I’ll never forget the first time I met Rod Francis.
There are people you meet in this work who carry something different—an energy, a stillness, a kind of embodied wisdom that doesn’t need to prove anything. That’s Rod. He’s the kind of leader who’s done so much inner work that just being in his presence—yes, even over Zoom—invites you to take a slower, deeper breath. To listen more. To soften.
When I invited Rod onto The Unworthy Leader Podcast, I knew our conversation would be rich. But what I didn’t expect was just how seen I would feel in it. We talked about everything from the cultural overemphasis on overthinking, to the wisdom of our bodies, to how self-doubt isn’t something to “get rid of,” but something to get curious about.
Rod spoke about his time as a high-performance athlete, an international model, and eventually, a master coach—each chapter revealing more of the man behind the achievements. What struck me most was his unflinching honesty: his willingness to speak about addiction, burnout, and those moments of reckoning that force you to redefine what success even means.
We also explored the idea that imposter thoughts aren’t personal flaws—they’re contextual. And that truth alone can be freeing. It’s not you, it’s the environment, the pressure, the dynamics. And when you realize that, you can start making space for a more grounded kind of leadership—one rooted in presence, not performance.
Rod reminded me (and I hope reminds you) that listening—really listening—isn’t just something we do for others. It’s something we must learn to do for ourselves. And in that space of quiet presence, we often find the clarity we’ve been searching for all along.
🎧 You can listen to our full conversation here:
The Unworthy Leader Podcast: Purpose Beyond Performance with Rod Francis (Ep12)
If you’ve ever felt the pressure to perform, to keep it all together, to pretend you don’t hear the voice that says “you’re not enough”—this episode is for you.
Let’s keep unmasking what leadership really looks like.
— Kendra
Author: Kendra Dahlstrom is a transformational executive coach, keynote speaker, and host of The Unworthy Leader Podcast™. With over two decades of experience guiding senior executives at Amazon, VMware, and other Fortune 50 companies, Kendra helps high-achieving leaders stop performing and start leading—from a place of presence, clarity, and power. Her work is rooted in the belief that imposter thoughts, self-doubt, and vulnerability aren’t weaknesses—they’re data. Through her signature frameworks—Your Doubt is Your Data™, Your Failure is Your Fuel™, and Your Vulnerability is Viral™—Kendra has helped hundreds of leaders turn silent suffering into strategic clarity. She brings a proven, bulletproof process that demystifies what’s really happening behind the leadership mask. Her insights—including the 2 Hidden Brand Liabilities affecting executive presence, 6 Revelations about Imposter Thoughts, and the 4-Step framework to transform inner conflict into action—challenge conventional leadership models and unlock a more human, sustainable approach to influence. Kendra doesn’t just talk about authentic leadership. She lives it. This isn’t theory—it’s lived truth, earned insight, and a revolution in how leadership gets done well.
