Industry Explorers Podcast: Recent Episodes

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If you don’t already know what you want to do right out of high school, you may want to consider exhausting your free resources and having experiences before dropping thousands of dollars on college. Patricia Shirazi went to college in Brazil, but when she came to America, it was a whole new ballgame.

Patricia grew up in a poor family. In fact, she was the first person in her family to graduate high school. She got her degree in Math and became a teacher. After meeting her husband however, she knew she wanted more.

They moved to America and because she wasn’t able to use her degree without paying for a costly license, she shifted her focus. She began studying coding languages and became a software engineer.

She is very logical and truly believes that we should exhaust our free resources before paying for anything. If you are interested in learning something new, learn all that you can from what you have and if you still have knowledge gaps, then you invest.

Listen in to hear all about her story and why she’s still excited to be learning and growing in her career.

Links and Resources: Connect with Patricia: LinkedIn | TikTok

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In this episode: [00:37] Welcome to the show Patricia!

[00:47] She shares her background in Brazil.

[04:04] She talks about being a math teacher when she graduated college.

[06:07] Listen as Patricia discusses having imposter syndrome with her jobs.

[09:25] She loved teaching math and saw herself doing that as a career.

[10:27] When she moved to the US, she had to make a choice about her career and went to a coding bootcamp.

[11:51] “I think going to college gives you a great life experience and you learn how to learn.”

[13:48] She shares some advice for anyone not wanting to go to college but still be a good learner.

[16:24] Javascript is the most used language in coding.

[17:46] She discusses the similarities between learning a new language versus learning a coding language.

[20:01] She talks about her husband and the business they started together.

[22:58] She doesn’t feel the same fulfillment in her current job as she did as a teacher in Brazil.

[25:47] Listen as Patricia talks about the coding bootcamp experience.

[28:48] If you don’t know what you want to do, exhaust the available free resources before you go to college and get into debt.

[31:54] She discusses the job she got at Google.

[33:00] To get a job as a software engineer, you need to invest in your presence on LinkedIn with something that makes your profile stand out.

[35:41] Patricia shares how she created her portfolio.

[38:26] She talks about why she wanted to be a software engineer versus her QA job with Google.

[42:19] She is now a software engineer with Olive.

[44:06] She speaks about the culture of the company.

[47:18] Patricia discusses how to get the best work out of her.

[49:13] Thank you for being on the show!

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Welcome back to part II of my interview with Caitlin Busscher. In the second half of our conversation, Caitlin shares more about the Disney Ambassador Program, the tech startup she went to work for, and what she’s doing now. Listen in to hear the conclusion of this wonderful discussion.

We start off with the Disney Ambassador Program and all that it entails. I was interested to learn that the program is extremely variable. Disney Ambassadors quite literally handle exactly what needs to be handled at any given moment.

For Caitlin that looked like having meetings with staff and boosting morale and speaking with the press about upcoming park attractions and events. Ambassadors now may have a completely different role from even that.

Caitlin credits the skills she learned as an ambassador for her later successes in her career. One of her favorite things is effective communication and she honed those skills at Disney.

Listen as she shares more about her current role and her advice for young people everywhere. She has had an amazing career filled with wonderful adventures and she’s sharing exactly how she’s done it!

Links and Resources: WeWork: or The Making and Breaking of A $47 Billion Unicorn

Fyre Festival Documentaries

Building A StoryBrand by Donald Miller

Confessions of a Disney Leader: There’s no such thing as a “Dream Job”

Connect with Caitlin: Cait Without Borders

LinkedIn | Instagram

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In this episode: [00:21] Welcome back to part 2 of my conversation with Caitlin Busscher!

[00:37] Listen as Caitlin talks about the Disney Ambassador program and some projects they did.

[03:11] A lot of times the role was boosting morale for the company.

[05:15] She shares some topics she would talk about to the media about.

[08:40] She discusses how she handled questions she didn’t have an answer to.

[11:38] She chats about whether she would ever want to speak in a political setting.

[14:06] Caitlin talks about the travel tech startup she worked for.

[15:40] She discusses the business language an entrepreneur may need to learn.

[19:35] She shares some resources on building stories for talking to people.

[21:34] She believes you can tell a story on LinkedIn to connect with people.

[22:28] “Always tie it back to your audience at the end.”

[23:44] She discusses some things you can learn to become a better salesperson.

[26:53] Listen as Caitlin shares what she did during the pandemic shut down.

[29:36] She speaks about conferences, conventions and trade shows she has attended.

[31:32] She talks about a new role she now has and how she heard about it.

[35:17] “Looking for the right job is a journey.”

[35:39] She shares some advice for the listeners.

[37:31] Thank you for being on the show!

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Hey explorers! I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but many of our guests have had pretty windy paths toward the role they’re in today. Caitlin Busscher is no different. After studying communications in college, she’s gone from being a Disney Ambassador to working in a tech start-up, to where she is today.

Caitlin went to school and actually got two different degrees both in communication. She loves creating space for conversations and her degrees have helped her do that more effectively. When she left college she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, but she knew she loved Disney.

She moved to Florida and applied to any and all openings. She didn’t care where she started, just that she get to join the Disney family.

That decision led to her getting to travel and spend time overseas while she helped build the Disney presence and later taught children in China to speak English.

Listen to the first half of this amazing conversation and learn how a degree in communication will support all of your dreams. Caitlin is an inspiration and I love the way she talks about the milestones in her journey.

Links and Resources: Connect with Caitlin: Cait Without Borders

LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
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Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

In this episode: [00:31] Welcome to the show, Caitlin!

[01:13] When she was in high school, she wanted to be a Broadway star.

[02:56] She shares her life after graduating from high school.

[06:24] Caitlin speaks about how she got involved in the publishing industry.

[08:26] She talks about being able to turn it on and off when being assessed in your life.

[11:02] She discusses her two bachelor degrees and shares why she chose them.

[15:41] Listen as Caitlin shares how she got a job with Disney.

[19:20] I list the titles Caitlin had with Disney.

[20:14] She talks about how every role she played led to another step up the ladder.

[23:30] After working with Disney for about eight years, she took a position that led her to China.

[26:48] She discusses the non-verbal communication she learned in China.

[30:01] Caitlin gives some advice for students thinking of living abroad.

[31:44] She shares some favorite foods she had while living in China.

[33:31] She talks about not having a job when she moved back to the states and what she did while still in China to ease them financially.

[35.54] Stay tuned next week for part 2 of my conversation with Caitlin Busscher.

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I’m back with Alevtyna Titarenko and we’re digging even deeper. Can you imagine returning to performing just months after having a baby? Neither can I, but Alya did it. She wouldn’t recommend doing that again, but she kept her body in such amazing performance shape that she was able to do it.

When it came time to work on Wonder Woman 1984 however, she didn’t think she’d be able to do it. She’d just had a baby and had absolutely no desire to repeat the mistakes of her past. She shares how she got in shape for the role and what she ended up having to put her foot down on.

It was her creative work with Cirque du Soleil that prepared her to contribute to WW1984 and she shares all about the creative process.

Now she’s looking to help women realize that they too can reach their peak performance no matter their current physical shape. Listen in as she shares the rest of her story and what drives her to keep creating and trying new things.

Links and Resources: Connect with Alevtyna: Alya on YouTube

Alya’s Email

Alya on LinkedIn

Alya on Instagram

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Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

In this episode: [00:22] Welcome back to the conclusion of my conversation with Alevtyna!

[02:18] Her daughter is following in her parent’s footprints.

