HR Like a Boss The Power of Authentic Leadership | HR Like a Boss with Jen Coken

In this episode of the HR Like a Boss podcast, John Bernatovicz speaks with Jen Coken, an executive leadership coach and culture strategist. They discuss the critical role of leadership in shaping workplace culture, the importance of authentic leadership, and the need for effective feedback and communication. Jen shares her insights on creating a positive work environment, the significance of ownership in HR, and the transformative power of curiosity in leadership.

ABOUT JEN COKEN

Jen Coken is an executive coach, culture strategist, and the creator of the Executive Presence Accelerator — a transformative leadership program for senior women in male-dominated industries who are ready to become unignorable. With over 25 years of experience navigating the high-stakes arenas of politics, nonprofits, and corporate America, Jen brings a rare combination of strategic insight and soul-deep coaching to every room she enters. She’s known as “The Velvet Sledgehammer” for her ability to name the hard truths with compassion — and to help leaders turn insight into action, fast. Whether she’s guiding a VP through power dynamics or helping HR teams build cultures where women thrive without shrinking, Jen’s work centers on one mission: to redefine leadership as unapologetically authentic, strategically precise, and culturally transformative.