Uncharted Journey: Recent Episodes
Cathy McKnight
Life is an adventure filled with great stories. This podcast captures and shares the adventures of amazing women, their careers, their success, and the secrets they learned along the way.
Dr. Ina Hatschek is a seasoned dermatologist with an impressive career spanning over 30 years. Dr. Hatschek’s journey is anything but ordinary—she almost became a professional swimmer, but a pivotal conversation with her father led her to pursue medicine instead.
Growing up in West Germany after her family fled East Berlin, she was deeply influenced by her strong and supportive parents and her grandmother, a professor of architecture. This early foundation instilled in her the belief that she could achieve anything, a mindset that has driven her remarkable career.
Dr. Hatschek's path has taken her from high school in the U.S. to challenging medical work in South Africa, and ultimately to her current role in dermatology, where she blends cutting-edge research with compassionate patient care. Along the way, she’s faced difficult choices, like deciding to transition from oncology to dermatology, and she’s embraced every experience with curiosity, gratitude, and a commitment to kindness.
But Dr. Hatschek isn’t just about medicine—she’s a passionate traveler, a budding pianist, and dreams of one day exhibiting her black-and-white photography. She knows firsthand the impact of mentoring and carries it forward. and also deeply believes in the power of serendipity.
Her best advice is to live life to the fullest and learn to balance a fulfilling professional life with personal passions. early on. And remember, that with the right mindset, anything is possible.
Dr. Ina Hadshiew on LinkedIn
Meryl Evans was born profoundly deaf, but that has never slowed her down or stopped her from making an impact as a renowned speaker, trainer, author, and accessibility consultant. A true champion of accessibility and inclusion, she is helping push progress in accessibility in education, marketing, advocacy, and product development.
Meryl’s expertise helps organizations navigate the complexities of diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring they reach wider audiences, boost engagement, and foster a sense of belonging for everyone. Her dedication extends beyond her professional work—she’s a passionate volunteer and board member, recognized as one of the 50 Leading Women by the Plano Chamber of Commerce and honored by the North Texas Disability Chamber with an award named after her.
As a sought-after speaker, Meryl has graced stages at LinkedIn, TEDx, and South by Southwest, and her insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Morning Brew, AdWeek, AdAge, and The Dallas Morning News.
When she’s not advocating for accessibility, this proud Texan might be found immersed in a crochet project or rehearsing for a community theatre show.
Kate Ertmann effortlessly moves between the worlds of business, math, and community service. Her expertise in Organizational Design is all about finding the sweet spot between humans and financials, helping companies and their teams thrive in the fast-paced 21st-century workplace.
Kate’s Entrepreneurial journey began with Animation Dynamics, a 3D animation studio she led to success and sale in 2014. Firmly committed to building and being a part of communities, she holds board positions at Bradley Angle and Bitch Media, and she also served as President of the Rotary Club of Portland.
In 2022, she launched "Kate Loves Math," a blog that demystifies math and offers practical insights. She’s also on the editorial board for the Mathematical Association of America's Math Values blog, bridging the gap between academics and non-academic types.
Before her current roles, she had a vibrant career in entertainment, from acting in New York City to producing films and commercials. Her transition to 3D animation married her love for math and science with her creative skills.
Today, Kate focuses on creating efficient operational structures that balance the well-being of companies and their people. Her mathematical approach to systems thinking and her dedication to community service make her a truly unique and inspiring figure. Driven to understand, her best advice is to “never leave the room without asking every question you have; that way, you and others have the answers you need.
Kate Loves Math
Kate on LinkedIn
Kate Loves Math on Threads Kate Loves Math Instagram
PJ Harvey's Man-Size video
Nicki Traikos is an inspiring, creative entrepreneur who has pursued her dreams and made a positive impact along the way.
From a young age, Nicki had a deep desire to create beauty through art, but she allowed self-doubt and intimidation to hold her back. Everything changed when she turned 40. Finally, allowing herself to embrace her true calling as an artist, and she went all in on her curiosity-driven creative journey founding Life I Design, a platform that allowed her to fully dedicate herself to her passion for art and making while building a sustainable business.
Nicki's approach to art is centered around making it accessible to all. Through her popular online classes titled "Watercolors Made Simple" and her recently published book of the same name, she invites artists of all skill levels to explore their creativity with freedom and joy. Her philosophy is straightforward but powerful: have the courage to try new things and find joy in the process of exploration.
In addition to her artistic endeavors, Nicki is a firm believer in finding beauty in everyday objects. She encourages all of us to appreciate the world around us in a deeper way and find uplifting moments in our lives. As a mother to two grown children who are also pursuing creative paths, Nicki finds inspiration in watching them flourish and grow.
When she's not creating beautiful artwork or teaching, she loves to travel and photograph new places, capturing moments that inspire her paintings, classes, and books. She embodies her advice of “find room to follow passion so that you can be your true self”.
Life I Design Website
Nicki on Instagram
Nick on TikTok
Nicki on LinkedIn
Life I Design Youtube channel
Check out Nicki’s Books
Join Nicki on her Water Colour Retreat in France
As the Group Chief Executive Officer at MicroLoan Foundation, Medha Wilson has dedicated her career to alleviating poverty and creating sustainable change for underserved communities. Under her leadership, the foundation's assets have quadrupled in just five years, and the number of active clients has grown from 44,000 to over 90,000. This incredible growth has made a tangible difference for women and children across Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Medha's journey is a testament to her remarkable blend of financial expertise and unwavering commitment to social impact. A Qualified Chartered Accountant with a degree in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from The London School of Economics, she seamlessly navigates complex economic environments. She develops holistic strategies that drive sustainable change.
