What if every complaint in your company was actually a doorway to possibility? In this episode of the Leading Visionaries, host Anjel B. Hartwell sits down with leadership strategist and founder of Elevated Talent Consulting, Traci Austin, to explore how HR can become a powerful tool for vision, alignment, and transformation. Traci shares her evolution from nonprofit HR leader to founder of a firm that partners with small and mid-sized trade businesses to redefine leadership, build future-ready teams, and develop people-first cultures that retain top talent.

Whether you're growing past the $3M or $10M mark in your business, or you're a mission-driven founder navigating growth with intention, Traci’s wisdom will help you reframe what’s possible. She dives deep into how to turn frustration into innovation, and how visionary leadership is as much about curiosity and enrollment as it is about structure and systems.

What You Will Learn:

How to transform common workplace complaints into clear, empowering requests.

The difference between urgent culture and visionary leadership.

The key indicators that your company needs leadership support or HR realignment.

Why HR doesn’t have to be the “organizational cop,” and what it looks like to lead from partnership.

How to move from compliance-heavy HR into people strategy and growth planning.

The impact of multi-generational dynamics in trade businesses and how to evolve them.

Why outlining talent pathway plans helps employees feel invested and aligned with company goals.

What business owners can learn from the trades about practical leadership development.

Resource:

Traci Austin Elevated Talent Consulting

The People Strategy Podcast

Leading Visionaries Podcast

Join the Leading Visionaries Community

Make a Donation to Support the Show

Creative Age Consulting Group

What does it really take to evolve as a visionary leader in today’s fast-changing world? In this special 2-year anniversary episode of the Leading Visionaries, host Anjel B. Hartwell brings together a powerful panel of past guests who are redefining leadership in business, wellness, and social impact. From soul-aligned wealth and multi-million-dollar med spa empires to strategy that breaks the rules and joy as a business model, these trailblazers reveal what has shifted for them—and how their leadership has deepened.

You’ll hear from:

Alara Sage, the Oracle of Wealth, who speaks to the energetic evolution of humanity and how joy, embodiment, and AI are reshaping our approach to wealth.

Guest Episode: Embracing Pleasure to Unlock Your Potential with Alara Sage

Alejandro Salazar, author of The Emergent Strategy, who shares insights on decoupling identity from business and the clarity required for scaling transformational work.

Guest Episode: Discovering the Power of Emergent Strategy with Alejandro Salazar

Dr. Dia Burger, the Face Sculptor, who talks about fast pivots, soul-aligned entrepreneurship, and the explosive potential of med spa growth.

Guest Episode: Becoming an Industry Leader in Medical Cosmetics—with Dr. Dia Burger

Stacie Shifflett, founder of Modern Consciousness, who unpacks the power of rooting into inner clarity and honoring your intuitive business downloads.

Guest Episode: Tap into Consciousness, Reclaim Your Joy—with Stacie Shifflett

Their collective wisdom makes this episode a treasure trove for visionary entrepreneurs, creators, and change-makers ready to scale their impact without compromising their soul.

If you’re a purpose-driven leader who’s done “business as usual” and still feels like something deeper is calling, this is your sign.

What You Will Learn:

How each guest's leadership vision has evolved since their original episode and what catalyzed that growth.

How releasing the hustle mindset and embodying joy can create more powerful soul aligned results.

Ways visionary leaders are integrating AI to create more spaciousness and deepen creativity.

How to magnetize team members clients and collaborators through authentic presence.

Insights into creating scalable offers that remain deeply transformational and personalized.

How guests are scaling their brands while staying rooted in values ethics and intuition.

Behind the scenes examples of how visionaries refine and expand their impact after massive growth.

How to enroll others in a mission by connecting to the deeper why behind the work.

The importance of staying true to an original calling even when others suggest alternatives.

Sparkly Insight Quote from Alara Sage:

“We’ve been taught limited ways of being. The real power is when you reconnect with your aliveness and let it carry your legacy.”

Sparkly Insight Quote from Alejandro Salazar:

“Clash with the market. Start by doing. That’s the first principle of my theory.”

Sparkly Insight Quote from Dr. Dia Burger:

“Build relationships with your team so they walk beside you, not just follow you.”

Sparkly Insight Quote from Staci Sehifflett:

“Stop outsourcing your clarity. The answers are already within you.”

Resource:

Alara Sage: Website

Alejandro Salazar:

Have you ever wondered what it would look like to lead your business with both financial clarity and visionary courage? In this episode of Leading Visionaries, host Anjel B. Hartwell interviews Teresa Wagonseller, founder of Higher Up CFO Services, who reveals how her journey from a challenging childhood to becoming a sought-after fractional CFO is a testament to the power of resourceful leadership. With over 30 years of experience spanning billion-dollar corporations and scrappy startups, Teresa doesn’t just manage numbers, she helps business owners see their vision more clearly through financial strategy. She challenges the myth that CFOs are only for big business and instead opens the door for founders and small business owners to imagine what’s possible when you stop DIYing your finances and start thinking like the big players.

From realizing as a child that there were other ways to live, to taking bold leaps in and out of entrepreneurship and corporate life, this episode is a roadmap for action.

What You Will Learn:

Why combining analytical thinking with creativity can be a major advantage in business.

How discovering different models of family and leadership can unlock new personal and professional goals.

The value of honoring changing dreams and adapting as new ideas and opportunities emerge.

Why leaving behind a successful business can be the right move for long-term fulfillment.

How fractional CFO services provide high-level support for small and growing businesses.

Why it’s essential to move from a DIY approach to bringing in experts for business growth.

The benefit of a financial assessment to reveal what’s working and where there’s opportunity.

How mentorship and team empowerment create stronger, more motivated organizations.

Why acting on inspiration is essential and how to move past fear to execution.

When it makes the most sense to bring in a fractional CFO based on company revenue.

Which tasks should be delegated to free up time for higher-value leadership activities.

How part-time financial leadership can lead to significant gains in profit and cash flow.

Why small businesses should adopt the mindset and structure of large, successful companies.

What a free financial review can reveal and why it’s a smart first step.

Resource:

Teresa Wagonseller: Higher Up CFO Services

Leading Visionaries Podcast

Join the Leading Visionaries Community

Make a Donation to Support the Show

Creative Age Consulting Group