Lessons from Leaders

This week I have celebrate a first. My first all Spanish episode with the incredible Belmar, Director of an NGO named LaFAM in Venezuela. Belmar Franceschi is an admirable leader working in difficult circumstances because of the pandemic and the political crisis.  People from Venezuela have migrated to different countries. Doctors in hospitals have left and other professionals also. Venezuela has...

It is amazing to be into our second year, and have guests from our first year return. When these leaders first sat down in the Lessons from Leaders chair in 2019, Covid-19 was unknown, racial injustice was very much real but without the global lens it deserved, and has now, and leaders were unaware of an incoming pandemic.  This week, I sit back down with Shamil Idriss, CEO of Search for Common Gr...

This week I sat down with Cynthia Cherrey, CEO of the International Leadership Association. Cynthia is a resilient and poised leader who, as you will hear me say during our interview, “I wish I had had on 3 times by now.”  On the heels of International Women’s Day, during our conversation regarding gender equality, Cynthia shares, “There are things we can do. It goes back to the small scale, what...

This week I sit down with Shawna Bader-Blau, who leads the Solidarity Center, and dive into the uncomfortable. I am inspired by Shawna's intention and interest in experiencing the deepest discomfort in an effort to grow.  "I have paused a lot this year. I have taken moments to look and evaluate and say, there is racism, there is feminism, there is so much of this in our society.... I tak...

I am starting this episode off with a note to Washington DC. I am in the DMV area. For those not native to this area, that is short hand for: Virginia, Washington or Maryland. At the beginning of 2021, with our best efforts, and our most realistic expectations, many of us still had feelings of hope that when the clock struck 12 on January 31st, and we were no longer in 2020, that something would h...

I am back this week with Part 2 of my episode with Katherine Grainger, Partner at Civitas Public Affairs Group. The feedback from episode one has been nothing short of humbling. I am grateful that you have enjoyed and appreciated her candor and authenticity the way I have. This week we dive right back in leading with a lesson in discomfort.  "My normal response to discomfort is to fix it, put...

Just before the holiday season took over, I sat down with Katherine Grainger, a partner at Civitas Public Affairs Group, and what a deeply moving conversation we had. This is for all leaders, but specifically for our women and our mothers who have been personally affected by the pandemic, job change, and work from home orders.  Katherine begins the conversation with describing the value of empathy...

"A leader really needs to be able to hold the anxiety that people have for uncertainty and discomfort. Some staff want to know details right away, and as a leader, I have to 'protect them' and tell them, 'Things are okay.' Even if that rocks my comfort level, it helps them and holds their anxieties." This week is part two with Anne Lynam Goddard, the President and CEO...

This week I sit down with the poised Anne Lynam Goddard, the President and CEO of ChildFund International. Anne’s passion for her position is palpable. I love Anne’s spirit, grace, and deep investment into her support of children and their families.  While many, during the pandemic, took the route to sit back and allow business, and life to happen to them the ChildFund International team dove stra...

I am thrilled to be joined by Stephan Russo who recently stepped down from a position with the Goddard Riverside Community after a history of leadership and social work.  From youth prevention, street engagement, international support, to work in the center of New York City with homelessness, Stephan has had an incredible professional journey.  Stephan's experience, and variety in experience,...

This week I sat down with Christina Buggappa with International Youth Foundation. Navigating home life and work life, diversity in the 21st century workforce, and how to serve your community during a pandemic are just a few of the topics we dove into.  "In the middle of all of this [Covid-19] we were so busy and work was becoming more in demand. Our organization has needs to fill for the comm...

Welcome back to so many of you who are sitting in your office chair for the few time in weeks. We made it through the cloud that was 2020. While at the strike of midnight things did not snap back to "normal" I have to say I am experiencing a feeling of hope for what this year may bring. Innovation? Change? Equality? The first step, for me, is to give gratitude to the lessons of 2020, and...

