We were lucky to catch up with Pattie Dale Tye recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Pattie Dale, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.
I had absolutely no idea that I would one day become an author — especially in the third stage of my career. But it seems God had other plans.
In late 2022, I received a phone call from Forbes Books asking if I would consider putting my life’s work into print. At the time, Forbes published only about 40 books a year, and after following my career journey, they felt I had a message worth sharing — one that could inspire professionals in every stage: early, mid, and those approaching the third act.
You see, my beginnings were very humble. No Ivy League pedigree, no master’s degree — just a small-town, very ordinary girl who managed to build and experience an extraordinary career. Forbes wanted readers to see that they, too, could go from ordinary to extraordinary in their own careers.
I spent nearly every weekend for a year working with the Forbes writing team, and on June 24, 2024, we officially published Ordinary to Extraordinary. Before its release, I partnered with an incredible keynote coach to craft my own talks and delivered my very first keynote on the day the book launched.
I’m grateful to have a wonderful support team helping with branding and my website, and I’m excited to see this new chapter continue to grow, thrive, and hopefully bring others along on their own 90,000-hour career journey.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Pattie Dale Tye is the COO for Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC, a best selling Forbes Author, and national speaker. Pattie Dale is a C-suite veteran with over 30 years of experience leading companies to new heights and course-correcting businesses in need.
Pattie Dale has an extensive track record of success with some of the most recognized brands in the world. She spent over a decade with AT&T, was instrumental in turning around Humana’s multibillion dollar Large Business Commercial Segment and championed Humana’s first ever Population Health work, which resulted in not only regulatory changes within CMS, but placed Humana on Fortune Magazine’s 50 Companies Changing the World
In June 2024, Forbes published Pattie Dale’s first book, Ordinary to Extra-Ordinary – written for people just starting out, those re-entering the workforce after a time away, or anyone entering the third stage of their career. Pattie Dale’s insights and expertise come from over three decades of leading and being led. She reaches beyond traditional career advice; taking you on an authentic leadership journey through her first hand expertise. Pattie Dale has walked in your shoes and she is here to help you through your own journey.
Pattie Dale has received awards and recognition throughout her career including “Louisville’s Enterprising Business Women”, 2021; “Private Company Directors to Watch”, 2021 “Healthcare Heroes in Louisville”, 2017, a “Women to Watch in the Business Insurance Industry”, 2010 and “Texas Woman on the Move”, 2008. She serves on the Boards of Louisville Metro Zoo Foundation and Kentucky State Chamber Foundation. She has previously served on the Board of Metro United Way, The Greater Houston Partnership, where she served a Chair of the Women’s Initiative, Trilogy Health Services where she chaired the HR Committee and led the Humana Foundation as Interim CEO in 2017.
Since her book release, Pattie Dale has been a guest speaker on multiple podcasts, TV shows and conferences across the US and abroad. Pattie Dale was also recently nominated as a 2025 Today’s Woman Magazine’s Most Admired Business Leaders.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I was tapped to lead an incredible initiative at Humana called The Bold Goal — a company-wide effort spanning our entire membership and every Humana employee. The mission was ambitious: to improve health by 20% by 2020, as measured by the CDC’s Healthy Days metric.
The pivotal shift was moving our focus from sick care to well care. Traditionally, we measured health through medical claims — doctor visits, hospital stays, or prescriptions filled. But this initiative challenged us to look beyond the doctor’s office and into the community to understand what truly impacts someone’s health.
What we found was eye-opening: food insecurity, transportation gaps, and profound loneliness. So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work addressing those barriers. And it worked — we saw measurable improvements in both health outcomes and Healthy Days.
The effort earned Humana a spot on Fortune Magazine’s “50 Companies Changing the World” list, and even helped influence CMS policy, allowing insurance providers to offer food as a health benefit in certain cases.
Health improved. Healthy Days improved. And so did lives.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
I’ve found that one of the most important things a leader can do is understand what truly makes each team member light up. Take the time to discover—or rediscover—their aptitudes: those innate strengths that make each of us unique. Then ask yourself, Are they getting to use them?
When aptitudes go untapped, people often feel frustrated without knowing why. But when you align someone’s work with their natural strengths, their skills grow faster, their confidence deepens, and performance follows.
It’s also vital to stay connected. Nearly 40% of Gen Z employees report feeling lonely at work, and loneliness erodes confidence—an essential ingredient for both morale and performance. Something as simple as having a best friend at work can ease loneliness, boost engagement, and elevate both confidence and output.
Create an environment where genuine connection can thrive—face-to-face whenever possible. We are a connectional society, and we are healthier, happier, and far more effective when we truly connect with one another.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pattiedaletye.com/
- Instagram: @pattie_dale_tye
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattie-dale-tye/
