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Audible Susan McGalla walked away from the presidency of American Eagle Outfitters at its peak. She helped grow the brand from $300 million to $3 billion. The company was her baby. Those people were her family. Leaving to raise her kids was gut-wrenching.
She never looked back. That choice opened every door after. Including the one her son helped open at Brophy Prep. She now serves as Vice President for Advancement and Strategic Communications. Her office sits on the same campus where her son goes to school. He stops by for snacks. Friends leave sticky notes on her computer. She is exactly where she wants to be.
In this episode of What’s Your Story? with Mike & Scott, Susan shares the full arc. Ohio sports family roots. Early retail days that left her sure she would get fired. The leap to American Eagle in her late twenties. The three principles behind the explosive growth. Hard truths about career and family choices women still face. Building Steelers Nation Unite. And the Brophy classroom moment that pulled her out of retirement.
She talks about mentors who saw more in her than she saw in herself. The family motto she repeated every morning dropping the kids at school. And why the most meaningful success is still the life you touch.
This one is full of heart, hard-earned wisdom, and full-circle moments that stick.
Topics Covered:
- The gut-wrenching decision to leave American Eagle Outfitters at the height of its success
- Growing a single brand from $300 million to $3 billion while staying profitable
- The three principles behind that growth: daring to dream, fiscal responsibility, and staying small as you scale
- Hard choices women still face between career and family
- How her son brought her out of retirement and into the Brophy Prep role
- What “advancement” really means at a high school and why the work matters
- Building the Steelers Nation Unite loyalty program and combining sports with business
- Mentors who believed in her before she fully believed in herself
- Family values, a daily motto, and the quiet power of picking up trash
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Cold Open
- 1:31 Meet Susan McGalla
- 2:18 Ohio roots, sports family, and the start in retail
- 4:29 Joseph Horne training and the American Eagle knock
- 7:26 From $300 million to $3 billion
- 8:18 How they actually grew it: dream, fiscal responsibility, stay small
- 11:05 Leaving for family and the hard choices women face
- 12:23 Life at Brophy with her kids on campus
- 14:09 How her son brought her out of retirement
- 17:14 What makes Brophy special (financial aid, diversity, brotherhood)
- 18:13 What “advancement” really means
- 20:28 The Pittsburgh Steelers chapter and Steelers Nation Unite
- 23:06 Goals at this stage and the common thread of young people
- 24:50 Nonprofit work that still means the most
- 25:52 Mentors who believed first
- 27:54 Rapid fire: books, travel, family motto
- 31:31 Trash on the ground is your trash
If this conversation hit you the way it hit us, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe so you never miss the next story.
What’s the hardest career or family decision you’ve ever made, and how did it turn out? Drop it in the comments. We read every one.
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This episode is sponsored by e3 wealth. If you need someone to help build your financial future, check out their website, and tell them Mike & Scott sent you.
Mike's Website: mikelindstrom.com
Scott's Website: scottleeseconsulting.com
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Mike Lindstrom:
Was that an easy jump for you when you made that pivot?
Susan McGalla:
No.
Susan McGalla:
No.
Susan McGalla:
No.
Susan McGalla:
It was gut wrenching because that was the decision when I
Susan McGalla:
decided to leave American Eagle
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
…to have a family.
Susan McGalla:
Because I was traveling
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
50, 60% of the time.
Susan McGalla:
It's like, that was my baby.
Susan McGalla:
I mean, those people were my family.
Susan McGalla:
That was a gut-wrenching decision, that I will never look back,
Susan McGalla:
because it opened up other doors.
Susan McGalla:
But these are hard choices that women are faced with.
Susan McGalla:
Intro Band: Lean in closer. This is your time.
Susan McGalla:
Hit record on your crooked
Susan McGalla:
life. What's your story?
Susan McGalla:
(Hey!) Say the words out loud!
Susan McGalla:
Mike & Scott gonna crack that crowd.
Susan McGalla:
What's your story? (Hey!) Turn it up, let's go!
Susan McGalla:
Every voice. Every scar.
Susan McGalla:
Every road. What's your story?
Susan McGalla:
Mike and Scott.
Susan McGalla:
Let's talk.
Mike Lindstrom:
Mike Lindstrom, my man, Scott Leese, What's Your Story podcast.
Mike Lindstrom:
Very special guest today.
Mike Lindstrom:
very well decorated too.
Mike Lindstrom:
I know you did your homework on this one.
Scott Leese:
Probably the most well-decorated guest we've had, I think.
Mike Lindstrom:
Very impressive.
Mike Lindstrom:
I wanna make sure I didn't get the title correct.
Mike Lindstrom:
Vice President of Advancement and Strategic Communications at Brophy
Mike Lindstrom:
Prep, which I know that school very well because my sons go there.
Scott Leese:
Can I tell everybody what my reaction was to that title?
Mike Lindstrom:
Okay, tell me.
Scott Leese:
I said, "That's a job title at a high school?"
Mike Lindstrom:
He literally said that, by the way.
Susan McGalla:
[laughing]
Mike Lindstrom:
Literally asked that 10 minutes ago.
Mike Lindstrom:
we'll let her speak to this.
Mike Lindstrom:
Susan McGowan's our guest.
Mike Lindstrom:
She's, former CEO.
Mike Lindstrom:
she's worked in the NFL, branding wet seal.
Scott Leese:
Retail.
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
Retail, we can go on and on.
Mike Lindstrom:
She's gonna talk about American Eagle Outfitter.
Mike Lindstrom:
She's gonna go into all of that stuff.
Mike Lindstrom:
thank you so much for coming on.
Susan McGalla:
Thank you for having me.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
This is very cool.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
What a great way to end the day.
Mike Lindstrom:
our first questions is what's your story?
Susan McGalla:
Okay, let's go.
Susan McGalla:
I'm an Ohio girl.
Susan McGalla:
I grew up in East Liverpool, Ohio.
Susan McGalla:
That's, I always say it's on the correct side of Ohio.
Mike Lindstrom:
Oh, boy.
Susan McGalla:
On the eastern side.
Susan McGalla:
actually was a Pittsburgh Steeler fan growing up.
Susan McGalla:
My dad was a football coach, a high school football coach, earlier in his
Susan McGalla:
career, and we are a big sports family.
Susan McGalla:
And I had two brothers.
Susan McGalla:
I always like to say, I think that's part of my roots.
Susan McGalla:
My foundation is like good, wholesome upbringing and, you know, I'm as
Susan McGalla:
comfortable around men and women.
Susan McGalla:
Doesn't matter to me.
Susan McGalla:
we're all people.
Susan McGalla:
I grew up there and actually went to college in Ohio, University
Susan McGalla:
of Mount Union, the winningest college football program
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Really?
Susan McGalla:
Yeah, that
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Wow.
Susan McGalla:
that exists.
