Leaping Over Obstacles: Carolyn Lawrence on Leading Change

Carolyn Lawrence walked away from her dream job — Global DEI Leader at Deloitte — not because it wasn't working, but because she could no longer see what was next. What followed was a masterclass in exactly what she'd spent her career teaching others: how to read a system, resist the urge to fight it head-on, and move through obstacles with strategy instead of force. If you've ever felt the fire to change something but watched it fizzle the moment you walked back to your desk, this episode is the one you've been waiting for. In This Episode: Why pushing hard for change inside an organization can backfire — and what to do instead (the "what we resist persists" principle Carolyn learned the hard way at Deloitte) The exact tactic she used to get a skeptical senior leader to voluntarily open up their hiring process — and how that single conversation unlocked 19 of 20 DEI KPIs moving in the right direction over four years How Carolyn embedded inclusion scores into annual performance reviews tied to variable compensation — and why the COO sitting in on those reviews changed everything The four maturity levels of organizational inclusion, from "checking a box" to "this is just how we do business" — and what it looks like when a company truly doesn't need a DEI strategy anymore What it actually felt like to leave a dream job at Deloitte Global: the fear, the six months of community conversations, the third-of-asking-price first client, and the pivot to "impact strategist" that changed how she talks about her work Why equity at home directly creates equity at work — and the Deloitte study that proved men carry hidden burdens too Episode Highlights: 00:00 - Change That Backfires 00:30 - Podcast Premise Intro 00:56 - Meet Carolyn Lawrence 02:51 - Purpose And Career Path 03:58 - Early Equity Awakening 05:26 - Role Model Eureka Moment 07:53 - From Inspiration To Systems 09:25 - Curiosity Over Confrontation 12:46 - Deloitte Strategy Story 17:47 - Accountability That Works 22:10 - Coaching Passionate Teams 23:58 - Finding Your Voice 27:41 - Leaving Deloitte To Leap 31:20 - First Pitch To New Positioning 34:00 - DEI Maturity Levels 35:26 - DEI Maturity Integrated 36:36 - Equity Starts At Home 38:18 - Flexible Work Inclusion 39:41 - Hybrid Work Preference 40:31 - Sport For Wellbeing 42:19 - Meditation For Clarity 43:55 - No Regrets Lessons 45:06 - Leaping Over Obstacles 46:12 - Where To Find Carolyn 46:39 - Gut Check Debrief 48:24 - Building Teams Mentorship 53:28 - Podcasting Career Path 59:28 - Purpose And Impact 01:01:53 - Question We Missed 01:03:43 - Final Sign Off Resources Mentioned: Heather Reisman — CEO of Indigo Books & Music (referenced as Carolyn's early inspiration) Deloitte — the global consulting firm where Carolyn led DEI strategy and global people leadership Women of Influence — the social enterprise Carolyn previously led A Clear Path — Carolyn's own company - https://clearpathtoimpact.com/ Quotes: "If I want to inspire change, resisting or fighting it is actually going to strengthen it. Like what we resist persists." - Carolyn Lawrence “So I tracked the numbers at Deloitte. I was in that role for four years. Our numbers on literally 19 out of 20 KPIs that we measured. In the right direction. So that method works and I can prove it.” - Carolyn Lawrence “I was very afraid and thought multiple times that I perhaps had lost my mind because here I was global diversity, equity and inclusion leader for Deloitte. Where do you go from there?” - Carolyn Lawrence “You can't go from a great inspiring talk and then go and stand in a boardroom and yell off the top of your lungs. Hey everybody, I am completely inspired. I'm gonna change everything. Everybody come and listen.” - Sarah Jeanneault “This year I’ve been looking at obstacles a little differently and trying to think about them as stepping stones and that I'm leaping over them, not with effort and strength, but with this internal lightness and power within.” - Carolyn Lawrence