Zoë Dean Smith, social entrepreneur, leadership expert
Zoë Dean Smith is an award-winning social entrepreneur, leadership expert and former executive whose career spans the for-profit, non-profit and social enterprise sectors. Now in her eighth career chapter, she is living proof of the transformational power of the very work she shares with others. In early 2025, Zoë launched her own consultancy, offering leadership development, facilitation and strategy support while advancing her signature personal development methodology - the Holistic Life Map. Over the past 15+ years, this framework has impacted thousands of people across more than 100 countries, offering a values-based, whole-person approach to navigating life’s transitions with clarity and intention. Whether for women leaders, professionals at a crossroads or those recovering from burnout or job loss, her work provides a practical and soulful blueprint for reinvention.
Share your background and if there is one, a defining moment led you to where you are today. What inspired you to pursue your current path or career?
I’ve lived what I call eight distinct career chapters, from architecture to Club Med water-skiing instructor, to founding a non-profit organization in Eswatini, to corporate philanthropy at Coca-Cola, to over a decade with Vital Voices and now leading my own consultancy. There were two defining moments that shaped my path. The first was when I produced an amateur production of the Rocky Horror Show in 1997 at the Swaziland Theatre Club. One of the women that I cast in a lead role, the late Jenny Thorne, was running a social enterprise and a few months after that production, she invited me to bring my organizational skills into her handcraft business to help her scale. That was my entry point into the field of women’s economic empowerment. The second was when I did an exercise mapping seven life categories during a personal turning point. That experience inspired me to evolve it into the Holistic Life Map - a framework of 12 life categories that helps people reflect, realign and take intentional action. I have shared it with people from more than 100 nationalities around the world and it has now become a cornerstone of my work, forming the basis of workshops, retreats and programs that I offer today. What inspired me to pursue this path was seeing how clarity, intention and aligned action can completely reshape lives - not just mine but the lives of those that I’ve worked with across continents.
Have you faced any significant challenges or setbacks, and how did you overcome them? What’s a lesson you’ve learned the hard way? How do you stay motivated during difficult times?
Whenever I’ve faced significant challenges - whether it was working with toxic bosses, realizing that I was no longer growing in a role or finding that certain aspects of my life no longer aligned - such as living in the wrong place or seeing my health impacted - I’ve trusted my gut and moved on. Each time, that decision has led me to an even better life chapter. One lesson that I learned the hard way came at the end of the first COVID year in late 2020 when I was diagnosed with early-stage, fast-growing breast cancer which ultimately resulted in a bilateral mastectomy. I believe that the anxiety of that year - going into lockdown, remote work, the uncertainty of the pandemic and the political climate of Washington, D.C. during an election year - all played a part. It was actually the second time that I’d had a breast cancer scare. Years earlier, after leaving a job with a toxic boss, my very next mammogram revealed calcifications that required a minor surgical procedure. I often say that in that surgery, I literally got that boss “off my chest.” What has kept me motivated through these moments is returning to my own Holistic Life Map as a compass. It helps me to ensure that I’m not just focused on work but on all aspects of life such as living in the right place, surrounding myself with the right people and making space for joy and fun along the way.
How do you define leadership, and what does it mean to you? Who do you consider a role model or mentor, and what have you learned from them? How do you use your platform or position to inspire or uplift others?
I define leadership as living authentically and creating the conditions for others to step into their own power. Over my career, I’ve seen firsthand the transformative impact of mentorship. During my time at Vital Voices Global Partnership, I had the privilege of spearheading two major global mentoring programs: the Global Ambassadors Program in partnership with Bank of America and the U.S. Department of State Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership, a collaboration between Vital Voices, the State Dept and Fortune’s Most Powerful Women. Both programs paired emerging women leaders with Fortune 500 executives and I witnessed how authenticity, courage and generosity of spirit ripple outward across sectors, communities and countries. I have been fortunate to learn from remarkable role models. The late Jenny Thorne, founder of Gone Rural in my home country of Eswatini, showed me that work could be about so much more than a salary - it could drive meaningful, positive change for entire communities. Katy Knox of Bank of America inspires me with her leadership style rooted in accessibility and integrity - she always makes herself available to listen, answer questions and use her influence to create positive impact. Beth Brooke, former Global VC- Public Policy and Global sponsor of Diversity and Inclusion at EY Global, demonstrated extraordinary courage when she came out as gay in 2008 at the height of her corporate career, paving the way for thousands of others to embrace their own authenticity. And Bindu Vinodhan, founder of the Mauna Dhwani Foundation in India, who left a corporate career to dedicate herself to working with and uplifting one of the three poorest communities in her country, exemplifies purpose-driven heart-centered leadership by reviving traditional weaving skills and helping this community to cultivate cotton and indigo to build sustainable livelihoods with a zero carbon footprint.
I use my platform to remind people that reinvention is possible at any age or stage and to encourage authentic leadership and living. Another key success factor is recognizing that the world is evolving every day and that true leadership means continuing to learn and grow every day alongside others.
What do you love most about what you do? What’s a project or achievement you’re especially proud of?
What I love most about my work is using my knowledge, skills, experience, deep listening and network to make life better for others. My personal driving force is simple: I thrive on helping others be their best selves. I’ve done this in many different ways throughout my life. Since the early 1990s, I’ve been a fitness instructor and I know that I’ve inspired others to step into that role themselves. I love seeing the spark in someone’s eye and encouraging them to pursue bigger and better things. I’ve also experienced this joy through amateur theater - guiding actors to grow through their characters and embrace them fully on stage.
