285: Stroke Onward with Steve Zuckerman: Navigating Life, Work, and the Unexpected

In this week’s episode of Work from the Inside Out, Tammy welcomes longtime friend and mission-driven leader Steve Zuckerman, whose multifaceted career spans private equity, economic justice work, and co-founding Stroke Onward, the nonprofit he founded with his wife, author and professor Debra Meyerson. Steve shares how his grounded upbringing, infused with values of service and perseverance, informed the choices he made throughout his professional and personal life.


Steve walks us through his career journey, from his entry into consulting, to private equity, to becoming a stay-at-home dad during a major life shift, and eventually pivoting to non-profit leadership. He describes his ‘strategically opportunistic’ mindset which developed over time. Steve reflected on how this approach enabled him to see opportunities beyond conventional pathways and engage with both planned and unexpected situations. 


In 2010, the unexpected occurred when Steve’s wife, Deb experienced a life threatening stroke Debra, leaving her with a paralyzed right side and no speech at all. We discuss her continual recovery efforts, limitations imposed by her aphasia, and their collaborative mission to expand the conversation around identity loss and rebuilding after stroke. Steve shares how this experience reshaped his career priorities, leading to the founding of Stroke Onward and the second edition of Deb’s book Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke. Their goal: transform how the medical and rehabilitation systems support the long-term emotional journey of recovery.


In this week’s Work from the Inside Out podcast, learn more about:

• How Steve’s childhood values shaped his lifelong commitment to service and purpose-driven work.
• Why he turned down traditional career pathways in favor of roles aligned with his values.
• The philosophy of being “strategically opportunistic” and how it can guide career decisions.
• The year-long Mediterranean family sailing adventure that changed their perspective on life.
• Deb’s stroke, her life with aphasia, and how Steve supports her identity rebuilding.
• How the book Identity Theft evolved into a second edition and the founding of Stroke Onward.
• The systemic gaps in stroke recovery and why emotional healing needs long-term support.
• Steve’s advice for making career decisions rooted in clarity, compassion, and self-awareness.





Learn more about Steve:

• Learn more about Stroke Onward  (https://strokeonward.org/)
• Follow on Instagram: @strokeonward (  / strokeonward  )
• Follow on Facebook: Stroke Onward (  / strokeonward  ) ’
• Follow Steve on LinkedIn (  / steve-zuckerman-0811652  )
• Subscribe on YouTube: @strokeonward (   / @strokeonward  )
• Read: Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke (https://www.amazon.com/Identity-Theft...)
• Listen to the audiobook: Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke (https://audiobrary.com/products/ident...)
• Read: Identity Theft: Second Edition (https://www.amazon.com/Identity-Theft...)




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