[03:30] She talks about what it was like performing while pregnant and performing until she was 32 weeks.

[06:30] She discusses the certifications she has.

[10:20] Alevtyna shares what you can do when you are pregnant and how the rules have changed with Cirque.

[12:11] She speaks about doing WW1984 three months after giving birth.

[13:21] She talks about how she was chosen to be a stunt woman for WW1984.

[15:56] She shares what it was like being on set.

[18:08] Being part of the creative team for Cirque shows made working in movies easy for her.

[21:06] Creating is painful, hard but rewarding.

[23:24] She shares some last words and calls to action for the listener.

[26:04] Thank you for being on the show!

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Imagine conquering your fears in front of thousands of people as you perform death defying acts. Sound pretty out there? Not for Alevtyna Titarenko. She has spent her life as a sports acrobat competing in events and performing in various shows for Cirque Du Soleil.

In spite of her fear of heights and deep water, Alya has performed in some of the most dangerous Cirque shows. She has been training and performing since her earliest years in primary school and only recently decided to switch her focus.

In between Cirque shows she also competed in competitions around the world, to include the Arnold Classic put on by Arnold Schwartzenneger. She won that competition and even got to meet the man himself.

Hers is a riveting story with many crazy twists and turns. Listen to this first part as she talks about competing, her Cirque shows, and why holding onto tradition and routine are so important.

Then come back to listen to part II. She’s sharing all about her work on Wonder Woman 1984 and why she’s now looking to switch gears into personal training.

Links and Resources: Connect with Alya: Alya on YouTube

Alya’s Email

Alya on LinkedIn

Alya on Instagram

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Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

In this episode: [01:27] Welcome to the show, Alevtyna!

[01:43] She shares her background and journey to acrobatics.

[05:38] She joined Cirque du Soleil in 1997.

[06:43] Alya talks about what it was like to audition for Cirque back in the 90s.

[09:18] She shares the challenges she faced while performing with Cirque du Soleil.

[10:15] Learning to pace yourself is something that comes with experience.

[11:45] Routine was her method for pushing herself when she felt too tired to perform.

[13:50] She is afraid of deep water and heights, but her first show, O, was in the water.

[15:20] She shares a tragic story and why she says you must respect the height.

[20:16] She conquered her fear five meters at a time.

[21:22] Alya won athletic awards while working with Cirque.

[23:53] In 2012, she won the Arnold Classic and got to meet Mr. Schwarzenegger.

[27:13] Stay tuned next week for the conclusion of my conversation with the amazing Alya Titarenko.

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Adam returns to share more about his journey to becoming an executive coach.

Once he left dental school, Adam went to work at his father’s practice. The goal was always to work with his father and then one day take over, but reality wasn’t as kind. Fact is, he and his father didn’t work the same way.

Soon enough, Adam began dreading his work days.

A meetup with one of his friends from college is what changed everything for him. His friend had been participating in coaching and after talking for a bit, Adam knew he needed coaching himself. He went all in and soon decided he was ready to become a coach himself.

Listen as he shares where he’s at today and why he’s so passionate about helping others to find their joy in life again. Coaching, like therapy, is good for most people. You just have to find the right coach. This is true in sports and in life. Listen in and see if maybe becoming a coach sounds like the right fit for you.

Links and Resources: Well Aware Inc.

Connect with Adam: Adam Eskow Coaching

The Unspoken Agreements Podcast

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

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Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

In this episode: [00:22] Welcome back to part 2 of my conversation with Adam.

[00:40] He talks about his journey from being a periodontist to becoming a coach.

[04:25] Because he loves learning, he thought about becoming a researcher.

[05:04] He discusses a friend that helped him change his life and the relationship he still has with him.

[06:56] Listen as Adam shares how changing his career impacted his relationship with his wife.

[10:20] “Vulnerability is the real hard work.”

[11:15] He talks about where two-minute methods came from.

[13:30] He speaks about making decisions with small commitments.

[15:25] Adam discusses how we can support his endeavors.

[17:23] He shares some last-minute thoughts with the listeners.

[19:14] We talk about his podcast The Unspoken Agreements.

[20:36] I share about my coach for time management.

[22:43] Thank you for being on the show!

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There is no “right” choice to make with regard to your life or career. Give yourself permission to try new things and redefine your idea of what success is. Adam Eskow is a former periodontist turned executive coach who has found joy in his passion after giving himself permission to step away from a lifelong dream.

Adam comes from a family of dentists. From a very young age he simply knew that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of other family members. He enjoyed the schooling for it. Went all in and got all of his degrees and licenses, and then started practicing and realized it wasn’t for him.

It was then that he gave himself the permission to walk away and use everything he’d learned in dental school to help other dentists and oral physicians to find more joy and fulfillment in their work.

So often we focus on the one path or the one goal with single-minded intensity. In a lot of ways that’s a good thing, but it makes it hard to shift and pivot when things no longer work for you. Instead, take your expectations out of the decision making process and hone in on the things that feel good.

If this is your first episode of Industry Explorers, go back and listen to some of our other interviews. This is a recurring theme amongst all of the guests we’ve had on the show. What you want to do at 18 may not be the same as what you want to do at even 25.

Give yourself the permission to pivot.

Links and Resources: Well Aware Inc.

Connect with Adam: Adam Eskow Coaching

The Unspoken Agreements Podcast

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
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Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

In this episode: [00:32] Welcome to the show, Adam!

[01:01] He shares his background and whether he felt any pressure to become a dentist.

[04:18] Listen as Adam shares the journey to becoming a periodontist.

[06:09] He discusses how you can use your education even if you don’t become a dentist.

[10:50] He describes what he does today as a coach and consultant.

[13:54] Adam talks about the coaches he has that help him.

[16:03] He shares how he outsources his needs.

[20:48] “When something happens and the world latches on to it is kind of liberating.”

[22:20] He speaks about the good and hard parts of his periodontal career.

[24:54] Adam discusses what he would say to a dental student about the career.

[26:18] He believes you should shadow someone in the career that you think you might want.

[29:00] He says the opportunities are there to shadow someone, don’t give up if you get a no.

[29:46] Stay tuned for part 2 of this conversation next week.

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If Abingdon wasn’t initially sure of becoming a pilot, she certainly did see becoming a watchmaker in her future. One of the traditions of obtaining your commercial pilot’s license is being presented with a watch, but they’re all made for men.

Instead of having a big bulky piece on her wrist, Abingdon decided to create one for women. She is now a full on business owner creating and modifying watches with the Abingdon Company.

It was this small detail that opened her eyes to the need for different voices in the aviation industry. All of the uniforms are designed by men for men. The cockpit furniture is the same. Everything about the aviation industry is directed at white males, but things are changing.

Listen as Abingdon shares a ton of resources that women and people of color can use to make their way into aviation. She is an inspiration and a brilliant entrepreneur. She faces adversity in the watch and aviation industry and she’s squashing it day after day. Learn how.

Links and Resources: Alibaba.com

Flying Wild Alaska

OBAP

AOPA

United Aviate program

LPA

NGPA

EAA

Connect with Abingdon: The Abingdon Co.

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube | Instagram

Abingdon Foundation

Twitter | Facebook

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Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

In this episode: [00:19] Welcome back to part 2 of my conversation with Abingdon.

[01:32] She discusses whether boys are better at math than girls.

[03:09] I talk about STEAM, which adds art to the standard STEM program.

[04:34] I speak about the rigging and design needed for the show KA.

[05:55] Listen as Abingdon shares about being a flight instructor for the show Flying Wild Alaska.

