Breakthroughs: Smart Strategies for Career/Business Growth

In this episode I interview Scott Pryor, a famed trial lawyer, former US marine, shares how his independent film, Tulsa, became an unlikely Hollywood success story by reaching number three all-time box office for self distributed movies, despite the pandemic’s effect on Hollywood and movie theaters. Not only the star, writer, director, and producer of Tulsa, Scott is a renowned trial lawyer and with this film he turns his real life court case into an award winning box office smash. Scott’s made an unusual but successful transition into filmmaking that’s paid dividends... Inspired by true events from one of Scott’s actual trial cases, Tulsa follows a desperate marine biker whose life is turned upside down when he’s United with the sassy nine-year old daughter he never knew he had. What’s most interesting is how Scott made his transition and all the details that went into it that could inspire others who are on the fence thinking of making a career pivot turning their side gig/hobby into a successful career. While it sounds almost too good to be true there are actually some very practical strategies Scott employed to become successful in two wildly different fields.

In this episode, I’m happy to have Chris Tucker as my guest. Chris is known as a baker to stars and one of TV’s favorite bakers from ABC’s “The Great American Baking Show”. Chris has been described as a southern baker with a French twist who started learning baking techniques and secrets as a young child from his grandmother. Amazingly, before baking professionally, Chris worked as a hairstylist for 10 years. He shares his remarkable story of following his passion and leveraging his transferable skills as a hairstylist & how that led him to competing (in the 4th season) on ABC’s binge worthy “The Great American Baking Show”. Chris shares a portion of proceeds from his sales to Covid relief efforts.

In this episode I interview Paul Axtell, Leadership consultant & author of, “Make virtual meetings matter: how to turn virtual meetings from status updates to remarkable conversations”. Paul gives practical, actionable advice on how to turn mind numbing meetings into thoughtful, respectful and focused conversations that lead to fruitful, high impact solutions. “Make Virtual Meetings Matter: How to Turn Virtual Meetings from Status Updates to Remarkable Conversations”(Ignite Reads) is available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Make-Virtual-Meetings-Matter-Conversations/dp/1728235839

In this episode I interviewed Andrew Scivally, the CEO of e-learning brothers, a business that became wildly successful and continues to grow, despite the Pandemic. Andrew has 20 years of experience in the learning technology space, including all aspects of course design and development, as well as leading Learning and Development teams for financial institutions such as JPMorganChase and Zions Bank. He holds a master’s degree in computer education and cognitive systems. Led by Andrew, eLearning Brothers has established an industry-leading brand and been featured in the Inc. 5000 for six consecutive years. As an executive career coach I find Andrew’s business to be the perfect platform to discuss the specifics of how employees can make themselves most attractive to employers. I share how employers (today’s leaders) can attract, engage, and retain top talent with strategies that are practically no cost to your organization. This episode will be of interest to anyone seeking advice on how to get hired and promoted as well as for leadership who wants to attract the best people and keep them.

In this episode I’m thrilled to welcome two pre-eminent experts on cyber- security and misinformation on social networks, and AI, Pablo Breuer and David Perlman. They discuss how misinformation, disinformation and fake news threatens businesses not just government. Both Pablo and David share why Companies need to be prepared for cyber warfare and invest more in cyber security protection to avoid catastrophic outcomes. In simple language both of these scholars make clear cases and offer suggestions for what consumers and leaders can do to protect themselves from conspiracy theorists and bad actors. Pablo Breuer possesses a Ph.d from the Naval Post Graduate School in Information Science, and a MS in Computer Science. Pablo is a global,highly accomplished and decorated executive of cyber security technology & innovation, with unmatched expertise & exemplary leadership in the areas of innovation, cyber security and network vulnerability. He is currently the chief information security officer of Helms services. Pablo is a 22 year veteran of the US Navy with tours that include military Director of US operations command Donovan group and senior military advisor and innovation officer to Sofwerx, the National security agency. Pablo is also the department of defense cyber cup and Defcon black badge winner and has been faculty at the Naval post graduate school, National University, California State University as well as a visiting scientist at Carnegie Mellon. Pablo is also a cofounder of the cognitive Security collaborative and co-author of the adversarial misinformation and influence tactics and technique framework. David Perlman is an expert in how identity influences social emotional cognition. An accomplished and highly respected senior researcher and consultant with 20 years of experience in synergizing tech, data science, social behavioral neuroscience, research management and team building as well as an innovator in the emerging field of Misinfosec, Cyber security with his focus on social networks, influence, and a AI ethics. David possesses a PhD in psychology and neuroscience of emotion, decision-making a meditation focused on large data sets from functional brain imaging and bio behavioral measures. If you’re interested in gaining insight to the challenges companies and individuals face in a time where criminal behavior is finding ways in the back door to destroy our trust in government & companies, Pablo and David take complex topics on all these foggy issues and make them understandable in layman’s terms here in this episode.

