The People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast

Episode 51: Quit Punting on Fourth Down: Jon Gary Herrera on Taking the Risks Public Leaders Are Trained to Avoid

“We’ve all got to be willing not to punt on fourth down when it’s necessary, and be willing to take the criticism if it doesn’t work. You’ve got to have some thick skin and know it’s not personal, but believe in what you’re doing.” ~Jon Gary Herrera

Most public-sector leaders operate as if their customers have no alternative. Jon Gary Herrera runs VIA Metropolitan Transit as if every rider could leave tomorrow, because they can. That single shift in posture, borrowed from 18 years inside a Fortune 50 company, explains how VIA grew from fewer than 800 operators to more than 1,000, delivered the largest service change in its history, added two million trips in a year, and earned the top national ranking for customer experience three years running. In this conversation, Herrera explains how transparency and collective decision-making became the operating system for his senior team, how that same discipline produced a rare moment of full alignment with the union, and why he tells leaders to stop punting on fourth down.

Key takeaways:

• Public agencies have competitors (rideshares, private cars, bikes, walking). Know who they are so you can be the service of choose.
• Tell your senior team everything you know before a big decision. Transparency is the engine of trust.
• That your union the way you treat your leadership team.
• Let your leaders run their departments. Your job is to keep everyone aligned, not make every decision.
• Use a measured approach to AI. Decide what the technology will improve for customers and operations before you commit to it.

About Jon Gary Herrera

As the first Latino to lead VIA in the agency’s nearly 50-year history, President & CEO Jon Gary Herrera is guiding one of the most transformative periods in public transportation for San Antonio and Bexar County. Since joining VIA in 2017, he has helped advance major initiatives that are expanding mobility, strengthening community partnerships and preparing the region for future growth. His leadership and service have earned him numerous recognitions, including being named a 2025 South Texas Power Player and a 2025 Texas 100 honoree by The Business Journals. And while his title may be President & CEO, those who know him know his favorite role is being a connector, bringing people, ideas and opportunities together.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Jon Gary Herrera: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jongaryherrera/?isSelfProfile=false
• Learn more about VIA: https://www.viainfo.net/
• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: http://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/
• Learn more about Recursive Leadership Theory: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=7156440

Call to Action

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Episode 50: Lead as a Resource, Not With Your Title: Rosa Medina-Cristobal on Rebuilding DART's Workforce

"Instead of asking what your employees are doing wrong, ask what tools, support, or resources they're missing." ~Rosa Medina-Cristobal

Rosa Medina-Cristobal joined Dallas Area Rapid Transit as head of human resources in March 2020, weeks before her team went remote and the pandemic left the agency with roughly 500 positions it couldn't fill. She brought DART back to full staffing during the hardest hiring market transit has ever seen, and in this conversation she is candid about what that required of her as a leader. Thirty years into public service, Rosa has built her authority through trust, transparency, listening to her people, and creating a culture of support and success. If you lead in transit or are a new or emerging leader in any field, it's a chance to learn from someone who has a lot of wisdom to share.

Key takeaways:

• Why trust took three years, and why it’s the right number.

• What happens when you report the misses before the wins.

• The difference between having the seat and being the resource.

• Why leadership isn’t about your title but what you do with it.

• Why transit has to compete for graduates the way any other industry does.

• What DART is settling before it lets AI near a hiring decision.

About Rosa Medina-Cristobal

Rosa Medina-Cristobal is the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), leading the agency’s people and workforce functions. With more than 30 years of experience in public administration across municipal government and public transit, she is a recognized leader in workforce development and organizational leadership. A 2013 Mass Transit Top 40 Under 40 honoree and graduate of the American Public Transportation Association’s Leadership Class of 2023, she serves on APTA’s Workforce Development Committee, she is on the Board of Directors for Latinos in Transit where she also chairs the Avanzando Workforce Development Task Force for LIT. Rosa holds a B.A. in Political Science from The University of Texas at Arlington and an M.P.A. from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Rosa Medina-Cristobal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosa-medina-cristobal-7a20573b/

• Learn more about DART: https://www.dart.org/

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: http://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/

Call to Action

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Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 49: Blessed Are the Flexible: Building a Culture of Adaptability Across a Workforce You Don't Employ with Doran Barnes

"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken." ~Doran Barnes

What does it take to build a strong, inclusive culture when the people driving your buses and turning your wrenches don't technically work for you? Doran Barnes has been answering that question for 23 years. As CEO of Foothill Transit since 2003, he leads an agency where every frontline operator and mechanic is employed by a private contractor, and he has built shared purpose across that line anyway. In this episode, Doran shares the leadership philosophy behind it all, from his start driving a bus in college to preparing his agency for the Olympics, and reveals the hiring practices, values, and daily disciplines that make transit a people business first.

Key takeaways:

• Why culture doesn't require an employment contract.

• How Foothill's unorthodox approach to interviewing allows them to assess how candidates contribute, listen, and interact, and build shared ownership of a new hire's success before day one.

• Why flexibility and resiliency only protect an organization when they're lived values, tested and proven through real disruption.

• What ethical AI adoption should actually look like.
• Why relentless relationship building with employees, partners, and community is the key to people-forward leadership™.

About Doran Barnes

Doran Barnes has dedicated his career to making public transportation more efficient, accessible, and community-focused. As CEO of Foothill Transit since 2003, he leads a 38-line bus system and oversees operations for 360 buses that serve thousands of commuters every day. His leadership extends to managing private contractors, ensuring the agency runs smoothly and meets riders' needs. Before stepping into this role, Doran honed his expertise as CEO and General Manager of Tulsa Transit in Oklahoma, where he spent two years fostering public transit solutions.

