In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart welcomes Vanessa Bragg, Leadership Coach and consultant at The Humphrey Group to talk about why and how you should be a people centric leader.Vanessa shares the story of her own career transformation and the profound impact that people-focused leadership has had on her growth. She unpacks what it means to be a people-centric leader, why this mindset is more essential than ever, and how you can begin to model this approach in your own leadership.From shifting your style from telling to coaching, to showing up with authentic presence and using language that draws out the best in others, Vanessa offers both heartfelt insights and practical strategies. Her stories, examples, and actionable tools will inspire you to connect more deeply with your team, foster meaningful engagement, and drive results through human-centered leadership.Show Notes00:25 Show intro00:59 Introducing Vanessa Bragg01:14 Bart runs through Vanessa's background01:55 Introducing people-centric leadership02:36 How Vanessa started her career03:58 Most rapid growth with that leader 04:58 She wasn't a problem solver, she always asked me what I recommended 05:45 How did that people-centricity shape your own philosophy?06:39 She never was the answer person 08:17 What are the challenges with people-centred approach09:52 Even though I'm a coach I have my eye on strategy 10:33 Top-down vs people-centric leadership differences11:00 Leaders who are lower in self-awareness are harder to shift12:45 How much does the org affect the culture?13:04 It has to come from the top13:36 Buy-in from execs freed up the other leaders14:24 In all the orgs I worked in the CSuite makes a huge difference to culture 15:27 How can leaders be present?16:55 Connection before content18:19 Use the language of leadership21:06 Example of a leader who was using the wrong language22:17 She wasn't an unkind person 23:21 Raise that self-awareness 23:39 Intent and impact24:13 Being people-focused does not mean losing track of business goals24:42 What does it mean to "Communicate like a Coach"?30:09 Where can people find out more?30:47 Outro