Rise to Lead | Grow, Lead, and Inspire

Are you exhausted—even though you're still getting everything done? You show up. You work. You solve problems. You answer the phone. You take care of everyone else. From the outside, it may look like you're doing great. But functioning doesn't always mean you're okay. In Episode 18 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson asks an important question: What are you carrying right now that you don't actually need to carry? Maybe it's someone else's opinion. A mistake from your past. Guilt. Resentment. Trying to make everyone happy. A responsibility someone else should be handling. Or the belief that if you don't personally handle everything, everything will fall apart. Doran reminds us: Some things you're carrying aren't assignments. They're weights. In this episode, you'll discover: ✅ Why dependable people often become overloaded ✅ Why everything urgent isn't necessarily important ✅ How constantly reacting steals attention from what matters ✅ Why leaders don't have to solve every problem ✅ How rescuing everyone can actually prevent their growth ✅ Why success at work shouldn't leave your family with what's left ✅ The difference between being physically there and truly present ✅ How to identify what matters most ✅ Three questions to help you decide what to put down Leadership isn't about proving how much responsibility you can carry. Sometimes leadership means recognizing what deserves your life—and what doesn't. Protect your energy. Protect your time. Protect your relationships. Protect what matters. And sometimes, the first person you need to lead is yourself. 🎙️ Subscribe to Rise to Lead for practical conversations about leadership, growth, purpose, career, relationships, and becoming the leader you're called to be. #RiseToLead #Leadership #Burnout #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkLifeBalance #Overwhelmed #PersonalGrowth #LeadershipMindset #Priorities #SelfLeadership (00:00) - Are You Tired—or Carrying Too Much? (01:15) - The Danger of Being the Strong One (02:26) - Everything Urgent Isn't Important (03:40) - What Are You Carrying? (04:48) - You Don't Have to Fix Everything (05:40) - Is Your Family Getting What's Left? (06:25) - Being Present vs. Being There (07:08) - Identify What Matters Most (07:42) - Start Putting Things Down (08:40) - Three Questions to Ask Yourself (09:30) - Strength Isn't Carrying Everything

You finished the job interview. It seemed to go well. Then comes the waiting. You check your email. You check LinkedIn. You replay your answers. After a few days, you start wondering: Did I get the job? Are they still interested? Should I follow up? In Episode 17 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explains what to do when you haven't heard back after an interview—and why silence doesn't necessarily mean rejection. In this episode, you'll learn: ✅ How to write a meaningful post-interview thank-you ✅ Why you shouldn't stop your job search after one great interview ✅ How to stop replaying every interview answer ✅ The difference between following up and chasing ✅ How to maintain confidence while waiting ✅ Why you should keep applying until you actually have an offer ✅ How to protect your momentum during the hiring process Doran also shares an important distinction: Professional follow-up shows interest. Chasing can communicate something very different. Follow up appropriately. Make your interest clear. Be responsive. Then give the process room to work. And while you're waiting? Keep moving. Keep applying. Keep networking. Keep preparing. Keep having conversations. Because until you actually have an offer, your job search isn't over. And remember: Your confidence cannot be determined by someone else's response time. A company's delay doesn't change your experience, accomplishments, or the value you bring. 🎙️ Subscribe to Rise to Lead for practical leadership development, career growth, interview strategies, and tools to help you prepare for your next opportunity. #RiseToLead #InterviewTips #JobInterview #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #InterviewFollowUp #CareerGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #JobOffer #InterviewAdvice (00:00) - The Hardest Part After the Interview (00:55) - Silence Does Not Mean Rejection (01:15) - Follow Up With Purpose (01:50) - Keep Your Job Search Moving (02:28) - Stop Replaying the Interview (03:15) - Follow Up—Don’t Chase (03:50) - Protect Your Confidence (04:25) - Keep Moving Forward