A lifelong advocate for public transportation, Doran’s influence reaches far beyond Foothill Transit. He serves on the Board of Directors for Access Services, the paratransit provider for Los Angeles County, and has held leadership roles within the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), including Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary-Treasurer. His commitment to advancing the industry is also evident in his work with the Transit Cooperative Research Program’s Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Commission, where he currently serves as Immediate Past Chair. Doran also serves on the Executive Committee of the California Transit Association, contributing his vision to statewide transit policies. Doran was recently appointed to the CalStart board of directors and was elected corporate secretary.

Doran’s academic background reflects his global perspective and commitment to public service. He earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from UC Davis.

Doran’s contributions aren’t limited to transit. He is deeply engaged in his local community, serving on the Planning Commission for the City of San Dimas, the San Dimas Chamber of Commerce board, and the East Valley Community Health Center board. He’s also a Past President of the West Covina Rotary Club and a member of the Tennant Foundation Board of Directors.

With over two decades of experience, Doran Barnes is not just a leader in the transit industry; he is a passionate advocate for building stronger, more connected communities.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Doran Barnes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doran-j-barnes/

• Learn more about Foothill Transit: https://www.foothilltransit.org/
• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: http://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/

Call to Action

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Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

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Episode 48: Access to Opportunity: How Charles Frazier Is Rebuilding Transit by Going to the People Doing the Work

"Go to the people that are doing the work.” ~Charles Frazier

Charles Frazier took the city bus to his first job. Today he leads the transit system for an entire region, and he has never forgotten what that ride made possible. In this conversation, the CEO of Chattanooga's CARTA shares how a system underfunded for 30 years gets rebuilt through the people closest to the work, why he treats influence as something earned rather than granted by title, and how he's preparing his workforce for autonomous vehicles by upskilling employees instead of replacing them. If you lead people through change, constraint, or criticism, this episode gives you a playbook grounded in humility and results.

Key takeaways:

• Transit is access to opportunity, and so is leadership. Your job is opening doors for your people the way someone once opened one for you.

• Build influence over authority. Trust, clarity, and storytelling align teams in ways a title never will.

• If every decision defaults to you, your organization is in a danger zone. Empower your subject-matter experts and ask for consensus recommendations.

About Charles Frazier

Charles D. Frazier is the Chief Executive Officer of the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA), assuming the role in January 2024 following a nationwide search. He brings over two decades of public transit leadership to the region, having previously served in executive roles at major transit systems in Florida and Arkansas.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Charles D. Frazier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-d-frazier/

• Learn more about CARTA: https://www.gocarta.org/

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: http://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/

Call to Action

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today's episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 47: Why Leadership Patterns Repeat Themselves: Breaking the Cycle with Recursive Leadership Theory

"The system will keep reproducing itself until somebody inside it decides to reproduce something better." ~Dr. Carol Parker Walsh

Episode Summary

Every leader has watched it happen. A new executive arrives, announces a new day, and eighteen months later the organization has either absorbed them in so it continues to be business as usual or it’s driven out its best people. In this solo episode, I share the theory I published this summer that explains why this pattern repeats across organizations and industries, and what it takes to break it. Recursive Leadership Theory took more than twenty years to arrive, beginning with an argument I made in graduate school alongside Dr. William Cross, the founder of Black identity theory, and it now serves as the theoretical grounding beneath the entire People-Forward Leadership™ framework. If you're stepping into a new role, inheriting a culture you didn't build, or wondering why your change efforts keep sliding back to the way things were, this episode gives you the diagnosis and the intervention, including three moves you can make today, this week, and this month.

Key Takeaways

• Why organizations reproduce the same leadership patterns even as the leaders change.

• The three expanding circles of real change, and why every one of them starts with you.

• How to seed a new pattern in your team one small, visible repetition at a time.

• Why redesigning one recurring structure does more for culture than any announcement.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Recursive Leadership Theory: https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.7156440

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: http://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

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Enjoyed this episode? Don't miss the next one. Subscribe to the People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today's episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 46: Pause, Listen, and Lead: The Psychology of People-First Leadership with Shakira Naraine

"Catch people doing something right every day." ~Shakira Naraine

Episode Summary

Every leader knows the pull to react in the moment. The tense negotiation, the restructure that has people rattled, the technology rollout everyone fears. Shakira Naraine, Chief People and Culture Officer at the Toronto Transit Commission, has built her career on resisting that pull. A student of human behavior with 25 years of federal public service leadership behind her, she leads culture and labor partnerships for a workforce that moves over a million riders every weekday, and she does it by pausing, listening, and keeping her eyes on the prize. If you lead people through pressure, change, or uncertainty, this conversation will change how you handle your next hard moment.

Key Takeaways

• Pause and listen before you respond. The moment is temporary; the relationship is long-term.

• Psychological safety comes down to how comfortable people feel telling the truth, including the hard things.

• Trust gets built one small interaction at a time, through consistency and follow-through.

• AI adoption is a people strategy. Lead it with honesty about how jobs will change and a real commitment to reskilling.
• Balanced, specific appreciation earns you the credibility to deliver difficult messages that actually land.

About Shakira Naraine

Shakira Naraine is the Chief People and Culture Officer for the Toronto Transit Commission. She has an extensive career leading multidisciplinary teams in public sector human resources and is passionate about continuous learning. After serving in the federal government for 25 years, Shakira joined the TTC in 2023 and is enjoying her role as a leader and change maker. Shakira holds an Honors Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Toronto and a post-grad certificate in Human Resource Management. She is a wife and mother, and knows that a well-rounded approach to personal and professional development takes a village – and is grateful to pay it forward in a learning capacity.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Shakira Naraine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shakira-naraine-36712153/

• Learn more about Toronto Transit Commission: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/city-administration/city-managers-office/agencies-corporations/agencies/toronto-transit-commission/
• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: http://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today's episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 45: The Problem Solver: How Tiffany Gunter Rebuilt Trust and Redefined Transit for an Entire Region

“I made one promise walking into those garages. Whatever you bring me, we're going to fix it and fix it for good." ~Tiffany J. Gunter

Episode Summary

What does it take to lead 2,000 square miles of public transit in the region that invented the car, and win 67% of the vote for it? Tiffany J. Gunter grew up riding the buses she now runs as CEO of SMART, and she leads the way she always has, as a problem solver. In this conversation, she reveals the unglamorous, deeply human work behind one of the most remarkable turnarounds in public transportation. If you lead an organization where trust has eroded, where teams work in silos, or where your people are watching to see if you mean what you say, this episode will show you what rebuilding actually looks like.

