Leaders Unscripted

If you're a female or minority leader, this episode is your beacon of empowerment.  Michelle Tran, Head of Strategic Partnerships SVP at Vestwell and Co-Founder of NYC FinTech Woman—a thriving 10,000+ member organisation, is a passionate advocate for diversity in leadership. 

Join us as we discuss the challenges faced at the intersections of being female and a person of colour. Michelle highlights the alarming funding disparities, revealing that institutional investment in female founders is a mere 2%, dropping even lower for female minorities. It's time to amplify diverse voices and bridge the gap in entrepreneurial support.

Michelle touches on her personal experiences of the impact of perceptions on Asian Americans in leadership, the significance of names, and the inspiration behind Tiger Collective, a venture she co-founded with Ling Zhao.  

This really is an episode you won’t want to miss. Tune in to gain insights, challenge perceptions, and be inspired by Michelle Tran's commitment to reshaping the landscape for leaders of all backgrounds. 

This episode covers:

• Leadership challenges as a woman of colour
• Empowering women in fintech
• Challenges faced by Asian female leaders in various industries
• Diversity and inclusion in leadership roles
• Leadership, networking, and mentorship

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

In the dynamic landscape of global leadership, the significance of Diversity and Inclusion strategies cannot be overstated. 

This is such an important episode for all leaders - from D&I strategies to the power of listening and alignment, this episode is filled with indispensable value. 

Sheree Atcheson is a multi-award winning diversity and inclusion executive, Group Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion at Valtech, keynote speaker and published author. It’s fair to say that Sheree knows her stuff…

We discussed her experiences of leading global teams, why the discovery process is so critical for new leaders in a business and the significance of alignment and collaboration.

This episode covers:

• Leadership, diversity and inclusion in the tech industry
• Global diversity and inclusion strategies 
• Collaboration and data-driven approaches in D&I work
• Leading in a global environment with a focus on listening & empowerment 

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

Becoming the first of anything puts you on a precipice, makes you a pioneer, and brings the best out of budding leaders-to-be… that’s where Dan Storms stepped up.

Dan has been the first executive hire at several startups, pushing him to develop small businesses FAST, and he’s now a driving force as VP of Product & Engineering at The Rounds.

It’s a pleasure to hear from Dan as he shares first steps after joining a startup, his four principles for working with Founder-CEOs, the three types of product leader, and so much more.

This episode covers:

• Leading for the first time with lots of eyes on you
• The issue with an ‘outcomes over outputs’ approach
• What makes an ideal, successful roadmap
• The three types of product leader, and their specialities
• Keen advice for first time executives

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

The COO role is utterly unique, demanding multidisciplinary mastery.

It begs expertise where you may have none, to become a cross-functional manager, and Edwina Johnson’s tenure at Alloy had seen her thrive in achieving exactly that

Edwina, now thriving as GM of MoneyGram Online International, joins us for this episode of Leaders Unscripted, as we dive into the art of building, leading and growing teams outside of your expertise.

This episode covers:

• Edwina’s grounding as a business builder wearing many hats
• How unexpectedly early businesses can bring in an operational role
• Overcoming the inner self-doubt of hiring experts as a jack of all trades
• Prioritising which hires should come first
• The challenges and rewards of managing a cross-functional team

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

Anything in business can be distilled down to a set of decisions, and a great system makes choosing the right one for your team infinitely better.

Griffin’s decision making method has seen an overhaul in ways which they carve their path forward, and as VP of Engineering, James Trunk has been at the forefront of this vital process.

James joins us on Leaders Unscripted to take us through the values underpinning business decisions, why reflection trumps perfection, and the art of early feedback.

This episode covers:

• How decision making was done before Griffin’s new framework
• Griffin’s early feedback model instils agency, autonomy and pride
• Why James’ daily reflection practice is an essential for any leader
• Democratising decisions without a feeling of dereliction of duty

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

In a business as huge and culturally diverse as Netflix, it’s imperative that you value all of those voices in your team.

Culture is a living organism, and curating that culture at Netflix is firmly within Shweta Saraf’s sights, in her role as Director of Platform Networking.

She’s worked within companies like Cisco, Digital Ocean and Equinix, and shares with us on the Leaders Unscripted podcast just how those experiences have shaped her leadership approach today.

