Brain-Based Leadership: How Awareness, Curiosity, and Presence Transform the Way You Lead

Brain-Based Leadership: How Awareness, Curiosity, and Presence Transform the Way You Lead

Author: Julie Riga April 8, 2026 Duration: 41:07

Brain-Based Leadership: How Awareness, Curiosity, and Presence Transform the Way You Lead

Guest: Tracy Benson, Top 1% LinkedIn Coach & Brain-Based Leadership Expert

Host: Julie Riga


Overview


Join Julie Riga as she sits down with Tracy Benson, a top 1% LinkedIn coach and brain-based leadership expert who has spent over three decades helping senior leaders create clarity, alignment, and real performance. Tracy blends neuroscience, leadership psychology, and practical business strategy to give leaders tools they can use immediately to transform teams, organizations, and results. Discover how awareness, curiosity, and presence can revolutionize the way you lead.


Brain-Based Leadership: How Awareness, Curiosity, and Presence Transform the Way You Lead


The Three Ingredients for Leadership Success:

1. Awareness Understanding what drives behavior beneath conscious awareness. Tracy reveals that 90% of brain function is unconscious yet rules how we show up. Learn to recognize reactive emotional states before they control you.

2. Curiosity The two magic words that shift you out of negative emotional states: "I wonder." Tracy explains why you cannot be angry and curious at the same time, making curiosity the entrance ramp to co-creation and discovery.

3. Presence & Perspective Discover foveal vs. peripheral view and how narrow focus blocks solutions. When you step back to include peripheral vision, all the ideas, solutions, and magic become available.


Key Insights:

  • The Power of "I Wonder": Two simple words that immediately shift you out of reactive states and open the palette of possibilities
  • Meta Programs: Understanding the 50+ mental shortcuts that run how you show up and why time-focused and possibility-focused people clash
  • Projection & Self-Discovery: How triggers reveal your unconscious programming and what you see in others exists in you


Memorable Quotes:

"This is the most powerful engine on the face of the planet, and we never got taught how to use it."

"We cannot be angry and curious at the same time."

"The palette of possibilities - in the moment you have all of these options, but we need to be in remembrance that those are available to us."

"We can't see the label on the jar from inside the jar."


Practical Leadership Tools:

  • Wear a bead bracelet and snap it when you feel reactive
  • Say "I wonder" to shift your brain state instantly
  • Practice viewing challenges from multiple distances
  • Visit art museums to train your brain to shift perspective


Key Takeaways:

  1. Your brain is powerful, but we were never taught how to use it
  2. Curiosity shifts everything - you cannot be angry and curious simultaneously
  3. Perspective creates possibilities - step back from problems to see solutions
  4. Behaviors that trigger you reveal your own unconscious patterns
  5. Small leadership adjustments create massive organizational impact


Connect with Tracy Benson: LinkedIn: Tracy Benson Free Tool: DM Tracy on LinkedIn with "expand" to receive a complimentary foveal vs. peripheral view tool

Perfect for leaders who want to understand how their brain works and use neuroscience to transform their leadership presence, decision-making, and relationships.


🎧 Subscribe to Stay On Course wherever you listen to podcasts


#Leadership #Mindset #Transformation #Purpose #Growth


Julie Riga has spent years in the trenches as a leadership coach, entrepreneur, and author, and she knows a secret: the path to success is often cluttered with internal roadblocks. In her Stay On Course: Ingredients for Success podcast, she moves beyond surface-level advice to explore the real, often unspoken, ingredients that sustain leaders. Each conversation is built for those who are outwardly accomplished-CEOs, managers, or driven entrepreneurs-but who sometimes wrestle privately with doubts about their direction, their decisions, or their ability to truly lead. Julie brings a certified coach's perspective to these universal challenges, dissecting the mindset shifts and practical frameworks that create lasting confidence and control. You'll hear honest discussions about transitioning from a hands-on operator to an inspirational leader, managing the weight of responsibility, and cultivating a vision that feels both ambitious and authentic. This isn't about quick fixes; it's about building a resilient foundation for your career and ventures. Tune in for a blend of personal reflection, actionable strategies, and the kind of clarity that helps high-achievers not just reach their goals, but enjoy the journey there. The entire archive of this podcast offers a deep resource for anyone committed to growing their influence and impact in business and beyond.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Stay On Course: Ingredients for Success
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