The Top 3 Impediments to Conscious Leadership (and How to Rise Above Them)
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:00:01 Welcome to Heart Glow CEO®, where high achievers evolve into purpose-driven powerhouses. I'm Kc Rossi, your Integrative Leadership Coach. Join us to break free from people pleasing and burnout. Exploring mindset, embodiment, and soul alignment. Discover expert insights, success stories, and actionable tips for wholistic wealth on your terms. This is where transformation meets the modern, mission-driven leader. Let's go.
Welcome back, beautiful soul. You're listening to the Heart Glow CEO®podcast, where we explore the art and science of conscious leadership, the kind that elevates not only your performance, but your presence, your relationships, and your entire inner ecosystem.
As we round the corner toward the holidays, that liminal space where responsibilities meet reflection, many high achievers start to feel the friction between the lives they've built and the lives they actually want. I'm not sure what it is about this holiday space, but I know that there's a lot of reflection and oftentimes regret. And if you're here, chances are you've already achieved some type of success by every external marker.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:01:24 You're earning well. You're highly capable. You've checked the boxes, and yet there's a tug, a whisper for something more aligned, more soulful, more sustainable. This episode is dedicated to you, the leader who is highly skilled, deeply driven, and just beginning to realize that elevation won't come from doing more, or even doing, but from expanding.
So today, we're diving into the three top impediments to conscious leadership. These are patterns I've seen again and again in my private clients. Brilliant humans that are doing all the things, and by every external peak in people would be like, oh my gosh, she's crushing it. They're rocking it. I can't believe how well they're doing. But when you peel back a layer or two, they still feel unfulfilled, they still self-doubt. They're underexpressed, or they're quietly or not so quietly burning out. So let's begin.
The first impediment is the high achiever identity loop. And it's so interesting. You know, when I looked at this kind of mapped-out idea that came today after I did my piece bubble, which, if you haven't tapped into that, it's something that I offer as a gift every Monday at 8:30 a.m. eastern, we really get an opportunity to understand peace, to dive into our inner landscape, and to connect with community.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:03:05 So a lot of times after I take the time to do that for myself as an inner practice, but then also provide it for people because of that coherence. A lot of cool stuff bubbles up. There's creativity that gets unleashed. And so that's what happened today. Today was really no different. And when I looked at the top three things, they felt so real and intimate because I've experienced them. So it wasn't like book knowledge. It was like, absolutely. This is something that I myself have stumbled upon along the journey, and when you're going through it, you feel like it's just you and that the problems and challenges that you're having are completely unique. And there isn't anyone else who's feeling the imposter syndrome, and there isn't anybody else who's feeling like they have to fix themselves or do more, or work harder or go faster. And so I just plucked out the top three impediments to conscious leadership. And I have a feeling you're going to be able to nod and kind of identify yourself in some of these, if not all of them.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:04:20 And I'm really curious. You can always DM me and let me know which one of these resonated and how.
So one of the biggest persistent blocks that I see in leaders is an identity fused with accomplishment. You know this one. I know this one. Oh my goodness.
Achievement becomes the oxygen. Productivity becomes the proof and approval. Often unspoken, often internal, becomes the addiction. It's sneaky because on the outside it looks like excellence. And this is one actually I was steeped in for decades, especially having my first corporation at age 19.
