In this episode of Secrets of the C-Suite, Susan and Juliet are joined by HR expert and founder of Destination HR Consulting, Dena Grunt, for a candid conversation on leadership, growth and the human side of HR.

Dena shares her unexpected path into human resources, pivoting from speech pathology after discovering the work fit her strengths and desire to help people. Her career spans legal, hospitality and executive leadership, including running a hospitality business where she learned on the job in a way that felt like earning an MBA in real time.

Now a business owner, she reflects on the realities of solopreneurship—from doing everything yourself to recognizing when it’s time to bring in support. Her experience finding the right hire highlights the courage and trust it takes to hand over parts of your business to someone else.

The conversation also explores how AI is showing up in HR. Dena shares how she uses it as a thinking partner and emphasizes that meaningful outputs depend on the right inputs. While a powerful tool for handling tactical work, it can’t replace the human connection at the core of leadership.

Dena also shares a memorable HR moment that shows just how unpredictable—and human—this work can be. At the heart of the episode is a key insight: people rarely leave because of salary or workload. They leave when they no longer feel seen, heard or valued—a leadership problem no algorithm can solve.

This episode is packed with practical insights, personal stories and leadership lessons you can apply whether you’re leading a team, running your own business, or navigating the complexities of HR today.

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

In this episode of Secrets of the C-Suite, we sit down with Barb Gustafson, co-owner of Paul Mathew Vineyards, to talk about entrepreneurship, leadership, and what it takes to build a business from the ground up.

Barb shares how her career began in hospitality and restaurants in Vancouver, where a growing curiosity about wine turned into a passion that ultimately led her to California and into the wine industry full time. Along the way, she spent years in hospitality with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, before meeting her husband and business partner, Mat Gustafson.

Together, they built Paul Mathew Vineyards into the boutique winery it is today. Barb reflects on the early years of wearing multiple hats while helping grow the brand and customer base, and how opening their tasting room became a pivotal step in connecting directly with their community.

She also offers an honest look at the realities of running a small winery today—from changing consumer habits to the importance of relationships and customer loyalty. At the heart of the business is the partnership between Barb and Mat, balancing winemaking craft with hospitality and experience.

It’s a thoughtful conversation about entrepreneurship, resilience, and building something meaningful—one relationship at a time.

Paul Mathew Vineyards website: paulmathewvineyards.com

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

In another "Unplugged" episode, we step away from guest interviews to explore a leadership concept we return to often in our work and in our own lives: the idea of your future self.

Sparked by a New York Times article—and an unexpectedly revealing conversation about parking strategies—we reflect on how small, present-day decisions can shape who we become as leaders over time. From doing the hard thing first to navigating career transitions, we talk candidly about exit strategies that aren’t necessarily about retirement, but about growth, relevance, and staying engaged.

We share personal stories from our executive careers, touching on when frustration starts to outweigh joy at work, the importance of curiosity and continuous learning, and why building real bench strength matters. We also explore how values and self-reflection serve as a steady compass—especially in uncertain or changing environments.

Along the way, we dig into ageism, staying energized later in your career, and why investing in yourself (including learning new tools like AI) is an essential part of leadership today.

This episode is a thoughtful, honest reminder to pause and ask: what would your future self want you to do today?

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

In this 'Best of Season 1' episode, we delve into the inspiring journey of Melissa Hurrington, an unapologetic leader who has mastered the art of balancing personal and professional life. When her company turned to her for guidance during the pandemic in 2020, Melissa realized that no one truly has all the answers. This pivotal moment allowed her to show up authentically and highlight the often-unrecognized leadership roles women take on in times of crisis.

Today, Melissa is a sought-after speaker and panelist, an influential voice on LinkedIn, and continues to inspire others through her work with the Bold Leaders Collective and as President of the Omaha Chapter of the CFO Leadership Council. As a mentor, she empowers emerging leaders to embrace their potential.

Melissa's journey illustrates her belief that skills learned in dance—such as discipline, teamwork, and creativity—translate seamlessly into the business world. Her commitment to fostering a culture of lifelong learning stems from her own experiences, driving her to continuously grow and encourage others to do the same.

Thank you for tuning in! We hope you found inspiration in Melissa’s story and insights.

You can follow Melissa on LinkedIn and can read more about her in this article.

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

In this episode of Secrets of the C-Suite, we’re joined by Pippa Parfait, strategist, business coach, and founder of The Disobedient Business Co—a business built for humans who don’t fit neatly into traditional models of work or leadership.

Pippa shares her winding, unconventional career journey, from leaving formal education at 16 to senior leadership roles in the public sector, before “noping out” of bureaucracy and retraining as a coach. She reflects on following the energy, recognizing when it’s time to leave a role, and how years of performing what leadership was “supposed” to look like eventually led her to build something radically different.

We talk candidly about neurodivergence, including Pippa’s later-in-life ADHD and autism diagnoses, how those realizations reshaped her understanding of her career, and why so many neurodivergent leaders and business owners are drawn to nontraditional paths. Pippa also shares thoughtful, practical guidance for leaders managing neurodivergent teams—centered on listening, flexibility, and meaningful accommodations.

The conversation also explores what it’s really like to run a business with family, the importance of boundaries and grace, and why having “a person” you can think out loud with can be transformational for leaders navigating complexity and change.

