Shedding the Corporate Bitch

Welcome to Shedding the Corporate Bitch — the podcast where executive leadership gets real. Hosted by executive coach, strategist, and unapologetic truth-teller Bernadette Boas, this show is built for senior leaders, CHROs, and HR executives who are done with surface-level leadership advice and ready for the conversations that actually move the needle. Drawing from 25 years in corporate — including being fired — and over a decade coaching leaders at the highest levels, Bernadette delivers the raw insights, honest dialogue, and practical strategies you won't find in a leadership textbook. Each episode tackles what's really happening in today's organizations: toxic cultures, burned-out teams, leadership gaps, talent retention crises, and the fear, doubt, and imposter syndrome that quietly undermine even the most accomplished executives. Joined by world-class leaders, HR innovators, and organizational experts, Bernadette doesn't just identify the problems — she hands you the tools to solve them. This is the podcast for leaders who are ready to shed what's holding them — and their organizations — back, and build something that actually works. Follow now. Your next level starts here.

Shedding the Corporate Bitch is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 509 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Shedding the Corporate Bitch, a business show with 509 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #509

  Stop the Anxiety Spiral: The Breathwork Secret Executives Miss

  Sep 15, 202634 min

  We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! Breathwork isn't wellness. Learn the 60-second nervous system reset executives use to reclaim clarity, presence, and leadership influence. About This Episode: Most executives don't realize they're holding their breath through back-to-back meetings. Your nervous system stays in overdrive, your thinking fogs, decisions that should take five minutes take thirty, and your presence—the thing that makes people trust you starts eroding. Breathwork isn't wellness fluff. It's the executive tool for clarity, presence, and influence. In this episode, Brett Aldrich, founder of Seed the Spirit, reveals the exact breathing practices executives are using to reset instantly, step from reaction to solution, and prove their credibility without saying a word. From 4-4-4 breathing at your desk to dual nostril breathing for neutrality, Brett walks through three practices you can start today, plus why rest, not hustle, is how leaders deliver more value. If you're managing your nervous system like a performance problem instead of a body problem, this conversation will change how you think about leadership presence. What You Will Learn: • How to reclaim mental clarity in 60 seconds—the practice that works between meetings • Why your credibility depends on your nervous system and how to prove it • The 4-4-4 breathing technique: when to use it and why it resets faster than coffee • Dual nostril breathing: the practice that brings your body to center • Circular breathing: how to process a nonstop day without burning out • Why rest isn't lazy, it's the fastest path to executive performance • The exact mistake most leaders make that keeps them trapped in reaction mode About the Guest: Brett Aldrich is founder of Seed the Spirit , a breathwork and nervous system coaching practice. After years in high-stress corporate and victim advocacy roles, she recognized that burnout is a body problem, not a mindset fix. Now she teaches leaders and entrepreneurs how small breathing practices compound into big health and career wins. Visit seedthespirit.com or connect on Facebook: Seed the Spirit. About Bernadette: Bernadette Boas is an executive leadership coach and founder of Ball of Fire Coaching . After 25+ years in corporate leadership (VP, Chief Knowledge Officer) and 18+ years coaching 400+ executives across Fortune 500 and high-growth organizations, she was fired for being "too difficult"—the best thing that happened to her. Now she helps leaders navigate burnout, reclaim their presence, and lead from their power. Website: balloffirecoaching.com | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bernardetteboas Resources & Related Episodes: → Take the Leadership Gap Diagnostic: https://balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in → Schedule Your Discovery Call: coachmebernadette.com/discoverycall → The Burnout Trap No One Talks About: https://balloffirecoaching.com/truth-about-burnout/ → Your Team Isn’t Underperforming, They’re Under-Directed: https://balloffirecoaching.com/clear-expectations/ ->The Non-Negotiable Leaders Miss and Why They End Up Micromanaging: https://balloffirecoaching.com/why-leaders-micromanage/ Subscribe & Follow: New episodes every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Buzzsprout. Subscribe to stay connected and never miss an episode. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bernardetteboas | Instagram: @shedthecorpbitch | Facebook: @shifttorich Support the show