Susan McGalla:
- Did not know that.
Susan McGalla:
Anyway, that was, yeah super fun too.
Susan McGalla:
D- D2 or D3?
Susan McGalla:
D3.
Susan McGalla:
D3.
Mike Lindstrom:
that's quite an impressive stat.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah, it's so fun.
Susan McGalla:
And I was, cheerleader, so I had the best seat in the house on the sideline for
Susan McGalla:
four years for basketball and football.
Susan McGalla:
majored in business and marketing and decided that I thought that
Susan McGalla:
this retail thing sounded cool.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
And I will say, and we may get into this later, but,
Susan McGalla:
a lot of people get into fashion retail because of the fashion.
Susan McGalla:
I got into fashion retail because of the business.
Susan McGalla:
And I learned at a very young age, you could be responsible for a
Susan McGalla:
lot of money and a lot of revenue.
Susan McGalla:
And I though that was really inspiring to me.
Susan McGalla:
My first job was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that I took
Susan McGalla:
right out of college.
Susan McGalla:
And, it ballooned from there.
Susan McGalla:
But I would say I'm one of those very, very lucky people, that my first job in
Susan McGalla:
my career was one that felt like home and one that I was passionate about.
Scott Leese:
Wow.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
That was cool.
Mike Lindstrom:
Where did you get that, maybe it's genetic,
Mike Lindstrom:
nurture nature, as you say, when it comes to entrepreneurship.
Mike Lindstrom:
Was that something from your parents that you at a young age say, "Hey,
Mike Lindstrom:
this is something I could do."
Mike Lindstrom:
I mean, you're talking about some big responsibilities that you were, but
Mike Lindstrom:
you knew that at a very young age.
Susan McGalla:
You know what, that's super funny because I have two brothers
Susan McGalla:
that are highly successful also, and we are all a little bit workaholics,
Susan McGalla:
but we're workaholics for the sake of, because we're passionate about what we do.
Susan McGalla:
I have brother that's a doctor, another one that's an attorney.
Susan McGalla:
So I don't know.
Susan McGalla:
our dad was a hard worker, but, always home for us.
Susan McGalla:
we kind of turned that on its ear and took it in a whole nother direction.
Susan McGalla:
My siblings and I sort of were all cut from the same cloth for some reason.
Mike Lindstrom:
Did you do retail-wise or first job way back in the day?
Susan McGalla:
I did.
Susan McGalla:
That was my first job.
Mike Lindstrom:
what was it?
Susan McGalla:
What
Scott Leese:
were you folding clothes in the store?
Susan McGalla:
No.
Susan McGalla:
you know, it was funny.
Susan McGalla:
back in the day when I was leaving college and getting into retail, one
Susan McGalla:
of the major department stores in Pittsburgh was called Joseph Horn.
Susan McGalla:
And we had what was considered one of the Harvards of retail training.
Susan McGalla:
So I had heard it was an amazing training program.
Susan McGalla:
And, accepted that role after college.
Susan McGalla:
I was one of 40.
Susan McGalla:
It's funny because one thing I do remember for anybody out there who
Susan McGalla:
is getting started at a young age, I came home, my mom stayed with
Susan McGalla:
me for about a week in Pittsburgh to get me acclimated and settled.
Susan McGalla:
And I came home after the first day and I said to her, "I'm gonna
Susan McGalla:
get fired." [[laughing]] I was totally intimidated by these
Scott Leese:
[[laughing]]
Susan McGalla:
40 people who came from, all over the country, some
Susan McGalla:
of the best of the best schools.
Susan McGalla:
And I though, "What am I doing here? Am I gonna be able to hang with these
Susan McGalla:
people?" And, I ended up doing okay.
Susan McGalla:
But, we all get intimidated by certain things, and it takes us all a little
Susan McGalla:
bit of time sometimes to find our own.
Susan McGalla:
it ended up working out okay.
Susan McGalla:
had a great early career get there.
Susan McGalla:
But, back then, the retail was consolidating and people were.
Susan McGalla:
A lot of stores were buying each other out.
Susan McGalla:
I was actually going to move for another position of, for a company that
Susan McGalla:
bought out Joseph Horns in Pittsburgh.
Susan McGalla:
that is when American Eagle came knocking on my door.
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Wow.
Susan McGalla:
And, I, whatever.
Susan McGalla:
It's serendipity.
Susan McGalla:
It is
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: How old were you at this time?
Susan McGalla:
Oh, my gosh.
Susan McGalla:
I would've been about 27, 28 years old.
Mike Lindstrom:
That's amazing.
Susan McGalla:
Mm-hmm.
Mike Lindstrom:
That's amazing.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah, they came knocking.
Susan McGalla:
And I will tell you, the other cool thing is, I don't know if
Susan McGalla:
you guys have ever had this happen where you had to make a choice.
Susan McGalla:
I, they offered me a position, but it, I had to take a step back, in role and
Susan McGalla:
in status and in title, to do this.
Susan McGalla:
But I had belief in kind of what that company could be.
Susan McGalla:
And it was all about private label, making your own product, having a design team.
Susan McGalla:
We didn't buy from vendors.
Susan McGalla:
We largely made all of our own product.
Susan McGalla:
And I thought that's something I don't know.
Susan McGalla:
It's something I can learn, and I think it's the future.
Susan McGalla:
Took a little humble step and said, "Okay, I don't care about my
Susan McGalla:
title. I wanna come and do this."
Scott Leese:
Do you, are you paying attention now to retail
Scott Leese:
in the direction and the trends?
Scott Leese:
Or do you find yourself totally removed and, like, that's in the past?
Susan McGalla:
It's funny.
Susan McGalla:
I would tell you, I'm sort of built that way.
Susan McGalla:
I can't NOT pay attention.
Susan McGalla:
And there's so many exciting things happening, in the retail landscape today,
Susan McGalla:
but very different things happening.
Susan McGalla:
I wouldn't tell you I wish I was doing that today.
Susan McGalla:
But first of all, I'm the proud mama of American Eagle.
Susan McGalla:
I root for them.
Susan McGalla:
I'm so proud of what they're doing, right now in so many facets of
Susan McGalla:
what American Eagle stands for.
Susan McGalla:
But I wouldn't tell you I wish I was doing that right now at this stage in my career.
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
It's very different.
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
A lot of things are about price again.
Susan McGalla:
We were pioneers when I was at American Eagle in the online space.
Susan McGalla:
We totally embraced that.
Susan McGalla:
We grew faster.
Susan McGalla:
We were 20% of, revenue before a lot of people even got into the online space.
Susan McGalla:
But that's gone to a whole new level with the Amazons of the world and fast fashion
Susan McGalla:
- Scott Leese: Right.
Susan McGalla:
…and things like that.
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
then the next chapter was Wet Seal, right?
