

On the PurposeFused podcast, our partners host conversations with leaders from multiple sectors about what’s possible when we invest in leading and living with purpose, for ourselves and our teams. By learning from guests’ experiences in the purpose journey, as business leaders and humans beyond the workplace, the show serves as a catalyst for action.
Grace Zuncic is Chief People and Impact Officer at the deeply purpose-driven adventure gear retailer, Cotopaxi. She sees it as her own purpose to help others be their best selves, which she’s realized is something she can do at scale in HR roles. Now, she’s helping Cotopaxi through a stage of rapid growth beyond its initial familial startup phase, to attract, develop, and engage employees
We discussed ways that employers can help their people identify and engage with their own individual purpose, even if the organization is earlier in its technical impact journey than Cotopaxi. Three levers came up to do this: first, building a culture with a growth mindset, questioning each other and established practices, and practicing radical candor. Secondly, doing human things that fit your organization’s size and structure, like celebrating birthdays, sharing personal stories, or posting non-work inspiration photos on a corporate channel, like Cotopaxi’s #inthewild Slack channel. And finally, helping people see and recognize the ways that the other pieces of their ‘pie’ can provide fulfillment, inspiration, and purpose – and supporting them to spend time and energy in those activities, not just at work.
Additional Resources
















Mark Griffin, Neil Turnham, Nell Derick Debevoise
Connecting With Purpose
CONNECTING WITH PURPOSE is a place for consequential conversations about doing what matters most in times when our families, workplaces, and communities need us. On the PurposeFused podcast, our partners host conversations with leaders from multiple sectors about what’s possible when we invest in leading and living with purpose, for ourselves and our teams.
By learning from guests’ experiences in the purpose journey, as business leaders and humans beyond the workplace, the show serves as a catalyst for action. Connecting With Purpose inspires and guides discovery to embed purpose into people’s work and lives, improving wellbeing and performance for themselves, their organizations, and their worlds. We help leaders create the impact they seek and inspire a ripple effect of purpose activation.