You don't need to prepare answers to 25 different interview questions. You need three great stories. In Episode 16 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explains how to prepare for behavioral interview questions like: “Tell me about a time when you solved a difficult problem.” “Tell me about a conflict with a coworker.” “Tell me about a result you're proud of.” Most behavioral interview questions are ultimately trying to discover a few things: How do you solve problems? How do you work with people? And how do you create results? Doran breaks down the three stories you should prepare before your next interview: ✅ The Problem You Solved — Show how you think, take action, communicate, collaborate, and create results. ✅ The Difficult People Situation — Demonstrate professionalism, conflict resolution, communication, and emotional maturity. ✅ The Result You're Proud Of — Clearly show the impact you made and, whenever possible, quantify that impact. You'll also learn how to simplify the traditional STAR interview method into: Problem → Action → Result What was happening? What did you do? What happened because of it? That simple framework can help keep your answers focused and prevent you from rambling. And remember: while it's important to give your team credit, the interviewer needs to understand your specific contribution. Before your next interview, prepare these three stories and practice telling each one naturally in about 60–90 seconds. Don't memorize a script. Know your stories. Know your contribution. And be prepared to clearly communicate the value you can bring into the next room. 🎙️ Subscribe to Rise to Lead for practical leadership development, career growth, and strategies to help you prepare for your next opportunity. #RiseToLead #InterviewTips #JobInterview #BehavioralInterview #CareerAdvice #InterviewPreparation #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerGrowth #JobSearch (00:00) - Why Interview Answers Fall Apart (01:35) - Story 1: The Problem You Solved (03:55) - Story 2: The Difficult People Situation (06:50) - Story 3: The Result You’re Proud Of (08:25) - The Problem-Action-Result Formula (09:42) - Clearly Communicate Your Contribution (10:20) - Prepare 3 Stories, Not 25 Answers (12:06) - The Rise to Lead Challenge

“Tell me about yourself.” It sounds like one of the easiest interview questions you'll ever be asked. After all, who knows more about you than you? Yet it's also one of the questions candidates frequently struggle to answer clearly. Some start at the beginning of their careers and walk through every job they've ever had. Others share too much personal information. Some give such a broad response that the interviewer still doesn't understand who they are professionally. In Episode 15 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson breaks down a simple four-part formula for answering “Tell me about yourself” with clarity and confidence: 1. Where are you now? 2. What prepared you? 3. What do you do especially well? 4. Why does this opportunity make sense? You'll also learn why your answer should generally stay within 60–90 seconds, the four common mistakes to avoid, how to tailor your introduction to each opportunity, and a practical exercise you can use to improve your answer before your next interview. Your experience has value. Your story matters. But you have to learn how to communicate it in a way people can understand and remember. Preparation isn't pretending. It's respecting the opportunity enough to be ready for it. 🎙️ Subscribe to Rise to Lead for practical conversations about leadership, career growth, professional development, and becoming the leader you're capable of becoming. #RiseToLead #JobInterview #InterviewTips #CareerDevelopment #Leadership #TellMeAboutYourself #CareerGrowth #JobSearch (00:00) - Why Tell Me About Yourself Is So Difficult (01:42) - The Biggest Interview Mistake (02:26) - The Four-Part Answer Formula (04:47) - Communicating Your Strengths (05:52) - Why This Opportunity Makes Sense (07:11) - Four Interview Mistakes to Avoid (08:48) - Prepared, Not Programmed (09:37) - The Practice Exercise (11:03) - Your Rise to Lead Challenge (11:59) - What's Coming Next

Are you going through a difficult season at work? Maybe you're tired. You feel overlooked or unappreciated. Your environment has changed. Your boss has changed. Maybe you've changed. And slowly, you've stopped showing up like the person you used to be. In this episode of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson tackles an important leadership and career question: How do you keep a bad season from changing who you are? Every career has seasons—seasons of growth and recognition, but also seasons when you feel disappointed, frustrated, or completely overlooked. The danger comes when a temporary environment begins creating a permanent version of you. In this episode, you'll discover: ✅ How difficult workplace seasons can change your attitude ✅ Why your character shouldn't depend on your circumstances ✅ How to protect your reputation when you're ready to leave ✅ Why excellence is part of who you are—not just who you work for ✅ How to avoid carrying bitterness into your next opportunity ✅ When leaving may actually be the right decision ✅ Three questions to ask during a difficult season ✅ How to make career decisions from purpose instead of frustration ✅ Why your current situation doesn't define your entire story Doran isn't telling you to tolerate disrespect or stay in a job you should leave. Sometimes leaving is the right decision. But there's a difference between leaving a difficult situation and allowing that situation to leave something ugly inside of you. Take the lesson. Take the experience. Take the growth. But leave the bitterness behind. Your bad season may teach you. It may strengthen you. It may even redirect you. But don't give a temporary season permission to permanently change who you are. 🎙️ Subscribe to Rise to Lead for practical conversations about leadership, character, career growth, and becoming the kind of leader people want to follow. #RiseToLead #Leadership #CareerGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkplaceBurnout #Character #LeadershipMindset #CareerAdvice #PersonalGrowth #LeadershipPodcast (00:00) - When a Bad Season Starts Changing You (01:00) - Don't Let Your Environment Define You (02:23) - Protect Your Character (03:10) - Leave the Bitterness Behind (03:45) - Three Questions to Ask Yourself (04:20) - Your Situation Isn't Your Story