E43 Reclaim Who You’ve Always Been with Natalie Siston

Todd and Natalie dive into Positive Intelligence (PQ) as a practical operating system for mental fitness—using the pause to shift from negative reactivity to wise response. Natalie traces her journey from Silicon Valley and the Fortune 100 to entrepreneurship, shares the origin of her bestselling book Let Her Out, and explains how pausing, presence, and rediscovering what you loved as a kid unlock confidence and authentic leadership. The episode closes with a guided two-minute PQ practice listeners can replay anytime.

Insights & takeaways

Mental fitness, defined: PQ = your ability to respond to life’s challenges with a positive (not negative) mindset; it’s trainable through daily reps, not toxic positivity.
The power of the pause: Build an internal “pause button” to create space between trigger and response (Viktor Frankl), reducing reactivity at work and at home.
Hot-stove metaphor: Feel negative emotion briefly as a signal—then remove your “hand” and shift with a 10-second sensory PQ rep (breath, fingertip ridges, sounds).
Sage perspective: Train yourself to eventually find the gift and opportunity in any situation; it’s a long game, not an instant reframe.
Let Her Out, the movement: Born from old journals and a rejected TEDx pitch → became a keynote, a book, and now live events helping overtaxed women pause and reconnect.
Coaching theme Natalie sees: Leaders often forget what’s truly important to them; clarity work restores confidence and opens doors to the right opportunities.
Ask for support: Advocate for company-sponsored coaching; confidentiality (ICF ethics) enables deeper, more transformative conversations.
Practical prompt: “What did you love doing when you were younger that you’re not doing today?”—then schedule one small action to reintroduce it.
Team benefit: Raising individual joy and presence lifts performance, relationships, and resilience across the organization.
Resources mentioned: Positive Intelligence (program/app), The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks; 4-H’s “head, heart, hands, health” as Natalie’s early leadership roots.
Do-along moment: A replayable, two-minute guided PQ practice at the end of the episode to restore calm and focus.

Natalie Siston’s Bio

Natalie Siston is a keynote speaker, executive coach, and bestselling author of Let Her Out: Reclaim Who You Have Always Been. Through her powerful blend of personal storytelling, leadership expertise, and practical mental fitness tools, Natalie helps high-performing professionals slow down, reflect deeply, and lead with more presence, clarity, and confidence.

With 20+ years of experience spanning Silicon Valley, the Fortune 100, and entrepreneurship, Natalie has coached and trained leaders across industries—from rising executives to established changemakers. She served as Head of Client Success at Positive Intelligence and was the second person globally to earn the title of Certified Positive Intelligence Coach. Today, she continues as the company’s Lead Presenter, where she introduces teams and individuals to the tools that strengthen resilience and performance from the inside out.

She lives in Plain City, Ohio, with her husband and two teenage daughters.