Power Women: Susan McPhie

Susan McPhie didn’t arrive in the hot tub industry with a grand plan — she arrived at a booth. It was the late 2000s, and she was helping at the SilkBalance trade show display, greeting dealers, starting conversations and learning about the product her father had created just a few years earlier. 

What stood out most that day wasn’t the chemistry or the equipment, but the people. “Trust in the relationships is really what built confidence,” she recalls. Her father taught her that every retailer deserved respect, no matter their size. Those early impressions would become the foundation of her leadership style.

Her path to joining SilkBalance full time wasn’t linear. Susan worked in real estate development, then for a major global alcohol company. Those industries taught her plenty, especially what it meant to operate in male-dominated environments,  but when she transitioned into marketing at SilkBalance, she found herself in a world rooted in wellness, connection and human experience. The more she learned, the more she understood that hot tubs weren’t just products; they were tools for improving people’s lives.

Stepping into the family business offered both privilege and responsibility. Her father,  Joe Dolnik, who founded SilkBalance in 2007, had long been a respected figure in the industry. Working beside him meant more than learning operations; it meant witnessing firsthand how relationships drive success. 

When Dolnik became ill and retired in 2020, Susan was forced to step more fully into leadership. His death in 2023 was devastating not only personally, but professionally. Susan was moved by the way the industry rallied around her — even competitors reached out with support — while she navigated leading the company without the traditional business background she had once leaned on him for. She met the moment with resilience. “Leadership is just as much about heart as it is about strategy,” she says.

The challenges in those years came quickly. COVID disrupted supply chains overnight, creating shipping delays, skyrocketing material costs and global shortages. “We were determined to protect our partners,” Susan says. That meant doing whatever was necessary behind the scenes — tightening internal efficiencies, finding creative logistical solutions and refusing to pass along price increases unless absolutely necessary. “We wanted to make sure that we were still consistent and trusted,” she says.

Keeping commitments to dealers during such instability required grit, collaboration and constant adaptability. But it also recentered Susan’s philosophy that everything the company does must serve the emotional well-being of its customers and the operational well-being of its retailers.

Susan defines success not by revenue or titles, but by impact. “If I can help someone feel confident instead of confused, that’s a success,” she says. 

That perspective also shapes how she develops others. Susan is vocal about the importance of mentorship, but she believes people need more than a single mentor — they need a “personal board of directors.” Life doesn’t happen in silos, she says, and neither should guidance. Her board includes women who inspire her professionally, support her personally and help her grow as a leader.

She has also witnessed a transformation in opportunities for women in the industry. “Women are now in leadership roles — in technical roles, sales, operations and ownership,” she says. The progress is significant, and she believes the industry is uniquely positioned for growth, innovation and female leadership. Her advice for women entering the field: be curious, be courageous and use your voice.

Susan’s Tool Kit

• A must-have desk item: Pen, notebook, highlighters and lip balm. I’m just a flip phone away from a fax machine! 
• Favorite tech tool or organizational system: My calendar(s). Plural. Color-coded. Basically running my life, and I wouldn’t survive without them. 
• A wellness habit that keeps you grounded: Music and mountain time. Hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. Movement + fresh air + a great playlist is my reset button. 
• Go-to coffee order: A Venti Pike. I never drink the whole thing, but coffee is comfort. 
• A song that amps you up, calms you down or motivates you: “Unstoppable” by Sia, on repeat; when I need an extra edge, anything Guns N’ Roses or Tupac; when I am feeling sentimental, Celine Dion — I was born in Montréal, so she’s in my DNA!
• A book that inspires you: “Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.” by Brene Brown — because I firmly believe that courage and vulnerability are superpowers. 
• A favorite piece of advice: “Start before you think you are ready.” Leadership and growth live just outside your comfort zone. Also: “Just breathe. … Then just do it.”