Podcast appearances and mentions of laila tarraf

Recognizing when one feels stuck is portrayed as a profound opportunity for introspection and growth. The discussion emphasizes the importance of acknowledging internal dissonance as a catalyst for change, particularly within the context of leadership. Laila Tarraf articulates that many business professionals tend to ignore their feelings of being stuck, opting instead to immerse themselves in work, which ultimately leads to a lack of authentic engagement and personal fulfillment. This episode delves into the transformative journey of leadership, highlighting the significance of integrating emotional intelligence with traditional business acumen. By fostering a connection between the head and the heart, leaders can cultivate environments that prioritize compassion and authenticity, ultimately leading to more meaningful and effective organizational cultures.A pivotal theme in the discussion revolves around the concept of feeling 'stuck' in one's professional journey. Laila Tarraf articulates that recognizing this state is a profound realization, as it prompts introspection and deeper exploration of one's circumstances. The dialogue emphasizes the importance of acknowledging internal dissonance rather than ignoring it. Many professionals tend to bypass these feelings, opting instead to immerse themselves in work as a means of distraction. This behavior can lead to prolonged periods of stagnation. Laila Tarraf posits that such moments of feeling 'stuck' serve as crucial wake-up calls, offering opportunities for significant personal and organizational growth. Leaders in particular are encouraged to pay attention to what is not functioning effectively in their roles, as this awareness can catalyze a transformative process that moves them toward more authentic and effective leadership styles. By examining the dissonance they experience, leaders can begin to identify resistance to change and start to engage more deeply with their emotions, ultimately leading to greater clarity and purpose in their endeavors.Takeaways: Recognizing that one is stuck is a significant opportunity for introspection and growth. Leaders must pay attention to what is not working in their approach to management and leadership. The journey towards compassionate leadership begins with self-acceptance and understanding one's own vulnerabilities. Embracing both strength and softness as leadership qualities can enhance the effectiveness of a leader's approach. Links and Resources:Laila Tarraf on LinkedInChanging WorkScott Shute on LinkedInNicholas Whitaker on LinkedInAimee Serene on LinkedInThanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Changing Work? Have some feedback you'd like to share? Connect with us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube to leave us a review!

Every February, around this time, approximately 8 billion small heart-shaped candies are created and exchanged.  These candies bear messages of love and care, and are often used as gifts to express feelings for another person.   In each episode featuring a guest, we ask them if there are any words of wisdom they might share with their younger selves. These words of wisdom are like those Sweetheart treats, but instead of representing love for someone else, they are messages of love directed to our guests themselves, and by extension, to all of us.  We are so inspired by the wisdom our guests shared, so we put all these beautiful words together, as a little love treat for our listeners.  Enjoy!   Thank you to our amazing guests for their words of wisdom: Donna Peek, Darren Gold, Leslie McGuirk, Mike Robbins, Susan Olesek, Laila Tarraf, Nichelle Trambell Spellman, Rachel Bitecofer, Bridgette Corridan, Mary Lin McBride, Ali Ingersoll, Cara Jones, David Richman, Chris Pierce, Chris Tsakalakis, Jill Santa Lucia, Forrest Wright, Aisha Ponds, Donna Rhode, Kristin Firpo, Marney Sullivan, Deborah Egerton, Rebekah Rotstein, Daryan Rahimzadeh, Kat Gordon, Kat Williford, Jeff Slater, Bryan Gillette, Oneika Mays, Vanessa Loder, Kerri Kelly, Seane Corn, Sarah McDonald, Mary Felice, Shelly Tygielski, Joe Walsh, Rebecca Ward, Nicole Swiner, Natalie Grumet, Marti Grimminck, Ava Lashay, Maureen Aarons, Josh Izenberg, Trish Hegarty, Kim Hunter, Ashleigh Parker, Chris Hendricks, Danny Rosin, Michelle Simmons, Katherine Kennedy, Tony Lillios

