As part of the Morning Lazziness series highlighting empowering women who are making a remarkable impact with their ideas, I had the pleasure of interviewing Erika Sinner.
Erika Sinner is a CEO, an empathy-driven culture advocate, and the guiding force behind Directorie®, an Inc5000 company dedicated to propelling life science organizations forward in bringing vital products to market. With a career spanning nearly two decades, Erika’s innovative spirit has fostered successful teams and elevated brands within the pharmaceutical industry.
For Erika, empathy is more than understanding another person’s perspective—it is about creating environments where people feel seen and valued. Growing up in a household marked by instability, she learned how important it is to create spaces where people feel safe.
Her commitment to empathy extends beyond the corporate world. Through her latest venture, TinySuperheroes®, she is on a mission to transform children’s hospitals by instilling a superhero culture that empowers kids to discover their own superpowers.
Erika’s passion for reimagining possibilities knows no bounds. After losing her dog Kingston, she recognized the profound but often overlooked weight of pet loss. This experience led her to publish Pets Are Family, shining a light on the unspoken bond between people and their pets and helping others navigate similar grief. Her vision also includes advocating for the inclusion of pet bereavement leave in organizational policies, sparking a wave of empathy driven change.
Erika is not merely a CEO or an author; she is a catalyst for healing and transformation, proving that compassion and performance can not only coexist but also fuel extraordinary results.
In this interview, she reveals the mindset shifts, bold moves, and lessons that helped her turn ideas into impactful online businesses.
What inspired you to start your business, and what problem were you passionate about solving?
I spent my career in life sciences, and one thing became very clear: you can give everything to this industry and still find yourself without a job. Companies are constantly merging, acquiring, or waiting on FDA approvals. When those things shift, so do the people. I loved the work of helping bring medications to patients who need them most, but I saw too many talented people left behind by circumstances outside their control.
When my own company relocated from St. Louis to New Jersey, I was one of the few offered a package to move. I knew I wanted to stay close to my family, but I also knew I didn’t want to leave the work I was passionate about. That was the moment I realized: there had to be a different way.
So I started Directorie. A place where top talent could thrive without the instability, and where pharmaceutical and biotech companies could access that talent exactly when they needed it most. At Directorie, I make one promise to my employees: if you do a good job, you will always have a job. That security allows us to go the extra mile for clients, pivot when products are delayed, and come back even stronger when approvals are won.
The result is that we’ve built a team that’s not only deeply skilled, but also resilient, diverse in experience, and committed to delivering results. In an industry where the stakes are so high, I wanted to prove that you can build a company where people feel safe, valued, and still deliver extraordinary impact.
How has your business evolved since its launch, and what key decisions have helped drive that growth?
When we launched, our focus was intentionally narrow: serving small to mid-sized pharmaceutical companies at higher leadership levels. That gave us a strong foundation, but what we quickly realized is that the real opportunity was in listening to our clients. They didn’t just need support at the executive tier. They needed partners who could help across the spectrum.
Today, Directorie supports not only pharma, but also medical device and nutraceutical companies. And our work spans from senior leadership roles all the way through marketing managers and coordinators. The key to that evolution has been simple but powerful: listening. Instead of limiting ourselves to a rigid profile, we asked, “Where can we add the most value?” If the answer was clear, we said yes, and then delivered.
That openness has allowed us to scale while staying true to our mission: filling critical gaps with the right talent, exactly when it matters most.
In your view, what truly sets your brand apart in today’s competitive market?
Our culture — hands down. From day one, I was intentional about building more than an employee handbook and a set of core values. I wanted to create a living culture where excellence is expected, care is evident, and everyone understands what it means to truly be part of the team.
At Directorie, every person is a leader. We hold ourselves accountable, and we don’t allow underperformance to quietly drag down excellence. That clarity creates trust. My team knows their work is respected, their contributions matter, and their colleagues are equally invested.