In this episode I’m delighted to have Kara Goldin as my guest. Kara is a disruptor, builder, thoughtleader, and successful entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Hint, Inc., best known for its award winning Hint water, an unsweetened flavored water. Kara has been named one of InStyle’s Badass 50, Fast Company’s most creative people in business, Fortune’s most powerful women entrepreneurs, Fortunes’s most innovative woman in food and drink, and EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern California. The Huffington Post listed Kara as one of six disruptors in business, alongside Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Kara has successfully navigated the world of large companies and start ups in many industries including media, tech and consumer products. She is an active speaker and writer and hosts the podcast “Unstoppable with Kara Goldin” where she interviews founders, entrepreneurs, and other disruptors across industries. Kara has recently launched a new book called “Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters”. It’s currently number one on the Amazon charts. It’s a fascinating, entertaining, inspiring story of what it takes to go from nothing to something remarkable. If you’re looking for advice and inspiration to become an entrepreneur this episode is for you. Even if you’re not an aspiring entrepreneur, you’re going to love this conversation with Kara & the story behind her book. Pre-Order her book from Amazon: https://amzn.to/35ddQH8

In this episode we’ll learn from Professor Edward Hess, about how to become our best selves. Hess discusses ideas from his new book, “Hyper-Learning” and shares fresh insights into how to learn, behave, and thrive in an era of unprecedented digital challenge and change. His ideas are psychologically astute, refreshingly pragmatic, and designed to help us move forward in a new and uncharted era. The digital age will raise the question of how we humans will stay relevant in the workplace. Hess emphatically says that to stay relevant, we have to be able to excel cognitively, behaviorally and emotionally in ways that technology can’t. Praise for Professor Hess’s book and his ideas come from leaders across industries: Fernando Merce, Former CEO and president, Nestlé Waters North America said “Hyper-Learning” is that “how to roadmap for leading in the digital age. Enhancing ones learning agility is the only way to thrive in a world of ever accelerating change”. Chris Baer, Former vice president, leader ship development, Marriott international said it’s a must read! Digital technology touches all aspects of life and “hyper learning”will be a major factor in everyone’s well-being and success. Gary Calabrese, PhD, senior vice president and director, Corning global research, Corning Inc. said “hyper learning is a masterpiece “how to” & “ why to” book That takes us on an instructional journey to a future were learning must change in profound ways because of advancing technologies. This book helps readers reflect deeply about feelings, mindsets, and behaviors to discover things about themselves in a way that sticks. The powerful goal of “thinking behaviorally quote is a great way to describe this book which also helps leader ship move from “command and control” to “inspire and support”. If you’re hoping to stay relevant in the digital age and thrive, this episode is for you.

I’m pleased to have as my guest Jason Rahlan, the Director of Social Impact and Philanthropy at Chobani. In this role, he oversees philanthropic investments and grants for the company. Jason manages the organization’s nonprofit and public sector partnerships on issue- and policy-related initiatives, advocacy campaigns, and natural disaster response efforts. In this work, he partners with senior internal leaders to define goals and priorities and seeks to drive meaningful change at the local, state, and national level through an effective use of the company’s voice, profits, and people. He also co-develops internal wellness initiatives that establish policies of greater inclusion, diversity, and equity for Chobani's more than 2,200 employees. In this episode you’ll learn how Chobani stretches itself to help mitigate problems related to hunger. They don’t just talk the talk they walk the walk when it comes to supporting causes that improve humanity and working collectively to do so. In this way Chobani has earned respect from its employees, suppliers, partners and consumers. The prediction on all fronts is that when the pandemic lifts, they’ll have increased loyalty from all parties and gained the reputation as great corporate citizens. If you’re looking for inspiration for yourself or your organization to make a positive difference in the world, or if you simply are curious about what some companies are doing to help alleviate suffering, this episode is for you.

In this episode I interview Amy Edmonson about psychological safety in the workplace, why it matters and how to build it. Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School. She teaches and writes on leadership, teams and organizational learning, and is the author of more than 70 academic articles. Her most recent book, “The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth”offers practical guidance for teams and organizations who are serious about success in the modern economy. Her prior books, Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate and Compete in the Knowledge Economy and Teaming to Innovate (Jossey-Bass, 2012, 2103) and Extreme Teaming (Emerald, 2018) explore teamwork in dynamic, unpredictable work environments. Edmondson has been ranked by the biannual Thinkers50 global list of top management thinkers since 2011 and selected as the #1 most influential thinker in Human Resources by HR Magazine in 2019. Before her academic career, she was Director of Research at Pecos River Learning Centers, where she worked on transformational change in large companies. In the early 1980s, she worked as Chief Engineer for architect/inventor Buckminster Fuller, and her book A Fuller Explanation: The Synergetic Geometry of R. Buckminster Fuller (Birkauser Boston, 1987) clarifies Fuller’s mathematical contributions for a non-technical audience. Edmondson received her PhD in organizational behavior, AM in psychology, and AB in engineering and design, all from Harvard University. There are no perfectly psychologically safe organizations or completely unsafe ones. It happens more with teams then across organizations which implies that every manager has the opportunity to create a psychologically safe environment with passion for the cause, curiosity, empathy and humility. If you want to learn how to create a psychologically safe environment for your employees, one that fosters true “teaming” this episode is for you. Amy’s book is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Organization-Psychological-Workplace-Innovation/dp/1119477247/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541340285&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fearless+organization And here’s a link to Amy Edmonson’s outstanding to Ted Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_edmondson_how_to_turn_a_group_of_strangers_into_a_team/transcript

In this episode, you’ll hear great stories and hard earned career advice from Chef Nick Liberato who has appeared on  Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" and Spike TV's "Bar Rescue," is a world-renowned experienced restaurateur, business mastermind, and chef to the stars with over 28 years of culinary experience. He currently stars on one of my favorite shows, Netflix's "Restaurants on the Edge.” Rising from humble culinary beginnings working at local food stands in South Philly and growing up in the Italian Market, Nick discovered that along with cooking, he also loved surfing. Nick followed his dreams by moving to California and started working at a local surf shop while creating his own catering company - Calidelphia. His engaging personality led to working for a five star Michelin chef & ultimately to preparing meals for top celebrities including Will Smith, Tom Hanks, The Beastie Boys, Barbara Streisand, Paul McCartney, Cher, and many more. Nicks insights and experiences have a applicability across a broad range of industries and his advice is laced with humor, empathy and a genuine humility that is unique to someone who has become so successful.