2 days ago

From Xerox VP to Executive Coach: Suzy Burke, PhD on the 5 People Who Shaped Her Life

S05 EP05 Dr Suzy Burke

In this episode of People Are Everything, Julia Duthie is joined by Suzy Burke PhD, an executive coach, social and organisational psychologist, author, former Xerox leader, and global thinker whose life has taken her from teaching children in the mountains to coaching senior leaders and writing about mindset, self-talk and leadership. Speaking from the Dominican Republic, Suzy shares her remarkable journey with warmth, humour and deep reflection — from her early years as a teacher, to her rise through Xerox, to launching a fair trade jewellery business, and eventually finding her way into coaching through the influence of Marshall Goldsmith and the 100 Coaches community.

Julia is visibly fascinated by Suzy’s energy, courage and many reinventions, often pausing to reflect on the scale of what Suzy has achieved as both an academic and practitioner. Suzy’s chosen people reveal the foundations of her life: her adventurous and loving mother Hope, her husband Ed, the school principal Steve Rubin who gave her freedom and confidence, Dr Dale Mann who pushed her beyond what she thought possible, her beloved childhood babysitter Marie “Conk” Conklin, and an extra sixth choice, Marshall Goldsmith, whose generosity and wisdom continue to shape her work today. Together, these stories form a beautiful portrait of love, courage, education, leadership, friendship and the power of people who believe in us.

Highlights

Julia reflects on Suzy’s remarkable ability to combine academic depth with practical leadership experience.
Suzy shares her early career as a teacher and how she created a mountain-based curriculum for her students.
The conversation explores Suzy’s PhD journey in social and organisational psychology.
Suzy discusses her 15 years at Xerox, where she rose to become one of the company’s top 200 leaders.
She explains why she left Xerox when she sensed a change in company culture.
Suzy tells the story of launching a fair trade jewellery business connected to Brazilian artisans.
The jewellery business leads to extraordinary moments involving Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, museums and Fashion Week.
Julia and Suzy discuss Head Mentals, leadership self-talk, mindset and how leaders can unintentionally affect their teams.
Suzy explains the “catch it, confront it, change it” approach to negative self-talk.
Suzy honours her mother Hope as a loving, honest, adventurous and generous presence.
She tells the beautiful love story of meeting Ed in Brazil and saying yes after their first kiss.
Suzy remembers Steve Rubin, the school principal who trusted her and gave her freedom to innovate.

Suzy Burke’s 5 (6) Most Influential People

1. Hope Davidson Johnson — Suzy’s Mother

Hope was loving, honest, practical, adventurous and deeply generous. She taught Suzy the importance of truth, warmth, kindness and showing up for people.

2. Ed — Suzy’s Husband

Ed is Suzy’s great love and partner of more than three decades. She describes him as a man of integrity, emotional intelligence, strength and deep dependability.

3. Dr Steve Rubin — School Principal

Steve gave Suzy trust, freedom and confidence as a young teacher. His leadership style empowered her to innovate, create her own curriculum and believe in her own judgement.

4. Dr Dale Mann — Columbia Professor and Mentor

Dale challenged Suzy with exceptionally high standards and helped her grow beyond what she thought possible. He became a lifelong friend and a major influence on her academic and professional development.

5. Marie “Conk” Conklin — Childhood Babysitter

Conk gave Suzy an idyllic, practical, love-filled childhood experience: digging for clams, feeding ducks, milking cows, sledding, learning poker and seeing wisdom in simple everyday life.

6. Marshall Goldsmith — Coach, Mentor and Thought Leader

Suzy adds Marshall as an essential sixth influence. His generosity, wisdom and challenge to “share what you know” have shaped her current work as a coach, author and contributor to the world of leadership.