The Cost of Gatekeeping & the Courage to Lead as Your Whole Self with Taina Brown

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What if the key to powerful leadership isn’t more structure… but more soul?

In this rich, heart-centered conversation, Kim and Louise are joined by coach, strategist, and recovering academic Taina Brown to explore what it really takes to lead as your whole self, especially in systems that reward fragmentation and performance.

They unpack the impact of gatekeeping (from academia to coaching to the workplace), the myth of “getting it right,” and how somatics and play open new doorways to healing, embodiment, and aligned leadership.

Taina shares her journey from feminist scholar to strategy coach, the somatic tools that helped her reconnect after a traumatic health experience, and why funk music might be the nervous system medicine we all need.

This episode is a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt they had to leave parts of themselves at the door to be taken seriously.

“Don’t let one part of yourself gatekeep another.” – Taina Brown

Key Takeaways

• Gatekeeping is often rooted in insecurity and unprocessed imposter syndrome
• Integration is the power move—we’re not meant to fragment across roles
• Play is how we heal, regulate, and remember who we are
• Embodied leadership makes room for sensation, intuition, and rest
• Somatics help rebuild connection, especially after trauma or illness
• Wholeness creates space—for yourself and others to show up fully

Key Moments
[00:00] Welcome + Episode intro
[01:35] Meet today’s guest: Taina Brown
[04:58] Naming and challenging academic gatekeeping
[08:46] Gatekeeping in coaching and helping professions
[12:59] Gatekeeping as protection: fear of being “found out”
[15:14] Unrealistic expectations and imposter syndrome at work
[17:41] Reframing failure with Emergent Strategy
[20:02] Play as a path to learning and growth
[21:23] What if we welcomed the human behind the curtain?
[29:29] Why pushing through isn’t always the answer
[34:00] Fragmentation: stop being your own gatekeeper
[36:01] “Mitigate the ambiguity”: the somatic impact of uncertainty
[39:15] Using somatic CBT in professional development workshops
[43:49] Head, heart, and body: wholeness as a leadership strategy
[45:27] Final reflections and calls to action
[49:08] Where to find Taina online
[50:31] Closing thoughts and listener invitation

About Taina
Taina is a former feminist scholar turned strategy whiz trained in somatic CBT methods. As a personal and professional development coach of over 15 years, she helps leaders and their teams show up as their best, values-aligned selves so they can do good work. She’s also the cohost of the Messy Liberation podcast with Becky Mollenkamp.

🌐 http://www.ifthenand.org/tainambrown
🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/tainambrown/
📸 https://instagram.com/tainambrown

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