This episode features an interview with Laila Tarraf, author of Strong Like Water. After losing her parents and husband, Laila learned that compassion was essential in her personal and professional life. Prior to writing her book, Laila served as the Chief People Officer for Allbirds and Peet's Coffee, and was the Vice President of HR for Walmart.com. In this episode, Amanda sits down with Laila to discuss leading with love, harmony between company values and felt experience, and psychological safety.-------------------“It matters more that what your stated values are mirror the felt experience, than what those stated values are. There's a cognitive culture, which is what you say your values are and the stated words. And then there's the emotional culture. It's like, ‘Okay, but how does it feel? How are people talking to me? How are we relating to each other?' And the greater the dissonance between those two things, that's where you run into issues because then, employees are like, ‘Well, we say it's this, but what I'm seeing is this.' And that's where trust breaks down. And so it actually hurts you to have these beautifully well-articulated values and the accouterments that come with whatever you think employees are looking for; free lunches or workout rooms, but you're not able to talk to your manager. You're not clear on what your role is. Conflict is swept under the rug, So, it becomes passive aggressive. It's all of those things. It's your felt experience really, that is the true culture and the other things become like window washing and that actually ends up hurting you because then you lose the trust.” – Laila Tarraf-------------------Episode Timestamps:*(01:52): Laila's background*(05:58): Segment: Story Time*(06:14): Laila discusses her book Strong Like Water*(17:17): Laila's advice for leading with courage and love*(27:49): Segment: Ripped From The Headlines*(28:29): Skills leaders need to have to guide employees through challenging times*(31:24): Segment: Asking For a Friend*(31:49): What future changes in leadership Laila expects-------------------Links:Visit Laila's WebsiteFollow Laila on InstagramConnect with Laila on LinkedInConnect with Amanda on LinkedInwww.simpplr.com/podcast

Laila Tarraf is a senior human resource executive with over 25 years of professional experience. After graduating with her MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, she became one of the founding team members at Walmart.com. She then served as Chief People Officer at Peet's Coffee and Tea, an iconic Bay Area premium coffee company. Currently, Laila is the Chief People Officer at Allbirds, a sustainable footwear and apparel brand. She is also a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs and investors and is a guest lecturer at Berkeley Law School. Her journey and hard-won insights are what she shares in her debut book, Strong Like Water. Conversations with Extraordinary People A monthly FB Live/podcast based on my book The Magical Guide to Bliss. It takes the listener through the year with empowering conversations from January and Carpe Diem- Seize the Day to December, Awe-inspiring Magic and Miracles. Start the year empowered with The Magical Guide to Bliss - get your copy on Amazon.com or order a signed magical copy at megnocero.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meg-nocero/support

