Empathy in Action + Resiliency with Heather R Younger (part 1)

Resilience isn't just about bouncing back—it's about breaking through walls and discovering your true strength on the other side. In this riveting conversation with Heather R Younger, we explore the remarkable journey of a woman who transformed childhood adversity into extraordinary leadership wisdom.

Heather candidly shares how growing up with parental addiction and feeling excluded as a child in an interracial family created a paradoxical foundation: exceptional self-reliance coupled with persistent feelings of unworthiness. "It created in me both a sense of self-reliance, because I had to find a way to get through it somehow... while at the same time creating this sense of not feeling like I was good enough for a very, very long time," she reveals.

What makes Heather's story so compelling is how each setback—from panic attacks to layoffs to identity crises—became a catalyst for profound growth. After one particularly difficult career transition, she recalls, "I just kind of got sick of myself. I flipped the switch in my head that said I needed to stay stuck in the place where those people put me and said, nope, don't need to be there." This mindset shift propelled her toward creating Employee Fanatics and becoming a trusted consultant to Fortune 100 companies.

The most powerful insight comes when Heather describes discovering that being both compassionate and strong isn't a contradiction—it's her superpower. This realization transformed her approach to leadership and forms the foundation of her work today. Her unique methodology of conducting focus groups before speaking engagements demonstrates this dual strength: the courage to listen deeply and the wisdom to respond effectively.

Whether you're navigating personal challenges or leading an organization through change, Heather's philosophy offers a refreshing alternative to traditional leadership models. As she puts it, "Every wall we hit is what makes us stronger. We should be looking for the walls to scale, we should be looking for them to run through."

Ready to transform your own walls into gateways? Listen now and discover how to lead with both heart and strength.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Finding Your Inner Fire
• 5:12 Heather R Younger's Resilience Journey
• 9:04 Confronting Personal Hurdles
• 15:36 From Crisis to Clarity
• 21:05 Building a Life of Leadership
• 26:08 Empathy in Action Approach
• 30:21 Episode Closing