Leadership Laboratory

About Leadership Laboratory

Leadership Lab is the leadership development podcast for female mid-level managers and emerging women leaders ready to trade self-doubt for confident, authentic self-leadership. Hosted by Jamie McKinney, a former C-Suite leader in male-dominated industries turned executive coach, each episode delivers warm, practical tools built around emotional intelligence, Positive Intelligence, and unshakeable confidence. Then practice and apply what you learn inside the community at jamiemckinney.com/lab.

Publisher

Jamie McKinney | Author, Executive Coach, & Women's Leadership Development Guide

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Aug 2025

Latest episode

29 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

26 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Aug 2026

   Meditation, The Secret Habit Behind Every High Performer

   You don't need an hour, a cushion, or silence to meditate. Two minutes is enough to change how you show up at work. On this episode of Leadership Lab, host Jamie McKinney talks with Rachel Tenenbaum, NeuroTransformational Executive Coach and founder of I AM Living and co-founder of The Reset Room, about meditation for busy professionals, and what it looks like when your calendar is already full. Rachel explains why closing your eyes for two minutes before a meeting does more than calm your nerves. It changes what happens in your brain, shifting how you respond under pressure instead of reacting to it. She breaks down how to meditate at work even on days packed with back-to-back meetings, and why a busy mind is not a reason to skip the practice. There’s one story that stands out in this episode. A woman in the middle of high-stakes union negotiations noticed her fists were clenched. What she did next completely changed how she showed up, and they closed negotiations that day. Rachel also walks through the misconceptions keeping ambitious, high-achieving women from starting a practice, from thinking they have to clear their mind to believing that slowing down will cost them an edge. Rachel coaches executives for a living, and she makes the case that easing stress at work and sharpening focus start in the same two minutes. Press play to hear Rachel guide Jamie through a two-minute practice before the episode even ends. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 The Myth of What Meditation Should Look Like 03:06 Meditation Is the Training of the Mind 08:06 What Happens in Your Brain When You Meditate 11:27 How Physicality Shapes Your Performance 16:41 Three Misconceptions Keeping High Achievers From Meditating 19:50 Working With a Busy Mind Instead of Fighting It 24:23 A Union Negotiation and the Power of Resetting Mid-Meeting 32:28 Meditation for Busy Professionals Who Only Have Two Minutes 38:54 The Sensory Walk and Everyday Mindfulness 41:57 A Guided Two-Minute Meditation to Try Right Now Connect with Rachel Tenenbaum: Visit the I am Living website (https://www.iamliving.us/) Rachel Tenenbaum, MCC is a Master Certified Coach and longtime student and teacher of meditation whose work brings together neuroscience, mindfulness, and leadership. For more than a decade, she has worked with high-performing leaders, executive teams, and organizations, helping them better understand what happens in the brain under pressure and develop greater awareness, steadiness, and choice in how they respond. She is the Founder and CEO of I AM Living and Co-Founder of The Reset Room, and designs and leads executive offsites, leadership retreats, and intimate retreats for accomplished women leaders. Rachel is also a certified Meditation and Mindfulness Instructor, guides meditations on Insight Timer, and serves as a CHIEF Guide for senior women executives. At the heart of Rachel’s work is a belief that meditation isn’t about escaping the demands of our lives or becoming less ambitious. It’s a practice for becoming more present inside them, and for changing how we meet ourselves, pressure, and the choices we make within it. Connect with Jamie McKinney: Visit Jamie's website (https://jamiemckinney.com/lab) Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm (https://hivecast.fm)

2. 

