EP225: You See It. Now Own It.
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(The notes below are only a brief bullet point summary of what is discussed in the podcast. Be sure to listen to get all of the goodness! If you would like a full transcription of the episode, please send an email to angie@angie-robinson.com.
I was on my way home from the gym this morning, listening to a podcast, when something stopped me cold.
Esther Perel — psychotherapist, bestselling author, relationship expert, and host of Where Should We Begin? — was speaking at a live event. She asked the audience to stand if they had ever looked at something broken in the world, thought someone should fix it, and then realized that someone should be them.
Oof.
I've heard versions of that idea before. But this morning, in April of 2026, when the world feels more than a little broken — when I'm watching things shift in our government, our economy, our social fabric — it landed differently. It felt personal.
So I brought it here. Because I think it's relevant to every leader listening.
What Do You See That's Broken?
Before we get to the why questions, I want you to do something. Think about what's broken — in your organization, your team, your community, or the broader world. Maybe it's a policy that no longer works. Maybe it's a culture problem nobody's addressing. Maybe it's a gap in leadership development, or a dynamic on your team that everyone sees but nobody's naming.
Just name it. Without the "yeah, but." Without "that's not my job." Without the voice that says there's nothing you can do.
Name it.
And then sit with this: What comes up when I say that someone should be you?
That's where this episode lives.
Six Why Questions to Take You from Seeing to Owning
These aren't rhetorical. They're an arc — from awareness to resistance to commitment. Write them down. Slow down. Answer them.
1. Why is this important?
Not just to you — to your team, your organization, your community. Getting clear on the importance is the foundation. It's also what you'll come back to when things get hard.
For me, the answer is human-centered leadership. I believe we need leaders who see people as whole humans — who develop self-awareness as the foundation of everything else. That's not a nice-to-have. It's the work.
2. Why do I think it's broken?
This is about your experience and your observation. What are you seeing that tells you something isn't working? And if you want to go deeper: what's the system or root cause underneath it?
For me, it's the modeling of the opposite — leadership that shuts people down, influences in harmful directions, or prioritizes profit over people. A lack of self-awareness is often at the root. And when a culture celebrates ego and greed, the brokenness compounds.
3. Why would it be better if it was fixed?
What would change? Who would benefit? You might also ask: what would be better and who would be better.
If human-centered leadership became the norm, I believe more people would feel seen and heard. Engagement would rise. Mental well-being would improve. Equity and inclusion would move forward. Humanity would be lifted. I could spend three hours on this one question alone.
4. Why me? (Or — why not me?)
This is the question that can either anchor you or stop you. Ask it honestly. Does this align with your values? Your strengths? Your personal why? Is there a pull you can't ignore?
If "why me" brings up doubt, flip it. Why not me? What happens when you ask it that way?
5. Why might I get discouraged?
This is where you surface the resistance — because it will show up. The inner voice that says you're too small, too unknown, too late. The fear that people won't listen. The exhaustion of saying the same thing for thirty years.
Name the blockers. Then decide: which ones are realistic? Which ones are noise? And for the ones that might actually come — what will you do when they arrive?
The goal isn't to eliminate resistance. It's to decide that your passion outweighs it.
6. Why will I keep going?
When you run out of steam, this is what you return to. Your answer to question one — why is this important — is the fuel. Get clear on it now, so you can ground yourself in it later.
What Will You Do Next?
One more question — and this one is a what. What is the one next step you'll take?
Mine was recording this episode. Naming it out loud. Getting it out in the universe.
Yours might be a conversation. A proposal. A pivot. A reach-out. It doesn't have to be big. It just has to be something.
If you're not sure where to start, I have an idea: reach out and tell me what you see. Tell me what's broken in your world and what's making you think maybe that someone is me. Your first step might just be saying it out loud.
Because you can't own what you won't name.
And leadership — real, human-centered leadership — starts with you.
You are the magic.
What Do You Think?
What do you see that is ‘broken’, and how are you the person to ‘fix’ it?
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