Lora Cheadle is a leadership wellness coach, TEDx speaker, podcaster, and former attorney. Her work examines how professional exhaustion often stems from deeper misalignment. In this interview, she explains how reconnecting with personal values changes how leaders show up, make decisions, and define success across industries.

Lora, can you tell us who you are, what led you to shift from law to leadership coaching, and what you’re most passionate about in your current work?

I’m Lora Cheadle, a former attorney turned leadership wellness coach, TEDx speaker, and author of It’s Not Burnout, It’s Betrayal: 5 Tools to FUEL UP and Thrive and FLAUNT! Drop Your Cover and Reveal Your Smart, Sexy, & Spiritual Self. Although I enjoyed practicing law, I reached a point where everything was imploding—professionally and personally—and I had to walk away or abandon myself.

It wasn’t just the long hours or the stress—it was the disconnect between what I valued and what I was being asked to perform. I had become a version of success that looked great on the outside but left me empty on the inside.

That realization sparked my shift from practicing law to practicing truth—helping leaders and high-achievers reconcile who they are with how they lead. I’m most passionate about creating workplaces where success doesn’t require self-abandonment, and where leadership begins with radical self-honesty.

---

You’ve said burnout is often not just exhaustion but a form of betrayal. Can you expand on what you mean by that—and how you came to this realization through both personal and professional experience?

Burnout is defined by the World Health Organization as stress that has been unsuccessfully managed—leading to exhaustion, negativity toward one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy. If that’s the case, why aren’t stress management and self-care fixing the burnout problem? After all, aren’t we all more adept at managing stress than we used to be?

That’s because burnout isn’t always about stress. It’s about betrayal.
Betrayal is the breaking of an expectation you have relied on—something that ruptures your sense of self or worldview. Burnout happens when you betray yourself over time. When systems or structures you’ve trusted stop behaving the way you expect. It’s the cumulative effect of saying yes when you mean no, contorting yourself to meet unspoken expectations, and slowly eroding your identity and values.

I came to this realization during a personal betrayal—my husband’s long-term infidelity shattered everything I thought I knew about trust and identity. As I rebuilt my life, I saw the same dynamic in the workplace. People weren’t just tired—they were disillusioned by systems that demanded their best and gave little in return. Healing required more than rest. It required realignment.

---

Your FUEL UP framework integrates legal strategy, emotional insight, and somatic tools. Can you walk us through what this looks like in practice?

FUEL UP stands for:

• Find Your Why – Clarify what matters to you. Is it the mission, the money, or the lifestyle your work supports?
• Uncover the Truth – Often, what we think is the problem isn’t the real issue. Go deeper. Is it stress—or is it powerlessness, stagnation, or lack of challenge?
• Expectation Management – Identify your expectations, evaluate if they’re realistic, communicate them clearly, and advocate for them effectively.
• Laugh – Laughter is one of the fastest ways to regulate the nervous system. It moves us from survival mode into the thinking brain—making us smarter, more relational, and more effective.
• Unbroken Promises – Get honest about what you want and need. You’re the only one who can act in alignment with your truth—and unless you trust yourself, no one else will either.

In practice, this framework blends legal strategy, emotional clarity, and somatic embodiment. It’s where insight meets action—and where integrity replaces performance.

---

How do you help leaders recognize when they’re operating from misalignment—betraying their own values for the sake of results—and what can they do to realign?

I often start by asking, “Where are you masking up, armoring yourself, or performing? Where are you afraid to be seen?” If a leader feels like they’re saying what’s expected instead of what’s true, that’s misalignment.

Feelings of resentment, disengagement, or disembodiment are betrayal cues. Then we explore: What expectations are you trying to fulfill? Is it yours—or someone else’s?

Realignment doesn’t come from adding more strategies. It comes from stripping away what’s no longer true. When leaders operate from their core truth, they lead with clarity, presence, and impact.

---

If you were to name a few turning points in your career or recognitions that truly affirmed your work, what would they be—and how have they influenced your approach?

My TEDx talk on “Uncovering Bias in Gender and Women’s Sexuality” was a turning point—not because of the stage, but because of the response. People wrote to say they felt seen for the first time. That taught me the power of naming what’s unspoken, even when it scares or shames us.

Another pivotal moment came while working with a medical group where the pressure to be perfect was suffocating. By naming these impossible expectations, we shifted the standard. Burnout decreased. Retention improved. But more importantly, people got better at their jobs—because they finally had permission to ask for what they needed. Emotional safety isn’t a bonus—it’s a strategy.

---

What common threads or patterns have you noticed about burnout and disengagement across sectors?

Across every industry, I hear the same silent script: “I’m trapped by golden handcuffs. I can’t speak up. I just have to push through.” But “through” never comes.

People fear being seen as weak, wrong, or difficult. So they self-silence and over-function—until they either implode or walk away. Burnout isn’t about workload. It’s about a loss of voice, purpose, and self-respect.

