Natalie Egan is an entrepreneur, sales expert, and software executive. She is CEO and Founder of Translator, a DEI learning platform that is designed to grow diversity and overall work culture. She previously worked at LinkedIn, Ecolab, Autonomy, and her own business PeopleLinx. Her career started in hospitality before moving into business. In this episode… Leadership is all about learning from mistakes and applying those lessons in the future. While most people know this, few actually persevere...
Aug 15, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chris L. Fuentes is a lifestyle brand CEO who has worked in leadership roles at companies such as Yankee Candle and Cycling Sports Group. After helping lead other businesses, he decided to disrupt the $1 billion insect repellent industry. Chris founded Ranger Ready Repellents in 2017 with a mission to combat vector-borne diseases. He gained much of his expertise at the VF Corporation, where he worked for nearly 15 years. In this episode… The story of the humble start-up is common in leadership. ...
Aug 08, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nicole Yelsey is the Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at KindWorks.AI, a software that promotes kindness and well-being through AI technology. She has worked with Fortune 100 companies and startups alike with 20 years of experience in marketing and brand development. She's worked on Superbowl commercials and Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award shows. Nicole serves on the advisory board of Apologue Spirited Liqueurs and is the Co-president of the Chicago Booth Alumni Club of Chicago. In this episo...
Aug 01, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Terry Moore is the Executive Chairman at BRIGHT, a health technology company that seeks to combat cognitive decline with brain health and wellness products. Coming out of retirement to start the company, he is a recognized executive and business philosopher with a background in marketing and strategy. He is also the Founder and CEO of Sequence Ventures and the Founder and President of his philanthropic organization, Radius Foundation. Before his retirement, Terry led his own consulting firm for ...
Jul 25, 2022•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dov Pollack is an executive coach and development consultant who has helped brands such as Charles Schwab, Slack, and Amazon. Through his executive coaching consultancy, Next Wave Leadership, he works one-on-one with leaders to find their presence and better tell their story. He is a Founding Partner of Riverene and has previously worked with Future State Inc. and Hill Physicians Medical Group. Dov is the host of the Next Wave Leadership podcast, where he interviews leaders about how they're bui...
Jul 18, 2022•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jinny Uppal is the Principal at CK Advisory LLC and has held leadership positions at Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, and Macy’s. She has more than 20 years of working experience with Fortune 500 companies, helping drive growth and lead corporate transformation. She is an experienced technology and business leader with a track record of driving growth in telecom, e-commerce, and retail businesses. Jinny recently wrote her first book, In/Action: Rethinking the Path to Results , where she dissects count...
Jul 11, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Samantha Choi Cadley is an entrepreneur, investor, advisor, and the CEO and Chief Creative Officer for Manual Labor. She has helped lead the company for over a decade, helping them become a leading creative and marketing studio. She started her career in design and creative direction at prominent brands such as GAP, Polo Ralph Lauren, and John Allan. Recently, she has started sharing her experience with TinkerBarn Ventures and Your29 as an advisor. In this episode… People are often drawn towards...
Jul 04, 2022•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kat Steinmetz is a Principal of Initialized Capital, a venture capital firm for early-stage companies. Specializing in HR and leadership development, she is a trusted executive with an interest in startups. She cut her teeth as the Head of Human Resources at Burning Man, building their HR and growing their talent pool over a decade-long tenure. Today, she continues to serve as an investor and advisor for several startups. In this episode… One of the best ways to capture an audience as a business...
Jun 27, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Yasmin Davidds is an organizational psychologist, executive, leadership development expert, and the CEO of the Dr. Yasmin Davidds Leadership Institute and the Multicultural Women Executive Leadership Foundation. She has trained and advised more than 2,000 leaders across over 200 companies, compiling that experience into her leadership programs. She has worked with companies like Microsoft, KARRASS, and Verizon. In this episode… Any story of success is filled with hardships and challenges. Fo...
Jun 20, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Annmarie Chereso is the Founder of BringIt! Home, which gathers, inspires, and equips students, parents, and educators to empower themselves and the next generation of conscious leaders. For almost two decades, Annmarie has taught and spoken at schools and universities, facilitated workshops and trainings for teachers, and coached adults and young people. In 2015, Annmarie co-hosted Chicago’s first Conscious Parenting Summit featuring international speaker Dr. Shefali Tsabary and Conscious Leade...