Honest, funny, and deeply insightful, this episode is an invitation to question the status quo, trust the breadcrumbs, and build work that actually fits who you are.

You can reach Pippa at [email protected], on Instagram @disobedientbusinessco, or on www.disobedientbusiness.com.

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

In this unscripted “Unplugged” episode, we reflect on leadership, work, and life at this stage of our careers—and what we're ready to let go of as we look ahead.

We dive into big, often unspoken questions: What does retirement really mean? What if we don’t actually want it? How do purpose, energy, money, and freedom evolve as our careers—and lives—change? Juliet shares the realization that retirement may not be the goal at all, while Susan reflects on burnout, soul-level exhaustion, and the need to rethink business models that no longer feel sustainable.

Along the way, we explore the psychology of saving and spending, lingering anxiety patterns from earlier career stages, and the freedom that can come from releasing outdated expectations. We also unpack leadership realities many of us are navigating—return-to-office mandates, remote work, ineffective meetings, and the importance of intention, clarity, and trust at work.

Honest, reflective, and full of humor, this episode is an invitation to pause and ask: What do we want to keep, what are we ready to release, and how do we want to work and lead now?

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

In this episode of Secrets of the C-Suite, we’re joined by Lisa Amador, a leader whose career has been shaped by purpose, people, and community—and whose path shows that some of the most impactful leadership journeys are anything but linear.

Lisa shares how she moved from advertising and radio leadership into healthcare philanthropy at Sutter Health, taking on roles she’d never held before and learning to lead through trust, curiosity, and connection. We talk about the difference between selling and philanthropy, why relationship-building matters more than transactions, and how purpose anchors effective leadership.

She also takes us into her parallel entrepreneurial journey: helping turn her teenage son’s garage winemaking experiment into a thriving family winery. Through that story, we explore scrappy beginnings, family leadership, and what it means to build something meaningful together over time.

This conversation is a reminder that leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about saying yes, staying open, and growing alongside the people and communities you serve.

You can reach Lisa on LinkedIn.

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

Secrets of the C-Suite: The Podcast is on a holiday break, as are Juliet and Susan. We thought you'd enjoy re-listening to this great episode with Valari Staab, Chairman of NBCUniversal, one of the 'best of' Season 2. 

We'll be back on January 5th with a new episode. 

All of us at Secrets of the C-Suite wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday season!

————————————————————

This episode with Valari Staab, Chairman at NBCUniversal Local, was such fun for us for us to record, and we know it will be an engaging, thought-provoking episode for you too.

Both Juliet and Susan met Valari way back in the days when Valari worked for ABC in San Francisco and served on the Board of the United Way of the Bay Area,  where Juliet was CFO and Susan was also on the Board. All these many years later, now as Chairman at NBCUniversal Local, she had just moved into new offices in 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and we talked about her journey and career in media with a backdrop of a wall of TV screens behind her!

We learned a lot from speaking from Valari, and we ended our conversation inspired by purposeful, people-focused, and fun leadership she demonstrates every day. We trust you'll be as inspired as well.

You can find Valari on LinkedIn.

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

This week, we sat down with crisis management expert and author Regina Phelps for a lively, wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to lead through chaos. Regina shares her unconventional path from oncology nursing to founding a global crisis consulting firm, including the moment she was fired (yes, fired!) and how that unexpected shock opened the door to the work she was truly meant to do.

We talk about why most crisis plans fall apart the moment they’re needed, how practice builds real confidence, and what history reveals about the long, messy arcs of pandemics and disruption. Regina brings humor, honesty, and decades of wisdom as she describes helping executives stay calm when everything is sideways, navigating the emotional labor of leadership, and reinventing her own career more than once — including a recent chapter that surprised even her.

Along the way, we explore the tender, human side of leading in uncertain times: the doubt, the grit, the clarity that comes from letting go of outdated labels, and the hope that shows up when we imagine our future selves with curiosity instead of fear.

If you’re looking for a practical, inspiring, and unexpectedly joyful take on crisis leadership and reinvention, this conversation with Regina is one you won’t want to miss.

You can reach Regina through her website www.ems-solutionsinc.com and find her on LinkedIn.

Regina's four books, the latest on Crisis Management, are available on Amazon.

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

In this special “Unplugged” episode, we step away from our usual format and dive into a spontaneous, unscripted conversation about something that’s been showing up in our lives and leadership lately: the idea of your future self—who you’ve been, who you are today, and who you’re intentionally becoming.

Inspired by a story about a six-year-old navigating swim lessons, we talk about how even the smallest daily choices can shape the person and leader we’re growing into. From grounding rituals like making the bed to the harder moments when we have to make decisions we can’t fully explain, we explore how intention, self-awareness, and emotional regulation help us stay aligned with the leaders we want to be.

We also share how we each navigate guilt, stress, and the emotional labor of leadership—especially in a world that can feel increasingly unpredictable. Along the way, we lean into honesty, humor, and yes, a well-placed f-bomb or two.

If you’re looking for a fresh perspective on self-care, leadership, and making choices for the “you” of tomorrow, this episode is for you.

And if you loved this Unplugged format, let us know!

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: [email protected]
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.