I want to. But again, this is an experiment. I've only done, I think, four other episodes before this, or this may be the fourth. I'm, um, I'm, um. Yeah, I'm not keeping count, as you can see. And I have done substack newsletters every week and I am still not showing up the way that I want to. But I have a lot of things that I am learning and a lot of things that I am thinking about doing going forward for the rest of the summer. And I think that this will help you, especially as you become a new leader, as you start to experiment, whether it's in your business or in your career, on what works, what doesn't work, and what a good experiment actually looks like. And I want to be forthcoming, I want to be honest about some of the things that I'm not doing, some of the things that I am doing. And working the public is cringy, it's uncomfortable. But I feel like this is a part of that. Becoming, becoming a better speaker, becoming a better podcaster, becoming a better writer, not focusing or using AI for everything, Please, no, don't do that. But really finding my voice again after I have for so long felt like I needed to copy, that I needed to create like other people created and instead really learning myself and what matters most to me. So here's what I'm learning now. The first thing is I am realizing to myself that I have always experimented in every part of my life. When I think back to earlier in my career, when I would raise my hand all the time and I would say things like, I'll do it or I'll try it out, typically these were things that were brand new. I didn't have the skills, I didn't have the connections or the relationships to get it right. And I also didn't have the, um, kind of like the systems thinking that is required for a lot of the projects and things that I hopped on. But I did it and I did it because I knew that in a way it will, would grow me, it would help me to learn new skills, it would help me to figure out different parts of myself, what I liked, what I didn't like. And eventually it'd put me in rooms and at, uh, tables that I hadn't been at before so that I can have a different type of influence. And while I am out here trying and just figuring it out all on my own, in many ways I am literally out here in the wild and I'm trying to find something and I'm trying to discover myself and I'm trying to discover my style and I am experimenting. And that feels good to me when I reflect back on how I have come to be successful in area every area of my life. It has through been through trying things. And so my first kind of learning lesson and thing that I would share with you is in your career or in your life, it's okay to try different things out. It's okay to try and see what works or what doesn't work. And yes, it's going to be cringy. Yes. It's not going to feel good. But I guarantee you when you get to the other side, you'll be so grateful that you took that step that you dipped your toe in that water. Because although I don't know everything yet and I don't have a finalized style and I'm still in the midst of experimenting, experimentation, it feels good of what I'm learning so far, which is one, you can always try something out and you can experiment. The second thing that I'm learning more how to do is sharing my story, sharing my voice often and just putting it out there. Now, I will be honest with you, I'm not the most put myself out there to my own horn type of person as an introvert. I feel like that's just over the top. It's too much work. And quite honestly, like it's not humble like I want it to be because, you know, they say Kendrick Lamar says be humble, right? And so literally, I feel like sometimes that I don't want to do that one because I don't want the spotlight on me. I don't want to be judged. I don't want people to get the wrong impression of me. But I'm coming to find out that actually people do want to see you work in public. People do want to see what you're doing and they want you to share your life. And so I'm learning different ways to do that. Of course you all, uh, see my children, you saw, you see some of my coaching work that I do. But I don't always share what I am experiencing. My own personal stories and sometimes I don't even share my clients stories because I hold a uh, true confidential line and boundaries with that. I really believe in confidentiality. And so I'm not going to put everything out there. But I'm learning there are ways to talk about the stories without sharing who the person is. And so the thing for me is like I have to be willing to share. I have to be willing to let people behind the curtain to see what I'm learning to know that I'm not showing up, um, in perfection all the time. I'm working at it. I'm trying things out. And so many of us, we try to be perfect when we walk into rooms, when we go into organizations. And some current research that I read was that people actually don't trust the person who's always perfect. They trust the person who's willing to be open, to have courage. If you don't know Courage literally is a Latin word that means throwing your heart over the fence. And so you can imagine, like, you just throwing your heart over there for the world to see out of your body and see what happens is cringy. It's uncomfortable. But it's something that you have to do if you're growing, because you're going to have to talk about your failures, your weaknesses, your strengths. You're going to have to show people what you're interested in, what you can do, what you can't do. You're going to have to ask people