This week, we sit down with crisis management expert and author Regina Phelps for a lively, wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to lead through chaos. Regina shares her unconventional path from oncology nursing to founding a global crisis consulting firm, including the moment she was fired (yes, fired!) and how that unexpected shock opened the door to the work she was truly meant to do.

We talk about why most crisis plans fall apart the moment they’re needed, how practice builds real confidence, and what history reveals about the long, messy arcs of pandemics and disruption. Regina brings humor, honesty, and decades of wisdom as she describes helping executives stay calm when everything is sideways, navigating the emotional labor of leadership, and reinventing her own career more than once — including a recent chapter that surprised even her.

Along the way, we explore the tender, human side of leading in uncertain times: the doubt, the grit, the clarity that comes from letting go of outdated labels, and the hope that shows up when we imagine our future selves with curiosity instead of fear.

If you’re looking for a practical, inspiring, and unexpectedly joyful take on crisis leadership and reinvention, this conversation with Regina is one you won’t want to miss.

You can reach Regina through her website www.ems-solutionsinc.com and find her on LinkedIn.

Regina's four books, the latest on Crisis Management, are available on Amazon.

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: JulietClothier@gmail.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: Susan@SusanASutherland.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

In this special “Unplugged” episode, we step away from our usual format and dive into a spontaneous, unscripted conversation about something that’s been showing up in our lives and leadership lately: the idea of your future self—who you’ve been, who you are today, and who you’re intentionally becoming.

Inspired by a story about a six-year-old navigating swim lessons, we talk about how even the smallest daily choices can shape the person and leader we’re growing into. From grounding rituals like making the bed to the harder moments when we have to make decisions we can’t fully explain, we explore how intention, self-awareness, and emotional regulation help us stay aligned with the leaders we want to be.

We also share how we each navigate guilt, stress, and the emotional labor of leadership—especially in a world that can feel increasingly unpredictable. Along the way, we lean into honesty, humor, and yes, a well-placed f-bomb or two.

If you’re looking for a fresh perspective on self-care, leadership, and making choices for the “you” of tomorrow, this episode is for you.

And if you loved this Unplugged format, let us know!

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: JulietClothier@gmail.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: Susan@SusanASutherland.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

Juliet and Susan had such fun on this episode as we interviewed our podcast producer (and Juliet's brother), Brian Clothier!

Brian is a multi-skilled, mostly self-employed partner and CXO for small businesses – he can slot into any C-suite role in the businesses he works with – as well as a producer and an inspired musician. He got his start coveting his sister's "cool" red guitar, and his management career kicked off when he managed his band, while also being in the band with friends. ("Managing friends"... an episode in itself!!)

Since those early years, Brian has worked in a winery doing anything that needed attention and order, and is now a mostly self-employed partner and leader in a range of small businesses. He relishes setting his own schedule, managing his time and effort. Brian is keen producer of events and broadcasts ('Secrets' is not his only podcast) and he keeps us all focused on deepening our skills and improving our listeners enjoyment.

We hope you'll enjoy this discussion with Brian as much we enjoyed chatting with him. Thank you so much for listening!

You can reach Brian at bcloth@gmail.com.

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: JulietClothier@gmail.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: Susan@SusanASutherland.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

In this powerful episode of Secrets of the C-Suite, we welcome Teja Smith, CEO and Founder of Get Social, a Los Angeles–based digital strategy and social media agency specializing in advocacy, culture, and impact-driven storytelling. With more than a decade at the intersection of social justice, politics, and pop culture, Teja shares how her upbringing, her grandmother’s legacy, and her commitment to equity shaped her mission to amplify underrepresented voices through digital media.

From her early work on the Schools Not Prisons campaign to founding Get Social during the pandemic, Teja reflects on leading through chaos, motherhood, and the ongoing fight for representation. She also gives listeners a first look at her newest project, the Digital Justice Lab, a nonprofit focused on teaching digital literacy, combating misinformation, and helping young people harness social media for good.

This conversation dives deep into the evolution of digital activism, the power of women—especially Black women—in driving social change, and the real behind-the-scenes realities of entrepreneurship, leadership, and balance. If you want to be inspired by how purpose, strategy, and social impact collide to create meaningful, lasting change, this episode’s for you.

You can reach Teja Smith through her website www.getsocialwithteja.com and find her on LinkedIn.

Teja's TED Talk: Cooking Up Change: Social Media's Role in Modern Activism

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: JulietClothier@gmail.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: Susan@SusanASutherland.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

Welcome back to Secrets of the C-Suite: The Podcast!

