Season 5: Episode 132: The Human Side of Leadership™: Why Smart People Stay Stuck 2 of 10

Season 5: Episode 132: The Human Side of Leadership™: Why Smart People Stay Stuck 2 of 10

July 20, 2026 · 16 min · Season 5 · Episode 132

About this episode

In this episode, Sarah Beth Herman discusses why intelligent individuals often find themselves stuck despite appearing productive, emphasizing the brain's role in risk assessment and survival.

Send us Fan Mail Sarah Beth Herman continues her 10-part series, The Human Side of Leadership, with an episode subtitled “Why Smart People Stay Stuck,” exploring how being stuck can look productive or successful while real change is avoided. She argues smart people don’t stay stuck due to lack of information, but because the brain’s primary job is survival, constantly predicting risk based on past experiences; citing Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, she explains the brain is trying to protect us, no...

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