Leadership Solutions by Design

Leadership Solutions by Design "Empowering leaders to unlock their potential, navigate change, and drive meaningful success with confidence." But Karie's not just about the boardroom hustle.

Meet Karie Millspaugh, a seasoned pro with a knack for business strategy, communications, executive leadership, PR, and digital marketing. As the visionary force behind Leadership Solutions by Design, a premier coaching and training agency, she lends her strategic acumen to executives from major tech giants like Microsoft, as well as to nimble startups and medium-sized enterprises alike. She's als

o a rockstar in the world of writing and speaking, with best-selling books and awards for her motivational talks. Catch her on "The Leadership Lounge with Karie Millspaugh," her popular podcast where she shares insights and candid conversations with top leaders who have navigated the highs and lows of the corporate and business worlds. When she’s not working with clients or speaking on stage, Karie enjoys spending time in nature, with her family, or planning her next weekend getaway.

08/24/2026

🎙️ NEW EPISODE: What If I’m Not Needed Anymore?

Let’s talk about the fear underneath the AI conversation.

What if the skills you’ve spent years mastering can suddenly be done by AI in seconds?
What if your role changes—or disappears?

And what happens when you’re the leader who is supposed to project confidence for everyone else while privately wondering the same thing?

I’m not interested in sugarcoating this one.

AI is changing jobs. Careers are being disrupted. And the fear of becoming obsolete is real.
But AI has also made me think differently about what makes us valuable.

AI can produce. Humans still bring the vision.

Creativity. Intuition. Judgment. Discernment. Empathy. Experience. The ability to know what question needs to be asked in the first place.

In this episode of The Leadership Lounge, I’m talking about AI, identity, change fatigue, resilience, executive loneliness—and what it means to lead when you don’t have all the answers either.

🎧 (See Comments for Link to Episode)

And I’ll leave you with this:

If AI could do 50% of your job tomorrow, what would still make you valuable?

Leadership Solutions by Design

Finally got out on the golf course ⛳️Perfect weather too! Fun ✅Laughs ✅Score keeping - optional. Rules … also optional 😊...
08/23/2026

Finally got out on the golf course ⛳️
Perfect weather too!

Fun ✅
Laughs ✅
Score keeping - optional.
Rules … also optional 😊

The future of leadership isn’t just about performance. It’s about people.For years, organizations measured success by pr...
08/18/2026

The future of leadership isn’t just about performance. It’s about people.

For years, organizations measured success by productivity, output, and results.

Those things still matter.

But we’re beginning to understand something equally important:

People perform at their best when they feel psychologically safe, supported, healthy, and connected to purpose.

Burnout doesn’t make us stronger.

Chronic stress isn’t a badge of honor.

And “powering through” isn’t a long-term leadership strategy.

The strongest leaders I’ve worked with don’t simply inspire performance.
They create environments where people can sustainably thrive.

When people thrive...

Innovation grows.

Trust deepens.

Performance follows.

Leadership has always been about people.

Now, more than ever, it’s about helping people flourish.

I just listened to Oprah’s podcast interview with Dr. John La Puma about his book, Indoor Epidemic … and I found myself ...
08/12/2026

I just listened to Oprah’s podcast interview with Dr. John La Puma about his book, Indoor Epidemic … and I found myself nodding with agreement through almost the entire conversation. 🌊🌿

I already believed deeply in the healing power of nature, but I learned even more about why our brains and bodies actually need it - including something as simple as regularly seeing the colors blue and green.

Blue skies.
Green trees.
Lakes, rivers and oceans.
Sunlight. Fresh air. Nature.

They aren’t just beautiful. They affect us. 💙

And it made me think about my own life.

I spent 15 years living in Las Vegas, where so much of life happened indoors - escaping the extreme heat in air-conditioning, surrounded by desert, concrete, and very little of the trees and water my soul had grown up with.

I’ve said many times that a little piece of my soul died while I lived there. I didn’t fully understand why at the time.

Now I do. 😊

In 2 weeks, I’ll celebrate three years back home in Traverse City, surrounded by the Great Lakes, trees, changing seasons and more shades of blue and green than I could ever count. 💙🌿

Moving home wasn’t just about changing where I lived.

It changed HOW I live.

More walks outside. More sunsets. More time near the water. More windows open. More fresh air. More moments when I can simply look around and feel my nervous system exhale. ☺️

Maybe our bodies were never designed to spend nearly all of our lives inside. (And I’m a homebody on steroids!)

