Podcast 1317: From Ashes to Influence: Leadership Forged by Fire and Faith by Stacy Winsett

About this episode

Stacy Winsett discusses her journey from childhood trauma to becoming a Chief People Officer, advocating for stewardship leadership over traditional models.

In this podcast, Greg Voisen sits down with Stacy Winsett, a high-level executive who reveals the raw truth behind her professional success: it was built on a foundation of childhood trauma and hyper-vigilance. Her book, From Ashes to Influence: Leadership Forged by Fire and Faith, serves as a powerful memoir and blueprint, tracing her journey from government housing and a literal house fire to the Chief People Officer seat. She challenges the traditional "strong at all costs" leadership model, offering instead a path toward "stewardship leadership" that replaces survival instincts with faith and presence. 🎯 What Listeners Will Learn: - The Cost of Usefulness: Why being a "fixer" often stems from childhood defense mechanisms and how it leads to executive burnout. - Repurposing Survival Skills: How to turn hyper-vigilance into professional discernment without staying in a state of constant stress. - The Body’s Record: How chronic stress and "over-functioning" manifest as physical illness and why your nervous system needs permission to rest. - Choosing Integrity: Why the most consequential leadership decision you can make is often choosing to leave an unsafe or toxic environment…

People in this episode

Host: Greg Voisen

Guest: Stacy Winsett

Topics covered

• leadership
• personal growth
• childhood trauma
• executive burnout
• stewardship leadership
• professional discernment

Keywords

• leadership
• childhood trauma
• executive burnout
• stewardship leadership
• hyper-vigilance
• professional discernment
• toxic environment

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: From Ashes to Influence: Leadership Forged by Fire and Faith

More episodes of Inside Personal Growth with Greg Voisen

• Podcast 1329: Venture Mode: Escape the Administration Trap by Finding and Unleashing Entrepreneurial Leaders by Hunter Hastings · June 12, 2026 · 38 min
• Podcast 1328: Future-Proofing Leadership: Navigating Change & Disruption by Rosie Ward · June 8, 2026 · 44 min
• Podcast 1327: The Exit Expedition: Why the "Deal" Is Only the Summit by Jerome Myers · June 5, 2026 · 36 min
• Podcast 1326: Dhrasti! : The Perception by Pratiqk Jaani · June 1, 2026 · 56 min
• Podcast 1325: Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results by Chester Elton · May 25, 2026 · 52 min
• Podcast 1324: Winning Ways for Living: Get Smarter ~ Perform Better by Kurt Krueger · May 22, 2026 · 42 min