Episode 50: The Courage to Walk Away from What Isn’t Working

In this episode of Courage Is Built Here, Justine opens Pathway Two, Embody Again, with leadership consultant and author Amy Leneker for a conversation about the courage to walk away from what is no longer working. Amy shares a recent decision to end a significant client contract after recognizing that the working relationship was going against her values and affecting her team. Despite the financial uncertainty, she chose to honor her boundaries and trust that stepping away was the right decision.

Together, Justine and Amy explore how courage grows through practice and why caring for yourself requires more than knowing what you need. Amy shares how she has learned to set boundaries around travel, speaking engagements, and client relationships while modeling those same practices for others. They also discuss comparison, the exhausting patterns of people pleasing, and the freedom that comes from no longer working so hard for someone else’s approval.

Amy also reflects on the vulnerability of publishing her first book, Cheers to Monday, and learning to navigate reviews and criticism without letting them determine her worth. She and Justine discuss staying open to feedback while recognizing what is helpful and what does not need to be carried. The conversation closes with Amy sharing how her family is navigating grief after losing her father-in-law and how she is learning to choose rest, slowness, and time for herself. Throughout the episode, they return to the courage it takes to honor your values, care for yourself, and walk away from expectations that are no longer serving you.

Key Takeaways

• Pathway Two, Embody Again, is about caring for ourselves through everyday practices, boundaries, and asking for what we want and need.
• Walking away from a working relationship that violates your values can be an act of courage, even when the financial stakes are high.
• Recognizing warning signs and honoring agreements and boundaries can help you know when something is no longer working.
• Courage may never feel automatic, but practicing it can help you become more comfortable making difficult decisions.
• Gathering with others in person can create a kind of connection that is difficult to recreate virtually.
• Caring for yourself while traveling and working requires intentional boundaries around your time, energy, and needs.
• Modeling boundaries for others can help show that asking for what you need is possible without guilt.
• People pleasing and comparison can pull you away from your values and leave you exhausted and resentful.
• Publishing something meaningful requires vulnerability, including learning to be proud of your work without controlling how others receive it.
• Receiving feedback well means staying curious and open to growth without allowing every criticism to define you.
• Grief can change your priorities and create a need for more rest, slowness, and time together.
• Sometimes caring for yourself means letting go of what you think you should do and choosing what you actually need.

About the Guest

Amy Leneker is an optimistic, joy-seeking, recovering workaholic and leadership consultant with more than 25 years of leadership experience, including a decade in the C-suite. Through keynotes, coaching, and training, she has helped more than 100,000 leaders, teams, and organizations create workplaces with less stress and more joy. Amy is also the author of Cheers to Monday, her first book and an instant national bestseller that offers practical strategies for breaking the cycle of stress and burnout.

Connect with Amy:

Website: https://www.amyleneker.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyleneker/