Show Notes:
In this episode of The Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk welcomes Laurel Donnellan, founder and CEO of Compassionate Leaders Circle, a media and learning solutions company with a 26-year legacy in helping individuals and organizations create meaningful, purpose-driven work.
Laurel shares her journey from selling soft pretzels in her mother’s kitchen to building a hospitality career and eventually transitioning into human development and leadership training. Today, her organization works with professionals, corporations, universities, and now K-12 schools, helping people discover their “soul work” and develop compassionate leadership skills that empower others.
She and Heidi explore:
- What compassionate leadership truly means (and why it’s not soft).
- Why having purpose—both personal and professional—is one of the strongest predictors of performance.
- How burnout happens when work becomes disconnected from meaning.
- The power of slowing down, creating space, and allowing clarity to emerge.
- Lessons from scaling a personality-driven business into a team-empowered legacy brand.
- Laurel’s newest expansion into K-12 programs teaching young people purpose and leadership skills early.
Laurel reminds us that leadership is not about doing more, it’s about leading with heart and helping others grow into leaders too. Her closing message:
“When in doubt, throw love at it.”
Bio:
Laurel's mission is to help individuals and companies create remarkable work. She is a compassionate leadership expert with an undergraduate degree from Cornell University’s College of Business and an MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. She founded Compassionate Leaders Circle 26 years ago, developing transformational programs that build careers and organizations from the inside out. Laurel currently cohosts the Compassionate Leaders Circle Podcast and writes about inspiring leaders for Forbes.com. Her passions include education equality and properly-brewed tea.
To connect with our guest, click on the links below:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/compassionateleaderscircle/
Instagram: @loveablework
YouTube: @Compassionate Leaders Circle
Connect with me:
🎁Spotlight to Scale: Spotlight to Scale Blueprint
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/
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