Can you imagine having grown 30% during this pandemic? What would that mean for your team's career security? What would that mean for your energy and overall outlook? How would that have affected you over the past 11 months?  This week I sat down with the incredible leader, Karen Pearl of For God's Love We Deliver who has done just that. In the early days of 2020, Karen worked hard and i...

“Politics are fierce. They are big. When you are trying to move an issue forward, it can be hard. Part of being a good leader, I have learned, is finding allies, how to bring others along to your goal and vision.” This week I sit down with Nancy Wackstein, with Fordham University, to hear about her work history, her lessons learned, and what she is encouraging upcoming leaders to dive into.  I wou...

“It is a season not a situation…” Over the weekend I spent an extended period of time with other incredible leaders across the country connecting through a Harvard Course on leading during the pandemic. One of the professors shared those words with us: “This is a season not a situation.” I have to admit I have looked at this crisis as something to conquer and move on from but as it continues to be...

This week I sit down with Kathy Spahn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Helen Keller International who shows us all that in the face of crisis and pandemic, you can find your passion and path.  Kathy has an incredible story leading her from the world of dance, facing a previous crisis in that industry, how it pivoted her into her position at Helen Keller International.  "I followed my...

This week I had the chance to sit down with Danny Ceballos an executive coach, and Dr. Lisa Walker, who is an executive coach for global firms.  We have heard from you, our listeners, on what would be most helpful to hear and the responses were overwhelming: Techniques and Skills to Lead. This episode is deeply filled with tools and techniques on just that: Leading in Crisis.  Leaders, you did not...

One of our most watched episodes to date has a part two and today, we are bringing you that. I recently sat down with Dr. Christine Sow of Humentum where we had an incredible conversation together surrounding leadership, particularly in this climate.  In this portion of the episode we pick back up to discuss the innovation and changes that can come from a universal crisis. Are the people you have...

"I always knew the work I wanted to do. It was just the jobs that changed." I recently sat down with Joan Malin, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood, NYC. Just before our session, I was journaling and created a series of steps regarding habits: We start with an intention. That builds our behavior. The behavior becomes a habit. That habit is now our practice. It's now in our nature...

"This is what it's like: We as leaders trained for a 5k, and now we are all running an ultra marathon but have no idea when the end is. So it's about finding spots that can be stops along the way to stop, take a moment, then pick up and keep going." This episode is a moment of joy in a strife filled time. This podcast has now been airing for just over a year and a half. I did n...

This week I sit down with the Mohini Malhotra, Development Economist, Georgetown Professor, and Social Entrepreneur.  This guest is special to me and inspires me for the many hats she has put on. As a leadership professor I was excited to talk with her about those who have been impactful and particularly meaningful to her. Here’s what she shares: “This person is wise, she is humble, there is nothi...

This is a special episode for us as we have 2 previous leaders visit the Lessons from Leaders studio again - virtually of course.  In this episode we are discussing the ongoing crisis in the world between the racial injustice movement, covid, and the pandemic, as well as navigating through the emotional turmoil that these struggles can bring to a work setting.  "I think that the pandemic crea...

Dr. Ver Beek is one of the bravest people I know.  As the co-founder of a social justice organization based in Honduras (Asociación para una Sociedad Más Justa), Kurt shares with me how he came to realize that few organizations were working in Honduras for one of its most critical needs -- that of social justice -- and how he and a Honduran friend, Carlos Hernandez, decided to take a significant p...

Welcome to another episode of Lessons from Leaders; this week is a special episode because I sit down with an author.  As we enter each day, finding the best way to lead through the ongoing crises, it is vital to lead with vulnerability and with gratitude. This episode is a special reminder of that as I sit down with Chester Elton, Co-Author of 'Leading with Gratitude'. “Gratitude is a m...

The question was: "What advice would you give to leaders handling this time, as their first major crisis.?" The answer was: "Take. A. Breath."  "Then, when you can, find your space for emotions and stress. Feel it." This week I sit down with the incredibly talented Akila Radhakrishnan, President of Global Justice Center. While we sat on opposite sides of the computer,...