Today I’m joined by Adrian Villacorta. Adrian is an employment lawyer and the owner of The Villacorta Law Firm, P.C., located right here in Houston, TX. Adrian and I will discuss the fears and concerns that we as business owners and leaders are faced with as it pertains to implementing A.I. into our organizations. Whether you like it or not, AI is here, and it doesn’t look to be going away anytime for the foreseeable future. The challenge for us leaders is figuring out how to harness AI’s power ...
Sep 21, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 184
Let’s talk about endurance. Endurance is defined as the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way. I need you to understand that leadership has a serious endurance component attached to it, you can’t be an exceptional leader if you don’t have some level of endurance, because leadership is hard. If you are running an organization and you are at the tipping point where you’re trying to get to the next level, you must push past the discomfort of hi...
Sep 14, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 183
We often talk about networking, but we don’t really talk about the depth of friendship and connection that can move from professional to personal and how important that is. If you are in an HR space, a legal space, or a very senior executive, then you know that it is lonely at the top. This creates a need to talk to people about the stuff that’s going on personally and career-wise, how it’s impacting you, and how you should respond to it. You have to find a way to develop those relationships int...
Sep 07, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 182
I know that it sounds cliché and I know that you’ve probably heard a motivational speaker ask, “What’s your why,” but what if I told you that getting a good understanding of your why can actually help how you move forward in your business? I do what I do because I come from corporations full of hypocrisy that mistreat people to maintain power and support ego as opposed to operating in integrity. I want to help women who have built businesses that are social impact enterprises and are trying to c...
Aug 30, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 181
After many years of leading corporations and running my own business, I’ve come to realize that there are leaders that don’t share their own stories and that don’t embrace the stories of others. When you’re leading people, supporting people, and guiding people, whether that be in your own business, or an organization, part of your ability to connect with them, build trust with them, and support them in what they need, is being able to tell some of your stories and encourage them to be able to te...
Aug 09, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 180
Today’s episode of The Rutledge Perspective is for all my Founders out there, specifically the seven-figure women Founders that are beginning to make that transition from Founder to CEO. This transition is tough as it is, but the waters can really get murky when we turn our passion project into a business and are not aligned with our purpose. Understanding the difference between passion-led and purpose-led work changes how we run our business as well as how we spend our time, energy, and resourc...
Aug 02, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 179
In order for you to serve the way that you want to serve, whether that be in corporate, in your own business, or in your family, there are things that you need to do to ground yourself and feed your root system, so that you can be strong, healthy, and clear to show up the best way that you can for those that need you and for those that you wish to be helpful to. Today, I’m going to walk you through how to identify the things that are fundamentally a part of who you are and how to build a schedul...
Jul 26, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 178
Have you ever heard the expression, “The struggle is real?” Well, the struggle is real but what people rarely talk about is the fact that the struggle is necessary! It’s easy to try and find the shortcut and as a leader, it’s easy to just give people the answer but in actuality, the struggle is an opportunity to use muscles that have never been developed or that have been atrophied from lack of use. Today we’re going to talk about embracing the struggle as opposed to avoiding it. Sometimes the s...
Jul 19, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 177
Hello everyone! This is a very special episode of The Rutledge Perspective as I decided to do a pop-up in New York City. Although I’m happy to be in NYC and doing my podcast here from this amazing studio, it hasn’t been all peaches and cream. I’ve had to endure several potential setbacks upon my arrival in The Big Apple, but I was able to push through and deliver this episode. That’s what today’s show is about, being resilient as a leader and business owner. Leaders must learn to not only be res...
Jul 13, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 176
Let’s talk evolution. Not evolution in the sense of science but more so in life and business. Evolution is about being willing to see something different, understand something different, and move differently because of it. We all are familiar with companies such as BlackBerry, Polaroid, and Blockbuster that simply could not or would not adapt to change and were put out of business as a result. I’m here to tell you that this could also happen to you if you’re not open to evolution. As the leader ...
