Global Leadership in a Time of Disruption
In this rich and timely episode of The Space In Between podcast, I sit down with the Honorable Suzi LeVine, former Ambassador to Switzerland and Lichtenstein, to explore the changing role of the United States on the global stage, the intersection of public and private leadership, and the nuanced art of bridging divides during times of disruption. With decades of experience across government, diplomacy, and the tech sector, Suzi brings insight, clarity, and grounded optimism to a moment that demands all three. She also drops some keen insights about the role of ambassadors and how she navigated nuanced labor relations and geopolitical issues in the public sector.
From Private Sector to Public Service
Our conversation opens with reflections on Suzi’s path to public service—a journey rooted in her family’s tradition of military service and shaped by her willingness to respond when called. From her time as U.S. Ambassador to her leadership roles in Washington state government and federal labor policy, Suzi reveals how her private sector experience at Microsoft and Expedia helped her navigate the complexity of diplomacy and civic systems. Sharing stories about ‘a day in the life’ of an ambassador, we learn how she was able to translate between technology, policy, and citizen needs as a throughline in her work.
Truth-Telling in Tumultuous Time
What stands out is Suzi’s clarity about the destabilizing effects of the current U.S. administration on global trust. She doesn’t mince words in describing how credibility, reliability, and influence have eroded under the weight of broken treaties, abandoned alliances, and rhetoric that praises autocrats while sidelining democratic partners.
Yet even in that critique, she models how to stay grounded in facts, focused on impact, and hopeful about the power of civic engagement to rebuild. She also reflects on the communication skills the president demonstrates—especially his ability to connect with disaffected voters—and how these lessons can inform more inclusive and empathetic leadership.
The Practice of Bridging Divides
The heart of this episode, however, lies in Suzi’s deep commitment to bridging divides. As a self-described “pragmatic optimist’ she shares powerful examples from her time in Washington state—like convening labor and business leaders around paid family leave and agricultural worker protections—that highlight how mutual respect, listening, and structured dialogue can yield durable progress based on relationships and forums where disagreements can be regularly vetted. She also shares how, while Ambassador, she was able to advance US interests by building a partnership with novel apprenticeship models from Switzerland back to the US – programs that the current administration is still supporting.
Her mantra of “results without roadkill” reminds us that conviction and compassion can indeed co-exist.
How Everyone – not just ambassadors – can make a difference
To close out the podcast, Suzi offers a powerful invitation rooted in the Jewish principle of tikkun olam—the idea that each of us has a responsibility to help repair the world. It’s a lesson passed down to her by her mother, and one she lives every day with intention. Whether the work is large or small, personal or public, Suzi reminds us that we all hold the power to make a difference.
That difference might come through raising good humans, leading a government agency, offering healing as a physical therapist, or simply showing up with empathy and purpose in daily life. Her closing wish is one of profound encouragement: to recognize our agency, to engage civically, and to believe that our actions—however modest—matter.
So if you’re yearning for principled leadership and practical wisdom on how to navigate this moment, this episode is for you. Join us in The Space In Between as we learn from one of today’s great civic leaders how to lead with conviction, curiosity, and care—and how to wake each day asking, “How will I help repair the world?”
