Summer Sparks: Beyond Words – Leading with Heart

Hosts: Simon Phillips & Renée Smith discussing their episode with Julie Schreiber

Listen to the full episode: [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ikNDtC89qajF68VLRmLtY?si=a634c0c6d3504d69]

What if the secret to better leadership isn’t in what you say, but how you feel?

Simon and Renée explore a game-changing insight from Julie Schreiber, laughter yoga therapist and Center for a Loving Workplace board member: sometimes we need to get out of our heads and into our hearts.

The Gibberish Revelation

Julie’s couples therapy technique is brilliant in its simplicity: have arguing partners communicate in gibberish. Why? Because gibberish strips away the details we get stuck on (“you forgot the milk!”) and gets straight to the emotion underneath (“I feel unheard and unimportant”).

As Simon reflects: “It’s not always about articulating something – it’s actually communicating how you feel about it.”

The George Floyd Moment

Renée shares a powerful radio interview where a community organizer poured out his heart about fear and injustice, while a police representative responded with cold facts and logic. The officer completely missed the human need being expressed – and the opportunity for real connection was lost.

Change Leadership’s Emotional Blind Spot

Simon reveals a critical leadership mistake: “Leaders go through an emotional journey to make tough decisions, then try to communicate those decisions purely logically.” The result? Staff feel unheard and unsupported.

The solution? Create space for people to have their own emotional journey. As Renée puts it: “It is love to recognize that people deserve the respect and space to have their own emotional experience.”

The Laughter Prescription

Julie’s “laughter yoga” isn’t about jokes – it’s intentional laughter that oxygenates your body like “internal jogging.” Renée experienced this firsthand when a belly laugh literally shifted her out of post-travel depression: “I physically felt the shift in my body and emotions.”

Simon calls it “emotional contagion in reverse” – deliberately spreading good vibes instead of catching bad moods.

Your Joy Challenge

This week’s hot tip: Ask yourself “What brings me joy outside of work?” Then actually schedule it. We’re often stuck on the home-to-work treadmill, missing opportunities to refuel our emotional tanks.

The Bottom Line

Great leaders tune into tone, voice cracks, and emotional undertones – not just words. They create space for feelings to flow naturally, knowing that when people feel heard, they can move through change faster.

Ready to lead with your heart, not just your head?

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Connect with the Guest and the Hosts:

Julie Schreiber – LinkedIn Profile

Renée Smith – LinkedIn Profile

Simon Phillips – LinkedIn Profile

All Music composed by Adam Phillips

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