This episode covers:

• How Shweta helps people do the best work of their lives
• Avoiding a one-and-done approach to culture
• Guiding culture vs letting it happen naturally
• Helping leaders understand their impact on culture

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

When you think ‘pinnacle of journalism’, you think New York Times. 

He’s been a startup Founder and large enterprise leader, embarking on a notable transition between the two and embracing the modernized culture of a centuries-old organization.

We catch up with David as he talks about the tension between the leader you want to be vs the company’s style, what it means to do the right thing, and how you stick the landing between startup and super-sized business.

This episode covers:

• How David carved his path to the NYT through several influential roles
• The gray area between the leader you want to be and the leader your company needs
• Transitioning between startups and larger corporations
• Why ‘why’ is the most important word for budding leaders

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

Backing a budding leader is always easier when you’ve already been a successful one…

Once a Founder & CEO, now investing in technical founders as Partner at ‘boldstart ventures’, Ellen Chisa’s enlightening story covers a seldom spoken topic - transitioning out of leadership.

Her perspective is a fascinating one; join us on Leaders Unscripted to discover how the CEO role has shaped Ellen’s wise perspectives.

This episode covers:

• Common issues for first time CEOs
• Particular challenges in startups
• The compromises you make with yourself, and implicitly with your team
• Transitioning into a VC role
• Management vs leadership
• Suzan & Ellen’s childhood experiences in Michigan

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

When Namrata Sarmah became a CPO, the job role didn’t really exist the way that it does today. Two CPO roles later, and she’s using her power to transform product teams.

INTO University Partnerships marked a vital role in her journey, getting comfortable with the unteachable nature of the CPO position. She’s also the Founder of Women in Product UK. 

She joins us on Leaders Unscripted to uncover how CPOs become change agents, which unexpected aspect of strategy is hardest, and embracing the transformational nature of the job.

This episode covers:

• How Namrata developed naturally into the CPO role
• Why nobody can truly teach you how to become a successful CPO
• Picking your battles
• The unexpected, hardest aspect of strategy, and a need to be flexible with it
• Advice for other CPOs finding themselves as a change agent

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

We’re more aware of burnout than ever before, but are we looking out for leaders as much as our teams?

As GitHub’s Anjuan Simmons can attest, burnout is an equal opportunity force, which affects teams, managers, VPs and CEOs alike.

His advice on spotting and dealing with burnout within yourself and your team is absolutely inspired, and makes for an incredibly powerful episode of Leaders Unscripted.

This episode covers:

• How Star Trek influenced Anjuan’s career
• Spotting the signs of burnout, and how it happens
• Leaders’ experiences with burnout
• The art of ‘self-arresting’
• How to build burnout-resilience
• Using human relationships to work through periods of stress
• Recognising signs of your team burning out

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

Leaders are humans too, and Etsy’s culture has given Jenn Clevenger the opportunity to lead through remarkable adversity.

In her 8 year tenure, she’s become VP of Engineering, tackled a pandemic, and stayed her course while her house burned down.

It’s the staggering story of a remarkable leader and a resilient human, one which we delve into on episode 26 of the Leaders Unscripted podcast.

This episode covers:

• Jenn’s ‘zigzag’ path to leadership
• Leadership lessons learned from Etsy’s culture
• Our ‘nonsense buckets’, and how to make space in them
• Taking time to breathe, do nothing, and be self-empathetic
• Advice for leaders tackling headwinds, both external and personal

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

The most organic path to becoming a leader is to follow your values, with no aspirations of leadership.

At least that was my experience, as I found my way into a COO role. What I seldom share on Leaders Unscripted is the path I paved to get there.

In this episode the tables are turned on me, as Extrology podcast host Lee Cooper steps in to interview me on my own journey, uncovering my formative experiences, philosophies and morals.

This episode covers:

• My early challenges and formative experiences
• How the ‘bushwhacking’ career path organically evolved into a COO role
• Career influences and books that have guided my journey
• The superpower of seeing the world through different perspectives
• Listening to instincts and trusting your path

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

When your identity is so strongly focused around leadership, anything that challenges your identity can be a world-altering experience.

Pleo’s Meri Williams has been through the reinvention of her leadership style after her Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome diagnosis, cementing her role as a self-empathetic CTO.

Meri joins me on Leaders Unscripted to discuss the balance of her CTO role with her diagnosis, and her wisdom for those finding themselves newly diagnosed while leading.

