The Flourish Lab: My Research in Servant Leadership, Entrepreneurship, & Innovation
How Data, Faith, and Servant Leadership Are Rewriting the Startup Playbook by Making the Intangible Tangible
I am a data girl, always have been, always will be. I am intrigued by how to convert data, wisdom, and human beliefs (qualitative and usually subjective) into quantitative data that allows us to make better decisions and get better outcomes on topics like leadership, calling, and culture/communities. This ultimately unlocks clarity, direction and growth for people and groups. This fascination takes the intangible and makes it tangible and actionable. (You will see this same theme in my community development of strong networks and opportunities for others). I take the messy middle (and all the sides, angles and curves) into a more ordered chaos of strengths, bright lights, beauty, joy and impact.
As a Marine Biologist with a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology (worked on protein biochemistry driven my DNA sequencing), I’ve always loved the lab and solving problems in fertility and specific specificity at a molecular level. Long hours in the lab allowed for me to gain a deep understanding of the processes in the lab, this gave me comfort. I also gained an appreciateiopn of the minute changes on a sperm that cause species to stay intact even with urchins being broadcast spawners, this gave me focus. I also gained an awareness that I loved to work with people, accepting high school and undergraduate research interns whenever they desired to join a lab for that hands-on experience, this gave me purpose.
I loved creating experiments (most failed) around a central hypothesis or research question I was intrigued about. The Scientific Method allowed for me to iteratively experiment and research until I got to a conclusion that made for more overarching conclusions to create thought leadership around a topic that would be merited to publish about. After I finished my PhD, I went straight into developing and teaching K12 kits of sand for distribution into classrooms. Education meets geology. This then transitioned into leading an undergraduate social entrepreneurship program, heavily focused on The Design Process of identifying a need, experimenting and solving that need. Engineering Education meets Entrepreneurship. Sounds familiar? Yes. I believe so. Then, my ongoing pursuit of needs creating solutions, in my current era of entrepreneurship and investing, The Biz Idea Process mirrors the “Find a need, fill it” theme of my career, but in yet, another industry, startups. Innovation meets Investing and Impact.
This same curiosity of finding structure in chaos, of finding a focused desire to understand and explore, and the purpose of co-creating with others, now drives my work in the business and startup world, especially around leadership and flourishing.
My core research is focused on servant leadership in the startup world, how entrepreneurs, investors and advocates serve first before self, seek human flourishing through entrepreneurship and early-stage investing, and growing startups is more about making this world a better place than just a place to scale, but to bless.
About seven years ago, I created a servant leadership framework based on real-world experiences, multiple roll-up-my-sleeves moments, scripture, prayer and scholarship. While much has been written and researched about servant leadership in the corporate world and missions-driven settings, I saw a gap (a need) in defining, researching, exemplifying, and communicating about servant leadership in the high-risk, high-growth world of startups. This gap is where I now joyfully live and study.
In the startup world, the juxtaposition of capital and capitalism and the passion and drive that is required to make entrepreneurial pursuits a reality and scale, fascinates me. Startups are unique: fast-paced, high-stakes, often under-resourced, yet the opportunity for massive wealth to be made for all involved, is at odds with this grind until you make it scenario.
The best entrepreneurs, investors, and advocates I know? They ARE servant leaders. They act with humility, lead with others in mind, and are deeply driven by purpose.
But how do we measure that? Through my research, I really want to arrive at a way to quantifiably evaluate one’s servant leadership posture. Why? Because many servant leaders are labeled as “crazy” or having a “Jesus complex” or “why do you never say no”. Do you understand? I have been labeled all of these and was beginning to think I was undoubtedly crazy until I dove head first into my research. I sent out a survey to over 100 entrepreneurs to gain insights into how they would place themselves in these Core characteristics of Servant Leadership. Here is the data:
Through my research, adding onto the data collected 7 years ago (I will be sending out another survey to collect 100 more data points for a longitudinal data set), I’m working on a tool, an AI-powered self-assessment, that allows founders, investors, and advocates to map their own servant leadership posture. I am envisioning a digital scatterplot that visualizes the 12 dimensions of servant leadership I’ve developed over the years, so that they can see where their baseline is and receive actionable steps in the Servant Leadership Action Steps that I have on going from in action to action in servant, leadership, to really make the individual flourish in their own honing of their servant leadership stands.
