Leadership Matters Podcast
Conversations that help leaders grow, communicate clearly, and lead with greater impact
Discover new episodes of Leadership Matters with the People's Doctors, where both emerging and experienced leaders, across for-profit and nonprofit sectors, find real conversations on every aspect of leadership, from emotional intelligence and visionary thinking to strategic planning and effective succession.
Upcoming Episode
August 12, 2026
The next Leadership Matters episode airs on August 12, 2026, bringing another timely conversation for leaders seeking practical insight and real-world perspective.
What's next on Leadership Matters?
Leadership Matters returns on August 12, 2026 with another conversation designed to equip executives, HR leaders, and nonprofit teams with thoughtful, practical leadership insight.
Latest Episode
Author Spotlight
Is This the Way It's Supposed to Be? — An Author Spotlight with Dr. Undraye and Dr. Loretta Howard
This week on Leadership Matters, the microphone turns around. Co-hosts Dr. Undraye P. Howard and Dr. Loretta A. Howard step into the guest chairs to discuss their new book, Is This the Way It's Supposed to Be? Lessons in Leadership and Lived Experiences — an honest, often funny, deeply personal exploration of the gap between how leadership is supposed to look and how it actually unfolds.
Latest Episode
Is This the Way It's Supposed to Be? — An Author Spotlight with Dr. Undraye and Dr. Loretta Howard
This week on Leadership Matters, the microphone turns around. Co-hosts Dr. Undraye P. Howard and Dr. Loretta A. Howard step into the guest chairs to discuss their new book, Is This the Way It's Supposed to Be? Lessons in Leadership and Lived Experiences — an honest, often funny, deeply personal exploration of the gap between how leadership is supposed to look and how it actually unfolds.
Two kids from Milwaukee grew up just miles apart, never crossing paths until graduate school — then earned their doctorates side by side and built a marriage, a partnership, and three decades of leadership in the process. In this episode, they share the stories behind the book: the cafeteria outburst that sparked its central question, the "Barbecue Blunder" that turned a family cookout into a live lesson on equality versus equity, the first-grade class clown who almost hid his origin story from a board of directors, and the whispered playground moment that transformed an outsider's ache into a leader's superpower.
Along the way, they challenge some of leadership's most comfortable assumptions: that control is real (it's an illusion — influence is what matters), that leaders must project certainty (the best ones lead from "the corner of Confusion and Hope"), and that the past is something to outrun (it's actually your most valuable teacher). Whether you're a seasoned executive or an emerging leader, this conversation will leave you with better questions — starting with the one that changes everything: Is this the way it's supposed to be?
Listen to the audio-only version
Listen Live & On Demand
Listen live or catch up anytime
Leadership Matters airs live every Wednesday at 2 PM/PT. Visitors can watch live on YouTube, download episodes after the broadcast, or listen through their preferred podcast platform.
Tune in live every Wednesday
Watch Leadership Matters live on the VoiceAmerica Business YouTube streams page each Wednesday at 2 PM/PT.
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After each broadcast, episodes are available to download and listen to at your convenience.
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Leadership Matters
Leading Under Pressure — A Clinician's Guide to Stress, Resilience, and the Whole Leader
This episode examines what sustained stress does to leaders and how they can respond before burnout takes hold. The People's Doctors are joined by Natasha Mullen to discuss stress responses, genuine resilience, trauma-informed leadership, and building organizations where wellness is part of the culture.
Leadership Matters
Leaders and Stress: When the Body Sends the Bill
This episode examines how prolonged leadership stress affects the body and mind. The People's Doctors are joined by Dr. Yvonne Bell Gooden to discuss warning signs leaders miss, the connection between unmanaged stress and chronic health conditions, and what genuine restoration and recovery look like.
Leadership Matters
The Weight of the Chair: Stress, Burnout, and the Leader's Well-Being
This episode explores the hidden cost of leadership stress, including sleepless nights, decision fatigue, and burnout. The People's Doctors discuss the difference between healthy pressure and harmful strain, why self-care is a core leadership discipline, and how organizations can support long-term leadership well-being.