[09:58] She discusses how she handles adversity in both the watch and pilot world.

[11:23] She shares how she can be calm and calculating with checklists.

[16:36] Abingdon gives some resources for anyone wanting to be a pilot.

[19:29] Be smart enough to be dumb enough to ask is your best resource.

[23:19] Flying for United Airlines pays up to 600,000 a year.

[24:03] Listen as Abingdon discusses why she believes diversity in aviation is important.

[28:05] EAA has a young eagles program where anyone under 18 can fly.

[30:01] She describes the Abingdon Foundation.

[31:24] She discusses how you can support her foundation and projects.

[34:51] Abingdon’s final words are “Act as though it’s impossible to fail!”

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When you were little, what’s one of the things you wanted to be when you grew up? Did you ever say pilot and then you got a little older and the naysayers came out to play? Abingdon didn’t always know she wanted to be a pilot, but when she learned more, she knew it was for her.

Listen as she shares her story of becoming a pilot and later a watchmaker while contributing to the conversation of diversity and inclusion in the airline industry.

Abingdon really didn’t know what she wanted to do, but she went to school, got a degree and decided to figure it out from there. She later went into the Peace Corps and when she came home, started learning what it would take to become a pilot. She’d initially heard about the career field in high school, but it simply didn’t seem possible.

Within 45 days she had her private license and a company willing to pay her to get her commercial license (and pay for her training.) This isn’t even out of the ordinary. It turns out there are TONS of resources to help you get started in the field of aviation!

In the first part of our conversation, Abingdon shares her story and why building her personal brand was so important. She is now a well respected pilot and trainer in the field which wouldn’t have been possible if she’d

Links and Resources: Alibaba.com

Connect with Abingdon: The Abingdon Co.

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
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Book a Connection Call

Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

In this episode: [00:41] Welcome to the show, Abingdon!

[02:08] She shares when she got interested in being a pilot.

[06:14] She speaks about her parents wanting her to go to college and get a degree.

[08:49] She is really happy she went to college because the internship she applied for required a four-year degree and covered the cost of getting her commercial pilot’s license.

[10:08] Abingdon shares a story about her mom.

[12:16] Companies look at a college degree because they show you dedicated yourself to something for four years.

[15:20] She studied psychology in college because she wanted to understand what the brain does when it has a chemical imbalance or trauma.

[21:45] She talks about what causes people to have things like a foot fetish.

[24:41] Abingdon discusses what she did once she graduated from college.

[26:46] She wanted to sell women’s pilot watches, and she shares how she made that happen.

[30:04] You are building your brand right now, have integrity and keep your word.

[31:42] The way you treat people will stay with you.

[33:28] She is now trying to get into the astronaut program.

[34:25] Listen next week for part 2 of my interview with Abingdon.

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Pharns knows that USOG would not be possible without his amazing team. He’s assembled the best of the best in their fields to help support him and the mission in this company. He’s sharing his insights into building a team, what it takes to enter into the drone industry, and all the ways you can contribute.

His team truly consists of the best. From former military to engineering wizards to brilliant health experts, he raves about their commitment and tenacity. They all make it possible for him to continue to breathe life into USOG.

Essentially, USOG helps provide medications and health related services to the population by using drones to deliver and transport medical supplies. Instead of transport taking hours, drones cut the time to minutes. In many cases, the amount of time between request and receipt is a matter of life and death.

One of the ways that they create and perfect their flight plans is using GIS. Because they work in three dimensional space, their drone flights require more than simple GPS. Learn more about GIS and what you can do to learn it.

One of his biggest tips for anyone looking to go into the drone industry is to simply start learning. You don’t need a degree to learn to code. You don’t need a degree to become a GIS expert. You don’t need a degree to learn how to market the company.

You simply need a will to learn and a passion for developing life changing innovations.

Want to learn more? Reach out to Pharns.

Links and Resources: Recording Connections Glossary of Keywords

Geographic Information System

Python

SHe-Learning

AUVSI

Women and Drones

Connect with Pharns: Unmanned Systems Operations Group (USOG)

Email | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter

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Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

In this episode: [00:22] Welcome to part 2 with Pharns!

[01:42] He shares the process for testing their drones and the data they put out.

[02:50] Listen as Pharms talks about his role at USOG.

[04:48] He discusses the organizational structure of USOG and where each team member fits.

[10:24] He speaks about taking their company international and hopefully soon expanding to Finland and Italy.

[13:54] Pharms shares the challenges USOG faces.

[17:49] He discusses a company called GIS and what it does.

[21:08] He talks about where a young professional with a passion for the drone industry should start.

[25:15] If you have the skills, you don’t need a college degree.

[28:15] Apply yourself! Figure out what you are interested in and go for it.

[30:58] Listen, as Pharm shares some resources you can use if you want to get into the drone industry.

[33:02] He talks about who he considers some greats in the industry.

[35:48] Their jobs as drone ambassadors is to educate and bring awareness to the communities.

[36:53] He shares how the listeners can support USOG.

[40:34] Pharns gives some last words of advice for the listeners.

[41:08] Knowledge + Action with Faith = Success.

[41:48] Success is measured by you!

[43:16] Thank you for being on the show!

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Becoming a pioneer in an industry takes resolve and passion, two things Pharns Genece has in spades. From Disney, to the military, to building his own business that’s helping to save lives, he’s made waves in all of his endeavors. Listen as he tells his story and learn why he fully believes you do not need a degree to succeed.

Pharns is a first generation American. His family is from Haiti and they brought with them their serious attitude about school. But when Pharns graduated high school, he didn’t immediately go to college.

He was more interested in pursuing his passions and finding out what he loved doing. He worked on the road with musicians and found himself at the DisneyLand Resort working on show production.

Later he decided to join the military. He really wanted to become a pilot but they required that you have a degree. He changed his career path to join the healthcare field and became a medevac.

His experience in the military paired with his work in show production led him to create a company that uses drones to deliver medical supplies. Listen as he shares the first part of his story and stay tuned for part two.

Links and Resources: Recording Connections Glossary of Keywords

Connect with Pharns: Unmanned Systems Operations Group (USOG)

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
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Book a Connection Call

Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

In this episode: [01:43] Welcome to the show, Pharns!

[03:29] He shares what he was like in high school and his plan after he graduated.

[07:55] Listen as Pharns talks about why he got into the medical field in the military.

[10:40] He shares his love of music and his journey into the music industry as an engineer.

[13:37] He tells us how he got involved with Disney.

[18:00] Pharns discusses where he got the idea for his company and when he launched it.

[22:03] He talks about how his experience in the military has contributed to what he does with USOG.

[25:35] He shares how working with Disney as an Audio Engineer applies to his drone company.

[29:10] He speaks about his amazing team at USOG.

[31:26] Pharns describes the differences between systems integration in the entertainment and drone applications.

[33:54] He talks about what it’s like to automate his drone deliveries.

[37:19] Listen as Pharns shares how he knows where to direct his drones when they are up above the roads.

[40:42] He shares about the cargo carrier system that his company has patented.

[41:29] Stay tuned next week for part 2 of my interview with Pharns Genece.

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Brian Levenson and I are back to finish our conversation about his career and how he got to where he is today. Brian is now a published author and his book is all about focusing on the mindset you should have during different activities in your life.

We start off discussing the different perspectives we have in relation to performance and practice. How you need to be able to see the play in your work and give yourself time to reflect and be creative.

It’s important that we stop putting so much pressure on ourselves to know everything right now. LIfe is a journey with tons of twists and turns and the same applies to our careers. There is no one cookie cutter mold for us all to fit and even when we know what we want, the way it turns out may be completely different than expected.

