Some people enter a room and change the energy simply by being fully themselves. For 2026 CultureCon Impact Award recipient Izzie St. John, that impact starts with helping people feel seen.

Dr. Rod Berger sits down with Izzie, Philanthropy Coordinator at the American Cancer Society, to explore how purpose, curiosity, and human connection have shaped her path. Izzie shares how her grandmother taught her the power of making someone feel like they matter, how her work at Hope Lodge transformed a job into a calling, and why bringing light to others sometimes requires understanding the darkness within yourself.

From navigating anxiety and uncertainty to finding purpose beyond a job title, Izzie reminds people-first leaders that impact often lives in the smallest moments. When you know what matters to you and choose how you want to show up, your influence can create a ripple far beyond the room.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Izzie on LinkedIn

Connect with Rod on LinkedIn

Connect with Zach on LinkedIn

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn

Learn more about CultureCon

Subscribe to CultureCon's YouTube channel!

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Purpose matters more than the title you hold.
• Curiosity helps leaders understand what people truly need.
• Making people feel seen can create lasting impact.
• You cannot navigate joy by ignoring the darkness.
• Authentic self-acceptance creates freedom to serve others.

Leadership gets real when dignity becomes more than a value on the wall. It becomes something people can actually feel.

Live from CultureCon 2026, Dr. Rod Berger sits down with Dr. Isa Karabed, Founder and CEO of Karabed Leadership Group and recipient of the Culture Impact Award, for a deeply human conversation about recovery, homelessness, technology, and the moments that shape how we lead. Isa shares how her own recovery journey taught her the power of being seen, why every interaction can restore someone's sense of dignity, and how leaders can create spaces where people feel welcomed instead of judged.

They also explore the changing role of AI in the workplace and why technology should give us more capacity for presence, curiosity, and genuine human connection, not less. From navigating fear and uncertainty to leading with transparency and lifting up unheard voices, this conversation is a reminder that the smallest moments can carry enormous impact.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Isa on LinkedIn

Learn more about Karabed Leadership Group

Connect with Rod on LinkedIn

Connect with Zach on LinkedIn

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn

Learn more about CultureCon

Subscribe to CultureCon's YouTube channel!

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Dignity can transform someone's entire experience of seeking help.
• Human connection remains essential as technology reshapes the workplace.
• AI should create more time for meaningful human interaction.
• Transparency helps leaders navigate fear and uncertainty around change.
• Every interaction is an opportunity to make someone feel seen.

Sometimes the most important leadership shift starts with changing the song in your own head.

Live from CultureCon 2026, Dr. Rod Berger sits down with Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX, USA Today bestselling author of "Be Yourself at Work", and a pioneer of people-first leadership. Claude shares how a 93-day Outward Bound experience helped her find her voice, challenge the limiting beliefs she carried for years, and ultimately recognize the kind of leader she was meant to become.

From building a culture rooted in empathy to taking accountability for how we show up, Claude explores why great leadership requires both heart and ownership. She also opens up about the trust that changed her career, the importance of knowing when you are not at your best, and why people should never have to shrink themselves to succeed at work.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Claude on LinkedIn

Get Claude's book "Be Yourself at Work"

Learn more about Claude's work

Connect with Rod on LinkedIn

Connect with Zach on LinkedIn

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn

Learn more about CultureCon

Subscribe to CultureCon's YouTube channel!

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Change the story playing inside your own head.
• Empathy and accountability can exist at the same time.
• Great leaders coach people instead of rescuing them.
• Stop shrinking yourself to fit the workplace.
• Trust gives people permission to stand in their strengths.