Lead From Where You Are: Embracing Everyday Influence

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In this episode, Nathan revisits one of Brian Schubring's earliest blog posts, "Lead From Where You Are," written in 2012. The wisdom in this post is simple but powerful: meaningful influence doesn’t always come from formal leadership roles or big platforms. Instead, it often happens in quiet, everyday moments of relationship and presence.

Nathan connects these reflections to themes found in Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane, the new book by Dr. Linda and Brian Schubring. Just as the character OC learns that flight begins with small, playful steps, leaders are reminded that transformation starts not with the destination, but with paying attention to the here and now.

Whether you’re leading a team, a classroom, or your own family, this episode will remind you that you don’t need to be “in charge” to make an impact. You just need to show up.

Reflection Questions:

• What’s one small, unnoticed moment today where you could show up more fully?
• Who around you could use your attention, presence, or support?
• Are you focused more on outcomes than the process? What would it look like to shift your focus?
• What dream or goal are you holding onto? How might your next step be smaller—and closer—than you think?

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about Unfolded at schubrings.com
• Subscribe to the Leadership Vision Podcast and explore past episodes
• Want to bring this kind of leadership development to your organization? Visit leadershipvisionconsulting.com

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

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The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to the Leadership Vision Podcast,
our show helping you buildpositive team culture.
Our consulting firm has beendoing this work for the past 25
years so that leaders arementally engaged and emotionally
healthy.
To learn more about what we do,click the link in the show
notes or visit us on the web atleadershipvisionconsultingcom.
Hello everyone, my name isNathan Freeberg and I have sort

(00:22):
of a mini episode here for youtoday.
I was going back through oldblog posts and I found something
that Brian had written way backwhen we were just starting the
blog.
I was convincing him that thiswas a good idea, and so he sent
me something that he had beenworking on and I want to read it
for you here today, because tome it just echoed some of the

(00:46):
themes that are in their newbook, linda, and Brian's book
Unfolded Lessons inTransformation from an Origami
Crane.
So let me read you this oldblog post and I want to draw a
couple connections, and then Iwould love to know your thoughts
on it.
So the blog post was titledLead from when you Are,
published August 6th of 2012.
So the blog post was titledLead From when you Are,

(01:09):
published August 6th of 2012.
When we look only foropportunities to lead, we often
miss the more frequent and morecommon opportunities for
meaningful influence.
Influence of others through themore common, relational and
unsuspecting moments make themost lasting impact.
But in doing so, we need to payattention more, a lot more.
I believe by focusing on beinga leader, many people lose track

(01:32):
of being right, where they areon the next step, the small
moments of influence, commonmoments, moments of relationship
.
And so he asks where are you?
What is your next step?
Who is with you?
What is your next step?
Who is with you?
What is your tempo to living?
Now, brian here is notadvocating that we don't have an
objective, an end goal or adestination.

(01:54):
All he is asking is that we donot lose sight of what and who
are immediately around us andhow we are giving ourselves into
the commonality of each step.
And one of the things I loveabout that and what really
resonated with me is this linehere when we look only for
opportunities to lead, we oftenmiss the more frequent and more

(02:18):
common opportunities formeaningful influence.
For meaningful influence, Ithink.
For me, he really reminded me,and hopefully reminded all of us
, that real leadership is lessabout seizing a platform and
more about being present rightwhere we are, with the people
around us, in everyday momentsthat often go unnoticed.
I can think of a lot of parentsI've talked to who have older

(02:41):
kids that feel like they misssome of these moments because
they were always focused on thisend goal or this bigger thing.
Or I can think of moments in myown life where I have been so
focused on achieving this thingor hitting this goal or this
milestone that I have missed allof this stuff along the way,
and it's taken a lot of forcefuleffort to slow down and pay

(03:05):
attention.
So now fast forward to 2025,their book Unfolded Lessons in
Transformation from an OrigamiCrane by Dr Linda and Brian
Schubring, you'll hear echoes ofthat same idea that Brian wrote
about so long ago, only deeperor maybe more refined and lived.
In the book Unfolded, we meetOsi, the main character, who's

(03:27):
an origami crane with a dream tofly.
But the story isn't just aboutreaching the sky.
It's about every crease, everyfold along the way, all of those
small little moments andmistakes and relationships and
reflections that become part ofthis map that shapes her, the

(03:47):
character and, ultimately, allof us.
So, just like Brian wrote.
What was that 13 years ago now,when we focus only on that end
goal, we risk losing the wisdomof the next step, that common
moment, the person that'sstanding right in front of us or
right beside us.
So, whether you are currentlyin a mountaintop season, a

(04:08):
mountain fold we'll call it anorigami or feeling stuck in a
valley, those valley foldmoments, I think the book
Unfolded, and also Brian'sReflection from 2012, reminds us
again to ask where am I, who iswith me and what is unfolding
right here?
Because transformation, as weknow, often begins with just

(04:31):
paying attention to what ishappening, what is going on
right around us.
So reflect on that.
I would love to know what youthink about that.
Go pre-order the book you canclick the link in the show notes
or go to shoobringscom to getyour copy and then let's talk
about it.
I want to hear about yourmountain moments, your valley
moments, where you are, who iswith you and what are those

(04:55):
things that you're payingattention to right now that, who
knows, maybe somewhere someday,at some point along the journey
, will become something else.
Thank you for listening to theLeadership Vision podcast, our
show helping you build positiveteam culture.
We would love it if you couldsubscribe to us wherever you get
your podcasts.
Go to our website, sign up forour free email newsletter and,

(05:19):
most importantly perhaps rightnow, is go to shoobrinkscom and
pre-order that book.
My name is Nathan Freeberg.
On behalf of our entire team,thanks for listening.