Dare to Care in The Workplace Kathleen Quinn Votaw

In this episode of Dare to Care in the Workplace, Kathleen welcomes Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier, author of The Resilience Plan. Dr. Pelletier shares her journey from becoming a registered psychologist to exploring leadership, management, and the intersection of psychology and business. The two discuss the concept of resilience. Dr. Pelletier explains that resilience is not a personality trait, but rather the ability to navigate adversity and demands while growing stronger. She emphasizes that resilience is a state that can be developed strategically, much like businesses develop strategies for new products and services. Dr. Pelletier outlines four key factors for resilience: exercise, nutrition, sleep, and spending time with enjoyable people. However, she notes that the challenge lies in implementing these factors amidst the demands of modern life. Her book, The Resilience Plan, offers a strategic approach to cultivating personal resilience. The conversation also explores how leaders and organizations can support employees' mental health. Dr. Pelletier advises leaders to build trust, share vulnerability appropriately, be aware of available resources, and develop their resilience plan as a competitive advantage. 

In Part 2, Kathleen turns the conversation to the crucial topic of building outstanding teams and knowing when to part ways compassionately. Drawing from her decades of executive leadership experience, Paula offers her insights on having those difficult but necessary conversations when an employee is no longer the right fit, advocating for open and honest dialogue rooted in empathy. The discussion then shifts to the major challenges Paula and her team at Susan G. Komen are tackling head-on in their mission to end breast cancer, with Paula candidly addressing the current headwinds, barriers, and innovative strategies to overcome them.

About Paula Schneider:  As President & CEO of Susan G. Komen, she is responsible for day-to- day operations, strategic direction, and is accountable for the world’s largest breast cancer organization with over $3.5 billion in investments in breast cancer research, advocacy and patient support to date.During her tenure, Paula led Komen through an enterprise-wide restructuring, transforming Komen’s national network of independent local affiliate organizations into a single, united entity, leveraging shared operational functions while maintaining local development and mission teams across the country. Under her leadership, Komen today serves as a trusted health care guide, providing millions of people with safe, accurate, evidence-based information and education—as well as direct patient support services including financial assistance, patient navigation, emotional support and resources. Komen also remains focused on accelerating breakthroughs for the most aggressive and deadly breast cancers, and eliminating breast cancer disparities through focused interventions that break down the barriers for Black people across the U.S.Schneider is widely regarded as a business expert in organizational management and finance. Prior to Komen, she served as CEO of American Apparel, which was the largest vertically integrated clothing manufacturer in the U.S. with over 8,500 employees and 600 retail stores internationally. In this role, she navigated one of the most notable turnarounds in the retail sector, executing and emerging from prearranged Chapter 11 proceedings while burgeoning the brand’s importance. She previously served as president of the Warnaco Swimwear Group, the largest swimwear company in the world, with brands such as Speedo and Calvin Klein. As these were each public entities, her responsibilities comprised all facets of corporate governance and business oversight to include maximizing operational efficiencies, developing relevant marketing strategies and producing inspirational product offerings. Subsequently, Schneider became a senior advisor at the private equity firm, The Gores Group, where she created platform strategies for best-in-class operations and potential acquisitions. Schneider became the first female CEO in The Gores Group’s portfolio of companies. Schneider is a sought-after public speaker on impactful leadership and women’s health. She has been a featured speaker at such thought leadership events as Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, Yahoo! Finance, Women in Retail, Milken Institute and Dreamforce. She is currently a member and keynote speaker of C200, the preeminent global organization for the advancement of women business leaders. Paula also serves on the Bloomberg New Economy Forum’s International Cancer Coalition and is a member of Fast Company’s Impact Council.

This week on Dare to Care in the Workplace, Kathleen welcomes Paula Schneider, the President and CEO of Susan G. Komen, the world's largest breast cancer organization. As head of Komen, Schneider oversees the staggering $3.5 billion the organization has invested to date in breast cancer research, support services, and advocacy efforts.  With her visionary leadership and decisive action, Schneider has transformed Komen into a unified powerhouse that provides millions with access to vital patient services, breakthrough research initiatives, and evidence-based education programs focused on ending breast cancer disparities. Drawing from over 30 years of driving growth and leading remarkable turnarounds in the retail and apparel industries, the widely-respected Schneider now brings her keen business acumen and compassionate commitment to women's health to the fight against breast cancer. Tune in as Schneider shares her inspiring vision for a future without this devastating disease and how her expertise from the business world translates into Komen's critical mission. Don't miss this candid conversation that underscores the power of purposeful leadership to create real change and deliver on the promise of a world without breast cancer.