People working in a culture with a balance of boundaries and empathy are more motivated to perform well. That's what Laila Tarraf realized in her decades of experience as a recruitment and business leader. She carried this realization and successfully developed a work culture that effectively combines high-performance growth and caring culture.Laila is the Chief People Officer at Allbirds, where she is responsible for guiding and strengthening the company's unique, mission-based culture. She wrote Strong Like Water: How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life at a time when she experienced the grief of losing loved ones yet gained powerful realizations as a mother and business leader. In her view, connecting to our common humanity and bringing hearts to the workplace is the key to creating exceptional organizations.Listen to this episode as Sean and Laila exchange inspiring thoughts on recruitment and its changes from the industrial to the information age, holistic leadership, and emotional resilience.Episode quotesOn creating the post-pandemic hybrid workplace[00:15:05] I think a post-pandemic hybrid workplace and meeting greater flexibility in work is all about a very integrated holistic leadership style that can balance being empathetic and caring— compassionate while at the same time focusing on growing the business and holding people accountable. And while the two might seem like they're on opposite ends of the spectrum, they're really not. They're more like the DNA strands of a helix that are intertwined. I'm always drawing these two intersecting circles where I have business on one side and people on the other, and so there's an overlap, and that's the sweet spot. And for all of us, it's finding that mix, that alchemy that works for us, given our personal style, we all have it. It's just figuring out how to play in the middle. On treating employees as a team, rather than as a family[00:18:24] While you may have made great friends that you think of as family, we're not a family because you can't quit your family. You can't leave your family. We're really a team, and not to denigrate the connections and relationships because being a high-performing team, when you ask people, what are the most inspirational times in their life where they have the greatest connections, it's usually when they're part of a team where they're trying to tackle a really tough challenge, whether it's in sports or business, and they came together and were able to overcome whatever this thing was. And that's beautiful.On creating a balance between caring for people and communicating their areas for improvement[00:19:46] The challenge is the counterbalance to being empathetic and being able to hold your boundaries. Because if you don't, then you're merging. I think there is a way that you can care for the person and keep your connection to the person while at the same time delivering a message that they're not meeting expectations or that something needs to improve. It really is as much an art as it is a science to drop into connection and show that you care.On how she picked the title for her book[00:24:43] I chose the title Strong Like Water after Lao Tzu's The Tao Te Ching it's verse 78, right? Be like water. Be like water is really about how water is actually very powerful, but in a gentle way. And in it, he says water is fluid, soft, and yielding, but water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, water is fluid, soft, and yielding, which will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. And he said that this is a paradox that what is soft is strong. And when I read that, I thought that's it. And I realized that really life, in general, is all about reconciling these dualities, where we fall into these false paradoxes where we think I'm either weak or I'm strong. But the reality is like the yin yang symbol; there is no hard, there is no soft. It just depends on your viewpoint. We are all both. Show Links:Laila Tarraf on LinkedInLaila Tarraf Official WebsiteStrong Like Water™ How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in LifeSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/onehaas/donations

Welcome friends to Episode #87 of the Own Your Best Life Podcast. Sometimes, events happen in our lives that shake everything up. This happened with today's guest, Laila Tarraf. LEARN MORE ABOUT COACHING: https://mayempson.com/contact MAY EMPSON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mayempson OWN YOUR BEST LIFE SHOWNOTES: https://mayempson.com/87-strong-like-water-with-laila-tarraf/

Laila Tarraf is a senior human resource executive with over 25 years of professional experience. After graduating with her MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, she became one of the founding team members at Walmart.com. She then served as Chief People Officer at Peet's Coffee and Tea, an iconic Bay Area premium coffee company. Currently, Laila is the Chief People Officer at Allbirds, a sustainable footwear and apparel brand. She is also a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs and investors and is a guest lecturer at Berkeley Law School. Her debut novel, Strong Like Water, shares her hard-won insights on the importance of balancing courage and compassion, and infusing power with tenderness in business and in life.

Laila's husband died of an accidental overdose, within a few weeks her father died, and shortly after her mother.  In this discussion we talk about compound loss, avoiding feelings and what it looks and feels like to honor them. Strong Like Water:  Lessons Learned From Leading With Love  https://shewritespress.com/portfolio/laila-tarraf/ https://www.lailatarraf.com  

Today's leadership in the virtual and hybrid world requires a new leadership mindset. Leaders must be flexible and willing to work with ambiguity. It's very much about collaboration and the process of inquiry. On today's podcast, we interview Laila Tarraf, Chief People Officer of Allbirds and learn about her journey and her powerful new leadership book, Strong Like Water™  How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in LifeLaila Tarraf will show you how to open your heart and step into the type of leadership that is required in today's chaotic world where no one has the map of what the future brings. Laila encourages leaders to strike a balance between using their heads and their hearts, a place where Laila believes the magic happens. In this episode, you'll hear Laila's incredible story where connecting to her heart allowed her to strengthen her leadership.Leadership Mindset ShiftsFrom “Just keep Going” to “Stop, Process, & Feel”From Having Your “Edge” to Being “Soft” is a Strength From Leadership is an “Outside-in Job” to an “Inside-out Job” From “Be Unrealistically Hard On Yourself” to “Love Yourself”From “Have All the Answers & Do It On Your Own” to “Tribe Mentality”From “Leading Blindly” to “Principled Leadership”To learn more about the details behind these leadership mindset shifts, see the full summary here and listen to the podcast. 

