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

Jun 3, 2025

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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.

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