Keep learning and growing and you’ll find yourself creating more and more success in your life.

This was truly a fantastic interview with amazing advice and nuggets of inspiration. Listen in to learn more about Brian’s view on what success means, how to be an effective and inspirational leader, and what he’d like all of our listeners to do once this podcast episode is done!

In this episode: [00:22] Welcome to part II of my interview with Brian Levenson!

[00:43] He discusses nine shifts we focus on.

[03:04] When it comes to performance, you need arrogance.

[04:02] He believes that as adults, we forget to play.

[08:56] Approach performances from a play perspective.

[09:52] Brian shares times when he wasn’t able to impact clients how he wanted.

[13:00] He speaks about how he measures his success.

[16:51] We do a visualization exercise together.

[19:14] He believes that authenticity is elastic, it’s not rigid.

[20:30] Listen as Brian gives some advice for young professionals that put too much pressure on themselves.

[25:04] In leadership it’s not enough to be a learn it all you have to have conviction.

[28:04] There is no magic number when it comes to the hours of deliberate practice you need to become an expert.

[30:44] Brian likes to be around humble people. No one wants to be around arrogant people all the time.

[33:51] He believes that too much empathy can be a bad thing. Sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe and speak your truth.

[36:44] He shares who is considered one of the greats in his industry.

[39:48] Listen as Brian gives the listeners a call to action.

[41:06] Everyone’s journey is different.

[42:41] Thank you for listening!

Links and Resources: Connect with Brian: Strong Skills

Peace Players

Email | Twitter | Instagram

Shift Your Mind: 9 Mental Shifts to Thrive in Preparation and Performance

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
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You don’t have to make perfect grades to be successful. Your GPA is not indicative of your work ethic or your ability to create a thriving career. Brian Levenson and I are chatting all about this and more as he shares his journey to high performance coaching and creating Strong Skills. Brian had a very fortunate upbringing. He was able to take opportunities to explore his passions and learn about his intrinsic values early on. That was part of the reason that college was a tad difficult for him. He knew what he wanted to do but not necessarily how to translate that into a college degree.

His ultimate goal has always been to help others. He wanted to help people see their potential and figure out ways that they could actually reach it. He’s always been very passionate about their being equal opportunities available to all and one of the ways to even the playing field is to help others realize that they should be in the game.

Listen as we chat about his college career, why agility is so important, and when he started his company Strong Skills. This is a pretty deep conversation so be prepared to take notes and really soak in everything Brian shares. Then stay tuned for part 2.

In this episode: [00:57] Welcome to the show, Brian!

[01:30] He shares a little about some teams and people he’s been fortunate to work with.

[04:17] Listen as he discusses why he pursued a sociology class in college.

[08:46] Brian talks about speaking up and when helping kids go to college became so important.

[12:09] He took classes in college that interested him, but he really didn’t like the electives that were available.

[14:26] He shares what he did once he graduated from college.

[19:35] He talks about the appeal to him for working with a candy company.

[25:19] Brian speaks about his wife and not knowing where he’d be if he hadn’t met her.

[27:31] He discusses the application process for grad school.

[31:16] Having good grades isn’t always indicative of how you will do in your career.

[35:45] I share why I believe being a straight-A student hasn’t always served me.

[38:19] I talk about struggling through Covid.

[39:38] Brian hates the pandemic, and he believes it is a test of agility.

[41:41] A great aspect of therapy is finding out who you are.

[42:07] He shares what his internship was like in the sports psychology program.

[44:06] He discusses when he started his company, Strong Skills.

[46:13] Listen next week for part 2 of this amazing interview.

Links and Resources: Connect with Brian: Strong Skills

Shift Your Mind: 9 Mental Shifts to Thrive in Preparation and Performance

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
Industry Explorers on TikTok
Book a Connection Call

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It has been proven that women make some of the best leaders in almost any organization. We think differently. We consider all of the bits and pieces of a problem rather than just one area over another. So why are we still told that we are too emotional or irrational to lead?

This question is the basis for Patricia Haywood’s company Master BuildHers. Not only are women amazing leaders, they’re also absolutely imperative to male-dominated fields.

But we have to stop seeing other women as competition. Why are we so quick to tear one another down when we all rise as we build each other up? It all starts at an extremely early age for girls. We are conditioned to see each other as competition for everything without building up our confidence and belief in our self-worth.

Listen as Patricia shares her thoughts on how teachers can help young women and girls believe in themselves and how this would positively impact the world and the workforce. Patricia is a force and she’s helping other women to see and understand that about themselves as well.

Remember, just because the field is male-dominated doesn’t mean that you are not needed.

In this episode: [00:57] Patricia speaks to being told women are too emotional or irrational to be leaders.

[03:28] She explains why she believes women see other women as competition.

[07:18] I share how I have caught myself thinking competitively like thoughts toward other women on male dominated crews.

[10:32] “Why change things for one woman among twenty men?”

[14:08] Patricia shares some advice for teachers to prevent the self-eroding of confidence from happening in girls.

[16:53] I share a principle I learned as a Karate instructor.

[21:01] She discusses how her family eroded her self-confidence as she was growing up.

[22:36] Patricia gives us some resources to live by.

[24:19] Understanding your values can save your life.

[29:24] We don’t need external validation.

[31:00] She talks about becoming 20/20s top 100 women in construction.

[34:09] Patricia shares why she stays in construction.

[37:16] Thank you so much for being on the show!

Links and Resources: Connect with Patricia: Master Buildhers

Heightened BADASSERY Podcast

Patricia on LinkedIn

Master Buildhers on Instagram

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
Industry Explorers on TikTok
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I’m back with Patricia Haywood chatting about building a thriving career as a woman in a male-dominated field. Patricia has built several businesses of her own and we start this episode off discussing the most important things to consider if you’re starting your own business.

So many people think of talking to a lawyer prior to starting a business or naming a business, but as a lawyer, Patricia thinks you should first talk to an accountant. There are so many moving pieces to the conception and launch of a new venture and most of them have to do with money.

Hence, talk to an accountant before anything else.

We also dig into the reasons that we as a society need to focus less on higher education and more on trades. While she is using her degree, it’s not in the same way that it was necessarily intended. In fact, she even mentions that if you’re going into law, go into with another passion in mind. Hear why.

Most important is understanding how your experiences translate into transferable skills. Everything that you do builds skills that you can bring to the job market. You just have to drill down to the core of what you’ve done and learned.

One question we both discuss and delve into is why women are leaving the workforce in droves. Patricia has several thoughts on this phenomenon and also ideas about how we can stop the leaking pipeline.

Patricia and I continue the conversation in part three. Keep listening to hear the finale of our discussion.

In this episode: [02:10] Patricia shares some advice about talking to an accountant before starting your business.

[04:36] If you want to protect your intellectual property, then you need to talk to a lawyer.

[08:02] She talks about who she associates with on a day-to-day basis.

[11:00] I talk about having a degree in theatre but working for a company with wind turbines.

[12:24] See your time in college or at university as a time to network more than education.

[16:26] Patricia believes in transferable skills, everything you do gives you skills that you can use in life.

[20:28] She discusses how complicated things in construction are because it’s hard to compete with large companies.

[23:39] Listen as Patricia shares her new company and why she created it.

[26:19] She talks about what she has found when researching women in all industries.

[28:22] We need to fix the pipeline that is leaking and keep women from leaving the industry.

[30:42] We will create more seats for women by starting more businesses and creating opportunities for them.

