Empathy isn’t weakness. It’s strategy.

In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will Samson sits down with Maria Ross, brand strategist, speaker, and author of The Empathy Edge and The Empathy Dilemma, to reframe the role of empathy in leadership. As workplaces struggle with burnout, disconnection, and turnover, Maria makes the case that empathy is more than a “nice to have”—it’s a core competency for modern leaders.

Maria shares insights from her research and coaching, including the five traits of empathetic leaders, why empathy doesn’t mean “being soft,” and how it can actually sharpen your decision-making and elevate performance. You’ll learn how to balance compassion with accountability, how to build a culture that attracts and retains top talent, and how empathetic leadership drives ROI—not just emotional well-being.

If you’ve ever felt torn between being kind and being effective, this conversation offers a powerful new framework for doing both—and doing them better.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• Why empathy is a strategic advantage—not a soft skill
• The five essential traits of empathetic leaders
• How empathy improves retention, performance, and innovation
• The difference between being nice and being truly empathetic
• How to lead with compassion without lowering the bar
• How to build a culture of trust without sacrificing high expectations

💬 Memorable Quotes:

“Empathy is not about letting people off the hook—it’s about meeting them where they are so they can rise.”

“You can be empathetic and hold the bar high. In fact, empathy helps you get people there.”

“The best leaders are truth-tellers with heart.”

“Empathy isn’t a buzzword. It’s a leadership imperative.”

🔗 Resources & Links:

• 🌐 Maria Ross’s Website
• 🎧 The Empathy Edge Podcast
• 💼 Connect with Maria on LinkedIn

🧭 Reflection Prompts:

1. Where in your leadership do you confuse empathy with passivity?
2. How could leading with more empathy actually improve outcomes for your team or organization?
3. What does it look like to be a truth-teller with heart in your workplace?

📣 Subscribe + Share:

Enjoyed this episode? Be sure to subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Share it with a leader in your life who’s ready to lead from the inside out. Leave a review—it really helps others discover the show!

💡 Final Takeaway:

Empathy isn’t the enemy of performance—it’s the engine behind it.

Mentioned in this episode:

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In this short but powerful advertisement, Thrive Remotely calls out to driven individuals who are tired of climbing ladders that lead nowhere and living lives that don't feel like their own. This ad sets the tone for a bold, values-aligned lifestyle shift and speaks directly to the heart of anyone craving purpose and autonomy. Key Themes - Purpose-Driven Living: Break away from corporate paths that don’t align with your deeper mission. - Remote Work with Meaning: Thrive Remotely offers a chance to do more than just work from anywhere — it’s about working on something that matters. - A Call to the Ambitious: It's an invitation to high-performers to redirect their ambition toward freedom, impact, and intentionality. Subscribe to Thrive Remotely: https://news.thriveremotely.io/subscribe?ref=dybzfKvBjp

What do you get when you cross a nightclub owner, a somatic breathwork facilitator, and a student of integral theory? You get today’s guest—Leo Marrs—a mission-driven creator who walks the line between consciousness and commerce.

In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will sits down with Leo to explore his evolution from restaurant entrepreneur to breathwork practitioner and systems thinker. The conversation weaves through Leo’s experience running a four-star restaurant, the moment he walked away from the success he thought he wanted, and how a powerful practice of self-awareness changed everything.

Leo brings deep wisdom around the “meaning economy,” somatic intelligence, and what it really takes to live—and lead—from the inside out. He shares his journey through Ken Wilber’s integral framework, what it means to build community in an age of disconnection, and how mission-driven work must begin with embodiment and awareness.

Whether you’re a founder, facilitator, or fellow traveler looking to lead from a place of clarity and purpose, this episode will speak to your soul.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• Why Leo walked away from his restaurant/nightclub at its peak
• How somatic practices help you lead with integrity and insight
• What “meaning economy” really means—and why it’s the future
• The role of breathwork in unlocking creativity and healing
• Insights from Ken Wilber’s integral theory applied to real life
• How to create from presence instead of performance

💬 Memorable Quotes:

“I had built the dream—and then I realized it wasn’t mine anymore.”

“Embodiment isn’t a luxury for leaders—it’s the foundation.”

