EC × BYRD BARR PLACE | CONFIDENTIAL
Creative Brief · 2026
The
Leadership
Plug™
Host
Dr. Angela Griffin
Production Partner
The Elite Collective
Presented By
Byrd Barr Place
Pilot Recording
April 26, 2026
The
The Vision
More than a podcast.
A leadership platform.
The Leadership Plug is a podcast and conversational leadership series hosted by Dr. Angela Griffin — grounded in more than three decades of executive leadership, coaching, community-rooted service, and research. The title reflects Dr. Griffin’s role as “the plug”: a person people turn to for knowledge, access, perspective, and real-world guidance.
🎙
Practical Guidance
Honest, culturally grounded conversations about what it really costs to lead — not polished inspiration, but lived truth that equips leaders to grow and sustain themselves.
👁
Visibility & Voice
Creating visibility for the lived experiences of Black women and other leaders of color — a body of content that documents leadership voices too rarely platformed.
🔁
Lasting Asset
A platform that lives beyond any single moment — connecting to consulting, thought leadership, donor visibility, and community engagement for years to come.
Core Themes
Five pillars.
Every episode.
These recurring themes emerged from the proof of concept and are formalized as the show’s backbone. Each guest conversation will touch multiple themes — creating consistency without scripting.
Theme 01
Transformational Leadership
Leadership is not about hierarchy or control. It is about purpose, responsibility, and transformation. The show explores what it looks like to lead from that place.
Theme 02
Breaking Barriers
Plain talk about gatekeeping, exclusion, code-switching, institutional bias, and the realities Black women face in leadership spaces. Honest. Direct. Solutions-oriented.
Theme 03
The Support Trifecta
Coaching, mentorship, and sponsorship as essential leadership infrastructure — not optional extras. The show normalizes asking for and building support systems.
Theme 04
Community & Collective Power
Challenging the myth that leadership must be lonely. Modeling leadership as relational, communal, and accountable — and showing that community changes everything.
Theme 05
Legacy & Stewardship
Leadership is not only about rising — it is about making room, passing knowledge forward, and building something that outlasts title and role. The show asks: What will outlast you?
Season One
Season 01
Becoming.
The Truth About Leadership Pathways
Season 1 focuses on how leaders become leaders — not the polished version, but the real one. It centers personal journeys, leadership identity, barriers, and the role of support. The season introduces Dr. Griffin’s voice and sets the standard for what this show will become.
Ep 01
You Don’t Have to Wait to Lead
The pilot episode. Sets the tone for the entire series. Two respected Black women leaders in Greater Seattle explore what it means to lead with purpose — from early stages through executive leadership.
Featured: Michelle Merriweather — President & CEO, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
★ Pilot Episode · April 26, 2026
Ep 02
What They Don’t Tell You About Stepping Up
The internal and external realities of preparing for leadership. Hesitation, fear, confidence gaps, and the readiness questions that shape whether people pursue higher-level roles.
Target: Rising executive from nonprofit, corporate, or public sector
Ep 03
Gatekeeping, Power & the Rooms We Enter
Access, exclusion, and how women of color navigate spaces where leadership power is not evenly distributed. Direct, honest, and solutions-oriented.
Target: Philanthropic leader, senior corporate leader, or civic/policy leader
Ep 04
The Support Trifecta
The difference between mentorship, coaching, and sponsorship — and why all three matter. A signature framework episode that can become a touchstone for the series.
Target: Executive coach, board leader, or senior executive known for developing others
Ep 05
It Was Never Meant to Be Lonely
Collective leadership, trusted circles, and peer support among Black women executives. Challenging the old narrative that leadership at the top must be isolating.
Target: Seattle-area Black women executive leaders, trusted peers
Ep 06
Live from the Room: Leadership in Community
In-person live season finale. Live audience, moderated conversation with Dr. Griffin, audience Q&A, and a closing reflection question for the room.
Closing question: “What does unity mean to you in leadership?”
★ Live Event Episode
Season Two
Season 02
Sustaining.
Power, Pressure, and Legacy
Season 2 deepens the conversation. What does it take to remain in leadership? To navigate pressure, repair systems, sustain self and purpose, and think seriously about what you will leave behind?
Ep 01
The Truth About Being the CEO
A candid conversation about executive leadership — decision-making, visibility, responsibility, and what people misunderstand about the top role.
Target: Seattle-area nonprofit CEO, founder, or executive director
Ep 02
Leading What You Didn’t Build
Inheriting institutions, systems, or cultures with unresolved problems. Accountability, transition, and the emotional labor of leadership in complex organizational moments.
Target: Leader who stepped into a struggling or complex organization
Ep 03
Burnout Is Not a Badge
Sustainability, wellness, and boundaries. Reframing rest as essential — not indulgent. Humanizing leadership and addressing the pressure to constantly perform strength.
Target: Mental health professional, executive coach, or wellness-centered leader
Ep 04
Making Room on Purpose
Sponsoring others, stepping aside, and actively redistributing access. What it looks like to lead by making room — and why intentionality matters.
Target: Board leader, funder, or senior executive known for developing new leaders
Ep 05
What Will Outlast You?
Legacy as infrastructure — values, people developed, and opportunities created for others. Not legacy as image. Legacy as what continues after you’re no longer in the room.
Target: Long-standing community leader or intergenerational leadership pair
Ep 06
The Next Generation Is Already Here
Intergenerational live season finale. Emerging leaders and experienced leaders in the same room. Reflective and forward-looking — a public dialogue about what leadership owes the future.
Closing question: “What do today’s leaders owe the next generation?”
★ Live Event Episode
Guest Strategy
The right voices
in the right order.
The guest mix intentionally balances visibility, depth, and chemistry. Priority is women leaders — especially Black women and women of color who have led with purpose in Greater Seattle and beyond.
● Pilot Guest — Season 1, Ep 1
Michelle Merriweather
President & CEO
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
Leadership longevity · Black institutional presence in Seattle · Community accountability
● Priority — Season 1
Alonda Williams
Community & Civic Leadership
Greater Seattle
Access · Equity · Institutional advocacy · Breaking barriers
● Priority — Season 1
Emiko Atherton
Executive Director
Social Venture Partners Seattle
Philanthropic leadership · Purpose-driven strategy · Gatekeeping from the inside
● Target — Season 1
Rising Nonprofit Executive
Seattle-Area Nonprofit Sector
Executive Director or Senior Leader
Stepping up · Transition · Leading with limited resources
● Target — Season 1
Philanthropic Leader
Seattle Foundation or
Major Regional Funder
Power in philanthropy · Access to capital · Gatekeeping dynamic from inside
● Target — Season 2
Intergenerational Pair
Experienced Leader + Emerging Leader
Greater Seattle
Legacy · Sponsorship · Passing the torch with intention
Production Partner
Ready to build something
that lasts.
Pilot recording: April 26, 2026
Produced by The Elite Collective in partnership with Byrd Barr Place.
Production
The Elite Collective
Presented By
Byrd Barr Place
Host
Dr. Angela Griffin
CONFIDENTIAL | © 2026 THE ELITE COLLECTIVE, LLC | IMPACT, ARCHITECTED.