   15 Aug 2026

   Confident Communication: Words to Stop Saying at Work Right Now

   That instinct to soften your ask, apologize first, or ask permission before you speak could be costing you the room. Jamie McKinney says confident communication starts with spotting five common forms of powerless speech and swapping them for language that gets you heard. Jamie points to a research from Stanford on performance reviews that shows women often receive vaguer feedback than men, then connects that pattern to the qualifying language that can show up in our own workplace communication. She shares the exact fix for one of the most common habits at work, asking for permission when you should be stating a fact. Jamie also explains why unnecessary apologies can weaken the way you make your case for a promotion, and why holding silence after a hard ask changes the tone of a negotiation. She closes with the one-line question that can reopen the conversation after a no, a move built for anyone working on executive presence, assertive communication, or self-advocacy at work. Tune in for all five phrases, five swaps, and the confident communication skills that change how you are heard in your very next meeting. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 What Confident Communication Sounds Like in a Meeting Request 02:15 The Stanford Study on Powerless Speech in Performance Reviews 07:00 Permission-Seeking Language and How to Fix It 09:28 Why Apologizing at Work Undermines Your Promotion Case 14:18 The Disclaimer That Discounts Your Ideas Before You Speak 16:21 Backpedaling and the Power of Holding Silence 18:44 The Premature Surrender and the Question That Reopens a No 21:07 Turning These Five Swaps Into Daily Practice Connect with Jamie McKinney: Visit Jamie's website (http://jamiemckinney.com/lab) Get Jamie's Power Phrases Guide (http://www.jamiemckinney.com/resources) Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm (http://hivecast.fm)

3. 

   8 Aug 2026

   Sharpen Your Negotiation Skills Starting Today With Tactical Empathy

   Most negotiation advice tells you to push harder or hold your ground longer. Jonathan B. Smith says the real leverage is empathy. Jonathan is a negotiation expert and trainer with The Black Swan Group. He trained directly under Chris Voss, co-authored the bestseller Fight Less, Win More, and has spent years teaching executives how strong negotiation skills come from understanding the other person before you ever state your ask. Jamie and Jonathan break down how to read the room in a negotiation using a technique called labeling, why staying quiet after a hard question works better than filling the silence, and how a Chris Voss negotiation technique called a no-oriented question prompted a response just 11 hours after months of silence. They also unpack tactical empathy as applied emotional intelligence, the exact phrasing Jonathan uses when a prospect or professional contact has gone quiet, and a simple daily habit that builds negotiation skills in low-stakes moments like a rideshare ride or a rental car counter. Jamie shares how 42 women in her program collectively added nearly a million dollars in compensation last year through their negotiation efforts. If you've ever gone silent instead of asking for what you're worth, press play before your next hard conversation. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Why Empathy Beats Aggression in Negotiation 03:30 What Tactical Empathy Means 05:00 How to Hunt for Black Swans in Every Negotiation 08:33 The Label That Changed a Security Guard's Whole Demeanor 12:51 Why Dynamic Silence Makes People Talk 16:12 The Three Negotiation Tones and When to Use Each One 19:14 Why Data and Logic Alone Never Close a Deal 23:12 The CAVIAAR Method for Getting Into the Right Frame of Mind 26:58 The No Oriented Question That Beats Ghosting 34:39 Practicing Negotiation With an Uber Driver or a Rental Car Counter Connect with Jonathan B. Smith: Newsletter - Salary Negotiation - https://www.blackswanltd.com/newsletter/topic/salary-negotiation  CAVIAAR Method (https://www.blackswanltd.com/newsletter/using-the-c.a.v.i.aa.r-method-to-prep-for-negotiations) Purchase your copy of Fight Less, Win More (https://flwm.pro/amzn) Jonathan B. Smith is a negotiation expert and trainer with The Black Swan Group, and author of the best-selling book Fight Less, Win More. Trained in Tactical Empathy® by former FBI negotiator Chris Voss, Jonathan helps leaders navigate high-stakes conversations with clarity, confidence, and connection. In Fight Less, Win More, he and co-author Derek Gaunt reveal how to apply field-tested negotiation techniques, from active listening to uncovering hidden motivations, to everyday business and personal interactions. The book offers practical guidance for reducing friction, resolving conflict, and achieving better outcomes without manipulation or compromise. A former entrepreneur and seasoned business coach, Jonathan has helped thousands of executives scale with intention and communicate with impact. Whether working with CEOs or family-owned businesses, he teaches a simple truth: the key to negotiation isn’t talking more, it’s listening better. Jonathan is a Commercial Pilot, dog trainer, and avid offshore fisherman. Connect with Jamie McKinney: Enrollment is open for the 3 Pillars of Leadership course! Find more info and book your Discovery Call (http://www.jamiemckinney.com/3pillars) Visit Jamie's website (https://jamiemckinney.com/lab) Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm (https://hivecast.fm)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

15 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Contact Leadership Laboratory

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.