This episode covers:

• The notable challenges of a CTO role
• Balancing logistics with emotions
• Harnessing the collective excellence of an engineering team
• Meri’s numerous medical conditions, and changing her leadership style to suit
• Offering a more valuable version of yourself less frequently
• Making a mental change to handle pain & suffering

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

There are few challenges like leading a varied range of software engineers, and few places more prestigious than Google at which to do so…

18 years strong into her tenure at Google, Madleina Scheidegger is a Software Engineering Manager whose lessons on leading software teams is absolutely golden.

From staying flexible and balancing internal vs external stakeholders, to building partnerships and setting your North Star, this episode of Leaders Unscripted is a masterclass in leadership longevity.

This episode covers:

• Madleina’s freedom to move around within Google
• The importance of building partnerships with your team, rather than giving orders
• Using a North Star to inform smaller decisions
• Management vs leadership
• The invaluable ability to be flexible

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

Being the first people leader in a business is a uniquely privileged position, brimming with untapped potential.

That’s why Christie Williams has seized those opportunities, culminating in her current role as Softdocs’ VP of Employee Success.

With such an intriguing job title, it’s hard not to see how Christie’s multidisciplinary experience feeds into her insightful approach to people leadership - an approach that we learn more about in episode 22 of Leaders Unscripted.

This episode covers:

• Why Christie likes being the first people leader in a business
• Preferring gradual shifts over complete overhauls
• Holistic approaches to a company’s tech stack
• The importance of leadership buy-in for people leaders

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

Management has the power to both embolden us, or burn us out.

It’s a very real danger, and we’re all more aware of it thanks to growing awareness of mental wellbeing, but Vimeo’s Vaidehi Joshi knows first hand how to overcome leader burnout.

Vaidehi joins Suzan for this week’s Leaders Unscripted, taking us through the battle against perfectionism, managing a team alongside your mental health, and what makes a great management experience.

This episode covers:

• The expectation vs reality of management
• Why perfectionism in leadership can be deadly
• Trauma from burnout, and how it takes time to overcome
• How different environments demand differing management experiences

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

What’s a CEO without a playbook to follow, and how do they communicate their plan with their team?

Mindaugas Petrutis, who was suddenly thrust into the CEO role at Coho, leads with a transparency and honesty which he was never able to exhibit in his previous roles.

Sharing the areas of focus that any new CEO should prioritise, Mindaugas details his bold and brilliant leadership style in this week’s episode of Leaders Unscripted.

This episode covers:

• How Mindaugas follows his instincts as a CEO
• People’s re-evaluation of their relationship with work
• The role of honesty and transparency in leadership
• Building resilience, and how it repays you in the long run

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

Awareness of disability in business leaders is far from normalized, which makes the mission of John Samuel and Ablr absolutely paramount.

A visually impaired CEO who’s gained the confidence to be open about his disability, John is creating opportunities for greater equity and inclusion in business.

His impactful story and charming optimism made for a rousing conversation in the latest episode of Leaders Unscripted.

This episode covers:

• John’s experience of vision loss and navigating the working world
• The dangers of contorting ourselves to others’ perceptions of leaders
• Leadership being inclusive to all
• Founding Ablr and embodying its key principles
• John’s biggest leadership challenges
• How other leaders can contribute to the growing need for DEI

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

The only certainty in business is uncertainty; the only constant is change.

As leaders, we’re tasked with the impossible in navigating that change and to bring our teams with us. 

While in her role at Blackboard, Ashley Hunsberger held several Director roles throughout her 17 year tenure, and has found some fantastic ways to guide your team through the choppy waters of change.

Ashley joins me on Leaders Unscripted to share her ‘structures for reflection’, an ideal approach to feedback, and finding your balance as a leader.

This episode covers:

• Developing consistent feedback loops
• Finding your balance as a leader
• Navigating constant change
• The power of collective goal-setting
• Time management & being protective of your space

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

When the world throws challenges at you from both your business and personal lives, it can be hard to overcome them all.

For leaders, this dilemma scales up immensely - first-time Founder Kirk Fernandes has learned the tools first hand that help to manage the unmanageable.

With three family members sick in the same year, and his business Merit in relative infancy, Kirk’s story is an unmissable tale of resilience, strength in numbers, and honest leadership.

This episode covers:

• The need for networks in employees’ growth
• Founding a company amid multiple health challenges for family members
• How to keep the wheels turning whilst allowing time to grieve
• Bearing humanity to your team
• The true value of a network
• Managing self-talk

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/