The Grey Areas Podcast with Kelsey Donlon
The Grey Areas Podcast with Kelsey Donlon is ready to disrupt corporate America! This is a space for candid conversations and deep dives into the complexities of the workplace. The mission: to empower women with transparent, inspiring narratives and challenge the status quo in corporate culture.
Grey Areas is a safe, non-judgemental digital platform, podcast and community that inspires and empowers women to navigate the grey areas in the workplace. So what does that mean? Well, the ‘grey area’ is an ill-defined situation…or in other words, it’s murky AF. Kelsey is here to help make this vague situation, much clearer. This community and podcast will hold corporations, executives and Human Resources accountable by leveraging legal education, transparency, and shared stories to drive change.
Each episode will tackle aspects of the grey area; managing anxiety in the workplace, tension between coworkers or managers, understanding employer boundaries, working with HR in an appropriate and effective way, navigating job loss, and so much more. So tune in, to hear Kelsey and her guests share a wealth of information and to be part of a safe space for people who have a hard time navigating the toxic workplace.
Let’s navigate grey areas, together!
The Grey Areas Podcast with Kelsey Donlon
The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance with Zach Mercurio
Welcome back to The Grey Areas Podcast! This week, we’re joined by Zach Mercurio, a researcher, speaker and author of The Invisible Leader and The Power of Mattering. Through his work with global brands like the US Army, Delta Airlines, and the National Park Service, Zach shares how purposeful leadership creates cultures where people truly feel seen, valued, and essential.
In this episode, we dive deep into how leaders can build trust, repair broken relationships, and activate purpose at every level of an organization. Zach also shares real-world examples of how small, consistent acts of recognition can transform workplace culture.
Highlights include:
- 04:11 – The difference between feeling valued and knowing you matter—and why it’s crucial for leaders to understand both.
- 09:44 – How middle managers can create "microclimates" of mattering, even in challenging environments.
- 17:59 – Purposeful leadership: the traits that separate good leaders from great ones.
- 24:50 – The three core practices of mattering: Noticing, Affirming, and Needing, and how to apply them effectively.
- 33:46 – Real-world stories of leaders who prioritize mattering, and the powerful ripple effects it creates.
- 49:04 – Cubicle Confession: Zach advises a new manager on how to rebuild trust with a disengaged employee who’s been overlooked for years.
Tune in to discover how leadership grounded in mattering can reshape your team and redefine what it means to lead with purpose.
Zach's Links:
Website: Power of Mattering
LinkedIn: Zach Mercurio
Instagram @zachmercurio
Kelsey's Links For You:
Website
Grey Areas Instagram
Kelsey's Instagram
LinkedIn
TikTok
