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Great leaders don't just show up—they create the kind of presence that changes people.
What separates truly exceptional leaders from those who simply manage? In Part One of this thought-provoking conversation, Chris Comeaux sits down with executive coach David Sachsenmaier, whose 30 years of leadership experience and more than 4,000 hours of executive Coaching have helped leaders uncover one of leadership's most overlooked truths: the quality of your leadership is shaped by the quality of your inner life.
Together, they explore why presence, self-awareness, and emotional grounding are essential to building healthy teams, resilient organizations, and cultures where people thrive.
David shares powerful insights on why many high-performing leaders unknowingly operate from a place of constant reactivity, how unresolved pain influences decision-making, and why treating people like machines ultimately destroys engagement and Innovation. Through memorable illustrations—including his “mason jar” metaphor—he explains why slowing down, becoming more self-aware, and leading from a place of wholeness creates organizations marked by trust, creativity, and lasting impact.
The conversation also explores the unique challenges facing healthcare and Hospice leaders who spend their lives caring for others while often neglecting themselves. Transcript- Leadership Starts W…
Whether you lead a healthcare organization, hospice, nonprofit, or business, this episode will challenge you to look beyond leadership techniques and consider the deeper work of becoming the kind of leader people genuinely want to follow.
Key Takeaways
- Leadership begins with presence. The healthiest leaders create calm, Clarity, and trust instead of spreading chaos and reactivity.
- Self-awareness fuels better leadership. Understanding your own “limps,” triggers, and unresolved pain enables you to lead others with greater empathy and Wisdom.
- People are not machines. Organizations thrive when leaders recognize the humanity of their teams and create psychologically safe cultures.
- Wholeness precedes performance. Sustainable leadership comes from finding your identity and worth beyond titles, achievements, and external success.
- Healthy leaders multiply healthy cultures. Grounded, emotionally present leadership is contagious, improving engagement, creativity, collaboration, and organizational resilience.
Guest: David Sachsenmaier, Corporate Executive Coach
Host: Chris Comeaux, President / CEO of TELEIOS, author of The Anatomy of Leadership
The Anatomy of Leadership podcast explores the art and science of leadership through candid, insightful conversations with thought leaders, innovators, and change-makers from a variety of industries. Hosted by Chris Comeaux, each episode dives into the mindsets, habits, and strategies that empower leaders to thrive in complex, fast-changing environments. With topics ranging from organizational culture and emotional intelligence to navigating disruption and inspiring teams, the show blends real-world stories with practical takeaways. The goal is simple yet ambitious: to equip leaders at every level with the tools, perspectives, and inspiration they need to lead with vision, empathy, and impact.
https://www.teleioscn.org/anatomy-of-leadership
I am currently the President/CEO of Teleios Collaborative Network which is like a co-op of nonprofit hospice and palliative care organizations. I am also CEO of Teleios Consulting Group. The goal of the collaboration is to harness the best of each hospice and enable the network to better care in each community for the patients and families being served as well as introduce innovations across the membership network and work with payers for new innovative solutions for those dealing with serious or advanced illness.
I am also host two podcasts, Anatomy Of Leadership and TCNtalks. Anatomy of Leadership was inspired by my book "The Anatomy of Leadership" which I wrote for Leaders, visionaries, and change-makers. The podcast delves deep into the essence of purpose-driven and high-performance leadership.
The show guides you through a journey of discovery—revealing how effective leadership can significantly alter the trajectory of our teams, organizations, our lives, and the world at large.
We examine topics like:
- Self-Mastery
- Caring for Others
- Influence
- Intention
- Cause and Purpose
Bio
Over the years, I have become nationally known as a leader in our country’s hospice and palliative care industry, where I spent a large portion of my career as President/CEO of Four Seasons in western North Carolina, a 2009 American Hospital Association Circle of Life Award Winner. In 2005, the Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care honored me with the Peter Keese Leadership Award.
In 2006, I left Four Seasons for two years to build an alliance between the prestigious national healthcare consulting firm, the Studer Group, and Covenant Hospice in Pensacola. The vision was to transform, develop, and grow leaders throughout the hospice and palliative care world. With this venture from its infancy to an established coaching firm partnering with post-acute healthcare organizations from New York to California. I returned to Four Seasons in 2008 to apply everything learned in the trenches on leadership to an organization I knew and loved.
My hospice career began in 1997 at Covenant Hospice in Pensacola, Florida. Earlier in my career, where I worked with KPMG Peat Marwick, a “Big Four” CPA consulting firm, and with Cooper Industries, a Fortune 100 Company, in its Executive Development Program.
I have a Masters in Leadership from the Thayer Institute for Performance Virtuosity.
I am blessed to have a wonderful wife, Deshia and a proud parent of 5 children (3 boys and 2 girls). Love spending time outdoors with my family, reading, and learning in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
