Shift Out Loud with Tracy Spears

The guest for this episode of Shift Out Loud is… me, Tracy Spears. 

Due to audience demand, this episode is flipping the script a little bit — my Exceptional Leaders Lab partner, co-author, and long-time friend Wally Schmader is stepping up as my guest host and putting me in the hot seat to talk about my own big shifts, and how I’ve learned to think and play bigger throughout my life.

If you’ve ever wondered why I shifted away from s...

What happens when you get caught up in the ‘how’ of your dreams? You may impose hidden limitations on the ‘what’ and the ‘when’. Tricia Brouk has mastered the art of (co-)creating her own destiny. She is the founder of The Big Talk Academy, where she helps people transform their stories into an industry-leading media presence. She’s also the author of The Influential Voice: Saying What You Mean for Lasting Legacy — and the very fir...

From keynote speaking for Coca-Cola in Buenos Aires to inspiring teenagers at a non-profit summer camp, Greg Hawks is a master at conquering stages of all sizes.

Greg wears a number of different hats, from corporate culture specialist to keynote speaker to virtual conference producer, but the common threads that run throughout his work are his infectious enthusiasm, his creativity, and his love of costumes.

Press play to hear his ins...

When you’re leading through a time of change, it isn’t enough for your team to believe in your plan. They need to believe in you.

Dr. Joanne Culverhouse has enjoyed an award-winning, 41-year career in education, taking on the roles of teacher, coach, principal, and assistant superintendent, and said farewell to full-time employment in 2022 as the superintendent of the La Habra City School District — but not before fully reconfigurin...

How do you know when you’re following your true passion… and when you’re just walking the path others have set for you? My guest Maria Stanfield has cracked the code.

Maria is a speaker, bestselling author, and executive coach who is committed to empowering people with the tools to thrive in business and in life. Through her nonprofit My Sister’s Closet and her executive coaching practice My Sister CEO, she offers support and resour...

Eryn O’Brien has a passion for implementing programs that unlock people’s full potential. Over the course of her career, she’s created big impact for companies such as American Express and Bristol Myers Squibb, and is now Vice President of Global Talent and Inclusion for Eastman Chemical Company. 

When Eryn felt the need to boldly shift out loud in 2022, she didn’t seek out a new job. Instead, she took a journey of 8000 miles and di...

Since leaving the corporate world, Jennifer Bennett has brought her cross-functional leadership experience in Fortune 500 companies to academia. She’s taught subjects including negotiation and enterprise risk management as an adjunct professor, and now serves as Chief of Staff and Lead of the Transformation Management Office of The University of Tulsa.

In this episode, we dig into the magic that happens when leaders create a culture...

This is a special episode of Shift Out Loud, because my guest is someone who has inspired me to think and play bigger throughout my life — and has done the same for countless women around the world. 

To say that Cindy Bristow has been a game-changer for the sport of softball would be an understatement. Among other career accomplishments, she’s coached multiple college teams and served as the President of the National Softball Coache...

Over her 30-year career as an executive VP in the entertainment industry, Dana Arnett has delivered over 6000 television shows to audiences around the world — but these days, she is focused on creating a different kind of impact. 

Motivated by the psychological effects of discrimination in the industry, she has since retired from entertainment and founded Wicked Bionic, a marketing and advertising agency built around promoting diver...

Husband-and-wife team David and Cassie Bizzaro are no strangers to shifting out loud. Their journey has included moving from Tulsa to New York (and back again), taking a professional leap of faith, and strolling down Sesame Street (yes, that one!). 

After 15 years of experience in higher education marketing and communications, Cassie is crushing it in her role as Director of Communications at the NYU Stern School of Business, while ...

The last time that author, artist, radio host, and business leader Pam McKissick appeared on Shift Out Loud, the audience response was overwhelming. Both women and men reached out to let me know how much they enjoyed her fascinating insights.

And I hear you!

The co-author of Grab It Back! Equality, Money, Power & Sex is back for another thought-provoking and inspiring discussion about gender politics, social conditioning, and the...

Have you thought about what your life will look like after you retire? During her career in the Physician Enterprise world, Sara Larch was known as a skillful leader. As the second woman in 75 years to become Board Chair of a large trade association, she co-founded a women leaders’ forum to prepare other women to follow in her footsteps.

Although Sara is now retired, that hasn’t slowed her down one bit. She continues to learn, grow,...

Not all shifts are created equal! Shifting with intention requires you to be strategic about what you truly want in your life — even if it takes you off the beaten path.

In this episode of Shift Out Loud, I sit down with executive coach Rick Hust, an old friend who happens to be one of my biggest inspirations. After a successful 32-year career developing high-performance sales team, Rick left his job as a sales executive and launche...

When you truly understand the incredible impact of shifting out loud, you want to encourage everyone around you to think and play bigger. Marissa Levin takes it to the next level—she’s made it her Lifetime Legacy Mission to empower 1 billion people to live their most joyful lives!

Marissa’s entrepreneurial journey began in 1995 when she launched a strategic communications and education firm as a solopreneur with a $35,000 contract a...

Stand-up comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer tells the truth. That’s why she could never be in the closet, even as she stepped out on stage as a comedian in the 1990s. Suzanne experienced her big shift at 29 years old, when she was an aspiring actress working as a bartender. After one of her regulars urged her to try her hand at stand-up over a Finlandia martini, Suzanne was skeptical, but entered an open mic contest.

She easily won… and ...

Making a shift on your own terms in order to play bigger is challenging enough. But what happens when your successful shift is followed by an unexpected game changer?

Lisa Riley’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to leave the corporate oil and gas industry and enter the paint and sip business, becoming the owner of a Pinot’s Palette franchise in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since taking the leap, Lisa has expanded to four franchises and celebrate...

Self-improvement is a top priority for exceptional leaders, but the first step is understanding who you are, why you choose the actions you take, and your impact on those around you. Inner work should be thought of as the powerful and reliable growth strategy that it is. If you want to play a bigger game and increase your capacity to lead, then you need to be ready to build a better version of yourself — and my guest June Miller is...

Confronting unconscious biases and creating an inclusive, equitable company culture should be at the heart of your mission as a leader. In fact, these are some of the most serious and important leadership challenges today. My guest Kuma Roberts helps teams and organizations change the world, one encounter at a time. 

Kuma is the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Arrowhead Consulting, a Tulsa-based boutique project ma...

Sometimes, a surprise layoff can be the best thing to happen to your career… and exactly what you need in order to start thinking bigger and shifting out loud.

My guest Wally Schmader is the co-founder of Exceptional Leaders Lab, author of Full Contact Leadership, and co-author of multiple books, including What Exceptional Leaders Know and Leadership is a Verb. Wally and I met and developed our friendship and professional relationsh...