Expressions of Leadership
Leaders emerge from every walk of life. Whether you’re defining your leadership style or evolving it, learning from others can be transformative. Join leadership consultant and coach Michele Kawamoto Perry as she sits down with a diverse range of leaders—from startup CEOs pioneering new technology, to teachers challenging the status quo, doctors delivering compassionate care, and artists pushing creative boundaries. Together, they explore leadership styles, philosophies, and breakthrough practices. Discover fresh perspectives and actionable insights to help you lead with greater impact. Michele Kawamoto Perry is the founder of The Forward Project, a consultancy focused on leadership development and cultural transformation. As a corporate coach, she helps organizations cultivate stronger foundational leadership skills, empowering individuals who are ready to create change. Michele believes in the power of personal leadership and is on a mission to help build a more inclusive, engaging, and innovative world—one leader at a time. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube @ExpressionsOfLeadership. You can also listen every weekend at noon Pacific Time on Radio Evolve.
Episodes
In this episode of Expressions of Leadership, host Michele Kawamoto Perry talks with Edie Higby, Scientist of Happiness Health, author of Joy by Design, and founder of Practicing Joy, to explore where joy and leadership intersect.
Edie shares her powerful journey from profound personal loss to resilience, reframing happiness not as a fleeting feeling, but as serious, intentional work. She introduces her Joy by Design framework, alo...
In this episode of Expressions of Leadership, host Michele Kawamoto Perry is joined by educator, author, and storyteller Michael Hernandez to explore what learning can, and should, look like in an AI-driven world. Drawing on his background in film, journalism, and media arts, Michael challenges traditional systems built on control, standardization, and “right answers,” and offers a more human-centered vision of teaching and assessm...
Host Michele Kawamoto Perry sits down with Marian Kopp, CEO of Lauffener Weingärtner eG, to reflect on his three decades of leadership across the international wine and FMCG industries. Together, they dive into what it takes to lead authentically across cultures, balance heritage with innovation, and steer teams through disruption with empathy and resilience.
From empowering local expertise to embracing sustainability and digital t...
Host Michele Kawamoto Perry speaks with Daniel Kebede, co-founder of Abstract, in a conversation centered on leadership in complex systems. Together, they explore how reimagining airports requires not only good design but the ability to lead through ambiguity—aligning dozens of stakeholders, creating shared rituals, and using storytelling and empathy to move people toward a common vision.
Daniel reflects on the leadership lessons t...
In this episode, host Michele Kawamoto Perry welcomes Julie Hurwitz, Founder and CEO of Songbird Creative, to explore her journey from early record-label roles to building a boutique music licensing and strategy firm. Julie reflects on what it takes to hire well, build scalable systems, embrace automation, and pivot into new opportunities — including launching a recruiting arm to meet emerging industry needs. She also offers an ins...
In this episode of Expressions of Leadership, host Michele Kawamoto Perry interviews Heidi Ridley, a 35-year veteran of the financial services industry who has redefined what leadership looks like in finance. From pioneering ESG integration to co-founding Radiant Global Investors, Heidi has led global teams with integrity, vision, and a deep commitment to mentoring others and advancing inclusion across the industry.
Through candid ...
In this episode of Expressions of Leadership, host Michele Kawamoto Perry is joined by California Deputy Treasurer Khaim Morton, who traces his path from a file clerk at Warner Brothers to a seasoned public servant and strategist.
Khaim shares the leadership lessons he’s learned across politics, coaching, and community-building — lessons rooted in curiosity, adaptability, and connection. He discusses the importance of listening dee...
Host Michele Kawamoto Perry sits down with Marc Engel — comedian, qualitative researcher, facilitator, and creative strategist — for a lively and insightful conversation about how improv, humor, and play can transform the way we lead and connect.
Marc shares his unconventional career journey, from comedy stages to corporate boardrooms, and how his Out of Focus Groups® and Blocks + Clay methods help organizations uncover authentic i...
In this episode of Expressions of Leadership, host Michele Kawamoto Perry talks with Christopher Fielden — award-winning author, drummer, and entrepreneur — about leading with empathy, adaptability, and creativity across music, business, and publishing.
