Leading with Heart: Elizabeth B. Hill Of Green Heart Living Press On The Power of Authentic Women’s Leadership
An Interview With Pirie Jones Grossman
Leading authentically makes stepping into leadership easier. When I know that I can truly be myself and don’t need to fit into a mold or meet anyone’s expectations, it can feel like a massive relief to just stand up and be myself. This has greatly improved my ability to speak in front of audiences. I used to think I had to “perform” or act a certain way to be a great speaker or to be a leader. I was speaking in front of a room full of female entrepreneurs at a Ladies Power Lunch Summit and I looked out and it hit me — I can literally just be myself up here. I felt my shoulders relax and I had fun with it. I led the room in a calming yoga breath because that’s what I needed at the moment. Then I led a panel of our authors, asking questions. I had a blast, asking questions from a place of curiosity and appreciation for each of the panel guests. It was the first time I’ve ever had fun on stage as myself. It was such a great thing to learn was possible!
In today’s dynamic world, the concept of leadership is continuously evolving. While traditional leadership models have often been male-dominated, there is a growing recognition of the unique strengths and perspectives that women bring to these roles. This series aims to explore how women can become more effective leaders by authentically embracing their femininity and innate strengths, rather than conforming to traditional male leadership styles. In this series, we are talking to successful women leaders, coaches, authors, and experts who can provide insights and personal stories on how embracing their inherent feminine qualities has enhanced their leadership abilities. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Elizabeth B. Hill, MSW.
Elizabeth B. Hill, MSW, is the founder and CEO of Green Heart Living & Green Heart Living Press. Her mission is to make the world more peaceful and loving, one book at a time. Green Heart Living Press believes that by sharing our stories, we break down stigma and prejudice, increase empathy and understanding, and make the world a more peaceful and compassionate place for all.
Through her work as a writing coach, editor and publisher, she has published over 65 books and helped over 150 people become published authors.
Elizabeth is the author of Green Your Heart, Green Your World: Avoid Burnout, Love Your Life, and Love Notes: Daily Wisdom for the Soul, and lead editor of 14 anthologies, including The Great Pause and Be the Beacon. With 15 years of experience in nonprofit writing and collaborations, she has taught mindfulness, yoga, and meditation to thousands across the U.S.
Trained as a social worker, yoga teacher, and life coach, she weaves creativity, spirituality, and mindfulness into her client work. Her expertise in helping those with anxiety and high-stress lives ensures nothing stands in the way of their projects. As a bestselling author, Elizabeth helps clients navigate writing and publishing their stories while using writing to grow their businesses, impact, and income.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about authentic, feminine leadership, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I never set out to become a publisher. It’s like the universe assigned it to me. My background is in social work and yoga teaching. I wanted to save the world, so I became a social worker. And I did yoga, and taught it, to deal with the stress of trying to save the world. For 15 years, I worked in the nonprofit field and taught yoga and meditation. Then I found the field of life coaching. I fell in love with it. I thought it would be a perfect marriage of helping people, while also giving me the freedom to work in ways that were healthier for me and my family. I began building a life coaching practice, while taking a year-long coaching certification. At the same time, I self-published my first book Green Your Heart, Green Your World: Avoid Burnout, Save the World, & Love Your Life. People started coming to me for help with writing or publishing books.I hadn’t been advertising or even saying that I was doing that. I had been intending to build a life coaching practice with some yoga sprinkled in. I knew I could help them, though, so I said, “Yes.”
I published my book Love Notes in Feb 2020 and published my first anthology The Great Pause in the summer of 2020. Before I knew it 8 out of the 10 clients in my private coaching practice were writing books. It was at this point, I realized — oh, maybe I should start saying this is what I do! At that point, I was able to leave all my other work behind and focus on writing coaching, publishing and writing full-time.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
In December 2024, I attended a TEDx talk in Hartford. I knew one of the speakers and was really excited to see her speak. One of the other speakers was showing examples during her talk. All of the sudden, I saw one of my authors on the screen, holding a book I had published! It was so wild to get surprised by seeing a book I had published on the screen at a TEDx talk. It was so exciting to think of how many people this could reach.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Most of our authors are on a mission to make the world a better place by sharing their story. For example, one of our authors, Maria Jefferson, LPC, wrote Path to Purpose in which she shares her journey to healing from complex PTSD. Another author, Iran Nazario, author of Rage to Peace is an ex-gang member who is now a peace advocate. Many of our authors have gone through traumatic events, and want to ease the path for others who may have gone through the same.
