The Path To Leadership cover art

The Path To Leadership

The Path To Leadership

Written by: Catalyst Development
Listen for free

About this listen

Leadership should not feel like a lecture. It should feel like a conversation you actually want to be part of.


Welcome to The Path to Leadership, where Dr. Katie Ervin and creative strategist Rhonda Jolyean Hale team up to bring you real talk, real tools, and real transformation. Think of it as your weekly coffee date where leadership development meets creativity, brain science, humor, and the beauty found in both breakthroughs and breakdowns.


Dr. Katie brings the research, the practicality, and her signature no-fluff honesty. Rhonda Jolyean brings the creativity, the reinvention energy, and a fresh perspective on how your brain, your story, and your environment shape who you are as a leader. Together, they explore what it takes to grow, adapt, inspire, and stay human in a world that never slows down.


If you are leading people, leading projects, leading at home, or simply leading your own next chapter, this podcast gives you the mindset and momentum to do it with clarity, courage, and joy.


Because leadership is not about being perfect. It is about showing up, getting curious, and choosing who you want to be today.


Connect with the hosts:

Dr. Katie Ervin
www.katieervin.com
www.linkedin.com/in/katieervin/


Rhonda Jolyean Hale
www.jolyean.com
www.linkedin.com/in/rhondajhale/

© 2026 The Path To Leadership
Careers Economics Management Management & Leadership Personal Success
Episodes
  • Whose Trance Is Running Your Leadership
    May 12 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    Leadership gets messy the moment we pretend to be someone we’re not. That’s why we invited evolutionary astrologer Jason Dilts to help us use astrology as a leadership tool, not for fortune telling, but for self awareness, communication, and growth you can actually apply at work.

    We start with the basics that most people never get beyond: your Sun sign is only one piece. Jason breaks down the Big Three of a birth chart: Sun (identity and expression), Rising (your instinctive operating system and how others experience you), and Moon (your emotional landscape and what creates safety). From there, we connect the chart to leadership development and real workplace dynamics including how Mercury placements shape communication style, how different houses point to career visibility and leadership, and why two “Capricorns” can still lead in totally different ways.

    Then we zoom out to the bigger shift many teams are feeling right now. Jason frames the Age of Aquarius as a move away from command and control toward empowerment, authenticity, and community. We also explore generational astrology through Pluto placements, why younger generations are challenging old power structures, and how leaders can respond without falling into judgment or fear. If you’ve been curious but skeptical, we talk about why pop horoscopes turn smart people off, and how to explore astrology in a grounded way through your chart and current transits, including what Mercury retrograde is really inviting you to do.

    Subscribe for more leadership conversations, share this with a colleague who loves personal development tools, and leave a review so more leaders can find the show.


    Connect with Jason on social media at https://www.instagram.com/tegakaldeep/ or https://www.tiktok.com/@tegakaldeep

    Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/rhondajhale/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieervin/

    www.jolyean.com

    www.katieervin.com

    Check out Rhonda's Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThingsForge

    Order Dr. Katie's books:

    • 52 Weeks of LEADERship: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=afiG9oMq4YoXnvxsSD9PDjTrezQvZd6A7vBE1T2yaGz
    • You Might Be an Asshole: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=O4ZMvNNamwFzFFUAjJB1s6pjudAiHrUlcUX0iMUlzI6

    Learn more about Catalyst LEADERs Institute: www.katieervin.com/leaders


    Theme music by Emma Jo https://emmajo.rocks/

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • What If Rest Were A Leadership Skill
    May 5 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    Your calendar might look full, but your brain might be emptier than you realise. When every “day off” becomes laundry, errands, email catch-up, and prep for Monday, we never truly power down and it shows up everywhere: short patience, fuzzy thinking, reactive leadership, and that feeling of being too tired to make one more decision.

    We dig into the “French Sunday” concept, the idea of protecting time for rest, pleasure, and connection, and why it can be a legitimate leadership skill. We talk burnout prevention through a neuroscience lens: decision fatigue, dopamine dips, chronic stress, and how emotional regulation gets harder when you stay always on. We also explore third spaces and novelty, why leaving the house and being in community can shift your energy, and why slowness often unlocks creativity and better problem-solving.

    Stillness is not one-size-fits-all, so we share options that work for different nervous systems, including alternatives to meditation and small ways to reduce sensory overload. From a leadership perspective, we get practical about boundaries that build psychological safety: modelling recovery, avoiding after-hours emails, and using delayed send so you can rest without creating urgency for your team.

    We end with simple homework: carve out a non-negotiable rest window and remove one “setup day” habit from it, then notice how your mindset and leadership presence change. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review with the “French Sunday” habit you’re trying next.

    Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/rhondajhale/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieervin/

    www.jolyean.com

    www.katieervin.com

    Check out Rhonda's Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThingsForge

    Order Dr. Katie's books:

    • 52 Weeks of LEADERship: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=afiG9oMq4YoXnvxsSD9PDjTrezQvZd6A7vBE1T2yaGz
    • You Might Be an Asshole: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=O4ZMvNNamwFzFFUAjJB1s6pjudAiHrUlcUX0iMUlzI6

    Learn more about Catalyst LEADERs Institute: www.katieervin.com/leaders


    Theme music by Emma Jo https://emmajo.rocks/

    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • The Art Of Saying No
    Apr 28 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    Saying no can feel like slamming a door, but for most leaders it’s really a fight with belonging, approval, and the fear of missing out. We dig into why our default becomes “yes” even when we’re exhausted, why that split-second decision feels so personal, and how it quietly turns into resentment, inconsistent priorities, and burnout. If you’ve ever looked at your calendar and felt your stomach drop, you’re not alone and you’re not “bad at time management.”

    We also get specific about the neuroscience of overcommitment. When we chase the dopamine hit of being needed and avoid the social threat of rejection, we can end up in chronic stress. We talk about decision fatigue, what burnout can do to the prefrontal cortex, why cortisol isn’t built to run high forever, and how joy can literally stop registering when dopamine blunts. This isn’t just a productivity problem. It’s a leadership health problem with real consequences for how you think, decide, and lead.

    From there, we shift into practical tools you can use immediately: reframing no as alignment, using no to protect your yes, and modeling healthy boundaries so your team feels permission to do the same. We share simple filters to run every request through alignment, capacity, impact, and ownership plus ways to say “not now” when a full no feels like an identity loss. If you want better focus, stronger trust, and more sustainable leadership, this is your reset.

    Subscribe for weekly leadership conversations, share this with someone who’s drowning in yeses, and leave a review with the hardest boundary you’re trying to set right now.

    Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/rhondajhale/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieervin/

    www.jolyean.com

    www.katieervin.com

    Check out Rhonda's Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThingsForge

    Order Dr. Katie's books:

    • 52 Weeks of LEADERship: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=afiG9oMq4YoXnvxsSD9PDjTrezQvZd6A7vBE1T2yaGz
    • You Might Be an Asshole: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=O4ZMvNNamwFzFFUAjJB1s6pjudAiHrUlcUX0iMUlzI6

    Learn more about Catalyst LEADERs Institute: www.katieervin.com/leaders


    Theme music by Emma Jo https://emmajo.rocks/

    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
No reviews yet