An Interview With Stanley Bronstein
Your impact grows when you empower others. This multiplier effect is essential for scaling solutions across the American economy. The most lasting results I’ve seen came from enabling others to lead change long after I left. That’s real transformation — when it continues without you.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nathalie Teresa El Barche Antonios.
Nathalie Teresa El Barche Antonios is tackling one of the quiet crises holding America back: outdated systems and broken data pipelines. While many talk about innovation, she’s out there actually making it work by guiding retail and supply chain organizations through complex digital transformations. She helps them cut waste, modernize operations, and unlock smarter decision-making. With deep expertise in AI-powered analytics, data governance, and sustainable business, she’s showing how the right systems don’t just save time, but also drive resilience, sharpen competitiveness, and accelerate real growth.
Nathalie’s work goes beyond dashboards and KPIs. She’s focused on removing the roadblocks that keep innovation out of reach, making advanced technologies practical and scalable. By combining proven change management strategies with cutting-edge platforms, she’s helping teams operate with more clarity, more agility, and a stronger sense of purpose. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes work that doesn’t just improve companies, it can help strengthen the backbone of America’s economy.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I come from a family of entrepreneurs who built their livelihoods on instinct, grit, and hard work but often without access to structured data or technology. Watching them succeed despite these limitations inspired me to pursue a career where I could bridge that gap. Growing up, I witnessed firsthand how operational inefficiencies could make or break small American businesses the backbone of our economy. I wanted to help businesses, especially those outside Silicon Valley gain access to the tools and systems that enable sustainable growth. My academic journey in engineering and international business, combined with hands-on roles in the global supply chain, retail, and data governance, gave me a unique lens. This cross-functional expertise became especially valuable as I worked with multinational corporations and saw how American businesses could leverage world-class operational capabilities to compete globally. I don’t just see numbers I see lives, jobs, and resilience behind them. That’s what brought me here: the conviction that better systems can empower not just companies, but entire communities and strengthen America’s competitive position in the global marketplace
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Early in my career, I joined a digital transformation project where I was focused on delivering the most advanced technical solution possible. I was convinced that if the technology was perfect, the results would follow. But I failed to realize that the users, store managers, supply planners, analysts weren’t prepared for such a sudden shift. Adoption stalled. The tool worked, but the people weren’t ready. This experience taught me something crucial about American business culture: sustainable change requires building consensus and trust, not just deploying technology. That taught me a lesson I carry to this day: true transformation is never just technical it’s human. You must design for adoption from day one, embed change management into the strategy, and listen as much as you build. This people-first approach has become a cornerstone of my methodology and a key differentiator in how I help American businesses navigate digital transformation. Since then, every system I implement starts with people because empowered teams are what make digital change real.
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
Through my work, I help companies modernize operations in ways that do more than increase efficiency they unlock high-skilled jobs, reduce system waste, and ensure better access to essential goods. My focus on AI-powered analytics and data governance directly addresses critical national priorities: economic resilience, supply chain security, and technological competitiveness. By focusing on AI-powered analytics, data governance, and operational transparency, I help organizations become more resilient and responsive. Recent global disruptions have highlighted how operational vulnerabilities in American businesses can cascade into national economic risks. My work helps mitigate these systemic vulnerabilities. This work holds national importance by strengthening critical infrastructure and advancing America’s economic security. But it also creates human impact: when a company operates smarter, its workers thrive, its communities grow, and its customers benefit from reliability and trust. My goal is to ensure that digital transformation reaches beyond the boardroom and into everyday lives, especially in regions and sectors that have historically been left behind but are essential to America’s distributed economic strength.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
One of the most meaningful moments in my journey came during a supply chain transformation project where I was coaching a sales planner who had always worked with pen, paper, and instinct. This was at a logistics company with operations in the Midwest — exactly the type of American business that forms the backbone of our industrial economy but often lacks access to advanced operational tools. At first, she was hesitant, and skeptical of automation and wary of change. But after months of collaboration, training, and redesigning the system around her insights, she not only adopted the new tools but became an internal champion. Her job became less reactive, her confidence grew, and she started mentoring others. What struck me most was how her transformation represented something larger: American workers aren’t resistant to change, they’re ready to lead it when given the right tools and support. Watching her evolve, and knowing that this transformation made her daily work less stressful and more impactful reminded me that success isn’t measured by dashboards, but by people who feel empowered to lead in their own environments.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- Invest in digital literacy and workforce upskilling. This is not just about individual advancement, it’s about national competitiveness. We can’t modernize supply chains if our people aren’t equipped to use the tools, and we can’t compete with nations that are rapidly upskilling in their workforces.
- Support small and mid-sized businesses with access to transformation resources. These businesses employ over 60% of American workers, yet too often, only the largest firms benefit from AI and data-driven systems. This creates a dangerous competitive gap that weakens our entire economic ecosystem.
