Nov 18, 2025
In this episode, host Brandon Laws sits down with executive coach and author Susanne Madsen to explore what it truly means to do the inner work. Drawing from her career in high pressure corporate environments, Susanne shares how chronic stress, misalignment with personal values, and ignored emotions can quietly erode well being and performance.
The conversation highlights practical tools leaders can use to regulate their nervous system, challenge limiting beliefs, create space for reflection, and rebuild their energy through simple daily routines. Whether you are feeling overwhelmed or simply looking for sustainable ways to show up better for yourself and your team, this episode offers grounded and actionable insights.
Key Timestamps
00:00 Welcome and episode introduction
01:00 Why inner work matters in modern
leadership
02:30 Susanne’s experience with chronic
stress and early warning signs
04:00 Ignoring emotional signals and wearing
stress as a badge of honor
05:30 The moment she considered a sabbatical
and how it shifted everything
06:30 Self sabotaging patterns and the belief
that stress is “part of the game”
07:30 Near burnout and the internal voice
that pushed her to take a break
08:00 How coaching opened the door to deeper
awareness
09:00 Uncovering limiting beliefs and the
process of coaching yourself first
10:30 What clients bring to coaching and how
overwhelm shows up
11:30 Understanding values alignment and how
people intuitively sense misalignment
13:00 The role of boundaries in preventing
overload
14:00 The habit of saying yes and immediate
regret
15:00 Why beliefs carry so much power in
behavior and decision making
17:00 How to pause and sit with uncomfortable
emotions
18:30 Techniques to acknowledge feelings so
they dissipate
19:30 Why self compassion is difficult for
many people
20:30 Finding your happy place as a
foundation for inner work
22:30 How nature and silence support
emotional processing
24:00 Identifying the tasks or relationships
that drain energy
25:30 Rebuilding energy with small,
meaningful activities
27:00 Introducing breathwork as a tool for
emotional regulation
28:30 Coherent breathing and why it changes
your physiology
30:00 Daily practice and how breath sets the
stage for clarity
31:00 Meditation for training the mind and
interrupting negative thought cycles
33:00 Using imagery and awareness to return
to center
34:00 Combating negativity bias with
gratitude
35:30 Noticing the small wins and everyday
“miracles”
37:00 Rewiring the brain and shifting
perspective over time
38:00 Encouragement to seek external help
when needed
39:00 Final reflections and Susanne’s closing
advice
40:00 Ways to connect with Susanne and learn
more about her work
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
Podcast: Transform Your Workplace,
sponsored by Xenium HR
Host: Brandon Laws
In Brandon's own words:
“The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the
latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods
straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected
thought-leaders.”
About Xenium HR
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