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PODCAST

Strong Face

You"re enforcing a policy you fundamentally disagree with. You"re delivering a message that contradicts your values. You"re watching your team break under decisions you didn"t make and can"t change. And through all of it, you have to maintain composure. You have to keep leading. You have to put on a strong face. And somewhere in the middle of it all, you started wondering: Am I the problem? Should I be able to make this work? This podcast won"t tell you how to fix everything. But it WILL help you

business careers

All Episodes

1:00

Behind the Strong Face: A Quick Life Update

Strong Face ·

2026/10/05

I'll be back soon! In the meantime, check out any existing episode that sounds like what you're dealing with at work right now. Each one stands on its own.__ Strong Face is for leaders caught between caring for their people and enforcing a system that wasn't built to do so, without losing themselves in the process. Hosted by Tamara Steward, organizational consultant and founder of Spark the Firm, each episode takes one situation you're likely living through at work right now or have seen before,

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24:41

Tamara's Tips (One Takeaway From Every Episode)

Strong Face ·

2026/09/21

I get it. As a leader, your hair is on fire and you do not have time to listen to 12 full episodes of Strong Face to find the takeaway you need right now. So I’ve compiled one clip from each episode that gives a piece of advice you can take with you today. Or, if you've been with me since the beginning, consider this a reminder episode of the things that bear repeating. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:04 Episode 1 - Everything is a Priority 01:39 Episode 2 - Celebrated in Public, Denied in

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33:14

Why Your Culture Initiatives Keep Backfiring

Strong Face ·

2026/09/07

The employee survey results are in, and the scores are worse than you expected. You might not want to hear this, but if your team has a culture problem… it’s because there’s a leadership gap.In this episode, we're talking about where that leadership gap actually comes from, why so many culture initiatives quietly make things worse, and what it actually takes to move the needle instead of just checking a box. Key takeaways: What it looks like when people don't feel safe being honest on employee

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27:49

Leading When You Don’t Have the Answers Yet (Clarity...

Strong Face ·

2026/08/24

Something is changing at your company and the leaders above you haven’t shared what it means yet. Maybe a reorg was announced with half the details missing, or maybe you were handed a new mandate with no real parameters. Either way, you’re the one who has to stand in front of your team and keep them moving, while the answers to their questions are sitting somewhere above your pay grade. In this episode, we’re talking about how to lead through that gap when you’re still working through it

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27:52

The Depleted Leader (What to Do When You've Given...

Strong Face ·

2026/08/10

You can't remember the last time you made it to the gym. Therapy's still just a note in your calendar from January. A friend is trying to reschedule the dinner you keep pushing, and at this point you've stopped promising a new date. Individually, they're not a big deal. But together they show that you've become your own last priority. In this episode, we're talking about the depleted leader. You have nothing left to give, and you think you're hiding it, but people know. They've started working

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35:18

The Feedback That Never Comes: What Staying Quiet...

Strong Face ·

2026/07/27

There's a conversation you keep meaning to have. You've rehearsed it over and over again in your head, but every time you almost start the conversation, you find a reason it can wait until next week.In this episode, we're talking about the feedback that never comes. And it lands differently on everyone waiting for it. The tenured employee feels ambushed by a critique they never saw coming. The loyal one who slipped for the first time in years feels betrayed. And you, the leader who needs something

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24:57

“That's Just How They Are” (But At What Cost?)

Strong Face ·

2026/07/13

Someone spoke to you in a way that would never be acceptable from anyone else in the room. Afterward, a colleague pulled you aside and said something meant to help: "That's just how they are." But you heard what nobody is saying out loud: "We decided their value outweighs your experience." In this episode, I'm breaking down what happens when one person is so 'valuable' to an organization that the friction they create gets waved away as the cost of doing business. Key Takeaways: The real cost of

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28:25

Endurance as a Performance Metric: How the Best...

Strong Face ·

2026/06/29

Something goes sideways at work, and you already know who you're going to call. The same name that always comes to mind. The person who takes whatever lands on them and just gets it done. In this episode, I'm breaking down endurance as a performance metric. It's what happens when an organization quietly starts rewarding people for how much they can absorb without complaint, and mistakes that silence for strength. Key Takeaways: The difference between handling pressure well and absorbing

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29:06

Accountability Performance (Following the Process...

Strong Face ·

2026/06/15

They trusted you enough to report what happened, and all you're allowed to say is that it's been addressed. The investigation has run its course. Meetings happened and statements got taken. And then... nothing. The person waiting for answers starts filling in the blanks themselves. Meanwhile, the unspoken message is loud: we handled the liability, not the harm. In this episode, I'm breaking down accountability performance and what happens when organizations follow every step of the process

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23:12

The Mission as a Muzzle: Why Fragile Organizations...

Strong Face ·

2026/06/01

Someone raises a legitimate question in a meeting, and before they even finish, they're cut off and redirected. In this episode, I'm breaking down what happens when "the mission" gets used to shut down questions instead of inviting them in.You've seen it during performance reviews where concerns about a broken process get reframed as a mindset issue. At the all-hands where pointed questions disappear inside long answers about vision and impact. In team meetings where raising real tension gets

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28:29

Competence Hoarding: What to Do When One Person Holds...

Strong Face ·

2026/05/18

Every time you try to document a critical process or get someone else trained, there's always an excuse or something more urgent. And that person stays exactly where they are: indispensable, untouchable, and immovable.In this episode, I break down competence hoarding. It's the team member who won't document the critical process, the leader who never quite teaches you enough to operate without them, or the promotion going to someone you just trained because you're “too valuable” in your position. If

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28:35

The Meeting Before the Meeting | Triangulation at Work

Strong Face ·

2026/05/04

The decision was already made before anyone asked for your input, and the phones lighting up around the table just confirmed it.In this episode, we’re talking about the meeting before the meeting, the text messages during the meeting, and the decisions happening around you instead of with you. You'll learn why this pattern erodes trust so fast that good people start calculating their exit, how to recognize when you're being triangulated around, and what to do if you realize you're participating in

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32:51

Praise Without Protection | When Recognition Isn't...

Strong Face ·

2026/04/20

You're in the company-wide meeting, and your boss is publicly celebrating your team's exceptional work. But just last week, your resource request came back denied.In this episode, I break down what happens when you get public praise but private denial, and why excellence without protection is a trap for managers. You'll learn how to turn that visibility into leverage, protect your team's bandwidth and morale, and use praise as currency to get what you actually need. Key Takeaways: Why this happens

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23:46

Everything Is a Priority (Therefore Nothing Is)

Strong Face ·

2026/04/06

You're standing in front of your team with a new initiative to roll out, but you can't explain why it matters any more than the seven other things already on everyone's plate.In this episode, I break down what's actually happening when everything is labeled a priority and what you can actually do to protect your team’s bandwidth, capacity, and energy. Key Takeaways: Why you need to know the difference between what you believe and what you're delivering before you walk into any room The one

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2:19

Welcome to Strong Face

Strong Face ·

2026/03/23

What actually breaks a team? Some leaders think it's poor communication. Others think it's a lack of skills or the wrong people in the wrong roles. Some believe if they just work harder, set clearer expectations, or build stronger culture, things will improve. And then there's the advice that if you just lead better, everything else will fall into place. The truth is that while all of these things matter, none of them can fix a structurally broken system. When you're caught between caring for your

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