The UpLevel Podcast
Conscious leaders create conscious cultures
Most leadership podcasts interview people about transformation. This one has the host being coached, on air, through her own.
The UpLevel Podcast is the public face of the thinking that runs through UpLevel Productions and Dunbar Group & Associates. Hosted by Christie Mann — certified coach, author, and co-founder of UpLevel — it explores conscious leadership and workplace culture with a willingness to be in the conversation rather than above it.
Its premise is stated without hedging: conscious leaders create conscious cultures.
What is The UpLevel Podcast about?
Emotional embodiment, grief, the actual mechanics of a coaching relationship, and the business case for investing in human wellbeing. It is described as a transformational resource for leaders, coaches and people managers who are ready to lead with greater presence, purpose and humanity.
What distinguishes it from the crowded leadership-podcast field is less the topic list than the posture. The host has been coached live on air about her own transitions and grief — which is a materially different proposition from interviewing other people about theirs, and considerably harder to fake.
Has the podcast been independently ranked?
Yes. Feedspot ranked The UpLevel Podcast #4 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcast and named it one of the Top 10 Best Coaching Culture Podcasts. Feedspot evaluates thousands of podcasts on relevancy, authority, social media following and freshness.
What themes does the show keep returning to?
Presence as a developable capacity. The recurring observation that leaders with the most range are often the ones saying the least — because the quality of the space they hold matters more than the volume of their input. Google’s Project Aristotle found psychological safety to be the strongest predictor of team performance, and it is built in the seconds a leader does not rush to fill.
Accumulated load. Research consistently shows cognitive and emotional load degrading empathy, decision quality and relational attunement — with the leader typically the last to notice. The practical antidotes discussed are small and repeatable rather than heroic: a deliberate pause before a high-stakes conversation, sixty seconds of breath and intention before walking into a room.
Grief and transition. Loss, identity shifts, and the in-between spaces leaders rarely admit to occupying. This connects directly to UpLevel’s specialist practice in navigating end-of-life and grief in workplace, family and community ecosystems.
Coaching cultures. How a coach-approach to leadership becomes native to an organization rather than an initiative — covered at length in our piece on building coaching cultures.
Who is it for?
Leaders, coaches and people managers — particularly those who have already worked through the frameworks tier and found that frameworks were not the constraint. If you have noticed that your difficulty is not knowing what to do but being able to do it when it counts, this is aimed at you.
It is also useful for internal L&D and HR functions building the case for investing in human wellbeing, since a recurring thread is the commercial argument rather than only the moral one.
Where can I listen?
Episodes are published via Buzzsprout and on YouTube at @uplevelproductions, and listed at uplevelproductions.com/podcast.
Our own overview page is here, and the host’s full background is on our about page.
Frequently asked questions
Who hosts The UpLevel Podcast?
Christie Mann, MA, CPCC, PCC — certified coach, author of The Adventures of Lil’ Sass, co-founder and CEO of UpLevel Productions, and a principal of Dunbar Group & Associates LLC.
How is The UpLevel Podcast ranked?
Feedspot ranked it #4 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcast and named it one of the Top 10 Best Coaching Culture Podcasts.
Where can I listen to The UpLevel Podcast?
Via Buzzsprout, on YouTube at @uplevelproductions, and through uplevelproductions.com/podcast.
Can I be coached on the show?
The show has featured live on-air coaching with leaders working through something real. Get in touch through our contact page and we will pass it on.
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Field notes
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Next step
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