After six amazing years, this is the final episode of the Leadership with Heart podcast. If you've been with me since the beginning, thank you. Truly. This journey has been one of the most meaningful parts of my career and my life.

When I started this podcast in 2018, I felt the world needed more conversations about compassion in leadership. I believed that caring and connection were missing from too many workplaces, and I wanted to help change that. What followed was more than I could have imagined. This show led to best-selling books, powerful stories, and countless conversations with leaders who inspired me to keep going.

But like all of us, I’ve grown. I’ve evolved as a speaker, as a parent, as a consultant, and as a human being. And with that growth has come a realization: it's time for something new.

So, while this is the end of Leadership with Heart, it's also the beginning of something that feels even more aligned with where I am now. My new podcast is Becoming Unshakeable.

Let me tell you why.

I still believe deeply in caring leadership. That will never change. But I also believe we need to make space for the strength that comes from knowing who we are, standing firm in our values, and staying grounded when the world around us gets messy. Being unshakeable doesn’t mean we’re never shaken. It means we keep showing up. We get back up. We lead with care and clarity, even when it's hard.

This next chapter will explore the full spectrum of what it means to lead and live with courage, resilience, and compassion. I’ll still be speaking with leaders, but not just those with titles or teams. I’ll be inviting people who have lived through adversity, rebuilt themselves, and learned how to stay rooted no matter what life throws at them.

In this episode of the Leadership with Heart podcast, I sit down with Lorii Rabinowitz, the CEO of Denver Scholarship Foundation, for a heartfelt and eye-opening conversation about what it means to lead with empathy, clarity, and purpose. Lorii was referred to me by someone I deeply respect, and it quickly became clear why. Her approach to leadership is both profoundly human and boldly practical.

We explore the power of honoring each individual's "you-ness," a term Lorii uses to describe the unique combination of lived experience, professional expertise, and personal story that each person brings to a team. From her early days in media sales to her current role leading a 90-person organization, Lorii shares her zigzag journey and how every step along the way has informed her people-first philosophy.

The Denver Scholarship Foundation serves thousands of students every year through a powerful combination of access programs, wraparound success supports, and promise-based scholarships. But what makes Lorii's leadership stand out is her belief that every team member, whether in program delivery, administration, or fundraising, is an integral part of that mission. She talks about what it takes to scale a culture of shared purpose as the organization grows and how to create alignment without losing authenticity.

Lorii opens up about a personal leadership moment that changed everything for her. In the middle of a hectic workday, she almost overlooked a colleague's quiet request for help. That moment shifted how she shows up for people and how she listens. She also shares how her team navigated the return to in-person work after the pandemic and what they learned when their communication didn't land the way they intended. Rather than retreating, Lorii and her team chose to listen, adapt, and co-create a stronger culture.

We talk about the tension between honoring individuality and maintaining equity, the importance of knowing whose voices are missing from the table, and the value of learning out loud. Lorii reminds us that leadership is not a title but an activity, and that every person, regardless of role, has the power to lead from where they stand.

Whether you're in a nonprofit, corporate, education, or any team-based environment, this episode offers a powerful blueprint for leading with both heart and clarity. Lorii's wisdom is generous, grounded, and filled with insight that will stick with you long after the conversation ends.

On this week’s episode of the Leadership with Heart podcast, I sit down with Kurtis Strauel, Senior Director of Human Resources at Mark-Taylor Residential, to discuss the power of leading from the heart in a field that is often misunderstood. With over 30 years of experience in HR and more than two decades in leadership, Kurtis brings a deeply reflective, people-first perspective that cuts through the noise of policy, process, and performance metrics.

What struck me most in our conversation was Kurtis’s commitment to showing up for others, even in the most challenging moments. He shares the story of joining an organization and realizing he prioritized execution over connection. Without trust and a relationship, results fall flat. That moment changed how he leads and how he listens.

We explore how HR can reclaim its role as a champion for the human experience at work, how leaders can balance business outcomes with empathy, and why creating a culture rooted in dignity and respect is not just suitable for people but essential for performance.

Kurtis also opens up about his early childhood challenges, the lessons he learned from his parents, and how those personal experiences helped shape the heart-led leader he is today. His vulnerability is refreshing, and his clarity about what truly matters, such as taking care of people, staying humble, and learning from mistakes, feels like a masterclass in authentic leadership.

If you’ve ever felt torn between performance goals and staying grounded in compassion, this conversation will remind you that those two things can coexist. When they do, everyone benefits.

Listen in and reflect on your leadership journey. Are you leading from the heart? Are your people seen, heard, and supported? This episode will give you the courage to keep asking those questions and to keep doing the work that truly matters.