Blog & News
Insights Into Leadership + Communication
Leadership coach, communication expert, and author Beth Wonson shares her insights and experience with dozens of industries for changing leadership and workplace culture using her framework for candid communication. Learn from the successes and challenges of Beth and her clients, and get actionable strategies for applying these lessons to your own situations. With a 59% open rate, my subscribers trust Beth to deliver value on leadership, communication, and building healthy culture.
Developing My Curiosity Has Transformed Everything
When is the last time you felt like there were new things to discover all around you? Intentionally inviting curiosity into your daily moments and relationships can help you experience more joy, bridge divides, develop empathy, and enjoy life more fully. Here are practical ways to cultivate curiosity in your life and work.
When Holding Too Tight Pushes Away What We Want Most
When things feel uncertain, we grip tighter—micromanaging, over-correcting, demanding certainty. But the tighter we squeeze, the more everything slips away. The antidote isn't letting go completely; it's learning to hold space with open palms. When we approach conversations from curiosity rather than control, we create space for real change.
How I'm Transforming Anger
Learn how 15 years of practice taught me that anger is just the surface—and how digging deeper leads to better choices. My simple practice of putting "grace in the space" transforms conflict into self-awareness.
The Wrong Spot
"When you are digging a hole in the wrong spot, digging faster and harder won't fix it." This simple statement reveals a profound truth about how we often confuse persistence with wisdom. From difficult relationships to failed strategies, we keep digging harder instead of admitting we picked the wrong spot.
The Leadership Moment That Changes Everything
I lost my star employee because I was too busy to really listen. Sarah's resignation taught me that Executive Presence isn't about projecting confidence—it's about creating space for difficult conversations before they become crises. The leadership skill that transforms everything.
Transform Your Nonprofit's Impact: Stop Dancing Around the Hard Stuff
The relationship between your nonprofit board and executive director can make or break your mission. Most organizations operate under "toxic niceness" - avoiding hard conversations to maintain peace. This must be broken through before breakthroughs can occur. Learn how to build unshakeable trust.
The Foundation of Successful Sales: Building Relationships Before You Need Them
I recently heard someone say their business development staff isn't reaching out because "I don't have anything to sell right now." But buyers are getting slammed with pitches from strangers. The time to connect isn't when you need the sale—it's in advance. Build trust first.
The Crisis Impacting You (And Your Community)
15,000 to 25,000 nonprofits will close in the next two years—six times higher than normal. This crisis will impact your business, employees, and community in ways you haven't considered. The organizations that survive will master collaboration over competition.
Why Brilliant Teams Fail: The Hidden People Problem
Technical problems won't kill your startup—people problems will. After years of coaching scaling teams, I've seen brilliant companies fail because they promote great developers to managers without leadership training. The solution isn't hiring better people, it's teaching your team to navigate human communication under pressure.
Is Your Performance Management System Helping or Hurting?
Is your performance management system creating the retention problem you're trying to solve? When employees need outside offers to be valued, you're caught in a reactive trap that rewards the wrong behaviors. Discover how proactive performance management builds a culture where people stay and grow.
The Power of Letting Go
We're wired to hold on, but letting go is essential for leadership and personal growth. Discover why your brain resists change and learn practical steps from the NCD Process to release what no longer serves you. Start small, create space for new opportunities, and find freedom on the other side.
5 Signs You May Benefit from Communication Coaching
I used to think I was a good communicator until I noticed conversations weren't going as hoped and relationships were strained. Here are 5 clear signs you might benefit from communication coaching - from avoiding difficult conversations to constantly clarifying what you "really" meant.
What Everyone Knows That You Don't: Your Blind Spots Are Hurting Your Relationships
The biggest obstacles to success aren't what you don't know—they're what everyone else knows about you that you can't see. These blind spots sabotage relationships and careers. Learn how the Johari Window reveals what others see clearly but you're unaware of, plus a 3-step plan to bridge the gap.
Stop Future Tripping: How Anxiety About Tomorrow Derails Today
Ever find yourself paralyzed by fear of what might happen in the future? Future tripping - that anxiety-driven mental time travel - sabotages our ability to listen and respond authentically. Learn to distinguish between healthy planning and destructive worry, and discover how presence transforms conversations.
The Courage to Connect with Your Team
The conversations we avoid are often the exact ones that could transform our workplace. Research shows teams engaging in healthy conflict are 76% more likely to achieve goals, yet we spend hours weekly just dealing with conflict through avoidance. Learn how challenging dialogue creates trust foundations.
Summertime! Managing Workplace Dress Code
Managing workplace dress codes requires empathy, not enforcement. Learn how to navigate these sensitive conversations by leading with curiosity instead of criticism, understanding the human realities behind policy violations, and building trust while maintaining professional standards.
Vacation Time Manager Challenges
The employee requests PTO for a family reunion. You've already approved two others that week. What you say next either builds trust or breaks it. Learn three strategies to transform vacation conversations from team morale killers into relationship strengtheners.
Leadership Linchpin: Why Leaders Must Show Up for Communication Training
I keep seeing the same pattern: Leaders desperately need better communication in their organizations, but when I arrive to facilitate workshops, there's one glaring absence—the leader who called me. How can you lead a transformation you haven't experienced? True leadership means showing up.
Purposeful Micromanaging: A Necessary Leadership Tool
It's time we reframe the micromanaging conversation. When used purposefully, micromanaging provides guardrails for growth - it's intentional, time-limited, and milestone-driven. The problem isn't micromanaging itself, but continuing to closely manage someone who already has the skills for the task.
Is Unresolved Conflict Undermining Your Team?
That team meeting where everyone smiles politely while tensions grow? After two decades working with organizations, I've learned what we avoid discussing doesn't disappear—it festers. Teams spend 42% of their time managing conflict instead of core work. The solution? Learning to navigate challenging dialogue.