My goal is clear and simple: help people see where they shine, where they can grow, and how to move from passive intention to active impact, to truly FLOURISH. With insights in hand, they’ll be able to engage in deeper conversations with their teams, communities, and even themselves.
Can You Measure Empathy? I Think We Can.
Yes, it might sound strange, measuring things like empathy, humility, or purpose, top know how we rate in each of them. But I believe if you are informed and equipped with the right data, you can become more intentional in how you lead, you are empowered to do so much more. Just like StrengthsFinder helps us understand our strengths and weaknesses, I hope this servant leadership tool will help others become more self-aware, especially in an industry that is capitalistic, making revenue at all costs, at times. I want people to be able to share the AI-powered self-assessment maps and the insights on defining their leadership posture, understanding their leadership characteristics and action steps, so that they can have deeper conversations with their colleagues and their communities about what it means to be a servant leader, and what it takes to be a servant leader, and what things can be done to actually increase the elements of serving leadership.
There are servant leaders all around us, in board rooms, in hackathons, in investor meetings at networking startup events, many of them unaware of the strength they hold. I want to change that. I always say, “Amplify your strengths and work on your weaknesses.” I want to amplify the voices of servant leaders, help people see how their leadership traits influence teams, products, investments, and culture. —one that multiplies kindness, wisdom, and transformational impact.
We’re all seeking to improve and flourish, we become leaders who are truly empowered to make an impact in this world. When we spotlight and study these leaders, we create a ripple effect because people have a way to emulate those leaders.
Why an AI-powered self-assessment? Well, since Biola University has an AI lab and a group of people driven to formulate ethical AI principles, now os the b=perfect time. With the ubiquity of AI tools now in the business world, I can’t wait to dive in and create a way to create a survey of sorts to plot the different elements of the serpent leadership framework so that people would have an outcome of a web scatterplot of their servant leadership traits. I’m working on that during summer 2025, so continue having this journey with me through sub stack. I only university has an artificial intelligence lab, so I’m excited to work with some students on this throughout the year.
My next area of research is identifying and champion the servant leaders in our Startup world right now. If we amplify those voices in those stories, we will have a database of their strengths, servant, leadership, treats, and how they use their traits, strengths, and humility to build empires. Yes, again it’s a juxtaposition of humility and others before self that truly have leaders rise above the noise of this world to be beacons of hope, Grace and excellent business examples. It’s not all about making the most amount of money at all costs. It’s about making a lot of money to impact others and to showcase what can be done when people are kind, generous, thoughtful, and thoughtful and driven.
Now comes the last part of my research focus.
Women are servant leaders because our human nature of being nurturers and caregivers makes sense to me, strong, powerful, and exceptional servant leaders who make excellent business leaders. By doing the action, support, and amplifying up of women leaders, I know that we will make a difference in the world. I’m still working on what are the quantitative data sets I would like to tap into. I’ve seen in my investor career of over a decade and a half, that the investors and catalysts of gender-lens investing are servant leaders, truly, they are impact-minded, and of course wanting to make a mark in the world because if we as investors make it, with new ideas of having nine out of 10 of our portfolio companies instead of one out of 10 surviving, we will show the world that this new mindset is one that gives EPIC ROI and exceptional ROI. Return on Investment is very important to us to be able to showcase the power of the purse in the second ROI, Return on Impact is how our efforts, decisions, make a ripple effect onto the whole economy.
Now comes a little bit more of my heart.
