Lisa Grimes is Managing Director of the Friendship Institute, home of the Friendship Matters™ podcast, where she and her colleagues work with individuals and corporations to improve well-being, enhance employee retention, and boost productivity through meaningful social connection. She also serves as managing director of Habergeon LLC, an executive coaching and management consulting firm. Lisa has 40 years of experience in various C-suite and board roles across large and small life sciences, service, and retail companies, including franchising. An avid learner who enjoys blending her business acumen with her love for wellness and beauty, Lisa is a pharmacist by training, yet she’s also an award-winning interior designer. She also licensed, launched, and oversaw the management of five Massage Envy™ franchises, one of which rose to “Top 50” status within the first year of opening. Lisa’s background includes serving in the C-suite for two global pharma services companies as well as working for GSK, Merck and several emerging biotech companies. Lisa has also served on the boards or as interim CEO for several start-up companies in the healthcare and health and wellness sectors. She has led mergers, acquisitions, strategy, and integration efforts. Previously, as President and CEO of InSite Clinical Trials, Lisa not only grew revenue 30x in under three years, she also delivered a healthy return to shareholders upon the sale of the company. She then led their clinical development unit. As an executive and life coach, Lisa enjoys helping others identify their strengths, relate them to their passions, and uncover their purpose. She has an uncanny ability to help people weave these together to find and live lives of significance. As a speaker—whether live or remote, with large or small audiences, as the keynote or a panel participant—she connects by sharing her six decades of real-world experience. She offers practical advice with transparency and vulnerability. Lisa’s one word brand is connector; she’s also been described as an influence multiplier. Lisa enjoys giving back, serving on various local, national, and international boards. She is actively involved in her community and has served on the Boards of the Caring Community Foundation, Fill Your Bucket List Foundation, Knowing God Ministries, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Pharmacy Foundation. She’s led an executive women’s Mentor Mastermind for the last decade. She was an inaugural recipient of the Triangle Business Journal’s Women in Business award and recently, the ATHENA Leadership Award. Lisa holds a BS in Pharmacy from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she’s also served as an adjunct faculty member. She holds a certificate in International Marketing from Harvard and a certificate of Healthcare Administration from the University of Southern California. Lisa co-authored Remember Who You Are, a best-selling book on success, balance, and fulfillment. She and her husband have two adult sons, a daughter-in-law, and an adorable grandson.