Part 1 , Leadership Through Awareness, Mindset, and Human Behavior

Renie Cavallari’s journey, from a working-class upbringing in Philadelphia to founder of Aspire and the RCI Institute, reflects decades of studying how human behavior shapes performance. After beginning her career with Sheraton and climbing the corporate ladder, she realized she wanted to build something aligned with her passions. Aspire was born from that pivot, giving her the opportunity to work with teams on strategy, culture, and leadership development for more than 27 years. Through the RCI Institute, she has spent decades analyzing the emotional brain, how people think, feel, and ultimately perform. This research shaped her book HeadTrash, which distills years of coaching thousands of leaders on understanding and shifting limiting thoughts.

Cavallari explains that “head trash” lives on the disconnected side of the emotional brain, the place of worry, overwhelm, ego, and burnout. The goal is to spend more time on the connected side, where creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, gratitude, and joy live. Her three-step model, own it, shift it, dump it, teaches leaders to recognize their emotional triggers and move toward clarity and productive action. She emphasizes proactive habits: morning routines that set intention, journaling prompts that build awareness, environments that reduce chaos, and relationships that reinforce positivity. She stresses the importance of “shift questions,” such as Who do I want to be right now? and What’s the first thing I can do to make progress?

Notable Quotes/Highlights

• “You feel the way you think.”
• “Own it, shift it, dump it.”
• “Gratitude decreases emotional stress.”
• “Who you hang with is who you become.”
• “The goal is to spend as much time as possible on the connected side.”

Closing Reflection

‍Renie’s work shows that leadership begins with emotional mastery. By owning our mindset, shaping our habits, and asking better questions, we free ourselves to lead with purpose, clarity, and joy.

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