This conversation with Oprah and Dr. La Puma was such a great reminder that sometimes taking care of ourselves doesn’t require another complicated wellness routine.

Sometimes the prescription is right outside the door (my reminder to go walk to the golf course next-door more often…). 🌊☀️🌲

🎧 You’ll have to copy paste the link in the comments… Jump over to Spotify and look up the Oprah podcast. ⬇️

Leadership isn’t about changing minds. It’s about changing behavior.I’ve spent much of my career helping leaders communi...
08/11/2026

Leadership isn’t about changing minds. It’s about changing behavior.

I’ve spent much of my career helping leaders communicate important messages.

Over time, I realized something surprising.

The best message doesn’t always create action.

People rarely change because they receive another email, attend another meeting, or watch another presentation.

They change when they feel understood.

When they see themselves in the story.

When they trust the person delivering the message.

When the next step feels achievable.

Communication informs.

Connection transforms.

As leaders, perhaps we should spend a little less time asking,

“Did they hear me?”

08/10/2026

Maiden voyage! 🛶💙

We took Matt’s new birthday kayak out on Arbutus Lake Saturday and spent two peaceful hours paddling, exploring the chain of lakes, and soaking up the perfect Michigan weather. ☀️

We even spotted a mama loon with her two babies — and yes, I tried my best to match her call. 😂

Shoutout to Matt’s mom for the awesome birthday gift! I think it’s safe to say it’ll get plenty of use. 💙

08/10/2026

2nd backpacking trip of 2026 🎒⛺️🥾

A little sunshine, a little rain, a LOT of mosquitoes 🦟😂 and some pretty special family visits along the way.

But mostly… quality time with my favorite camping partner. ♥️ We always come home a little more connected and grateful.

Northern Michigan is so good for the soul. 🌲🌊

Thank you, Jesus, for another beautiful adventure. 🙏🏻✝️♥️

2nd backpacking trip of 2026 🎒⛺️🥾We always bond a little more with each trip … so good for the soul! ☺️Highlights: ⭐️Bea...
08/10/2026

2nd backpacking trip of 2026 🎒⛺️🥾

We always bond a little more with each trip … so good for the soul! ☺️

Highlights:

⭐️Beach and Lake Huron was steps from my sleeping bag
⭐️Sunshine the day of arrival and perfect weather & temps
⭐️ Visitors - Matt’s niece and nephew walked out 2 miles to our campsite for a visit (in flip flops!)
⭐️Lunch the following day with Matt’s brother and sister-in-law & nephew 😊
⭐️Quality Time with the bestest camping partner ever - my babycakes! ♥️

Lowlights:

👎🏻Surprise rain shower in the morning - grateful we were dry in our tent sleeping in ☺️
👎🏻Mosquitos - can we make them extinct???!! I have 13 bites just on my face! 😡🦟

That’s all .. grateful to be able to enjoy the beauty of northern Michigan as often as possible.

Thank you Jesus! 🙏🏻✝️♥️

This morning, I caught myself.I picked up my phone for just a minute and found myself reading about the heartbreaking tr...
07/29/2026

This morning, I caught myself.

I picked up my phone for just a minute and found myself reading about the heartbreaking tragedy in Grand Haven, Michigan. My heart broke for everyone affected.

Then I caught myself doing what so many of us do.

One article became another.
Then comments.
Then videos.
Then more opinions.

Before I knew it, I was down a rabbit hole.

It made me stop and think…

Just because something grabs our attention doesn’t mean it requires our focus.

We live in a world designed to compete for our attention. Breaking news. Social media. Notifications. The latest controversy. Every platform is fighting for one thing: our focus.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t care. Compassion matters. Being informed matters. Praying for people matters.

But there’s a difference between being informed and becoming consumed.

Every minute we spend endlessly scrolling is a minute we’re not investing in the people and priorities we’ve actually been entrusted with—our family, our health, our faith, our work, our purpose, and our peace.

Lately, I’ve been asking myself one simple question:

“Does this deserve my focus?”

If the answer is no, I close the app and redirect my attention to what I can actually influence.

The world will always have another headline tomorrow.

But we only get one today.

Let’s spend it wisely.

❤️ Just because it grabs our attention doesn’t mean it requires our focus.

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