Looking for inspiring reading this summer? My next guest has written a deeply moving and insightful book that I know you're going to love!Laila Tarraf, is author of Strong Like Water: How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life.  Laila offers us insights and inspiration for finding a natural balance and leading as a whole person—with compassion, courage, intellect and empathy. In this conversation Laila shares her deeply personal stories of what motived this book, and what can help you too!(Guest Bio)After graduating with an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, Laila Tarraf became one of the founding team members at Walmart.com. She then served as Chief People Officer at Peet's Coffee and Tea, an iconic San Francisco Bay Area premium coffee company. Currently, Laila is the Chief People Officer at AllBirds- the sustainable shoes and clothing company whose products are made with natural materials like merino wool and eucalyptus.Find Laila Tarraf on:LinkedInFacebookInstagram-----------------Check out the book! - Fearless: Girls with Dreams, Women with VisionThe Fearless Women Podcastfearlesswomenpodcast@gmail.comThe Beacon AgencySponsors:BDCLockheed MartinExport Development Canada 

To paraphrase the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, people must be strong like water, yet we must also be gentle like soft flowing streams. This means finding the right balance between courage and compassion, power and tenderness, be it in your personal or professional life. In this episode, our host Emi Kirschner is joined by the Chief People Officer of Allbirds, Laila Tarraf. Laila shares her experiences growing and learning how to gain balance in her life. She discusses sustainability, balancing your personal and work life, what she learned during the time she was writing her book, and dealing with grief.

Today's podcast has a topic that I was really looking forward to getting into. Laila Tarraf, Chief People Officer from Allbirds is here to talk about why leading with compassion has never been more important.This was a really great conversation, especially coming off of a year and a half of the pandemic. This awareness of empathy and compassionate leadership is something that I hope we keep around post-COVID. “Leadership is an inside-out job. And so if you're not compassionate with yourself, and you're not cutting yourself slack, and if your inner critic is on full tilt…” “Research shows that you do your best work when you are fully engaged and you actually really like it. And that is only going to happen when you feel you can be yourself.”

Laila Tarraf was the Chief People Officer for Peet's Coffee and Tea, the iconic Berkeley coffee roaster that launched the craft coffee movement in America, but she had a secret: she was failing in the most important relationships in her life. Yes, she was a strong and effective business leader, the successful daughter of immigrants, and the mother of a toddler, but she was disconnected from her own feelings and had little patience for the feelings of others. All that changed when life handed her a trifecta of losses: her husband died of an accidental drug overdose, and her parents' deaths followed in quick succession. Laila had spent her life leading from the head, convinced that any display of vulnerability would make her soft. And it did, but soft turned out to be strong. As she reconnected to her heart, one painful step at a time, something remarkable happened: she became a better leader, a better mother, and a better person. Her heart turned out to be the true source of her power, at home and at work. Strong Like Water is a book about healing, about waking up, about learning who you are -- who you really, truly are at the core -- and reclaiming and embracing all the pieces of yourself you had long abandoned in the name of survival. For women longing for balance, this is a path to opening our hearts and infusing our leadership and relationships with love, compassion, and authenticity. Website: www.lailatarraf.com Instagram: @laila.tarraf Facebook Page : www.facebook.com/lailtarrafauthor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lailatarraf/ Book: https://www.lailatarraf.com/my-new-book ======================  Buy Meredith's Books: The Year of No Nonsense https://amzn.to/3su5qWp Triathlon for the Every Woman: https://amzn.to/3nOkjiH =======================   Follow Meredith Atwood & The Podcast on Social: Web: MeredithAtwood.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredith.atwood   =======================  Want to Connect?  Email: same24hourspodcast@gmail.com =======================  Credits: Host & Production: Meredith Atwood Copyright 2017-2020, 2021 All Rights Reserved, Meredith Atwood, LLC

