Dr. Stephanie Duguid is a Leadership Culture Strategist, keynote speaker, author, and founder of Do Good Leadership. With three decades of experience in education, leadership, and human performance, she helps organizations strengthen communication, build trust, and create healthier workplace cultures where people feel valued and empowered to thrive.
Her work focuses on intentional leadership, emotional intelligence, and the power of relationships to shape organizational culture. Through practical strategies, Dr. Stephanie helps leaders reduce miscommunication, strengthen teams, and lead with greater clarity, authenticity, and purpose.
SHOW SUMMARY
In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Dr. Stephanie Duguid to explore intentional communication, emotional intelligence, trust, and the habits that strengthen relationships.
Dr. Stephanie defines selling from the heart as service rather than transaction. Instead of focusing on delivering a pitch or closing a deal, sales professionals should listen closely enough to understand what the customer truly needs—and be honest about whether they can help.
She explains why genuine listening requires presence, curiosity, and the willingness to stop preparing your response while someone else is speaking. The conversation also explores how to respond rather than react when facing rejection, pressure, or difficult conversations. A pause, a breath, and greater awareness of tone and body language can change the direction of an interaction.
Ultimately, Dr. Stephanie emphasizes three practices that strengthen relationships and workplace culture: communication, connection, and consistency. When people feel heard, valued, and safe to speak honestly, trust has room to grow.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Listen to understand, not to respond. Genuine curiosity helps you understand what customers and colleagues actually need.
- Give people your full attention. Intentional presence means putting distractions aside and engaging with the person in front of you.
- Respond instead of reacting. Pause, breathe, and choose your words and body language deliberately when pressure rises.
- Consistency builds trust. People need to know they can count on how you communicate, especially during difficult moments.
- Communication shapes culture. Words, tone, body language, and assumptions all influence how people experience a relationship.
HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
We’ve got two ears and one mouth, so we can listen twice as much as we speak.
Culture really stems from the way that you communicate with one another.
How do you communicate when you’re stressed? How do you communicate when you’re under pressure?
I don’t listen to respond. I don’t listen to react.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home
Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8
Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/
Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily
