Small Brave Moves

There's a person on your team whose behavior has become a pattern — the one everyone talks about, but no one addresses. You know exactly who it is, don't you?

Nicole Bianchi names what's actually happening when leaders keep delaying that conversation in this episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast. Because every day you say nothing is a day your team reads your silence as a standard.

She introduces the Being Better co...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast, Nicole Bianchi makes a bold claim that cuts through the noise of every AI conversation happening in boardrooms right now: AI adoption problem isn't a technology problem. It's a leadership problem. 

With nearly two-thirds of organizations stuck in pilot mode and only 22% of workers globally feeling confident their job is safe, Nicole exposes the real story behind stalled AI ...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast, Nicole Bianchi makes a confession most leadership experts won't: she still feels fear. And she's here to tell you that's not a problem — it's the point.

This episode is built around a single reframe that changes everything: fear isn't a stop sign. It's a compass. And the leaders who grow the fastest aren't the ones who eliminate it — they're th...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast, Nicole Bianchi delivers a direct, no-excuses framework to begin repairing broken workplace culture without a budget, without a title, and without waiting for permission.

 Drawing on her years of executive coaching experience, Nicole cuts through the noise on why culture breaks in the modern workplace — tolerated behavior, unclear expectations, and the conversations nobody wants to ha...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast, keynote speaker, executive coach, and leadership expert Nicole Bianchi explores one of the most overlooked drivers of leadership effectiveness: brave communication.

Nicole reveals a powerful truth — leadership is not defined by strategy, title, or experience, but by the conversations leaders are willing (or unwilling) to have. Drawing from her experience working with Fortune 300 lead...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast, keynote speaker and leadership expert Nicole Bianchi gives her take on a powerful but often overlooked leadership challenge: internal resistance.

While many organizations focus on strategy, execution, and performance metrics, Nicole reveals a deeper truth — most leadership breakdowns are not external problems, but internal reactions. When pressure rises, even high-performing leaders ...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast, leadership expert, keynote speaker, and executive coach Nicole Bianchi reveals a truth many organizations overlook: most performance problems aren’t operational—they’re courage problems in disguise.

Drawing from her experience transforming Fortune 500 executive teams, Nicole reveals how avoidance quietly stalls innovation, delays decisions, weakens accountability, and erodes trust in...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast, leadership expert Nicole Bianchi unpacks one of the most misunderstood leadership qualities: executive presence.

Often associated with charisma, confidence, or commanding authority, executive presence is far more nuanced — and far more human. Nicole explores why true leadership presence isn’t about dominating the room, but about grounding it. It’s the delicate balance between strengt...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast, leadership expert Nicole Bianchi explores why leadership avoidance quietly erodes authority, culture, and performance, and how disciplined micro-courage — just five intentional minutes a day — can radically transform how leaders and teams show up. 

Drawing from years of executive coaching experience, she explains why the most effective leaders aren’t the loudest or most charismatic —...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast, Nicole Bianchi explores the neuroscience of brave leadership and reveals why courage is not a personality trait — but a trainable skill rooted in brain science.

Drawing on research around neuroplasticity, leadership development, and workplace transformation, Nicole breaks down what actually happens in the brain when leaders take a small brave move. She demystifies the science behind ...

In this powerful episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast, executive leadership coach and bestselling author Nicole Bianchi addresses a silent epidemic among high-performing leaders: overfunctioning. 

Many mid-level to C-suite executives—especially women in leadership—don’t burn out because they’re incapable. They burn out because they’re highly capable. They step in early, smooth things over, anticipate problems, absorb emotional l...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves Podcast, Nicole Bianchi is joined by Melissa Hurrington—CFO & VP of Operations at Premier Claims, LinkedIn Top Voice, keynote speaker, and advocate for women in leadership.

 Melissa gets real about the unseen work of self-leadership—moving from “performing” to leading authentically. She shares how she traded the polished “CFO costume” for unapologetic authenticity, how she reframed impost...

In this episode of Small Brave Moves, Nicole Bianchi sits down with Nash Mahupete, President & CEO of QLI, a nationally renowned leader in brain injury and spinal cord injury rehabilitation. 

Nash shares his 25-year journey from CNA to CEO, revealing how purpose-driven leadership, mission focused leadership, and a deep passion for people development can transform organizations and lives. 

Nash breaks down how QLI’s people-first c...

In this powerful episode of the Small Brave Moves podcast, Nicole Bianchi sits down with Melanie Marshall — award-winning speaker, filmmaker, and former BBC journalist who spent two decades reporting from some of the most dangerous places on earth. 

From war zones in Afghanistan to political unrest in Tripoli, Mel learned what it means to lead through chaos, regulate emotions under pressure, and find hope in uncertainty.

Together, Ni...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves podcast, Nicole Bianchi is joined by Damon Lembi, CEO of Learnit, three-time bestselling author, and host of the Learn It All podcast. With over 2 million learners served, Damon has proven that companies who outlearn, outlast.

Nicole and Damon discuss:

• How to build a culture of learning and bravery in today’s uncertain workplace
• Why middle managers struggle most with brave conversations and...

Authenticity isn’t a buzzword - it’s the brave, human way of leading that today’s workplace craves. In this episode of Small Brave Moves, Nicole Bianchi explores what it really means to lead with authenticity instead of polished perfection and performance.

You’ll learn:

• Why 75% of employees want more authenticity from their leaders
• The hidden costs of drifting away from your true self in leadership
• How authenticity fuels trust, eng...

Bravery isn’t a personality trait - it’s a skill. And when you develop it, the return on investment is massive. 

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves podcast, we're discussing the impact of one of the most underestimated skills in leadership - bravery. Not the big, cinematic kind, but the everyday bravery that drives trust, innovation, alignment, and performance.

Safe leadership feels comfortable, but it’s costly. Avoiding t...

Feedback is one of the most powerful tools a leader has - and one of the hardest to use well. Too often, leaders avoid it, sugarcoat it, or deliver it so vaguely that it never lands. The result? Teams left guessing, disengaged, and missing out on their full potential.

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves podcast, we unpack:

•  Why most leaders struggle to give feedback (and how it holds teams back)
•  The difference between empty ...

In this episode of the Small Brave Moves podcast, we explore one of the most overlooked truths about leadership and culture: you don’t need a title to make an impact.

When uncertainty is swirling - reorgs, layoffs, AI disruption, hybrid confusion - it’s tempting to shrink back and think "what difference can I make?" But the reality is, every Slack message, every meeting comment, every hallway conversation sends a signal th...