Podcast Summary: "Confidence Classic: Lead With Empathy, Strength & Purpose with Dalia Feldheim"

Podcast: Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan
Host: Heather Monahan | YAP Media
Guest: Dalia Feldheim (Founder, Flow Leadership Consultancy)
Release Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Heather Monahan interviews Dalia Feldheim, a former C-suite executive at Procter & Gamble and founder of Flow Leadership Consultancy. The conversation revolves around empathetic leadership, finding your purpose, and creating happier, psychologically safe workplaces. Drawing from her corporate journey—including leading the influential "Always #LikeAGirl" campaign—and her research on leadership, Feldheim shares strategies to boost happiness and confidence at work, the dangers of toxic cultures, and the imperative to humanize the workplace by balancing traditionally ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ leadership traits.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reclaiming Leadership: "Like a Girl" and Brand Impact

• From Selling Pads to Empowering Women
  • Early in her career, Feldheim realized her work went beyond products to women’s empowerment. A pivotal experience in India highlighted the stigmas around menstruation, inspiring the campaign "I Dared I Touch the Pickle."
  • Quote [02:52]:

    “Six months into the role I realized I'm not in the business of selling pads. I'm in the business of women empowerment.” – Dalia Feldheim

• Genesis of 'Always #LikeAGirl' Campaign
  • The global campaign aimed to reclaim the phrase “like a girl,” shifting it from an insult to a source of pride.
  • Quote [04:58]:

    “When we ask a young girl what it means to run like a girl, she says, ‘run as fast as you can,’ and suddenly in socialization, it becomes an insult.” – Dalia Feldheim

2. Leading with Purpose: The Importance of Passion at Work

• Finding Purpose Workshops
  • Feldheim describes leading corporate workshops to help people discover the intersection between their strengths, passions, and what the world needs.
  • She emphasizes that meaning and motivation can be found in any job when one brings their heart to it.
  • Quote [06:49]:

    “It's not a job if you bring your heart into the work. The first dimension of leading like a girl is leading with purpose.” – Dalia Feldheim

• The Power of Storytelling and Science
  • Feldheim's methodology for leadership combines storytelling, scientific research (especially positive psychology), and practical application.
  • Quote [08:01]:

    “Storytelling is a big deal… when you speak from the heart, you reach the heart.” – Dalia Feldheim

3. Overcoming Toxic Leadership and Resilience

• A Personal Crisis: Toxic Bosses
  • Feldheim shares a troubling encounter with a toxic manager who ridiculed her emotions (the “Dalia’s tissue box” incident) and dismissed her skills, leading her to lose confidence and even become physically ill.
  • Notable Moment [16:18]:

    “He smiled at me and he gave me a box of tissue… On the other side… was a handmade sticker... ‘Dahlia’s tissue box.’”

• Lessons Learned: When to Leave
  • She stresses the limits of resilience and the necessity of exiting truly toxic environments:
    Quote [21:39]:

    “When you work for a toxic environment, there really is only one strategy and that is zero tolerance. I was too empathetic... instead of saying, ‘I’m sorry, you won’t talk to me like that.’”

• "Frog in Boiling Water" Phenomenon
  • Feldheim likens staying too long in toxic workplaces to a frog in slowly boiling water—deterioration happens gradually and unnoticed.

4. The 5P Resilience Model

Feldheim outlines her “5P” model for resilience and happiness at work:

1. Purpose & Strengths
   • Quote [29:37]:

     “If you're in a workplace where you are not able to bring your strengths to work every single day, you're not in the right place.”

2. Perspective / Perseverance (Growth Mindset)
   • Embrace failure as learning: “Failing is good. It builds resilience.”
3. Physical Power (Self-care)
   • Prioritize recovery, healthy eating, sleep, and digital detox.
   • Quote [31:12]:

     “Digital detoxing is really important… productivity went up by 74%.”

4. People & Relationships
   • Happiness at work is determined by the quality of relationships; invest deeply in work friendships.
   • Quote [31:54]:

     “The quality of our life is the quality of our relationship. And also at work.”

