By: Ann Johnson

Business consultant Catherine Rocheleau has spent decades working with leaders who appear steady on the outside but are carrying far more than most people realize.

As Founder and CEO of Ignite Leadership International®, she works closely with senior leaders and business owners managing growth, change and constant pressure. After stepping back into the public spotlight following a period of personal and professional reset, her perspective has shifted in a way that feels both sharper and more grounded.

At the center of her work is a belief that challenges how leadership is often practiced. When leaders lose clarity, everything else feels heavier than it should.

In this conversation, Rocheleau shares what leaders are really facing behind the scenes and why many of them are more stretched than they let on.

Q: You’ve worked with leaders for many years. What are you seeing that others may not fully understand?

Catherine Rocheleau: I think what people don’t always see is how much leaders are actually carrying on their own.

From the outside, it can look like they have everything under control. They’re making decisions, supporting their teams and keeping things moving. But when you sit down with them, there’s often a different layer underneath that. There’s pressure to get it right, pressure to not let people down, and sometimes a quiet sense of, “I don’t actually have the space to think this through properly.”

And because they’re the ones everyone turns to, they don’t always feel like they have a place to bring that. So they just keep going. Over time, that starts to build. It doesn’t always show in obvious ways, but you can feel it in how they’re thinking and how they’re leading.

Q: Why do you think that pressure feels more intense right now?

Catherine Rocheleau: Leadership has changed quite a bit, even in the last few years.

It’s no longer just about driving results or setting direction. Leaders are holding a lot more. They’re expected to support their teams, navigate uncertainty and respond to things that are shifting quickly, often all at once. And there isn’t always a clear moment where they can step back and reset.

What I see happen is that many leaders respond by trying to keep up with that pace. They move faster, take on more, and push through because that’s what’s needed in the moment. But eventually, that way of operating catches up to them.

Not because they’re not capable, but because there hasn’t been space to actually process what’s going on and make decisions from a clearer place.

Q: You often speak about clarity. What does that actually mean for a leader day to day?

Catherine Rocheleau: For me, clarity isn’t something abstract. It’s very practical.

It shows up in how a leader makes decisions, how they prioritize, and even how they show up in conversations. When someone is clear, you can feel it. There’s less hesitation, less second-guessing, and more focus on how they move forward.

Without that clarity, everything can start to feel reactive. Leaders end up solving whatever is in front of them instead of stepping back and asking, “Is this actually the right thing to be focusing on right now?”

I’ve seen leaders completely shift how they operate once they give themselves that space. It’s not that they suddenly learn something new. It’s that they finally have room to think, and that changes the quality of every decision that follows.

Q: There’s still a belief that human-centered leadership is soft. How do you view that?

Catherine Rocheleau: I think it’s one of the biggest misconceptions in leadership.

People sometimes associate human-centered leadership with being overly accommodating or avoiding difficult conversations, but that’s not what it is at all. In fact, it requires a different level of clarity and consistency from a leader.

You still have to set expectations. You still have to hold people accountable. The difference is that you’re doing it with awareness of how your actions impact the people around you.

In my experience, when leaders take that approach, performance doesn’t decline. You actually strengthen it. People are more engaged, they take more ownership, and there’s a level of trust that makes everything work better over time.

Q: Tell us about your Catalyst coaching program. Who is it designed for?

Catherine Rocheleau: It’s really designed for leaders who are already deep in their work.

These are people who have built something, who are responsible for others, and who are used to being the one others rely on. On the surface, things are moving, but underneath there can be a sense of pressure or even a bit of disconnection from how they want to lead.

What they often say to me isn’t, “I need more strategy.” It’s more like, “I need to think clearly again,” or “I feel like I’m constantly reacting.”

Catalyst gives them that space to step back without stepping away. It allows them to look at what’s happening from a different perspective and then move forward in a more intentional way. Once that shift happens, everything else starts to align more naturally.

Q: You’ve spoken about your own turning point. How did that experience shape your work?

Catherine Rocheleau: It had a significant impact on how I see leadership now.

I went through an extended medical sabbatical, and during that time, I had to stop in a way I hadn’t before. I couldn’t rely on the same pace or the same habits, and that forced me to look at things differently.

What became very clear to me was how many leaders are operating without real support. It’s almost expected that they’ll just keep going, no matter what’s happening.

When I came back to my work, I didn’t want to approach it in the same way. There’s a stronger focus now on sustainability and on making sure leaders are supported in ways that actually hold up over time, not just in the short term.

Q: What would you say to a leader who feels overwhelmed right now?

Catherine Rocheleau: I would start by saying that feeling overwhelmed doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It usually means there’s too much being held at once.

The first step is to pause, even though that can feel counterintuitive. When everything feels urgent, slowing down is often the last thing a leader wants to do, but it’s what allows them to see clearly again.

And the other piece is recognizing that you don’t have to carry everything on your own. Leaders are so used to being the support system for others that they don’t always think about what support looks like for them.

But when they do have that support, even in a small way, you start to see a shift. They think differently, they lead differently, and that impact extends far beyond just them.

For Rocheleau, leadership is not about pushing harder or doing more.

It’s about seeing clearly, making decisions with intention, and leading in a way that can actually be sustained over time.

To learn more about Catherine Rocheleau and her work, visit igniteleadership.co.