Leadership Beyond Titles: Practicing Empathy, Presence, and Purpose with Michele Stowe & Shannon Wallis

In this deeply moving episode of WAHNcast, host Ashley Northcutt sits down with Michele Stowe, founder of Skyrocket Coaching and former COO of Mercy Housing, and Shannon Wallis, founder and managing director of Cascade Leadership and former global director of High Potential Leadership Development at Microsoft. Together, they explore how profound loss can reveal the truest forms of leadership. Drawing from their essays in the new anthology Lives Lost and Leadership Found, Michelle reflects on the legacy of Sister Lillian Murphy, the visionary CEO of Mercy Housing, while Shannon shares lessons learned from her mother’s journey through resilience, disability, and love. This conversation challenges the notion that leadership is about titles — instead, it’s a practice rooted in presence, empathy, and action. From “assuming positive intent” to “underlooking” others, Michele and Shannon remind us that leadership begins in the smallest acts of compassion. Tune in for insights that connect loss, love, and legacy — and rediscover the heart of what it means to lead.  And get your copy of Lives Lost and Leadership Found and Shannon's new book, WE the Change: Launching Big Ideas and Creating New Realities, on our website.