Mike Lindstrom:
This was like a
Mike Lindstrom:
- Susan McGalla: Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
…turnaround
Mike Lindstrom:
- Susan McGalla: Well, a long chapter after that because
Mike Lindstrom:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
When I was at American Eagle, we were one brand.
Susan McGalla:
By the time I left, we were four brands.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
And we went from $300 million in revenue
Susan McGalla:
to $3 billion in revenue.
Susan McGalla:
And at American Eagle, we were the most profitable store in mall-based
Susan McGalla:
retailing, really outside of Apple.
Susan McGalla:
So not only were we growing rapidly, but we were growing profitably.
Susan McGalla:
So, That was a big chunk of 15 years of my life, at that company.
Susan McGalla:
But I left, to have a family.
Susan McGalla:
Because I was traveling like crazy and, wanted to have children.
Susan McGalla:
So I gave them six months notice.
Susan McGalla:
And three months in, became pregnant with my son, Nico, who actually goes to Brophy.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
That's why I left that role.
Susan McGalla:
And, anyway, so I was kind of being my mom and doing consulting
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
For a year.
Susan McGalla:
Wall Street and private equity consulting,
Scott Leese:
What, if you can, I don't even know how this is possible to answer
Scott Leese:
this question, but if you can distill down how you grew from 300 million to three
Scott Leese:
billion, I think is what you just said.
Susan McGalla:
Mm-hmm.
Susan McGalla:
Mm-hmm.
Scott Leese:
Simplify it down to we did these one, two, three things
Scott Leese:
ruthlessly, efficiently, well?
Susan McGalla:
Okay.
Susan McGalla:
Yes
Susan McGalla:
- Scott Leese: Is that possible?
Susan McGalla:
…I can.
Susan McGalla:
First thing, we weren't afraid to dream.
Susan McGalla:
We and still are, the number one jean brand for 15 to 25-year-olds.
Susan McGalla:
And when I was there and we had the dream that we could be that, people laughed.
Susan McGalla:
I mean, we weren't even on the radar.
Susan McGalla:
But we believed in the denim business, we believed in the jean business, and
Susan McGalla:
we believed in young people that were 15 to 25 that were the core of the brand.
Susan McGalla:
So we dared to dream.
Susan McGalla:
It took about three years and we made it.
Susan McGalla:
That was crazy to have that kind of leaps and bounds growth and succeed in that way.
Susan McGalla:
So number one, don't be afraid to dream.
Susan McGalla:
Number two, do it in a fiscally responsible way.
Susan McGalla:
So many people in so many businesses, not just retail, you have to dream
Susan McGalla:
and you have to invest, but you have to believe that you know what the
Susan McGalla:
exit plan is if things don't work.
Scott Leese:
Yep.
Susan McGalla:
And highly leverage new ideas with our successful
Susan McGalla:
ideas, to grow profitably.
Susan McGalla:
We really, as we started to really find our rhythm, weren't doing it
Susan McGalla:
in a way that was putting our master
Susan McGalla:
- Scott Leese: At risk.
Susan McGalla:
…yeah, company at risk.
Susan McGalla:
So that's number two, do it responsibly.
Susan McGalla:
I think the third thing is, stay small as you grow.
Susan McGalla:
I would say that to the teams all the time.
Susan McGalla:
How do we stay small as we grow?
Susan McGalla:
And our way of doing it was the belief in people.
Susan McGalla:
People mattered.
Susan McGalla:
They never stopped mattering.
Susan McGalla:
I believed in personal connections with people, personal
Susan McGalla:
training, giving them your time.
Susan McGalla:
Probably my meetings at American Eagle were too big because I wanted people to
Susan McGalla:
learn, so I would always bring people in.
Susan McGalla:
Even the very, very young people, they had something to say.
Susan McGalla:
They had something to contribute.
Susan McGalla:
So I would think that would
Susan McGalla:
- Scott Leese: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
…be kind of the third thing.
Scott Leese:
The ride from 300 to three billion has gotta
Scott Leese:
be so much fun and just like
Scott Leese:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Scott Leese:
Serotonin overdose.
Scott Leese:
I, all I can think of as I think about that is, where is their motivation
Scott Leese:
to try to capture that again?
Scott Leese:
That's like lightning in a bottle type moment.
Susan McGalla:
Mm-hmm.
Scott Leese:
I've had a few things on such a minor scale compared to that.
Scott Leese:
And it was so much fun.
Scott Leese:
And I find myself on the other side going, "Am I ever gonna get that feeling again?"
Susan McGalla:
Mm-hmm.
Susan McGalla:
Mm-hmm.
Susan McGalla:
It's funny.
Susan McGalla:
I guess there was just so little ego about it.
Susan McGalla:
How do you get that again?
Susan McGalla:
You get that again by fin- finding things you're passionate about.
Scott Leese:
Mm.
Susan McGalla:
Because that was really the high of it all, is being passionate about
Susan McGalla:
the main brand and then saying, "Okay, we believe that there's a way to do the
Susan McGalla:
intimate apparel business that's different from what Victoria's Secret's doing.
Susan McGalla:
They're wonderful.
Susan McGalla:
They were a great competitor.
Susan McGalla:
But we had the Aerie brand that was born, and so it was the passion in that.
Susan McGalla:
it's almost like it wasn't about how big.
Susan McGalla:
It was about how well and what we believed in.
Susan McGalla:
And I find that same satisfaction today in the work that I do.
Susan McGalla:
It's just about caring.
Susan McGalla:
It's about being passionate.
Scott Leese:
Hmm.
Mike Lindstrom:
When we talked to other moms that are faced with that decision
Mike Lindstrom:
that you talk about, how was that for you?
Mike Lindstrom:
I mean, you're just like, "Okay, I wanna have a family now. It's time for
Mike Lindstrom:
me to take off this professional hat and go be a mom." And was that an easy
Mike Lindstrom:
jump for you when you made that pivot?
Susan McGalla:
No.
Susan McGalla:
No.
Susan McGalla:
No.
Susan McGalla:
It was gut wrenching because that was the decision when I
Susan McGalla:
decided to leave American Eagle
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
…to have a family.
Susan McGalla:
Because I was traveling
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
50, 60% of the time.
Susan McGalla:
It's like, that was my baby.
Susan McGalla:
I mean, those people were my family.
Susan McGalla:
That was a gut-wrenching decision, that I will never look back,
Susan McGalla:
because it opened up other doors.
Susan McGalla:
But these are hard choices that women are faced with.
Susan McGalla:
And I had a husband that was 50 / 50 with me.
Susan McGalla:
I mean, he met me halfway, and it wasn't like I was on my own with all
Susan McGalla:
the typical mom type, experiences.
Susan McGalla:
But you have to be brave.
