The Courage Effect

#89: Suzanne sits down with Julie Averill (author of Chief Impact Officer and founder of Gold Thread LLC), who spent nearly three decades in retail technology, most recently as Global CIO at lululemon, where she helped scale the company from $2 billion to over $10 billion. Julie started out as the only woman in her college computer science classes, and this episode traces what that cost her: a mask she didn't know she was wearing until a mentor stopped her mid-pitch and asked how she was going to get her team to follow her when nobody knew the real Julie.
Julie makes the case that culture isn't a soft skill, it's infrastructure – and Julie shares why she believes AI makes human leadership more important, not less.
Highlights:
The mentor question that cracked her open: "Nobody knows the real Julie"
Why she believes culture isn't a soft skill, it's infrastructure
Why AI makes human leadership more important, not less
Resources & Links:
The Courage Effect #85 with Brent Robertson: Unpacking Courage, Blasphemy, and Organizational Narratives: https://youtu.be/9DdLZ_r-QJc?si=qM79MC97Ng1sF0nl
Julie’s recent New York Times article “I Helped Run Lululemon. Companies Need to Stop Kidding Themselves About A.I.”: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/opinion/ai-hype-tech-layoffs.html
LinkedIn post with the video documenting her son Ermias’ return to Ethiopia and reconnect with his biological family: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/julieaverill_ethiopia-adoption-family-activity-7421985912537907200-NLug?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAAYHHoBt_VDu18iZffDR7GAWQMQkClXARw
Connect with Julie Averill:
➡️LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieaverill/
➡️Her book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GM1KT1V5?lv=shuf&bestFormat=true&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_VN2CAYAH8JEG3FSP0NG7&channelId=704&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_VN2CAYAH8JEG3FSP0NG7&plpRedirect=mhFallback
➡️ Her company: www.goldthreadllc.com
Connect with The Courage Effect:
➡️ Host: Suzanne Weller / Weller Collaboration
➡️ Website: https://wellercollaboration.com/thecourageeffect
➡️ Social Media: https://linktr.ee/suzanneweller
➡️ Substack: Sign up for Suzanne’s Reimagine Growth newsletter at https://suzanneweller.substack.com/about
If this conversation resonated, share it and leave a review on your podcast platform. That's how this show grows — one courageous conversation at a time.

#88: Discover how slowing down can revolutionize your leadership approach and help your team excel amidst constant distractions. Shawn Vanderhoven shares his journey, insights from research, and practical tools to implement deliberate pauses for improved focus, impact, and well-being. He talks with Suzanne Weller about his book Pause: How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World (which he co-wrote with his wife Anne).
In this episode:
The moment that changed the direction of his work
Why the highest-scoring leadership behaviors were all forms of "tapping the brakes"
Permission to focus vs. sponsoring it
Why environment — not personal productivity — decides whether deep work is possible
Shawn is a Partner at The Wiseman Group, a collaborator on the NYT bestseller Multipliers, and co-host of Leadership Matters with Liz Wiseman.
A question to sit with: Where are you unknowingly training your team to stay "always on"?
Resources & Links:
Pause: How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World: https://www.pausebook.co/
Leadership Matters Podcast : https://thewisemangroup.com/leadershipmatters/
Liz Wiseman's Multipliers research and book: https://thewisemangroup.com/books/multipliers/
Connect with Shawn Vanderhoven:
➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnvanderhoven/
➡️ Website: https://www.pausebook.co/
➡️ Book Shawn to speak : https://www.pausebook.co/keynotes
Connect with The Courage Effect:
➡️ Host: Suzanne Weller / Weller Collaboration
➡️ Website: https://wellercollaboration.com/thecourageeffect
➡️ Social Media: https://linktr.ee/suzanneweller
➡️ Substack: Sign up for Suzanne’s Reimagine Growth newsletter at https://suzanneweller.substack.com/about
If this conversation resonated, share it and leave a review on your podcast platform. That's how this show grows — one courageous conversation at a time.

#87: Suzanne Weller talks with Sharon Gillenwater; a four-time founder navigating one of entrepreneurship's hardest moments: rebuilding from scratch after her previous company (Boardroom Insiders) was unexpectedly shut down following its sale. In this episode, she shares how she turned that setback into her current venture, ExecutiveIQ, an AI-driven platform helping go-to-market teams engage the C-suite.
Sharon opens up about the emotional and practical realities of starting over - leaning on transparency with her team and customers, rejecting the myth of founder perfection, and choosing focus over funding to compete with larger, better-resourced rivals. She also makes the case for a different kind of startup culture: one that rejects toxic "996" grind norms in favor of trust, work-life balance, and sustainable growth.
Drawing on lessons from storytelling and her outsider's perspective on the industry, Sharon offers a grounded take on what it really means to lead lived, and why long-term sustainability beats rapid scaling every time.
Resources & Links:
🔹 Sharon’s book Scaling with Soul: How to Build a Tech Company Without Losing Humanity: https://www.sharonkgillenwater.com/scaling-with-soul-how-i-built-sold-a-25-million-company-without-being-an-asshole
🔹 Executive IQ platform: https://www.executive-iq.com/
Connect with Sharon K. Gillenwater:
➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonkgillenwater/
➡️ Website: https://www.sharonkgillenwater.com/
➡️ TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@sharonkgillenwater
Connect with The Courage Effect:
➡️ Host: Suzanne Weller / Weller Collaboration
➡️ Website: https://wellercollaboration.com/thecourageeffect
➡️ Social Media: https://linktr.ee/suzanneweller