Chris shares how respect, deep listening, and composure under pressure have guided his leadership, from navigating change to mentoring thousands of writers through his global compet...
In this conversation, host Michele Kawamoto Perry talks with Kara Demirjian Huss — Founder and President of DCC Marketing, Sr. Vice President and Global Marketing Director of TCCI Manufacturing, and President of DemirCo Properties and Real Estate Portfolios — about leading at the intersection of business, policy, and innovation. Kara discusses taking on a $20M downtown revitalization at 27, turning a marketing cost center into a na...
In this episode of Expressions of Leadership, Michele Kawamoto Perry sits down with Sucharita Kodali, retail analyst, civic innovator, and the driving force behind The Election Hub, a SEED20 initiative designed to help voters make informed choices in local elections.
Sucharita shares her journey from shaping consumer insights in the private sector to championing data-driven civic engagement. She opens up about the leadership lesson...
Disclaimer: This episode contains adult subject matter, including discussion of child sex trafficking, which may be distressing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. Carissa Phelps, a survivor of child sex trafficking, shares her remarkable journey from the streets to law school, filmmaking, and founding Runaway Girl. In this episode, she reflects on transforming personal trauma into purpose — leading wi...
Host Michele Kawamoto Perry sits down with canine behavior specialists and Wunderdogs co-founders Shakina Brzezinski and Molly Leevan. From their early days training horses to leading groundbreaking dog behavior programs, Shakina and Molly share how they’re challenging outdated dominance models with science, compassion, and connection.
Together, they explore what leadership looks like when it’s rooted in guidance rather than contro...
In this episode, Michele Kawamoto Perry speaks with Lori Hang, founder of Hike to Yoga, about her journey from a refugee camp to community leader, yoga therapist, and creative director. Lori shares how her immigrant upbringing, personal healing, and a passion for nature shaped a leadership style rooted in rest, creativity, and collective care.
Laurie offers candid insights about navigating burnout and growth, teaching mindful movem...
Disclaimer: This episode contains adult subject matter, including discussion of sexual abuse and homicide, which may be distressing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. In this episode of Expressions of Leadership, host Michele Kawamoto Perry speaks with Ron Jenkins, who shares his journey from a difficult childhood in foster care and the devastating loss of family, to discovering purpose through football, mentorship...
In this episode, Dr. Milan Chavarkar shares her 25+ year leadership journey in women’s health — from serving as a nurse midwife and family nurse practitioner to founding Lotus Integrative Health and Nursing. She reflects on how deep listening, longer patient visits, and root-cause care inspired her move into functional and integrative medicine, and how the pandemic accelerated her leap into entrepreneurship.
Dr. Chavarkar also expl...
Dr. Pamela Donnelly has spent her career opening doors—first as a teacher and education entrepreneur, and now as the founder of the American Access Institute. In this episode, she shares the story behind Catapult, an AI-powered career readiness platform designed to equip vulnerable youth, including those in foster care, with the skills and pathways to thrive in trades, tech, military, and entrepreneurship.
Host Michele Kawamoto Per...
This episode contains adult subject matter, including discussion of violence and homicide, which may be distressing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.
Host Michele Kawamoto Perry sits down with Kenneth Hartman, award-winning writer and prison reform advocate, who spent more than 37 years serving a life-without-parole sentence before receiving a commutation. In this conversation, Ken reflects on his path from a troub...
In this episode of Expressions of Leadership, host Michele Kawamoto Perry talks with Jennifer Wilde about leading in times of volatility and change. From emergency responses in Haiti and the Philippines to building AI tools for families and organizations, Jennifer brings clarity, empathy, and innovation to the conversation.
She shares practices like act–sense–respond, staying grounded under pressure, and reframing change as opportu...
In this episode of Expressions of Leadership, Dr. Melissa Bird—descendant of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes, lay preacher, healer, activist, and educator—shares her inspiring journey from personal loss to leading policy change. She offers profound insights into soulful leadership, emphasizing intuition, compassion, and the power of asking better questions. Together, we explore how acknowledging grief and embracing vulnerability can d...
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