[34:32] She discusses the next challenge women need to overcome once they are in the industry.

[36:16] Women need to have the same pay, same rights and responsibilities in the construction industry.

[36:54] Patricia shares some challenges she has faced and overcome in her career.

[39:31] Tune in next week for the final chapter with Patricia Haywood.

Links and Resources: Connect with Patricia: Master Buildhers

Heightened BADASSERY Podcast

Patricia on LinkedIn

Master Buildhers on Instagram

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
Industry Explorers on TikTok
Book a Connection Call

Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

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Women and construction are not two words that typically go together in the same sentence, but they certainly should. Patricia Haywood has spent the majority of her life in construction as a member of a family of entrepreneurs building businesses within the industry.

She has now created her own company and is inspiring women to be unapologetically themselves, even in male-dominated fields.

After pursuing her law degree and practicing as an attorney, another male-dominated field, she found herself back in the field of construction as general counsel and consultant. She has worked on some of the largest construction projects and she is well-versed in the challenges women face in the field.

This is part one of a three part series. We cover a lot of ground in part one discussing her post-high school education, the first company she started, and why she is so passionate about helping women to thrive in male-dominated fields.

If you enjoyed this episode, join us for part two!

In this episode: [03:02] Patricia shares how the education system in Jamaica and the UK differ from the United States.

[04:32] She speaks about why she pursued a law degree.

[07:11] Listen as Patricia shares her journey through post high school education.

[10:30] She talks about the first company she started.

[14:07] Walking her own path was very important to her, she wanted to do the things that lit her up.

[17:48] Patricia describes what a Fortune 500 Company is and what B2B means.

[20:26] She discusses the supply chains in construction.

[25:00] Everyone in the supply chains are partners and in the business of risk management.

[31:31] Risk management tends to focus on dollars and cents, but the focus needs to be on people.

[34:21] Patricia shares some of the tools they use in project management.

[36:47] She discusses the uniformity between contracts and law in general when doing international business.

[39:54] Stay tuned for Part II with Patricia Haywood.

Links and Resources: Connect with Patricia: Master Buildhers

Heightened BADASSERY Podcast

Patricia on LinkedIn

Master Buildhers on Instagram

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
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Book a Connection Call

Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

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In this second part of an absolutely amazing conversation with Alan Stein Jr., we dig into some far reaching topics. Everything from the role of effective communication in life and business to the need for ongoing change and growth. Listen in to hear all of Alan’s amazing advice.

We start the conversation off expanding on the need to go back to basics when you’re facing higher levels and challenges. This applies no matter if you’re talking about sport or business. Constant maintenance of the core skills in any profession will help elevate your overall performance.

Then we started discussing communication. No matter your profession or role, effective communication is the key to success. Despite the move toward artificial intelligence, you will always have human beings to interact with. Learning how to properly communicate is essential. (This applies in any relationship. Definitely something important to keep in mind.)

Alan is truly a fount of knowledge. He’s taken on ever expanding roles and responsibilities and isn’t scared to make changes when appropriate. For instance, he left the role of on court performance coaching when he realized that he would soon not be able to keep up with the kids he was coaching.

That willingness to pivot is one of the things he credits for his overall success in his field and in his new ventures. Again, no matter what you think your dream job is right now, listen in to hear Alan’s thoughts on how your dreams may shift and pivot as you get older. You don’t have to have everything figured out right now, but you do have to work toward something!

In this episode: [00:47] Alan shares how an individual can keep from being bored with the basics.

[03:04] Even in a relationship you sometimes have to get back to basics.

[05:06] Alan believes you need a servant leader mentality.

[08:04] He describes what it means to be a director of performance.

[10:21] He believes that self care is one of the most important things that he can do.

[14:41] Too many people wear a lack of sleep as a badge, Alan believes it’s a badge of stupidity.

[16:11] Alan discusses the parallels he sees no matter what industry he works with.

[19:06] He talks about how establishing true role clarity can challenge the mindset that it's not my job.

[21:04] Leadership is doing what needs to be done for the team to be successful.

[21:51] Alan discusses some books he believes all leaders should read.

[25:42] He talks about taking advantage of the chance for repetition.

[28:34] Alan speaks about emotional maturity and fitness

[31:00] Learn how to become a spectator to your own emotions.

[35:43] He shares some common performance wedges between knowing and doing.

[39:57] Alan discusses his books.

[41:36] A message for women who are looking to break into performance sports.

[45:13] “Show up as your best self, be fully prepared but also be prepared to change and adapt.”

[46:15] Alan talks about the fact that every decision he makes right now points him to the person he will be in twenty years.

[49:13] Thank you so much for being on the show!

Links and Resources: The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman

Extreme Ownership: How US Navy Seals Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Leading With The Heart: Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business and Life by Mike Krzyzewski

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Don Bruns

Connect with Alan: Alan Stein Jr.

For a list of the 8 books Alan recommends every leader read

Find all of Alan’s books here

Alan on Facebook

Alan on Twitter

Alan on Instagram

Alan on LinkedIn

Alan on YouTube

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
Industry Explorers on TikTok
Book a Connection Call

Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

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From high performance coach to keynote speaker, Alan Stein Jr. has been impacting the world of sports for many years. He has spent over 15 years helping to grow and develop talented young athletes and is now helping organizations by building strong leaders. He didn’t know that he’d be where he is today however. Coming out of high school he only knew that he wanted to be around sports. He started off completing coursework to become a teacher so that he could double as a basketball coach, but soon realized that he didn’t have the passion for teaching. What was he to do then?

He went into sports management instead and learned the business of sport rather than just the mechanics of the game. He learned more about what it took to build world class athletes and teams and how various things impacted the overall business of the game.

His work led him to become an influential part of building some of the biggest names in basketball that you hear today. Listen as he shares about his schooling, his early work, and why it is totally okay to shift and pivot as you learn more about yourself.

In this episode: [00:52] Welcome to the show Alan!

[01:13] Alan shares some of the big names he has worked with that are now in the NBA.

[03:34] In college he found his love of performance training.

[05:29] He speaks about his journey into sports management.

[08:20] “It’s ok to make changes in life”

[10:41] Alan discusses what he would change in the performance training degree.

[13:17] It's important for younger ages to be exposed to different activities, subjects and perspectives.

[16:54] He shares what he did between college and becoming a co-owner in an elite training company.

[18:58] Alan discusses what makes an athletic training program cutting edge.

[21:46] He explains the differences in strength and conditioning training across different sports.

[25:43] He describes the structure and various roles involved in professional basketball.

[29:55] Alan shares that with the kids he trained, he could tell who could be standouts.

[35:06] “Taking care of your fitness throughout your life is very important.”

[40:01] “In my early 20s I put a lot of pressure on myself to prove myself.”

[43:10] All the greats in the NBA blend confidence with humility and recognize that there is also something more to learn.

[44:50] Alan believes that repetition is not punishment, repetition is the oldest and most effective form of learning on the planet.

[47:09] Thank you for listening to part 1, see you back here next week for part 2 with Alan Stein Jr.

Links and Resources: Elon University

National Physique Committee

Connect with Alan: Alan Stein Jr.

Find all of Alan’s books here

Alan on Facebook

Alan on Twitter

Alan on Instagram

Alan on LinkedIn

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
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Book a Connection Call

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Effective communication is a practice in learning how to properly listen to and engage with the person you are communicating with. That requires active listening, proper follow up, and building safety into the conversation. In Part 3 of my series with Roman Roberts, we’re discussing different written interrogation certificates and why written communication is so important both in the military and in business. The words you use and the message you’re sending should match the mission statement you’re sending out into the world.

