Magic in the Room #139 Intentional Leadership: Being Brave with Guest Kimberly Davis

March 13, 2023

In this episode of Magic in the Room, Kimberly Davis, the founder of Brave Leadership University, joins Hannah and Luke to continue our exploration of Intentional Leadership. Kimberly helps us understand that we can be brave by connecting to our “super objective,” which is the impact we want to have. She defines bravery as “being my best, most authentic and powerful self,” which is critical for Intentional Leadership. 



To download the free guide that goes with this episode, subscribe now.

Listen now on your favorite platform!

   


Find Kimberly on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlydavisonstage/ or at braveleadershipuniversity.com 

 

Brave Leadership University founder, Kimberly Davis is an expert on authentic leadership, and shares her inspirational  message of personal power, responsibility and impact with organizations  across the country and teaches leadership programs world-wide. 

 

Kimberly teaches for SMU Cox School of Business' Executive Education Program and their Latino Leadership Initiative; as well as for the Bush Institute's WE Lead program (empowering female leaders from the middle east). Kimberly is a TEDx speaker and her award-winning book, Brave Leadership: Unleash Your Most Confident, Authentic, and Powerful Self to Get the Results You Need was named the #1 book to read on Inc. Magazine’s “The most impactful books to read in 2018.” 


Credits: 

  • This episode of Magic in the Room was recorded during the 2023 NLV conference in Chicago, Illinois
  • Music by evangrimmusic.com 

Magic in the Room #201: Leading from Within

By Emma Holland • June 9, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Chris Province, Hannah Bratterud, and Luke Freeman reflect on six years of conversations and explore a foundational leadership question: why leadership is ultimately an inside game. Drawing on personal growth, facilitation experiences, and organizational leadership lessons, they argue that effective leadership cannot be reduced to frameworks, checklists, or techniques alone, but instead depends on the ongoing work of self-awareness, discernment, courage, and wisdom. They explore the relationship between courage and conviction, the importance of responding rather than reacting, and the role of personal development in creating positive impact for teams, organizations, and communities. The episode presents leadership as a lifelong practice of leading oneself first, emphasizing that meaningful change begins not with external systems, but with the internal work of becoming more intentional, hopeful, and aligned with one’s values.

Magic in the Room #200: How to Lead through Polarities

By Sarah Whitfield • May 5, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke and Hannah explore the concept of polarities. Tensions like purpose and performance, stability and change, or accountability and grace that are often mistaken for problems to solve rather than dynamics to manage. Drawing on insights from Barry Johnson’s work, they explain how these opposing forces are interdependent and must be balanced over time to achieve sustained success. Through practical examples and personal reflections, they show how over-relying on one side of a polarity leads to predictable “shadow sides” such as stagnation, chaos, inefficiency, or burnout, while effective leadership requires recognizing where you are on the cycle and intentionally recalibrating. The episode emphasizes that many recurring organizational frustrations are not failures, but signals of imbalance, and offers a more nuanced approach to leadership. One that replaces rigid either/or thinking with flexible both/and awareness to improve decision-making, team dynamics, and long-term performance.
Show More