IT Leaders

In this episode of the IT Leaders podcast, Rachel Pritz—executive coach, speaker, and founder of Culture Coaching—invites us into a transformative conversation about self-leadership, drawing from six years of coaching high-performing professionals. With candor, insight, and just the right touch of humor, Rachel challenges conventional leadership norms, flipping the lens inward to explore what it truly means to lead oneself first.

Rather than echoing the usual conference keynote themes, Rachel presents six core domains of self-leadership—emotional intelligence, resilience, mindset, self-compassion, self-worth, and what she calls “soul care.” Through rich storytelling and real-world coaching anecdotes, she demonstrates how internal alignment and self-awareness elevate not just personal well-being but also leadership effectiveness.

From recognizing envy as a disguised form of stress to redefining worth beyond job titles, Rachel offers a deeply resonant reminder: the best leaders are those who have done their inner work. Her message is especially compelling for high achievers who often push themselves to burnout—encouraging a shift from external validation to internal fulfillment.

Listeners will walk away with actionable practices, like using an emotion wheel to decode reactions, implementing family gratitude rituals, or exploring creative soul-care outlets like writing children’s books or watercolor painting. Rachel’s message is both a call to authenticity and a toolkit for building sustainable, meaningful careers in tech leadership.