Susan McGalla:
You have to kind of think deep and the decision that was right for me might
Susan McGalla:
not have been right for somebody else.
Susan McGalla:
But for me, it certainly was because it opened up other doors and all
Susan McGalla:
these other cool things I've done.
Susan McGalla:
Wouldn't have happened if I would've made that brave choice.
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
It kind of worked.
Mike Lindstrom:
And now how about now?
Mike Lindstrom:
Fast forward with the job you have now and being a mom.
Susan McGalla:
Oh my God, wow.
Mike Lindstrom:
You're not on the road, right?
Susan McGalla:
Okay.
Susan McGalla:
Well, first of all, how cool is this?
Susan McGalla:
All right.
Susan McGalla:
I'm at Brophy and I'm in my office and my son goes to school there and is in
Susan McGalla:
and out of my office during the day.
Susan McGalla:
He comes in for snacks and food usually.
Susan McGalla:
Okay?
Scott Leese:
Just like at home.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah, like, just like at home.
Susan McGalla:
I now have a refrigerator and he brings in his buddies and they
Susan McGalla:
leave sticky notes on my computer.
Susan McGalla:
Like it's such joy.
Susan McGalla:
and my daughter is now a rising sophomore at Xavier Prep, which is right next door.
Susan McGalla:
And she comes over after school.
Susan McGalla:
So here I am.
Susan McGalla:
I have this passion that was a very big decision for me.
Susan McGalla:
And this is not a nine to five job though.
Susan McGalla:
This is a 60 hour a week at least job.
Susan McGalla:
But I still see my family and I see my kids.
Susan McGalla:
And, they're proud of me.
Susan McGalla:
Like I, I had said to my son actually, I said, "Look, you were at Brophy first.
Susan McGalla:
If this is weird that mom's gonna be down on campus, like, I will not do
Susan McGalla:
this." And he's like, "No, this is cool."
Mike Lindstrom:
Wow.
Susan McGalla:
Like you should do this
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: That's great.
Susan McGalla:
And this is for you.
Susan McGalla:
So anyway, being a mom and doing this, I'm almost glad.
Susan McGalla:
The kids now see, they knew what I did years ago.
Susan McGalla:
And some pretty impactful things that I was able to accomplish with great teams.
Susan McGalla:
But now they're seeing me reinvent it.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
And I'm happy.
Susan McGalla:
I'm happy for that.
Mike Lindstrom:
That's awesome.
Scott Leese:
That's great.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
I can see this from my viewpoint, because Monica is
Mike Lindstrom:
part of the mom's guild as you know.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Talk about an accomplished woman.
Mike Lindstrom:
[laughing]
Susan McGalla:
I love your wife.
Mike Lindstrom:
I appreciate that.
Susan McGalla:
I love your wife.
Mike Lindstrom:
But we've now, we have a basement in our home.
Mike Lindstrom:
I basically call it the Brophy Basement because it's got crafts.
Mike Lindstrom:
She's making stuff all the time.
Mike Lindstrom:
She's part of Colt's acting stuff, but
Mike Lindstrom:
- Susan McGalla: Gosh.
Mike Lindstrom:
She echoes exactly what you said.
Susan McGalla:
She bleeds Brophy.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Monica bleeds Brophy.
Mike Lindstrom:
She loves being around the…
Mike Lindstrom:
Ask Rhett or Colt like, "Yeah, mom's around quite a bit."
Scott Leese:
[laughing]
Mike Lindstrom:
You know?
Mike Lindstrom:
But she loves it.
Mike Lindstrom:
And that's her connection to it.
Susan McGalla:
That that's her connection.
Mike Lindstrom:
100%.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
But she wouldn't change it.
Susan McGalla:
I identify with that a lot.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah, I love it.
Mike Lindstrom:
I appreciate you sharing that.
Mike Lindstrom:
So tell us about, he made a joke about it, but he did ask that question
Mike Lindstrom:
- Scott Leese: I did.
Mike Lindstrom:
…about Brophy.
Mike Lindstrom:
Tell us about that role, because you look at it and go, I got this
Mike Lindstrom:
job here, and it's so gratifying in so many ways, because it's an
Mike Lindstrom:
amazing school, as you well know.
Mike Lindstrom:
But you've, been so up there.
Mike Lindstrom:
how do you reconcile that?
Mike Lindstrom:
Tell us a little bit about what you're doing there, and what's
Mike Lindstrom:
the juice that you get from it?
Susan McGalla:
Well, let's start with the passion piece, right, Scott?
Susan McGalla:
how do you get lightning in a bottle and where's the passion?
Susan McGalla:
Well, I was pretty much retired after doing several things,
Susan McGalla:
even since American Eagle.
Susan McGalla:
and I was really doing board work and was retired and thought I'm
Susan McGalla:
gonna be a great mom for my kids.
Susan McGalla:
And, the funny thing about it is, I like to say this, and it's actually
Susan McGalla:
quite true, is my son got me a job and brought me out of retirement.
Susan McGalla:
Because, I was down at Brophy, my husband and I, actually in a meeting,
Susan McGalla:
with the, our president, Bob Ryan.
Susan McGalla:
Bob learned a little bit about my background, and on the way out of the
Susan McGalla:
meeting, he grabbed me and said, "Would you be a guest speaker in my class?
Susan McGalla:
I teach an entrepreneurial class to the juniors and seniors at Brophy."
Susan McGalla:
my son was a freshman at the time.
Susan McGalla:
I said, "Oh my gosh, I've done that." When I was at American Eagle, I did
Susan McGalla:
it all over the country for Ivy League schools, the best of the best schools.
Susan McGalla:
And the reason, I'll tell you why I even bring that up.
Susan McGalla:
Year or so ago, it was a, January day, and I came and was a guest
Susan McGalla:
speaker at this class of 28 boys.
Susan McGalla:
And I cannot tell you guys, I stood there.
Susan McGalla:
I got chills speaking, interacting, and engaging with these 28 boys in that room.
Susan McGalla:
They had all researched me.
Susan McGalla:
There was not one kid looking out the window, not engaged.
Scott Leese:
Mm.
Susan McGalla:
They were excited about learning.
Susan McGalla:
They had questions, college level questions that they were asking.
Susan McGalla:
And I thought, "If this is what this school does, and this is what my son
Susan McGalla:
is going to look like in four years, this is the gift of a lifetime that I
Susan McGalla:
am giving my child to be part of this institution." I walked out of there.
Susan McGalla:
I was blown away and Bob walked me to my car and said, "I have a crazy
Susan McGalla:
idea, but would you ever consider, getting more involved here?" And I was
Susan McGalla:
like, "Well, like, what do you mean?
Susan McGalla:
Sure.
Susan McGalla:
I'd be happy to get more involved.
Susan McGalla:
You want me to, like, what do you want me to work in the cafeteria?
Susan McGalla:
What can I do?"