Jun 13, 2022•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Meg Brossy is the VP of Enterprise Sales at Grata, a leading engine in private company intelligence. She has led a thriving career in both the technology and the sports entertainment industries. Meg initially spent 15 years in entertainment, running the marketing departments of Philip Morris USA's Marlboro brand and even raising $115 million for the Charlotte Hornets’ NBA franchise. Now she works with technology companies by serving as a mentor through the SAP.io program and advising for Perch. ...
Jun 06, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tom Rodden is the former Senior Vice President and CIO of Varian Medical Systems. He has had a diverse and vast career that’s covered technology, IT leadership, and business operations. Tom spent nearly 15 years at Varian Medical Systems in various leadership positions, where he further honed his executive skills. He recently took the position of ERP Program Cutover Consultant at Seagate Technology, a global leader in mass data storage. Currently, Tom is also a Board Advisor for Cloudrek and Ony...
May 23, 2022•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Robyn Bolton is an executive with immense experience in product strategy and innovation. She uses her knowledge as the Founder and Chief Navigator of MileZero, a consultancy which helps companies fuel innovation in their culture and products. She developed her expertise by leading the launch of Swiffer in North America, going on to work with brands like Nike and Nestlé. Robyn has also written for Harvard Business Review Online, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and Forbes and has been featured in The New ...
May 16, 2022•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ann Latham is a writer, consultant, and the President of Uncommon Clarity, Inc. Known as the Queen of Clarity, her consultancy works with companies and organizations to streamline and accelerate their processes. Some of the notable clients she’s worked with include Boeing, PBS, and United Way. She has synthesized many of her ideas into her books, The Power of Clarity , The Clarity Papers , and Uncommon Meetings. She is a frequent guest speaker and has been featured in publications such as Bloomb...
May 09, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jutta Miquelino is a Partner and the CEO of and dos Santos GmbH. The collective helps mid-size to massive companies innovate and expand. Some of their noteworthy clients have included Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, and Olympus, among many others. Jutta got her start at Procter & Gamble, where she was a Customer Marketing Manager for over a decade. From there, she went on to work for Storck and Sony Electronics, accumulating 25 years of experience in leadership and cultural development to become the forward...
May 02, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Allison Byers is the Founder and CEO of Scroobious, which offers human-first fundraising for diverse entrepreneurs. As an experienced guide in venture capital, she has grown her own businesses to great success and helped others do the same. She continues to serve as a mentor, advisor, and angel investor for several companies such as Techstars, femmebought, BonBillo, HerSuiteSpot, and Vitalize Venture Capital. In this episode… One of the most powerful draws to entrepreneurship is the promise of o...
Apr 25, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Cody Hall is the CEO and Founder of Octiva Healthcare which offers 24-hour healthcare support and emergency care. He started the company in 2020 with his experience as a Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Human Resources at Titanium Healthcare. Cody has had a diverse and successful career, including times in the military, healthcare, and business. Cody served for over a decade in the United States Marine Corps as a Recon Marine. He has also worked in HR for companies such as Amazon, Apple, and...
Apr 18, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Neeraj Mehta is the CEO at DigniFi, which offers quick and flexible financing for all kinds of vehicles. As an incredibly experienced leader, he has served at an executive level for multiple global brands such as GE and Synchrony. He was also the interim President and CEO for United Way. Neeraj is an expert in finance, operations, risk, and sales performance, just to name a few. He is a member of the Advisory Board at Teach for America and an active partner of the Acumen Fund. In this episode… T...
Apr 11, 2022•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jennifer Paxton is the VP of People at Smile.io, a company that creates effective loyalty programs for smaller businesses. With an extensive background in tech startups, she is a prominent leader in the world of HR and recruiting. Alongside her position at Smile.io, she sits on the board for the Cultural Alliance of Medfield. She has previously worked as a director of talent for other leading companies such as Privy, LevelUp, and TrueMotion. She is a proponent of direct sourcing and employment b...
Apr 04, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Cara Shortsleeve is an accomplished leader and the CEO of The Leadership Consortium. The organization works with some of the world’s leading brands to help develop and cultivate the next generation of leaders. She has personally worked for multiple renowned brands herself, spending over a decade at Google and YouTube before taking on her current role. Throughout her career, she’s developed her specializations in strategy and operational leadership with positions at Morgan Stanley and New Balance...
