Step Up-ish: Leadership, Burnout, and Building Community with Adrianne Wagner (Leadership Snohomish County)

Wil sits down with Adrianne Wagner, Executive Director/CEO of Leadership Snohomish County (LSC), executive coach, and community builder, for a real conversation about what leadership looks like when life is busy, the world feels heavy, and people are craving connection.

Adrianne shares her path from Flint, Michigan to Snohomish County, her long career as a healthcare executive, and the moment she "hit the wall" after the pandemic and major company changes. That burnout became a pivot point leading her back to school, into leadership coaching, and deeper into the work of developing leaders across every level (not just people with titles).

Together, Wil and Adrianne unpack the difference between leadership vs. authority, why "aggressively passive" culture can make feedback harder than it needs to be, and how toxic leadership creates ripple effects for the people who have to survive it. They also dig into what it means to level up instead of competing, and why leaders have a responsibility to create real space for others to grow.

The episode also spotlights Step Up, LSC's signature conference returning in person this year and how the theme - Step Up for what matters to you , is about moving beyond awareness into action, collaboration, and community.

In This Episode, You will Hear About

• Adrianne's leadership journey: Flint -> Snohomish County -> healthcare exec -> coach
• Burnout, recovery, and why she pivoted into coaching
• Leadership vs. authority: why titles don't automatically make leaders
• Toxic leadership, trust, and why we don't talk about the survivors enough
• Feedback culture: 360-style listening, patterns, and "no hangry leaders"
• Calling in well: using time off to refill your cup, not just recover from being sick
• Uncompete thinking: scarcity vs. abundance, envy vs. leveling up
• Community projects: asking orgs what they actually need ( cans with no can openers)
• Kids as teachers: bias, empathy, and small actions that matter
• Music as meaning: Jimmy Eat World, Hamilton, the Grey Album, and Wil's 2026 alarm song

Event + Links Mentioned

• Leadership Snohomish County: https://leadershipsc.org
• Step Up Conference: April 24 (in-person)
• Applications/nomination window opens in February (Signature Program begins in September)

Closing Vibe

This episode is equal parts leadership workshop and real-life check-in: a reminder that community is built on small, consistent choices and that the best leaders don't just win; they help other people win too.