Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Suzanne Nadell of Brookhaven

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Suzanne Nadell. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Suzanne, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is a normal day like for you right now?
The interesting thing about where I am in life right now is that there is no longer a normal. Some weeks, I spend my days in my home office working on writing, content creation, and building She Leads Church, LLC. Other weeks, I spend in newsrooms across the country, filling in for managers or training. And then some days I spend driving to consignment shops and transporting my teen around. I left full-time TV news work this past summer, and I really enjoy the freedom and variety I now find in my days.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Suzanne Nadell. I often introduce myself as a wife, mom, and former TV news boss turned author. That sums it up a bit. I will be married for 25 years in September. I have a 15-year-old son. I spent 30 years in TV news (20 of those in news management). And I wrote a book. But that just scratches the surface. I’m currently CEO of She Leads Church, LLC. We’re organizing an annual conference, plus meetups, cohorts, and more for Christian women who are leaders. I officially joined the organization a year ago and working with the women involved is such a joy. The book I wrote is called “Wired to Lead: Becoming the Leader the Church Didn’t Think I Could Be.” It focuses on “Life Lessons” I learned from leading in newsrooms that I wish I had the opportunity to learn in church. But I didn’t because of my gender. That work leans into my blog and other content creation aimed at supporting women. I have courses, coaching opportunities, and more. Finally, I am still freelancing in newsrooms as needed. When a newsroom needs a manager or someone to train, I step in. It keeps me active in that area, and I’m grateful I get to do it.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I write about some of the women who saw my leadership potential in my book, “Wired to Lead.” One woman was a lady who went to my church. She was also a youth group leader and my hairstylist. I remember the pep talks she gave me while sitting in her chair as she gave me a 1990’s perm.

Leaders in newsrooms also saw leadership in me. Marian Pittman, who is the President of Content for Cox Media Group, saw my potential and gave me so many opportunities through the years.

And my mom. It’s hard to be a mom. I see that now that my son is older. We are often the last to get credit. The older my son and I both get I see the steps my mom took to help me reach my full potential.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I remember early in my TV news career, my confidence was so shaken. I was ready to move on to other things. My mom had even found a potential public relations job at a hospital. I called my dad one evening, asking him if he’d be disappointed if I left news. He assured me he wouldn’t. Still, I hung in there, and I’m glad I did.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I think when it comes to female leaders, it’s not a lie; it’s just not everything that we share. We tell women they can have it all. They can have faith, family, and career. But we stop short of telling them how to do that. That’s been a huge disservice to an entire generation and has led to unnecessary burnout.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope they see that I love people and have always done my best to do the right thing for them, even if they didn’t understand it at the time. That’s a big lesson in leadership. People may not always understand, but as a leader, you do the best you can and do the right thing, even if it’s not understood.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.suzannenadell.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suznadell/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-lake-nadell-49468b12/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suznadell
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@suzannenadell