Key Takeaways

• Visibility is a leadership discipline. Gunter rebuilt trust by showing up in garages, listening to frontline staff, and solving the problems they named.

• Dignity drives results. A 25% system-wide ridership increase started with cleaner buses, honest communication, and respect for riders and employees alike.

• Technology should augment your people, never replace them. SMART used predictive tools to take a chronically late route from 35% to 88% on time.
• Culture change shows up in public. When your community says your organization treats its employees well, you've built something real.

About Tiffany J. Gunter

Tiffany J. Gunter is the CEO and General Manager of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), where she leads the agency's strategy, operations, and service delivery across Southeast Michigan, with a focus on safe, equitable, and reliable transit. Since joining SMART in 2022 as Deputy General Manager, she has helped drive service improvements, organizational modernization, and stronger community partnerships. Prior to SMART, Tiffany held leadership roles at the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan, and brings experience in higher education, automotive, and retail. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Michigan, executive leadership certifications from Harvard University and the University of Notre Dame, and serves on several community boards while remaining active in civic leadership.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Tiffany J. Gunter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanygunter/

• Learn more about SMART: https://www.smartbus.org/

• Recommended Reading: The Power of TED https://www.amazon.com/shop/drcarolparkerwalsh/list/NU2PW07SCC6R?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d&ccs_id=b5f73f34-2a56-4d47-8113-d61d460bb141

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: http://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today's episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 44: It's Not About You: Building a Brain Trust That Leads from 40,000 Feet with Dawn Distler

“Leadership is never about you." ~Dawn Distler

Episode Summary

Could your organization run well without you in the room? Dawn Distler built her entire leadership on making the answer yes. The CEO of Akron's METRO RTA started as a bus operator 39 years ago and rose to become the national Transit CEO of the Year, leading two different agencies to top system honors along the way. Her secret has nothing to do with being the smartest person in the room. She surrounds herself with people who are, builds a brain trust she trusts more than her own solo judgment, and pulls her leaders up to the 40,000-foot view so the whole system sees what she sees. If you've ever wrestled with how to develop your people when you can't always win on pay, how to let go without losing the big picture, or how to build a team that performs beyond your own reach, Dawn's conversation with me is your blueprint. This is leadership stripped of ego and backed by results.

Key Takeaways

• Surround yourself with the smartest people in the room, then actually listen to them.

• When you can't win on pay, win on development, even if you're growing people for their next opportunity.

• Pull your leaders up to the 40,000-foot view and teach them to delegate so the organization thrives without you.

• Take responsibility publicly, coach privately, and give credit always.
• Technology should speed up the system, never replace the human care that people depend on.

About Dawn Distler

Dawn Distler is a 39-year veteran of the public transportation industry. She began her career as a bus operator at METRO before being promoted to SCAT Operations Manager, and later, Assistant Director of Customer Services. After serving 17 years at METRO, Dawn headed south to join the leadership team at Davidson Transit Organization in Nashville, TN. She later became the Director of Transit for the City of Knoxville, TN, where she led the organization to win the 2017 American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) Outstanding Transit System Award. Dawn returned to METRO to serve as CEO in 2018 and continues to champion equitable transportation as an essential service. Dawn also serves on the leadership team for the Ohio Public Transit Association (OPTA) and is a member of APTA’s Board of Directors. In 2024, Dawn was named the Transit CEO of the Year for the entire country, and in 2025, led her team at METRO to victory as the Outstanding Public Transportation System of the Year.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Dawn Distler: http://linkedin.com/in/dawn-distler-00455a11

• Learn more about Metro RTA: https://www.yourmetrobus.org/
• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: http://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today's episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: Learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™. Email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 43: The CLIMB to People-First Leadership: Building Future Leaders to Innovate, and Serve with Derik Calhoun

"Systems move organizations, people move systems.” ~Derik Calhoun

Episode Summary

What happens when the kid from Richmond grows up to run train operations for the very system that serves his hometown? In this episode, I sit down with Derik Calhoun, Chief Transportation Officer at BART, for a conversation about leadership that starts in the mirror and ends on the frontline. This conversation will change how you think about your own leadership. Derik shares how to step into a complex system in your first 90 days, why “building a tree” of legacy matters more than building a resume, and what shifts when you finally understand who you actually work for as a leader. The son of two union presidents, he makes the case that trust with your frontline is earned through honesty and presence, and that psychological safety in high-stakes work means raising honesty, never lowering standards. If you lead people at any level, you'll walk away with the CLIMB framework in your pocket and a challenge you won't be able to shake, which is to develop your people with the same intensity you develop your operations.

Key Takeaways

• Lead from the mirror first asking yourself daily, “What could I have done better today?”

• Your first 90 days as a new leader are for listening, not launching.

• Middle management is where culture lives or dies, so cultivate it.

• Unions are partners in workforce development, so build relationships that matter and last.

• Psychological safety means increasing honesty, not compromising standards.

• Adopt AI to elevate people, make room for the next generation of leaders, but not as a tool to replace critical thinking.

About Derik Calhoun

Derik Calhoun is currently the Chief Transportation Officer for BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) he joined BART in February of 2025. He manages and oversees, through subordinate managers and supervisors, all operations and activities of the Transportation Department, including movement and control of revenue railed vehicles throughout the system within the Operations Control Center (OCC).

