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Heartbeat For Hire with Lyndsay DowdAuthor: Lyndsay Dowd
The Heartbeat for Hire Podcast was created to inspire leaders on how to get through the most difficult of circumstances. I feature CEOs, Olympians, Professional Athletes, Authors, Disruptors, Emmy Winning Journalists and more as they share their stories of resilience with my lens on leadership and culture. My guests share their vulnerability and lessons learned so those of you who have never had a good leader can see the possible in the way they lead. My goal is to transform leadership as we know it and this podcast features the best of the best in showing you the way. Language: en-us Genres: Business, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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198: Empathy Drives Results. Full Stop. with Erika Sinner
Episode 198
Wednesday, 15 April, 2026
Erika Sinner is a multi eight-figure founder, bestselling author, and sought-after speaker redefining what it means to lead with empathy and impact. She is the Founder and CEO of Directorie®, one of the world's fastest-growing and award-winning life science agencies supporting bringing medications to market and impacting over 100 millions lives. Recognized twice on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies, Erika was named to the prestigious 2026 Inc. Female Founders 500. Under her leadership, Directorie has become a trusted strategic partner for life science organizations, blending operational excellence with a culture rooted in purpose, innovation, and humanity. As the Chief Empathy Officer of TinySuperheroes®, Erika channels her success toward social good, leading a global charitable organization that is on track to empower 5 million kids in the next five years who are chronically and terminally ill children to see themselves as strong, courageous and capable. Through superhero-themed programs in hospitals and homes around the world, she is transforming the way children and families experience care. Connect with Erika Sinner: 🌐 Website: erikasinner.org 📸 Instagram: @erika_sinner 💼 LinkedIn: Erika Sinner Heartbeat for Hire has been nominated for its 4th award- Best Business Podcast from Women in Podcasting. Please vote at this link. It's 1 vote per email. We are so grateful for your support! Thank you! https://www.womenpodcasters.com/lyndsay-dowd Summary: In this conversation, Erika opens up about growing up on food stamps in a trailer park and how those humble beginnings became the foundation for a leadership philosophy centered on making people feel human, not just hired. She shares how she built Directory to provide top pharmaceutical talent to small and mid-size companies bringing life-saving medications to market — and how treating employees with genuine care has driven triple-digit growth three years running. Key Takeaways: - Empathy is a power skill, not a soft skill. - You don't have to choose between performance and compassion. - Pet loss is real grief. - Showing up for people in hard moments builds lasting loyalty. - Your people are your asset. - Giving back grounds you. - How you respond is always yours. Episode Chapters: 0:41 Episode intro & three things you'll learn today 1:17 Introducing Erika Sinner 2:42 Erika's background – St. Louis, five dogs, and 20 years in life science 4:14 How Directory connects every team member to their impact 5:00 Leadership style: empathy as a "power skill" 6:21 Growing up with humble beginnings & the origin of her values 8:07 What humble beginnings teach leaders 8:29 Stories that shaped her empathetic leadership style 10:22 The non-negotiable: one-on-ones with every employee 12:09 Your people are your culture 13:05 Segue: pet bereavement leave 14:10 Losing Kingston – and the unexpected shame of grieving a pet 15:51 Kingston's deeper meaning – the first unconditional love in Erika's life 16:22 Writing Pets Are Family & advocating for broader bereavement policy 16:49 Are other companies adopting these policies? 18:00 Grief in the workplace – the post that resonated with thousands 19:49 How the cape reframes a child's medical journey as a heroic mission 21:44 Erika's own journey with self-worth and therapy 22:30 How to get involved with Tiny Superheroes 23:07 The fastest way out of a funk: go give and go serve 23:51 From trailer park to Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue 24:10 Managing energy and putting your own oxygen mask on first 26:00 Erika's legacy: leaving the world better than she found it 27:09 Final takeaway: do it scared, do it brave — just do it 27:40 Closing remarks
