The Leadership Thread with Dr. Peggy Pelonis

In this inspiring episode of The Leadership Thread, maritime attorney Ioanna Vitta shares her journey from a determined young woman in Greece to a respected leader in international shipping law. She discusses perseverance, breaking barriers in a male- dominated industry, the value of trust and teamwork, and why patience, lifelong learning, and resilience remain essential ingredients for leadership and success.

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From engineering student to award-winning filmmaker, ASC Athens Alumni, Sura Mallugh shares how resilience, identity, and fearless storytelling shaped her path in the film industry. In this inspiring conversation with Dr. Peggy Pelonis, she opens up about creating her own opportunities, finding her voice, and why filmmakers should never wait for permission. A powerful episode about creativity, leadership, and the courage to tell stories that matter.

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In this episode, Janice Crampton, CEO of ASAP, delivers a powerful and deeply personal conversation on leadership, purpose, and the rapidly evolving landscape of education. Drawing on more than four decades of experience, she shares hard-earned insights on navigating change, leading with integrity, and balancing institutional tradition with the demands of a global, digital world. From redefining success and managing high-stakes responsibility to empowering others and building ethical frameworks, Crampton reveals what it truly means to lead with both conviction and compassion. This episode goes beyond theory, offering real-world perspective on resilience, decision-making, and the human impact behind every leadership role.

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In this episode of The Leadership Thread, entrepreneur Telly Hatzigiorgiou shares his journey from Wall Street to building successful hospitality and real estate ventures in New York City. He talks about the importance of hard work, family values, taking risks, and learning how to pivot when life doesn’t go as planned. From opening his first business at a young age to expanding into Manhattan and real estate, his story is one of resilience, creativity, and determination. This conversation explores what it really takes to succeed, the lessons learned from mistakes, and why doing something you love—and doing it well—can make all the difference.

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On this episode of Leadership Thread, hosted by Dr. Peggy Pelonis, Chef Maria Loi reflects on her remarkable journey — from growing up in the village of Thermo, Greece, to establishing a celebrated culinary presence in New York, while bringing the flavors and spirit of Greece to a national audience through her PBS television series, Life of Loi. Maria reflects on growing up in a tight-knit family of five children, shaped by love, freedom, and strong values. Encouraged by her father and guided by her mother’s resilience and her grandfather’s deep knowledge of traditional remedies, she discovered early that food was her calling. Her philosophy is simple: cook with instinct, respect ingredients, and let food nourish both body and spirit. More than a chef, Maria sees her work as a mission. She speaks about the Greek roots of the Mediterranean way of eating, the healing power of olive oil, beans, and greens, and why “food is medicine.” She also opens up about leaving a successful lobbying career to rediscover herself and return to purpose. At its heart, this conversation is about leadership through love, courage, optimism, and service and Maria’s message to young people is clear: give, stay true to yourself, and never give up.

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In this powerful episode of The Leadership Thread, we sit down with Elena Panaritis, economist, former World Bank advisor, parliamentarian, and fearless change agent, for a deeply human conversation about what truly shapes leaders. From a childhood rooted in unconditional love and justice, inspired by her formidable grandmother, to confronting inequality on the ground in the developing world, Panaritis shares how values, not titles, fuel lasting change. She reflects on the moment she stopped observing broken systems and started challenging the rules that keep them in place, turning “thought into action” and sparking her documentary series “70% Informals”. A moving discussion on trust, courage, and why real leadership begins with empathy and responsibility for others.

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From global brands to personal reinvention, this episode of The Leadership Thread follows the extraordinary journey of Dimitri Hatzigiorgiou, whose leadership path spans Starbucks, Chipotle, Apple, and community-driven ventures in both the United States and Greece. Dimitri reflects on introducing an American coffee model into Greece’s deeply rooted café culture, the power of the “third place,” and the common values that guided his career, integrity, partnership, customer experience, and purpose. From luxury hospitality to corporate leadership and grassroots revitalization, he shares how hands-on leadership, cultural awareness, and values alignment shaped both his professional legacy and his approach to building meaningful communities. In a candid and deeply personal conversation, Dimitri discusses resilience, mental health, grief, and the courage to seek help during life’s most challenging moments. He reframes ADHD as a leadership strength; a superpower and emphasizes the role of faith, gratitude, family, and daily practices in sustaining well-being.  He also touches on the responsibility leaders have to normalize conversations around mental health. Offering thoughtful guidance to young people and parents alike, Dimitri reminds us that true leadership is forged not just through achievement, but through self-awareness, compassion, and the willingness to grow, returning, ultimately, to what matters most.

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On The Leadership Thread with Dr. Peggy Pelonis, this episode features Dr. Adela Gondek, a Columbia University lecturer in public and environmental sustainability ethics and a political theorist by training. Drawing on her experience as a former legislative analyst in the Massachusetts State Senate and her academic work at Columbia and Harvard’s Kennedy School, Dr. Gondek explores whether ethics can truly be taught, or whether it is shaped early in life through upbringing and lived experience. She reflects on leadership lessons learned from her parents, particularly her father’s military service and example of leading from the front and connects those values to her work developing ethics curricula for public administration and environmental studies. The conversation also highlights the growing importance of climate and environmental education, emphasizing the need to introduce ethics and sustainability principles from an early age to prepare future leaders for complex global challenges.

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In this episode of The Leadership Thread, Dr. Peggy Pelonis speaks with global strategic advisor and mentor David Michaels about leadership beyond titles and visibility. With decades of experience advising world leaders and major organizations, Michaels shares his belief in guiding quietly, empowering others to solve their own challenges, and valuing listening over speaking. He reflects on how his upbringing, education, and early mentors shaped his ethics, problem-solving mindset, and commitment to critical thinking. The conversation also touches on philanthropy, humor, and viewing problems as opportunities, offering a grounded, thoughtful perspective on what lasting leadership truly looks like.

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Senior financial executive Dora Vardis joins Dr. Peggy Pelonis for an inspiring conversation about her journey to becoming one of the first women in Columbia University’s finance program, her path through a 35-year career in a male-dominated industry, her pivot into fintech entrepreneurship, and co-founding a crypto startup. Dora reflects on the values that shaped her, the discrimination she overcame, and her commitment to mentoring young women and supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. A forward-looking discussion on resilience, ethics, and staying human in an age of rapid technology.

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