Everyone Thought She Was Fine.
She Wasn’t - with Kimberly Lyall
In this episode, I’m joined by guest Kimberly Lyall, leadership consultant, keynote speaker, and creator of the Solutionary Leadership Framework, to explore leading through crisis when responsibility, uncertainty, and pressure collide.
Listen to this Episode:
Here are some key takeaways from our conversation about leading through crisis
“The longer you try to push away from the discomfort, the bigger it gets and the harder it gets“
Kimberly shares her extraordinary story of becoming a CEO at 26 and facing a devastating organizational crisis just two years later. She rebuilt the organization successfully — but eventually discovered the personal cost of always being the person who had to hold everything together.
In this conversation, we explore:
🔺 What happens when leaders take on too much responsibility
🔺 How to find clarity during crisis and uncertainty
🔺 Why high performers often hide their struggles
🔺 The importance of asking for help
🔺 How turning toward discomfort can create better decisions
A powerful conversation about leading through crisis, supporting teams, and sustaining performance without burnout.
🎧 Episode Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction to The New Peak Podcast
00:13 – Meeting Kimberly Lyall and her leadership journey
01:27 – Becoming CEO at 26 and facing crisis at 28
04:28 – Leading through trauma when the buck stops with you
07:20 – The hidden cost of high performance
08:04 – Finding clarity and purpose to right the boat
09:57 – The impact of prolonged pressure – when things come to a head
12:10 – Why leaders need support and honest conversations
17:40 – Turning toward discomfort, instead of avoiding it
21:03 – Curiosity, assumptions, and better leadership conversations