Magic in the Room #92: Living Purpose - The Institute for Shelter Care with Jeanne Allert
March 9, 2022
When we listen to other people’s stories, we may realize there are challenges in the world that are bigger than ourselves. Sometimes we are compelled to take on these challenges and change the world around us. In this episode of Magic in the Room, Hannah and Chris are joined by guest Jeanne Allert, who tells her story of living a purpose-driven life by making sure victims of sex trafficking have access to qualified, compassionate care through The Samaritan Women Institute for Shelter Care.
Jeanne L. Allert, Ph.D. is the Founder and Executive Director of The Samaritan Women Institute for Shelter Care. In 2007 Jeanne was convicted to leave the trappings of a lucrative career as an Internet consultant to establish one of the first long-term restorative care programs in the Mid-Atlantic for victims of domestic sex trafficking. She immersed herself in learning—mostly from survivors themselves—and created TSW-ISC’s unique Care Model. Over the years TSW expanded its service and took on several national research projects. In 2018-2019 she led the organization through a major shift to create the Institute of Shelter Care, which leverages the expertise of TSW-ISC and industry peers across the country to train and mentor new shelter programs in the areas of greatest need.
Find out more about Jeanne and her work at thesamaritanwomen.org
Listen now on your favorite platform!
Find our latest online learning courses at www.purposeandperformancegroup.com/online-learning
Get a free Magic in the Room hat by posting a review and sending a screenshot to:
info@purposeandperformancegroup.com
Music by evangrimmusic.com
Recorded at storycatcher.studio
Support from techblogwriter.co.uk
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke and Hannah explore the concept of polarities. Tensions like purpose and performance, stability and change, or accountability and grace that are often mistaken for problems to solve rather than dynamics to manage. Drawing on insights from Barry Johnson’s work, they explain how these opposing forces are interdependent and must be balanced over time to achieve sustained success. Through practical examples and personal reflections, they show how over-relying on one side of a polarity leads to predictable “shadow sides” such as stagnation, chaos, inefficiency, or burnout, while effective leadership requires recognizing where you are on the cycle and intentionally recalibrating. The episode emphasizes that many recurring organizational frustrations are not failures, but signals of imbalance, and offers a more nuanced approach to leadership. One that replaces rigid either/or thinking with flexible both/and awareness to improve decision-making, team dynamics, and long-term performance.
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke Freeman, Hannah Bratterud, and Chris Province dive into the concept of “mattering,” inspired by Zach Mercurio’s work, and explore why it is a foundational driver of engagement, performance, and culture in organizations. They challenge leaders to move beyond assuming people matter to actively ensuring individuals feel that they matter by being valued and by contributing value to a shared purpose. The conversation highlights how mattering differs from belonging, why it cannot be replaced by perks or efficiency, and how leadership behaviors like attention, recognition, and presence directly shape whether people feel seen, heard, and understood. Through examples ranging from workplace dynamics to broader societal trends like social disconnection, they argue that disengagement, conflict, and even poor performance are symptoms of a mattering deficit. Ultimately, they position mattering not as a soft concept, but as a measurable, actionable leadership responsibility that underpins trust, resilience, and long-term success.