The result is a culture where people go the extra mile, ask for help when they need it, and lean on one another to deliver. It’s not clock in, clock out; it’s purpose-driven work. And that spirit directly benefits our clients. They get nimble, mission-focused teams who can quickly close critical gaps and move at the pace their business demands.
That culture of excellence with heart is what truly sets us apart.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to date, and why do you think it worked so well?
Our most effective strategy has been letting clients into our culture and making them feel like part of it. We don’t just show up to launch their product. We show up for them as people. We celebrate their wins, support them in tough moments, and build relationships that go beyond the job description.
That human connection has been the driver of our growth. When clients move on to new organizations, they often bring us with them. It’s why so much of our business is referral-based.
People often say, “it’s just business,” but I don’t believe that. Work is personal. It takes time, energy, and sacrifice. We honor that truth by treating our employees like human beings first, which empowers them to treat our clients the same way. That authenticity is what sustains long-term partnerships and fuels our success.
How do you stay connected to your ideal audience and understand their needs or behaviors?
We stay connected by listening. And I mean really listening. That means not just checking boxes on status updates, but asking thoughtful questions, being curious, and building genuine relationships. We want to know what keeps our clients up at night, who they’re presenting to, what pressures they’re facing. Whether it’s a board, shareholders, or their leadership team.
It’s in those deeper conversations that you uncover what doesn’t show up in a PowerPoint or a project tracker. When clients trust you enough to share their real challenges, you gain the insight to help them navigate with confidence. At the end of the day, staying human, curious, and connected is what allows us to show up as true partners, not just service providers.
What’s one branding move or campaign that helped elevate your business to the next level?
One of the most impactful branding moves we’ve made is showcasing our employees. Not just their résumés, but their humanity. When we bring someone new onto the team, we highlight their professional expertise, of course, but we also share who they are outside of work — their passions, interests, and unique stories.
We’ve taken this a step further by ensuring that all of our photography on our website, in our pitch decks, and across social media features our actual people. No stock images. Just real team members, doing real work, with real lives.
By doing this, our clients don’t just see a consultant being added to their project; they see a real person joining their team. That shift changes everything. Instead of being treated as outside contractors, we’re welcomed as true partners. This human-centered approach has elevated our brand and our relationships, creating deeper trust and stronger collaboration.
What does success look like for you, not just in numbers, but in purpose or impact?
For me, success always comes back to culture. I think about how my employees feel on Sunday night. Are they dreading Monday, or are they excited to step into the week with a team they trust and can lean on? That matters to me more than any single metric.
Of course, numbers and revenue goals are important. They give us benchmarks for growth. But we balance that with purpose and impact. Every project we take on, no matter how tactical it might look on the surface, has a greater meaning. For example, an advisory board meeting isn’t just hotel contracts and attendance trackers. It’s clinicians stepping away from patient care to share insights that will shape how life-changing medications reach families who need them most. It’s clients making a major investment to move their mission forward.
Even in the smallest details, like how we design a tracker to make follow-up easier, we infuse intention. Success is knowing that every task, big or small, ties back to the greater impact we’re making: ensuring critical medicines get to the people who need them, while creating a culture where our team feels supported, inspired, and purposeful.
How do you personally define success, beyond revenue and growth metrics?
For me, success is about continuous improvement. I believe everything can be done better, and feedback is one of the greatest gifts we can receive. Personally, I define success not just in the moments when a project goes exceptionally well, but in what happens right after when the team takes time for a debrief, asks “what can we do better?”, and invites feedback for me and for each other.
That willingness to reflect, to stay curious, and to embrace vulnerability is what truly defines success. It means we’re not just celebrating the win, we’re using it as fuel to keep learning, keep practicing, and keep raising the bar. Real success is building a culture where people feel safe enough to do that consistently, knowing that excellence isn’t a finish line, it’s a habit.
Can you share a challenge or setback that ultimately became a turning point for your brand?