Leadership Matters
Managing Stress in the Workplace: What Leaders Can Do to Stay Fortified and Protect Their Teams
This episode looks at how leadership stress affects communication, decision-making, and team morale. Dr. Sheryl White, Dr. Undraye Howard, and Dr. Loretta Howard sit down with mental health expert Jacqueline Manley to discuss stress signals, emotional regulation, boundaries, psychological safety, and supporting team members on the edge of burnout.
Leadership Matters
Most Conflicts Aren’t About What They Appear To Be
This episode goes beneath the words, tension, and friction to examine what is actually driving the conflicts leaders face every day. The conversation explores unmet expectations, unspoken values, identity threats, power dynamics, and how leaders can respond to the root of conflict instead of reacting to the surface.
Leadership Matters
Conflict, Courage, and the Leader's Choice
This episode explores how leaders can face conflict with clarity, courage, and conviction. The conversation looks at why avoidance is the real danger, how to navigate hard conversations, and what emotionally intelligent leadership looks like when pressure is on.
Leadership Matters
The Cost of Doing Right: Ethics, Integrity, and the Leaders Who Choose Both
Ethical leadership is easy to talk about—and much harder to live. On this episode of Leadership Matters with the People's Doctors, Dr. Undraye Howard, Dr. Loretta Howard, and Dr. Sheryl White are joined by Romero Davis for a deep, unfiltered look at what it really means to lead with integrity—even when it costs you. From the ethics of power to the price of silence, they explore the gap between what organizations say and what they actually do.
Leadership Matters
Ethics and Integrity in Leadership
What happens when doing the right thing costs you something? This Leadership Matters conversation looks at ethics and integrity, challenging leaders to lead with courage, consistency, and character when pressure, performance, and shortcuts make compromise feel easier.
Leadership Matters
Team Leadership Gone Rogue: When the Rules No Longer Work, It's Time to Rewrite Them
This Leadership Matters conversation looks at what happens when conventional leadership stops working, and what it takes to challenge dysfunctional norms, build stronger cultures, and lead with both people and performance in view.
Leadership Matters
Leadership Matters, April 8, 2026 Episode
Ever wonder how top leaders actually build teams that thrive? This Leadership Matters conversation explores what strong leadership looks like in action, with practical insight on empowerment, growth, and achieving lasting results together.
Leadership Matters
Leadership Matters, April 1, 2026 Episode
Watch the Leadership Matters conversation from April 1, 2026, and listen to the audio-only version below.
Emotional Intelligence
The Leader in the Mirror: Mastering Emotional Intelligence at the Top
This conversation focuses on how emotional intelligence shapes leadership at the top, influencing self-awareness, communication, decision-making, and the way leaders shape culture.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence: The Leadership Edge You Can't Afford to Ignore
A practical look at why emotional intelligence remains one of the most important leadership strengths for navigating people, pressure, and organizational change.
Emotional Intelligence
Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
This episode explores the connection between strong leadership and emotional intelligence, with insight on awareness, influence, and relational effectiveness.
Visionary Leadership
The Anatomy of Visionary Leadership
A focused conversation on the qualities, mindset, and strategic posture needed to lead with vision in a changing environment.
Visionary Leadership
Becoming a Visionary Leader: Roundtable Discussion
A roundtable conversation on how leaders grow into vision-setting roles and guide organizations with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Nonprofit Leadership
Visionary Leadership from the Nonprofit Lens
This episode considers visionary leadership in the nonprofit space, with attention to mission, stewardship, and the distinct realities nonprofit leaders face.
Nonprofit Leadership
2025 in Review
A year-end conversation reflecting on lessons, leadership trends, and major themes that shaped the work and conversations of 2025.
Nonprofit Leadership
Nonprofit 3.0: When Crisis Becomes the Catalyst for Overdue Change
An episode on how crisis can force long-delayed decisions and create momentum for meaningful organizational change in the nonprofit sector.
Succession Planning
Building Tomorrow's Leadership Today: The HR Guide to Strategic Succession Planning
A strategic conversation for HR and executive leaders on preparing future leadership early and building stronger pipelines for continuity.
Succession Planning
The Succession Question: Essential Conversations Every Nonprofit CEO Needs to Have
This episode highlights the critical leadership conversations nonprofit CEOs need to have before transition becomes urgent.
Succession Planning
Passing the Torch: Mastering Succession Planning
A practical episode on succession planning, leadership handoff, and the intentional work required to prepare the next generation well.
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