A CEO’s Battle Through Cancer and Corporate Turnarounds | Paula Schneider, President and CEO of Susan G. Komen®
Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais
Dr. Michael Gervais
4.6 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 4 October 2023
⏱️ 78 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we sit down with the inspirational Paula Schneider, CEO of Susan G. Komen®, to explore her awe-inspiring journey through uncharted waters in both leadership and her personal battle against breast cancer. Paula exemplifies how true grit and relentless self-belief can overtake fears and redefine how you approach success in every aspect of life.
This rich conversation explores:
- How Paula navigated a deadly breast cancer diagnosis and the power she found in accepting help
- How she was brought in to execute one of the biggest corporate turnarounds at American Apparel
- How she stays calm with (literal) fires burning all around her
- Her unconventional path from starting as a costume design and theater major to becoming the CEO and president of Susan G. Komen®, one of the world’s leading nonprofits in the fight against breast cancer, with almost $1 billion in research funding
- How to make decisions with imperfect information and Paula’s refreshing approach to leading through uncharted territory
- Proactive cancer prevention, optimal screening times, and being your biggest health advocate
Paula doesn’t claim to have all the answers; she simply knows she can find them. Join us as Paula reshapes our understanding of success, demonstrating that it's less about what you know and more about trusting that you can face and conquer the hard things—no matter the odds.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Find something that you're passionate about people. You know, I've been running a philanthropy |
| 0:03.6 | now for six years and find some place to do good and then do it. |
| 0:17.5 | Okay, welcome back or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast. I am your host, Dr. Michael Jurvey |
| 0:23.5 | by trade and training a high-performance psychologist. I'm really excited to welcome |
| 0:28.1 | Paula Schneider to the podcast for this week's conversation. Many would refer to today's guest as |
| 0:34.4 | a survivor, but it's fair to say her impact goes far beyond survival, whether she's staring down |
| 0:40.8 | a terrifying cancer diagnosis or a failing corporate juggernaut. Paula has proven she can conquer |
| 0:47.2 | the greatest of challenges, turning personal pain into purpose and inspired leadership into |
| 0:54.0 | real legacy. As President and CEO of the Susan G. Coleman Breast Cancer Foundation, |
| 1:00.5 | Paula is responsible for the largest breast cancer research portfolio and one of the most |
| 1:06.0 | prominent nonprofits in the world. Coleman has invested $3.5 billion in research and advocacy, |
| 1:14.3 | helping reduce the breast cancer mortality rate by 42%. Senses inception in 1982, |
| 1:21.1 | clearly no small feat, and then prior to her time at Coleman, she navigated one of the most |
| 1:27.5 | notable retail sector turnarounds while serving as the CEO of American Apparel. Again, no small feat. |
| 1:35.7 | Across education, fashion, retail management, and nonprofit industries. |
| 1:41.6 | Paula has demonstrated the kind of business acumen, entrepreneurial expertise, adaptability and |
| 1:49.2 | real world perspective that can move proverbial mountains. That's why I'm so thrilled to explore |
| 1:55.3 | the passion and perseverance that has allowed her to thrive so brilliantly, even in the face of immense |
| 2:03.2 | difficulty. I think you'll quickly learn how, in her words, she stays calm with fires burning |
| 2:10.1 | all around her. So with that, let's dive right into this week's conversation with Paula Schneider. |
| 2:18.6 | Paula, you went from a custom design major in college to American Apparel CEO to major fashion brands |
| 2:26.7 | to CEO of the Susan G. Coleman Breast Cancer Foundation. What an arc. And maybe we can just start |
... |
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