“The old economy trades in attention. The new one? Meaning.”

“Breath is the most direct path to presence. And presence changes everything.”

🔗 Resources & Links:

• 🌐 Connect with Leo Marrs on LinkedIn
• 🧠 Learn more about Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory
• 💡 Recommended: Strozzi Institute – Somatic Coaching
• 📺 [Past Episode: The Meaning Economy with Cory Hixson (if applicable)]

🧭 Reflection Prompts:

• Where in your life are you achieving—but not aligned?
• What would shift if you led with embodiment instead of intellect?
• How can you create meaning—rather than seek it?

📣 Subscribe + Share:

If this episode resonated, hit subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Share it with a friend, coach, or creative who’s hungry for purpose beyond the hustle.

💡 Final Takeaway:

To lead a mission-driven life, don’t start with productivity. Start with presence.

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In this short but powerful advertisement, Thrive Remotely calls out to driven individuals who are tired of climbing ladders that lead nowhere and living lives that don't feel like their own. This ad sets the tone for a bold, values-aligned lifestyle shift and speaks directly to the heart of anyone craving purpose and autonomy. Key Themes - Purpose-Driven Living: Break away from corporate paths that don’t align with your deeper mission. - Remote Work with Meaning: Thrive Remotely offers a chance to do more than just work from anywhere — it’s about working on something that matters. - A Call to the Ambitious: It's an invitation to high-performers to redirect their ambition toward freedom, impact, and intentionality. Subscribe to Thrive Remotely:...

Episode Description:

What if your next meeting didn’t drain your energy—but actually moved your mission forward?

In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will talks with Shane Parreco, systems thinker, product studio founder, and co-creator of AgendaKeeper, a tool designed to fix the fundamental dysfunction of modern meetings. But this isn’t a conversation about productivity hacks—it’s about rethinking the systems that govern how we work, communicate, and make decisions.

Shane shares the story behind AgendaKeeper—how it was born out of necessity inside his own team—and what it taught him about agency, culture, and the myth of "best practices." From invoking Deming’s philosophies to examining what makes someone a "willing worker," this episode invites leaders and builders to reimagine the meeting as a place of clarity, alignment, and real momentum.

If you're tired of performative collaboration and craving deeper trust and structure in your team, this conversation offers a refreshing, systems-level rethink of how we gather and grow.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• Why most meetings fail—and how to turn them into alignment engines
• The origin story of AgendaKeeper as a culture-saving tool
• How time, scope, and money became the default operating system—and why that’s a problem
• Why Deming’s concept of the “willing worker” still matters
• What it means to build teams where joy is a metric, not a side effect
• How to design systems that amplify, not suppress, human potential

🔧 Key Topics Discussed:

• The hidden costs of disorganized meetings
• How to shift from “accountability theater” to real trust
• The role of emotional safety in operational excellence
• Why founders should rethink systems—not just scale
• How AgendaKeeper serves as both a meeting tool and a values declaration

💬 Quotes to Remember:

“A meeting is where you should align, not perform.”

“Every team already has a system. The question is: is it designed, or inherited?”

“The willing worker still exists—they’re just buried under broken processes.”

“Clarity isn’t the enemy of creativity. It’s the condition for it.”

🔗 Connect with Shane Parreco & AgendaKeeper:

• AgendaKeeper
• Shane Parreco on LinkedIn
• Aktiga Product Studio

🌱 Subscribe + Get the Mission in Your Inbox:

• Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts
• Join the Mission Driven You newsletter for weekly insights at drwillsamson.substack.com

💡 Final Takeaway:

You don’t need another meeting template—you need a system that respects people’s time, trusts their wisdom, and helps the mission move.

Mentioned in this episode:

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In this short but powerful advertisement, Thrive Remotely calls out to driven individuals who are tired of climbing ladders that lead nowhere and living lives that don't feel like their own. This ad sets the tone for a bold, values-aligned lifestyle shift and speaks directly to the heart of anyone craving purpose and autonomy. Key Themes - Purpose-Driven Living: Break away from corporate paths that don’t align with your deeper mission. - Remote Work with Meaning: Thrive Remotely offers a chance to do more than just work from anywhere —...