Inclusion is often spoken about as a moral obligation, but its strategic value is just as profound. Companies that truly embrace inclusivity outperform competitors, foster innovation, and create workplaces where people feel both seen and heard. According to McKinsey, organizations in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity are 36 percent more profitable than those in the bottom quartile. Yet, only 31 percent of employees feel their companies are genuinely committed to inclusion. This gap between intent and action is where many leaders struggle.

On The Bliss Business Podcast, Sheree Knowles, CEO of HR Knowledge Source, shared her insights on what it really means to build inclusive workplaces. With over 20 years of executive HR experience, Sheree has helped organizations shift from treating inclusion as a checkbox to seeing it as a driver of culture, innovation, and long-term success.

Moving Beyond Diversity Metrics

As Sheree explained, diversity alone is not enough. Representation without meaningful inclusion results in workplaces where people may look different but feel disconnected. True inclusion is about the quality of the employee experience. It is about ensuring that every voice is valued and every person feels like they belong.

Sheree highlighted that companies often want quick fixes, but inclusion is a long-term strategy. Policies alone cannot transform culture. It requires intentional systems, daily practices, and leadership that actively nurtures connection.

Building Inclusion into Everyday Practices

Inclusion starts with recognizing the whole person. Sheree encourages companies to look beyond resumes when hiring and create processes that highlight an individual’s values, strengths, and potential. Within organizations, even simple changes — like providing meeting agendas in advance to accommodate introverts or personalizing recognition based on employee preferences — can have an outsized impact.

She also emphasized the importance of peer-to-peer recognition and self-managed teams. These approaches build trust, shift ownership, and allow employees to step into leadership roles organically.

Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and Inclusion

Sheree believes that inclusion thrives when leaders combine accountability with emotional intelligence. Vulnerability, empathy, and open communication are key. Leaders must own the impact of their actions and cultivate spaces where employees feel safe to share feedback.

One powerful insight from the episode is that inclusion cannot be siloed to HR or DEI departments. It must be embedded into leadership behaviors, performance conversations, and organizational values. When employees feel genuinely supported, they are more engaged, innovative, and loyal.

Key Takeaways

• Inclusion is not a one-time initiative but a continuous cultural practice.
• Peer recognition and self-managed teams create empowered and connected workplaces.
• Emotional intelligence and vulnerability are essential traits for inclusive leadership.
• Policies and metrics must be tied to behaviors that create belonging and trust.

Final Thoughts

As Sheree noted, inclusion is not about treating everyone the same, but about giving people what they need to succeed. It’s about moving beyond compliance to build cultures that value humanity as much as performance. By investing in emotional intelligence, recognizing individual contributions, and creating systems that celebrate differences, companies can unlock the full potential of their teams.

Check out our full conversation with Sheree Knowles on The Bliss Business Podcast.

Originally Featured on The Bliss Business Podcast Blog

Empathy is often praised but rarely operationalized in leadership. In a business world dominated by speed, scale, and profit, many leaders forget that people perform their best when they feel understood, supported, and aligned with purpose.

On The Bliss Business Podcast, we sat down with Lyn Christian, founder of Soul Salt Inc., a master certified coach, and author of the bestselling book Soul Salt: Your Personal Field Guide to Confidence, Purpose, and Fulfillment. Lyn’s work helps leaders and teams excavate their “inner badass,” as Lyn calls it, by aligning their values, unique personal needs, and purpose into a clear and actionable framework.

With nearly three decades of coaching experience, Lyn has pioneered methods that merge emotional intelligence with strategic decision-making. Lyn’s approach proves that empathy is not a soft skill; it is a leadership superpower that drives performance, innovation, and trust.

Finding the “Salt” of Leadership

Lyn shared that the journey into leadership coaching began by identifying what was missing in traditional corporate environments: authenticity and soul. “Soul Salt” emerged as a concept for balancing the inner qualities of self-awareness and values with the outer skills of strategy and communication.

Lyn reminded us that when leaders know their “hell yeses” and “hell noes,” they make better decisions, respond instead of react, and inspire confidence in those around them. This clarity allows leaders to stay true to themselves, especially during turbulent times.

Purpose as a Leadership Compass

Purpose, Lyn emphasized, is the North Star for both individuals and organizations. When clearly defined, it helps leaders make quick, values-based decisions and gives teams a sense of collective direction.

Lyn encourages leaders to regularly revisit their purpose, noting that it can evolve over time. A well-defined purpose acts as a stabilizing force, allowing leaders and teams to stay grounded even when external circumstances change.

