What does it really take to build a workplace where people grow and do their best work, even in one of the most emotionally demanding professions?

In this episode of Elevate, Joy Fajardo sits down with Carla Armstrong, CFRE, Director of Philanthropy at Gulfside Healthcare Services, a five-time Top 100 Workplace in Tampa Bay, to explore what great leadership looks like when the work is deeply human.

Carla shares an unconventional career journey, from training at Juilliard and building a career in dance to leading philanthropy for one of Florida's most respected nonprofit healthcare organizations. Along the way, she reveals the leadership principles that have remained constant: resilience, purpose, trust, and the belief that culture is built through everyday decisions, not company slogans.

Together, Joy and Carla discuss:

• What leaders can learn from the discipline and collaboration of the performing arts.
• How Gulfside has built and sustained an award-winning workplace culture in hospice care.
• Why communication becomes even more important when your workforce is dispersed across locations and serving people in the field.
• The difference between purchasing technology and successfully adopting it.
• How professional development drives stronger technology adoption and employee engagement.
• Leading through multiple generations while preserving purpose and connection.
• The opportunities and limitations of AI in people-centred organizations.
• Why the future of leadership depends on creating the conditions for people to thrive.

Whether you lead communications, HR, IT, employee experience, or an entire organization, this conversation offers practical insights into building cultures where people feel supported, connected, and inspired to do meaningful work.