At Green Heart Living Press, our mission is to make the world a more loving and peaceful place, one book at a time. We specialize in amplifying the voices of authors from communities that often find themselves marginalized. We believe that by sharing our stories, we break down stigma and prejudice, increase empathy and understanding, making the world a more peaceful and compassionate place for all.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Determined — When I’m faced with something I don’t know how to do or a problem, I never think I won’t be able to figure it out. Even if I don’t know what to do, I know I can ask other people for guidance, and find a way. For instance, when an author wanted to do an audiobook, at first I didn’t know how. I told them, “I don’t know how, but I’ll find out.” And I did! We’ve now produced four audiobooks.
Curious — I am genuinely curious to learn from the people I meet, whether it’s a client or someone I meet at a networking event. I love learning about their businesses, their life experiences, and what is important to them. I partnered with Dr. Davia Shepherd to bring together a series of “transformation anthologies” where people shared their stories of transformation around a specific theme. For instance, Success in Any Season shared women’s stories of success, no matter what challenges they were facing. I got to meet many amazing women and got to learn so much from each one because I was curious to learn and grow through reading each story and meeting each author.
Dreaming Big — I love to talk with people about their dreams for the future of their lives and businesses. When people feel like it might be impossible to complete their books, I know that it is still possible (even when they have difficult challenges going on) and I hold that possibility for them. When I first met Amanda Quick, author of The Sex Trafficker’s Wife, she had a lot to say on the TEDx stage and to start a nonprofit. We worked together to publish her book. She has since achieved the goals she set out to do and then some. She gave the TEDx talk “The Healing Power of Storytelling” and has started the Golden Haven Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people who are fighting for custody from their abusers and their children’s abusers.
Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? I’m curious to understand how these challenges have shaped your leadership.
A few years into my coaching career, I was working part-time as a contractor for AbleTo. I loved working for them and found it very rewarding to coach people across the country. Working for them allowed me to step away from working in the nonprofits, and become a full-time coach and work entirely remotely. When Green Heart Living Press really took off, I realized it really didn’t make sense financially or time-wise to keep working for AbleTo. It was hard to step away from a company I believed in and the stability of a paycheck, but I decided to do so in order to grow my business. It was hard to decide, but I’m grateful I made that choice.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Can you share a personal experience where embracing your unique leadership style, which might not align with traditional expectations, led to a significant positive impact in your organization or team?
A lot of people are nervous when they first get on a call with me and it’s very important to me that I put them at ease immediately. Within our first call, we usually spend a good amount of time laughing and a good amount of time crying. It’s important to me that I create a space where they feel safe to share their personal experiences as well as their big dreams for the future. Often, the things they are sharing may be the worst things that have ever happened to them. Their big dreams may also be things that they haven’t felt the courage to share with anyone else. I believe people feel safe to share these things with me because I’m very relaxed, I genuinely care about them and I get just as excited about their dreams as they do.
In your journey as a leader, how have you balanced demonstrating resilience, often seen as a masculine trait, with showing vulnerability, which is equally powerful, but typically feminine? Can you give an example where this balance created a meaningful difference?
I demonstrate resilience by sticking with projects even when they feel very overwhelming or challenging. Over the past few years, we have published an average of over 15 books a year. An immense amount of effort goes into each project and helping authors navigate the challenges that go into writing and seeing a book project through to completion is intense. I balance this resilience with vulnerability by being very honest and open with my clients.
As a woman in leadership, how have you navigated and challenged gender stereotypes, especially in situations where traditional male-dominated approaches are the norm? What strategies have you employed to remain authentic to your style?
I’ve actually always chosen work in female-dominated professions, specifically to avoid potential confrontations or difficulties with men. First, I worked in early childhood education, then I moved to the nonprofit field, yoga teaching, and life coaching. There were men in these fields and some in leadership positions, but all were more compassionate/heart-felt/more aligned with feminine traits. So I basically navigated gender stereotypes by avoiding situations where it would be a problem.
