Welcome back, friends! In this episode of the Grounding and Growing Leadership Podcast, Tara is joined by co-host and ALIGN’s Chief Strategy Officer, Stephanie Theisen, to explore the growing “unbossing” trend: the decision to step away from leadership roles even as organizations need strong leaders more than ever. Together, they discuss how burnout, unrealistic expectations, and a lack of purpose are reshaping the way people think about leadership today.

The conversation also highlights what organizations can do to build sustainable leadership pipelines, including creating accessible development opportunities, supporting emotional maturity, and modeling healthy boundaries. Tara and Stephanie share why rethinking how we develop and support leaders may be key to making leadership roles worth stepping into again.

Registration for our next Grounded Leadership cohort is now open! 

Registration for our next Growth-Focused Leader cohort is now pen!

SHIFT Leadership Event is returning for 2026! Interested in becoming a sponsor for SHIFT, learning more about the SHIFT event, or learning more about our special guest speaker, Jon Acuff? Click HERE.

At the Grounding and Growing Leadership podcast, we believe everyone is a leader and that leadership starts with you. Join Tara Gronhovd, Gallup Certified Clifton Strengths Coach and e2Grow High Performing Team Coach, and Pamela Nelson, Gallup Certified Clifton Strengths Coach, Counselor, and Spiritual Director, as we navigate conversations to grow you and your teams on your leadership journeys.    

CliftonStrengths (aka Strengthsfinder) is an assessment that is based on positive psychology and measures core motivations. It’s an extremely powerful tool for personal and professional development as well as improving team dynamics. You will hear us reference Strengths frequently in our podcasts. If you are interested in learning more and taking the CliftonStrengths assessment for you or your team, please reach out to tara@aligntransform.com.    

Comments or questions about this episode? Ideas for future podcast topics and guests? We’d love to hear from you!    

Resources: 

Gallup

GROW™ Leadership Capacity Assessment

The leadership pipeline for women is flashing a warning | LinkedIn 

Over 40% of stressed-out leaders consider leaving leadership roles: DDI study

Global Leadership Forecast 2025

‘Conscious unbossing’: How is Gen Z opting out of climbing the corporate ladder

Reluctance to lead: Conceptualization and contextualization

A systematic review of managerial burnout and personal crisis

Poor Leadership, Heavy Workloads Top Contributors for Workplace Burnout, New SHRM Research Finds

Why Gen Z is Saying No to Management 

Unpacking the Unbossing Trend