Zibby is joined by Chief People Officer for Allbirds Laila Tarraf to discuss how three significant losses made her reconcile the tenderness of her personal life with the strength she had acquired in the business world. Laila shares the most valuable lessons she's learned from her bosses through the years, and how combining courage and compassion may be the most advantageous thing you can do for both your personal and professional personas.Purchase a copy on Amazon or Bookshop:Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xrzZ1uBookshop: https://bit.ly/2S3sEF7 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're talking about Books That Make You Become Strong Like Water In leadership books, we are so frequently advised on how to take charge, to lead groups, to be inspirational, productive, strong and indestructible. Especially as women, we are often conditioned to be tough in order to compete with male counterparts. What if we could take the advice of successful business woman Laila Tarraf and discover a way to manage courage, compassion, flexibility and intensity in order to be respected as well as liable? How can we find the courage to lead with love in business and in life? It took a series of three crushing losses for Laila to finally unlock decades of suppressed emotions, to integrate the parts of herself that render her both sensitive and strong. She is the author of “Strong Like Water: How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life”. Find out more on Books That Make You. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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In this episode, I'm joined by Laila Tarraf, a senior human resource executive who is currently the Chief People Officer of Allbirds, a sustainable footwear and apparel brand, and the author of the recently released book, “Strong Like Water: How I found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life.” In this beautifully written book, Laila is generous with her own vulnerability in sharing her personal story so that we all can learn through her experiences of both loss and growth.Together we talk about becoming a heart-based leader, what being “soft but strong” and “firm yet kind” looks like, and the power of leaning into discomfort. Laila shares what she learned at Peet's Coffee about what it takes to create an environment where employees feel like they can bring their full selves to work and offers tips on both how to strengthen one's heart as a leader and how to build Sustainable Ambition for oneself. We close by talking about the power of taking pauses, and Laila shares a favorite quote by Brother David Steindl-Rast (which I loved, too!): “You know the antidote to stress is not necessarily rest.... The antidote to stress is wholehearted living.” Amen!I encourage you to pick up Laila's beautiful book. Not only is it a wonderful read, it will leave you feeling inspired to lean into your own growth journey.Thank you so much for being in conversation with me, Laila!Thanks for Listening!If you liked this episode, please rate, review, and share the episode. Thank you so much!Get show notes for this episode at https://sustainableambition.com/podcast I'd love to hear what's on your mind! Take the Sustainable Ambition Listener Survey: http://bit.ly/sapodcast-survey Submit a question or comment for future episodes at podcast@SustainableAmbition.com Get my curated bi-weekly Sustainable Ambition Forum newsletter. Sign up https://sustainableambition.com/subscribe

Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Laila Tarraf, on air from May 11th Laila Tarraf, author of Strong Like Water: How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life. As women increasingly claim leadership roles in business and politics, and at a time in our nation when people are seeking authentic leaders, Laila Tarraf offers insights and inspiration for finding a natural balance and leading as a whole person—with compassion and courage, intellect and empathy. https://selfdiscoverymedia.com/?p=94700

Laila Tarraf, the Chief People Officer at Allbirds tells the story of how her new book, "Strong Like Water" came to be a reality. She shares how to lead with love through heartbreaks and successes ultimately (after a lot of work) landing in a place that is honest, integrated, and powerful. Her story is soul food for anyone who believes in the power of love and compassionate leadership.

Laila Tarraf didn't realize how hard she was working to be strong and in control of her emotions until she tragically lost her husband in 2007. After realizing she needed to change so she could help her daughter experience grief in a healthy way, she reconnected with her heart and forged a path to a healthier relationship with herself and those around her. Learn more about Laila and Strong Like Water: How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life here: https://www.lailatarraf.com/

The old models of leadership no longer serve organizations well. Those models expected leaders to be superhuman. But that kind of strength entirely misses the mark; it doesn't serve the needs of those we lead. Today, we need a leadership model that embraces vulnerability, along with service, humility, kindness, and love. We talked with Laila Tarraf, Chief People Officer at Allbirds, about her new book on leading with love in business and in life. We also talked about: -The old view of HR vs the new view of HR. -The difference between enabling and protecting your people. -How to help leaders find a deeper level of empathy. -Why love is a strength, not a weakness. For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Or tune in on our website. Get Laila's book, Strong Like Water.

