In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Susan Power, the owner and CEO of Power HR Inc., a boutique human resources firm dedicated to developing effective leaders. Susan shares a personal story emphasizing the importance of staying open to every opportunity, as unexpected doors often lead to new possibilities. She explains her core belief that leadership is the cornerstone of all HR functions—recruitment, compensation, talent management, and training—advocating for a strong leadership framework within companies. Her top business advice is to focus time and energy on the right things by mastering the skill of saying no. For her younger self, she stresses trusting one’s gut as the highest form of intelligence. Susan highlights self‑care and self‑love as essential for effective leadership and personal happiness. The book that most influenced her is Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, which teaches presence and being in the moment. Her favorite quote, from Jack Kerouac, is “It’s better to burn out than fade away.” She concludes by directing listeners to her company’s website and social media channels.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Susan Power with us. She's the owner and CEO of Power HR Inc., which is a boutique human resources company focused on growing more effective leaders. So welcome to the show, Susan.
Thanks very much.
Of course, grateful to have you here. We'll dive into the first one. The first question I have for you, Susan, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Tyler, I would say that would be to make the most of each experience and opportunity that is given to you in life. That sometimes we can't even anticipate how way will lead to way. And oftentimes, you know, one door opens another door in ways we can't even anticipate. So I guess that would be my biggest takeaway or learning is to really keep yourself open to every opportunity you're given because it can really open the doors to things in a way you can't even perceive.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
I really focus on leadership and building more effective leaders. And to me, leadership is everything, that we lead the way that we are led, and it has a huge influence on ROI. And in terms of leadership effectiveness, a leadership framework and philosophy for a company should really influence all their HR programs from recruitment to compensation to talent management, development, training. It really should be the foundation for all HR programs. And that's what my company Power HR focuses on.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry specific.
My best piece of business advice?
Yeah.
I would say to focus your time and energy on the right things. That the really effective leaders that I've worked with in my career have gotten really good at saying no. There's only so many hours in the day, and getting really good at saying no means that you're focusing on the right things. And to me, that's the key to success.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I'm 41 years old today, so I would say if I could give my 20-year-old self advice, it would be to trust your gut. That I think is your highest form of intelligence, that you need to trust yourself. And we're constantly collecting data and information from all the people we meet, all the experiences that we have. So we shouldn't hesitate making decisions because if we trust our gut, often you'll make the right decision. And, you know, the 2% of the time where it's the wrong decision, you can always reevaluate to make a new decision. So definitely would be to trust your gut.
Happy birthday, by the way. And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
I think it would be to learn to love yourself. In terms of being an effective leader, if we don't have the right self-care, we don't take care of ourselves, exercise, make time for friends, do things that we enjoy outside of work, we'll never be an effective leader. So to me, that's kind of the key to life, is to really focus on yourself so you can do your best job helping other people and serving others.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Can you repeat that?
Yeah. What is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Okay, it would have been The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. And it's from 20— I think it's from 20 years ago, but it really focuses on how to get present. And it sounds so simple, but getting out of your head and really focusing on whatever person you're interacting with or whatever experience you're having in the moment. Is what he talks about in this book. And to me, it's one of the best spiritual leading books that's been written in the past decade. And yeah, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote?
Yes.
Would be by Jack Kerouac. And the quote is, it's better to burn out than fade away.
Yes, I love that quote. Thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where is the best place for people to find you online?
www.powerhr.ca. I'm also on Facebook at Power HR Inc. and on Twitter at Susan_PowerHR.
Perfect. Thanks again for coming on. We appreciate it.
Thanks, Tyler.
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