Before joining BART, Calhoun was Chief Operating Officer at Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), managed a budget of $350 million and provided executive-level operational oversight and direction for VTA's bus and light rail operations, maintenance, Accessible Services, and Facilities Maintenance. Also helped to reinforce VTA’s workforce development program (Highroad partnership) with ATU.

Before VTA, Calhoun served as the Director of Transportation for 6.5 years at AC Transit, in Alameda County, California. In that role he managed the delivery of transportation services for all operating divisions, opened the new TEMPO BRT along the international corridor in Oakland during the Pandemic, managed a budget of $238 million, opened a new Operations Control Center, and helped open and manage the Sales Force Transit Center. Calhoun also spent over 20 plus years in the private sector as a General Manager and Regional Vice President. He was able to see over 100 contracts, and was involved and chaired several union negotiations with ATU, Teamsters, IBEW, SEIU, and AFSCME.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Derik Calhoun: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derik-calhoun-604a933/

• Learn more about BART: https://www.bart.gov/

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: http://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

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Enjoyed this episode? Don't miss the next one. Subscribe to the People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today's episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 42: Are You Ready? How Leaders Build Pipelines, Trust, and the Conditions for Their People to Thrive with Yvonne Lopez-Diaz

"The people strategy IS the business strategy." ~Yvonne Lopez-Diaz

Episode Summary

The leaders who thrive won't be the ones asking "do we have the right people?" They'll be the ones asking "are we ready?" In this episode, Yvonne Lopez-Diaz makes the case that workforce strategy is business strategy, and that future-ready organizations are built on the conditions that let people do their best work and see a future worth staying for: trust, clarity, and real opportunity to grow. She shares how to build talent instead of just hiring it, how to develop a pipeline that pays off for years, and why AI raises the value of judgment and leadership rather than replacing it. The through line is simple and demanding: every strategy is delivered by people, so leaders can't afford not to invest in them.

Key Takeaways

• Stop asking if you have the right people; ask if you're creating the conditions for them to thrive and stay.

• Build talent, don't just hire it: internal development, stretch assignments, and cross-functional exposure.

• A real pipeline takes belief, early engagement, and long-term investment, not one-off initiatives.

• Treat people as assets to grow, not constraints to manage.

• AI raises the premium on judgment and leadership; prepare people to work alongside it, don't just chase the tools.

About Yvonne Lopez-Diaz

Yvonne Lopez-Diaz is Senior Vice President and National Workforce Strategist at HNTB Corporation, with more than 26 years leading talent strategy and organizational development in transportation and 17 years in pharmaceutical HR leadership. A nationally recognized leader and former Chair of the WTS Foundation, she advanced initiatives that awarded over $2 million in scholarships and strengthened the pipeline of women in transportation. She is a COMTO Women Who Move the Nation honoree, a two-time recipient of the Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award, and was named one of ENO's Top Women to Watch.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Yvonne Lopez-Diaz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-lopez-diaz-51a4254/

• Learn more about HNTB: https://www.hntb.com/

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: http://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

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Enjoyed this episode? Don't miss the next one. Subscribe to the People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today's episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 41: The Power of Storytelling: How to Lead with Narrative to Build Trust, Mobilize Change, and Grow a People-Forward Business with Nikki Frenney

"Anyone can lead if people trust them and like them. It has nothing to do with your title." ~Nikki Frenney

Episode Summary

Nikki Frenney is a storyteller, and in this episode she makes the case that storytelling is one of the most underrated leadership tools in business. As Vice President of Customer Success at MV Transportation, the largest privately owned passenger transportation company in North America, she has helped guide the company's growth from a $24 million business to over $1.2 billion in annual revenue, now moving more than 110 million people a year, and she traces that scale back to a discipline she's carried since her early days in journalism: knowing how to tell the story of who you are, why you do what you do, and who you're becoming.

If you've ever thought leadership required a title, or that storytelling was a nice-to-have rather than a strategic, essential skill, this conversation will change how you think about both.

Key Takeaways

• Why storytelling is a strategic, essential human skill that builds the trust that grows a business.

• Why influence built on relationships, trust, and institutional memory outlasts any title.

• How transit workers quietly sustain local economies and quality of life by getting people to work, medical care, and school.

• Why AI and autonomous tools should augment people rather than replace them, and what responsible adoption requires.

• A practical roadmap for aspiring leaders several levels below where they want to be.

About Nikki Frenney

Nikki Frenney serves as Vice President of Customer Success at MV Transportation, the largest privately owned passenger transportation company in North America. Over a tenure that has spanned the creation of MV's marketing and communications function, a role as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, and her current customer success leadership, she has helped guide the company's growth from a $24 million business to more than $1.2 billion in annual revenue. Her career began in journalism before moving through government and crisis communications into transit, where work in paratransit shaped her enduring commitment to accessible mobility as a foundation of community life.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about On the Move Podcast: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/our-very-first-episode-of-on-the-move-ugcPost-7467294483597074434--ciX/?rcm=ACoAAAFFxugBNhAp8oJ24KehmRVfh8SyzyrY9SE

• Learn more about MV Transportation: https://mvtransit.com/

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: http://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today's episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 40: What AI Can't Replace in a Great Leader

"AI can think faster, write better, and analyze more than you. So the question isn't how do you keep up with it, it’s how do you level up what you bring to the table that AI simply cannot replicate." ~ Dr. Carol Parker Walsh

Episode Summary

AI isn't coming…it’s here. And while the conversation around AI often focuses on tools, productivity, and keeping up, this episode goes deeper. Dr. Carol Parker Walsh makes the case that the most important leadership work right now isn't learning to use AI, it's honing the distinctly human skills it can never replace: critical thinking, judgment, presence, courage, and emotional intelligence. Because in a world where AI levels the playing field on technical skills, how you show up for people is what will set you apart.