Mike Lindstrom:
[laughing]
Susan McGalla:
He brought up this role, and he's a very persuasive guy, but
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: He is.
Susan McGalla:
I came back four months later and took this job because
Susan McGalla:
I'm passionate about what we do.
Mike Lindstrom:
Wow.
Susan McGalla:
People say to me all the time, like, "Why?" And that's why.
Scott Leese:
Mm.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
And you know what's interesting?
Mike Lindstrom:
And the gentleman that she brings up, Bob Ryan, this guy, you have to think
Mike Lindstrom:
about this, you're the leader at Brophy.
Mike Lindstrom:
You know everybody: the alumni the famous people, the Donovan McNabbs of the
Mike Lindstrom:
world, the people that go to that school.
Mike Lindstrom:
They're all his friends, but he's always gotta be on.
Mike Lindstrom:
I told him that when I first met him, I go, "Man, You're good."
Susan McGalla:
He's so good.
Mike Lindstrom:
You're good.
Susan McGalla:
It's funny, because people say to me, "Look, you've run things. How
Susan McGalla:
do you go and work for somebody again?" It's gotta be somebody you respect.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
And he
Susan McGalla:
- Scott Leese: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Bob is so bright and has such a passion and vision for Brophy.
Susan McGalla:
But you know what's funny?
Susan McGalla:
There are, some famous people and very accomplished families that
Susan McGalla:
are a part of the Brophy community.
Susan McGalla:
But there are so many things about Brophy that I have learned that
Susan McGalla:
are part of the value of that school that people don't know.
Susan McGalla:
A third of our students are on financial aid.
Susan McGalla:
the complexion of Brophy mirrors Maricopa County.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
The amount of diversity that we offer there is amazing.
Susan McGalla:
For example, last year, we spent $6.8 million in financial aid to
Susan McGalla:
make Brophy accessible to everybody that deserves to be at that school.
Susan McGalla:
It doesn't matter what type of student you are there.
Susan McGalla:
The fact that you belong and the fact that this type of diversity works as
Susan McGalla:
a community and as a brotherhood, you are getting a prequel to a college
Susan McGalla:
education and college experiences before you even go in terms of
Susan McGalla:
dealing with that type of dimension and that type of different views.
Susan McGalla:
And somehow at Brophy, the magic of it works in such a respectful way.
Susan McGalla:
Those are the things about Brophy that Bob Ryan leads and the team,
Susan McGalla:
Jim Bopp, who is our Principal, that they lead in our school.
Susan McGalla:
And that's why I came out of retirement.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
I am just so passionate about helping that.
Scott Leese:
So what is the role?
Scott Leese:
' Cause I hear the
Scott Leese:
- Susan McGalla: My role?
Scott Leese:
I hear the title and I'm like, what does that mean?
Scott Leese:
What does that mean?
Susan McGalla:
What do you think advancement is?
Scott Leese:
I honestly have no idea.
Scott Leese:
All I can think of it is advancing the brand of the school, the reach of
Scott Leese:
the school, the impact of the school.
Susan McGalla:
Right.
Scott Leese:
Things of that nature.
Susan McGalla:
Advancement means basically development or fundraising.
Susan McGalla:
I have a, team, a very talented, very small, mighty team of, fundraisers
Susan McGalla:
that work to develop relationships and, raise funds for the school so
Susan McGalla:
that we can do things like give away almost $7 million of financial aid, but
Susan McGalla:
also help to move the school forward.
Susan McGalla:
So that's part of my team.
Susan McGalla:
The other part of my team is marketing communications, making sure the Brophy
Susan McGalla:
brand is clear, that it's understood.
Susan McGalla:
The fact that we're the only Catholic Jesuit high school in Arizona
Susan McGalla:
and that next year we're gonna be approaching our centennial 100 years.
Susan McGalla:
Wow.
Susan McGalla:
That's a big deal in Arizona.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah, it is.
Susan McGalla:
And how do we make sure that we market and communicate the fact
Susan McGalla:
that we're going to be a 100-year-old institution that started in 1928, and
Susan McGalla:
we provide a Catholic Jesuit education that is in so many ways unparalleled
Susan McGalla:
in terms of the experiences and the opportunities that are provided.
Susan McGalla:
That's done in that portion.
Susan McGalla:
And then I have the events team that, oh my gosh, they're
Susan McGalla:
The Little Engine That Could.
Susan McGalla:
And we do gosh, almost 20 events a year, but four major events
Susan McGalla:
that bring our community together in a way that people share.
Susan McGalla:
This community loves to stay in touch.
Susan McGalla:
They like to be a part of things.
Susan McGalla:
So I have a team of people that make sure that that happens.
Susan McGalla:
it's very dynamic, the role.
Susan McGalla:
And, it's been a lot of fun.
Mike Lindstrom:
Was there somebody in that role before?
Mike Lindstrom:
Oh, did they create that role, especially for someone like you?
Susan McGalla:
There was somebody who at one point ran advancement.
Mike Lindstrom:
Okay.
Susan McGalla:
But the kind of complexion of all of these kind of
Susan McGalla:
being together in this certain way is a little unique now with my background
Susan McGalla:
and what I brought to the table.
Susan McGalla:
But I have a little factoid for you, and I'm very proud to step into her
Susan McGalla:
shoes but our previous president, Adria Ranke, she's beloved in Arizona.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Earlier in her career, she was Vice President of
Susan McGalla:
Advancement and then stepped in and became the president of Brophy.
Susan McGalla:
Then Bob took over for her about, three and a half years ago.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
So there are versions of that role that did exist.
Mike Lindstrom:
You said something about earlier that it was kind of a
Mike Lindstrom:
subtle thing, but you like sports.
Mike Lindstrom:
Love sports.
Mike Lindstrom:
You had another stop-off point here, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Susan McGalla:
I did.
Mike Lindstrom:
You gotta talk about that a little bit.
Susan McGalla:
Oh my gosh.
Scott Leese:
Susan's had so many different careers.
Mike Lindstrom:
I know!
Scott Leese:
It's unbelievable.
Mike Lindstrom:
It IS unbelievable.
Susan McGalla:
I don't know.
Susan McGalla:
I'm so blessed about it.
Susan McGalla:
I have to tell you, right?
Susan McGalla:
So this one was crazy.
Susan McGalla:
I came back from California.
Susan McGalla:
I was running a company out there and brought my family back.
Susan McGalla:
Had two little small children.
Susan McGalla:
I'm a golfer.
Susan McGalla:
I love to golf.
Susan McGalla:
And I was back in Pittsburgh with my family maybe for two weeks.
Susan McGalla:
And, I am good friends with David Morehouse, who used to be the
Susan McGalla:
CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Susan McGalla:
And he invited me to be in his foursome at a Penguins Golf fundraiser.