Join us as we speak to author and HR executive, Laila Tarraf, to hear about her amazing journey of self discovery.  Through a series of  painful life experiences, Laila learned how important it is to let her whole self be seen, to allow for the vulnerability that she had pushed away her whole life, and to give herself time to pause and reflect.  One of the beautiful things about what Laila shares with us is that this was not only a personal journey, but it transformed the way she leads at work.  This podcast is full of insight and deeply moving reflection and fully embodies the flow between eastern and western philosophies.   Laila's growth and her modeling of a new way of being remind us of the Mariann Williamson quote: “...And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Laila Tarraf is a senior human resource executive with over 25 years of professional experience.  After graduating with her MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, she became one of the founding team members at Walmart.com.  She then served as Chief People Officer at Peet's Coffee and Tea, an iconic Bay Area premium coffee company. Currently, Laila is currently the Chief People Officer at Allbirds focused on leading through a global pandemic and broad social unrest. She is also a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs and investors and is a regular guest lecturer at Berkeley Law School.   Laila's book: https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Like-Water-Lessons-Learned-ebook/dp/B08F2CC76F Laila's website:  https://www.lailatarraf.com/  LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lailatarraf/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/laila.tarraf/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lailatarrafauthor/  

SUMMARY “Strong Like Water: How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life,” by new author Laila Tarraf chronicles one woman’s painful struggle with emotional trauma. The eldest of three children of Lebanese immigrant parents, Tarraf takes on the dual role of mediator between a warring mother and father and bridge between two cultures and languages. Finally, in her forties, when life serves up the crushing loss of her husband and both parents in quick succession, Tarraf can no longer ignore her own powerful emotions. In this “leader-sort of business book disguised as a memoir,” Tarraf tells her story with both brutal honesty and tender vulnerability. Her eventual transformation comes when she learns to strengthen her heart while giving it “equal playing time” alongside her head. Connecting the two becomes the key to unlocking both personal and professional growth. KEY IDENTIFIERS OF PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM EMOTIONAL TRAUMA Taking on the hero, helper, or fixer persona Disconnecting Overachieving Becoming self-reliant prematurely Keeping relationships at a distance; lacking intimacy and trust Pretending to not need comfort and nurturing QUOTES FROM TARRAF “Overachieving is the probably the most acceptable and respectable coping mechanism there is.” “There was no room for pain in my world…I had to keep moving mentally, emotionally, and physically to avoid the inevitable hardships in life.” “I kept on pushing down my disappointment, one swallow at a time, until I actually forgot that I possessed the very basic need of wanting to be cared for by my parents—or anyone for that matter.” “We all need space to know how we feel.” “True power comes from connecting your head to your heart.” “When a leader shows vulnerability…[she] normalizes it for everyone around [her].” BUY Strong Like Water: How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life RECOMMENDATION Check out She Writes Press, an award-winning publisher for women authors. Connect with us! Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube  Website Special thanks… Music Credit Sound Editing Credit

Hosted by long time radio reporter, anchor, editor, producer, director, and host, Larry Matthews, "Matthews and Friends" brings you the best interviews with guests from whom you want to hear! Join Larry Matthews today to hear his work with Hadassah Lieberman discussing her moving personal story "Hadassah: An American Story"; Laila Tarraf, author of "Strong Like Water: How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life"; and Jenny Yacovissi discussing the Washington Writers Conference. "Matthews and Friends" can be heard at 8:00 am and 10:00 pm ET, seven days a week on Impact Radio USA.

