The Empathy Edge Annalee Hagood-Earl: A Founder's Masterclass in Values-Driven Velocity
If you’ve ever wondered what it really looks like to lead a fast-growing business or team with heart, humor, and humanity, today is your masterclass.
Annalee Hagood-Earl is the CEO and co-founder of Bash Creative Inc. Under her leadership, Bash has become a magnet for some of the biggest names in the world—not just because of its stunning creativity and flawless execution, but because people can feel the company’s values in every interaction.
Annalee’s not just talking about values—she lives them. She’s led her team through seasons of explosive growth and through moments when, as she puts it, “the bottom dropped out.” And she’s done it all while staying grounded in empathy, transparency, and joy.
In our conversation, we dig into building a thriving business while investing in your team’s self-development, what it looks like to lead through uncertainty, and how to redefine success by what your team feels while they’re producing, not just what they produce. We also dive into some golden leadership lessons: the difference between values and ideals, why Annalee insists on hiring people smarter than herself, what she learned from her worst managers, and why she and her business partner went through a kind of leadership couples counseling to make their company stronger.
It’s like she ticked every box in my Five Pillars of Effective Empathy, and the results on her culture, retention, and revenue speak for themselves.
To access the episode transcript, go to www.TheEmpathyEdge.com, search by episode title.
Listen in for…
- Why reinvesting a headcount into developing your team means they can grow instead of relying on past experiences and traumas
- Why you should consider counseling with your business partners, your C-Suite, and other leaders
- Ways you can walk the talk and model self-awareness, joy, and learning
- Why allowing your people to be who they are means they can get further, faster
- How communication and transparency will take you a long way on so many levels
"We take a lot of time to interview and recruit. We're looking for aligned values, not aligned ideals. I want people with different perspectives on my team. I want to learn from them." — Annalee Hagood-Earl
Episode References:
- Follow the Founder: https://followthefounder.co/
- The Empathy Edge podcast: Claude Silver: Leading with Heart at Vayner Media
About Annalee Hagood-Earl, Founder & CEO, Bash Creative, Inc.
Annalee Hagood-Earl is the CEO and co-founder of Bash Creative Inc., an agency known for designing world-class events and experiences for global brands. Guided by both her company and personal values, Annalee has led her team through seasons of explosive growth as well as times when the bottom dropped out. Under her leadership, Bash has attracted some of the largest companies in the world as clients — not just for its creativity and execution, but because its values-driven approach creates trust and a culture people can feel. This commitment to values has even inspired clients to reflect on their own, discovering alignment they hadn’t previously articulated. Annalee speaks internationally on values-based leadership and how aligning values with action inspires resilience, clarity, and lasting impact.
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Bash Creative: bash-creative.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hagood-earl-annalee-78848a6
Instagram: instagram.com/bashcreative
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