The Role of Empathy in Leadership with Teresa Johnson
Empathy gets talked about a lot in leadership, but too often it stays at the level of slogans.
Many employees still experience leaders who are distant, reactive, or purely numbers driven, even as research shows that empathetic leadership drives higher engagement, innovation, and loyalty.
In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we sit down with Teresa Johnson, CEO of Color Me Mine, to explore what empathy in leadership looks like in the real world of franchise studios, frontline staff, and community based businesses.
Teresa shares powerful insights on:
• How to practice empathy without lowering standards or avoiding hard conversations
• The systems and rituals that help empathy show up across an entire franchise network
• Why purpose matters when you are leading creatives, entrepreneurs, and local communities
• What it means to bring love into business in practical, everyday ways
🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski
🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa
Empathy is not a soft extra. It is a core leadership practice that changes how people feel, perform, and stay.
#TheBlissBusinessPodcast #Leadership #EmpathyInBusiness #Culture
Teresa Johnson
CEO of Color Me Mine
Teresa Johnson is the CEO of Color Me Mine, the industry-leading paint-your-own-pottery franchise. In 2005 after working in HR and marketing for several companies, Johnson purchased her first business, an independent paint-your-own pottery studio she'd been a frequent customer at with her daughter, despite having no experience running a business.
Within a few years, she had four studios, co-founded a boat manufacturing business and was holding down the fort as a single mom. She later became a franchisee with the industry-leading paint-and-sip brand Painting with a Twist.
In 2021 after acquisitions and leadership changes, Johnson became co-owner and CEO of Color Me Mine. Since then, she’s worked to refresh the brand for the next generation of franchisees — leading the brand to unprecedented growth in both sales and studio expansions. A self-described serial entrepreneur, Johnson believes her true calling in life is to help future entrepreneurs discover their passions and help guide them to success.
