Licensed professional counselor Blakely Hunze-Austin joins to explore why purposeful discomfort can be a path to authenticity—and better leadership. Blakely traces a journey from tamped-down identity in the Tennessee church pews to building affirming community in Colorado Springs—and what those different contexts teach about safety, vulnerability, and leadership. We discuss tools for lowering defenses and integrating hard truths, plus the power of consultation among leaders to fight isolation. Blakely’s charge: find your huddle, have the uncomfortable conversations, and “get up and feel brave.” Leadership, she reminds us, is just advanced relationship work.

Guest Biography

Blakely Hunze-Austin is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Colorado and Tennessee who specializes in sex therapy, eating disorders, OCD, and trauma. She enjoys working with LGBTQIA, kink, and polyamorous or ethically non-monogamous clients. She is a trained psychedelic assisted therapist. She now owns her own private practice and is a clinical director for a treatment center. Blakely volunteers for the Academy for Eating Disorders and is currently pursuing her certified sex therapist designation.