This story is a about faith, belief and hope. When I was in my 20s, I finished my PhD and had walk away from being a professor that I dreamed of because of my family. I had to be a mother first, and I knew that if I had to get at least two postdocs and then start the professorial Climb, I could not support my special-needs young son. I had to carve out my own path, and I was sad at first, but I knew that at the time of making the decision, it was the right decision. To focus on family. I had to be a breadwinner, I had to make money, I had to have a career and be a working mom. There was no option.
So, I dove into what was in front of me in the opportunities that God always was able to pave for me. I felt that at times, that it was like a spaghetti approach, throwing spaghetti against the wall and praying my heart out to God that this path of edges and curves and pivots and changes was really going to pan out at the end. Last September, September 2024, I became a professor at Crowell School of Business. My Dean had faith in me. Even though my PhD is in biochemistry, I’m teaching business. My entire career of being at two different institutions, UCSD and USD, an advisor at The Brink, SBDC, and investor with over a decade of experience, 200+ companies portfolio and investing in 15 emerging fund managers, he wanted me to be part of a team of redemptive leaders at the business school. I was ecstatic and humbled all the same time. I know I am a good teacher I absolutely LOVE IT.
But what I didn’t know, was the immense and profound impact this had on my journey. I didn’t remember really how much I wanted to be a professor almost 30 years ago. I didn’t really think about it, I didn’t have any regrets or remorse, but when this happened, I was reassured that God, all along, had me in His hands in His protection. I became alive. I didn’t know that the quest I was on to build a framework of servant leadership, all the trials and tribulations of people calling me crazy for being so kind, or saying, yes, too many times because you know, operationally I cannot do it, but I did, and people Saying I have a Jesus complex of doing good at all times and putting others before myself. I lived in my calling, then, I created the framework, wrote the book, publish it in spiral bound because I didn’t know that it would be wanted in the world. I wanted to keep it quiet. Seeing that God had a plan all along, and now I can actually do the research on servant leadership as a professor, is amazing. This last year I grew so much as a business leader and as a professor. Yes, professor. I still bask in the light of this opportunity.
I’m going all in.
I’ve missed being in a lab, doing data analysis and development and feels that I’m curious about. This is only the beginning.
My love for research has been a constant my entire career, so I am so thrilled and excited for what’s to come. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to launch my substack so that my research can be shared by many people. The process of it is fascinating to me also, and the topic that I am talking about I believe is valuable to the people that want to learn about it.
My goals for my research this academic year coming up are
Create a MVP of AI powered Servent leadership questionnaire that will output a scatterplot of the servant leadership framework I created so many years ago
Create a database of servant leaders with their information & impact with a dep understanding of their strengths, by sending them Strengthsfinders, and seeing if we can find patterns of strengths to converge on servant leadership quantifiable data.
Send out a survey like I did seven years ago on what constitutes a servant leader in the startup world. I had 100 people fill out the survey 7 years ago and would love to do a longitudinal study with 100 more people.
Set up the flourish Lab at Crowell School of Business. I am collaborating with another professor colleague, of course, always collaborating, that will focus on the themes of entrepreneurship, innovation, flourishing, culture, and community. Dr. Laureen Mgrdichian, in addition is a phenomenal researcher, teacher, mentor and guide to so many of our students and many women leaders and entrepreneurs. I can’t wait for this to be formulated and get some grants in to fund it.
Bring in five students over the next academic year and summer 2026 to set up the lab, work on some of the research aims and create a culture of curiosity, calling, innovation, impact, and insights so that by year 10, I have impacted 50s students to consider data, data analytics, AI, and bar value to the world as innovators and analysts.
Join the convo, What do you think about these areas of research, would you be willing to be an MVP tester? Would you want to fill out the survey for my research? All or one or nothing is a blessing towards the growth of this new era of my life.
I’m excited to walk alongside a community of believers, of servant, leaders, to create paths, structures, frameworks and robust data set to support an ongoing growth of this idea, ideas. I’m BEYOND grateful for all of the opportunities I have been blessed with and for the mind that God has created in me to do His work at all times. I’m humbly at his feet.
Sign me up to be a tester, survey respondent, or conversation partner!