The Courage Effect

#26 | 10.11.2023: Laura talks about how the seven tenets of mindfulness aren’t only guideposts in her life and work, but how’ve they helped her be courageous. She and Suzanne also discuss the challenges of being an entrepreneur, including necessary pivots, compromises, and not being “too much in love with your own cooking.” Laura Sage is the Founder & CEO of CHILL , whose mission is to support...

#25 | 10.4.2023: Maureen shares a story where she had the courage to move on after something failed, her decision to study neuroscience, and how empowering it is to have a better understanding of our brains. Maureen Chiana is the CEO and founder of The Mindsight Academy and host of the Lead To Excel podcast. She enhances leaders and teams to perform at their optimum in her work as a Neuroleadershi...

#24 | 9.27.2023: Michael Melcher talks with Suzanne about creating change in our lives by moving beyond the need for permission, the importance of relationships in career success, and the courage to cultivate your “invisible network.” Michael Melcher is an internationally known executive coach, leadership expert, keynote speaker and author of three books, including his most recent: Your Invisible...

#23 | 9.20.2023: Our host Suzanne Weller talks about a moment where her father disrupted her thinking as she was growing up, and she encourages us to welcome new challenges to rethink our deep-seated beliefs. More information about Weller Collaboration: wellercollaboration.com Sign up for Suzanne’s Reimagine Growth newsletter here

#22 | 9.13.2023: Traca shares the story of her path to the TEDX stage (which she originally turned down) and how the experience took her from being behind the curtain supporting others to taking the stage herself. She and Suzanne delve into the power of enlisting thinking partners, why we shy away from the things that ultimately make us human, and how Traca supports others to jump into the deep en...

#21 | 8.30.2023: Suzanne talks with her friend and business consulting partner Lenora Edwards about the role courage plays in starting and maintaining a successful business.  They discuss using creativity to turn mistakes into opportunities, how vital it is to have a thought partner to challenge your thinking, and the power of one simple question “what might this be?” Lenora Edwards is a business...

#20 | 8.23.2023: Suzanne speaks with diversity thought leader Fawn Sanchez , who is Shoshone Bannock from Fort Hall, Idaho. They talk about her journey from growing up on a reservation, joining the US Army, to working at Amazon where she’s currently the sole Native American person at her level in the organization.  Fawn Sanchez is currently a Senior Learning Business Partner in AWS ,. She has broa...

#19 | 8.16.2023: Dave, Stacy, and Suzanne anchor their conversation on the importance of embracing the unknown in their lives, and being open to experimentation and do-over’s. As professionals who’ve created their share of “swivel” moments, they share stories about what it looks like to trust your gut – even when you’re hearing doubt from others – and not being too rigid when it comes to creating...

#18 | 8.9.2023: Vanessa and Suzanne delve into the meaning of courage, the equations we go through in our minds to calculate if something is worth it (“vale la pena?”), and how these surface in the lifespan navigation work Vanessa and her team do to support and bring grace to individuals and families in need. Vanessa Laughlin is the Principal and Founder of Banister Advisors , a 3x founder, consci...

#16 | 7.26.2023: Suzanne has a fun and inspiring conversation with Bridget Quigg, who shares stories about doing comedy, improvisational theater, and the importance of trusting your gut to unleash your creative genius. The world needs your special brand of brilliance. Let it out!  Bridget Quigg is a long time marketing director, improviser, and comedian who believes that improvisational theater pr...

#15 | 7.19.2023: Nicole and Suzanne dive into how courage shows up differently throughout the various phases of our lives, with Nicole speaking to a number of challenges she’s navigated over the past few years (including battling cancer, ending a relationship, and relocating – all during the pandemic). Nicole Christie is the founder and CEO of Tulla Productions—a storytelling studio connecting bra...

#14 | 7.12.2023: Suzanne and fellow coach Jeff Jacobson anchor their conversation on the human tendency to defend ourselves. Touching on a range of topics including gun control, hard conversations, and reproductive rights, they discuss our greater need for safety and how we might better understand what’s worth protecting. Jeff Jacobson is a professional coach and facilitator who works with clients...

