Ep. 189 Leading with Care: Culture Starts with You with Dora Thagouras

What if the key to better business results isn’t strategy or systems - but how you show up for your people? This week on Mission CTRL, Ramon and Jorge sit down with Dora Thagouras, Founder and CEO of Clarity 13, leadership coach, HR executive, and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner. From growing up in her family’s Greek diner to spending over two decades in corporate leadership at brands like Nine West and Yves Saint Laurent, Dora shares how early lessons in human connection shaped her belief that culture is created through behavior - not buzzwords. In this conversation, Dora breaks down why companies can’t deliver exceptional customer experiences without first creating exceptional employee experiences. She challenges outdated, top-down leadership models and explains why care, consistency, and communication are the real drivers of engagement, retention, and performance - especially for small and mid-sized businesses. Dora also introduces the concept of Energy Leadership, exploring how mindset, belief systems, and stress responses directly impact team dynamics, decision-making, and workplace culture. Through real-world examples and a powerful client success story, she shows how leaders can shift from reactive, burnout-driven environments to cultures rooted in trust, clarity, and accountability. Whether you’re a business owner, executive, or emerging leader, this episode is a compelling reminder that leadership isn’t about being perfect - it’s about being present, and that taking care of your people is both the right thing to do and good business. • • • Find full episodes of Mission CTRL on Anchor, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and our website . Mission CTRL aims to ignite the innovative spirit inside us all through providing budding and successful entrepreneurs and community leaders with a platform to share their stories and inspire others. Tune in every Wednesday and catch up with the team at Peralta Design as we unleash the origin stories behind some exceptional leaders, share marketing/branding insights, and navigate the ever-changing currents of pop culture.

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Ep. 189 Leading with Care: Culture Starts with You with Dora Thagouras is an episode from Mission CTRL by Peralta Design.

This episode is 00:46:02 long.

This episode was published on Feb 4, 2026.

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