About Paula Schneider:  As President & CEO of Susan G. Komen, she is responsible for day-to- day operations, strategic direction, and is accountable for the world’s largest breast cancer organization with over $3.5 billion in investments in breast cancer research, advocacy and patient support to date.During her tenure, Paula led Komen through an enterprise-wide restructuring, transforming Komen’s national network of independent local affiliate organizations into a single, united entity, leveraging shared operational functions while maintaining local development and mission teams across the country. Under her leadership, Komen today serves as a trusted health care guide, providing millions of people with safe, accurate, evidence-based information and education—as well as direct patient support services including financial assistance, patient navigation, emotional support and resources. Komen also remains focused on accelerating breakthroughs for the most aggressive and deadly breast cancers, and eliminating breast cancer disparities through focused interventions that break down the barriers for Black people across the U.S.Schneider is widely regarded as a business expert in organizational management and finance. Prior to Komen, she served as CEO of American Apparel, which was the largest vertically integrated clothing manufacturer in the U.S. with over 8,500 employees and 600 retail stores internationally. In this role, she navigated one of the most notable turnarounds in the retail sector, executing and emerging from prearranged Chapter 11 proceedings while burgeoning the brand’s importance. She previously served as president of the Warnaco Swimwear Group, the largest swimwear company in the world, with brands such as Speedo and Calvin Klein. As these were each public entities, her responsibilities comprised all facets of corporate governance and business oversight to include maximizing operational efficiencies, developing relevant marketing strategies and producing inspirational product offerings. Subsequently, Schneider became a senior advisor at the private equity firm, The Gores Group, where she created platform strategies for best-in-class operations and potential acquisitions. Schneider became the first female CEO in The Gores Group’s portfolio of companies. Schneider is a sought-after public speaker on impactful leadership and women’s health. She has been a featured speaker at such thought leadership events as Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, Yahoo! Finance, Women in Retail, Milken Institute and Dreamforce. She is currently a member and keynote speaker of C200, the preeminent global organization for the advancement of women business leaders. Paula also serves on the Bloo

In part two of this poignant episode, Amelia recounts the deeply personal genesis story of her Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Elevating the Human Experience: Three Paths to Love and Worth at Work." Transitioning from her groundbreaking book, Amelia provides an inside look at how Deloitte grapples with AI implementations amidst rapid technological disruption. Tune in for an incredibly candid conversation on overcoming adversity and staying grounded through self-care while aiming to transform organizations. The heart and humility with which Amelia shares her triumphs and trials make this interview a must-listen.

Kathleen welcomes Amelia Dunlop, Chief Experience Officer at Deloitte Digital, to discuss her pioneering approach centered on human design and trust-building. As a force of innovation across industries, Amelia implements empathy and inclusivity to transform organizations and the stakeholder experience. Her commitment has earned her Consulting Magazine's prestigious Top Women in Technology Award for Excellence in Innovation. Tune in as Kathleen and Amelia have an inspiring dialogue on the importance of caring for your customers and employees to build trust and drive positive change in the workplace.

In part two, Bob provides tangible strategies to prevent productivity-sucking meetings. Drawing from extensive research, he shares real-world examples of organizations that have smoothed operations and empowered teams. Bob recounts insightful anecdotes from his newest book, "The Friction Project," profiling leaders who have made desired behaviors easier and negative behaviors harder. Finally, he reminisces on the origins of his bestselling book "The No Asshole Rule" and the widespread impact it has had on workplaces seeking to limit abrasive conduct. Tune in to gain specific takeaways on streamlining processes, enhancing psychological safety, nudging better decisions, and establishing behavioral guardrails from this master of organizational psychology.

About Bob: Robert I. Sutton is an organizational psychologist and professor of Management Science and Engineering in the Stanford Engineering School. He has given keynote speeches to more than 200 groups in 20 countries, and served on numerous scholarly editorial boards. Sutton’s work has been featured in the New York Times, BusinessWeek, The Atlantic, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and Washington Post. He is a frequent guest on various television and radio programs, and has written seven books and two edited volumes, including the bestsellers The No Asshole Rule; Good Boss, Bad Boss; and Scaling Up Excellence.