The key to any great conversation is being able to validate and empower the person you are speaking with. Even if you’re not interested in the topic at hand, showing them that you’ve listened and though you may not understand, you were still there to hear them.

That’s a very powerful thing.

We then dig into the principles of communication with your kids and why it’s important to speak to young children as if they are people. Using baby talk will in fact decrease their ability to pick up on the nuances of real language and communication cues.

Listen to the end to hear Roman’s challenge to all of our listeners. Will you accept it?

In this episode: [00:30] Roman discusses his Reid Interrogation Certification.

[01:13] Every interrogation and interview technique he has learned has parallels to business because everything is communication.

[05:30] He explains what a Wicklander - Zulawski Certification is and how it relates to business.

[07:24] Roman shares some writing tips as it applies to the principles of effective communication.

[13:25] He shares how he stays engaged in a conversation with someone who is uninteresting, dull, or monotonous.

[16:56] “There is no such thing as a bad or boring conversation, there’s just our own preconceived notions that make it that way.”

[19:35] Validating and empowering the person you are having a conversation with is a powerful thing.

[25:16] They never baby talked with their son and now he has a very extensive vocabulary at three years old. Kids understand much more than you think.

[27:17] He shares how he and his wife are going to have the sex talk, stranger danger talk and stuff like that. They want to have an open environment so they can answer any question he has.

[31:34] Part of growth is acknowledging those who helped you along the way.

[36:20] Roman gives the listeners a challenge.

[37:42] He shares his last words of wisdom.

[39:31] Thank you so much for being on the show!

Links and Resources: Vincent “Rocco” Vargas - Beteran

Six Sigma Certification

Certified ScrumMaster

Certified Project Management Director.

Reid Interrogation Certification

Certified Human Intelligence Collector

Wicklander - Zulawski Certification

Talking Foster Care with Susan Ramirez

Jocko Podcast

Connect with Roman: Real Talk with Roman

Real Talk with Roman on Facebook

Real Talk with Roman on Instagram

Real Talk with Roman on YouTube

LinkedIn

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
Industry Explorers on TikTok
Book a Connection Call

Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

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The conversation is really just getting started. Roman joins me in Part II of this 3-part series to take an even deeper dive into the different types of interrogation and why what you see in the movies is nothing like real life. Imagine this. You walk up to a coworker, punch them in the nose, and then start asking them questions. Do you think you’ll gain any useful information from that coworker? Probably not. The same is true in military interrogation and intelligence operations.

Though he loved his time in the military, Roman couldn’t keep taking on trauma after trauma. He’d never truly dealt with the trauma from his childhood and then after years in the military in active war zones, his emotional and mental load was huge.

The real catalyst for his leaving the military was the fact that his fiance could no longer deal with the separation. They’d gone more than two years without seeing each other and she saw what his time in the military was doing to him.

This led to his transition out and it was not easy. Listen as he shares more about his life post-military and how he found his way out of the deep dark hole he was in. He also found his new calling in his career as a process engineer.

Stay with us for the end of this fantastic conversation in Part 3!

In this episode: [00:35] Roman shares why it’s easier to ramp up than it is to ramp down.

[03:18] 2020 has been the year of emotional intelligence.

[04:15] Emotional intelligence is seeking to understand the person in front of you.

[06:35] Manipulation is when you are actively seeking out the pleasure of affecting this person with a negative intent.

[07:08] A negotiation is where both people know what they want and try to find a common ground.

[09:40] He shares how old he was when he left the military and why he gave it up.

[12:41] He unleashed resentment towards his fiance because she wanted him home even though he knew he was done he didn’t want to be told he was done.

[15:03] Listen as Roman shares some advice for helping people transition with trauma from the military to civilian life.

[17:15] He quit drinking and went to a therapist and finally got to a healthy place.

[19:35] A lot of transitioning veterans struggle with communication.

[20:03] It’s not happy wife happy life, it's happy spouse happy house.

[23:43] Just because you are doing what people say you should do, are you doing it in the right way?

[24:23] Roman explains what a Process Engineer is and what they do.

[26:39] He translates his analogy into banking and finance.

[28:51] Opening his consulting firm happened because he had a friend that needed his experience to help them start their businesses.

[31:55] He explains his Six Sigma certification and the different levels.

[35:16] He explains the different color of belts for Six Sigma.

[41:43] The black belt helps him in his consulting firm.

[42:25] He talks about being a Certified ScrumMaster.

[44:48] He also has a Certified Project Management Director.

[46:57] Listen for Part III with Roman Roberts

Links and Resources: Vincent “Rocco” Vargas - Beteran

Six Sigma Certification

Certified ScrumMaster

Certified Project Management Director.

Reid Interrogation Certification

Certified Human Intelligence Collector

Wicklander - Zulawski Certification

Talking Foster Care with Susan Ramirez

Jocko Podcast

Connect with Roman: Real Talk with Roman

Real Talk with Roman on Facebook

Real Talk with Roman on Instagram

Real Talk with Roman on YouTube

LinkedIn

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
Industry Explorers on TikTok
Book a Connection Call

Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

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Roman Roberts is a communications expert who has been studying the topic since his earliest years. Growing up in the foster care system, he was in and out of abusive homes and experienced his first bouts with trauma. He knew at a very early age that he wanted to go into the military. It simply seemed like the best path for someone in his situation. His goal was to make it out of his home without owing anybody anything, and he did just that.

Luckily for him there was a need for human intelligence collectors and he scored really well on the aptitude test for it. He ended up going into the military with a sizable bonus and set on a path that would take him very far in his life and career.

In this first episode of a 3-part series, Roman and I dig into his past and then take on the topic of the military. He’s sharing an inside look at the process for joining as well as different avenues you can take within the military.

Believe it or not, it’s not just those who are less fortunate or who have no other opportunities in life that join the military. Our military as a whole is a multi-billion dollar per year business and requires a huge number of people to run and operate. Even in peace times, the men and women of the military are still making moves to help build a better world.

Listen in to hear it all and then stay tuned for Part II.

In this episode: [00:59] Welcome to the show, Roman!

[01:35] Roman knew from a little kid that he wanted to get into the military.

[02:56] The military gave him an identity.

[05:26] He went into the military as a human intelligence collector and he shares why he took that path.

[08:09] Listen as Roman talks about the very smart individuals that were on his team in the military.

[11:20] He speaks about advancement in the military and why he didn’t go far.

[13:11] There is so much more to the military than most of us know.

[15:44] He talks about the other jobs you can have in the military and never see combat.

[17:06] Roman feels like he paid his debt and his son shouldn’t have to go into the military unless it’s something he really wants to do.

[18:00] Listen as Roman defines what the different acronyms mean, like enlisted, ROTC, OCS and explains what they expect.

[20:35] Know what you want to do in the military and always ask your recruiter questions you may have.

[23:09] Get everything in writing. It’s not policy if it isn’t written down.

[24:32] There are multiple routes to becoming an officer if you don’t go to officer school.

[27:05] You don’t have to decide right out of high school because the military isn’t going anywhere but check out the age limitations for whatever branch you want to go in.

[28:31] Roman talks about what his life was like after basic training.

[30:07] Working as an interrogator was fun, and he had many interesting conversations with people all over the world.

[32:52] He shares some ideologies he saw in the middle eastern culture versus the western culture.

[37:59] Roman discusses what it’s like to interrogate people and how unrealistically movies and tv portray them.

[39:32] He speaks about the techniques and strategies used to talk to different people and in different environments.