The solution? Cultures that expect authenticity, not just allow it.

---

For women in leadership in particular, what are some of the hidden costs you see—and what does reclaiming power look like without sacrificing wellbeing?

Women often lead with emotional intelligence, collaboration, and deep relational skills. But because the workplace still rewards domination and detachment, they mask those strengths and perform instead. The hidden cost, among others, is imposter syndrome. It’s the unrecognized effort of being someone you’re not—of modulating your voice, wardrobe, or work style—on top of your actual role.

Reclaiming power isn’t about leaning in. It’s about redefining power altogether. It’s valuing diverse ways of working, setting boundaries, and honoring rest. It’s saying, “This is who I am. I belong because I exist.”

---

How do you integrate body awareness and presence into environments that often prize speed and logic?

Somatic practices help leaders get out of their heads and into their bodies. They create space to hear what’s really going on. When we’re disconnected from our bodies, we miss the early cues—burnout, gut instincts, rising resentment.

I introduce micro-moments of awareness: breath before decisions, body scans to check in with head, heart, and gut, and moving to process information and emotion instead of remaining still. These tools foster presence, empathy, and trust—which actually accelerates performance by reducing miscommunication and burnout.

---

How can organizations foster cultures where people don’t have to betray themselves to belong or succeed?

Psychological safety starts with leadership vulnerability and clear communication. When leaders name discomfort, admit mistakes, or ask for feedback, they normalize truth-telling. That’s when people stop choosing between success and self.

But it also requires systemic support—clear expectations, consistent feedback, and meaningful inclusion. Belonging doesn’t mean fitting in. It means showing up fully and still being valued.

---

Looking ahead, what shifts do you hope to see in workplace culture—and how do you hope your work contributes to building a more emotionally sustainable professional world?

I want to see a future where wellbeing isn’t a perk—it’s the foundation of performance. Where we stop glorifying burnout as hustle and instead honor rest as leadership. And where we normalize asking: What do I expect in this situation? Have I communicated and advocated for what I want?

My work invites a new kind of conversation—one that’s brave enough to name betrayal, soft enough to welcome healing, and strong enough to redefine success on human terms. Because leadership isn’t about climbing higher—it’s about coming home to yourself. It’s about choosing alignment over achievement, integrity over image, and building success that actually feels like yours.

---

If you were to write your bio in your own words, what would you say? 

I’m Lora Cheadle, an attorney turned leadership wellness coach, TEDx speaker, and author of It’s Not Burnout, It’s Betrayal: 5 Tools to FUEL UP & Thrive and FLAUNT! Drop Your Cover and Reveal Your Smart, Sexy, & Spiritual Self. I practiced law in both California and Colorado before shifting my career to support individuals and organizations in a deeper way—by helping them address the root causes of burnout, disengagement, and misalignment at work.

My pivot was personal. After discovering my husband’s 15-year affair, I experienced a profound unraveling of identity—one that revealed the many ways I had betrayed myself in the name of success. What I realized through that journey, and through working with countless professionals across industries, is that burnout isn’t about stress. It’s about the betrayal of our own values, needs, and expectations—by ourselves, by systems, and by outdated definitions of success.

That realization fueled the creation of Life Choreography® and the FUEL UP Burnout Recovery Method™, a mind-body-leadership framework that helps individuals and teams resolve the deeper emotional, cultural, and structural betrayals that lead to exhaustion. I also facilitate Step into Your Moxie® communication trainings, guiding professionals to speak up and influence with confidence and integrity. In every room I step into—whether a boardroom or a women’s retreat—my goal is the same: to help people come back home to themselves.

As a certified clinical hypnotherapist, somatic attachment therapist, yoga instructor, and trauma-informed coach, I integrate mind-body-spirit approaches that get real results. My work has been featured on stages like TEDx and DisruptHR, and in platforms such as ABC, CBS, and OM Yoga Journal. My podcast, FLAUNT! Create a Life You Love After Infidelity or Betrayal, reaches nearly a million listeners and blends somatic healing, ancestral work, legal strategy, and radical self-honesty.

Based in Colorado, I live for adventure and bold conversations that reclaim our power. Whether I’m dancing in my backyard, teaching, or coaching, I believe healing is an act of leadership—and that betrayal, when faced with courage, can become the invitation we never knew we needed.

---

Links

Connect with Lora via LinkedIn.

About Humane HR Talk

Welcome to Humane HR Talk, where we present insightful interviews with HR industry experts and thought leaders in related fields sharing their strategies, perspectives, and visions for creating more human-centric workplaces. Through these discussions, you’ll gain practical tips and fresh inspiration to transform your HR practices, to foster inclusive, thriving cultures, and to help in your own journey in the evolving world of work.

Share Your Insights

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your insights in the comments below.

• What stood out to you about humane HR from what you’ve read?
• What has worked well in your organisation or business?
• What would you recommend?