Leading in Balance
You've built a career. You've proven yourself. And now everything is changing—your role, your company, maybe your entire sense of what's next. Leading in Balance is the podcast for experienced leaders who refuse to let transition define them, but are ready to redefine themselves. Host Dr. Jessica Herbert, an ICF Professional Certified Coach who has spent 27+ years working with high-impact leaders in high-stress environments, knows the territory. She's lived the burnout, learned the patterns, and now guides leaders through the ambiguity with both analytical precision and human understanding. Each episode tackles the real issues: setting boundaries that actually hold, na...
Travel, Data, and Efficiency: Vacation as a Habit Reset
Most executives come home from vacation heavier, more tired, and further from who they want to be—then call it "earned." This episode dismantles that logic with the actual behavioral science on travel and habit change, and lays out the three-shift framework for using your next trip as the highest-leverage performance week of your year. If you've ever booked a flight to escape your life instead of build it, this one's for you.
WHAT YOU'LL LEAVE WITH
Why the habit discontinuity hypothesis gives you a roughly three-month window to rewrite your defaults—and why almost nobody uses...The Pause as Leadership Logic
EPISODE OVERVIEW
After a two-month break from the podcast, we're back—and not with an apology. This episode unpacks why strategic pauses aren't a detour from leadership but a function of it, what Brené Brown's "Day 2" framework reveals about the messy middle of building anything meaningful, and the calibration that's reshaping this entire show going forward.
If you've been performing leadership instead of practicing it, this one's for you.
What You'll Hear
Why 77% of workers are running on burnout fumes—and what the research actually says about strategic pausesThe 52/17 productivity patte...The Small Wins That Actually Matter (When Nothing Feels Like Progress)
EPISODE SUMMARY
You're in the messy middle of transition. You've applied to 50 jobs with no offers. You've tried multiple activities and nothing has clicked yet. You're learning a new role but still feel behind. And it feels like nothing is happening.
But here's the truth: Progress isn't always visible. That doesn't mean it's not happening.
This episode is about recognizing the small wins you've been dismissing. Because small wins aren't consolation prizes—they're how real progress happens. They rebuild confidence. They create momentum. They sustain you when the big win hasn't come yet.
...When Everyone Else Has Moved On (But You're Still Here)
EPISODE SUMMARY
You're in transition. And everyone else keeps moving. Former colleagues get promoted. Peers land new roles. LinkedIn is full of announcements—new jobs, six-figure consulting businesses, speaking engagements, awards. And you're still here. Still looking. Still figuring it out. Still in the middle.
Every time you see someone else's win, a voice in your head asks: "What's wrong with me? Why is everyone else figuring this out except me?"
Here's the truth you need to hear: Their timeline isn't your timeline. You're comparing your messy middle to their curated highlight reel. An...
The Financial Anxiety That's Keeping You Up at Night
EPISODE SUMMARY
Financial anxiety during transition is real. When your income changes—whether you planned for it or not—everything shifts. For a majority of Americans, basic needs suddenly feel unaffordable. Housing. Food. Healthcare. The things you used to take for granted now keep you up at night.
And here's what nobody tells you: There are plenty of resources out there about how to save money, create budgets, and plan financially. But almost no one tells you how to deal with the emotions during the transition—the fear, the shame, the constant mental calculation of "Can I...
Rebuilding Routine and Rituals When Your Days Have No Structure
EPISODE SUMMARY
When you lose the external structure of work, role, or identity, your days can feel formless. And formless days lead to anxiety, low motivation, and the feeling that you're wasting time—even when you're technically "free."
Jessica experienced this twice: once in January 2025 when federal contracting changes collapsed her business structure overnight, leaving her in crisis with no sleep, negative thoughts, and paralysis. And again in September 2025 when she intentionally chose a six-month sabbatical in Costa Rica—same loss of structure, completely different experience. The first felt like failure. The second felt like perm...
When the Transition Takes Longer Than You Thought (And You're Still Waiting)
EPISODE SUMMARY
You thought this transition would take three months. Maybe six. But here you are—eight months in, twelve months in, maybe longer—and you're still in the middle. You're starting to wonder: What's wrong with me? Why is this taking so long? Why can't I just figure it out?
Here's the truth: You're not failing. Extended transitions are normal. Most transitions take 18-24 months to fully stabilize—not the three to six months we expect. This episode is about surviving the extended timeline without losing yourself, redefining what progress actually looks like, and buildi...
Permission Granted: Why You're Allowed to Want Something Different
EPISODE SUMMARY
Fifteen years. That's how long Jessica ran her company before she finally admitted to herself: I want something different. Not because the work wasn't important. Not because she'd failed. But because it had stopped feeling like hers. The creativity and innovation that launched the business had been replaced by limitations defined by someone else. It had become a job. And she didn't want it anymore.
But admitting that felt like betrayal. Like failure. Like quitting.
This episode is the bridge between recognizing you're in transition and actually navigating it. It's about...
The Performance Trap: When Proving Yourself Becomes the Problem
Episode Summary
Here's the paradox I see constantly: A leader's role becomes uncertain. And what does that leader do? They work harder.
More projects. Longer hours. Yes to everything. They're exhausted, overwhelmed, and burning out—but they keep performing. Because if they can just prove their value, maybe they'll be safe.
Except the harder they perform, the more unsustainable it becomes. It's a trap. And if you're in it right now, you probably know it—but you don't know how to stop.
This episode unpacks why successful leaders double down on perf...
Decision Fatigue Isn't Your Problem (Decision Avoidance Is)
Episode Summary
Three weeks. That's how long a highly competent executive spent deciding whether to apply for a new role. Not because she lacked information—she had plenty. She couldn't decide because the decision felt like it was defining who she was becoming.
This episode tackles why smart, capable people suddenly can't make decisions during transitions—and why "just decide already" is useless advice.
We'll dig into the difference between decision fatigue and decision avoidance, what the research actually says about why your brain freezes when stakes feel high, and why you're probably wait...
When Your Title Was Your Identity (And Now You're Not Sure Who You Are)
Episode Summary
"So, what do you do?"
I was at a dinner party two years into my transition out of law enforcement when someone asked me that question. And I froze. Not because I didn't have an answer—I had plenty. I froze because for the first time in 25 years, I didn't lead with my title. And without it, I wasn't entirely sure who I was.
This episode is about the identity crisis nobody warns you about: what happens when the professional shorthand you've used for decades suddenly doesn't fit anymore. We'll dig in...
Boundaries, Worth, and Saying Yes to You
Episode 2: The Boundary You Keep Breaking (And What It's Really Protecting)
Episode Summary
You've set the boundary. You meant it this time. And then someone called with a "quick question" and forty minutes later you're sitting in a parking lot wondering why you can't just say no.
This episode is about the real reason your boundaries keep failing—and it's not because you lack willpower.
I share my own breakdown moment (literally, in my car), unpack what behavior research actually says about why motivation alone won't save you, and walk through a...
Introducing Leading In Balance
Leading in Balance with Dr. Jessica Herbert
From stuck to strategic. From overwhelmed to empowered.
Episode Summary:
In this introductory episode, Dr. Jessica Herbert explores the often-overlooked “murky middle” of leadership transitions. Whether you’re facing a new role, a reorganization, retirement, or a personal shift, this episode offers a candid look at the challenges and opportunities that come with change. Jessica shares her own story, outlines the four phases of transition, and introduces the podcast’s unique structure—combining real stories, research, and actionable reflection activities.
Key Topics Covered:
The discom...