Listen to the full episode of Purpose 360 Podcast here

On May 12, 2015, Geralyn Ritter, Senior Vice President at pharmaceutical company Merck, was flung from her train car in Amtrak’s deadliest train derailment since 1987. Of 238 passengers, over 200 people were injured and eight were tragically killed. Geralyn was the most critically injured of those who survived.

It took just seconds for Geralyn to go from being a senior executive at one of America’s largest companies to an immobilized ICU patient facing an uncertain future. Despite intense pain, years of recovery, and a continuing struggle with trauma, Geralyn came to view her situation as an act of grace – an undeserved, unmerited gift – that empowered her to rebuild her body and re-establish her career, “bone by bone.”

We invited Geralyn Ritter, now Executive Vice President of External Affairs, ESG, and Sustainability at Organon, a new women’s health organization and spinoff from Merck, to talk about her recovery and return to work through the lens of gratitude, grief, resilience, and, of course, purpose.

Listen for more insights on:

• Servant leadership and its transformative impact on employees.
• How to balance realism and optimism – both at work and in life.
• Why being open to new solutions and opportunities can improve your resilience in new and challenging situations.

Listen to this episode and others at Purpose360Podcast.com.

Carol Cone ON PURPOSE

Carol Cone ON PURPOSE

Carol Cone ON PURPOSE is a pioneering consultancy helping companies, brands, and organizations harness the power of social purpose to advance their business and social impact. CCOP's proven approach meets clients at any point on their  purpose journey to unlock opportunities to build reputation, inspire employees, exceed financial targets, and support the greater good. The consultancy is led by Carol Cone, regarded as one of the founders of the purpose movement in the early 1980s and has been internationally recognized for her work.

More from Carol Cone ON PURPOSE