Leadership and Progress Go Hand in Hand: Interview with Lynn Mason, CEO of IVI RMA – North America

I recently went one-on-one with Lynn Mason, CEO of IVI RMA – North America.

Adam: First things first, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth? 

Lynn: I left home when I was 15 years old. My mother gave up custody of her children, and my father wasn’t in a position to care for us. I had to figure out life very quickly. Fortunately, my best friend’s aunt took me in. It was through her that I learned about grace and resilience. I realized difficult moments in life do not define us—we can learn, grow, and persevere, or we can allow them to consume us. I decided long ago that my early experiences would not stop me from pursuing my life’s dreams.

Despite leaving home, I never wavered in my determination to go to college. I set out to be a psychiatrist and planned to attend Washington University in St. Louis. My father was strict about education, expecting us to be straight-A students, focused, and college-bound. I needed a full scholarship, and I am forever grateful to WashU for making that possible. Key people at the university, who knew my situation, ensured I had opportunities like studying abroad and a place to stay during the holidays. These experiences profoundly shaped me and reinforced my belief in paying it forward.

I have always been fascinated by people and their stories. At seven, I learned what a psychiatrist was, and was captivated by the idea of understanding and helping others. That curiosity still drives me today. I tell my team that I see them as people first, teammates second. There is power in building these genuine relationships.

Discipline was also ingrained in me very early on, and I was a very focused young person. People recognized my drive and supported me. I learned growth comes from stepping outside of my comfort zone. That mindset led me to unexpected opportunities, like studying abroad in Hong Kong. Initially, I planned to go to Kenya or Tanzania, having studied Swahili, but when an opportunity arose to go to Hong Kong, I spontaneously volunteered. It was an incredible experience that deepened my global perspective.

Fast forward, after six years on Wall Street, I found myself at a crossroads. I landed there almost by accident, accepting an internship at Morgan Stanley because it offered a free trip to New York City—somewhere I’d never been and always wanted to go! I didn’t expect to get the internship, but I embraced the challenge and ultimately fell in love with the stories of businesses and leaders. Sitting with top executives, I saw how great companies are formed through dedicated teammates and how leadership shapes organizations.

Yet, while I enjoyed analyzing deals, what most excited me was the strategy behind them, what companies would do with their resources, and how they would grow and evolve. My heart was pulling me toward leading an organization and supporting people directly from the inside. To make that leap, I enrolled in Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. It was the best investment decision I could ever make in myself. 

Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business? 

Lynn: Growth needs to be for a purpose that is not wholly the P&L. I do not believe in growth for growth’s sake. My team and I talk frequently about “smart growth.”  We always start from the vision, mission, and values. Why are we here? What are we trying to fulfill? How do we help others? Can this growth continue to carry us along with this calling to be of service and do it the best way possible? If yes, we go! We are also very thoughtful regarding the teams and structure we put into place. We lead through a dyad business plus medical leader model that allows us to effectively scale the business. 

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams? 

Lynn: Leadership is about service. The number one job we have as leaders is to be in service to others, supporting them and lifting them up along the way. As we move forward, we need to reach back and grab others and bring them along for the journey. Great teams are built on a shared mission, and in our organization, that mission is deeply personal—helping people build families not just in North America, but globally.

Every person, in every role, has “mission moments” they encounter every single day. Doctors have them when they help patients, but so do financial coordinators when they secure financial coverage for a patient seeking in vitro fertilization (IVF), for example. Whether you’re in accounting, nursing, or any other department at IVI RMA North America, your work contributes to making people’s family-building dreams a reality. As leaders and teammates, if we rally behind each other’s missions, we create momentum, a tailwind, that lifts the entire organization—and the sky is the limit. That collective energy is what drives real impact.

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader? 

Lynn: Effective leadership starts with self-awareness and growth. If we want to change organizations and the lives of others, first, we must evolve ourselves. At Morgan Stanley, I internalized their core value of conducting “first-class business in a first-class way” and that’s a thread that has run through each day for me since then. I learned strong values are meaningful in driving the long-term success of a company. At Stanford, I fell in love with the school’s mission and was shaped by the idea that leadership isn’t just about driving results, it’s about changing organizations and in turn, changing lives and the world. 

One of the most important qualities of a leader is the ability to lift others up. My personal motto, developed during business school and which I have carried with me ever since, is help people achieve far more than they ever believe possible. Leaders should constantly ask: Are we creating an environment where people can grow? Are we providing opportunities for them to push past their own expectations?

Perspective is another defining trait of strong leadership. At Stanford, I was surrounded by classmates from around the world, which reinforced the importance of broadening our view. One of the most impactful experiences was organizing a trip to Israel with a diverse group of students—Christians, Muslims, and Jewish classmates—where we studied the intersection of business, culture, and religion. As leaders, we have a responsibility to seek out different perspectives, challenge our assumptions, and create space for others to contribute.