Key Takeaways

• AI is raising the bar on critical thinking, don’t let it think for you

• Judgment, presence, and courage are the leadership skills that can't be outsourced

• Emotional intelligence isn't a personality trait, it’s a skill you build through consistent practice

• The professional pause (3–5 seconds) is one of the most powerful EQ tools you have

• How you show up in the storm sets the tone for how your entire team shows up

• Use AI as a tool to support your growth, never as a replacement for what's uniquely you

Resources & Links

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: https://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/

• Recommended reading: The 3 Pillars of People-Forward Leadership™

• Radical Candor by Kim Scott: https://www.amazon.com/shop/drcarolparkerwalsh/list/NU2PW07SCC6R?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d&ccs_id=e5333e0e-d357-4992-9482-0593c4fbda41

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

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Enjoyed this episode? Don’t miss the next one. Subscribe to the People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today’s episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@https://www.thriveaxisgroup.com/.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit from learning how to rebuild their leadership container for stronger results. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 39: The Messy Middle: Why Your Growth Is Hiding in the Hard Parts

"Growth always comes out of the messy middle. Not the planning stage. Not the retreat. Not after you've figured it out. In the mess. Through the mess." ~ Dr. Carol Parker Walsh

Episode Summary

The leaders who are growing the most aren't the ones who have it all figured out, they're the ones willing to stay in the hard parts. In this episode, Dr. Carol Parker Walsh talks about the messy middle and makes the case that the discomfort, tension, and uncertainty you're trying to get out of so fast is actually where your greatest growth lives. Drawing from conversations with three extraordinary leaders this season, Shawn Donaghy, Donishea Martinez, and Traci Rossi, Carol explores what it really looks like to lead through conflict, learning, and trust-building without taking the easy exit.

Key Takeaways

• Conflict isn't a sign something is broken, it’s a sign two people are actually thinking

• Defaulting to your old playbook when the context changes is fear-based leadership, not strength

• Psychological safety isn't announced, it’s built in small, repeated acts of showing up

• The most advanced leadership move you can make is admitting what you don't know yet

• Rushing to resolution robs you of what the mess is trying to teach you

Leaders Featured in This Episode:

• Traci Rossi - Executive Director, Friends of the Children – Portland - Episode 34

• Donishea Martinez - Executive Commercial Leader, Genentech - Episode 35

• Shawn Donaghy - CEO, North County Transit District - Episode 36

Resources & Links

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: https://www.carolparkerwalsh.com

• Recommended reading: The 3 Pillars of People-Forward Leadership™

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

• LinkedIn

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• Facebook

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Enjoyed this episode? Don’t miss the next one. Subscribe to the People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today’s episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit from learning how to rebuild their leadership container for stronger results. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 38: Why Leadership Development Fails (And What Actually Works)

"Leadership development fails when it's treated as an event. And it works when it becomes part of the system." ~ Dr. Carol Parker Walsh

Organizations spend billions on leadership training every year, and yet the same problems keep surfacing on engagement surveys, in exit interviews, and across leadership teams: breakdowns in trust, accountability gaps, and employees who are present but not truly invested. So what's actually going wrong?

In this episode, Dr. Carol Parker Walsh makes the case that most leadership development fails not because of poor content or lack of investment, but because it's designed as an event rather than a system. Drawing from conversations with three leaders across aviation, philanthropy, and healthcare, Carol unpacks the second pillar of the People-Forward Leadership™ framework (Empowered Ecosystems ), and explores what it looks like when development stops being something that happens in a classroom and starts being something woven into how an organization actually operates.

Carla Jeter of Delta Air Lines reveals how a founding principle shapes a continuous loop of listening, acting, and going back to ask if they got it right. Kate Azizi of the OHSU Foundation shows what it looks like to delegate decisions, not just tasks. And Dr. Kecia Kelly of Legacy Health demonstrates what system design actually produces. These leaders are getting extraordinary results not because they’re investing in better programs, but because they’re building better environments, and that distinction changes everything.

Key Takeaways:

• Designing with your people instead of for them is the difference between compliance and genuine ownership.

• The listening loop only works when it closes, silence after feedback is more damaging than never asking at all.

• Delegating a task and delegating a decision are not the same thing, and only one of them actually builds a team.

• The leader who always provides the answer becomes the ceiling, the coaching question builds the muscle.

• Retention is the new recruitment, and the organizations that invest in development pathways, not just programs, are the ones that keep their best people.

Leaders Featured in This Episode:

• Dr. Kecia Kelly - SVP & Chief Nurse, Legacy Health - Episode 31

• Carla Jeter - Senior Manager, Brand Experience, Delta Air Lines - Episode 32

• Kate Azizi - President, OHSU Foundation - Episode 33

Resources & Links

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: https://www.carolparkerwalsh.com/

• Recommended reading: The 3 Pillars of People-Forward Leadership™

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

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Enjoyed this episode? Don’t miss the next one. Subscribe to the People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today’s episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit from learning how to rebuild their leadership container for stronger results. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 37: The Quiet Shift in Leadership: What Today’s Best Leaders Are Doing Differently

"The quiet shift in leadership isn't louder strategy or bigger authority. It's a deeper, more honest relationship with yourself, so you can build a more honest, more effective relationship with the people you lead." ~ Dr. Carol Parker Walsh

What separates leaders getting extraordinary results from those stuck in average outcomes? It's rarely strategy. It's rarely credentials. Across six conversations with leaders spanning healthcare, transit, transportation, philanthropy, biopharma, and nonprofit work, one pattern kept emerging: the leaders performing at the highest levels had done the inner work first.

In this episode, Dr. Carol Parker Walsh draws from the season's most powerful guest conversations to explore what Leader Awareness (the first pillar of the People-Forward Leadership™ framework), actually looks like in practice. Not as a concept. Not as a competency to check off. But as a lived, daily discipline that changes the way you show up, decide, and lead.

Carol unpacks how six extraordinary leaders developed a deeper, more honest relationship with themselves, and how that shift changed everything about the way they led others.