#86: In this episode, Emily Parkhurst talks with Suzanne Weller about her inspiring journey from classical musician to Founder and CEO of Formidable Media, an organization dedicated to amplifying women's voices in media, leadership, and healthcare. Discover how she challenges industry norms and advocates for more inclusive, impactful storytelling. 
Main Topics:
The origins and mission of Formidable in transforming media coverage of women’s issues
Addressing women’s reluctance and misconceptions about media engagement
Building a sustainable, multi-revenue model for a purpose-driven media company
Leadership development through unconventional career paths and mentorship
The importance of women sharing their health stories and advocating for themselves
 
Connect with Emily Parkhurst:
➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyparkhurst1/
➡️ Formidable: https://beformidable.com/
➡️ Formidable Women’s Health Summit on October 30th, 2026: https://beformidable.com/p/new-event-brings-actionable-health-info-to-everyday-women
 
Connect with The Courage Effect:
➡️ Host: Suzanne Weller / Weller Collaboration
➡️ Website: https://wellercollaboration.com/thecourageeffect
➡️ Social Media: https://linktr.ee/suzanneweller
➡️ Substack: Sign up for Suzanne’s Reimagine Growth newsletter at https://suzanneweller.substack.com/about
 
If this conversation resonated, share it and leave a review on your podcast platform. That's how this show grows — one courageous conversation at a time.

#85: Suzanne Weller sits down with Brent Robertson, founder of Be Generative and TEDx speaker, for a conversation about courageous leadership, storytelling, and challenging the status quo.
Brent shares why “blasphemy” is his word for what happens when someone questions the prevailing truth — and why that friction is often the start of real progress. He and Suzanne explore how leaders can create environments instead of just reacting to them, and why the stories people live inside shape their behavior, culture, and performance.
A major theme of the episode is listening: not just to behavior, but to experience and narrative. Brent explains that if leaders want different results, they need to understand the deeper stories running through their organizations.
They also discuss “love punches” — the hard truths that can help people grow when they’re shared with care and courage.
If you’re interested in leadership, culture, and what it takes to break out of familiar patterns, this episode is for you.
Key Themes:
Challenging the status quo
Storytelling and leadership
Listening beyond behavior
Culture and organizational change
Courageous feedback
Connect with Brent Robertson:
➡️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/brentrobertson
➡️ BeGenerative: http://www.be-generative.com
➡️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/brentrobertson
Connect with The Courage Effect:
➡️ Host: Suzanne Weller / Weller Collaboration
➡️ Website: https://wellercollaboration.com/thecourageeffect 
➡️ Social Media: https://linktr.ee/suzanneweller
➡️ Substack: Sign up for Suzanne’s Reimagine Growth newsletter at https://suzanneweller.substack.com/about 
If this conversation resonated, share it and leave a review on your podcast platform. That's how this show grows — one courageous conversation at a time.

#84: Discover how intentionality in creating your personal and professional environments can cultivate courage and lived leadership. In this episode, Kat Kibben talks with Suzanne Weller about their transformative journey into van life, insights on leading through uncertainty, and practical ways to build healthier, more resilient teams and communities.
Main Topics:
➡️ How choosing discomfort fosters growth and courage
➡️ Challenging inherited rules from toxic workplace cultures
➡️ The power of quitting intentionally as a design tool
➡️ Building organizational resilience and emotional intelligence
➡️ The importance of asking for help and fostering curiosity
Resources & Links:
➡️ The Bounce Back Factor book: https://threeearsmedia.com/the-bounce-back-factor-book/
➡️ Kat Kibben’s Newsletter: https://katrinakibben.com/ 
➡️ Three Ears Media: https://threeearsmedia.com/ 
 
Connect with Kat:
➡️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/katrinakibben
➡️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrinakibben/ 
 
Connect with The Courage Effect:
➡️ Host: Suzanne Weller / Weller Collaboration
➡️ Website: https://wellercollaboration.com/thecourageeffect
➡️ Social Media: https://linktr.ee/suzanneweller
➡️ Substack: Sign up for Suzanne’s Reimagine Growth newsletter at https://suzanneweller.substack.com/about 
If this conversation resonated, share it and leave a review on your podcast platform. That's how this show grows — one courageous conversation at a time.