Episode #340
Dr. Ute Liersch: How Resilient Leaders Bend Without Breaking
What if resilience isn’t about powering through, pushing harder, or staying unbreakable but about knowing how to bend, recalibrate, and return to center without losing yourself in the process? That question sits at the heart of my conversation with Dr. Ute Liersch, a German psychologist, leadership coach, and resilience expert who works with high-performing leaders, especially those navigating burnout, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, or major career transitions out of corporate life. She has more than a decade of experience at the intersection of mental health, leadership, and neurodiversity. She brings a rare blend of clinical depth and real-world pragmatism, drawing from evidence-based approaches to help leaders build psychological flexibility, resilience, and purpose without sacrificing wellbeing. Today, she shares some of that wisdom, explaining the truth behind resilience, why emotions are neutral data, and she describes how “nice-looking” rules can actually prevent the necessary actions that leaders need to take. It’s a wonderful conversation with so many nuggets for wherever you are on your leadership journey. To access the episode transcript, go to www.TheEmpathyEdge.com and search by episode title. Listen in for… Why resilience isn’t a “demolition derby,” but the ability to return to equilibrium after stress How emotions can be treated as neutral data points, not problems to suppress or judge What emotional regulation looks like in real leadership moments and why leaders who regulate their emotions create calmer, more trustworthy environments How overly inclusive decision-making can backfire, and how to balance empathy with decisiveness and boundaries How leaders can disentangle past trauma from present-day decision-making to lead in more values-aligned ways "If you want to become more resilient, one of the things you really need to learn is to be courageous and brave and curious enough to start noticing how am I right now? What's my body doing? What are my thoughts? How am I positioned in the situation? An honest reflection of HOW you are, not who." — Dr. Ute Liersch About Dr. Ute Liersch, Chartered Counselling and Coaching Psychologist: Dr. Ute Liersch is a Chartered Counselling and Coaching Psychologist based in the UK, with over a decade of experience working at the intersection of mental health, leadership, and neurodiversity. Her unique blend of clinical expertise and coaching insight supports high-performing individuals—particularly leaders, professionals, and creatives—who navigate anxiety, trauma, burnout, or ADHD. Drawing from evidence-based modalities like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), EMDR, and emotional intelligence frameworks, Dr. Liersch empowers clients to build psychological flexibility, resilience, and purpose. She is known for her pragmatic yet deeply compassionate approach, often challenging mainstream psychology with philosophical depth and a touch of humour. Her latest book is A Minimalist's Guide to Becoming Resilient, full of no-fluff micropractices, reframings, and toolkits In addition to her private practice and workshops, Dr. Liersch speaks internationally on topics like mental health in leadership, high-functioning anxiety, and creating neurodiversity-affirming spaces at work. She is passionate about helping people redefine success on their own terms—without sacrificing wellbeing. Connect with Dr. Ute: Website: drute.org LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drute Instagram: instagram.com/dr_ute_ YouTube: youtube.com/@DrUteLiersch Book: A Minimalist’s Guide to Becoming Resilient: amazon.com/Minimalists-Guide-Becoming-Resilient-Psychologist-ebook/dp/B0F95Z82XF Connect with Maria: Get Maria's books: Red-Slice.com/books Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross Take the LinkedIn Learning Courses! Leading with Empathy and Balancing Empathy, Accountability, and Results as a Leader LinkedIn: Maria Ross Instagram: @redslicemaria Facebook: Red Slice
