Gut+Science explores employee engagement insights you can act on, from CEOs you can trust. Get ready for high energy interviews led by employee engagement evangelist Nikki Lewallen—ones that’ll have you rethinking what it means to build successful people-first cultures.
What does it really mean to lead with purpose when lives, communities, and futures are on the line? Katherine sits down with Courtney Roberts, President and CEO of the Riley Children’s Foundation, to explore how storytelling, empathy, and bold vision can transform leadership into a force for lasting impact.
Courtney shares her journey from small town curiosity and global health equity work to leading one of Indiana’s most beloved philanthropic organizations. Together, she and Katherine unpack the powerful role leaders play as chief storytellers, bridging mission and meaning while building cultures rooted in trust, innovation, and inclusivity.
From engaging the next generation of donors to navigating hard conversations with authenticity and clarity, this episode is a masterclass in people first leadership. If you are striving to connect purpose with performance and lead with both heart and strategy, this conversation will leave you energized and ready to act.
Additional Resources:
Connect with Courtney on LinkedIn
Learn more about Riley Children’s Foundation
Connect with Katherine Coble on LinkedIn
Watch Gut + Science (and more) on YouTube!
Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn
Learn more about PeopleForward Network
Key Takeaways:
- Purpose driven leadership fuels meaningful community impact
- Storytelling connects mission, donors, and organizational culture
- Values alignment strengthens internal and external communication
- Flex communication styles to meet audience needs
- Access and equity can guide lifelong leadership decisions
Nikki Gregory
Gut + Science
Gut + Science is a mentoring platform for people-first leaders of all levels. We talk to exceptional leaders who prioritize culture, get fired up about employee engagement, and are excited to share ideas and tools for bettering employee experiences.
We are on a mission to improve employee engagement by inspiring and equipping leaders to help employees thrive at work. Host Nikki Gregory highlights accomplished, people-first CEOs (and executives) that share their powerful mindsets, experiences and tools that have helped them succeed. Content experts share education and inspiration on topics such as diversity and inclusion, emerging and lucid leadership, and corporate social responsibility. We named the show Gut + Science because leaders need both data and experiences to guide decision making.
Nikki is passionate about helping millions love their work, about giving back, about investing in people. In Gut + Science, these callings come to life in the form of high-energy interviews designed to help pave the way for people-first cultures, and give leaders the inside scoop on how to build winning cultures and companies. Nikki has helped countless executives make meaningful, relationship-oriented investments.