This episode is for the leader who's tired of reacting and ready to start choosing. Who wants to understand not just what they do, but who they are when they do it. And for those leaders willing to let what they discover actually change how they lead.

Key Takeaways:

• Why most leaders aren't as self-aware as they think and why that's not a character flaw.

• The difference between self-criticism and self-awareness, and why confusing the two keeps leaders stuck.

• What a meaningful self-reflective practice actually looks like inside high-stakes leadership roles.

• How to find your "trust mirror,” the person willing to tell you the truth about your leadership impact.

• Why every strength casts a shadow, and what to do when yours shows up.

• What the quiet shift in leadership looks like across six leaders in six very different industries.

Leaders Featured in This Episode:

• Dr. Kecia Kelly - SVP & Chief Nurse, Legacy Health - Episode 31

• Carla Jeter - Senior Manager, Brand Experience, Delta Air Lines - Episode 32

• Kate Azizi - President, OHSU Foundation - Episode 33

• Traci Rossi - Executive Director, Friends of the Children – Portland - Episode 34

• Donishea Martinez - Executive Commercial Leader, Genentech - Episode 35

• Shawn Donaghy - CEO, North County Transit District - Episode 36

Resources & Links

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: https://www.carolparkerwalsh.com/

• Recommended reading: The 3 Pillars of People-Forward Leadership™

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

• LinkedIn

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Enjoyed this episode? Don’t miss the next one. Subscribe to the People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today’s episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit from learning how to rebuild their leadership container for stronger results. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 36: From Family Legacy to Industry Champion: Trust, Authenticity, and Redefining Transit Leadership with Shawn Donaghy

"Before policy, before anything, it starts with employees knowing that no matter what happens, you are working in their best interest." ~ Shawn Donaghy

Episode Summary

What does it mean to lead not just a system, but the people who make it run? In this episode, Dr. Carol Parker Walsh welcomes Shawn Donaghy, CEO of the North County Transit District in San Diego, for a candid and deeply personal conversation about the kind of leadership that actually changes organizations. As a third-generation public transit CEO - his grandfather and father both pioneers who fought for civil rights within the industry - Shawn brings a rare perspective on how values forged at the dinner table shape how you show up in the boardroom.

From his first days at NCTD, where he had to restore psychological safety and rebuild a culture of candor, to onboarding nearly 500 employees overnight during a historic bus operations insourcing, Shawn shares what it really looks like to lead with authenticity, accountability, and intentionality. He opens up about building feedback loops by walking the floors, why healthy conflict is essential (not optional), and how he deliberately sponsors women and diverse leaders, not as a gesture, but as a practice that has shaped the transit industry itself.

This episode is equal parts practical and profound. Whether you're navigating a culture shift, managing a complex team, or wondering how to build a legacy that outlasts your tenure, Shawn's wisdom will challenge you to lead from the inside out.

Key Takeaways

• Authenticity isn't optional - employees know within the first year whether you're the real deal.

• Psychological safety isn't about keeping the peace; it's about creating space for real, productive conflict.

• Your legacy lives in the people you elevate, not the projects you build.

• Visibility is a leadership strategy - proximity to your people is a practice, not a perk.

• Widening the hiring pool is how you change who leads; intentional sponsorship means seeing someone's capacity before they see it themselves.

• The most effective leaders aren't perfect - they're self-aware, own their mistakes publicly, and course-correct out loud.

About Shawn Donaghy

Shawn M. Donaghy currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the North County Transit District in San Diego County, one of only three transit agencies in the nation to have Hybrid Rail, Heavy, Rail and Bus Operations. NCTD is also the owner, common carrier, and railroad of record by the Federal Railroad Administration. Prior to NCTD, Donaghy served as Chief Executive Officer of C-TRAN in Vancouver, WA, Chief Operating Officer of Trinity Metro in Fort Worth, TX, and Chief Operations Officer at the Southwest Ohio RTA (SORTA) in Cincinnati, OH. His career has spanned several areas of focus, including operations and maintenance for bus and rail, information technology, safety and risk management, security and transit police, service scheduling, contract management, key performance and regulatory metrics, and large-scale capital project experience.

A third-generation public transit CEO, Donaghy serves in several industry capacities such as the Board of Directors Executive Committee for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), President of the Bus Coalition, former President of the American Bus Benchmarking Group (ABBG) and is a former Mass Transit 40-Under-40 recipient. He has worked on several key large-scale transit projects such as the Cincinnati Streetcar, TEXRail, the Vine Bus Rapid Transit Line, the Interstate 5 Bridge Replacement Program, and the Del Mar Bluffs Rail Realignment Project. Donaghy has also managed fleet transitions to low/zero emission technology, including the first electric bus fleet, charging network and hydrogen infrastructure at C-TRAN.

Donaghy is also a proud member and supporter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), Latinos in Transit, WTS International, and serves on APTA’s Diversity and Inclusion Council.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Shawn Donaghy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-m-donaghy-mpa-2b0800a/

• Learn more about NCTD: https://gonctd.com/

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: https://www.carolparkerwalsh.com/

• Recommended reading: The 3 Pillars of People-Forward Leadership™

• Book Recommendation: Crucial Conversations

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

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Enjoyed this episode? Don’t miss the next one. Subscribe to the People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today’s episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit from learning how to rebuild their leadership container for stronger results. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 35: Empowerment Isn’t a Vibe: The Structures That Make Matrix Teams Work featuring Donishea Martinez

“People don’t experience your org chart, they experience how you deliver it.” ~Donishea Martinez

Episode Summary

When Genentech shifted to a new Customer Engagement structure, bringing reimbursement, sales, patient educators, and medical teams closer together, Donishea Martinez found herself leading within a larger, more ambiguous ecosystem. And while she personally thrives in ambiguity (“give me the problem and we’ll solve it”), she realized something pivotal: what works for you as a leader doesn’t automatically work for the people you lead.