How do you utilize emotional intelligence and active listening to create an inclusive environment in your team or organization? Could you share a specific instance where these qualities particularly enhanced team dynamics or performance?”
I have periodic one-on-one meetings with everyone on my team, get to know them personally, and always create a safe space for them to share what’s really going on in their lives (as much as they want to). If they feel stressed, or I can sense they aren’t into a project, I like to tune in to see what’s going on, if I can help, and if we can shift them to projects that are more engaging for them. This way, I make sure that people are doing work they are passionate about and leads to a better result and happier team members.
What role has mentorship played in developing your authentic leadership style, and how do you communicate authentically to inspire and empower both your mentors and mentees?
I have had a coach for the past eight years who I have deep respect for. Kathleen Troy is a strong, compassionate and creative business owner, coach, and mother. I’ve learned so much from her, both from her guidance and her example. I have been able to have several people in apprenticeship positions who I have trained as editors, coaches, and publishers. Two of my apprentices run their own publishing companies now and have written and published multiple books. It is so exciting to see someone take the skills I’ve taught them and build whole businesses out of them.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways Leading Authentically As A Woman Will Affect Your Leadership”?
1. Leading authentically makes stepping into leadership easier. When I know that I can truly be myself and don’t need to fit into a mold or meet anyone’s expectations, it can feel like a massive relief to just stand up and be myself. This has greatly improved my ability to speak in front of audiences. I used to think I had to “perform” or act a certain way to be a great speaker or to be a leader. I was speaking in front of a room full of female entrepreneurs at a Ladies Power Lunch Summit and I looked out and it hit me — I can literally just be myself up here. I felt my shoulders relax and I had fun with it. I led the room in a calming yoga breath because that’s what I needed at the moment. Then I led a panel of our authors, asking questions. I had a blast, asking questions from a place of curiosity and appreciation for each of the panel guests. It was the first time I’ve ever had fun on stage as myself. It was such a great thing to learn was possible!
2. Being open about making mistakes and experiencing failure. Leading authentically means I can’t avoid the fact that I make mistakes. It also means I am open about the fact that there are some things I don’t know. If someone asks me if I can do something that I don’t know how to do, I will say, “I don’t know how to do that, but I’m sure there’s a way, we just need to figure out who to talk to so we can learn.” I believe that this helps people feel like we’re on this adventure together — that I am learning from them just as they are learning from me. In this way, leading authentically is a path where we are all growing together, rather than me as a leader looking down or helping those I’m leading. We are all leading and growing together, which is a much more exciting adventure to be on.
3. People will trust you. When you are leading authentically, people can sense that you are genuine and they can be their full selves with you.
4. Your business will grow. People want to do business with people they “know, like, and trust.” As you are being your authentic self, and they trust you, you will find sales become easier and your business will grow in response.
5. Your business will run more smoothly. Why? Because you will attract more aligned clients. By being genuine and yourself, you will likely attract those that will align with your values, mission, and personality. You will find that these clients are easier to serve.
Are there potential pitfalls or challenges associated with being an empathetic leader? How can these be addressed?
When we are empathetic, it is very easy to want to solve or “fix” all problems faced by our clients and our team members. What I do to address this, is to remind myself that my clients and team members are whole and complete. They are on their own journey. It is not my job to fix or change anything they are facing. First, they may not see that there’s anything they want fixed or changed! That just may be a judgment on my part. Second, part of their journey on this planet may be to sort out the challenges they are facing on their own. I can be a good listener, compassionate and understanding, without needing to dive in to fix anything.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I am on a mission to make the world a more loving and peaceful place, one book at a time. When we share our stories, we no longer carry them by ourselves; the world carries them with us. I believe that when we share our experiences, we break down stigma and prejudice, increase empathy and understanding, and make the world a more peaceful and compassionate place for all. All of our authors have been a part of this movement. I feel so honored and grateful to have played a part in helping our authors share their stories.
How can our readers further follow you online?
My website for Green Heart Living Press: https://www.greenheartliving.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/greenheartlivingpress
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-heart-living-press
Instagram: @greenheartlivingpress
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@greenheartliving
The Green Heart Living Podcast
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Leading with Heart: Elizabeth B Hill Of Green Heart Living Press On The Power of Authentic Women’s was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.