Jun 28, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 175
Happy Juneteenth! As we take time to celebrate the Juneteenth Holiday this week, let’s also think about the idea of freedom, what it means to have freedom, and how it relates to business and leadership. When we tie freedom to Business and leadership, it ultimately comes down to the freedom of choice. We are all free to make the choices that we want to make which means that as leaders we must understand that our people are also free to make the choices that they feel are the right choices for the...
Jun 21, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 174
Have you ever heard someone say, “Show me your five friends and I’ll show you how successful you’ll be?” Well, I want to go deeper than that. Today, I’m going to walk you through how to be intentional and take empowered action that will help you build genuine connections that last and that are mutually beneficial. The problem is that people go into these networking rooms with a self-fulfilling mindset when the key is to gain as much information as possible to understand what a person needs, wher...
Jun 14, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 173
In today’s episode of the Rutledge Perspective, you’re going to hear an amazing conversation that I had with Navy Veteran and serial entrepreneur, Angela Tyler. Angela is originally from Miami, FL. She joined the United States Navy in November 2007 and was honorably discharged in 2015. She has been married to her amazing husband for 12 years and they are currently living in Japan with their 11-year-old daughter. Angela and I talk about the importance of traveling, the story behind her multiple b...
Jun 07, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 172
How are you going to spend your energy? That’s the question for this week’s show and it’s an important one because we ultimately get a choice on what we choose to give our energy to. As a solopreneur and/or business owner, you would hope that your energy is going to first yourself but also to your team and into serving others. This is difficult when we get thrown off track due to dealing with incompetent individuals that over-promise and underdeliver. It’s these individuals that soak up so much ...
May 31, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 171
Let’s talk about accessibility. New leaders tend to struggle with this as they are prone to have an open-door policy and invite everyone to their calendars. This is particularly difficult for business owners that are moving from founder to CEO. However, the truth is the further that you go up in an organization the less accessible you need to be. I’m here to tell you that there is nothing wrong with visibility, but your ultimate goal is to make an impact in your industry and create an environmen...
May 24, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 170
There are consequences for any agenda, no matter if that agenda is hidden or blatant. There will be consequences no matter what choice we make, and we are not free from the consequences of those choices. However, we can reap the benefits of making good choices, leading people well, and building up the leaders of tomorrow. This episode is about helping leaders make better decisions and expose those hidden agendas rooted in pride that are happening today and that are going to be the downfall of or...
May 17, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 169
In today’s episode of The Rutledge Perspective, we’re going to be talking about guidelines & guardrails vs borderlines and why this is important to you as a leader or business owner. Boundaries are impenetrable lines. Examples of boundaries are fences and walls. This boils down to what’s allowed and what’s not allowed. A guideline is something put in place for people to follow. These guidelines should align with the culture that you’ve established or the business that you’re doing. Guardrail...
May 03, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 168
I have a feeling that you’ve been in a rut lately. You haven’t had that same tenacity and zeal in moving toward your goals. I want you to know that it’s important that you raise your level of awareness to recognize what’s getting in your way and that you take targeted action to find a solution to that thing that’s bothering you. There’s a lot of noise that’s tied to old experiences. We get bogged down and anxious about choices that we made in the past that didn’t work in our favor. When we are w...
Apr 26, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 167
Has someone ever told you to be patient and you literally wanted to punch them in the face? Well, I can definitely relate to this as patience has not been one of my strong suits when it comes to my personal goals. I think that this is because we have associated a negative connotation with the word patience. When we think of patience, we think that it means sitting and waiting. In actuality, patience is when we sit, watch, evaluate, understand, adjust, and move again. The irony in all of this is ...
Apr 19, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 166
Let’s talk about risk. Risks are anything that gets in the way of you achieving your objectives within a company or your business. These risks can be financial, reputation, organization, production, and even talent. Before we address risk, it’s very important that we are clear on our objectives, have a solid plan to reach those objectives, and also understand that the industry or business that we chose comes with its own set of risks. Assuming that we are clear on our mission, we can then tackle...