In this episode, Donishea shares what changed when she stopped assuming others could “see the fix” the way she could, and started leading with more intentional clarity, expectations, and permission. We also talked about the less-discussed leadership trap that shows up at higher levels, like leading out of fear, and how that fear led her to over-manage a high-potential leader, and what it took to return to her best leadership self.

Key Takeaways

• Ambiguity might energize you and exhaust your team. Leaders have to translate vision into clarity that others can execute.

• Don’t confuse capability with mind-reading. High performers still need explicit expectations, encouragement, and context, especially in a new season or role.

• Empowerment is a structure, not a slogan. Ownership, decision rules, norms, and accountability are what create real autonomy.

• You can’t lead out of fear. Fear quietly turns into control, especially with high-potential people you don’t want to “mess up.”

• Stop creating “mini-me” expectations. Your job isn’t to clone your instincts; it’s to build the system that helps others succeed.

• Clarity isn’t one thing; there are multiple versions of “clear.” Without alignment, teams create chaos even when everyone feels confident.

• Continuous learning needs rhythms. Poll checks, after-action reviews, and a living leadership charter keep teams adaptive, even with AI and constant change.

About Donishea Martinez

Donishea Martinez is a Healthcare Executive Director at Genentech, leading the Inland Texas ecosystem where she engages and inspires teams to generate innovative solutions that improve patient care and access. With more than two decades in BioPharma across strategy, marketing, managed care, customer operations, and customer engagement, Donishea is known for bridging gaps between teams, strategies, and goals, so people can move from alignment to execution.

A decade in the U.S. Army Reserves shaped her leadership philosophy of adaptability, trust, and team dynamics as mission-critical skills. That foundation shows up in how she leads today, which is ensuring people feel heard, valued, and motivated while still delivering results.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Donishea Martinez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donisheamartinez/

• Learn more about Genentech: https://www.gene.com/

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: https://www.carolparkerwalsh.com/

• Recommended reading: The 3 Pillars of People-Forward Leadership™

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

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Enjoyed this episode? Don’t miss the next one. Subscribe to the People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today’s episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit from learning how to rebuild their leadership container for stronger results. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 34: No Matter What Leadership: Building Trust, Standards, and Sustainable Systems with Traci Rossi

“Keep the standards high, be clear about what those standards are, provide the support, bring in the community.” ~Traci Rossi

Episode Summary

What does it take to lead with steadiness over the long haul, especially when your mission depends on relationships, not quick wins? In this episode of The People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast, I sit down with Traci Rossi, Executive Director of Friends of the Children – Portland, for a powerful conversation about "no matter what" leadership: the kind that stays grounded, human, and accountable year after year.

Traci shares how her earliest leadership lessons were shaped inside her grandparents' beauty salon and barbershop, a place where community, care, and high standards weren't separate things, they were the same thing. From there, we unpack what it looks like to build a team culture where people feel safe enough to tell the truth, strong enough to hold standards, and supported enough to keep learning without burning out.

This conversation matters because people-forward leadership™ doesn’t just happen, it’s structured, intentional, and designed. If you're leading a complex organization, this episode will challenge the way you think about psychological safety, resilience, and performance.

Key Takeaways

• Build community on purpose, not by accident. Create one recurring connection ritual that is not agenda-driven. Ten minutes, same cadence, same expectation: be present.

• Psychological safety is behavior, not a vibe. In your next meeting, model safety by naming one uncertainty you're working through and inviting the team's perspective.

• High standards + high support is the formula. Pick one team standard you've allowed to drift. Re-clarify it, then ask: "What support do you need to meet this consistently?"

• Your leadership shadow shows up at scale. Schedule five short check-ins this month with people you don't normally talk to. Just listen, don’t solve.

• Stop hiring "happy." Start hiring whole. Add one interview question that assesses wholeness: "Tell me about a hard season—what helped you stay steady?"

About Traci Rossi

Traci Rossi serves as the Executive Director of Friends of the Children – Portland, an

organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty by providing youth facing the

toughest challenges with 12+ years of relentless professional mentoring from

kindergarten through high school graduation, no matter what. She is responsible for

setting the strategic direction of the organization and managing day-to-day operations.

Friends – Portland has won the Most Admired Nonprofit in Oregon for eleven

consecutive years.

Traci was born and raised in Oregon and has over 25 years of nonprofit leadership

experience with an emphasis on education, community outreach, and service to

underserved communities. Her efforts have been recognized as a 2023 Catlin Gabel

School Distinguished Alumni Award, a 2020 Woman of Influence by the Portland

Business Journal and as a Hometown Hero by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021 for her

service-before-self mentality and significant positive impact on the Portland community.

She volunteers on local boards in alignment with her personal and professional

commitment to youth success and equitable access to services and systems to foster a

more equitable Oregon. Traci currently sits on the boards of Rivermark Credit Union, the

Gray Family Foundation, and is a founding member of the Women’s Foundation of

Oregon Board and an American Leadership Forum Fellow.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Traci Rossi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traci-rossi/

• Learn more about Friends of the Children - Portland:” https://friendspdx.org/

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: https://www.carolparkerwalsh.com/

• Recommended reading: The 3 Pillars of People-Forward Leadership™

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

• Facebook

• YouTube

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t miss the next one. Subscribe to the People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast:

• Spotify

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today’s episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit from learning how to rebuild their leadership container for stronger results. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 33: Clarity Is Kind: The 80% Rule for Trust at Scale with OHSU Foundation President Kate Azizi

“Giving praise is free and specific praise is powerful.”~Kate Azizi

Episode Summary

What does People-Forward leadership look like when your “team” includes not just employees, but boards, donors, clinicians, researchers, and the broader community?

In this episode, Dr. Carol Parker Walsh sits down with Kate Azizi, President of the OHSU Foundation, to unpack the leadership practices that build trust across a high-stakes ecosystem without burning people out or slowing execution. Kate shares how transparency, communication cadence, and real empowerment create alignment, and why decisive leaders move forward with 80% of the information instead of getting trapped in analysis paralysis.

