Rewriting the Rules of Leadership | Inside The Executives’ Club of Chicago Transformation

Margaret Mueller, CEO of The Executives’ Club of Chicago, turned a 110-year-old institution into a modern hub for business leadership. In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Margaret shares her unlikely journey from first-generation college student to founder, strategist, and now a transformational civic leader helping shape Chicago’s executive future.

Her story is packed with insight—for women navigating leadership, for founders facing reinvention, and for anyone wondering if they’re “qualified enough” to lead big change. From scaling startups to modernizing The Executives’ Club of Chicago through a pandemic, Margaret shows what’s possible when you trust your vision and build with purpose.

🎙 In this episode:

✅ How Margaret went from Ph.D. to CEO of a major civic institution

✅ What it takes to rebrand a legacy organization during a crisis

✅ Why inclusivity—not exclusivity—is the future of executive networking

✅ The mindset shift of curating your life (not “balancing” it)

✅ Advice for women raising families while leading at the top

👉 Visit https://www.executivesclub.org to learn more or explore membership options.

🔗 Connect with Margaret on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretmueller/

Video & Photo credits to:

@rishi.productions

@gosiasimprint

If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com.