After a fairly long summer break, Juliet and Susan are back, this season focusing in particular (but not exclusively) on entrepreneurs. We're excited to explore the leadership, creativity and innovation, and resilience many entrepreneurs bring to their businesses.

In this episode, we also share some reflections on our respective summers. Juliet started a new job, with all that brings, while Susan had a busy summer, including a cruise to Iceland with her 92-year-old mom, and helping her move within her retirement community (from the 9th to the 16th floor!). We also talk about what we’re looking forward to in Season 3, as well as in our lives and leadership.

We hope you’ll come along for the journey ahead!

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: JulietClothier@gmail.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: Susan@SusanASutherland.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

In this heartfelt Season 2 finale, Susan and Juliet sit down together to reflect on the conversations, insights, and unforgettable moments that shaped another powerful season of Secrets of the C-Suite. From inspiring guests doing the hard, often unsung work in their communities, to bold leaders taking big leaps into new ventures, the season has been packed with wisdom, courage, and real talk from the top.

They revisit standout moments from guests who are:

• Deeply committed to social impact and equity
• Courageously stepping into entrepreneurship and reinvention
• Sharing creative wisdom, like our featured author
• Leading in complex, high-stakes environments, like our NBC executive

Susan and Juliet also reflect on their own duo episodes—what surprised them, what made them laugh, and the leadership lessons that stuck with them long after the mic was off.

And in true C-suite fashion, they almost forgot to thank the most important person behind the scenes: their producer and editor, Brian Clothier, whose steady hand, sharp ear, and infinite patience make every episode possible. Thank you, Brian!

As they look ahead, Susan and Juliet are beginning to plan for Season 3, with a potential focus on entrepreneurship—both inside and outside the corporate world. Intrigued? So are they.

Take a listen—and stay tuned for what’s next in Season 3.

Secrets of the C-Suite is produced by Susan Sutherland, Juliet Clothier, and Brian Clothier.

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: JulietClothier@gmail.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: Susan@SusanASutherland.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

Episode 11 with Valari Staab, Chairman at NBCUniversal Local, was such fun for us for us to record, and we know it will be an engaging, thought-provoking episode for you too!

Both Juliet and Susan met Valari way back in the days when Valari worked for ABC in San Francisco and served on the Board of the United Way of the Bay Area, where Juliet was CFO and Susan was also on the Board. All these many years later, now as Chairman at NBCUniversal Local, she had just moved into new offices in 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and we talked about her journey and career in media with a backdrop of a wall of TV screens behind her!

We learned a lot from speaking from Valari, and we ended our conversation inspired by purposeful, people-focused, and fun leadership she demonstrates every day. We trust you'll be as inspired as well.

You can find Valari on LinkedIn.

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: JulietClothier@gmail.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: Susan@SusanASutherland.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.

In Episode 10 of Season 2 of Secrets of the C-Suite: the Podcast, we are delighted to welcome Elizabeth Husserl, Wealth Advisor, Financial Planner, Company Founder and Author. Our conversation went deep and wide as we discussed how humans make meaning, how we (and society) define wealth, and all the ways we can be more intentional about our choices, including the financial ones.

We highly recommend Elizabeth's recent book, "The Power of Enough: Finding Joy in your Relationship with Money". It is a layered, nuanced guide to understanding how our individual relationship with money, and our stories about money and wealth, are reflections of who we are and what we believe, including those powerful limiting beliefs that we are often unconscious of.

The book challenges us to recognize the power society—capitalist society—gives to money, AND encourages us to explore the personal link between money and wealth, and how we think about scarcity and abundance, and might consider what enough and satiety means to each of us.

Elizabeth in person in this Episode is no less compelling than her book! She invites us to an engaging exploration, a rigorous pursuit led by curiosity, and offers 'on ramps' to understand and appreciate what matters to us as individuals. She's energetic and fun to talk with.

We loved our conversation with Elizabeth, and trust you will too!

You can find Elizabeth Husserl on LinkedIn and connect with her on two Instagram accounts: @ElizabethHusserl and @converstationsmoney

** Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating to help others discover the podcast. We’re so grateful to each and every listener!

——— Connect with Your Hosts ———

Email Juliet: JulietClothier@gmail.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.JulietClothier.com

Email Susan: Susan@SusanASutherland.com
Follow her on socials: LinkedIn / Instagram
Her website is www.SusanASutherland.com

Secrets of the C-Suite is both a podcast AND a leadership consultancy. Learn more about our offerings.