“Life was good,” says Laila Tarraf. She was head of the internet division at Walmart, then Chief People Officer for Peet’s Coffee and Tea.  “I had a good circle of friends, a daughter. I was strong and capable.” Then one day her husband passed away accidentally of a drug overdose--a mixture of alcohol, pain pills, and antidepressants.  “He always drank a lot,” says the daughter of immigrants who moved to the US from Lebanon when she was seven. “I never really understood there was a problem.” Tarraf says she “was really numb. Nothing like that had happened to me. I tried to tuck it away but feelings kept coming back. And I had this little girl who was grieving...I didn’t know how to comfort her.” So began Tarraf’s journey into therapy, deep work and her examination of the stories she had always told herself about not needing anyone or anything: “My mother was more like a child...I jumped in to take care of her. But I didn’t want to do that with my daughter.”  A short while later Tarraf’s father and then mother passed away. “In four to five years I’d suffered three big losses,” she says. Tarraf left her corporate job to get certified as a coach and write her first book, “Strong Like Water: How I found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in life” (https://amzn.to/2Qji649). “I grew up in a home where mom and dad fought a lot and I didn’t want to feel. It happens that qualities that saved you once, now hold you back...You have to go through the valley and break down to come out,” she says. “If you don’t there is no healing or transformation.”

First up is Laila Tarraf, author of Strong Like Water: How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life. This is a memoir of healing and learning from emotional trauma. https://www.lailatarraf.com/Then Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 95 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 39 years.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/realestate/oak-trees-why-you-should-plant.html

Laila Tarraf is a talent management and leadership development executive with over 25 years of experience building teams and advising companies across many industries and stages of growth. She was a founding member of Walmart.com at the height of the first internet bubble, and the Chief People Officer at Peet's Coffee and Tea as it was redefining its values as a national brand. She then spent seven years working in private equity as the Director of Human Capital at GI Partners and a Human Capital Advisor with Altamont Capital. Currently, as Chief People Officer for AllBirds, she is focused on building a high performance, human-centered organization capable of driving for results while at the same time nurturing a culture of connection and belonging as it grows into a global, sustainable consumer brand. Over the years, through professional achievements and personal accomplishments alongside professional setbacks and personal tragedies, Laila has evolved her leadership and life philosophy into one that embraces the inherent duality of life -- balancing courage with compassion, integrating head with heart, infusing power with tenderness. Her journey and hard-won insights are what she shares in her debut book, Strong Like Water. Laila is a graduate of the Berkeley Haas School of Business and is also a guest lecturer at Berkeley Law School. She is Lebanese and American, an avid traveler and world explorer, and a proud mom to her teenage daughter, Nadia and her 8-pound Yorkie, Max.   You can find me online at: My website: www.lailatarraf.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lailatarraf/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laila.tarraf/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lailatarrafauthor

— “These days, I can't even be Nadia's hero. I can't rescue her from life's tragedies. I can only support her with an open heart. The only person for whom I can be ultimately responsible is the nine-year-old girl inside of me.” Valeria Teles interviews Laila Tarraf — the author of “Strong Like Water: How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life.” Laila Tarraf is a senior human resource executive with over 25 years of professional experience.  After graduating with her MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, she became one of the founding team members at Walmart.com.  She then served as Chief People Officer at Peet's Coffee and Tea, an iconic Bay Area premium coffee company. Currently, Laila is the Head of People and Employee Experience for AllBirds, is a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs and investors, and is a regular guest lecturer at Berkeley Law School. Laila Tarraf was the Chief People Officer for Peet's Coffee and Tea, the iconic Berkeley coffee roaster that launched the craft coffee movement in America, but she had a secret: she was failing in the most important relationships in her life. Yes, she was a strong and effective business leader, the successful daughter of immigrants, and the mother of a toddler, but she was disconnected from her own feelings ­and had little patience for the feelings of others.  All that changed when life handed her a trifecta of losses: her husband died of an accidental drug overdose, and her parents' deaths followed in quick succession. Laila had spent her life leading from the head, convinced that any display of vulnerability would make her soft. And it did, but soft turned out to be strong. As she reconnected to her heart, one painful step at a time, something remarkable happened: she became a better leader, a better mother, and a better person. Her heart turned out to be the true source of her power, at home and at work.  This is a book about healing, about waking up, about learning who you are -- who you really, truly are at the core -- and reclaiming and embracing all the pieces of yourself you had long abandoned in the name of survival. For women longing for balance, this is a path to opening our hearts and infusing our leadership and relationships with love, compassion, and authenticity. To learn more about Laila Tarraf and her works please visit: https://www.lailatarraf.com/   — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life to the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.