Is your leadership model aligned with purpose, or just performance?

Only 32% of employees feel engaged at work (Gallup). And yet, companies with strong purpose report 30% higher innovation and retention (McKinsey). So what gives?

Join us on The Bliss Business Podcast with guest Bob Gappa, Founder & CEO of Management 2000, as we explore how great leadership starts with purpose, and why that purpose must be operationalized to build real engagement.

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

In this episode:

• Why most purpose statements fail to inspire action

• How to build systems of commitment, not just compliance

• The leadership legacy question every CEO should ask

• Practical ways to embed values into everyday decisions

If you're a founder, executive, or people leader, this conversation will help you rethink how your organization lives its values, not just talk about them.

💬 What’s one way your company puts purpose into practice?

73% of consumers say they are more likely to trust brands that act consistently with their stated values across every touchpoint. But when promises outpace proof, audiences call it purpose washing.

In this week’s Marketing With Purpose Kit from The Bliss Business Podcast, we break down how to keep your purpose real, measurable, and aligned across your entire organization. We also look at brands that back it up with action and transparency.

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach, Mike Liwski, and Tullio Siragusa
🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

🧭 In this episode, we cover:
• What purpose washing is and how to spot it
• Examples of action-backed purpose, including transparency-led models
• Five guardrails to stay authentic: consistency, evidence and transparency, employee alignment, long-term commitment, and clear boundaries
• Practical steps to align marketing, ops, HR, and product with your stated values

🎧 Whether you lead brand, run growth, or guide culture, this Kit shows how to turn purpose into proof points your audience can trust.

90% of top performers have high emotional intelligence, yet only 36% of people can identify their emotions as they happen (TalentSmart).

Emotional intelligence isn’t a “soft skill.” It’s the foundation of effective leadership, stronger cultures, and better business outcomes.

In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we’re joined by Michael Ward, Founder and CEO of Paminga, a modern marketing automation platform built as a simpler, more powerful alternative to Marketo, Eloqua, HubSpot, and Marketing Cloud.

Michael brings decades of diverse experience as a database architect, UX designer, coder, and sales and marketing leader, and today he shares how emotional intelligence fuels both innovation and culture in business.

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

🧭 In this episode, we explore:

• How EQ reshapes leadership and business outcomes

• Systems leaders can use to embed EQ into everyday practices

• Common mistakes leaders make with EQ and how to avoid them

• Why emotional intelligence is essential for building purpose-driven organizations

🎧 Whether you’re leading a startup, a global enterprise, or your own team, this conversation will give you actionable strategies to strengthen leadership with EQ.

Only 36% of employees in the U.S. say they feel engaged at work, and lack of empathy from leadership is often cited as a leading cause of disengagement (Gallup). Yet research shows that leaders who practice empathy foster stronger trust, improve retention, and drive higher performance across teams.

In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we’re joined by Katharine Manning, Author, Public Speaker, and President of Blackbird. Katharine is the author of The Empathetic Workplace: Five Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job and teaches at American University.

With more than 25 years of experience working on trauma and victimization, including 15 years at the Justice Department supporting cases like the Boston Marathon bombing and the Pulse Nightclub shooting, Katharine brings a wealth of expertise on empathy as both a human and organizational imperative.

Her work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Newsweek, CNBC, Business Insider, Thrive Global, and CEOWorld. Through her company Blackbird, Katharine provides training and consultation that helps organizations build cultures rooted in compassion and resilience.

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

🧭 In this episode, we explore:

• Why empathy is not a soft skill but a leadership superpower

• How leaders can respond with compassion to employees facing trauma or stress

• The connection between empathy, psychological safety, and organizational performance

• Practical steps leaders can take to integrate empathy into decision-making and culture-building

🎧 Whether you’re a founder, executive, or people leader, this conversation will give you concrete strategies to elevate your leadership through empathy and build workplaces where both people and businesses thrive.

73% of consumers say they are more likely to trust a brand whose tone of voice feels authentic and consistent across every touchpoint (Edelman Trust Barometer).

In this week’s Marketing With Purpose Kit from The Bliss Business Podcast, we explore how tone and voice bring your brand’s purpose to life, not just in what you say, but in how you say it.

📅 Wednesday, August 27, 2025 | 🕗 8:00 AM PDT

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach, Tullio Siragusa, and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

🧭 In this episode, we cover:

• Why tone and voice are the bridge between your purpose and your audience’s experience

• Examples from brands like Liquid Death, Mailchimp, Tom’s, and Oatly

• How to avoid mixed signals that weaken your purpose

• Steps to document and train teams to communicate in purposeful, consistent ways

🎧 Whether you’re shaping ad copy, customer support scripts, or social campaigns, this episode shows how tone and voice can transform every interaction into a proof point of your purpose.

Emotional intelligence accounts for nearly 90% of what sets high performers apart from their peers (Harvard Business Review). Yet too often, EQ is dismissed as “soft skills” instead of being recognized as the foundation of effective leadership, culture, and business growth.

In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we’re joined by Kath Allen, Founder of Hike Doggie Inc & Hike Doggie Franchising LLC, and Abbey Lee, Partner of Hike Doggie Inc & Hike Doggie Franchising LLC. Together, they are scaling a purpose-driven brand that combines adventure-driven pet care with empathy-centered leadership and franchising.

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

🧭 In this episode, we explore:

• How emotional intelligence strengthens leadership and team dynamics

• The role of empathy and trust in scaling Hike Doggie’s franchise model

• Systems that foster connection and resilience during rapid growth

• Why purpose and compassion are cornerstones of sustainable success

🎧 Whether you’re a founder, executive, or team leader, this conversation will inspire you to integrate emotional intelligence into the way you lead and grow.

Organizations with strong, positive cultures see employee engagement rates up to 72% higher than those with weak cultures (Gallup). Yet too often, leaders focus on “fixing” people rather than addressing the systems, values, and environment that shape behavior. The real transformation begins when we fix the culture.

In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we’re joined by Garry Ridge, Chairman Emeritus of WD-40 Company and Founder of The Learning Moment. Known as the “Dean of Dumbassery,” Garry brings decades of leadership wisdom, showing organizations how to create cultures where learning, trust, and accountability replace blame and fear. His approach has helped companies around the globe turn engagement into a competitive advantage.

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach, Mike Liwski and Tullio Siragusa

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

🧭 In this episode, we explore:

• Why leaders should fix the culture, not the people

• How trust and psychological safety drive performance

• Lessons from WD-40’s transformation into a “tribe” with 93% engagement

• Practical steps to replace blame with curiosity in the workplace

🎧 Whether you’re a CEO, manager, or team leader, this conversation will inspire you to create a culture where people feel valued, trusted, and empowered to succeed.

40% of purpose-driven companies experience higher employee retention and stronger brand loyalty (Deloitte).

As your business grows, markets shift, and your audience changes, your purpose may need to evolve. The key is doing it in a way that deepens impact without losing the essence of who you are.

In this week’s Marketing With Purpose Kit from The Bliss Business Podcast, we explore how to refresh your mission so it continues to inspire, guide, and connect—while staying true to your roots.

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach, Tullio Siragusa, and Mike Liwski
🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

🧭 In this episode, we cover:
• How to recognize the signs your purpose needs to evolve
• Steps to update your mission while preserving authenticity
• Real-world examples from Airbnb, National Geographic, Netflix, REI, and Lego
• How to use your evolution to re-energize storytelling and brand connection

🎧 Whether you’re a marketer, founder, or leader, this episode shows how to align growth with purpose so your brand’s heartbeat stays strong in every chapter.