From Seat at the Table to Owning the Table: A Leadership Journey
October 29th, 2025
Watch the video recording above, or find the audio-only version through your preferred podcast platform.
How do you grow from an individual contributor to a confident owner and culture-builder? In this episode of Leaders in the Arena, Caroline Lewis shares her path from Director of Operations to CEO/Owner at Lawson House, and the lessons she learned leading a creative services firm through growth, team development, and client impact. We’ll unpack the mindset shifts, operating rhythms, and people practices that helped her move from “supporting the work” to owning the vision—and how she equips her team to thrive. Lawson House | Design and Marketing+1
Key Topics:
The Inflection Point: Recognizing when operational leadership becomes enterprise leadership—what changed in goals, time use, and decision rights. Lawson House | Design and Marketing
Building a Team You Trust: Hiring for values and capability; setting standards; moving from “doer” to “developer of others.”
Personal Leadership Practices: Leadership style, engaging the team, and learning loops that keep a founder grounded and a team energized.
With Bridge Innovate, develop a team culture that engages your values. Or partner with Bridge to help you fully own your vision. Contact us to learn more.
Founded in 2003, Bridge Innovate is an SBA-certified woman-owned small business with 20+ years of experience in business innovation, leadership development, and organizational change. We’re on a mission to make a difference and to ignite creative leadership for growth and good.