In this episode of The Empowered Team Podcast, host Kari Schneider sits down with powerhouse leader Erica Sinner — multi 8-figure founder of Directory, CEO, and bestselling author of Pets Are Family. Erica’s mission? Revolutionizing leadership with empathy, operational compassion, and high-performance culture that doesn’t burn people out.

💥 With 20+ years in life sciences and biotech, Erica built Directory to help small-to-mid pharma companies commercialize with confidence — giving employees stability even in uncertain regulatory cycles.

But Erica’s impact doesn’t stop at the boardroom:

• She’s a driving force behind Tiny Superheroes, helping hospitalized kids feel brave through the power of play and purpose.
• She’s reshaping company policy with her advocacy for pet bereavement leave, recognizing the deep emotional bonds people have with their animals.

Topics We Cover:

• How to build emotionally intelligent, high-performance teams
• What CEOs are getting wrong about empathy (and how to fix it)
• Why laughter, connection, and play are not just for kids
• The powerful story behind Pets Are Family — and how grief shows up at work
• The loneliness epidemic, AI’s rising influence, and why the human algorithm still matters most

Key Quote: 🧠 “You can have an empathy-driven culture AND expect incredible results.”

If you're ready to lead with more impact, heart, and clarity — this episode will move you. 🔗 Grab Erica’s book Pets Are Family: https://www.amazon.com/Pets-are-Family-simple-that/dp/B0CTSFLYYT 🔗 Connect with Erica: Website: https://www.erikasinner.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erika_sinner/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikasinner

💬 Start a conversation with Kari’s AI → https://www.delphi.ai/karischneider

👉 Want to use AI to amplify your leadership? Grab our free guide “The 50 Best AI Prompts for Executives” → https://thehumanalgorithm.ai/free-ai-guide