One of our biggest turning points came when we lost a major client, one of our top three at the time. We had poured ourselves into their work: late nights, long weeks, cleaning up messes left behind by other partners. The feedback was glowing “we could not do this without you” and yet midyear, their procurement team decided to consolidate vendors and move to a large global agency. Despite the gratitude, we were out.
It was a gut punch. But a few months later, they came back. The new agency could not deliver, and they asked us to return. By then, we had already taken on new clients, so we could only allocate limited support, and once again, we were cleaning up the mess. The experience taught us a critical lesson: sometimes losing a client has nothing to do with performance.
That realization became a turning point for Directorie. We doubled down on diversification, building a client portfolio broad enough that one change could not destabilize us. We created a waitlist to activate new clients quickly when space opens. And internally, we reframed it for our team: this was not a failure, our work was exceptional. It was simply a business decision outside our control.
Ironically, the story came full circle. Former employees from that company eventually joined other organizations and brought us with them. Today, we are stronger, more resilient, and more confident that our value is rooted not just in contracts, but in the relationships we build.
What daily habits or rituals keep you focused, creative, and grounded as a leader?
Something I have learned in the past few years is that you cannot pour into others if you are running on empty. I think of it like putting on your own oxygen mask first. You have to protect your energy and well-being in order to truly show up for your team and clients. For me, that means being intentional about eating well, moving my body, and prioritizing health in a way that is disciplined and consistent, even if not perfect every day.
A new practice that has been transformational is Transcendental Meditation. I spend 20 minutes every morning in meditation, and it brings me calm, clarity, and presence that carries through the rest of the day. Paired with an early morning routine, waking at 5 a.m., coffee in hand, working out, walking my dogs, and centering myself before the world starts moving, it allows me to walk into even the heaviest days with strength and clarity.
These rituals require effort and discipline, but they have become non-negotiables. They are the foundation that allows me to be both grounded and creative, and to lead from a place of focus and calm.
How do you approach innovation and risk in your business strategy?
At Directorie, our culture is the foundation of innovation. We play at work, we create memories together, and we intentionally build connection. Whether it is taking half a day at our national meeting for team building, sending surprise packages in the mail, or celebrating milestones throughout the year. When people genuinely enjoy being part of the team, it creates trust. That trust gives them permission to share ideas, admit when they don’t know something, and collaborate openly. That is where innovation happens. In a culture where people feel safe, seen, and empowered to contribute.
When it comes to risk, I believe in making calculated decisions. We track our numbers closely and always know our P&L. When we “bet on ourselves,” whether that’s bringing on a new hire or investing in business development, we do it intentionally. Every new role is tied to performance metrics and real value delivery. That way, growth is sustainable, and risks are managed with discipline.
What advice would you give to someone starting a business in today’s fast-changing digital world?
Starting a business requires an almost irrational belief in yourself. The kind that keeps you moving forward when things get hard. But belief alone isn’t enough. You need to be solving a real problem for real people, and you need the consistency and discipline to show up every single day.
The digital world moves fast, which means you have to stay curious, keep learning, and evolve as the market does. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you, seek out experts in their fields, and listen closely. Then, make the best decision you can with the information you have. Entrepreneurship isn’t about being fearless. It is about being bold, adaptive, and willing to grow through every challenge.
Where can our audience connect with you and learn more about your work or offerings?
You can find me on all major social media platforms, especially LinkedIn and Instagram, or visit my website at erikasinner.org to explore everything I am working on.
At Directorie, we focus on helping life science companies thrive by pairing strategy with culture. For me, culture in corporate means creating space for play, compassion, and policies that honor people as humans, like pet bereavement leave which inspired my book Pets Are Family.
Through my nonprofit TinySuperheroes, I have extended that same belief in culture to hospitals, creating superhero culture for kids and families facing medical challenges, so that every child feels strong, brave, and celebrated.
On Instagram, I also share more of the personal side of my journey. My dogs, workouts, meditation practice, and daily routines, because I believe discipline and consistency are the foundation for living a big, purposeful life.
Everything connects back to my mission: helping people and organizations thrive with empathy, play, and impact.
