29 | Leadership Means Advocating for Others w/ Nadine Fakhoury

In this episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast by Unity & Company, Scott and Monica Arrieta sit down with Nadine Fakhoury, an executive coach and former Vice President at Cisco. Nadine shares her remarkable journey from engineer to executive, where she became the only female VP in her division, leading a global team of 350 people and managing billions in revenue.

Through powerful personal stories — from being mistaken for the admin in leadership meetings, to advocating for herself in salary negotiations, to creating the first-ever offsite for technical women at Cisco — Nadine reflects on what it means to lead authentically in environments where you don’t always feel you belong. She opens up about the responsibility leaders carry to use their authority, voice, and platform to create opportunities and foster belonging for others.

Nadine also discusses the personal cost of misalignment and burnout, the importance of values-driven leadership, and why her coaching practice is dedicated to helping leaders get unstuck and flourish in complex systems. This is a conversation for anyone who believes leadership is about more than personal success — it’s about building space where others can thrive.