- Prioritize infrastructure and policy alignment for resilient, data-enabled commerce. From incentives for digital adoption to standardization of supply chain data, policy must support operational modernization as a national security imperative, not just an economic opportunity.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership, especially in the context of national economic strength, means creating systems that enable distributed decision-making and resilience. To me, that’s leadership: structuring environments where others can succeed. It means enabling others to lead with clarity and confidence. It’s not about having all the answers about building systems that make answers accessible to everyone. In one project, instead of making centralized decisions, I helped teams co-design their own metrics dashboards. This allowed them to track what mattered to their roles in real time. The result? Faster decisions, better ownership, and a culture where people led from every level. This approach directly strengthens American business culture by fostering the innovation and adaptability that have always been our competitive advantages.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Digital transformation is more about people than tools. This lesson has strategic implications for American competitiveness — our strength lies in our workforce’s adaptability and innovation. I learned this the hard way when a technically perfect system failed due to lack of user buy-in. Now, I design every solution with adoption in mind.
- Don’t wait for perfection — pilot early, adjust often. This agile approach reflects the entrepreneurial spirit that drives American innovation. One of my most successful implementations started as a simple prototype. Real impact came through iteration, not perfection.
- Speak the language of business, not just technology. This communication skill has been crucial in helping American businesses understand how operational excellence translates to competitive advantage. Early on, I used technical jargon that didn’t connect. Now, I translate complex systems into business outcomes that resonate with decision-makers.
- Build trust before trying to drive change. Trust-building is especially important in American business culture, where relationships and credibility drive lasting partnerships. In one company, I paused a project just to listen to employees’ concerns. That trust-building made all the difference when it was time to implement.
- Your impact grows when you empower others. This multiplier effect is essential for scaling solutions across the American economy. The most lasting results I’ve seen came from enabling others to lead change long after I left. That’s real transformation — when it continues without you.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire 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’d inspire a movement that democratizes access to operational intelligence, bringing AI and data governance capabilities to every business, not just the big ones. This movement would be fundamentally about American economic democratization and national resilience. Imagine if local manufacturers, small retailers, and regional suppliers all had the tools to forecast demand, reduce waste, and optimize resources. This would create a distributed network of excellent operational businesses that could respond collectively to supply chain disruptions, economic shocks, and competitive pressures from abroad. This would strengthen entire economies from the ground up, reduce inequality in access to technology, and help America lead not just in innovation, but in inclusion. Most importantly, it would ensure that our economic strength isn’t concentrated in a few tech hubs but distributed across every community that contributes to American prosperity.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Don’t automate the mess — fix the system.”
I’ve carried this lesson throughout my career. This principle has become especially relevant as American businesses face pressure to rapidly adopt AI and automation to remain competitive. Technology is not a magic wand. If your processes are broken, automation only scales the dysfunction. True transformation comes when we pause, rethink the structure, and then build solutions with intention. This systematic approach is what separates sustainable American innovation from quick technological fixes that ultimately weaken competitive position. That’s how lasting impact happens.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I’d love to sit down with Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon. He helped shape the digital backbone of modern commerce building scalable cloud infrastructure while overseeing one of the most complex supply chain and retail ecosystems in the world. What I admire most is how he translated deep technical capability into operational agility on a global scale. His work has fundamentally strengthened American technological leadership and demonstrated how operational excellence can become a sustainable competitive moat. I’d be fascinated to explore how we can take those same principles, data-driven decision-making, smart automation, and customer-centric logistics, and apply them to small and mid-sized businesses across America. This is where I see the greatest opportunity to strengthen American economic resilience: empowering the 99% of businesses that aren’t Amazon to operate with world-class capabilities. These companies are the backbone of our economy, yet they’re often left behind in the digital transformation conversation. My mission is to close that gap. A conversation with someone who’s architected transformation at the highest level would be a rare opportunity to bridge visionary leadership with grounded, scalable impact, especially in the sectors that drive national resilience and long-term economic strength. Together, we could explore how to scale operational excellence across the entire American business ecosystem, creating the distributed strength that has always been our greatest economic asset.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Readers can connect with me on LinkedIn, where I share insights on AI, data governance, and the future of supply chain and retail transformation. My content focuses specifically on how American businesses can leverage these tools for competitive advantage and operational resilience. I also regularly publish articles that reflect my mission to build smarter, more inclusive systems that strengthen both business performance and national resilience.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About the Interviewer: Stanley Bronstein is an attorney, CPA, and author of more than 20 books. However, he doesn’t consider any of those his greatest achievement. His most significant accomplishment was permanently losing 225 pounds and developing the personal growth system that made it possible — The Way of Excellence. As a catalyst for change, he has dedicated his life to helping others maximize their potential, transform their lives, and achieve optimal health. To learn more, you can download a free PDF copy of his latest book, The Way of Excellence Journal, at https://TheWayOfExcellence.com.
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Nathalie Teresa El Barche Antonios Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.