Apr 12, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 165
Have you ever sat in a meeting for hours and at the end of it you feel just as lost as you did at the beginning? This is because “leaders” spend so much time making presentations look good, but they actually say nothing and have no real value. More time is invested in the slides than in the message and therefore no critical information is communicated. This is also why nothing gets done. Nothing gets done because no one is clear about what the true vision is. If you want to take your organizatio...
Apr 05, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 164
Let’s close out Women’s History Month with a bang! In this special episode of The Rutledge Perspective, I am joined by none other than Chicago-born media professional and social entrepreneur, Anna DeShawn! Anna is the Founder & CEO of E3 Radio which is an online radio station playing Queer music & reporting on Queer news with an intersectional lens. She is also the Co-Founder & CEO of The Qube, a podcast production company and curated platform to discover the best music & podcast...
Mar 29, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 163
Have you ever felt like you wanted to make a big change in your life but were afraid of everything that could potentially come with making that move? Maybe, you’re okay with the fear of the unknown but you can’t come to grips with the scrutiny that you will face from others for making a pivot in your career. If that’s you, then you should go ahead, and press play on this episode because my guest is going to help light your path and bring you some much-needed clarity that will help you transform ...
Mar 22, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 162
This week on the Rutledge Perspective Podcast, I am joined by the amazing Dr. Shayla Toombs-Withers and we will be talking about a major key in unlocking true wellness, your diet! Dr. Toombs-Withers is a board-certified physician in family medicine & obesity medicine, and the founder of Essence of Health Wellness Clinic based in Chattanooga, TN. Her belief is that we should have our food be our medicine! The health disparities that black communities face are no secret. It’s also not a secret...
Mar 15, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 161
This week on the Rutledge Perspective Podcast, we will continue to celebrate Women’s History Month by highlighting amazing women that are accomplishing outstanding feats. Meet Rachel Soweija! Rachel is the owner of Vida Design, an interior design company based in Portland, Oregon. Today, Rachel shares with us how she had to overcome both external and internal barriers to get her business off the ground and to see it grow to over 70 employees and 4 different locations. She also goes in-depth abou...
Mar 08, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 160
Let’s kick off Women’s History Month with a bang by talking about taking your health into your own hands. By now, we are all aware of the issues that the black community and women as a whole face as it pertains to the disparity in health care. Although I highly encourage you to see a doctor regularly, there are things that you can do to live a much healthier life. There are also things that you can do to ensure that you get the best possible care from your doctor and/or health team and I have th...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 159
Have you ever heard the expression, “it’s not what you know but who you know?” Well, I’m here to tell you that this statement is partly true. Networking and connections are important but it’s meaningful connections with the right intentions that are truly powerful! Connection is hearing what someone needs and being able to fulfill that need. It’s not a selfish pursuit to shake hands with everyone in the room or to give out every single business card. Connection is about service, impact, and comb...
Feb 22, 2023•22 min•Ep. 158
Are you a business owner or a leader of an organization that’s looking to hire top talent? If so, you may have had the struggle of weighing experience against qualifications. I’m here to tell you that the two are not mutually exclusive or guaranteed to exist at the same time. Someone can be qualified but lack experience or they can have a ton of experience but lack the necessary qualifications. What’s important is that hiring professionals first have a clear vision of what you are looking for an...
Feb 15, 2023•17 min•Ep. 157
Let’s talk about the concept of people being assets or human capital. Have you ever heard that it’s wrong to call a person an asset? Well, I’m here to challenge that thought! People are absolutely an asset. Actually, as a leader, they are the greatest asset that you can have. Context matters folks. The word asset isn’t a problem, it’s how we treat people and how we treat assets in our organization that’s the problem. If we are going to drive our businesses, companies, and even personal relations...
Feb 08, 2023•18 min•Ep. 156
Let’s discuss the value of imperfection. We often get caught up in a cycle of perfectionism when it comes to succeeding in life. We strive to not make any mistakes, to get everything right the first time, and to put our best foot forward. But what if I told you that imperfection can actually be an asset? The power of imperfection lies in the fact that it allows us to learn and adapt to new situations. Embracing imperfection gives us the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them, instead of be...
Feb 01, 2023•17 min•Ep. 155
