Leadership from the Inside Out

Lead with courage and presence. Partner with people. Practice being fully human.

What Happens When We Don’t Lead from Courage, Presence, or Partnership?

Even the most committed, values-driven leaders get stuck in patterns that feel reactive, disconnected, or heavy with pressure.

If you're noticing some of these signs in yourself or your team, you're not alone.

The cost of not leading from courage, presence or partnering is reactive leadership
Cost of not leading from courage, presence or partnership is disconnection from self and others
Cost of not leading from presence, courage and partnering is disempowerment
Cost of not leading from courage, presence, or partnering is leading from protection
Cost of not leading from courage, presence and partnering is surface level compliance

Working with StartHuman

Book a discovery session with starthuman

We begin with a discovery session—a space to get curious together about what’s unfolding for you, your team, or your culture.

This is where we explore your current challenges, goals, and readiness for meaningful change.

get a customized coaching, leadership development, or culture development path from starthuman

There’s no one-size-fits-all here. Based on what we uncover, we’ll design a personalized roadmap that supports your leadership journey—whether through coaching, leadership development, or culture-shifting strategies.

Partner with starthuman for coaching, leadership development or culture change

This is where the work comes alive. Together, we’ll build the courage, presence, and abilities it takes to lead through discomfort, model what matters, and embody human-centered leadership in real time.

Celebrate the impact of coaching, leadership development and culture change with starthuman

We’ll pause to honor progress, integrate lessons, and celebrate growth—because transformation is a practice, and every step forward is worth acknowledging.

From here we’ll complete our journey, or decide what’s next.

Featured Articles:

Featured
Is 360 Feedback Right for Your Leader? 
Amber Barnes
Is 360 Feedback Right for Your Leader? 
Amber Barnes

360 feedback can support leadership growth—but only when the leader is ready to receive it. This post explores when to use a 360, when not to, and what conditions create real impact.

Amber Barnes
What If We Stopped Taking Things So Personally?
Amber Barnes
What If We Stopped Taking Things So Personally?
Amber Barnes

What if the moments that sting—those comments that hit deep—were actually invitations? At StartHuman, we believe real leadership means staying present with discomfort and taking responsibility for our own nervous system instead of offloading pain onto others.

In this post, Amber shares a powerful story of receiving tough feedback, choosing vulnerability over defensiveness, and discovering the power of relational repair. It’s a reminder that our reactions aren’t personal—they’re protective. And when we practice emotional intelligence as a daily discipline—not just a buzzword—we build cultures where trust, truth, and connection can thrive.

Amber Barnes
“I’m Triggered”: A Call to Radical Responsibility
Amber Barnes
“I’m Triggered”: A Call to Radical Responsibility
Amber Barnes

What if being triggered wasn’t a reason to collapse, but an invitation to lead from presence? In this post, we explore how radical responsibility transforms reactivity into growth, builds real trust at work, and helps us stop outsourcing our safety. It's not about avoiding discomfort—it's about learning to meet it with courage, curiosity, and care.

Amber Barnes
What Coaching Is and What It Isn’t
Amber Barnes
What Coaching Is and What It Isn’t
Amber Barnes

Coaching can be transformative—but only when it’s done with skill, training, and integrity. In a field where anyone can call themselves a coach, it's important to know what to look for. This article breaks down what coaching really is (and isn’t), how it differs from consulting, therapy, mentoring, and training, and what questions to ask before choosing a coach.

Amber Barnes
Culture Is Not What We Preach. It's What We Permit.
Amber Barnes
Culture Is Not What We Preach. It's What We Permit.
Amber Barnes

Culture isn’t built in all-hands meetings or value statements—it’s revealed in how people feel at the end of the day, how leaders show up under pressure, and what’s tolerated behind closed doors. In this post, we explore what culture really is, why it often goes unspoken, and how leaders can begin to align words with actions in a way that builds trust, belonging, and integrity.

Amber Barnes

Zones of Genius:

  • Practicing Courage

  • Cultivating Presence

  • Partnering with People

Topics:

How We Partner for Transformation

Change doesn’t happen through a single conversation or workshop. It’s a journey—one that starts with self, expands to teams, and ultimately transforms culture. We meet you where you are, and walk with you every step of the way.

  • Coaching with Amber Barnes

    Coaching

    We work with leaders and executives in a 1:1 or small group setting. Coaching is intended for customized support—including leadership development planning, processing 360-degree feedback, real-time feedback, emotional regulation tools, and thought partnership through complexity.

    Explore Coaching
  • Leadership Development with Amber Barnes

    Leadership Development

    We design and deliver leadership development experiences that go beyond theory. From custom programs to proven frameworks (like Dare to Lead™ or Blanchard’s SLII®), our work helps leaders build the presence, courage, and relational skill to lead humans—not just processes.

    Explore Leadership Development
  • Culture Development with Amber Barnes

    Culture Development

    Our culture work is deep, relational, and by invitation only—designed for organizations whose leaders have done their own inner work and are ready to co-create a workplace where trust, courage, and humanity can thrive. This isn’t just change management. It’s culture transformation—from the inside out.

    Explore Culture Development

Leadership isn’t about control—it’s about connection.

At StartHuman, we help leaders shift from protection to presence, from comfort to courage, from managing to partnering, and from external authority to internal alignment.

Instead of...

  • Holding power over

  • Clinging to comfort

  • Reactivity or protection

  • Managing people like tasks

  • Outer performance metrics only

Try Leading With...

  • Partnership and shared ownership

  • Capacity to be with discomfort

  • Presence and groundedness

  • Honoring the human side of leadership

  • Inner clarity and self-leadership