And it wasn't really until I started deeply doing personal development work and realized why I was driving so much, to be on top and always stay busy, and why I felt anxiety. If there was any kind of white space in my Google calendar. And so we, in general, get praised for this type of constant production, but on the inside, it feels like a treadmill that never stops. I know for myself I would often, if not daily, just wake up feeling behind the ball, which made no sense because it's like I literally just opened my eyes to start a new day and somehow I feel I'm behind and there's no way I'm going to be able to get to my to do list, because I should have so much more done, even though anyone else would be looking at me thinking, what a high achiever.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:05:58 How does she do so much? This high achiever identity loop creates unconscious contraction. Do you know what I mean by that? Like, you don't even realize how you're crumbling in on yourself because it is your normal stance. It keeps you reactive instead of responsive. It feeds perfectionism, people pleasing, and the ability to slow down long enough to hear your own intuition. I have one client in particular who wouldn't even know what I meant by slowing down long enough to hear your own intuition, because she is still. Even though she's asking for support, she is still very married to her old way of being. And despite not wanting to burn out and despite wanting to go to the next level and be that next version of herself. There is such a grasp on the productivity and what she knows. What has gotten her to the couple hundred thousand dollars a year mark? And maybe you can relate to this, too. I know that for myself, when I was in my manufacturing company, that was just like, oh, I don't even know who I'd be if I didn't bounce to every beep, if I didn't jump how high when a client needed me.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:07:32 And so it is going to take some unwinding. But conscious leadership requires you to step beyond the identity of the one who delivers the dependable one. Oh my gosh. Can you relate to wearing that as a badge? That you're the one who can get shit done? The high performer. So this conscious leadership requires us to expand into a truer identity. The one who leads from presence and not performance.
And I also want to break away because I have a Love Coach and I just adore her. She models the way for me, and I've been working with her for over two years. My partner and I have been working with her for over two years, and she just published her first book - It's called The Courage to Rise. Her name is Charmaine Heard. I'm going to drop that into the show notes, because I think it is just a radical piece of honesty. And she's all about relationship consciousness and relationship intelligence. But she truly is, to me, a conscious leader who is modeling the way.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:08:45 And one of the things that she said in our last session was she wanted to write a book, and she wanted to do it in her own way that could continue to foster her core integrity. And what that meant was honestly communicating to the publisher that if you want me to be performative, then I'm not your girl, but I'm going to do it my way, and I'm going to trust that whoever is in the rooms where I'm talking about the book, or picks up the book or buys it on Amazon, I trust that those are the exact right people that were meant to hear my words.
And so this is really something that lands for me as well, that I wanted to tuck it into the podcast, that as we move into this next conscious leadership, this identity, this knock, knock on our door of who we're meant to be. So much of it is coming into leading from presence and not performance, in whichever way that means to you. It could be performing in your next, you know, all-hands-on-deck meeting.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:10:00 It could be performing on social media to keep up with the Joneses and start doing long-form reels or videos or whatever it happens to be, whatever the trend of the moment is. This is where somatic intelligence, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness become your new power tools. When you begin to uncouple your worth from your output, your nervous system recalibrates. And I'm going to say that again when you uncouple your worth from your output, even think about that for a minute. That's such a really rich question to even journal on. How do I uncouple my worth from my output? Let's see what bubbles up for you when you give yourself some time and space to think about that. Because what I know to be true is that when you do, your nervous system slowly starts to recalibrate. That recalibration creates the space required for vision, creativity, and more refinement. Refinement of who you are. Refinement of your sense of purpose. Refinement of your identity. I really feel like this is an opportunity to not just continue doing what we've always done, but really look at our choices and ask ourselves, Am I making this choice out of habit, or am I making this choice out of intention? If you're listening, in December, a month saturated with expectations, this is the perfect moment to pause and ask, Who am I outside of what I accomplish? That question alone cracks open a new dimension of leadership.