[42:14] Tactical interrogation is on the objective, it's when people go to a house and bust through a door and round people up and ask them questions.

[43:33] Strategic interrogation is usually a detention facility type of interrogation, long-term interrogation.

[45:45] Listen for more in Part II with Roman Roberts.

Links and Resources: Vincent “Rocco” Vargas - Beteran

Six Sigma Certification

Certified ScrumMaster

Certified Project Management Director.

Reid Interrogation Certification

Certified Human Intelligence Collector

Wicklander - Zulawski Certification

Talking Foster Care with Susan Ramirez

Jocko Podcast

Connect with Roman: Real Talk with Roman

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Welcome back to Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Colleen Batchelder. The first part of our conversation really dug into her journey and accomplishments while touching on the overall issue of diversity and inclusion in the workspace.
In Part 2 we’re digging deeper into the issues. Namely how white privilege shows up when “allies” start to take part in tokenism and defense rather than supporting their friends and colleagues of color.

We’re also chatting about the benefits of understanding the experiences of the people around you and how to create safe spaces for people to flourish within an organization. The conversation around diversity and inclusion goes so far beyond simply creating a space at the table.

The table should also be set, prepared, and inviting so that no member of your team feels as if they are there only as a statistic.

Listen as Dr. Batchelder provides additional information on the terms used in the DEI conversation and what each of us can do to create a more welcoming work environment. You don’t need to be in the c-suite to help further the DEI initiative.

Which part of this conversation stuck out to you the most? I’d love to know!

In this episode: [00:34] The definition of Boomer is baby boomers late 50s to early 70s they were raised in the hippy generation but then falling into line and being more traditional.

[02:03] GenX range in age from early 40s to late 50s.

[04:01] Millennials are fun and the age range is early late 30s to around 28, family first paycheck later.

[05:53] GenZ is an interesting generation. They rarely do anything without approval from their peers.

[09:33] Colleen defines LGBTQIA+ and the difference between sexuality and gender.

[12:35] I love TikTok because anyone can put up a video and you can observe and understand the person in the video.

[13:33] Social media is giving people a voice, sharing their story and being 100% who they are.

[15:12] Listen as Colleen shares the benefits of understanding the experience of other people.

[17:25] Let’s talk about marginalization and social exclusion and what it is.

[20:36] “Ask yourself whether your belief is hurting the people around you and if it is question it.”

[23:27] Colleen speaks about privilege versus legal right.

[27:47] All of her research and education lead Colleen into the business arena.

[29:24] She talks about what her consulting work looks like and how long she consults with these businesses.

[32:01] With a company, a lot of stuff starts internally.

[35:21] Colleen shares the classes and degrees she would recommend for a high school student that wants to have a career in diversity and inclusion consulting.

[39:30] She has created quarter goals this year, and this quarter she is sending out a proposal for her book on diversity and inclusion.

[40:53] Listen for Colleen’s call to action.

[43:11] Thank you for being on the show!

Links and Resources Inclusion: Diversity, The New Workplace & The Will To Change by Jennifer Brown

How to Work With and Lead People Not Like You: Practical Solutions For Today’s Diverse Workplace by Kelly McDonald

Leading With Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret To Success by David A. Livermore

True Inclusion: Creating Communities of Radical Embrace by Brandan Robertson

Inclusive Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Developing & Executing an Impactful Diversity and Inclusion Strategy by Charlotte Sweeney

Hilary Rushford’s Elegant Excellence Journal

Gender Revolution A Journey With Katie Couric

Connect with Colleen: Dr. Colleen Batchelder

Blog

30 Days of Hope Podcast

Loud Summit

Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
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Industry Explorers on Facebook
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Industry Explorers on YouTube
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Dr. Colleen Batchelder has spent the last 20 years striving to learn about and spread the message of appropriate diversity and inclusion practices. Her worldview was forever changed by her early years in professional theatre. She has spent her life trying to create safe spaces for all in the workforce and the world. Take a quick peek into her accomplishments:

Dr. Batchelder was named an emerging leader under 40 by the NYC Mayor's Center for Faith and Community Partnership, presented her PechaKucha on diversity and inclusion at Oxford University, and was a consultant for Thrivent and numerous nonprofits and corporations.

Her writing has been published in Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur Mexico, Green Entrepreneur, The Ladders, MSN, Lifehack.org, Thrive Global, She Owns It, The Good Men Project, Stamford Advocate, InClub Magazine, and George Fox University. She has also been featured in, 30 Days of Hope, Andy's Pandemic Podcast, Missy Ohe Show, LOUD Conversations, I’ll Go First, Unconventional Leaders, and Repurposed.

In this first half of our conversation, we chat about her background in theatre and why it was so impactful to her college experience. We also dig into why she decided to go to seminary school and pursue her doctorate despite feeling shunned by the church.

She is also sharing definitions and insights on various terms that you hear when discussing diversity and inclusion. Listen in to part II as a continuation of our conversation and to learn all about the issues she sees when white allies try to take over the DEI conversation.

In this episode: [01:59] Welcome to the show, Colleen!

[02:56] When she was young, Colleen wanted to be on Broadway.

[04:26] Listen as Colleen shares how she got the opportunity to do theater professionally.

[07:12] She discusses the opportunities she had growing up to see diversity in the people around her while being in theater.

[10:34] Colleen felt like she was accepted by her family and church only if she acted like they wanted.

[11:41] “The idea of diversity is being invited to dance, inclusion is being asked to dance.”

[14:29] She doesn’t speak for people of color or LBGTQ. She creates platforms and spaces for them to speak for themselves.

[15:04] The study of how people are is anthropology.

[17:22] Colleen shares the definition of ethnography.

[20:12] She talks about where she went to school for her undergrad and what she studied.

[23:44] Her doctorate in religion is something she feels she got out of spite for how she was treated in her faith and being dismissed as a woman.

[26:36] Siobhan shares that sometimes it doesn’t matter how much you’ve accomplished, someone somewhere is going to disrespect you.

[29:44] Guided meditation is a way to create an emotional state of health.

[31:10] She talks about how she knows when she has hit a wall.

[32:59] “The best way to do things is don’t start out with your opinion, start out in the stance of learning.”

[35:16] If you are thinking of going to graduate school, make sure you do something you love or will make a difference.

[37:52] We will continue this conversation in Part II.

Links and Resources Inclusion: Diversity, The New Workplace & The Will To Change by Jennifer Brown

How to Work With and Lead People Not Like You: Practical Solutions For Today’s Diverse Workplace by Kelly McDonald

Leading With Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret To Success by David A. Livermore

True Inclusion: Creating Communities of Radical Embrace by Brandan Robertson

Inclusive Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Developing & Executing an Impactful Diversity and Inclusion Strategy by Charlotte Sweeney

Hilary Rushford’s Elegant Excellence Journal

Connect with Colleen: Dr. Colleen Batchelder

Blog

30 Days of Hope Podcast

Loud Summit

Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
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Jim Shumway and I are back to talk all things automation and performer flying. We dig into the certifications you should be looking to get if you want to make a career of technical theatre and live event design. Jim is also sharing his thoughts on the various roles in the industry. One of the big topics we cover is why there isn’t currently a certification for automated rigging and reasons why that needs to change. We also cover what kinds of questions should be included in such a certification.

Think about it. You’re talking about creating a computer program designed to move a human body or a large piece of set around a room. That room could be the size of a stadium or the size of a theatre. Either way, you are responsible for the lives of the performers and the audience members.

Shouldn’t that responsibility require certification?

