Heidi Frye Blog
Leaders transform when they “do the work”, plug into their core, and BE the best version of themselves. Here are a few written resources to help you on your Whole Leader journey.
Joan of Arc: The Courage to Return to Yourself
What can Joan of Arc teach us about self-integrity? Sometimes standing in our truth isn't a straight line. We may waver, question ourselves, or temporarily lose our footing. But there's power in finding our way back to what we know is true.
Vulnerability ≠ Disclosure
Can you be a private person and still be a vulnerable leader? Absolutely. Vulnerability doesn't require sharing personal details or becoming overly emotional. Sometimes it's as simple as admitting a mistake, asking for help, or acknowledging that someone else was right. The key isn't necessarily becoming more personal. It's becoming more accessible.
Intuition: Who’s Really Talking
We often hear that we should trust our intuition. But what happens when fear, old beliefs, or familiar patterns masquerade as that inner knowing? Learning to recognize which voice we're listening to is an important part of self-awareness. And sometimes, the real work isn't learning to trust ourselves more. It's figuring out who or what we're trusting.
The Rest of the Story…
Two stories I shared earlier this summer had unexpected follow-ups. One involved an uncomfortable encounter with a neighbor. The other, a breakthrough in a mother-daughter relationship. Both reminded me that sometimes the thing that changes a relationship isn't the other person changing. It's seeing them differently.
What Is Acceptance? (Labels)
We talk a lot about acceptance, inclusion, belonging, and celebrating our differences. At the same time, we seem to have more labels than ever. Labels can help us feel seen and understood, but they can also become boxes. At what point does a label stop helping us understand someone and start telling us who we think they are?
Radical Allowance
I thought I was a pretty positive person. Then I tried to stop complaining for four weeks. 😳 What started as a simple experiment became something much more interesting: a lesson in where I spend my energy, what I can actually influence, and what I may simply need to allow.
Do You Trust What You Know?
Have you ever known something before you knew why you knew it? What we experience as intuition may actually be our brains recognizing patterns built through years of experience. But fear, bias, ego, and old programming can feel like intuition, too. Maybe the real work is knowing yourself well enough to tell the difference.
Surrender
For a long time, I thought surrender meant giving up. Defeat. Weakness. Throwing in the towel. But what if surrender isn't about giving up at all? What if it's about knowing when you've done your part and it's time to loosen your grip?
I Messed Up
I walked into an interaction carrying someone else's opinion, and without realizing it, I started looking for evidence to prove them right. It was a powerful reminder of how easily we can give away our own judgment and personal power. Sometimes the energy we bring into a room shapes what happens once we get there. Everyone deserves the chance to make their own first impression.
Whose Voice Is That?
Before we were old enough to question what we were hearing, we were already listening. The messages we absorb early in life can become beliefs, and eventually we may mistake those beliefs for our personality. But what if some of the things we believe about ourselves aren't actually who we are? What if they're simply stories we've been carrying for years?
What Do Tears Mean?
What do tears really mean? Weakness? A lack of composure? Or simply that something matters? Maybe we've been getting it all wrong. Vulnerability and emotion don't diminish leadership. Sometimes, they deepen it.
Excellence, Not Perfection!
What if the goal isn't perfection, but excellence? One is driven by fear. The other by purpose. That distinction changed how I think about doing my best. Excellence can still mean having incredibly high standards, without demanding flawlessness.
The Choice That Reveals Your Leadership
A quiet conversation at a lakeside cottage unexpectedly turned into an emotional confrontation. In the moments that followed, I was reminded that leadership isn't measured by how we respond when life is easy—but by the choices we make when it isn't. Sometimes protecting our peace means choosing our values over our ego.
Stepping Into Your Power Applies to Men Too
Two conversations in a client lobby reminded me of an important leadership truth: stepping into your power is not about aggression or ego. It's about awareness, clarity, and having the courage to act. In both cases, once these leaders recognized where they were giving away their power, the solution became obvious—and the impact was immediate.
Do You Know This Word?
During a podcast interview, Carlos Manzano introduced me to a leadership term that stopped me in my tracks: agency. While many men seem familiar with the concept, I discovered that many women—including me—were not. The insight sparked a deeper conversation about power, leadership, and why balancing agency and communal traits may be one of the keys to becoming a truly effective leader.
Well, That Was Awkward
A technical glitch replaced every subscriber's name with "Test First Name." While fixing the problem, I realized something surprising: I didn't actually miss the personalized greeting. What started as an email mistake became a lesson in authenticity, curiosity, and finding opportunity in unexpected places.
Iditarod Leadership: Trusting Your Team
At the Legacy Project conference, Blair Braverman shared a story I haven’t stopped thinking about: surrounded by wolves on the trail, she watched her lead dog calmly lay down—and trusted him enough to do the same. It became a powerful reminder that leadership is not always about certainty or the lead position. Sometimes it is about steadiness, trust, and bringing the kind of presence that helps others rest, even when uncertainty is nearby.
She Didn't Go Anywhere
I walked past a restaurant in San Antonio that holds a very specific memory — one involving a dare, a table, and absolutely zero regrets. And standing there, I found myself wondering about that version of me. The one who said yes without overthinking it. The one who was just... alive. She's still in there. And I think yours is too.
What Floor Are You On?
I want to ask you something most people never stop to consider. What floor are you on? Not your office. Not your building. Your emotional floor — the one you woke up on this morning, made decisions from, and led others from all day. Most of us don't know. We just react. But here's what I've learned: once you know your floor, everything changes.
Two Babies, One Flight, One Leadership Lesson
There were two babies on my flight. One cried for most of it. The other? Maybe one minute of fussiness — total. Same flight, same conditions. The difference wasn't luck. It was the dad sitting next to me, who never once waited for things to go wrong. He was already there. And it made me think — how many of us are leading that way?