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:11:54 Isn't that exciting? I find it so exciting that in one question, In one reflection, in one choice, you can literally bust out of the old shackled version of you and start to experience a different level of freedom and alignment. All right. The second impediment is disconnection from self. And I really want to add a part here that even though there is a disconnection from ourselves, we're still hyper-connected to everything else. This one shows up constantly, especially among leaders who are exceptional at supporting others. And so a lot of the leaders that I have the privilege of coaching are very steeped in caregiver energy. And so it's literally like, if you're okay, then I guess I'm okay. whether they're working in profit or non profit. They tend to really be very emotionally intelligent and tuned in and very situational aware. Like there's a very high level of the situational awareness, but they're disconnected from their own self. And I don't know if you can relate to this. I mean, maybe you're connected to your inbox, maybe you're connected to slack and socials, your team, your deadlines, your calendar, and probably you are to get to the level that you are.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:13:32 But my question is, how connected are you to your inner landscape? That is often the last tab open. And sometimes we might plug in an inspirational podcast, or we may take the time to have something that's unique on YouTube playing behind as we take our bath or jog on the treadmill. But when we're thinking about tabs open. How many times do we still have all the other mental tabs open? And can we truly say that we're present, present with that tab of our inner landscape? And the truth is, unconscious leadership begins where self-disconnection begins. There is an absolute parallel there when you're operating from a mind-centric mode, strategizing, optimizing, forecasting. Sometimes I think of this as like the linear, masculine side of things, without the regular access to the deeper intelligence of your heart and your body. Sometimes that yin or that feminine leadership, your leadership, your identity will absolutely become lopsided. And maybe you feel that now it's effective. Absolutely. There's a lot of productivity on the strategy side, but more often than not, it is not inspired.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:15:05 Conscious leadership is rooted in coherence. The alignment of heart, mind, and action and coherence isn't conceptual; it's physiological. Do you get that?
I often say to my clients, we're going to work together by incorporating aspects chin down. And sometimes they look at me like, What the heck are you talking about? Because we are so used to living chin up, being completely reliant on our mind and our logical, linear way of thinking. This is where my heart math work comes in, and why so many high-level clients experience almost immediate shifts when you learn to regulate your system to access calm, clarity on demand, you stop leading from urgency and start leading from grounded authority.
Take a breath here.
As we enter this season, a time when many unconsciously slip into emotional dysregulation. It's crucial to reclaim your internal home base. Two minutes of intentional breath can change the trajectory of an entire day. Imagine what ten minutes could do. Imagine the ripple effect of grounding yourself. Could it change an entire meeting? Could it shift an entire relationship dynamic? You cannot be a conscious leader if you are a stranger to yourself.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:16:55 Reconnection is the gateway. Impediment number three. This is all about legacy without fulfillment. We often hear about modern-day crises. And I do think that this is a quiet crisis among high earners. This one is the hardest to talk about. It's also the most pervasive. I work with leaders who have the title, the salary, the resume, the accolades, they have the influence, the respect, the polished presence. And still in the quiet moments, there's an ache, a sense that something essential is missing. This is the crisis of achievement without alignment. Can you relate to this? I know I can. I used to think I was just an unsatisfied person. Popcorn from this to that, continually looking for the next best thing. Now I know that restlessness came from lack of alignment. When your external success outpaces your internal evolution fulfillment flat lines, you could keep stacking accomplishments. Oh my gosh. I used to joke that I was on a certification carousel. I would get some kind of certification.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:18:22 Great. Boom. Feather in the cap. Move on. What else can I enroll in? Where can I get my gold star? How can I get the badge to prove, to prove my worthiness, to prove that I was worthy enough to even leave a legacy? But all of that stopped delivering the internal return on investment. And this is often the moment someone finds me. Because conscious leadership is not about rearranging the furniture of your career, it's about redesigning the internal architecture. I mean, I absolutely love those two words. I'm a builder at heart. I don't know if it's because when I was little, I would just relish in watching homes be built around our house. And so we had like a, a residence in upstate New York. And at the time they were doing a massive building construction. So at my young age, I would get so excited in the afternoon to race to these building sites and to sit on the unfinished stairs and just smell the wood and to envision who might live here.