174: How to Build Self-Aware Leaders: The Framework That Scales Culture | Erin Lewellen

The Learn-It-All Podcast

You can’t solve 21st-century problems with 20th-century mindsets—and today’s guest is on a mission to change that.

In this episode, Damon sits down with Erin Lewellen, CEO of Tilting Futures, to unpack how immersive, global learning experiences are transforming the next generation of leaders. From building self-awareness to teaching systems thinking and reducing bias, Erin shares how her team is reshaping leadership education—and what every company can learn from their model.

Whether you lead a team, a classroom, or a company, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth, feedback, and the power of perspective.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why self-awareness isn’t innate—it’s a muscle
• The “look in the mirror” rule every leader should follow
• How Tilting Futures develops young leaders from 100+ countries
• Why discomfort and difference drive transformational growth
• The #1 interview strategy to find self-reflective employees
• How to build a feedback culture rooted in trust, not fear
• The hidden cost of “meetings after the meeting”
• What most orgs get wrong about defining values
• How leaders can model curiosity and restraint in meetings
• Why you need to stop saying “they” and start saying “we”

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Can you teach self-awareness—or is it innate?
• 01:45 – “Look in the mirror”: Erin’s foundational leadership habit
• 03:30 – What Tilting Futures is and how it works
• 05:35 – Why ages 17–22 are the sweet spot for impact
• 07:10 – Teaching empathy through global immersion and collaboration
• 08:50 – Travel as a tool for leadership and adaptability
• 11:30 – Erin’s Cape Town story: Context, humility, and lifelong change
• 14:45 – Leading meetings with curiosity and silence
• 15:55 – What changes in student mindset after 4 months
• 18:00 – The research: Reduced bias, more agency, stronger leadership
• 20:40 – How global cohorts shift perspective and prejudice
• 22:45 – Systems thinking and asset-based problem solving
• 25:30 – Behind the scenes: Building Tilting Futures’ internal culture
• 28:00 – “There is no ‘they’, only ‘we’”: One of their core principles
• 30:30 – How Erin interviews for curiosity and growth mindset
• 34:15 – Why soft skills are the hardest—and most critical—to teach
• 35:45 – Encouraging disagreement to find the best idea
• 38:00 – Practicing emotional honesty in meetings
• 40:30 – Ditching “the meeting after the meeting”
• 42:00 – Aligning staff and student values: One unified culture
• 44:25 – Keeping values alive in every meeting
• 46:45 – How this generation of students is different
• 49:30 – The Zimbabwean biomedical engineer who redefined her mission
• 52:00 – Erin’s why: Helping young leaders unlock their impact
• 54:00 – Scholarships, access, and how to get involved

About Erin Lewellen:

Erin Lewellen is the CEO of Tilting Futures, a nonprofit redefining global education through immersive leadership experiences. With operations in Cape Town and Malaysia, Tilting Futures equips young adults from over 100 countries with the skills, networks, and self-awareness needed to solve complex global challenges. A former high school basketball coach and champion of inclusive leadership, Erin brings a systems-level perspective to everything from education reform to organizational culture. She’s also a Forbes contributor and advocate for integrating “soft” (human) skills into every stage of leadership.

Resources & Mentions:

• Tilting Futures website
• Erin Lewellen on LinkedIn
• Forbes article: The Soft Skills That Can’t Be Replaced By AI
• Apply to Take Action Lab

Connect With Us:

• Uplevel yourself and your team at Learnit.com
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