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #508

  15 Questions to Qualify Your Next Executive Coach

  Sep 8, 202640 min

  We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! Your high-potential just hit a ceiling she can't see. Your strong contributor is running a toxic sub-team and you're not sure how to course-correct without losing him. Your new promotion deserves better than a "good luck" and a handbook. Executive coaching is the $20 billion industry you're underusing. Most HR leaders and hiring managers know coaching works; the ROI is proven, engagement lifts, retention improves. But most don't hire coaches, or when they do, they hire badly. They lack effective vetting questions, and a framework that doesn't just rely on a certificate that doesn't carry any weight if someone can't actually create change. This week on Shedding the Corporate Bitch , Bernadette walks through the exact framework she uses to evaluate coaches for her 400+ executive clients. It includes 15 total questions; 10 universal ones every leader should ask, plus 5 critical ones if you're an HR or business leaders investing in coaching for your organization. What You Will Learn • How to accelerate high potentials and fix struggling teams through the right coach match • The 15-question vetting framework that separates great coaches from poor hires • Red flags in coach selection and how to spot them in your first conversation • Why chemistry alone is not enough and not all certficates and credentials are a quarantee Key Quote: "The best leaders in the world have coaches. It's not because they're broken. It's because they want to show up as the best leader they can be." Episode Chapters 0:00 — Introduction 0:32 — Why Leaders Don't Hire Coaches (Even When Coaching Works) 1:30 — Who This Episode Is For 3:35 — Why Coaching Matters and the ROI 5:59 — Common Hiring Mistakes Leaders Make 8:00 — The 10 Universal Vetting Questions 32:55 — The 5 HR-Specific Vetting Questions 35:48 — How to Make Your Final Decision 37:35 — Your Challenge This Week 38:00 — Closing Invitation and Next Steps Want to determine if there are leadership gaps that need attention? Take our free Leadership Gap Diagnostic that takes 10 minutes and pinpoints exactly where you need support. Get started: https://balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in About Bernadette Boas Bernadette Boas is an executive leadership coach, founder of Ball of Fire Coaching, and author of Shedding the Corporate Bitch. With 25+ years in corporate leadership roles (VP and Chief Knowledge Officer) and 16+ years coaching 400+ executives across Fortune 500 and high-growth companies, she transforms leaders and teams. About Shedding the Corporate Bitch Every episode transforms today's managers into tomorrow's powerhouse leaders. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Support the show

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #507

  Employee Turnover: The Real Reason 78% of Teams Check Out.

  Sep 1, 202616 min

  We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! About This Episode Most leaders treat employee turnover like a compensation problem or a market problem. Kevin Patrick of Trinity One Consulting spent 15 years inside ERP systems implementations before realizing it's neither; it's a trust problem, and it's fixable. In this episode, Kevin walks through the Dream Manager methodology: a model built on the idea that people give a company their best work when the company genuinely invests in their life outside of it. Kevin shares how a Florida home builder used it to attack a 58% turnover rate in its sales division, and why the math on turnover; lost salaries, ramp time, and tribal knowledge gets into the tens of millions faster than most leaders expect. Stop wondering why your best people leave even when the paycheck is right, and understand the first step you can take to prevent it. What You Will Learn • Trust: why treating people as “a paycheck for eight hours” quietly erodes your influence as a leader • Visibility: how to spot disengagement before it costs you a resignation letter • Results: the real financial math behind employee turnover, department by department • Trust: the one question that gets even guarded employees to open up • Influence: why bringing frontline employees, not just managers, into major decisions changes outcomes Key Quote “Numbers don't lie. Math is math when you do it right.” — Kevin Patrick Episode Chapters 0:00 Why 78% of your team has already checked out 1:54 The catalyst: why business isn't just systems 4:25 The real reason employees disengage at work 6:02 Why the wrong people are in the room during big rollouts 8:57 What the Dream Manager method actually is 10:00 Case study: 58% turnover in a 400-person sales team 14:25 How to pitch this internally: the numbers-first approach 20:00 Inside a real Dream Manager conversation 26:04 Can managers become Dream Managers themselves? 30:21 Your first step: what to bring to the conversation 33:28 The Bozeman, Montana downsell story 35:06 Where to find Kevin Patrick About the Guest Kevin "KP" Patrick is Founder and CEO of Trinity One Consulting and Director of Operations at Anton Systems. A Certified Dream Manager and EOS Integrator with 30+ years in business, he helps businesses optimize operations through AI and people-first leadership. He also hosts The Dream Dividend podcast and coaches youth football in St. Augustine, FL. Related Episodes Leadership Blind Spots: Why Your Best People Keep Quitting with DEBBIE LONGO Why Top Performers Keep Getting Passed Over for Promotion with TIM SHARP Career Path Strategy: How To Drive Your Own Career Direction DOWNLOAD OUR FREE Leadership Gap Diagnostic: HERE Subscribe HERE Support the show

