In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin sits down with Phylicia McLeod to explore why thinking on your feet has less to do with having the right answer and more to do with trusting yourself. As an improviser, facilitator, teacher, and performer with the The Second City National Touring Company, Phylicia has built a career around navigating uncertainty in real time.

If you've ever found yourself overthinking a decision, freezing under pressure, or wishing you trusted your instincts more, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom and an unexpected case for tarot cards.

Inside This Episode:

• Why Intuition Deserves a Seat at the Table: Phylicia and Erin discuss how intuition, reflective practices, and self-trust can help us make faster, more confident decisions when uncertainty strikes.
• How Improv Trains You to Think on Your Feet: Performing improv for a living means making thousands of decisions in real time. Phylicia shares the biggest lessons improv has taught her about trust, adaptability, and moving forward without a script.
• Tarot Cards, Creativity, and Decision-Making: Before you roll your eyes, hear us out. Phylicia explains how tarot serves as a powerful reflective tool that helps people access intuition, uncover blind spots, and make meaning during uncertain moments.
• Helping People Move Through the Freeze Response: As a longtime improve it! facilitator, Phylicia has helped countless participants navigate those deer-in-headlights moments. Learn how creating psychological safety and lowering the stakes can help anyone think more clearly under pressure.
• Unlearning the Need for Certainty: Through her work as co-host of the podcast Unlearning, Phylicia explores what it means to let go of old stories, trust yourself more deeply, and embrace uncertainty as part of growth.

What to Do Now:

1. Listen to Your Gut First: The next time you're facing a difficult decision, give yourself five uninterrupted minutes to write down what your intuition is telling you before seeking outside opinions.
2. Practice Imperfect Action: Thinking on your feet isn't about certainty. It's about making the next move with the information you have and trusting yourself to adjust along the way.
3. Get Curious About Your Patterns: Notice where you tend to overthink, freeze, or seek external validation. Awareness is the first step toward building greater self-trust.

About the Guest

Phylicia McLeod is a Chicago-based improviser, writer, voice actor, and educator. She currently tours with The Second City National Touring Company and has been a beloved improve it! facilitator since 2018. In addition to performing and teaching, Phylicia co-hosts the podcast Unlearning, where she explores growth, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves. Whether she's on stage, in the classroom, or reading tarot cards, Phylicia is passionate about helping people trust themselves, embrace uncertainty, and lead with curiosity.

Your Freebie

You’re calm, capable, and composed… until things take an unexpected turn (as they tend to do)! This is exactly why we created The Clarity Under Pressure Toolkit: What to Do in the First 5 Minutes of Any Uncertain Situation.

It’s your go-to guide for staying grounded when it matters most. Download it here.

Connect with Phylicia McLeod

• Phylicia’s LinkedIn

Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it!

• Leadership Playground online membership community
• Erin’s website
• Erin’s Instagram
• Erin’s TikTok
• Erin’s LinkedIn
• improve it!’s website
• improve it!’s Instagram

Connect with Erin Diehl🌟 Learn more about Workday Playdate: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/podcast-page
🎤 Book Erin to speak: https://passionstruckspeakers.com/speakers/erin-diehl/
📚 Workshops & Team Experiences: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/experiential-training
💌 Learn more about Erin: https://www.itserindiehl.com/meet-erin
📱 For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

Loved this episode?If this conversation made you think differently about work, leadership, or building joyful teams, please follow Workday Playdate on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who could use more play in their workday.