Corporate America Is Finally Listening to ‘Soft Skills’—Here’s Why It Matters Now, According to a Behavioral Health Expert

For years, Nicole Van Valen was told soft skills didn’t matter—now she’s helping top leaders rewrite the rules on resilience, burnout, and what it really takes to thrive in today’s workplace. In today's episode, I’m joined by Nicole Van Valen, a licensed marriage and family therapist, behavioral health expert, and founder of Keane Insights—a consultancy dedicated to resilience, leadership, and joyful living. With over 25 years of experience spanning healthcare and human resources, including leadership roles at Fortune 6 companies, Nicole combines deep clinical insight with real-world corporate strategy. She’s also a dynamic speaker, coach, and the author of The Joyful Leader, a forthcoming book that explores how joy can be a transformative force for managing stress, preventing burnout, and leading with authenticity. Known for her uplifting energy and grounded wisdom, Nicole is on a mission to help people reconnect with their purpose and lead from a place of heart and intention. Throughout this episode, Nicole brings both personal depth and professional clarity to the topic of joy as a resilience practice. She opens up about her own journey—overcoming workaholism, learning to slow down, and rediscovering joy in everyday rituals like dancing, gardening, and quiet tea breaks. Nicole also walks us through her signature “three-step model” (Discover Yourself, Design Your Landscape, Deliver on Your Goals), offering listeners a practical framework for meaningful change. Along the way, she shares behind-the-scenes moments from writing The Joyful Leader, including how she confronted her own discomfort with vulnerability to embrace joy as her leadership superpower. Through heartfelt anecdotes and actionable insights, Nicole invites us to not only reflect on what truly brings us joy—but to prioritize it, unapologetically. Tune in as Nicole Van Valen shares how joy became her secret weapon for building resilience, setting boundaries, and leading with authenticity—plus how you can rediscover what energizes you and turn it into lasting transformation. In This Episode, You Will Learn:Resilience reimagined: Dancing, HR, and climbing the corporate ladder (3:44)Redefining resilience through joy (5:32)Burnout, boundaries, and the joy of saying ‘no’ (10:00)The three-step model for sustainable joy (13:27)Leading with joy at work - Yes, even in corporate! (18:21)The book she was scared to write (19:46)“We’re all just people”: The human side of leadership (24:35)AI can’t replace this: Why human connection is the true high-value currency (27:26)The resilience menu: Why one size doesn’t fit all (33:11)Your personalized joy plan starts now (42:41) Connect with Nicole Van Valen:WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInXYouTubeGet Nicole’s book! Let's Connect:WebsiteInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.