for help. And that is one of the things that I always struggled with because I always thought, uh, like, if I ask people to help me, m, I'm sharing my weakness. One, but two, if I'm asking them to help me, I'm sharing them where my mindset is at and what I want to do. And I'm wondering if they're going to copy me and get there before I do. And so I've had to learn this lesson really, really, like, lots of time, meditating, reflecting, journaling on, nobody's out to take your stuff. And even if they do try to take your stuff, they can't do it like you, Right? My husband always tells me, people can copy you, but they can't. They don't have your flavor, they don't have your style. They can't do it the way you do it. And so as I'm learning and I'm experimenting with this thing, I'm learning different techniques, different ways to do different things and that I have to be willing to share that. Because who knows what may happen? Who knows who may step in and say, hey, do it like this. Or, hey, do you know you could do this? Or hey, did you know that this person, um, can get you the resources for whatever it is? Or like back in the day, when I became a coach, like, seeing that, putting that certificate in the wall, somebody came up to me and said, hey, did you know that there's a new coaching function or department and you could be a coach in the organization? That would have never happened if I never showed what I was doing. And so I encourage you, if you are new in some type of capacity, new, enroll. If you're new to trying things out, show people what you're doing. And even if you're not new, maybe you're new to doing that thing. Maybe the thing, the project that you're on is new. Be willing to share what you are doing. And the last thing that I'm learning is follow your Gut. There are so many things that I see out on the Internet and I did not follow my gut. And they were like ideas that I had long time ago and I didn't act on them. One, because I thought it had to be perfect. Two, maybe I didn't feel I was equipped or I didn't have the resources, or I wasn't going to do it right, or I was going to study more. If you know me, you know, I'm a learner. I'm going to study, study, study, study. And so sometimes I find myself overstudying and over trying to learn something instead of just putting it out and learning as I go, like flying the plane while I build it. And I've had to learn that that is not always the most appropriate thing. And so, you know, this has been a journey for me. It's only been a couple of weeks. Of course, it's only been four weeks. And that's all good. But I want you to know where I am with it right now, because I think it's important for you to know that there will be moments that I can't do it all. I can't show up on all the social channels and the podcast and the, um, sub stacks. I can't do it all. Um, um. I've been wanting to go live and do different live things like I did before on LinkedIn, and I haven't been able to do that because I'm still trying to find my coach identity. I'm still trying to find out what it is that I want to be bring that's unique enough for the market. Now, y', all, I got certifications, I got degrees, I got a lot of different things that I can do. The issue isn't if I can do it. I know I can do it. The issue is I haven't put myself out there enough and I haven't experimented enough. And I'm trying to be too perfect all the time. And so that is something that I am trying to, you know, kind of get over and overcome. I look at my sons a lot and they play sports, so basketball, football. If you know me, you know, that's my thing. Sports is my jam. And being a sports mom is everything to me. And I look at them and I realize how much, how many mistakes they make in a game. Like, they make mistakes all the time. But you know what? They make a mistake and then they have to keep on going. You don't stop in the middle of this, in, uh, the middle of the game just because you didn't make the basket. You gotta keep going, get your rebound, and keep going. And so I'm learning, even in my coach role, even in doing this podcast, I may miss the mark. I may not have as many views or as many comments, but guess what? After I shoot the ball, I'm going to try to get my rebound. I'm, um, gather myself up together, and I'm going to try, uh, again. And in the process, there will be people I pass the ball to, and they're going to be able to pass it back. That is the way that I am thinking about this, because it's not going to be perfect. It's not going to be buttoned up the first time. And so continue to be with me on this journey. I am really trying to find my voice. I'm really trying to learn how to become a better speaker. I think that is most important for me. I am trying to be more clear about what I want to say and really just provide you with the lessons and the growth and the behind the scenes of my business and what I'm doing now. I do want to tell you, business is good. Lots of team coaching, lots of individual coaching. I got an email today that said, tichina, so many, um, light bulbs went off today when we coached together. Thank you so much. And that's. That's all I want to bring. That's all I want to do. And so I hope that you stay with me on this journey. I'm learning, I'm experimenting. Follow me on any of the social channels, come and follow my substack, follow my podcast, and just be with me. If ever you want to connect with me, those are the places to go. All right, talk to you soon. Bye.
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