The Empathy Edge Nada Lena Nasserdeen: Why Expertise Isn’t Enough to Lead High-Performing Teams
We’re entering a leadership era where charisma without self-awareness falls flat, expertise without empathy stalls out, and confidence isn’t a personality trait; it’s a leadership skill that can be trained.
Nada Lena Nasserdeen has built her life’s work around that reality. Nada is the Founder and CEO of Rise Up For You, a globally recognized leadership development and coaching organization dedicated to advancing confidence, emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, and influential communication.
Today, Maria and Nada discuss Nada’s personal experiences that shaped her focus on confidence and emotional intelligence, and led to her creation of Rise Up For You, including her Power Up Method. They also dive into the difference between high performers and high-potential talent, and what shifting from transactional to transformational leadership really demands. This is a grounded, practical conversation about how leaders grow influence, presence, and impact, not by adding more tactics, but by strengthening the inner skills that drive everything else.
To access the episode transcript, go to www.TheEmpathyEdge.com and search by episode title.
Listen in for…
- Why “soft skills are the new success skills”
- Nada’s Power Up Method and four core pillars that address challenges facing high-performing leaders
- Why self-confidence is the foundation of emotionally intelligent leadership
- The shift from transactional to transformational leadership
- The difference between high performers and high-potential talent, and how confusing the two can derail leadership pipelines.
"If you want to be in the top 1% or even in the top 10%, these are the skills that are going to help you stand out. I always say, be seen, be heard, and be relevant." — Nada Lena Nasserdeen
Episode References:
- MIT Study: These Human Capabilities Complement AI Shortcomings
- The Power Up Method: powerup.riseupforyou.com
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
About Nada Nasserdeen: Founder and CEO of Rise Up For You
Nada Lena Nasserdeen is the Founder and CEO of Rise Up For You, a globally recognized leadership development and coaching organization dedicated to advancing confidence, emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, and influential communication. With over a decade of experience, Nada has partnered with executives, organizations, and institutions across North America, supporting leaders at every level through research-backed coaching and training programs designed for real-world impact.
Nada is a certified coach, keynote speaker, and bestselling author whose work has been featured on platforms including TEDx, Bloomberg, CBS, and Entrepreneur. She is known for her ability to translate leadership psychology, emotional intelligence, and neuroscience into practical, human-centered development experiences that drive measurable growth. Under her leadership, Rise Up For You has delivered more than 15,000 coaching sessions in the last three years and maintains a 95 percent client renewal rate, and consistently receives high performance ratings from leaders and teams.
Nada’s work emphasizes ethical coaching practice, sustainable leadership development, and the belief that soft skills are the new success skills. Through her speaking, writing, and certification programs, she continues to empower individuals and organizations to lead with clarity, presence, and purpose while creating cultures that thrive in an evolving business landscape.
Connect with Nada:
Rise Up For You: riseupforyou.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nadalena
Instagram: instagram.com/nadalenanasserdeen
YouTube: youtube.com/@RiseUpForYou/videos
Connect with Maria:
Get Maria's books: Red-Slice.com/books
Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross
Take the LinkedIn Learning Courses! Leading with Empathy and Balancing Empathy, Accountability, and Results as a Leader
LinkedIn: Maria Ross
Instagram: @redslicemaria
Facebook: Red Slice
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