Susan McGalla:
So in my foursome was myself, David Morehouse, Art Rooney of the
Susan McGalla:
Steelers, and Jimmy Sacko, I think, of the Steelers was there too.
Susan McGalla:
That was super fun.
Susan McGalla:
Then the next week, I had known Art Rooney because I was running
Susan McGalla:
American Eagle in Pittsburgh, and
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
So were two leaders of organizations in Pittsburgh.
Susan McGalla:
He gave me a call and asked me if I'd be willing to take on a little project
Susan McGalla:
there to assess what's happening in the business side and how we work
Susan McGalla:
with the league, things like that.
Susan McGalla:
And, the long story short of it, that was like a nine-month project that
Susan McGalla:
I did as a consulting gig, and that turned into them creating a role for me
Susan McGalla:
where I was running, again, a big part of the business side of the Steelers.
Susan McGalla:
But that was so much fun.
Susan McGalla:
I mean, to combine business and sports was nirvana for me.
Scott Leese:
Dream.
Susan McGalla:
Super fun.
Mike Lindstrom:
That's so cool.
Susan McGalla:
Super fun.
Susan McGalla:
I traveled with the team.
Mike Lindstrom:
Oh, so cool.
Susan McGalla:
Went to a lot of the away games with the team and the players and
Susan McGalla:
got to know them and kind of reinvented at the team level, really using the
Susan McGalla:
players as part of our marketing.
Susan McGalla:
So I got to know a lot of them and just lots of good people.
Scott Leese:
I read that you're responsible, at least partially
Scott Leese:
for the Unite, what is it?
Susan McGalla:
Steelers Nation Unite.
Scott Leese:
Steelers Nation Unite.
Susan McGalla:
Yes, our loyalty program.
Scott Leese:
Is that true that
Scott Leese:
- Susan McGalla: It is true.
Scott Leese:
That was you?
Susan McGalla:
It is true because, you know, the one thing is, and this
Susan McGalla:
is a very important thing in sports today because, you can say you have big
Susan McGalla:
waiting lists, those of us that were fortunate enough to have waiting lists
Susan McGalla:
for our stadiums and things like that.
Susan McGalla:
But loyalty is vastly changing in the sports environment because
Susan McGalla:
it is becoming so compelling to watch sporting events from home.
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
On a Sunday, when you wanna watch on TV and see, four to six different
Susan McGalla:
games going on at once, and we had 17 million fans worldwide at the Pittsburgh
Susan McGalla:
Steelers, how do we get to know and become personal with those 17 million fans?
Scott Leese:
Mm-hmm.
Susan McGalla:
Any sporting team should be thinking this way,
Susan McGalla:
because you wanna establish loyalty.
Susan McGalla:
You want them to know you care.
Susan McGalla:
You're part of loyalty programs and many of your retail.
Susan McGalla:
A- Amazon's the prime example, right?
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Amazon Prime.
Susan McGalla:
Coming from the retail space and developing loyalty programs at
Susan McGalla:
American Eagle and other places I've been, we came up with the concept the
Susan McGalla:
leading loyalty program in the NFL.
Susan McGalla:
it was cool.
Scott Leese:
Yeah, that's neat.
Mike Lindstrom:
That's really cool.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
How do you think about goals in your life anymore?
Mike Lindstrom:
I'll give you an example.
Mike Lindstrom:
I think about things in five-year chunks.
Mike Lindstrom:
I'm 53.
Susan McGalla:
Mm-hmm.
Mike Lindstrom:
So my next stop's 55.
Susan McGalla:
Mm-hmm.
Mike Lindstrom:
I think about, okay, where do I wanna be by 55?
Mike Lindstrom:
That's how I do it.
Mike Lindstrom:
How do you do it?
Susan McGalla:
You know what?
Susan McGalla:
My, this was a big call for me to come back and to take this role at Brophy.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Because it's not something that I think people would
Susan McGalla:
say was expected or anything like that.
Susan McGalla:
But for me, my big call at this point, I am fortunate enough to have the choice
Susan McGalla:
what to do at this stage of my life.
Susan McGalla:
And my choice was to come back and to serve in something that
Susan McGalla:
I really cared about that I felt
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Was affecting young people.
Susan McGalla:
And if you look, a common thread of my entire career is young people.
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
I mean, American Eagle
Susan McGalla:
- Scott Leese: The brands.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
The brands were young.
Susan McGalla:
Football was pretty youthful.
Susan McGalla:
I was very involved with the young players, at a point in
Susan McGalla:
time, when they would come out of the draft and on the marketing
Susan McGalla:
side and helping to protect them.
Susan McGalla:
and this stopped for me.
Susan McGalla:
you, it may be smaller in scale, but it's just as big an impact
Susan McGalla:
as anything I've ever done.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
When I think of that, the other part is I wanna use my brain.
Susan McGalla:
That's really important to me to keep learning.
Susan McGalla:
I wanna learn, and I am learning.
Susan McGalla:
It's a dynamic role.
Susan McGalla:
I've never worked in academia on the inside.
Susan McGalla:
This is a world-class team.
Susan McGalla:
You look at Bob Ryan and Jim Bopp and the team that's assembled there.
Susan McGalla:
There may be teams as good across the country.
Susan McGalla:
I don't know any that are better.
Susan McGalla:
I'm learning academia.
Susan McGalla:
But, also in my board work, that's really important to me too.
Susan McGalla:
because that business mind of mine, I like to put to work.
Susan McGalla:
As a matter of fact, I'm doing something really cool.
Susan McGalla:
I can't talk too much about it right now, but, there's a de novo bank, a new bank
Susan McGalla:
getting started, and I'm very honored.
Susan McGalla:
I was asked to serve on the board of this bank, I'm like, "Why do you want
Susan McGalla:
me?" So that's gonna be, public here in the next few weeks or whatever.
Susan McGalla:
But I like to use that side of my brain as well.
Mike Lindstrom:
What nonprofits outside of the things you do with
Mike Lindstrom:
Brophy, have you been involved with
Susan McGalla:
Oh, my goodness.
Susan McGalla:
a lot of them.
Susan McGalla:
Probably one of the most spectacular experiences, was I was a part of, McGee
Susan McGalla:
Women's Research Institute, and they happen to be based in Pittsburgh, they
Susan McGalla:
are the largest funded women's research institute for women's health in the world.
Mike Lindstrom:
Wow.
Susan McGalla:
I was asked to serve on the board, and it's a philanthropic board,
Susan McGalla:
but actually, the CEO reports into us.
Susan McGalla:
That's very unusual.
Susan McGalla:
Typically, those philanthropic boards are just fundraising boards.
Susan McGalla:
I did that work for nine years, and I helped them with a national rebrand.