Mar 28, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Monte Lee-Wen is the Founder and Chairman of the Casoro Group, which is a minority-owned commercial real estate investment firm. He is a leader within the global real estate community, having sharpened his expertise in multi-family real estate throughout his career. He continues to work as the Principal of Upside Avenue and CLEAR Property Management. Along with his work in real estate, Monte is an accomplished entrepreneur who’s founded and operated multiple companies. He also makes time to inve...
Mar 21, 2022•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kim Alexis Newton is an entrepreneur, executive, and artist that defies simple categorization. She is a respected leader with a track record in consumer marketing, currently sitting on the Board of Directors for Big Lots and helming leadership programs for Netflix. One of her major roles was at Hallmark, spending almost two decades with the brand and working up to their Senior Vice President of Customer Experience. Kim has brought together most of her passions in Alexis Enterprises, which featur...
Mar 14, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Valerie Alexander is a renowned speaker with expertise on topics such as advancement for women and workplace happiness. Her brand, Speak Happiness, has brought her to lead workshops and keynotes on these principles. Some of her most notable engagements include Coca-Cola, NASA, GE Capital, and even a TED Talk. Valerie has also channeled her ideas into multiple books, including Happiness...as a Second Language and How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace . She has previously spent time as a writer a...
Mar 07, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ana Álvarez is a serial entrepreneur, consultant, mentor to startups across the globe, and the Founder and CEO of Migrapreneur. Migrapreneur supports the dreams and businesses of entrepreneurial migrants. She is also the Principal Owner of Migration Hub, which also seeks to provide opportunities for all. Across her career, Ana has accumulated over 15 years of experience in government, private, and non-profit sectors. In her free time, she continues to promote social innovation. She has also spok...
Feb 28, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Wendy Bronfin is the Co-founder and CEO of BRIGHT, a health technology company that uses leading research to prevent Alzheimer's disease and fight cognitive decline. She is an accomplished entrepreneur focusing on product innovation and team building. She also serves as the President of Wen + Y, consulting and developing strategies for high-profile businesses such as Mattel, Barnes & Noble, and Fisher-Price. Before BRIGHT, Wendy had developed her expertise in children’s media through her time as...
Feb 17, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rajesh Setty is a serial entrepreneur, having served on the founding team of 10 companies. His current focus is on Audvisor, a streaming app for micro-podcasts that sources relevant content from leading experts. He is also a prolific author, with 18 titles to his name since 1983 that range from fiction to business to mathematics and more. Among his other projects, Rajesh continues to work closely with MentorCloud and WittyParrot, serving as their Strategist and President, respectively. He is als...
Feb 14, 2022•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Elizabeth Ruzzo is an expert in genetics, an innovator in the birth control field, and is the Founder of Adyn. The company aims to match people with the most suitable birth control for their unique biology. Her scientific background includes a doctorate from Duke University in genome sciences and postdoctoral research at UCLA. While there, her findings helped illuminate the genetic etiology of the autism spectrum disorder. She also conducted research at the University of Washington, where sh...
Feb 07, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast As a technology leader with a focus on people, Tracie Hlavka enjoys the process of enabling a team while also developing her company’s tech. She is the EVP of Engineering at Flyhomes, which makes home buying and selling easier. The majority of her career was spent at Blue Nile and Porch, serving on all levels of both company’s technological engineering teams. For her education, she received her bachelor’s from the University of Washington and a master’s in computer science from Florida State Uni...
Jan 31, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Maril Gagen MacDonald is an awarded leader in PR and a pioneer for disciplines that promote corporate collaboration and employee engagement. She is the Founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald, a strategy execution firm that is intent on connecting the corporate office to frontline employees. Since its foundation in 1998, they have become an award-winning firm that’s worked with notable names such as ADP, Allstate, and McDonald’s. Maril’s background is primarily in communications, having learned many ...
Jan 24, 2022•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Over 30 years ago, Jennifer Harris co-founded Technology Management Concepts (TMC). Since then, she’s held many positions at TMC, from creating and leading Professional Services to her current job as CEO and President. She continues to serve as a Gold Microsoft Partner, which helps with Microsoft applications and cloud infrastructures for their clients. Jennifer has gone through three different transformations in the digital age, giving her a unique and comprehensive view of current technology. ...
Jan 17, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
