Your boss may know things about the future of your job long before you do. A reorganization. A budget cut. A project ending. Even layoffs. And still, they have to walk into meetings, look everyone in the eye, and act completely normal.

In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons explores the emotional labor and the hidden cost of leadership: the invisible work leaders do to manage pressure, protect their teams, navigate competing priorities, and carry information they cannot always share.

Leadership is often framed as strategy, authority, and decision-making. But behind the scenes, leaders are also translating pressure from above, advocating for their teams, managing stakeholders, absorbing chaos, and making hard calls that employees may never see.

You’ll learn:

• What emotional labor in leadership really looks like
• Why managers often know about reorgs, budget cuts, or layoffs before their teams do
• How leaders balance pressure from above with the needs of their team
• Why good leaders protect their teams in ways employees may never notice
• How to give leaders more grace without excusing poor leadership
• Why understanding emotional labor makes you a better employee, manager and advocate

If you’re a leader, aspiring leader, or employee trying to understand what may be happening behind the curtain at work, this episode offers a more honest look at the hidden weight of leadership.

Because leadership is not just about having more control. It is about carrying more responsibility.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

In executive search, by the time a senior leadership role is posted, the conversation may already be well underway.

Search firms are building lists. Boards are asking who they trust. Decision-makers are comparing reputations. And leaders are being discussed in rooms they may not even know they’re in.

In this episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons sits down with executive search leaders with Neill Marshall and Kurt Mosley HealthSearch Partners, who executive search leaders with more than thirty years experience, to talk about how senior leaders really get hired, and what it takes to become the candidate people actively champion.

We go behind the scenes on executive search, board trust, reputation, visibility, cultural fit, and the first 90 days in a new leadership role.

You’ll learn:

• Why executive search starts long before a role is posted
• What makes a candidate “championed,” not just considered
• Why boards care about trust, culture, and reputation as much as qualifications
• How senior leaders can build visibility before they need a new role
• What behaviors quietly disqualify executive candidates
• Why the first 90 days matter so much for board trust and long-term credibility
• How to think about your career as a reputation built over decades

If you’re a senior leader, aspiring executive, or ambitious professional thinking about what’s next, this episode gives you the behind-the-scenes guidance most candidates never hear directly from executive recruiters.

Because at the executive level, your résumé matters. But your reputation gets there first.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

Most leaders are trained to have answers. But the best leaders know when to ask questions instead. What would happen if, for the next 30 days, you stopped giving answers and only asked questions? In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons challenges leaders to try a simple but uncomfortable leadership experiment: stop fixing, stop directing, stop jumping in with the answer, and start leading with questions.

Most leaders think their job is to solve problems quickly. But when leaders constantly provide the answers, teams can become dependent, creativity shuts down, and people stop owning their decisions. Strong leadership is about asking the questions that unlock better thinking from everyone else.

You’ll learn:

• Why “Why?” questions can make people defensive and what to ask instead
• How jumping in with answers can become lazy leadership
• Why silence can be a powerful leadership tool
• How questions help teams think for themselves and own solutions
• The to tell the difference between interrogation and genuine curiosity
• Practical coaching questions to use in your next meeting

If you want to build a more independent team, improve decision-making, and shift from a problem-solver to a people developer, this 30-day leadership challenge is a powerful place to start.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.