Shermin Kruse

Shermin Kruse is an award-winning idea curator, global change-maker, and international business lawyer with nearly 20 years of experience in competitive strategy, complex negotiations, and dispute resolution for Fortune 500 companies and global institutions. A trusted advisor to corporate boards and community leaders alike, she also produces thought-leadership events, including TEDx conferences and salon series.
As a professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Shermin teaches Negotiation, Global Transactions, and Leadership, blending tactical empathy with practical strategy. Her journey from war-torn Tehran to global boardrooms fuels her mission to champion justice, empathy, and cross-cultural understanding. She’s also a proud mother of four, based in Chicago.
00:00 - Rashad Woods: On the Randomness of Nothing
01:26 - Stoicism and the Iranian experience
05:10 - The Courage of the Moral Police Guard
12:26 - In the Elevator With Moralists
12:49 - Adam Levine on Life Is Beautiful
18:05 - Immunity and the need for resilience
22:57 - He teaches violent kids to box
23:21 - In the Elevator With Steven Spielberg
23:52 - In the Elevator With Empathy
27:31 - Where Can People Find Sherman Cruz?

Shermin Kruse
Attorney, Professor, Author, Businesswoman, Producer, Consultant
Shermin Kruse is an award-winning idea curator, global change-maker, and international business lawyer with nearly 20 years of experience in competitive strategy, complex negotiations, and dispute resolution for Fortune 500 companies and global institutions. A trusted advisor to corporate boards and community leaders alike, she also produces thought-leadership events, including TEDx conferences and salon series.
As a professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Shermin teaches Negotiation, Global Transactions, and Leadership, blending tactical empathy with practical strategy. Her journey from war-torn Tehran to global boardrooms fuels her mission to champion justice, empathy, and cross-cultural understanding. She’s also a proud mother of four, based in Chicago.