Overcome Interview Roadblocks

In this episode of Leaderish: Leadership Lessons Straight Up, Doris flips the script and interviews Regina about her proven approach to helping clients master job interviews. Regina shares how her program helps candidates stand out using the three C's—Connection, Clarity, and Communication.

They discuss how to use AI to fine-tune your resume, build confidence before the interview, and craft memorable stories using the SAR model (Situation, Action, Result). You'll also hear tips on overcoming interview nerves, projecting authenticity, and shifting from "fake it till you make it" to showing up as if you already have the job.

Whether you're job-hunting or helping others prepare, this episode offers practical tools and mindset shifts to help you make a lasting impression.

Sequence:

00:00 Introduction and Host Greetings

00:57 Regina's Coaching Journey

03:34 The Magic Equation for Interview Success

05:22 Optimizing Your Resume with AI

10:24 The Role of Networking and Referrals

12:50 Working with Recruiters and Headhunters

15:37 Mastering Interview Skills

20:52 The Importance of Connection in Interviews

21:18 Turning Around a Toxic Situation

22:53 Mindset Shift: From Faking It to Owning It

24:42 The Power of Storytelling in Interviews

27:48 Crafting Memorable Stories

34:04 Qualified vs. Compelling: Standing Out in Interviews

36:57 Conclusion and Program Details

Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.

Want to be a guest? Email us at leaderishpodcast@gmail.com

We'd love to connect! You can find us in all of these places:

• Regina
• • Email: regina@collectivegrowthcc.com
  • Website: https://www.collectivegrowthcc.com
  • Newsletter subscription: https://collectivegrowthcc.com/resources#blog
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginataute
  • Free Coaching Session: https://calendly.com/collective_growth/complimentary-30-min-coaching-session
• Doris
• • Email: doris@dunnwise.com
  • Website: https://www.dunnwise.com
  • Newsletter subscription: https://www.dunnwise.com/blog
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
  • Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call

What if the biggest leadership challenge isn't managing others but managing yourself?

In this episode of Leaderish: Leadership lessons straight up, hosts Regina Taute and Doris Dunn sit down with Gayathri Rhiddi, Executive Coach and Founder of Realize to Win, to explore conscious leadership and the deep inner work that drives authentic, effective leadership.

Gayathri introduces her SIRE Model, a practical framework that helps leaders strengthen self-awareness, regulate emotions, and express their values with clarity and impact. Together, they unpack how conscious leadership isn't just a mindset but a discipline, a daily practice of presence, accountability, and grace.

You'll learn:

✅ What conscious leadership really means in modern organizations

✅ How the SIRE Model (Self-Awareness, Inspiration, Regulation, Expression) helps leaders grow from the inside out

✅ How to pause and shift behavior using Gayathri's "Halt, Rise, and Shift" method

✅ Why presence, intention, and accountability are essential to leading consciously

✅ How self-reflection and nervous system awareness create stronger, calmer leaders

Whether you're a leader, coach, or HR professional, this conversation will help you connect neuroscience, mindfulness, and leadership strategy in practical ways.

Listen for These Key Moments

00:00 – Introduction: What is conscious leadership?

03:40 – The SIRE Model explained

10:50 – The role of presence and intentionality in leadership

17:30 – How to regulate emotions and retrain your nervous system

23:45 – Halt, Rise, and Shift: A behavioral reset for leaders

31:00 – The power of grace and self-accountability

39:00 – Final reflections on awareness, alignment, and inner growth

Download the SIRE Model Framework

Access Gayathri's website and free SIRE Model Resource here: https://realizetowin.com

About Leaderish

Leaderish: Leadership lessons straight up is hosted by Regina Taute, Leadership and Talent Management Coach, and Doris Dunn, Executive Coach and Leadership Strategist. Each episode explores wildly practical ways to grow as a conscious, effective leader. No jargon, just real conversations that help you lead better and live better.

Connect with Us

👉 Subscribe for more leadership and coaching conversations:@LeaderishPodcast

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts

💼 Learn more about Leadership and Interview Coaching with Regina at https://collectivegrowthcc.com

💼 Learn more about Business Coaching with Doris: https://www.dunnwise.com

conscious leadership, leadership podcast, self-awareness for leaders, executive coaching, leadership development, emotional intelligence, mindfulness in leadership, conscious leader model, SIRE model, Gayathri Rhiddi, Realize to Win, Regina Taute, Doris Dunn, inner work for leaders, behavioral shift, leadership presence, self regulation, leadership mindset, women in leadership, authentic leadership

Episode: S4E20 – Hiring Smarter, Not Harder: What Every Manager Should Know

Guest: Joel Schwann, Founder of Schwann Stratifier

In this follow-up to one of our most popular job-seeker episode, we flip the script. This week, Leaderish co-hosts Doris Dunn and Regina Taute welcome back Joel Schwann to explore the other side of the hiring equation — what hiring managers can do to find, evaluate, and retain great talent more effectively.

Joel brings nearly a decade of experience in HR, recruiting, and workforce planning. Together, they dig into the practical and often overlooked parts of hiring that make or break the process — from writing a solid job description to avoiding "permanent contractors" and ensuring fairness across interviews.

💡 Highlights:

• The power of a strong job description and why most companies skip this critical step.
• How to determine whether you really need a contractor or a full-time employee.
• The importance of setting clear non-negotiables (and stopping at five).
• Why structured interviews matter — and how to avoid bias.
• How many interviews are too many (hint: fewer than you think).
• Real talk about AI screening, candidate experience, and ghosting.
• What organizations like Amazon are getting wrong about unpaid interview projects.

Whether you're leading a team or building one, this episode is packed with practical strategies to help you hire smarter, faster, and more humanely.

Sequence:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome Back

00:38 Discussing Job Market Trends

01:44 Introducing Joel Schwan and Workforce Planning

02:16 Challenges for Hiring Managers

04:58 Importance of Job Descriptions

07:16 Evaluating Resumes and Skills

14:18 Interview Questions and Techniques

18:37 Structured Interviews and Fairness

19:41 How Many Interviews Are Necessary?

19:56 The Ideal Interview Process

20:20 Panel Interviews and Exceptions

20:42 Candidate Experience Matters

21:39 Interviewing for Different Levels

26:18 Efficient Interview Scheduling

32:05 The Role of Assessments

36:44 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

🎧 Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.

📩 Want to be a guest? Email us at leaderishpodcast@gmail.com

We'd love to connect! You can find us in all of these places:

• Regina
• • Email: regina@collectivegrowthcc.com
  • Website: https://www.collectivegrowthcc.com
  • Newsletter subscription: https://collectivegrowthcc.com/resources#blog
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginataute
  • Free Coaching Session: https://calendly.com/collective_growth/complimentary-30-min-coaching-session
• Doris
• • Email: doris@dunnwise.com
  • Website: https://www.dunnwise.com
  • Newsletter subscription: https://www.dunnwise.com/blog
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
  • Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call
• Joel:
• • Website: https://www.schwanstratifyr.com/
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelschwan/
  • Free Resume Template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16yPPIAnFpzM1Xfc-BdGMnByM19wgsUqe/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114233432138195416514&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Free AI Resume Assistant: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-ldX568rNT-schwan-stratifyr-resume-assistant