Being Resilient with Leah Swan

05/07/20 • 55 min

2 Listeners

Anyone who has faced job loss will tell you it can be scary, demoralizing, and confusing, raising questions like, “What do I do now?”... “How do I bounce back?”... and even, “Will I bounce back?” Unfortunately, this is what many people are experiencing now as a result of COVID-19.
On this episode, we bring you a story of resilience... and success. Leah Swan has had her job eliminated as her employer shut down. She’s had new jobs that weren’t what she expected. She’s had roles that she loved suddenly change because of changes in company direction.
Each time, she bounced back, not by accident but by design. By learning from her experiences and making strategic moves, she grew her career and moved into senior level positions, including her most recent role as Chief Administrative Officer of The Children’s Place.
Leah’s story is filled with insights, advice and tangible actions that can inspire anyone that needs to – or wants to – make a career move.
Meet the Guest
Leah Swan is the Chief Administrative Officer for The Children’s Place, which is the largest pure-play specialty retailer of children’s apparel and accessories in North America. She joined The Children’s Place in 2016 and has continuously expanded her role in the company, currently leading the Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Enterprise Transformation and Enterprise Risk functions.

Leah has worked in the retail industry for over 25 years, holding senior roles at Ross Stores and Gap Inc., and earlier in her career working for Williams Sonoma and The Walt Disney Company.

Leah is originally from Australia where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Canberra. She has resided in the US for the past 20 years and has travelled extensively, managing global teams throughout her career.

Leah has worked in the retail industry for over 25 years, holding senior roles at Ross Stores and Gap Inc., and earlier in her career working for Williams Sonoma and The Walt Disney Company.

Previous Episode

Engaging and Thriving with Dr. Arpana Vidyarthi

A few weeks before COVID-19 swept across the world, we had a chance to sit down with Dr. Arpana Vidyarthi, to capture her career story. She specializes in hospital medicine and now is on the frontline of the pandemic, making this episode especially timely.
The focus of the interview was on how she built a career that pulls together her passions and interests in internal medicine, quality and safety, teaching, and leadership. Because the interview was done just before the pandemic began, she wasn't asked any questions about the crisis. She recently gave us an update and we share this at the end of the interview.
Meet the Guest
Dr. Arpana Vidyarthi, MD, Professor of Medicine, UCSF, has two decades of experience as an Academic Medicine leader in the United States and Singapore with expertise in quality/safety, leadership development and education.
She is passionate about enabling individuals and organizations to transform and thrive. She is a thought leader in hospital system transformation and has operational experience in creating and implementing novel care models and programs. As a seasoned leadership development expert and executive coach, Arpana cultivates the best in individuals and empowers teams to navigate effectively through change. Her deep experience in the US and Singapore over 20 years as academic medicine leader with involvements throughout South and Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East make her uniquely able to navigate across cultures.

Arpana received her undergraduate degree from Macalester College (Ethnic Relations) and her medical degree from the University of Minnesota. She completed Residency and Chief Residency in Internal Medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School, and a Fellowship in Hospital Medicine and Clinical Research at UCSF. She is a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine, with a Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine. She holds a master’s degree in Individual and Organizational Psychology (Executive Masters in Change) from INSEAD. She is an alumnus of the Harvard Macy Program for Leaders in Healthcare Education, the California Healthcare Foundation Leadership Program, and the Global Health Leadership Forum. She has published more than 50 peer-review articles.

Links
To access articles Arpana has authored, follow these links:

To donate to UCSF, visit: UCSF COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Response Fund

Next Episode

Facing Your Fears with Rodney Fong

“All of the other things that I have done before just bubble up into this one particular moment in time.”
That’s how Rodney Fong, President & CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, describes getting ready for the challenge he faces today – leading his 170-year-old organization during COVID-19, which has caused unemployment rates to soar and many businesses struggling to survive.
Rodney shares his career and personal journey, including his lifelong challenges with dyslexia. Throughout his journey, Rodney has directly faced his fears, which has made him the person and leader he is today. It’s an inspiring story that reminds us of the importance of believing in yourself and being a strong, passionate leadership in times of crisis.
Meet the Guest
Rodney Fong, President & CEO at San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and President of Fong Real Estate Company, is a native San Franciscan and a third generation operator/owner of the world famous Wax Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf, where he had served as President. He is also the President of Fong Real Estate Company, overseeing leasing and tenant concerns for the properties, such as the 100,000 square foot Wax Museum Entertainment Complex building in the heart of historic Fisherman’s Wharf and Broadway Apartments.

Rodney has been working in the tourism and hospitality business since he was a child. Early in his career, he was responsible for the daily operations and management technique at the Wax Museum, a world-renowned tourist attraction. He eventually made marketing his main focus, gradually learning the concepts, strategies and procedures of that profession. Rodney not only directed marketing activities for the enterprises, but also came to oversee all operational and management issues. He eventually managed the successful sale of the Wax Museum in 2013. Rodney still maintains ownership of the property and manages all leasing and property management activities.

Rodney has been active and held office in a wide variety of civic, tourist and travel-related organizations including currently serving as the President of the San Francisco Planning Commission and also formerly served as President of the San Francisco Port Commission. In 2009 he became Chair of the San Francisco Travel Association and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the California Travel Industry Association, the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, Fort Mason, Fisherman’s Wharf Merchant’s Association, Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District (in which he was a founding member), Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, and the Bay Institute. Rodney is the Director of the Fong Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization created by his grandparents to benefit many worthwhile social services in the City, and was honored by the City and County of San Francisco as part of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Links
To learn more about the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, visit: SFChamber.com

Career Curves - Being Resilient with Leah Swan

Transcript

Beth Davies, host: Welcome to Career Curves where we talk to people who have interesting careers and explore how they got where they are. I'm your host Beth Davies.

I just Googled "most stressful life events" and "job loss" made the top 10 of every list I looked at and even held a top 5 spot on some of these lists. Today, while we're in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a new reality for many people. Anyone who has faced job loss will tell you it can be scary,

Being Resilient with Leah Swan Top Questions Answered

The speaker gained valuable career experience at a young age through what type of role?

The speaker gained valuable career experience at a young age through a tough consulting role.

Why did the speaker decide to go back in-house after working in consulting?

The speaker decided to go back in-house after working in consulting because they couldn't see projects through to completion.

Why did the speaker join Disney Stores in Australia?

The speaker joined Disney Stores in Australia because they were attracted to the growth opportunities and the chance to work for a global company.

What led to a life-changing experience for the speaker?

Attending a leadership development program in the US led to a life-changing experience for the speaker.

How did the speaker move to the US?

The speaker eventually received an opportunity to move to the US through networking connections.

What prompted the speaker to leave Disney and join Pottery Barn Kids?

After facing challenges at Disney, the speaker decided to move to Pottery Barn Kids in San Francisco.

Why did the speaker take a year off after leaving Gap?

The speaker took a year off after leaving Gap to clear her head and refocus on her health.

Why did the speaker join Ross?

The speaker joined Ross because they were looking for a business with growth opportunity, a results-driven culture, and an HR function that needed transformation.

How did the speaker end up working at The Children's Place?

While in Australia, the speaker received a call from a recruiter for a job at The Children's Place and eventually decided to interview for the position.