In this episode of Culture by Design, I’m joined by executive coach Diana Lowe for a thoughtful conversation about the inner work of leadership. Diana blends positive psychology with cognitive behavioral coaching to help leaders uncover the beliefs and patterns that shape how they show up at work.

We explore why self-awareness is such a critical leadership skill, how outdated leadership paradigms are shifting, and why leaders need a “village” of support to grow and thrive.

Diana also shares how hidden beliefs that are often formed early in life, can influence leadership behavior, and how developing greater awareness can help leaders build healthier cultures, stronger teams, and more sustainable success.

Diana Lowe is an executive coach, speaker, and the Founder and CEO of Blue Light Leadership, where she helps organizations retain top talent by transforming how leaders show up. Diana has experienced firsthand the emotional toll of working under technically brilliant but emotionally unskilled leaders—an experience that shaped her mission to change workplaces from the inside out.

With a Master of Science in Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology and credentials as an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Diana blends research-based coaching, Positive Psychology, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and Mental & Emotional Release (MER) to address one of the most pressing challenges in business today: the human cost of bad leadership. She has coached leaders from many Fortune 500 organizations and is the bestselling author of Hard to Handle: A High Performer Paradox, a practical and compassionate guide for HR leaders and executives navigating difficult leadership dynamics while striving to protect culture and performance.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Why self-awareness is the foundation of effective leadership
• How unconscious beliefs can shape leadership behaviors like micromanagement
• Why today’s leaders need to break away from the “know everything” leadership model
• The role of feedback, vulnerability, and reflection in modern leadership
• How energy management and personal values impact leadership effectiveness

Learn More About Diana Lowe:

• Blue Light Leadership: https://bluelightleadership.com/
• Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianaelowe/
• Hard to Handle: A High Performer Paradox: https://bookshop.org/p/books/hard-to-handle-a-high-performer-paradox-diana-lowe/8047d386958a60c1
• FREE ERG and Workshop PDF: https://hardtohandlebook.com/
• Forbes Coaches Council Column: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/people/dianalowe/

Learn More About Heather Smith:

• Talent Elevated: https://www.talentelevated.org

Business owners often look to optimize systems and processes to achieve big goals.

But as my guest today can attest, without a solid foundation in culture, systems and processes will only take you so far.

Chris Seegers is a long-time owner of multiple businesses that he has stewarded through major transitions and growth. In this conversation, we talk about how people, processes, and profitability are critical pillars to the value of a business and how intentionally designing systems to reinforce culture over time is key for long-term sustainability and success.

Chris Seegers is a business owner with a long track record of starting and buying companies and building them into successful, self-governed entities. He founded the Exceptional Companies family office and is an active owner in many different businesses and part of leadership teams that have raised and deployed over $650 million in investor dollars. Chris is a self-proclaimed “capitalist missionary”, and his heart is activating and equipping others to live exceptional lives. He has written two books, Buying Main Street and Selling Main Street, aimed at equipping ordinary people in the complex space of business transitions.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How systems reflect and support instilling and sustaining values and culture across organizations
• Why values need to be clearly defined and implemented with concrete benchmarks
• How the core pillars of people, processes, and profitability translate into a company’s valuation
• Why leaders need the humility to be wanted, but not needed in their businesses
• How clear expectations and processes for accountability drive results while maintaining relationships and building trust

Learn More About Chris Seegers:

• Exceptional Business Advisors: https://excoadvisors.com/
• Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-seegers-8a30161a

Learn More About Heather Smith:

• Talent Elevated: https://www.talentelevated.org

Our approach to company culture inevitably has to make some shifts when experiencing significant growth. What works for twenty employees in one location doesn’t have the same impact when it’s spread across multiple cities and hundreds of employees.

My guest today, Stephanie Henderson, has been through exactly that experience over her nineteen years at her former customer-service based company and now leads her own company, Impact Driven Partners, to help other businesses scale up with culture at their core.

She’s sharing how she navigated setting the foundations of company values and culture while scaling way up. Stephanie also has some unique insights about hiring for culture in a college town, where employees are younger and turnover is consistent, and how helping front-line staff think like their customers creates positive experiences for both customers and employees.

Stephanie Henderson is a seasoned executive, business strategist, and culture transformation expert with more than two decades of leadership experience, including serving as CEO of Carpet Tech, where she helped scale the company to a multi-million dollar success.

As the founder of Impact Driven Partners, she combines executive coaching with strategic advisory work to help organizations strengthen leadership, elevate culture, and scale with clarity and confidence. Known for her relational approach, operational depth, and passion for helping organizations grow, Stephanie specializes in taking a leader’s vision and turning it into a clear, actionable reality. She equips teams and organizations to thrive with purpose, alignment, and measurable impact.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How company culture was reflected in the customer experience and feedback
• How an unexpected interview question was a great predictor for culture fit
• How metrics like customer retention and crew expenses became clear signs of culture at work location by location
• Why clarity about roles, processes, values, and culture is essential to scaling up
• How values and culture inform decision-making from process changes to staffing to entering new markets
• Why leaders need to let go of the “family feel” mindset and build compassionate teams

Learn More About Stephanie Henderson:

• Impact Driven Partners

Learn More About Heather Smith:

• Talent Elevated

Resources:

• Entrepreneurial Operating System