What if the biggest factor influencing your leadership isn't what you know—but what you don't realize is influencing you?

In this episode, Executive Leadership Strategist, Keynote Speaker, and Executive Coach Teresa Gregory joins us to explore what she calls our hidden mindsets—the labels, assumptions, and unconscious thinking patterns that shape how we lead, communicate, evaluate others, and even see ourselves.

Drawing on more than 20 years of leadership development experience, Teresa shares practical examples of how hidden mindsets show up in hiring decisions, performance reviews, workplace relationships, and the stories we tell ourselves about what we're capable of achieving.

In This Episode

Together, we explore why "fit" can sometimes limit innovation, how labels become self-fulfilling, and what leaders can do to recognize and shift the thinking patterns that may be influencing their decisions without them even knowing it.

Memorable Takeaways

✨ Why Teresa prefers the term hidden mindset over bias

✨ How our brains create shortcuts that influence decision-making

✨ The role assumptions play in hiring and leadership decisions

✨ Why "fit" can become a barrier to diversity, innovation, and growth

✨ How hidden mindsets show up in performance evaluations

✨ Why imposter syndrome is often a hidden mindset in disguise

✨ The difference between intention and impact

✨ How dialogue creates stronger relationships than discussion

✨ Practical ways to identify and challenge limiting beliefs

✨ Why every leader should have a mentor—and be a mentor

💡 "Not all bias is bad. The question is: Is it limiting your belief?"

💡 "Acknowledge it. Write it down. Then be deliberate about showing up differently."

💡 "I can teach the steps. I can't teach kindness."

💡 "The path may look different than your five-year plan—and that's okay."

Resources & Links for Teresa

🌐 Website:
www.squaredsuccess.com

🎁 Free Leadership Resource:
www.squaredsuccess.com/podcast

📧 Connect with Teresa:
teresa@squaredsuccess.com

📱 Social Media:
@squaredsuccess

📖 Coming Soon:
Teresa will be featured in a new compilation book releasing this fall.

What Teresa Would Tell Her 20-Something Self

Get a mentor—and be a mentor.

Find people who will challenge your thinking, expand your perspective, and help you grow. Then do the same for someone else.

Guest-Inspired Card Selection

🦋 With Brave Wings She Flies

When asked to choose a card from the Girl, Take the Lead! online store, Teresa immediately connected with the Brave Butterfly card. For her, it represents the courage to take flight, embrace new opportunities, and trust yourself as you step into what's next.

A fitting choice for someone who recently launched her own business, serves her community as an elected official, and continues to help leaders uncover what's possible when they challenge their hidden mindsets.

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