Two Leaders, Two Generations, And A Powerful Case For Compassionate Leadership

By Laurel Donnellan and Chelsea Stoll (originally published at Forbes.com)

Compassionate Leadership exists everywhere. When much of the media features the leadership of another ilk. Fortunately, it is my job, through these posts, to find it and shine a bright light on it, which gives me hope for our future. 

I recently did two fascinating interviews with two courageous and kind leaders, one famous in his sixties and the other in her twenties, who I bet will become famous.  Both are dedicated to tackling enormous societal problems with heart and gusto. Both need our support, and I hope their stories can inspire you to find a passion that moves you to action this year. 

Tom Colicchio is best known for his restaurant group, Crafted Hospitality, and for being a pioneer in food entertainment, first as the head judge on Top Chef. He is one of the country’s leading voices on food policy and hunger advocacy. He co-founded Food Policy Action, a nonprofit focused on strengthening national food legislation, and served as an executive producer of A Place at the Table, a documentary examining food insecurity in America. The film was directed by his wife, Lori Sugurbush, and Kristi Jacobson. Although the film is over ten years old, it still does a great job of putting a face to the problem that, unfortunately, has not gone away. 

Tom is heartbroken over the recent changes to food policy in this country. Since the current administration has cut food subsidies, the gains to end hunger in the US have been lost. In 2023, 13.5% of households experienced food insecurity, and that statistic soared to an estimated 36% in 2025.

Tom’s advice to us who want to help fight hunger is three-fold. First, start supporting initiatives in your local community, like food banks. Second, keep in mind that hunger is a year-round problem, so if you can, consider providing resources year-round rather than just at the end of the year. Third, the best way to end hunger is to vote for politicians who support policies that aim to end it. 

Our next compassionate leader is Francesca Reicherter, Founder and President of Inspiring My Generation, and a 2025 Compassionate Leaders Circle Award Honoree. She has taken her own struggle with mental health and suicide and made it her life’s work. After years of chronic perfectionism and body issues that led to three suicide attempts, she has embraced the need for awareness, through activism, to normalize conversations around mental health.  

According to the CDC, in 2023, 20% of all high school students considered attempting suicide during the past year, and 9% of students of students attempted suicide one or more times.  Peer-reviewed studies show that low suicide literacy, paired with high stigma surrounding suicide, creates the perfect environment for avoidance of help and concealment of distress.

Inspiring our Generation was created to provide the kind of resources and support that she found were missing in the world. She needed kindness, understanding, and resources, but realized that they were difficult to find.

Francesca and her organization and focuses on Awareness, Conversation, Education, and Support, or ACES. She understands the importance of being seen, and as a means to ensure that no one else goes without feeling seen, she has made sure that over 30,000 handmade cards have been delivered to patients in psych wards across the country.  Francesca shared that she just needed someone to say kind words to her, and that is what she can do with the cards.

Francesca advocates to make the conversation around suicide - and prevention - easier and more accessible.  Inspiring our Generation utilizes many mediums, including workbooks, a podcast, and fashion, to make people feel seen and loved.  When asked how she decided to start her foundation, she said, “I never thought about not doing it”.

This is a good time of year for all of us to identify causes that need our support and how we will spend our time and resources to make a difference.  You can donate to Inspire My Generation here.