Your Relationship Is a Leadership System | Ep. 67 w/ Katarina Polonska (The Successfully in Love® Method)
High performers love one dangerous belief: “If I can lead a team, I can figure out my relationship.”
But relationship drift doesn’t stay at home. It shows up as shorter patience, worse decisions, lower focus, and a leadership edge that dulls over time.
In this episode, I’m joined by Katarina Polonska — executive relationship strategist, gender dynamics social scientist, and founder of the Successfully in Love® method — to pressure test the myth that relationships are “separate” from leadership.
What we cover:
- Why high performers can’t “logic” their way out of subconscious patterns
- Why communication isn’t the only lever (patterns and nervous system work matter)
- The truth about blind spots: if it was an intellectual problem, you’d have solved it already
- Why many men don’t lack love — they lack language and permission for support
- The “needle test”: lots of conversations, but nothing changes? You’re stuck in the head
- One move you can run this week: identify the need under the behavior (yours and theirs)
If you’re crushing it publicly but drifting privately, this is your wake-up call — and a path forward that isn’t fluff.
Links
Katarina’s site: https://www.katarinapolonska.com/
Katarina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katarinapolonska/
Katarina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katarinapolonska/
Work with Adam (Transition Leadership Coaching)
Book a 20-min Foundation Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min
Learn more: https://adamwbarney.com/
Learn more: https://adamwbarney.com/
Creators and Guests
Host
Adam W. Barney
Adam W. Barney helps transitioning leaders navigate career and leadership inflection points with clarity and momentum. Author of Make Your Own Glass Half Full and creator of EnergyOS. Based in Boston, fueled by family and music.