The Compassion Upgrade

A key insight from our conversation was Lyn’s distinction between sympathy, empathy, and compassion. While empathy allows us to feel with others, compassion takes it a step further by inspiring supportive action.

“Compassion is where the real power lies,” Lyn explained. “It’s not just about understanding someone’s struggle, but also asking, ‘What can I do to support you as you move through it?’”

This shift from empathy to compassion creates a culture of action and accountability, where people feel truly cared for while being empowered to solve challenges.

Key Takeaways

• Purpose gives leaders and teams clarity, confidence, and direction.
• Compassion is a stronger leadership tool than sympathy or empathy alone.
• Emotional intelligence drives not just relationships, but performance and trust.
• Resilience is built through small, consistent practices that nurture body, mind, and values.
• Authentic leadership invites people to bring their full selves to work, resulting in higher engagement and innovation.

Final Thoughts

Lyn Christian’s insights remind us that the strongest leaders are not those who push the hardest but those who listen the deepest. By weaving empathy, purpose, and compassion into daily leadership practices, we can build workplaces that are both high-performing and deeply human.

Check out our full conversation with Lyn Christian on The Bliss Business Podcast.

Originally Featured on The Bliss Business Podcast Blog

Grief, caregiving, burnout, trauma. These aren’t just personal issues, they’re workplace realities. And yet, too many organizations still treat them as invisible.

On this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, workplace empathy expert Liesel Mindrebo Mertes joins Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski to share why empathy isn’t just a soft skill. It’s a business imperative.

Liesel is the Founder of Handle with Care and a sought-after keynote speaker who helps companies support their people through life disruptions. She’s also a mother who experienced unthinkable loss, and turned that pain into a movement to bring more humanity into how we work.

Through powerful storytelling and grounded insight, Liesel reminds us that the most effective leaders aren’t the ones who fix everything. They’re the ones who show up.

We All Carry Something

Whether it’s grief from losing a loved one, the pressure of being a caregiver, or the quiet toll of burnout, every person brings invisible weight to work. The problem is that most workplaces aren’t designed to hold it.

Liesel shared her personal story of loss and how it shaped her mission to change the culture of silence around hardship. Her message is clear: when people feel safe to bring their full selves to work, including their pain — they show up more fully.

Empathy doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means acknowledging what’s hard and responding with dignity and care.

Empathy Is Not a Disruption to Productivity

One of the biggest myths Liesel confronts is that empathy slows things down. The truth? Ignoring human reality costs more.

She cited research showing that teams with emotionally intelligent leaders are more resilient, collaborative, and innovative. When people feel seen, they’re more likely to stay engaged and loyal, even in the face of adversity.

Empathy actually increases productivity because it reduces turnover, builds trust, and encourages open communication. It’s not a detour from business success. It’s the way forward.

Systems That Support People in Crisis

One of the most actionable parts of this conversation was Liesel’s advice for operationalizing empathy:

• Create leave policies that reflect real life, not just paperwork
• Offer grief training for managers and teams
• Design workflows that give space for rest and return
• Normalize emotional check-ins and peer support

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being prepared — and making support part of your culture, not just a one-time response.

Key Takeaways

• Unacknowledged pain at work becomes disengagement
• Empathy isn’t about solving someone’s crisis, it’s about staying present
• Leaders who model vulnerability set the tone for culture-wide compassion
• Organizations that plan for life disruptions build deeper trust and loyalty

Final Thoughts

This conversation was a powerful reminder that we don’t have to choose between empathy and excellence. The best companies know that showing care is not charity. It’s strategy.

Liesel Mindrebo Mertes challenges all of us to stop outsourcing compassion. The future of work is human, and that future starts with how we treat each other when things fall apart.

Check out our full conversation with Liesel Mindrebo Mertes on The Bliss Business Podcast.

Originally Featured on The Bliss Business Podcast Blog

Too often, companies treat social impact like a PR campaign, something to announce rather than embody. But when doing good is baked into your DNA, customers can feel the difference.

On The Bliss Business Podcast, Colin McIntosh, Founder and CEO of Sheets & Giggles, joined Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski to unpack how conscious capitalism isn’t just a philosophy. It’s a daily decision to be helpful, human, and unapologetically values-driven.

Colin built a fast-growing company in a highly competitive category not by chasing market share, but by doing what felt right, from making eco-friendly sheets out of eucalyptus to turning down unethical partnerships. And it turns out, that approach isn’t just good ethics. It’s good business.

