Dr. Jaime Goff — founder of The Empathic Leader and author of The Secure Leader — joins Dr. Dan for a powerful conversation about how attachment styles formed early in life shape the way we lead, connect, and grow at work and at home. Drawing from over 25 years as a psychotherapist, professor, and executive coach, Jaime reveals how self-awareness is the cornerstone of resilience, why compassion starts with curiosity about our own story, and what it means to move from reactive to regulated. This conversation offers a roadmap for anyone seeking to lead with authenticity, security, and connection — because how you relate at home is how you relate at work.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Why self-awareness is the foundation of leadership
How to move from reactive to regulated
What defines a secure leader
Why compassion starts with yourself
The "holding environment" concept
How positive emotion protects and sustains growth
Why "what happened to you?" is more powerful than "what's wrong with you?"
LEARN MORE
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October 2, 2025
Dr. Jaime Goff
The Secure Leader: How Attachment Styles Shape Life and Leadership
"When you develop empathy for yourself, you're more able to give it to others. Compassion starts with curiosity about our own story."
TIMESTAMPS
00:14:37 – Attachment theory in leadership
00:21:58 – The secure leader framework
00:23:37 – Compassion starts with yourself
00:31:25 – Leadership under stress
00:36:38 – The holding environment
00:47:02 – From reactive to regulated
00:49:26 – Positive emotion as protection
SHOW NOTES
Dr. Dan Peters sits down with Dr. Jaime Goff, founder of The Empathic Leader and author of The Secure Leader: Discover the Hidden Forces That Shape Your Leadership Story and How to Change Them. Together they explore how attachment styles—formed early in life—shape the way we lead, connect, and grow both at work and at home.
Jaime shares her own leadership journey, from uncovering her avoidant attachment tendencies to transforming them into opportunities for trust and empowerment, to her current work. Dr. Dan and Jaime discuss why self-awareness is the cornerstone of resilience and how compassion and curiosity can shift entire teams, families, and communities.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Dr. Jaime Goff
Website — drjaimegoff.com
Instagram — @dr_jaimegoff
Book: The Secure Leader: Discover the Hidden Forces That Shape Your Leadership Story and How to Change Them
Companion journal and attachment style assessment available on website
Books & Research Referenced
An Everyone Culture by Robert Kegan & Lisa Laskow Lahey — holding environment concept
Barbara Fredrickson — Broaden and build theory of positive emotion
Viktor Frankl — Man's Search for Meaning (space between stimulus and response)
Dr. Bruce Perry & Oprah — What Happened to You? (trauma-informed approach)
Brené Brown — Love your employees
GUEST BIO
Dr. Jaime Goff is the founder of The Empathic Leader, where she specializes in helping leaders unlock their full potential through executive coaching, workshops, and keynotes. She also serves as director of leadership development for an international healthcare system, designing programs that inspire leaders to thrive. With over 25 years of experience as a psychotherapist, professor, and executive coach, Jaime is passionate about helping leaders craft empowering stories that help them become more secure. Her book, The Secure Leader: Discover the Hidden Forces That Shape Your Leadership Story and How to Change Them, applies attachment theory to leadership development, showing how self-awareness, compassion, and trust transform how we lead and live.
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