A Leadership Conversation Built on Honesty, Courage & Community
Each year, Goodwill of North Georgia convenes leaders, changemakers, and community partners to mark International Women's Day with an honest, energizing conversation about women's leadership. This year's program focused on leadership, visibility, mentoring, and how to build real momentum for the next generation.
The panel, moderated by award-winning journalist Rose Scott, brought together three powerful voices from media, commercial real estate, and workforce development. Hosted by Goodwill's Marketing Director, the morning brought honest reflection, real stories, and practical advice on leading with courage and purpose.
The conversation made one thing clear: leadership is about lifting others as you climb, and using visibility to open doors.
Panel Discussion — International Women's Day Leadership Conversation · Goodwill of North Georgia · March 10, 2026
Rose Scott
Rose Scott, host of the Peabody Award-winning public affairs program Closer Look on Atlanta's NPR station WABE 90.1 FM, returned to moderate this year's conversation. With three decades in Atlanta and a career rooted in community, Rose guided the panel with warmth, candor, and incisive questions.
She shared powerful personal stories about grief, burnout, and choosing health over hustle, and how visibility carries responsibility: to stay grounded, listen, and give back.
"Attitude reflects leadership."
Three Voices. Decades of Experience. One Message.
A legendary Atlanta broadcaster, Monica Kaufman Pearson has spent more than five decades telling the stories of this city. At 78, she describes herself as a wife, mother, and lifelong learner, more interested in the lessons people carry than the headlines. She shared her personal leadership framework built on a single acronym:
The LEADERS Framework
- LListen and learn from others
- EEnergize people around you; anticipate and act, don't just react
- ABe bold, be proactive in discovering who you are and whose you are
- DDon't "handle people"; handle things and build people's self-esteem
- EEducate yourself and those around you
- RResign/retire when it's time; don't block others' growth
- SShare the praise, own the blame. The buck stops with the leader
Key Insights
Ellen Stern has spent more than two decades at CBRE, the world's largest commercial real estate company, advising corporate tenants on office leasing in a highly male-dominated sector. She has built her reputation on deep expertise, strategic relationships, and leading by example at every step.
Leadership Principles
Career Pivot in Action
Ellen took on the "gritty work" others avoided, did extra work for free to build goodwill and relationships with top producers, became indispensable, and earned multiple offers to join brokerage teams, showing at every step that professionalism and client-readiness never go unnoticed.
Lori White's career was launched through a Goodwill of North Georgia training program. Starting as a general worker, she advanced into a complex, detail-oriented role at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is also an author, a mother of two, and a powerful voice for disability advocacy, living with generalized dystonia.
"It doesn't matter how many times you fall down, it matters how many times you get back up."
Leadership Principles
International Women's Day Leadership Conversation · Goodwill of North Georgia · March 10, 2026
Six Truths from the Conversation
True leadership is about mutual growth: investing in others, being accessible, and accepting the responsibility that comes with visibility. Mentoring requires both sides: mentors giving time, and mentees doing the homework, initiating, and following through.
Visibility keeps leaders connected and grounded in community. With that comes the obligation to open doors, offer honest advice, and be available when it matters. How you handle big life events like grief, burnout, or parenthood while visible can either reinforce unhealthy expectations or model healthier ones for those coming behind you.
There is no perfect balance, only prioritization. Decide what truly matters for your health, family, and purpose. Saying "no" clearly and kindly protects the time and energy you need to be effective and whole.
Research your market value, document your impact, and be prepared to walk away if your worth isn't recognized. When you ask for promotions or raises, bring data and specific examples, not just feelings. Your decision to insist on fair treatment can shift the norm for everyone who follows.
Join organizations, volunteer, and connect with people outside your building and industry. Those relationships provide honest feedback, open doors, and sustain you through challenges. Be the friend who notices when someone "doesn't sound right" and shows up.
Lori's story reminded everyone that being underestimated, overlooked, or told "no" does not define your future. The moment you stop seeing yourself as "thrown away" and start seeing yourself as capable is the moment your trajectory changes.
Goodwill of North Georgia
Goodwill of North Georgia is widely recognized as one of the nation's most impactful Goodwill organizations and the largest workforce development operation in the state of Georgia. When community members donate and shop at Goodwill stores, the revenue fuels robust programs that help people across the region build skills and find meaningful work.
Putting People to Work
Each year, thousands of individuals receive job training and skills development, career coaching and placement, employer connections, and specialized support for people with barriers to employment. By investing in people and building diverse, inclusive teams, Goodwill of North Georgia strengthens families, employers, and entire communities.
- Job training and skills development across a range of industries
- Career coaching, placement, and wraparound support
- Employer connections that lead to sustainable employment
- Specialized support for people with barriers to employment
This event was held in celebration of Goodwill's 100th anniversary and 100 years of putting people to work, proving that economic inclusion isn't a promise. It's a practice.
entire communities rise."
From Monica's framework for listening and letting go, to Ellen's example of reshaping culture through consistent choices, to Lori's testimony of resilience and self-belief. Each story came back to the same idea: invest in yourself, lift others as you climb, protect your time, and use your platform to open doors for people who haven't had one yet.