The Purple Elephant Podcast: Real Leadership and People Conversations

Most organizations think their biggest challenges are performance issues, communication lapses, or burnout. But under every “people problem” is a deeper emotional pattern driving how leaders show up. In this episode, I break down the four core attachment patterns — Anxious, Avoidant, Disorganized, and Secure, and how they silently shape decision-making, accountability, conflict, and trust.

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In this episode, I sit down with Liza Janssen Petra, Executive Director of both the Branford Community Foundation and the Guilford Foundation, to talk about what leadership looks like when the ground keeps shifting.

We explore the growing sense of unease communities are feeling, from funding cuts and political pressure to the lingering impact of the George Floyd movement — and how leaders can stay anchored in authenticity, curiosity...

This year has turned me every which of way but loose. And for the first time in a long time, I had to stop pretending I was okay and actually sit down.

In this episode, I take you inside the kind of breakdown that doesn’t happen at work — it happens within. The kind that exposes the parts of you you’ve avoided, the patterns you’ve repeated, and the pain you’ve disguised as strength.

But this isn’t just a story about personal healing ...

In this episode, Mary Ann Ott, Executive Director of the New Alliance Foundation, joins me to explore what truly happens when communities invest in people. We talk about advancing literacy, building strong and inclusive communities, and dismantling the systems that perpetuate poverty and racism. Mary Ann shares how the Foundation’s vision, a community where everyone can reach their fullest potential, comes to life through action, e...

In this heartfelt and unfiltered conversation, host Jenora Ledbetter sits down with Suzannah Holsenbeck, Executive Director of Read to Grow, a Connecticut-based organization committed to promoting early childhood literacy and supporting families from birth. Together, they unpack what it means to lead with clarity, care, and conviction in a nonprofit space where the work is always deeper than the mission statement.

Suzannah shares th...

In this unfiltered episode of The Purple Elephant Perspective, Jenora Ledbetter dives into the raw truth of what it means to lead during one of the most politically and emotionally charged times in recent memory. From the erasure of equity work to the emotional weight leaders carry under this administration, this isn’t a surface-level conversation, it’s a necessary one.

If you’ve found yourself whispering your worries in your car, q...

In this thought-provoking episode of The Purple Elephant Podcast, host Jenora Ledbetter, also known as The Elephant Whisperer, guides us through a reflective journey honoring Black History Month while confronting the barriers that hinder sustainable change in organizations and communities.

Segment Highlights:

In the Season 1 premiere, Jenora Ledbetter does what most organizations avoid, she names the elephant in the room.

Introducing the Purple Elephant framework, a no-nonsense approach to real organizational change. This episode cuts through the buzzwords, clears up the myths, and gets honest about why “good intentions” are not enough.

Jenora shares the personal moment that sparked this work and breaks down what equity actually looks lik...