Dr. Susan Kahn, a renowned business psychologist, coach, consultant, and author, has dedicated her career to understanding people and the dynamics that shape their professional lives. From leading teams in large organizations to guiding leaders through coaching, supervision, and teaching, Susan brings a wealth of insight into human behavior, resilience, and leadership. Her story is one of curiosity, constant learning, and a commitment to helping individuals grow through both challenges and opportunities—making her an inspiring voice for the Humans of Fuzia community.
Q: What inspired you to begin your journey as a business psychologist and coach?
Susan: I’ve always been fascinated by people and how they interact at work. I started in a leadership role within a major telecoms organization, and I quickly realized that people are motivated and affected in very different ways. That curiosity grew into deeper study, research, and eventually into becoming a coach, consultant, and business psychologist.
Q: What challenges did you face when establishing your career, and how did you overcome them?
Susan: One of the challenges was having multifaceted interests—leadership, mediation, coaching, consulting, teaching. It was difficult to express all of those in a way people could easily understand. Using the term business psychologist helped create clarity, while still allowing me to explore all those areas. Over time, I added writing books, which came later in my career after completing my research.
Q: Do you work independently or with a team?
Susan: I’m a sole practitioner, but I strongly believe in the importance of community. I work with coaching supervisors, therapeutic partners, thinking partners, and academic and organizational communities. These collaborations keep me grounded and constantly learning.
Q: What are your thoughts on women in leadership today?
Susan: We’ve made enormous progress, but there’s still work to do. Women often feel they need to be fully prepared before stepping into leadership, while men may take the leap earlier.
There are also lingering double standards—for instance, when female leaders show emotion, it’s often judged differently than when men display anger or frustration. Still, I believe opportunities are growing, and women bring empathy, resilience, and deep understanding to leadership roles.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring women leaders and entrepreneurs?
Susan: Start with self-awareness. Recognize your doubts and work through them with trusted thinking partners, not in front of those you’re leading or pitching to. Leadership comes with scrutiny, so knowing your triggers and challenges helps you show up at your best. At the same time, reject the pressure to be perfect. Mistakes are part of the journey—what matters most is learning from them and building a stronger future.
“As leaders and individuals, we need to balance self-awareness with self-compassion. Perfection isn’t the goal—growth is.” – Dr. Susan Kahn
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