5. Positivity (Emotional Acceptance & Gratitude)
   • Accept all emotions—“permission to be human”—and practice daily gratitude.
   • Quote [32:40]:

     “It’s okay not to be okay… Gratitude is really focusing on what we have versus what we don’t have... spending five minutes a day in a state of gratitude completely alters your well-being.”

5. Humanizing the Workplace: Masculine & Feminine Leadership

• Balance of Traits
  • Feldheim calls for an integration of empathetic (historically “feminine”) traits—like intuition, teamwork, and empathy—into traditional business cultures focused on “power over” rather than “power with.”
  • Quote [34:38]:

    “The business world has collapsed into wounded masculine power over people versus power with people... I’m provoking all leaders to connect to more historically feminine traits... to humanize the workplace.”

6. Practical Impact and Advocacy

• Book: "Dare to Lead Like a Girl"
  • Profits from the book are dedicated to women’s causes globally.
  • Feldheim shares anecdotes of how her work has empowered both women and men to step up, change, and lead with empathy.
  • Notable Quote [35:43]:

    “I decided to dedicate all profits to women causes around the world. I am on a mission to humanize the workplace.”

  • Story [36:52]:

    “A guy in Australia called me: ‘I watched your TED Talk... I’m a reformed asshole. I want to change. What do I do?’”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote / Moment | |-----------|--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:52 | Dalia Feldheim| "Six months into the role I realized I'm not in the business of selling pads. I'm in the business of women empowerment." | | 04:58 | Dalia Feldheim| "When we ask a young girl what it means to run like a girl, she says, ‘run as fast as you can,’ and suddenly in socialization, it becomes an insult." | | 16:18 | Dalia Feldheim| The “Dahlia’s tissue box” incident—a stinging example of toxic leadership. | | 21:39 | Dalia Feldheim| “When you work for a toxic environment, there really is only one strategy and that is zero tolerance.” | | 29:37 | Dalia Feldheim| “If you're in a workplace where you are not able to bring your strengths to work every single day, you're not in the right place.” | | 31:54 | Dalia Feldheim| “The quality of our life is the quality of our relationship. And also at work.” | | 34:38 | Dalia Feldheim| “I’m provoking all leaders to connect to more historically feminine traits like empathy, intuition, teamwork... to humanize the workplace.” | | 35:43 | Dalia Feldheim| “I decided to dedicate all profits to women causes around the world. I am on a mission to humanize the workplace.” | | 36:52 | Dalia Feldheim| “A guy in Australia called me: ‘I watched your TED Talk... I’m a reformed asshole. I want to change. What do I do?’” |

Key Takeaways

• Purpose-Driven Leadership is Transformational: Aligning work with personal strengths and passions can drive both business results and social change.
• Toxic Cultures Demand Swift Action: No amount of personal resilience can justify enduring a workspace that violates core values—zero tolerance is essential.
• Empathy & Relationships are Critical to Success: Companies thrive when leaders champion empathy, vulnerability, and genuine human connection.
• Practical Tools Make a Difference: Regular self-care, digital detox, cultivating gratitude, and fostering close workplace relationships significantly enhance happiness and performance.
• Anyone—Regardless of Gender—Can Lead with Empathy: Integrating both 'masculine' and 'feminine' leadership traits creates more human, effective workplaces.

Resources & Where to Find Dalia Feldheim

• Book: Dare to Lead Like a Girl – Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores
• Website: [Dalia Feldheim’s site; offers anonymous gifting of the book to toxic bosses]
• Feldheim’s profits support global women’s causes, including Lead Like a Girl schools in India.

For Listeners Seeking Action

• Reflect on whether your current environment allows you to use your strengths daily.
• Build meaningful relationships at work.
• Practice gratitude daily—try a tangible reminder like Feldheim’s “gratitude” sticker by the bathroom mirror.
• Don’t tolerate toxic leadership—know when to fight for change, and when it’s time to leave.

Heather closes the conversation:
“Get Dare to Lead Like a Girl by Dalia Feldheim. This book is a must. Dalia, thank you so much and keep up the amazing work that you’re doing.” [37:23]

This summary distills the core lessons, stories, and strategies from Dalia Feldheim’s inspiring conversation with Heather Monahan, offering actionable inspiration for anyone seeking to lead with more empathy, strength, and purpose.