This episode is a master class in coaching as Aiko Bethea, one of the most respected senior leadership coaches in the country, takes Brené through a current leadership conflict in real time, showing just how hard it is to slow down and lead from your values instead of your urgency. The coaching session is underpinned by Aiko's new "Anchored, Aligned, and Accountable" framework that focuses on why self-leadership is so critical in today's complex operating environment. Together, they dig into the difference between assuming good intent and believing someone is doing the best they can, and why that distinction changes what accountability actually looks like in practice. Aiko also introduces and models the powerful coaching practice of "three levels of listening" and how it's central to developing a coaching mindset.
Aiko Bethea — Aiko Bethea, aikobethea.com
Dare to Lead Hub — Brené Brown, brenebrown.com
Audre Lorde — Mariana Brandman, 2021, National Women's History Museum
bell hooks — Asami Robledo-Allen Yamamoto, 2025, National Women's History Museum
RARE Coaching | Aiko Bethea (@rare_coach) — Aiko Bethea, n.d., Instagram
Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams — Amy Edmondson, 1999, Administrative Science Quarterly
This Is Our Reminder of What Courageous Leadership Looks Like — Brené Brown, 2026, LinkedIn
One of the Greatest Joys of My Career Has Been… — Brené Brown, 2026, LinkedIn
Futurist Amy Webb on What's Coming (and What's Here) — Brené Brown, 2024, Dare to Lead podcast
Brené with Aiko Bethea on Inclusivity at Work: The Heart of Hard Conversations — Brené Brown, 2020, Dare to Lead podcast
Rising Strong — Brené Brown, 2015, Random House
Feeling Powerless at Work? Here's Where Your Agency Still Lives — Jessi Hempel, 2026, Hello Monday with Jessi Hempel
Without Accountability, Just Throw It All Away — Aiko Bethea, 2023, LinkedIn (Street Lights newsletter)
Post on Learning and Development (#learninganddevelopment) — Aiko Bethea, 2026, LinkedIn
Dare to Lead — Brené Brown, 2018, Random House
Stop Outsourcing Your Judgment: Brené Brown in Conversation with Leadership Coach Aiko Bethea — Brené Brown, 2026, Fast Company
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