#13 | 6.28.2023: How can courage liberate you from stress and overwhelm? Suzanne talks with Christine about living in a culture built for burnout and how we wake up and shift to making choices that are right for ourselves. They discuss recognizing when you’re overwhelmed, the “overgiving imprints” we tend to fall into, and Christine shares her theory of harmonic defiance (a powerful process of per...

#12 | 6.21.2023: Providing insight into why she started The Courage Effect, Suzanne shares some personal stories about why courage is a recurring theme throughout her life – which she’s reminded of every day in the form of a scar. She talks about courage as a practice, what we gain by focusing on what we can control, and learning through the lens of regret. More information about Weller Collaborat...

#11 | 6.14.2023: Keren and Suzanne delve into their love of photography and the power of visual storytelling. They discuss working in an industry fueled by passion, the joy (and power) of creating community, and supporting underrepresented professionals. Keren shares the challenges of being a female founder and the courage it took to build her own business from the ground up (at 5 months pregnant!...

#10 | 6.7.2023: Wayne Kimball, Jr. specializes in business strategy and enterprise transformation as an investor, startup advisor, and an independent board director who currently serves as Principal for Google Cloud 's Go-to-Market Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions business. He is also the founder and global leader of Google’s TechAMPLIFY: an initiative to accelerate the growth and sustainab...

#9 | 5.31.2023: Iliana shares her story about facing a challenging medical diagnosis and she found courage in naming her fear, visualizing a positive result, and a dose of humor to stay the course and successfully recover. Iliana Quinonez is a powerhouse Latina Trailblazer in the High Tech Industry, who builds and scales high performing teams in addition to developing the next generation of people...

#8| 5.24.2023: Ruby Love defines courage as stepping out in faith. She talks with Suzanne about how her upbringing during the civil rights movement shaped her values, the importance of learning to take risks (and the greater risk we all face when we don't say yes), and how our lives change when we tap into courage to unlearn destructive practices. Ruby Love is the Principal of Love Resource Develo...

#7 | 5.17.2023: Always at the intersection of business, design and technology, Carmen Cano has led teams and organizations in product, innovation and design. She's currently the SVP of Product Design at Seismic and is passionate about solving problems by creating a vision that enables everyone to do their best work. Her motto: "Leave it better than you found it." Carmen shares her story about love...

#6 | 5.10.2023: Michelle Grover is Chief Technology Officer of Slalom , a global management consulting firm headquartered in Seattle. She’s been named by Business Insider as one of the 100 People Transforming Business in Emerging Tech, is a member of the Greycroft and Sierra Ventures Technology Councils, and dedicates her time to mentoring high school young women and people of color in the technol...

#5 | 5.3.2023: J.R. and Suzanne anchor their conversation on the topic of passions – they discuss seeing the macro view to ensure we’re pursuing what matters most to us and J.R. shares his recurring self-review process where he tests what he “loves, likes, can’t, and won’t” do. He also touches on how empowering it is to hide self-view on video calls (a smaller but still courageous act!) and what o...

#4 | 4.26.2023: Organizational development leader Julie Pham, PhD and Suzanne discuss the role courage plays in communicating with others: the ways it’s challenged by our speed of work, the trend of self-censoring becoming more common, and how trusting our intuition surfaces the ability to stay true to ourselves. Dr. Julie Pham is the founder and the CEO of CuriosityBased , an organizational devel...

#3 | 4.19.2023: Mellicia – a self-proclaimed iconoclast – talks about tapping into courage to make new memories (bikini included!), the power of claiming your authentic style, and how having a child allowed her to make more intentional choices for the life she creates for herself and her family. Based in Seattle, Mellicia Marx is the founder of Poplin Style Direction , a boutique personal styling...

#2 | 4.12.2023: Lia talks about how she grew into being an empathetic leader and advocate through her own personal and professional struggles. She and Suzanne touch on compassionate workplaces, doing what's right when it's not easy, and the importance of cultivating supportive networks. Lia De Feo is a brand builder, revenue-generator and innovation leader who has brought thousands of products and...

#1 | 4.5.2023: Troy shares a story with Suzanne about the loss of a relationship that turned his world upside down, and how getting “pushed off a ledge” brought him to a place of freedom and choosing new ways. After a career as an executive in museums, mental health care, and public health, Troy Livingston focuses on helping people and organizations narrow the gap between their current reality and...