MARTHA ST JEAN · Leadership Development Expert

Compassion is not simply for chaplains, counselors or churchgoers; it is for all as we are all members of communities. As someone who has been given, what I now determine to be the blessing of being out of full time work, I am using the time I have to glean life lessons that I can share with others.

Though I am a staunch defender of Gen-Y, I believe every generation, including my own, could use a dose of compassion. What is compassion? It is awareness and sympathy for another’s suffering. The attitude, “It did not happen to me, therefore it does not affect me nor matter to me,” is quite…

A good friend whom I met when we were both undergraduates attending New York University has imparted to me one of life’s most important lessons: be willing to take risks. She has taken the road less traveled and it is paying dividends. Before applying to law school she decided she wanted to teach high school students in the New York City public school system for two years. When she did apply she was accepted to Yale, NYU Law, Georgetown…just to name a few. Shortly after receiving her letters of acceptance she decided to defer admission to NYU Law to teach for another year. This may not hav…

Before the show, ‘The Apprentice’ hit the airwaves, there was the character Mentor in Homer’s, ‘The Odyssey’. During Odysseus’ time at war Mentor was the friend to whom he entrusted the education of his son Telemachus. Mentor not only taught Telemachus, he served as his guide. Counselor, role model and demonstrated the art of networking. The goddess Athena later assumed the form of Mentor and encouraged Odysseus’ son in how to get past a particularly challenging time in his life. Today the term mentor is used to distinguish an individual who serves as a counselor, role model, and connector…

Martha St. Jean Interviewing Carla Harris, the most senior black woman on Wall Street, gospel singer and and author of Expect to Win

Date of Interview: September 28, 2009

I first heard you speak at the 85 Broads June Women’s Power Breakfast and was captivated for the 45 minutes you spoke. How do you do it? By it, I mean stay focused and relate to people from all walks of life.

First of all I sort of think of myself as every woman, if you will. Relating to people is not…