When it comes to the People-Forward Leadership™ framework, Kate laid a clear roadmap: Leader Awareness anchored in a clear North Star, Empowered Ecosystems built through real delegation and communication cadence, and Adaptive Continuous Learning fueled by psychological safety and smart risk-taking create a powerful leadership operating system that can be scaled.

You’ll also hear Kate’s origin story (yes, it starts with a PBS segment and a bold cold call), and the “North Star” mindset she returns to when the work is complex and the pressure is high.

Key Takeaways

• Your North Star is your stabilizer under pressure.

• Direct feedback (delivered with care) is a culture-strengthening act, not a conflict trigger.

• Trust is built through cadence, not charisma.

• Empowerment means decision rights. Delegation isn’t just tasks, it’s real authority.

• Move at 80%, then learn fast.

• Psychological safety must be modeled.

• Innovation needs a “proof point.”

• Boldness opens doors and speed protects opportunity.

About Kate Azizi

Kate Azizi is the President of the OHSU Foundation. She worked in partnership with OHSU and Knight Cancer Center leaders to secure the historic $2 billion gift to support the Knight Cancer Institute in 2025. Kate has served in leadership positions at the Medical University of South Carolina (Vice President of Institutional Advancement), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Assistant Dean of Development), the University of Chicago Medicine (Senior Director of Principal Gifts and Campaign Director), and NC State University. Kate began her career in New York City, where she worked in the financial services sector and at several nonprofit organizations. She received an M.B.A. from NCSU and a B.A. from Drew University.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Kate Azizi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesmithazizi/

• Learn more about OHSU Foundation: https://ohsufoundation.org/

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: https://www.carolparkerwalsh.com/

• Recommended reading: The 3 Pillars of People-Forward Leadership™

• Book recommended: One Bold Move a Day by Shanna Hocking

Call to Action

Connect with us for behind-the-scenes content and leadership tips:

• LinkedIn

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• Facebook

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Enjoyed this episode? Don’t miss the next one. Subscribe to the People-Forward Leadership™ Podcast:

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Leave a 5-Star Review: Share your biggest takeaway from today’s episode by leaving a review on your podcast platform.

Reach out: To learn how we can support your organization in implementing People-Forward Leadership™, email us at hello@thriveaxisgroup.com.

Thank you for listening! If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit from learning how to rebuild their leadership container for stronger results. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you tune in for future episodes.

Episode 32: People-Forward by Design: The Operating System for Exceptional Performance at Delta Airlines with Carla Jeter

“When we come together, if we respect the expertise of our people, we tend to have a well-executed project.” ~Carla Jeter

Episode Summary

Delta Airlines is consistently recognized for excellence in everything from passenger experience to customer service, operational performance to workplace culture. Exceptional performance doesn’t come from slogans, it comes from an operating system leaders build on purpose: trust, clear decision rights, learning loops, and recognition that reinforces the behaviors you want. In this episode, Dr. Carol Parker Walsh sits down with Carla Jeter, Senior Manager of Brand Experience at Delta Airlines, to explore what it takes to translate strategy into frontline execution in complex operational environments.

Carla shares her leadership journey, from electrical engineering at Motorola, through international revenue management, and into brand experience, and the consistent thread: designing systems where people feel trusted, equipped, and connected to purpose. She also unpacks how trust is built through proximity and respect for expertise (including becoming flight-attendant qualified to deepen credibility), how leaders balance being people-first with real accountability, and why Delta’s “Listen, Act, Listen” model works because it’s a continuous loop, not a one-time survey. This people-first focus comes from the founder’s words: Everything we do can be duplicated, but what can't be duplicated is our people. Our people are everything to Delta. The result: teams that can deliver at a high level, even under pressure.

Key Takeaways

• Why “people-forward” is not a soft skill, but a designed system and framework

• How proximity and credibility build trust with frontline teams

• The balance of empathy and accountability through clarity and transparency

• How to build cross-functional trust without pretending to know everything

• Delegation with guardrails: pushing decisions down while protecting outcomes

• Psychological safety in practice (including “vulnerable moments” as a team ritual)

• The power of Listen → Act → Listen feedback loops that drive learning and innovation

• How recognition that’s specific, consistent, and multi-channel, reinforces top performance

About Carla Jeter

Carla Jeter is a Senior Manager of Brand Experience at Delta Air Lines, where she

leads people-forward brand strategy initiatives designed to improve frontline employee

experience and strengthen customer outcomes in complex operational environments.

Her work focuses on translating strategy into execution—building trust, elevating

employee ownership, and creating the systems and rituals that help teams deliver at a

high level.

Carla holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee State

University and an MBA with an emphasis in Marketing from Clark Atlanta University.

She began her career as an electrical engineer at Motorola, then joined Delta Air Lines

as part of the International Revenue Management team. In that role, she helped

develop strategies that maximized revenue performance across international

routes—experience that continues to shape her lens on enterprise decision-making,

trade-offs, and execution.

Today, Carla’s team develops tools, experiences, and initiatives that support frontline

employees while driving brand consistency and customer enhancements. She is a

strong proponent of building sustainable communities and volunteers with programs

focused on food distribution and community support.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Carla Jeter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-roberts-jeter-7703891b6/

• Learn more about “Distinctively Delta:” https://news.delta.com/new-era-style-introducing-distinctly-delta-uniform-collection

• Learn more about Delta Airlines People-First Culture:

• https://news.delta.com/delta-reward-employees-average-4-weeks-extra-pay

• https://esghub.delta.com/content/esg/en/2024/employee-engagement.html

• https://news.delta.com/delta-americas-most-awarded-airline

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework: https://www.carolparkerwalsh.com/

• Recommended reading: The 3 Pillars of People-Forward Leadership™

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