September 04, 2025

Shining Authenticity's Light into Corporate Leadership, with Lubna Forzley

1 hour 4 minutes

Hosted by Kevin Young. Produced by J’aime Rothbard.

This passionate conversation begins with Lubna’s upbringing in war-torn Beirut. She recalls seeing bombs falling and people dying and wondering, “What is the point of this? How do we find purpose?” Her mom told her, "It's okay, everything’s replaceable except you, the people you love and the story (or purpose) you live by.” After 15 years of corporate work Lubna launched her own business, Stories. Its name acknowledges the intertwining of our purpose and personal brands, and the alignment of our internal and external stories. She also links misaligned stories with depression and other issues.

In this episode, Lubna highlights: - The role of purpose in personal fulfillment - How leaders’ trauma can affect their authenticity and decision-making - The workplace transformation from, “Doing Leaders into Being Leaders” - Why corporate leaders are “the nervous system of their organizations” - How leaders’ emotional states and level of personal development directly influence their organizations’ cultures and employee engagement

The interview concludes with Lubna’s vision of Compassionate Inquiry’s universal capacity for healing, facilitating new growth in global organizations, leaders, families and individuals.

About Lubna Forzley, Founder & CEO of Stories, Certified Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner, Independent Compassionate Inquiry Circle Leader, ICF-accredited PCC Coach

Lubna has worked with royalty, C-suite leaders, and Fortune 500 giants including American Express, Google, Johnson & Johnson and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. Her executive career includes senior roles at Coca-Cola, UNDP, BNP Paribas, and advisory roles to multi-sector startups from e-commerce to human development.

A sought-after speaker, Lubna has delivered hundreds of talks and shared stages with icon Steve Wozniak and others. The global roundtables she hosts have featured thought leaders Dr. Gabor Maté, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, Dr. Caroline Leaf, Sat Dharam Kaur, ND and many others.

As the CEO and founder of Stories, a digital storytelling and coaching platform, Lubna’s work supports the internal and external growth of organizational leaders.

The author of, Enhancing Business Community Relations (UNDP), Lubna’s new book, Crack It, will be released in 2026. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and AP as well as Andrew Stafford’s book, Something to Believe In.

A passionate advocate for Compassionate Inquiry®(CI), Lubna is launching Independent CI Circles while working closely with Compassionate Inquiry® Inc. to bring its therapeutic approach to the Arab World. She serves as a board member for Grief Stories and an advisory board member for Mindtrust Leadership and Nasdaq EC. She champions women in leadership, and is the proud mother of three.

Promotional Message: If you're not a therapist or healer, but you've heard our guests describe the personal transformations they experienced during their Compassionate Inquiry® journeys, and wonder what that would be like for you... Circles is a 10-week small group experience offered to anyone who wants to experience the power of Gabor Maté’s approach to trauma healing. Use this link to find out if this program is for you.

NEW! Independent Compassionate Inquiry® Corporate Circles These 10-week online support groups are designed to heal workplace stress, toxic dynamics, and disengagement while helping leaders access resilience, emotional regulation, and deeper self-inquiry. Tentatively scheduled to begin September 30. Use this link to learn more and register your interest.

Resources:

Websites:

Professional Website

CI Practitioner Profile

Speaker Profile