Susan McGalla:
But oh my goodness, it was so humbling to learn the good work of these
Susan McGalla:
doctors that are brilliant, in changing the face and the accessibility of
Susan McGalla:
women's health throughout the world.
Susan McGalla:
So I've done a lot of really cool nonprofit work in cancer.
Susan McGalla:
I was on the board of trustees at the University of Pittsburgh.
Mike Lindstrom:
Mm-hmm.
Susan McGalla:
That was a big honor.
Susan McGalla:
There are probably too many to count, but the one that I told
Susan McGalla:
you about is kinda near and dear
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
…to my heart.
Mike Lindstrom:
tell me about, some influences outside of
Mike Lindstrom:
your family, like mentors.
Mike Lindstrom:
When you were on the come-up, anybody in your life, you say, "Hey, this is
Mike Lindstrom:
somebody that I met, at this juncture in my life or career and they had
Mike Lindstrom:
an impact on you." And if you have mentors or people that influenced
Mike Lindstrom:
you, what'd you learn from them?
Susan McGalla:
You know what's funny?
Susan McGalla:
I don't know if you guys think, you're very accomplished people too.
Susan McGalla:
Mentors can be positive mentors and mentors can be people that have
Susan McGalla:
influenced you in ways also that you wanna do things differently.
Scott Leese:
Yeah, sure.
Susan McGalla:
It's not that you don't respect them.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
And I've had a little bit of, both of those.
Susan McGalla:
But in terms of mentors outside of my family, I would probably tell you
Susan McGalla:
one of the people that has had the biggest impact on me was when I was
Susan McGalla:
president of American Eagle and the CEO.
Susan McGalla:
He saw something in myself that I didn't even see in myself.
Susan McGalla:
And isn't that cool?
Susan McGalla:
Because, we can all be type A, accomplished, have goals, want to
Susan McGalla:
achieve, and wanna move forward.
Susan McGalla:
But he's the one who said to me, "I think you can run this company."
Susan McGalla:
And that's where I started to learn.
Susan McGalla:
And boy, he started to step back and let me take the lead in a very proud way.
Susan McGalla:
There was no competitive nature there.
Susan McGalla:
I learned from him, not only specifically for me and my path, but
Susan McGalla:
what I wanna give to other people.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
And, because
Susan McGalla:
- Scott Leese: Well, that's a gift in and of itself
Susan McGalla:
- Susan McGalla: Isn't it?.
Scott Leese:
For somebody to not only have that belief in you, but
Scott Leese:
actually articulate it to you.
Susan McGalla:
Articulate and say, "Hey, look, like, what do you wanna
Susan McGalla:
do?" And I tell him, and he's like, "Yeah, I don't know you're, I don't
Susan McGalla:
know if you're reaching high enough."
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
Wow.
Susan McGalla:
How, like, right?
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
He wanted me to reach high enough into his job.
Susan McGalla:
Doesn't that take somebody with a lot of self-confidence
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Scott Leese:
Sure.
Susan McGalla:
And belief and care about developing others?
Susan McGalla:
I hope I've done that throughout my career for other people, because yes,
Susan McGalla:
there's the mentor and how do you succeed?
Susan McGalla:
But, there's this poem from Ralph Waldo Emerson and, I have on my
Susan McGalla:
desk at home and my wall at work.
Susan McGalla:
But it's basically, "If I've touched a life, that's the meaning of success."
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
And I learned that from Jim O'Donnell, who is
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Who was the CEO at American Eagle.
Mike Lindstrom:
Is Jim still part of your life, or do you
Susan McGalla:
Well, I haven't talked to him in a little bit of time now,
Susan McGalla:
but yeah, he and I have always, somewhat kept- up over the years.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
So he's special.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah, okay.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
We'd like to do a couple rapid fire questions, if you don't mind.
Susan McGalla:
Okay.
Mike Lindstrom:
All right.
Susan McGalla:
Alright, put my seatbelt on.
Mike Lindstrom:
I gotta ask you this one, because you have so
Mike Lindstrom:
much leadership in your genes.
Mike Lindstrom:
Best leadership book that you've ever read?
Susan McGalla:
Oh, okay.
Mike Lindstrom:
Or professional book that you read that's had a really big
Mike Lindstrom:
- Susan McGalla: You want me to be, super honest?
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
I have read some.
Susan McGalla:
I am not a big professional self-help book gal.
Mike Lindstrom:
Really?
Susan McGalla:
I am not.
Mike Lindstrom:
Really?
Susan McGalla:
And there are good ones.
Susan McGalla:
I'm not gonna say I. Like, the one that probably.
Susan McGalla:
I don't know if this was written as a self-help book, but Steve Job's book
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: uh-huh.
Susan McGalla:
In terms of inspiring me as a leader and how to
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Like, the guy was crazy, but brilliant people are crazy.
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
I mean that in a most respectful sense of the word.
Susan McGalla:
But I would tell you from a professional career standpoint, I
Susan McGalla:
learned the most out of that book.
Susan McGalla:
I am more about being in it than reading and applying.
Scott Leese:
She's a doer.
Susan McGalla:
I'm a doer.
Susan McGalla:
And I'm a learner from real life experiences.
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
that's my honest answer to that question.
Susan McGalla:
I love it.
Mike Lindstrom:
You're well traveled.
Mike Lindstrom:
your favorite place to travel to
Susan McGalla:
Can I tell you where I like to eat the most?
Susan McGalla:
Italy.
Susan McGalla:
I like to eat the most in Italy for sure.
Scott Leese:
Your favorite place for certain things.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Like at breakfast, you think about lunch.
Susan McGalla:
At lunch, you think about dinner.
Susan McGalla:
At dinner, you talk about breakfast the next day.
Susan McGalla:
That's Italy, right?
Susan McGalla:
Like, and those people.
Susan McGalla:
Oh my gosh.
Susan McGalla:
[kiss] Wonderful.
Scott Leese:
[laughing]
Susan McGalla:
But, I would tell you my favorite special place
Susan McGalla:
in the world is the Philippines.
Mike Lindstrom:
Philippines.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
Wow.
Susan McGalla:
A really cute story I have to tell you.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
I wanna make sure I'm not having this run over.
Susan McGalla:
We're good.
Susan McGalla:
I was gone for three weeks.
Susan McGalla:
I was in India.
Susan McGalla:
I was here.
Susan McGalla:
I was there.
Susan McGalla:
Traveled overnight to the Philippines.
Susan McGalla:
Exhausted.
Susan McGalla:
It was myself and a coworker.
Susan McGalla:
She and I were in a car ride to our hotel in the middle of the night.
Susan McGalla:
And I got out of the car, in Manila.
Susan McGalla:
And the car driver said to us, he shook us real gently, woke us up.
Susan McGalla:
We get out.
Susan McGalla:
We're blurry-eyed.
Susan McGalla:
Haven't been in the United States for 21 days.
