The People Side of Business | Team Management Strategies, How to Manage Employees, Leadership for Business Owners

[S5, Ep21] Building a Bold Culture with Bananas & Boundaries (with Jennie Coleman)

Lindsay White Season 5 Episode 21

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0:00 | 29:16

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What if your values were simple enough to live by—and strong enough to shape an industry?

In this episode, I sit down with Jennie Coleman, President & Co-Owner of Equifruit, to talk about fair-trade bananas, fearless leadership, and why “Don’t work with jerks” might be the most effective HR policy you’ll ever write.

✨ Episode Highlights

  • 🍌 The bold vision behind global fair-trade banana domination
  • ❤️ How Equifruit’s three core values—Compassion, Commitment to Change, and Creativity—drive every decision
  • 🚫 What “Don’t Work with Jerks” really means (and how to enforce it with empathy)
  • 🧩 Turning culture into action—from hiring to supplier partnerships
  • 🌍 Leading with values even when you’re the smallest player in a giant industry

Because culture isn’t a poster on the wall—it’s the daily choice to lead with compassion and courage. And when your values are clear, you don’t just build a stronger team—you build a business you’re proud to lead.

Support the show

The People Side of Business is the podcast for female founders and business owners who are leading teams and growing businesses.

Hosted by Lindsay White, Leadership Coach, Team Leadership Strategist, and Fractional HR Expert, this show delivers practical leadership strategies, real-world people solutions, and honest conversations about the challenges of leading a team.

From employee performance issues and difficult conversations to hiring, accountability, workplace culture, and team growth, each episode is designed to help you lead, manage, and scale your team as a founder.

If you're ready to become a more confident leader, make better people decisions, and build a stronger, higher-performing team, you're in the right place.

Learn more at highvoltageleadership.ca, connect on Instagram @highvoltleadership, or find Lindsay White on LinkedIn.

The people side of business isn't separate from growth. The people side of business is the business.