As a business owner and team leader, I have always believed that highly engaged and committed employees are the key to business success. This book is all about people and how to keep employees motivated by building a culture of high emotional intelligence (EI) which fosters high performance, productivity, innovation, and growth. Also, if you want to implement the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program, you will find the principles and action plans as excellent guidance. This book is full of valuable ideas and tools for small business owners and people managers.

Dr. Swain addresses my fears as an up and coming leader, and her description of my “why” was transformative. It’s like she read my mind. This book is a must read!

This is not your normal modern leadership book. 5 tools for becoming a transformative leader in business and life has so much more to offer than just 5 tools. Dr. Swain has beautifully blended the core elements of family, work, leadership, and humanness into a wonderfully immersive reading experience that has something to offer for everyone. Rich modern behavioral sciences are united with empathy and humility. If you want to become better in every facet of your life, read this book."

Kitchen Table Talks with Dad is full of effective methods for truly building self-awareness and strong teams for entrepreneurs and organizational leadership alike, but what really makes it so powerful is how these are woven into and illustrated practically through a believable narrative. As a leader in a small, family-owned business, I know how crucial self-awareness as a leader and empathy with, and encouragement of, the individual members of your team is to the success of the organization. This is a highly readable and insightful book for any team leader committed to emotional intelligence, and thus the success, of their team.

Thank you Dr. Swain for bringing such a thoughtful level of humanity to the workplace in your first book, Kitchen Table Talks with Dad. You captured the art and the science of engagement with people at all levels of a small business. Weaving together the poignant reflections of the kitchen conversations with Mr. Swain and topics such as Emotional Intelligence, helps all of us understand how to be more kind, considerate and selfless at work. You remind us that not only is this a moral imperative, but one that positively influences any company’s strategic position.

From her kitchen conversations with her father in law, Angela provides an invaluable resource for the small business owner. In order to realize true business success an entrepreneur must fully engage their key stakeholders; employees, customers, vendors and partners. And the level of engagement is a direct result of the culture the entrepreneur creates. Make no mistake, every business has a culture, and the savvy entrepreneur grows and nurtures a healthy productive culture. If left to its own devices an organization’s culture can easily spiral into dysfunction. Angela’s framework, that leverages Emotional Intelligence will prove most helpful to any small business owner/entrepreneur.

From her kitchen conversations with her father in law, Angela provides an invaluable resource for the small business owner. In order to realize true business success an entrepreneur must fully engage their key stakeholders; employees, customers, vendors and partners. And the level of engagement is a direct result of the culture the entrepreneur creates. Make no mistake, every business has a culture, and the savvy entrepreneur grows and nurtures a healthy productive culture. If left to its own devices an organization’s culture can easily spiral into dysfunction. Angela’s framework, that leverages Emotional Intelligence will prove most helpful to any small business owner/entrepreneur.

This book combines an engaging story with quality academic evidence. Dr. Swain is a consummate scholar-practitioner and makes us all proud. Julie Benesh, Independent Management Consultant and Department Chair of Business Psychology, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology I run my own marketing agency and I prioritize the emotional health of my team as a collective, just as much as the print and digital campaigns we create for clients. This book has provided me with a blueprint on how to continue to foster emotionally intelligent teams who are committed to the long game. I especially recommend the M3C method, which is a great tool that champions self-awareness. Tons of timeless and actionable insights in this book! Highly recommended for company founders and business leaders!"

As business owners and corporate leaders, we take for granted that our team members have the skills of courage and emotional intelligence; that individuals understand the “how” to build a culture that supports a leader’s life, not just their job. Dr. Swain’s careful attention to each individual’s experience, through the voice of her father-in-law and her research, is what is critically needed in organizations right now. And it’s our responsibility, as leaders, to learn for ourselves how to build emotional fluency, so we can demonstrate to others how it can be done, and stumble - and sometimes leap - forward together.

Dr. Swain masterfully uses the art of storytelling and her professional expertise to offer practical solutions for organizational development. Her captivating writing style is a unique blend of personal and professional experiences to promote deep reflection. This multipurpose text can be used to personally strengthen leadership skills or professionally guide teams through organizational improvement. Without a doubt, this book is a must read for novice and veteran leaders who are seeking continuous improvement.

Dr. Angela Swain has provided the essential tools for creating a workplace where both employers and employees will thrive and develop into the best versions of themselves. Her expertise in EI (emotional intelligence) is woven effortlessly into personal and engaging stories that provide a glimpse into her own leadership journey. Dr. Swain’s writing style is both research-driven and practical, making it accessible to Fortune 500 companies as well as small businesses and organizations. Furthermore, with the shifting nature of the workplace during the global pandemic, leaders will need to reimagine how they engage and retain top talent. This book is a must-read for any leader that is yearning to transform their workplace into a high performing environment, full of committed and motivated individuals!

Nestled within the pages of Kitchen Table Talks, I saw myself. I learned new techniques to facilitate leadership in teams and identified next steps for continuous leadershipimprovement...for me and my team. As a supervisor of educators who searches for professional text to help leaders navigate the leadership waters, this book, with its details on emotional intelligence and employee voice, is a must read! The content is timeless and would benefit leaders at all stages of their leadership career.