Finally, leadership is about representation and impact. Organizations are powerful vehicles for change, and we have to be intentional about who is in the room and who is missing. My time at Stanford underscored my commitment to increasing representation for women and people of color in leadership and higher education. There's there is an opportunity to understand where we, as leaders, are falling down on the job of representation. If we want to build stronger companies and societies, we need to cultivate diverse leadership and actively remove barriers to inclusion. I'm privileged I get to do that inside of IVI RMA North America.

Ultimately, great leaders grow themselves, elevate others, embrace diverse perspectives, and create opportunities for real change. That’s the kind of leader I always strive to be—and the kind of leadership we should all work toward.

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level? 

Lynn: Leadership is about more than just advancing yourself—it’s about creating a path for others to follow. 

First, leaders should not be afraid of being the only one. I talk to women and people of color who say, I don’t know if I want to be the only one in the room. I understand the feeling, but I challenge them to answer: Are you being called to a higher order, where because you step into that space and make meaningful, incremental change, the next class is not six people, but 10, then 50? Sometimes it’s worth taking the risk—not just for yourself, but for the people who will come after you.

Second, relationships are everything. Leadership is not a solo journey. You need mentorship, coaching, and advocacy. Carla Harris of Morgan Stanley taught me every leader, especially those from underrepresented groups, must find three key people: a mentor who will speak truth, a network that uplifts and encourages, and an advocate who will pound the table for you when you’re not in the room. Don’t assume the person needs to look like you. Many of the mentors and sponsors who have helped me the most didn’t look like me, but they believed in my potential, challenged me, and supported me in ways that shaped my career.

Finally, do not let statistics or expectations define you. If I had looked at the numbers, I might have believed my path should have ended differently—that a young Black woman from Durham and Fayetteville, North Carolina, wasn’t meant for WashU, Wall Street, Stanford, or the C-suite. But I have learned to say to myself: The statistics don’t apply to me. If I want something, I go after it. And if the statistics say not enough of us are making it to the top, then it’s my job to help change those numbers. So don’t wait for someone to invite you to the playing field. Step onto it yourself. And if you fail, go for the next thing. Because leadership isn’t just about where you land—it’s about continuously opening doors for yourself and the people coming behind you.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders? 

Lynn: First, cultivate courage. Courage isn’t something you’re just born with, it’s something you build, something you lean into, especially when things are uncertain or difficult. The best leaders I know are the ones who step forward even when they’re scared.

Second, put things in perspective. Whatever challenge you’re facing, it’s likely not as bad, as hard, or as anxiety-inducing as it seems in the moment. It will be okay. You will find a way through. And the more you remind yourself, the more resilience you build.

Third, invest in relationships. This isn’t just about networking; it’s about mentorship, coaching, and advocacy, too. 

Adam: What can anyone do to pay it forward? 

Lynn: When I think about paying it forward, I think about the people who, to no benefit of their own, reached out to help me when I needed it most. I was faced with a difficult situation, having to leave home at 15 years old. But I encountered many blessings, like my best friend’s aunt. Those individuals made it possible for me to stay in school, to keep pushing forward, and ultimately to earn a full ride to WashU.

There is no way to ever truly pay that back. There’s not enough money, attention, or time in the world to fully express my gratitude. But what I can do is pay it forward. And I believe that’s what leadership is really about—using whatever position we’re in to create opportunities for others.

As leaders, we have a unique opportunity to do this every day—by helping our teammates grow, by strengthening our industries, by expanding healthcare and access. That’s how we make a lasting impact.

The best way to pay it forward is to ask yourself: How can I use what I have—my time, my influence, my experience—to lift someone else up? Because none of us get where we are alone.

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Lynn: When I think about the future of infertility care, I see it through the same lens as my leadership philosophy—courage, relationships, and paying it forward.

First, normalizing infertility conversations requires courage. Just like any leader stepping into uncertainty, we have to push past discomfort and speak openly about what was once considered private. If we can talk about knee pain or heart health without hesitation, we should be able to talk about fertility with the same ease. That shift will take bold voices and a commitment to changing the narrative.

Second, relationships are at the heart of this transformation. Advancing fertility care isn’t just about science, it’s about the people behind it, too. The clinicians, the embryologists in the lab, the innovators developing new technology—none of this progress happens in isolation. Just as great leadership relies on mentorship, advocacy, and surrounding yourself with people who challenge and support you, the fertility industry will evolve through collaboration and shared purpose.

And finally, this is about paying it forward. Right now, too many people can’t access the care they need because of cost or systemic barriers. But if we harness technology—things like automated IVF and other innovations—we have a real opportunity to change that. Leaders have a responsibility to leave things better than they found them, and in this space that means making fertility care more accessible, more affordable, and more equitable for future generations.

At the end of the day, leadership and progress go hand in hand. Whether in business, healthcare, or any other industry, the goal is the same—to create meaningful change that outlasts us.


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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