Aside from our deep dive into automated rigging, we also chat about finding work-life balance and why you should never make your company or your profession your everything. When you die, your job will be listed before your obituary ever gets printed. Act accordingly! (Said perfectly by Jim)

This was a fantastic conversation and part 2 is just as informative and deep diving as part 1. Listen in and let me know what you favorite takeaways are!

In this episode: [00:30] Now for part II of my interview with Jim Shumway!

[00:44] Listen as Jim discusses TAIT, what it is and what they do.

[03:45] Jim shares the responsibility of a Systems Integrator and what students should study to become one.

[07:08] Jim talks about who he means when he says the authority that has jurisdiction.

[11:58] Jim discusses the things that a project manager at TAIT handles.

[14:23] Jim speaks about the scope of reasonability that changes from Project Manager to Senior Project Manager.

[17:10] Reporting structure on a project is not related to reporting structure organizationally.

[19:28] Jim talks about when he got his ETCP Certifications.

[21:31] ETCP stands for Entertainment Technicians Certification Program.

[23:59] Jim believes they need a certification for automated rigging.

[27:21] There are three main parts for the Arena Entertainers Riggers Certification; the planning and engineering, installation, and materials and equipment.

[28:12] Jim shares some things he would include in the automated rigging certification under the planning and engineering part of the certification.

[30:42] Jim explains the safe sandbox principle.

[33:03] The real jump from a theater and arena certification to an automated certification is that theater and arena are 2D where automated is 3D.

[36:18] Jim shares the materials and equipment you should have knowledge of if you were to take the fictional right now automated rigging certification.

[39:39] Jim says that he wouldn’t change the requirements for certifications if he was to write an automated certification.

[42:02] Listen as Jim speaks about the things he talks about in his book.

[44:30] Jim discusses his pilot's license and how much it costs to get the certification.

[46:22] Jim talks about who he believes are the greats in his industry.

[49:25] Jim shares the best and the worst of his current job.

[52:23] Jim speaks about his work life balance and how to maintain a healthy relationship.

[55:22] Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life is what Jim wants to leave the listeners with.

[57:40] Raiders of the Lost Ark is a movie he puts on when he wants to fall asleep.

[58:50] Thank you so much for being on the show!

Links and Resources: TAIT

TAIT Performer Flying

TAIT Take Over

TAIT Talks

TAIT Group of Companies

Navigator Training

Mechanical Design for the Stage

ETCP Certifications

IATSE Local Union Directory

One Shot Training

Emerson College Pre-College Programs

Emerson College Undergraduate Programs

Yale University School of Drama - Technical Design and Production

California State University - Fullerton

North Carolina School of the Arts

New York University

University of Nevada - Las Vegas

Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Connect with Jim: Book - Automated Performer Flying: The State of the Art

TAIT Take Over - Jim Shumway, Project Management

Jim on LinkedIn

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
Industry Explorers on TikTok
Book a Connection Call

Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

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Jim Shumway is a Senior Project Manager at TAIT. Over his eight-plus years with the company he has delivered unique solutions for clients of all sizes and markets including arena/stadium concert touring, theme parks, award shows, brand activations, and permanent installations. His portfolio includes productions for clients such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, P!NK, Bruno Mars, The Metropolitan Opera, Disney, and Universal Studios.

Before joining TAIT Jim traveled the world with Cirque du Soleil on four shows over five years, participating in two creations, reaching the role of Head Rigger. He is an annual guest lecturer at the Yale School of Drama speaking on acrobatic rigging and performer flying, and is the author of Automated Performer Flying: The State of the Art, published in 2019 by Routledge.

He holds a BFA from Emerson College in technical direction. He is ETCP certified in both arena and theatre rigging and is also an ETCP Recognized Trainer.

All of this is available in his LinkedIn bio, but what it doesn’t tell you is why Jim decided on technical theatre in the first place. He joins me to chat about his early years, why he chose technical theatre for college, and how his first jobs prepared him in different was to tackle the “real world” of work.

This is a two-part series dedicated to what it takes to become a Senior Project Manager for one of the largest live experience entertainment solutions in the industry. Listen in to part one to hear all about his early years, his first jobs out of college, and why you don’t need to specialize to succeed.

In this episode: [00:56] Welcome to the show, Jim!

[01:43] What inspired him to get into technical theater.

[04:21] High school fundamentals apply to every other show you do.

[05:54] Jim speaks about doing high school and community theaters while working at McDonalds.

[07:27] Jim talks about how he believes working at McDonalds helped him with his love of theater.

[08:58] The biggest thing he took away from his time at the carpet cleaning company is that reality doesn’t matter, how your customer perceives it is what matters.

[12:07] Emerson College is a well-known college for people in the film and theater industries.

[15:10] When looking at a college, get to know the staff and professors to make sure this is where you want to spend your money.

[18:47] Jim discusses the curriculum you should look for if you want to get into technical theater.

[20:08] Jim shares what made him a deck one sub for the Blue Man Group and what being a deck one sub means.

[24:24] Jim talks about the top most helpful courses required from his BFA program.

[28:10] If you are going into technical theater in any capacity you definitely should take a computer rated drafting course like AutoCAD or Vector works.

[30:59] Listen, as Jim shares, how he would improve Emerson's BFA program.

[32:58] TAIT doesn’t care where you went to college, they want to see attitude and amplitude.

[34:42] Jim says don’t be afraid to ask for help is rule number 1.

[34:50] Rule number 2 is never make anyone else ask you for help, because you should see that they need help before they ask.

[35:45] Listen as Jim discusses the process from start to onboarding of becoming a Cirque du Soleil employee.

[38:15] If you really want to work for Cirque, be willing to go where no one else is willing to go.

[41:38] Jim talks about finishing the theater and building the show for Cirque in China.

[45:27] He wrote the rescue plan for ZAiA while putting the show together in China.

[48:22] Jim discusses the position at New York City Opera he accepted but never happened in part because of the housing crisis.

[51:03] When you are an up and coming professional in any industry, it’s important to have a broad set of skills.

[54:00] Listen next week for part II of this amazing interview with Jim Shumway.

Links and Resources: TAIT

TAIT Performer Flying

TAIT Take Over

TAIT Talks

TAIT Group of Companies

Navigator Training

Mechanical Design for the Stage

ETCP Certifications

IATSE Local Union Directory

One Shot Training

Emerson College Pre-College Programs

Emerson College Undergraduate Programs

Yale University School of Drama - Technical Design and Production

California State University - Fullerton

North Carolina School of the Arts

New York University

University of Nevada - Las Vegas

Connect with Jim: Book - Automated Performer Flying: The State of the Art

TAIT Take Over - Jim Shumway, Project Management

Connect with Siobhan: Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
Industry Explorers on TikTok
Book a Connection Call

Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

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Are you overwhelmed by the major life decisions society expects you to make, right now? You haven't even graduated from high school. Yet, you are expected to know if you even want to go to college and if you do, then you're expected to know what school to apply for and what major to pursue. You're expected to know your dream career, and you might not know how you're supposed to attain that dream or how you're going to pay for it.

If you try to find these answers via clubs and extracurriculars, then you are expected to spend money on registration fees, equipment, transportation. More crucially, it takes so much of your time. Your time and resources are immensely valuable and you deserve to explore your interests and discover yourself, no matter who you are or where you come from.

Industry Explorers exists to streamline that process and relieve you of your anxiety. We envision a world devoid of wasted potential. We are dedicated to guiding you toward the career of your dreams. Our guests orate their journey from high school student to successful career professional. Let Industry Explorers be part of your journey. Explore, discover, play.

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