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:19:40 How might they decorate this? What might the yard look like? I just, I don't know, ever since I was little, I just got thrilled by the thought and idea and visions of building something from nothing. And so when I think about internal architecture now in the context of conscious leadership. I think that whole idea of building something, of rearranging not furniture, but actual infrastructure, so we have more capacity to lead with love. We have more capacity to hold our growth and the growth of others. People that come to us and I feel and I don't know if you can relate to this, but I feel as the external gets increasingly challenging that it is imperative, essential, crucial that as leaders, we actually take the time to increase our internal architecture, that we put in intentional effort to increase and amplify our capacity to hold the space for the people that come in front of us. Those relationships that are calling for something more that need you to have the capacity for their growth or challenge and unrest.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:21:04 Leaders come to me to discover their purpose, yes, but even more so they come to feel alive again, to lead with clarity instead of obligation. To create from vision instead of duty. One of my clients recently said, I've built a life I'm proud of, but not a life I want to stay in. Oh, can you imagine all of the years, all of the education, all of the loans, and you get to this point and you're at a really high level and and you have a great reputation, but you go home empty, and you just keep thinking, oh my gosh, how many decades did I push for this? And is this what I really wanted? That level of honesty is the turning point. Fulfillment is not a nice-to-have. And if there's any kind of voices that are in your head that are not your voice, but society or your parents or whatever, where it's like, you can't have it all. You have to pick. This is your invitation and encouragement to give yourself permission to just delete, just like you would a voicemail.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:22:17 You know what? I don't need to listen to that again. That doesn't serve me. I'm not aligned with that. I get to choose what I want, how I want, who I want to be, who I want to be with. It's your leadership. Fuel source. Fulfillment is what actually gives you the energy to have passion and heat to take aligned action, because without it, you'll keep scaling the wrong mountain. And that's exactly the example that I just shared. My client scaled a mountain. Absolutely. But now stepping back after massive accomplishment, it's like, oh, was that the mountain that I wanted? Was that the mountain I wanted? And I felt that before. I felt that with my manufacturing business of 17 years that I really put everything into it. And I was steeped in the perfectionism and the people pleasing and the productivity to the point of burnout. And at one point, I was like, I actually created an engine, but it's not an engine that I want to be behind the wheel of.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:23:27 It feels more like a monster that I have to keep feeding. And I know that sounds dramatic, and you may not be there now, but this is if you're not. I think that's great. I'm so happy you're hearing this. When you're not at that edge where you feel like, oh my gosh, but if I don't keep doing this, then who will I be? Where you're not at a point to have an identity crisis if you're not threaded in to being the CEO of what you've always been, this is your opportunity to rise above these impediments. It is your opportunity to press pause, especially now when there are so many swirls out there. Coming back and returning to presence. Releasing your outdated identity, reconnecting to your own body wisdom, and aligning your outer leadership with your inner truth. That's the game plan. That is the game plan to rise above these impediments. You don't need another productivity hack. You don't need to do more. You don't need to chase the next title, the next launch, or the next validation cookie.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:24:37 Are you with me? Can we agree we don't need this anymore? I hope I'm hearing a lot of yeses, because what I desire, and I think, like, begets like I desire deeper consciousness. And I feel that that is where next-level leadership lives. If you've been feeling unfulfilled, not broken, not lost, just underactivated. Consider this your invitation. A new chapter is calling. I feel it.
A higher frequency of leadership, a more awakened way of being in the world. And we can't wait for somebody else. We can get inspiration from someone brave enough to go before us, but we actually can't wait. If you've been waiting. This is your opportunity to ask yourself why? And also your opportunity to say, I don't want to wait anymore. That's how I'm feeling. I don't want to wait anymore. As we move toward the holidays and prepare to close out the year, my wish for you is simple. May you soften into yourself. May you honor what's ready to be released.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:26:06 And may you listen deeply to the clarifying whispers of your next evolution. Because conscious leadership isn't a title, it's a practice. If this episode stirred something in you, and you're ready for 2026 to be the year that you rise into your most aligned, powerful, consciously led self, stay close. Big things are coming. Until next time, my friend. Breathe clarity. Lead lightly and keep glowing from the inside out. Thank you so much for listening.
