Heather R. Younger, Employee Fanatix: The Employee Whisperer who teaches leaders how to care

The Companies that Care podcast highlights companies and business leaders who are making a difference in the world, like Heather R. Younger, a best-selling author, international speaker, consultant, adjunct organizational leadership professor, and facilitator.

Born to a white, Jewish mom and a Black dad, Heather was deliberately excluded from her mom’s family, thanks to racism. She grew up feeling like an outsider, which has made her especially determined to create caring environments wherever she goes.

“I didn't even get to go to a large family gathering until I was 36 years old, which, by the way, was my grandmother's funeral. It was an interesting way to grow up…I could have turned out to be a curmudgeon, blaming the world and not being kind. And I chose not to. I chose to be the person who made other people feel included and engulfed with love and care. I'm a big hugger. I like to bring people into the fold…I chose the path of uplifting and encouragement and support.”

Heather has earned a reputation as “The Employee Whisperer.” As a champion for positive change in workplaces, communities, and our world at large, Heather founded Employee Fanatix, a leading employee engagement and leadership development consulting and training firm, to inspire others by teaching the kind of caring leadership that drives real business results. 

Heather hosts the weekly podcast “Leadership with Heart,” which uncovers what drives leaders from all over the world and all walks of life to be more emotionally intelligent leaders. She has also written two leadership books: The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty and The Art of Caring Leadership.

We had a wonderful conversation about how to create companies that care.

Next week on the Finding Fertile Ground podcast, I interview my friend Nura Elmagbari, who immigrated to the United States from Libya as a young person, has experienced a huge amount of Islamaphobia since then, and now actively works to help refugees acclimate and adjust…providing the support she did not receive when she first immigrated here.

The Companies That Care podcast is brought to you by Fertile Ground Communications. I alternate the Companies That Care podcast with my original podcast, Finding Fertile Ground, which shares personal stories of grit and resilience. On both my podcasts I strive to highlight voices from historically excluded populations, people who don't always get a platform. 

Marie Gettel-Gilmartin, founder and principal of Fertile Ground Communications LLC, is a writer and marketing communications consultant who loves to take the pain and stress out of writing for her clients. She specializes in making the complex clear, using dynamic, accessible language to explain and communicate important issues. She positions her clients as experts in their fields and helps them communicate about pressing issues. Writing communications that boost employee engagement and thought leadership, she also coaches leaders and executives on how to strengthen communications and leadership. She loves to connect people and resources or solve seemingly impossible problems.

As a podcaster for justice, I stand with my sisters from the Women of Color Podcasters Community. We are podcasters united to condemn the tragic murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and many others at the hands of police.