Paula For the People: Let Go to Reach Further

What does it look like when your job title and your soul are perfectly aligned? For ethics & compliance officer Paula Young, the answer has always been simple: it’s about the people. In this conversation, Paula Young and Sarah Hadden dive into what it really means to lead with humanity—how she earned the nickname “Paula For the People,” why she believes compliance is less about rules and more about winning hearts and minds, and what it took for her to stop being the person everyone handed work to and start being the person everyone looked to for vision. A moment that has stayed with me is Paula’s story of a mud run she almost didn’t do. Standing at the base of a wall, covered in mud, holding on with everything she had—until her cousin screamed from the top, “You have to let go.” What she learned in that moment has carried her through divorce, reinvention, and every transition since. We also talk about her work with Junior Achievement; her involvement with What Moves Her—a community that empowers women in leadership; and where she finds herself now: in a season of listening, learning, and gathering the courage for whatever comes next. This episode begins cold—no introductions, no small talk—just Paula, at her most authentic, telling us exactly why she loves what she does. Enjoy.