Why High Performers Struggle When They Step Into Leadership - Part 1

You can be high-performing, and still feel completely unprepared for what leadership demands next.
This is the side of leadership development no one prepares you for.

In this episode of Inner Work, MaryAnn sits down with Emily McAnelly, for a raw conversation about what it really takes to step into leadership when the stakes are real.

Emily didn’t just change roles, she chose to walk away from the “path of least resistance” and into a version of herself that required discipline, ownership, and facing the fear of failure head-on.

Together, they unpack:

• What it feels like to build something that actually matters
• The pressure of stepping into leadership before you feel ready
• How faith and failure reshape your definition of success
• And why scaling a business is really about scaling who you are

This isn’t a conversation about tactics.
It’s about identity, pressure, and the inner work required to lead at the next level.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• 00:40 Welcome and Introduction
• 02:10 Blending Two Podcasts
• 03:46 Why Emily Joined
• 08:13 Scaling and Partnership
• 11:34 Working With Family
• 12:55 Fear of Failure
• 20:07 Discipline and 10x Habits
• 23:10 Sales Engine and Faith
• 29:09 Ed Story and Wrap Up
  
  

About the Guest:

Emily McAnelly is the Vice President of Strategic Growth at Collective Growth, where she leads business development and go-to-market strategy. With experience across AI startups, Fortune 100 partnerships, and financial systems, she builds scalable, transformational growth engines. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her family and brings both strategic rigor and human insight to leadership.

🔗 Connect with Emily: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-mcanelly-99442233/

If you’ve ever felt the tension between who you are and who leadership requires you to become, this episode is for you.

👉 Book a 1:1 call: https://collectivegrowthleadership.com/book-call