In the latest Fearless Female Leadership interview, I had the privilege of speaking with Melissa DiMuro, the Chief People, Culture & Marketing Officer at Limbach, about leading with resilience during times of change and the importance of evolving alongside the businesses we serve.
Melissa’s journey started in a blue-collar household and was shaped by the strength and grit of her grandmother—a farmer’s daughter who raised twelve siblings and worked multiple jobs just to keep food on the table. That legacy of resilience deeply influenced Melissa’s leadership style and commitment to growth through discomfort.
Though her path wasn’t linear—initially aspiring to be a psychologist—Melissa leaned into her natural strengths and built a career across multiple male-dominated industries including printing, aviation, and construction. Her ability to navigate change and adapt through uncertainty positioned her as a transformational leader who prioritizes systems thinking, emotional intelligence, and authenticity.
Melissa emphasized that today’s leaders must lead with calm confidence, agility, and vision—even when the future is unclear. She urges emerging leaders to develop their emotional intelligence, stay informed, and most importantly, lead with intention no matter their title.
Key takeaways from the interview:
0:01:45 – Melissa’s hardworking grandmother served as a model for persistence, strength, and self-determination.
0:05:00 – Her career path wasn’t a straight line—she pivoted from psychology to HR, learning to embrace discomfort as a growth driver.
0:06:34 – Melissa chose to take on tough roles and switch industries, believing that growth happens when you lean into the uncomfortable.
0:09:44 – Evolving leadership means practicing systems thinking and being agile amidst constant change.
0:11:16 – Emotional intelligence and intentionality are essential for leading people through disruption.
0:13:08 – Great leaders manage fear by preparing their teams and working themselves out of a job—developing others is key.
0:15:00 – Change leadership is not just about strategy, but the how—transparency and empathy build trust.
0:18:00 – Melissa shares how Limbach is deepening customer relationships by leading with purpose and service—not just transactions.
0:21:05 – A leader’s long-term success depends on relationships, context, and empowering teams with shared vision.
0:25:58 – Her final advice: compete only with yourself. Be better than yesterday and seek inspiration—not comparison—from others.
If you’re interested in being featured on the Fearless Female Leadership podcast, or you’re a leader looking to gain clarity on ‘what’s next’, how to build more cohesive and high-performing teams, and lead with greater confidence and influence, let’s have a confidential conversation.
Cheering you on always!
– Sheryl
Certified High-Performance Coach | Mental Toughness & High-Performance Strategist for Female Leaders | Best-Selling Author | CEO & Founder, The Zone Lab, LLC
Sheryl Kline has spent 25+ years building Olympic-level confidence and FBI-grade negotiation strategies for world-class athletes, Olympians, and some of the most prolific female executives in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and across the country. Her proven frameworks in clarity, confidence, strategic influence and impact (Fearless Female Leadership Framework) have been deployed inside Fortune 100 and 500 companies including Google Ventures, Microsoft, Oracle, Schnitzer Properties, Autodesk, Capital One, Pixar, VMware, Bank of America, and State Street Global Advisors to name a few.
Hands-On Experience: Sheryl has personally coached hundreds of executives, team leaders, and emerging female leaders through high-stakes negotiations, career transitions, and performance under pressure. She has led mental toughness and high-performance workshops at organizations like Structured Finance Association, WIT Network, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, SHRM, CREW Network, Women in Cloud, and Jabra.
Credentials: M.A. degree holder and Certified High-Performance Coach (CHPC). Creator of the Fearless Female Leadership Journey enterprise digital curriculum and the proprietary frameworks including the ADD Emotional Agility Blueprint, Visual Optimization methodology, and the ZONED IN mental toughness system.
Published Work: Best-selling author of ZONED IN: The Mental Toughness Required for a World-Class YOU and The Fearless Female Leader: A Proven Process to Speak Up, Be Heard, and Have an Even Greater Impact. Speaker, mastermind cohort leader, and panelist for women's leadership organizations nationwide.
sherylkline.comĀ |Ā LinkedInĀ |Ā info@sherylkline.comĀ | Substack
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