Passion, Pause, and Disability Inclusion: Building Equity Through Self-Aware Leadership

 

Beth Sirull, President and CEO of the National Organization on Disability, joins Jason Winningham on PQ: Conversations that Build Equity to share a powerful career journey shaped by a passion for social enterprise, economic equity, and disability inclusion. From her early work in community finance to leading a national nonprofit, Beth reveals how she’s built her professional equity by empowering historically underestimated communities, especially people with disabilities.

In this conversation, Beth opens up about her guiding philosophies, including the wisdom of “seizing the space between stimulus and response,” a Viktor Frankl quote that’s shaped her leadership style and life approach. She dives into what it takes to build inclusive workplaces that support every kind of ability, how nonprofit leadership differs from corporate life, and why emotional intelligence and intentional community matter more than ever.

Listeners will walk away with insights on:

  • Building resilience through self-awareness
  • Advocating for disability inclusion in the workplace
  • Growing your PQ through connection, courage, and reflection

Whether you’re new to your career or exploring how to grow as a purpose-driven leader, this episode will inspire and equip you to lead with both heart and strategy.

Beth Sirull is a seasoned social impact executive with leadership experience across the nonprofit, financial services, and philanthropic sectors. She currently serves as President and CEO of the National Organization on Disability, following transformative tenures at the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego and Pacific Community Ventures, where she scaled operations, drove impact investment strategies, and advanced economic opportunity in underserved communities. Her expertise spans organizational leadership, business development, small business finance, and measuring the social impact of investments.

Article written by MarketScale.

Recent Episodes

As the world faces historic labor shortages, an increase in burnout, and record-high turnover, organizations are confronting a leadership reckoning. In May 2024, Gallup found that more than 50 percent of U.S. employees were actively searching for new jobs or watching for openings. Taken together, these trends signal a clear and growing breakdown in…

Career advice in finance and accounting often centers around promotions, titles, and compensation. But in an era where professionals frequently change jobs every few years—the average American worker now stays in a role for less than four years—industries are facing growing talent shortages and reevaluating what long-term career success looks like. The question many…

Leadership right now feels heavier than it did just a few years ago. Teams are stretched, expectations are high, and many employees are quietly disengaged. In fact, Gallup’s 2025 U.S. data shows that only about 31% of employees are actively engaged at work, leaving the majority feeling disconnected or indifferent. For CEOs and senior…