Inspiration Behind the Podcast

In the dynamic world of association management, balancing professional responsibilities with personal values is a challenge many leaders face. Vy Le, the Membership and Governance Director at the Linguistic Society of America, has embraced this challenge through her podcast, Humans of Authenticity. Born from her experiences as a Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP) Scholar, Vy’s podcast – a personal passion project – explores the concept of authenticity in leadership, offering a platform for leaders to share their personal stories and insights.

Vy’s journey to creating this podcast began with her involvement in DELP, a prestigious ASAE program supporting executive leaders of color. Through this program, she connected with like-minded individuals who shared her passion for authentic leadership. The strong sense of community and understanding she experienced in this group inspired her to create a space where these stories could be shared with a broader audience, leading to the birth of Humans of Authenticity.

The Power of Core Values

A central theme in Vy’s podcast is the importance of core values in authentic leadership. Each episode invites guests to define their core values in their own terms and share how these values have guided them through challenges. Vy emphasizes that authenticity is not merely about overcoming obstacles but about making decisions that align with one’s core values, even when the path is difficult.

Through her conversations, Vy has identified two key themes: bravery and awareness. The leaders she interviews demonstrate remarkable courage in defending their core values, even in the face of external pressures. This bravery is a hallmark of authentic leadership, as it requires leaders to stay true to themselves, despite the challenges they may encounter.

Awareness in Leadership

Awareness is another critical theme that emerges from Vy’s interviews. She believes that truly authentic leaders are those who are fully aware of their core values and understand how these values influence their decisions and behaviors. In her interviews, Vy encourages her guests to provide specific examples of how their values have shaped their choices in both professional and personal lives. This process of reflection and introspection is central to the concept of authenticity, as it requires leaders to be in tune with their true selves.

Personal Stories and Leadership

One of the most compelling aspects of Vy’s podcast is its focus on the personal experiences that shape each leader’s journey. Vy intentionally steers the conversation away from solely discussing work achievements and instead encourages her guests to share stories from all aspects of their lives. This holistic approach highlights the interconnectedness of personal and professional experiences, emphasizing that who we are as individuals inevitably influences who we are as leaders.

Through these conversations, Vy has learned that authenticity in leadership is not just about what we achieve professionally but about how we show up as our true selves in every aspect of our lives. This understanding has reinforced her belief in the power of values-based leadership and the importance of creating spaces where individuals can be their authentic selves.

Expanding the Conversation

As Vy continues to develop Humans of Authenticity, she is expanding the scope of the podcast to explore how core values influence organizational leadership. In the upcoming season, she plans to interview association CEOs to discuss how they align their personal values with the values of the organizations they lead. This new direction reflects Vy’s ongoing commitment to exploring the multifaceted nature of authenticity and its impact on both individual leaders and the broader association community.

Inspiring Authentic Leadership

Vy Le’s Humans of Authenticity podcast is more than just a personal project—it is a testament to the power of storytelling in fostering genuine connections and inspiring meaningful change. By sharing the stories of leaders who embody authenticity, Vy is helping to redefine what it means to lead with integrity and purpose in the association world. Her work serves as a valuable resource for association professionals who seek to align their actions with their values and lead with authenticity in all they do.

Check out the trailer for the all-new season of Humans of Authenticity.