Helpful Is a Strategy

At Sheets & Giggles, being helpful is more than a customer service policy. It’s the heartbeat of the brand. Colin shared how building a business around help, not hype, creates loyalty that advertising can’t buy.

Whether it’s shipping supplies to wildfire victims or donating sheets to shelters, the company’s actions reinforce its purpose. This isn’t about virtue signaling. It’s about making decisions that align with both customer values and company vision.

Saying No Can Be More Powerful Than Saying Yes

One of the most compelling insights in this conversation is the courage it takes to turn down opportunities that conflict with your ethics. Colin discussed saying no to mass retailers who didn’t meet their standards, even when the deals were tempting.

That kind of clarity requires more than a mission statement. It demands a deep understanding of your values and the willingness to stand by them. In a world where short-term wins often dominate decision-making, this long view sets a powerful example.

Humor and Humanity Can Coexist

Colin also reminded us that being a conscious company doesn’t mean being overly serious. Sheets & Giggles is known for its clever brand voice, full of puns and personality. But underneath the laughs is a brand that takes its impact seriously.

Humor, when done well, can disarm cynicism and invite people into your mission. It creates a sense of intimacy and shared understanding that formal language can’t. And for Colin, it’s simply more fun to build a company people smile about.

Key Takeaways

• Doing good doesn’t have to come at the cost of growth. It can drive it.
• Saying no to misaligned opportunities is a sign of brand maturity.
• Humor and mission can go hand-in-hand when done with care.
• Being helpful is not a marketing trick. It’s a business philosophy.

Final Thoughts

Colin McIntosh didn’t wait for a market trend to tell him doing good was in. He built it into the DNA of his company from day one. His story is a reminder that conscious capitalism isn’t about perfection. It’s about persistence, principles, and showing up with integrity — one decision at a time.

Check out our full conversation with Colin McIntosh on The Bliss Business Podcast.

Originally Featured on The Bliss Business Podcast Blog

For many leaders, empathy is a value that shows up during team celebrations or crises. But what happens when the loss isn’t visible? When the silence of grief sets in and business keeps moving?

We caught up on the Bliss Business Podcast with Justin Clifford, who is the CEO of Bereave, a platform helping companies support grieving employees with compassion and clarity. He joined us to share how his team is tackling the often-ignored topic of bereavement in the workplace and why businesses can no longer afford to treat grief as a personal issue with no professional impact.

From Random Acts of Kindness to Systems of Support

One in nine employees experiences the death of a loved one every year. And yet, 51 percent of them leave their jobs within a year of that loss, according to Harvard Business Review.

Justin explained that most companies still rely on what he calls “random acts of bereavement”, a few kind words, flowers, maybe an EAP brochure, then expect employees to return to full capacity after three to five days. It’s no surprise that retention drops and morale follows.

His platform, Bereave, is changing that with a clear playbook for HR leaders, managers, and employees’ families. The goal is to build a repeatable system of compassion that can scale.

Building Love Into the System

At Zero Company, we talk often about the power of building love into scalable systems. Justin is doing exactly that. Rather than waiting for managers to awkwardly navigate these moments alone, Bereave offers:

• Self-guided manager training
• A framework for communication and return-to-work planning
• Family support tools to create a shared language across the grieving process

Justin noted that even something as simple as having a colleague walk a grieving employee into the building on their first day back can make all the difference. It doesn’t cost a thing, but it speaks volumes.

Why Grief Is a Business Issue

There’s a financial case to be made here, too. Grief-related productivity losses cost U.S. companies over $75 billion a year, according to the Grief Recovery Institute. Retaining talent, preventing burnout, and creating a culture of care all impact the bottom line.

Justin encourages leaders to stop seeing bereavement as a soft benefit. Instead, he frames it as an essential part of purpose-driven leadership. The way a company shows up in hard times says more about its values than any mission statement ever could.

Key Takeaways

• 1 in 9 employees experiences a major loss each year, and over half leave their jobs within 12 months
• Most bereavement policies are still modeled on taking time off for a funeral, not holistic support
• Bereave helps managers and HR teams prepare for and respond to grief with thoughtful systems
• Simple gestures — like making a conference room temporarily off-limits after bad news — can be deeply meaningful
• Purposeful bereavement support boosts retention and employee trust

Final Thoughts

This conversation was a powerful reminder that business is personal. Loss is inevitable, but loneliness doesn’t have to be. As Justin shared, even leaders who once saw empathy as a weakness can evolve when they understand the full cost of silence.

Check out our full conversation with Justin Clifford on The Bliss Business Podcast.

Originally Featured on The Bliss Business Podcast Blog