Season 8 of The Inspire Podcast kicks off with a timely conversation on what it takes to lead in today’s high-pressure environment.
Bart sits down with Carolyn Lawrence, founder of ClearPath and former Global Head of DEI at Deloitte, and Jennifer Laidlaw, founder of Cre8 Coaching, to explore the growing pressure leaders are facing today, particularly those from diverse backgrounds. As expectations rise and roles continue to expand, many leaders are feeling the weight of increased responsibility and scrutiny, often without clear support on how to navigate it.
Carolyn shares what she’s learned from years of working inside organizations on how to embed inclusion into the way businesses actually operate, not just as programs, but as systems that drive performance. Jennifer brings the complementary perspective of the “inner game,” helping leaders understand how their state of mind shapes how they show up, make decisions, and sustain energy over time.
Together, they offer a practical and honest look at how to navigate these pressures, with clear ideas leaders can apply right away to better support themselves, their teams, and the systems they’re part of.
00:23 Show intro
01:01 Welcoming Carolyn and Jennifer
02:01 The idea for this episode
03:22 How Jennifer and Carolyn partnered
03:57 Carolyn’s passion for equity and inclusion
04:12 Women of Influence organization
04:47 Leading Deloitte’s DEI efforts
05:18 Systematizing DEI
05:48 Avoiding backlash
07:04 Jennifer’s background
07:35 The 30% Club in Canada
08:01 The inner game
08:49 How Carolyn and Jennifer work together
09:13 Combining the inner and systemic revolution
09:59 Responding to the shift away from DEI
10:45 Why many DEI programs faltered
12:15 Getting the tactics wrong
13:26 What leaders are experiencing today
17:14 The pressure of rising to the top
17:48 Example of an executive navigating these challenges
20:04 Addressing inclusion challenges in a constructive way
22:20 Advice for leaders feeling this pressure
23:23 Mindfulness
25:32 How mindfulness helps
26:24 Reality vs the stories we tell ourselves
26:57 Staying grounded in high-pressure environments
28:11 Returning to the present moment
29:47 Working on yourself vs the system
30:21 Three ways to improve organizational systems
31:13 Ask
31:54 Articulate
33:51 Accountability
34:11 Defining visible metrics
34:52 Measuring inclusion
37:22 What success looks like personally
38:09 Getting into flow
40:41 Final advice
42:23 Thank yous
42:42 Outro