In my professional career, particularly at Vital Voices, I had the privilege of bringing together experts from around the world in areas ranging broadly from finance to social media to handcraft product design. One of my superpowers is deep listening: I am able to identify emerging themes and translate them into curriculum or methodologies or match the theme with the right trainer who can address that need. Another is my ability to match mentors and mentees. By listening carefully to mentors’ skills and experience and pairing them with the strengths, challenges and goals of mentees, I’ve been able to create very many powerful connections that foster growth.
One of the projects that I am especially proud of is the Global Ambassadors Program, a partnership between Vital Voices and Bank of America. This initiative brought together women leaders from Fortune 500 companies and grassroots organizations across the globe. Many of the participants entered the program not even considering themselves to be leaders. Watching them recognize their own leadership potential, step into it with confidence and then flourish as a result of the mentorship, expertise and resources shared through the program has been among the most rewarding experiences of my career.
A vivid example was in 2015 in South Africa, when we matched Sbu Myeni, CEO of the Imbeleko Foundation in South Africa, with Kathleen Matthews, former senior executive at Marriott International. Sbu had given up a high-flying career in business banking to carry on her late twin sister’s legacy, running a foundation that supports orphans and vulnerable children in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, a community deeply affected by HIV/AIDS. In working with her mentor, Sbu had a transformative realization: that it was okay to step out of the shadows of her twin and to step fully into her own leadership. Since then, there has been no turning back for her. What makes these moments even more extraordinary is that often, when I first revealed mentor-mentee matches, both sides looked at me quizzically, unsure why they had been paired. And yet, time and again, these seemingly unlikely pairings proved to be the most transformational.
What’s one thing people often misunderstand about you or your work? What’s a habit or routine that contributes to your success? How do you balance work and your personal life?
One thing people often misunderstand about my work is that they assume it’s only for women or only for those in crisis. In reality, my work is not limited to individuals, nor to the Holistic Life Map alone. Yes, the Life Map has been transformative for students, professionals, teams and retirees seeking clarity and direction but I also work with multinational corporations, non-profits and teams that are striving to align more closely, build stronger strategies and foster authentic leadership. In addition to the Life Map, I design and facilitate tailored workshops that focus on the priority areas identified by the client. The common thread is creating clarity and intention whether for one person redefining their path or for an organization seeking to move forward together.
A habit that contributes to my success and also helps me balance work and personal life is regularly reflecting on my own Holistic Life Map. It’s my way of practicing what I teach, ensuring that I’m not just guiding others but living it myself. This means deliberately weaving joy into my daily routine: still teaching indoor cycle classes at the age of 62, walking my dog in the beautiful park near my home where I can also create quiet moments for bird photography and spending meaningful time with friends, family and colleagues. On a health level, it means listening carefully to my body so that I don’t manifest what I don’t want. For me, success is not just about professional achievements. It’s about alignment, well-being and joy in everyday life.
I’ve seen the same truth play out for others. Karla, from Guatemala, has participated in the Holistic Life Map workshop with me several times since 2013. The first time she did the exercise, she realized for the very first time that she wanted to have children - a discovery sparked by one of the questions in the process. Today, she has two beautiful healthy boys. She also found the clarity and courage to finalize divorce paperwork that paved the way for her new family life with her partner, began running half-marathons and marathons and established a retirement fund for herself, something she had never considered before. Her story is one of many that remind me of the power of this tool to create meaningful, lasting change across all aspects of life.
What are you currently working on or excited about? Where do you see yourself—or hope to be—in the next five years?
I’m excited about several things on the horizon. First, I’m writing two books: one on the Holistic Life Map, a personal development book with a companion workbook and another profiling 35 extraordinary women leaders whose stories deserve to be shared widely. I’m also building a series of Holistic Life Map retreats with the vision of hosting them around the world. My plan is to bring a different guest expert to each retreat so that participants gain diverse tools. Alongside this, I’m developing trainer programs to build a global network of facilitators who can adapt the Holistic Life Map into their own communities and languages, making it accessible worldwide and potentially franchised.
A milestone on this journey came recently when I facilitated my first Holistic Life Map retreat in the beautiful New Brunswick area of Canada. It was a profound experience to see participants come together in such an inspiring setting and it reinforced my belief in the power of this work within retreat environments.
My vision extends beyond the Holistic Life Map. I love facilitating workshops - team-building, strategy development, organizational alignment sessions etc - helping companies and non-profits engage their people, align around shared goals and work cohesively together.
I am also looking forward to expanding my speaking opportunities to address audiences at universities, in communities, within companies and at conferences and retreats. The topics that I am most excited to share include the power of the Holistic Life Map, the transformative role of mentorship and leadership, the importance of heart-centered leadership and the impact of social enterprise and social impact on building a more equitable future.
Looking ahead, I see myself continuing to write, speak and serve on boards, while bringing both the Holistic Life Map methodology and my broader facilitation and leadership expertise into spaces where individuals and organizations alike can gain clarity, become more cohesive and flourish in ways that are both inspired and sustainable.
What advice would you give to your younger self? What message do you hope to pass on to the next generation of women? What does winning mean to you?
To my younger self, I would say: travel the world. It opens your eyes to different cultures and peoples, stretches your horizons and teaches you lessons that you’ll never forget. I would also say: find mentors that you can learn from throughout your life. As Jim Rohn said, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”, so surround yourself with people who inspire you and who can guide you through different stages. On a practical level, I wish I had invested in property much earlier and engaged a financial planner when I was young. Understanding and planning your finances early makes life far easier down the road. And perhaps most importantly: you are never too old to change or reinvent yourself. It is never too late to add intention to your life, to get clear about what serves you and what no longer does and to give yourself permission to change your mind.
To the next generation of women, my message is that reinvention is not failure; it is strength and growth. Be intentional, live authentically and don’t be afraid to claim your space.
To me, winning means living in alignment with your values and using your gifts to create meaningful, sustainable change.