Susan McGalla:
It's our last stop.
Susan McGalla:
And he said something to me, and I was like, "Wait, what did you say
Susan McGalla:
to me?" And he said, "I wish you the most blessed of trips here in the
Susan McGalla:
Philippines, my lady." It was so sincere.
Susan McGalla:
And I will tell you that the, whatever, three days I spent there, the kindness and
Susan McGalla:
the authenticity of the Filipino people
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
…left such an impact and a mark on me.
Susan McGalla:
So that was the most
Susan McGalla:
- Scott Leese: Very cool.
Susan McGalla:
…special trip I ever had.
Susan McGalla:
And it was the kindness and
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: I love it.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
I love it.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
It was really beautiful, beautiful people.
Mike Lindstrom:
A quote you live by.
Susan McGalla:
Ooh.
Mike Lindstrom:
Or mantra or belief that you have that's strong,
Mike Lindstrom:
that you pushed off to your kids.
Mike Lindstrom:
It's something that you stand firm on.
Susan McGalla:
We have a family motto that we say to our kids especially
Susan McGalla:
up through middle school, every day when we drop them off at school.
Susan McGalla:
And it was, "Be kind, be respectful, and spend the time to meet a new person
Susan McGalla:
each and every day." And that's what we.
Susan McGalla:
If my kids, if you said, "Do, what's your family stand for?"
Susan McGalla:
They would say, "My parents have this family mantra." And they could
Susan McGalla:
repeat it to you verbatim, and we would say that to them when they
Susan McGalla:
would get out of the car every day.
Mike Lindstrom:
I love that.
Susan McGalla:
And so I would tell you that.
Scott Leese:
The last one is a good one.
Scott Leese:
The last one's arguably the hardest one.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
Like, how do you do that, right?
Susan McGalla:
How do you seek somebody out that needs to be sought out or noticed?
Scott Leese:
Every day.
Susan McGalla:
And
Mike Lindstrom:
That's a tough one.
Mike Lindstrom:
Especially for kids are their comfort zone.
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
They have their people.
Scott Leese:
It's hard enough for
Scott Leese:
- Mike Lindstrom: They have their BFFs.
Scott Leese:
It's hard enough for ME to do that.
Mike Lindstrom:
And that's one thing the school does a very good job.
Mike Lindstrom:
I remember when Rhett was a freshman there the first week.
Susan McGalla:
At Brophy?
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah, at Brophy.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yes.
Mike Lindstrom:
He, I asked him what, been one of the first things you learned this week.
Mike Lindstrom:
And he says, one of the coaches had caught a kid.
Mike Lindstrom:
There was trash sitting on the ground.
Mike Lindstrom:
And he said, "Yeah, that trash is your trash. If there's trash
Mike Lindstrom:
on the ground, you pick it up."
Susan McGalla:
Absolutely.
Mike Lindstrom:
Period.
Mike Lindstrom:
you walk around that school, you'll see people just walking
Susan McGalla:
100%.
Mike Lindstrom:
That stuck with me to the point where I'll be sitting
Mike Lindstrom:
there in a parking lot and I'll pick up trash because that's my trash.
Susan McGalla:
Right.
Mike Lindstrom:
It's taking responsibility.
Susan McGalla:
Oh, you're 100% right.
Susan McGalla:
And when I'm walking the campus with Bob Ryan, he's picking up trash
Susan McGalla:
and telling the kids to do that.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yep.
Susan McGalla:
So that still plays
Mike Lindstrom:
That's
Mike Lindstrom:
- Susan McGalla: …100% real today.
Mike Lindstrom:
…a small thing, but that's a big thing.
Susan McGalla:
It is a big thing.
Susan McGalla:
You care.
Susan McGalla:
How about this week at the World Cup?
Mike Lindstrom:
Oh,
Susan McGalla:
and Japan
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Saw that.
Susan McGalla:
Japan cleaning up in a stadium in America.
Susan McGalla:
They would not leave the Japan fans and some of the players, I believe
Susan McGalla:
- Scott Leese: yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
…for soccer did not leave the stadium until
Susan McGalla:
they cleaned up that stadium.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yep.
Susan McGalla:
But isn't that a wonderful thing?
Mike Lindstrom:
Such a cool thing.
Scott Leese:
Very cool.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah,
Mike Lindstrom:
I did see there's a picture, I think it was Jameis Win - What?
Mike Lindstrom:
Jameis Winst
Scott Leese:
Jameis Winston was doing it.
Mike Lindstrom:
He was there with a guy in a wheelchair.
Susan McGalla:
He was with them.
Mike Lindstrom:
Going around.
Mike Lindstrom:
A guy in a wheelchair picking up trash and he jumped in, he goes,
Mike Lindstrom:
"I'm gonna. If this guy's do - I'm doing this. I should be doing this."
Susan McGalla:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
Gotta lead by example.
Susan McGalla:
Yeah, so cool.
Mike Lindstrom:
So good.
Mike Lindstrom:
Well, listen, I know you got places to be, you've taken so much time and we
Mike Lindstrom:
really appreciate the opportunity so much.
Susan McGalla:
Guys, I'm so honored that you asked me
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: Yes.
Susan McGalla:
…to come.
Mike Lindstrom:
Yeah.
Susan McGalla:
And, you made this super fun, super easy.
Susan McGalla:
I hope it was
Susan McGalla:
- Mike Lindstrom: It's great.
Susan McGalla:
Oh, it's perfect.
Susan McGalla:
It was perfect.
Susan McGalla:
I always say the same thing.
Susan McGalla:
Wish we had more time.
Scott Leese:
Yeah.
Mike Lindstrom:
So, well thank you so much for coming on.
Mike Lindstrom:
All right, thank you very
Susan McGalla:
much.
Susan McGalla:
All right.
Mike Lindstrom:
All right signing off Mike Lindstrom, Scott Leese, what's your story?
Mike Lindstrom:
Thank you.
VP of Advancement, Brophy College Preparatory
Susan P. McGalla is vice president for advancement and strategic communications at Brophy College Preparatory.
Born May 31, 1964, in East Liverpool, Ohio, she grew up with two older brothers and a football-coach father and earned a B.A. in business and marketing from Mount Union College in 1986. She started in a 30-week training program at Joseph Horne, then joined American Eagle Outfitters in 1994 as a divisional merchandise buyer. She rose to president and chief merchandising officer in 2007, helping grow a portfolio that reached roughly $3 billion, and left in January 2008 to raise her children.
She later served as CEO of Wet Seal (2011–2012), founded P3 Executive Consulting in Pittsburgh in 2013, and was vice president of business strategy and creative development for the Pittsburgh Steelers, where she built the Steelers Nation Unite loyalty program. She has sat on the HFF Inc. board. She now works at Brophy, on the same campus where her son attends school.