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What actually makes a culture real—not just aspirational?

In this episode, Wendy Brand sits down with Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software, to talk about what it takes to build an intentional culture that holds up through growth, change, and hiring challenges.

Sabrina shares the turning point that led her team to articulate their culture (after several “perfect resume” hires didn’t work out), and how they operationalized six culture tenets—like relying on data, solving for the customer, and transparency—to create a workplace where people have the autonomy to be awesome and the accountability to deliver.

If you’re a founder, CEO, or senior leader who wants culture to drive strategy (not sit beside it), this conversation will give you both clarity and practical takeaways.

Sabrina Parsons is the CEO of Palo Alto Software, a SaaS company headquartered in Eugene, Oregon with a mission to help people succeed in business. She has led the company since 2007 and guided major transformations while building a culture rooted in transparency, autonomy, and mission-driven work.

Connect + Links

Connect with Wendy Brand / The Culture Coach

• Join the Culture Strategy Lab: https://culturecoachwendy.mykajabi.com/strategylab
• Explore the Aligned Leader Collective: https://culturecoachwendy.mykajabi.com/aligned

Palo Alto Software

• Website: https://www.paloalto.com/about-us/culture

____________________________
With 25+ years of leadership experience, spanning multiple roles across corporations and non-profits, I have gained a wealth of experience in understanding what makes organizations successful.

The Aligned Leader Collective -Join today:
https://go.CultureCoachWendy.com/aligned

FREE DOWNLOAD - The Culture Strategy Audit:
https://culturecoachwendy.com/cultureaudit/

Online Community - The Culture Strategy Lab:
https://culturecoachwendy.com/strategylab/

FREE Online Mini Course - The C.E.O. Reset:
https://culturecoachwendy.mykajabi.com/offers/zqP7fYvR/checkout

CONNECT WITH ME
Website: CultureCoachWendy.com
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/wendybrand/
Instram: Instagram.com/culturecoachwendy
YouTube: YouTube.com/@CultureCoachWendy

The CultureCoach Podcast Page: CultureCoachWendy.com/podcasts/

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February is American Heart Month—a reminder of the importance of cardiovascular health and the signals our bodies send us every day.

In this deeply personal conversation, Wendy sits down with her dear friend Julie Habelmann—founder of Noble Tones, integrative sound healing practitioner, and women’s heart health advocate—to explore how a heart attack became a catalyst for profound life and leadership transformation.

After surviving a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) in 2020, Julie was forced to slow down, listen to her body, and reevaluate everything. That experience ultimately led her to integrative sound healing and the creation of Noble Tones, a practice dedicated to helping others regulate their nervous system, restore balance, and reconnect with themselves.

Julie focuses on helping individuals move out of chronic stress and back into balance—supporting sustainable overall wellbeing of mind, body, and spirit.

Julie will also be facilitating mindset and nervous system sessions inside The Aligned Leader Collective.

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/nobletones/

Website:
https://www.noble-tones.com/

Substack:
https://substack.com/@juliehaberman

The Aligned Leader Collective is a 6-month leadership experience for high-achieving women who are ready to realign with themselves and their next chapter of leadership.

This is not traditional leadership development.

It’s a space to:

• Reconnect with your vision and direction
• Reset your energy and nervous system
• Gain clarity on what’s next
• Lead from alignment instead of obligation

Julie will be facilitating three dedicated mindset and nervous system sessions as part of the program.

The next cohort begins in March.

Learn more and apply here:
https://culturecoachwendy.com/aligned

____________________________
With 25+ years of leadership experience, spanning multiple roles across corporations and non-profits, I have gained a wealth of experience in understanding what makes organizations successful.

The Aligned Leader Collective -Join today:
https://go.CultureCoachWendy.com/aligned

FREE DOWNLOAD - The Culture Strategy Audit:
https://culturecoachwendy.com/cultureaudit/

Online Community - The Culture Strategy Lab:
https://culturecoachwendy.com/strategylab/

FREE Online Mini Course - The C.E.O. Reset:
https://culturecoachwendy.mykajabi.com/offers/zqP7fYvR/checkout

CONNECT WITH ME
Website: CultureCoachWendy.com
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/wendybrand/
Instram: Instagram.com/culturecoachwendy
YouTube: YouTube.com/@CultureCoachWendy

The CultureCoach Podcast Page: CultureCoachWendy.com/podcasts/

Send a text

There’s a moment in leadership that's that in-between phase where, on the outside, everything looks fine… but internally, something feels off.

In this solo episode, Wendy shares a personal story from her leadership journey—one where success, responsibility, and recognition continued to rise, while alignment quietly slipped away. She reflects on what happens when leaders sacrifice their own values, boundaries, and well-being in an effort to become what the organization needs—at the cost of who they are becoming.

This episode is for high-capacity leaders who are:

• Succeeding, but not feeling grounded
• Carrying increasing responsibility while losing clarity
• Feeling pressure, disconnection, or internal friction they can’t quite name

If you’ve ever felt successful but misaligned, this conversation will resonate—and may offer the permission you didn’t know you needed to pause, reflect, and realign.

Check out The Aligned Leader Collective

____________________________
With 25+ years of leadership experience, spanning multiple roles across corporations and non-profits, I have gained a wealth of experience in understanding what makes organizations successful.

The Aligned Leader Collective -Join today:
https://go.CultureCoachWendy.com/aligned

FREE DOWNLOAD - The Culture Strategy Audit:
https://culturecoachwendy.com/cultureaudit/

Online Community - The Culture Strategy Lab:
https://culturecoachwendy.com/strategylab/

FREE Online Mini Course - The C.E.O. Reset:
https://culturecoachwendy.mykajabi.com/offers/zqP7fYvR/checkout

CONNECT WITH ME
Website: CultureCoachWendy.com
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/wendybrand/
Instram: Instagram.com/culturecoachwendy
YouTube: YouTube.com/@CultureCoachWendy

The CultureCoach Podcast Page: CultureCoachWendy.com/podcasts/