What does strength look like when pushing harder is no longer an option? For Nastasia Liavas, Vice President of Fitness Services at Fitness World and a breast cancer survivor, it meant rethinking everything she knew about strength after years of equating success with relentless drive and pushing herself to the limit.
She discovered that true strength isn’t always about doing more. It’s about knowing when to ask for help, stepping back before reaching a breaking point, and leading with both high expectations and empathy. Today, these lessons shape how she supports her team and recognizes that everyone needs something different to succeed.
On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we’re talking with Nastasia Liavas, Vice President of Fitness Services at Fitness World, about redefining strength and what it means to lead with both high standards and genuine empathy. You’ll hear why understanding employees as individuals, rather than expecting everyone to perform the same way, can help build stronger teams. Join us as we explore what it means to lead with strength without always having to push harder.
Leadership tips you won’t want to miss:
🎙️ Redefining strength by recognizing when to ask for help and reset
🎙️ Balancing high performance expectations with genuine empathy and connection
🎙️ Adapting your leadership approach to individual needs and changing capacities
🎙️ Inspiring teams through shared purpose rather than authority and pressure
🎙️ Modelling vulnerability and accountability to build psychological safety
Nastasia Liavas is the Vice President of Fitness Services at Fitness World and a breast cancer survivor. Through her professional leadership experience and personal journey, she brings a thoughtful perspective on resilience, high performance, and the importance of putting people at the centre of leadership. Her approach challenges traditional ideas about strength and encourages leaders to create workplaces where people can perform, connect, and ask for support without fear of judgment.
If you’re looking to build a high-performing team without losing sight of the people behind the performance, then this episode is for you!
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🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/
For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.
Nastasia’s contact information:
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