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #506

  The Real Reason Change Doesn't Stick After a Bad Week

  Aug 25, 202624 min

  We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! You've done the work. You've discovered who you are, confronted the fears running your leadership, shed the old story, and started creating something new. So why does one bad day, one hard conversation, one piece of sharp feedback still have the power to send you right back to where you started? In the final 5th episode of the From Stuck to Leading series, Bernadette Boas breaks down why a new identity doesn't happen overnight, a habit takes roughly 66 days to embed, and decades of old stories don't dissolve in a single breakthrough. She walks through the exact 4-part loop that turns fragile progress into permanent, compounding change: building your evidence file, elevating your standards on purpose, restructuring your circle, and treating the whole process as iterative instead of one-and-done. Plus a real client story of a leader who used this loop to recover from a major organizational shakeup without losing the ground he'd gained. This is the fifth and final episode of the From Stuck to Leading series, following Discover, Confront, Shed, and Create — start with Episode 1 if you're joining new, since today's episode builds directly on all four. Go to https://balloffirecoaching.com/podcast to find those episodes. What We Cover ● [00:00] Why you can't accelerate on an empty tank ● [00:53] Series recap: Discover, Confront, Shed, Create ● [03:44] The five steps, redefined for daily use ● [06:00] Why new identities don't happen overnight — the 66-day reality ● [11:28] The four-part acceleration loop: evidence, standards, circle, iteration ● [19:44] Client story: rebuilding momentum after a major reorg ● [25:46] Putting the loop into action — the 4 moves ● [30:56] Bernadette's own story, the closing coaching question, and what's next Key Quote "You can't accelerate on an empty tank." — Bernadette Boas Links Mentioned ● Free Leadership Gap Diagnostic: ● 60-Minute Diagnostic Deep Dive (results walkthrough + 60-day action plan): tiny.cc/diagnosticdeepdive ● Website: balloffirecoaching.com About the Show Shedding the Corporate B!tch is a weekly leadership podcast for executives ready to stop performing and start leading from who they really are. About the Host Bernadette Boas is an executive leadership coach, speaker, and author, and the founder of Ball of Fire Coaching, with 25+ years of corporate leadership experience and 16+ years coaching 400+ executives across Fortune 500 and high-growth organizations. Support the show

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #505

  Leadership Blind Spots: Why Your Best People Keep Quitting

  Aug 18, 202630 min

  We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail! About This Episode Most leaders assume their team's friction is a personality clash. Executive and business coach Debbie Longo says it's almost always behavior, and the leadership blind spot she runs into most is control and manipulation. In this episode, Debbie walks through how a single thought becomes a behavior, why some leaders need to hit a “bottom” before they'll change, and why real, lasting change starts with seeing the pattern in yourself before anyone else has to point it out. Bernadette and Debbie also get into the tension every HR leader and manager feels: real behavior change can happen fast, but it doesn't happen on command, and pushing for speed without patience is often what derails it. What You Will Learn • Rebuild trust with your team by recognizing the one behavior pattern most executives never catch in themselves • Stop the control-and-manipulation cycle before it tanks sales and drives out your best people • Use a 2-minute nightly inventory to catch blind spots before they cost you your job • Turn pressure from your board or boss into a fast, focused action plan instead of denial • Understand why real behavior change can show up in weeks, and what determines the pace • Protect your influence and credibility by leading from awareness instead of ego • Give HR and managers a clear, patient way to talk about the pace of real change Key Quote “I changed my thinking, and everyone around me changed.” — Debbie Longo Episode Chapters 00:01 – Why behavior, not personality, drives leadership effectiveness 00:04 – The mindset-shift example: catching a bad outcome before it happens 00:07 – What hitting bottom actually looks like (divorce, job loss, losing a house) 00:08 – Why HR and managers underestimate how long real change takes 00:10 – The message to HR leaders and hiring managers: patience over pace 00:14 – How control and manipulation actually develops 00:16 – Why controlling leaders can't see it in themselves 00:20 – "I change myself... everybody around me changes" — the ripple effect 00:20 – Where accountability fits in (board/boss pressure forcing change) 00:22 – How Debbie tells a client they're not actually changing 00:24 – The #1 tip: the nightly self-inventory exercise 00:26 – Wrap-up and where to find Debbie About the Guest Debbie Longo is an Executive Behavioral Coach, speaker, and podcast host with more than 24 years of experience helping leaders improve communication, accountability, and performance by changing behaviors that drive results. She equips executives and business owners with practical strategies that strengthen leadership, culture, and long-term business success. About the Host Bernadette Boas is a corporate executive leadership coach, speaker, and founder of Ball of Fire Coaching. Related Episodes The Accidental Leader: Manager vs. Leader Your Team is Being Under-Directed!! 5 Steps to Move From Top Performer to True Leade r Leadership Gap Diagnostic CTA Take the free Leadership Gap Diagnostic → balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in Subscribe CTA Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast app so you never miss a Powerhouse conversation. Support the show

  ListenShow Notes

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.