Episode 220: Lead with Vulnerability

In this week’s episode of Your Best Day Yet, Chief Victory Officer, Eric Guy, sits down with long-time friend and executive coach, Tim Tannert. Tim opens up about his personal transformation — from feeling stuck in life and leadership to embracing a growth mindset through deep self-awareness and emotional intelligence work. Together, Eric and Tim unpack the uncomfortable but powerful journey of personal responsibility, conscious leadership, and how doing the inner work can unlock your highest potential.

Takeaways:

Choose Growth Over Comfort: One of the most impactful insights from Tim’s story is the importance of choosing growth over comfort. Time and again, he shares how the most transformative moments in his life and leadership journey didn’t come from playing it safe or staying within his comfort zone. They came from the moments where he leaned into discomfort — where fear, uncertainty, or pain were present, but he chose to engage rather than retreat. Growth rarely happens when everything is easy; it happens when we stretch, take risks, and push past what feels comfortable. Whether it’s stepping into a difficult conversation, owning a hard truth, or challenging old habits, choosing growth means being willing to be uncomfortable for the sake of becoming who you’re truly meant to be.

Awareness is Everything: Another key theme is the power of awareness. Tim emphasizes that becoming conscious of how you’re showing up — in your relationships, in your work, and in your life — is the first step toward any meaningful change. Too often, we operate on autopilot, reacting out of old patterns or unexamined beliefs. But when we cultivate awareness, we begin to see the “why” behind our actions. We notice our triggers, our coping mechanisms, and the ripple effects of our choices. That self-awareness becomes a foundation for growth. It allows us to pause, reflect, and choose a new response instead of repeating the past. Awareness isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a skill, and one that changes everything when developed intentionally.

Victim vs. Creator Mindset: Tim and Eric dive into a powerful distinction: the difference between a victim mindset and a creator mindset. In the victim mindset, life is happening to you. There’s blame, powerlessness, and often a sense of stuckness. But when you shift into a creator mindset, everything changes. You start to own your experience — not in a way that ignores challenges or denies reality, but in a way that empowers you to respond differently. You recognize that you may not control everything, but you do control how you interpret and act on what’s happening. This shift is liberating. It’s the moment when people stop waiting for external circumstances to change and instead begin creating the life they want from the inside out.

The Hard Stuff Is the Good Stuff: Emotional work isn’t glamorous — but it’s necessary. Tim encourages leaders to resist the urge to avoid, numb, or gloss over the messy parts of life. He calls it sitting in the “muck” — those uncomfortable emotions, unresolved issues, or vulnerable moments we’d often rather ignore. But he argues that these very moments are where the gold lies. The hard stuff — the pain, the fear, the doubt — is where real healing and transformation begin. It’s not about fixing everything instantly; it’s about being willing to sit with it, feel it, and move through it with courage and compassion.

Live Intentionally: Finally, the theme of intentional living weaves throughout the conversation. Whether it’s how you lead your team, respond to stress, or make decisions in your personal life, intentionality is the thread that ties it all together. Living with intention means being clear about your values and aligning your actions with them. It means asking not just what you’re doing, but why. It’s about making conscious choices that reflect the kind of life and legacy you want to build. For leaders, this intentional approach ripples out — it shapes culture, influences others, and creates meaningful impact.

Links:

More of Tim: https://culturecures.com/

Sign up for an AMP Adventure: https://centerforvictory.kartra.com/page/9Gn85

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