308 - Fear as a Signal: Cycle-Breaking Leadership with Poonam Natha
“Whether somebody has the seat or the title of a leader or not, everybody has a voice that is important in the system.” - Poonam Natha
Trauma-informed leadership, psychological safety, and accountability in group practice culture.
The TL;DR takeaway from today’s episode is: to change the systems and institutions harming us, we must commit to the work. All of it, the intra- and interpersonal.
Poonam Natha, LMFT, co-creator of Level Up Leaders, Inc., can help us with this assignment. She views “the work” as a lifelong process of balancing individualism and collectivism rather than choosing one over the other. Poonam’s nuanced opinion is rooted in her lived experience as the eldest daughter of immigrant parents and a self-described cycle-breaker.
I've wrestled with this concept of either/or myself. In my head, I'm like, if the US were a collectivist society, we’d be way better off. But the answer isn’t so binary, says Poonam. “From the collectivistic standpoint, I was trained to anticipate needs, to just show up and be the person who filled in gaps. That could be really unhealthy because there could be a self-abandonment that comes along with that.”
However, “if I'm thinking just about me,” she continues, “I have no consideration for the people around me. I've lost sight of humanity. On the flip side, I need to take care of me, and I need to engage in rest, in self-care so that I can show up for my community and the people around me.”
Level Up Leaders helps group practice owners explore the fertile middle ground between collectivism and individualism. The work isn’t about changing who you are as a leader. It’s about communicating your authentic identity in a way that’s generative and inspiring to others rather than top-down, hierarchical, or restrictive.
Poonam offers three reflective exercises to help you begin the process (whether you’re a leader or not):
Examine your fears. “It's not about setting it aside, it's about truly looking at that fear.”
Get curious. “Curiosity is the antidote to fear.”
Explore genuine accountability. “How will [accountability] lead to me being vulnerable in a way that I'm not comfortable with?”
If there’s one thing I’m not gonna let y’all do, it’s bypass “the work.” Engaging with these practices is the only way we’re going to heal ourselves and each other.
GUEST BIO & CONTACT
Poonam Natha, LMFT, is a co-founder of Level Up Leaders Inc. She aims to support group practice owners to cultivate psychological safety values-aligned workplaces by stepping into their authentic leadership with clarity, compassion, and courage. Along with her co-founder, Julianne Guso, their philosophy of trauma-informed leadership begins with honoring your own humanity so you can honor the humanity of your team.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
RECOMMENDED EPISODES
Changing Systems From the Inside with Julianne Guinasso
How to Be a Conscious Leader Without Closing Off Your Heart with Julianne Guinasso
Head/Heart Management Team - Practicing Compassionate and Collective Accountability in the Workplace
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