In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Marina Ivanov, CEO and co-founder of Apex Transit and Logistics. Marina explains leading from the heart as leading from one’s true self, shaped by witnessing both good and bad leadership, and emphasizes empathy as understanding others’ complex situations through curiosity while maintaining boundaries. Describing Apex’s culture, she highlights respect—especially for drivers—and ownership, aiming to change industry bias and create a safe, non-aggressive workplace through clear communication standards and accountability that build credibility. Marina also discusses intuition as a learnable muscle guiding hiring and culture decisions, sharing her growth in confidence as a young woman in a male-dominated industry and the importance of inner work, compassion, and not taking things personally.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Leading from the heart means leading from your authentic self — not following a script or policy, but genuinely understanding the human in front of you.
• Empathy is a superpower, not a weakness — when properly harnessed with boundaries, it becomes a magnetic leadership quality that builds deep loyalty.
• Respect is the foundation of culture — especially in industries where frontline workers (like truck drivers) are often overlooked or undervalued.
• Intuition is a muscle — the more leaders listen to their gut, the stronger and more trustworthy it becomes in hiring, culture, and decision-making.
• Credibility is built 360° — it's not just what you say to people's faces, but who you are when no one's watching.
• Inner work fuels outer leadership — overcoming limiting beliefs about yourself directly impacts how your team and company show up.
• When you pour into others, they pour back — a culture of genuine care creates teams that go above and beyond, even in crisis.
• One person can create a ripple — cultural change starts with a single committed leader modeling the behavior they want to see.

QUOTES

• "Leading from the heart is finding out who you are authentically and then leading from that space." — Marina Ivanov
• "It's never gonna be black and white. The heart means you understand the human standing in front of you."
• "Empathy to me is leading with curiosity — I know there's more, so I'm curious."
• "You can't fake energy. If you show up to them with disrespect, even if your words say one thing, your energy will say something different."
• "Intuition is a muscle. The more we listen to it, the stronger it becomes."
• "You don't have to wait for anyone to believe in you. You start believing that — and it just ripples."
• "When you pour into others, they will pour into you in return."
• "Pour into your people. I promise you this — they'll run through brick walls for you."

Learn more about Darrell and Larry.

Darrell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/

Larry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevine1992/

Connect and learn more from Marina Ivanov.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-ivanov-4a9144194/

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