From Control to Clarity: Leadership Lessons from Ashton Theiss | The Breakdown Series

What if your drive, your perfectionism, and your ability to “do it all”,  were the very things keeping you stuck?

fIn this episode of the Inner Work series, The Breakdown,  MaryAnn Means-Dufrene and Karen Finney unpack a deeper truth inside Ashton Theiss’s story, one that will feel uncomfortably familiar to high-performing leaders: Real leadership begins when you stop proving, and start evolving.

Ashton built a powerhouse real estate agency by trusting her gut and going against industry norms. But behind that success was a massive inner shift,  one that required letting go of control, asking for help, and redefining what leadership even meant.

If you’ve ever wrestled with delegation, urgency, or imposter syndrome (despite the accolades), this conversation is your mirror.

The Disruption: When Authenticity Breaks the Mold

Ashton’s brand wasn’t born from strategy decks, it came from instinct. Instead of following outdated norms, she led with bold authenticity. But success came with a cost: doing everything herself. She didn’t just need a team, she needed a new identity.

The Inner Work: Surrender Is a Leadership Skill

True growth came when Ashton realized that being capable wasn’t the same as being effective. Saying “I need help” wasn’t failure, it was a milestone. She began asking: What’s mine to hold? What can I let go? The real power move wasn’t doing more. It was doing less, intentionally.

The Rebuild:  Delegation, Boundaries, and Bigger Vision

With help, Ashton rewired her operations and her mindset. She let go of “perfect,” delegated with courage, and embraced visibility without guilt. She stopped shrinking from recognition and started celebrating herself and her team. Because visibility isn’t vanity. It’s leadership.

What I Know Now

MaryAnn and Karen reflect on their own leadership patterns, urgency as identity, over-functioning as safety, and the slow, sacred work of reprogramming. Growth isn’t a sprint. It’s a series of pivots. And it begins when you stop reacting... and start choosing.

5 Leadership Quotes Worth Sitting With:

• “Just because I can do it all doesn’t mean I should.”
  
  
• “Delegation starts with trusting yourself.”
  
  
• “Asking for help is a power move.”
  
  
• “Sustainability > speed.”
  
  
• “You don’t grow by proving. You grow by practicing.”

🎧 Listen to the full episode now!