London, UK-based, Medha is passionate about aligning her values, interests, and skills in everything she does. From her experience, she says, “When you combine persistence, stop fearing the unknown, and let passion drive you, you can make massive, positive impacts on the world and be fulfilled and successful at the same time.”
Mehda Wilson on LinkedIn
Microloan Foundation
Ways to donate to help empower women and children
Karrie Sanderson is the dynamic and accomplished founder and CMO at K.E.S. Consulting. With a wealth of experience in growth marketing, brand leadership and strategy, creative studio management, and strategic consulting, she is a powerhouse leader who knows how to drive success.
Her desire to be a journalist, with a detour via an engineering degree, landed her in the sweet spot of marketing that allowed her to blend her creative side and appreciation for structure and process. Karrie's impressive career includes CMO roles at Typeform and Smartsheet and impactful stints at iconic brands like The Coca-Cola Company and Starbucks.
As a mentor at Techstars Seattle and a member of Chief, Karrie is passionate about driving growth through research, strategy, brand building, and dynamic leadership. Her belief in the power of brand building and the importance of creating high-performance marketing teams is the cornerstone of her success. She embodies the philosophy that brand building is not optional and that a strong foundation is key to achieving greatness.
Based in Seattle, Karrie enjoys life with her family—both two-legged and four-legged members. She loves the outdoors, sailing, travel, and adventure and is always ready for the next exciting challenge.
Her advice for those starting out in their careers? “Say YES! Raise your hand for new and challenging opportunities when they come along.” And be sure to take others along with you on your journey to success.
Karrie Sanderson on LinkedIn
KES Consulting
Jessie Shipman has established herself as a pioneer at the intersection of education and technology, paving the way for a brighter future.
As the CEO and founder of Fluincy, Jessie Shipman has blended her teaching and technological skills and fostered an environment where her team can make daily impactful contributions. This approach has helped their customers enable partner selling, transform processes, increase success, and improve the lives of their staff, all in equal measure.
But let's rewind to her beginnings as a high school history teacher. Jessie wasn't your typical memorize-and-forget classroom—oh no! She taught her students the power of actions and decisions throughout history and how they shaped the world we live in today.
When she took on systems administration, her teaching evolved. She became the go-to guru for JamF adopters, and then at Apple, she moved on to teaching the teachers. From curriculum development to onboarding sales teams, she showed everyone how the right tools, the power of technology, and a dash of encouragement can unleash creativity and revolutionize the learning experience.
Parker, Colorado-based, is a mom and wife, snowboarder, mountain biker, entrepreneur, and WiFi Nerd in varying parts depending on the day. Donning her bootstrapping CEO-founder hat, her best advice is, even when you have what you think is a great idea, make sure "to validate idea has legs in the market", and "don’t quit your job without 12 months of runway in the bank".
Jessica Shipman on LinkedIn
Soundarya Balasubramani (aka Pooja) is not yet 30 but has already achieved so much. Since quitting that gig, an ex-product manager with Salesforce, she has added 2x author, creator of the online community unshackled.club, and founder to her list of accomplishments. She is a rare combination of writer, creator, and technologist.
Curious by nature she aptly calls herself, and her website, Curious Maverick, as a reminder of the courage she found to quit her well-paying to veer off what she thought was her journey’s path to follow her big heart and even bigger imagination.
Soundarya, who is based in San Francisco, has a master's degree from Columbia and sets a high barevery aspect of her life. She has learned that success comes from setting and then leaning into your own standards and expectations and ignoring others' definitions of success or failure. She for herself in believes that "Living by your own goals and expectations sets you free to focus on learning and growing from every new experience."
Soundarya Balsubramani on LinkedIn
Book: Admitted
Book: Unshackled
Unshackled community
Blog: Curious Maverick
Beth Torrie has an impressive 20+ years of experience in IT as an expert in industry analyst relations, marketing strategy, and media communications. She has fearlessly supported and driven AR programs for start-ups, midmarket, and large companies, delivering against aggressive goals, ensuring they meet, but often, with her guidance, exceed their business objectives.
As a strategic advisor and analyst relations professional, Beth has played a pivotal role in building several well-regarded analyst relations programs for esteemed companies, including FatWire, RedDot, Cybage Software, Contentstack, Sitecore, and OpenText. Now, as the principal of her analyst relations firm, she is in demand as a trusted advisor, thought leader, and go-to resource for venture capital and private equity companies, providing invaluable guidance on growth strategies for software and services companies.
Beth is a passionate music fan. She believes it to be the universal language and in its power to unify people and invoke positive change. She’s also learned as she moved out of early career survival mode to support great ideas wherever they come from, to help others in need, and to lift them up. Looking back on her career, she shared, “I've realized the impact of not having that support and the importance of providing it for others.”. Indeed, great advice.
Beth Torrie on LinkedIn
Torrie Communications
Melissa Moody is a full-stack marketing executive and entrepreneur extraordinaire. With an unwavering passion for user-first products and a remarkable talent for creating clarity amidst chaos, she is the go-to for best practices on finding focus and going big.
At the helm as General Manager for Matcha, a platform that empowers professionals, communities, and teams to grow their networks in a focused and meaningful way, she is continuing to connect people and positively amplify voices and knowledge.
With a mission to make the web a seamless and delightful place for all, before joining Matcha, Melissa blazed a trail as the CMO & Founder of SaaS start-up Gated. Before that, she spent almost 15 years at Google, working closely with Fortune 500 Travel companies, championing fast, frictionless user experiences and crafting effective cross-channel marketing strategies.
As if running a company wasn’t enough, Melissa also co-hosts a weekly marketing-focused podcast – 2 pizza marketing. And last year, tired of seeing the same faces in her LinkedIn feed, that were/are so often predominantly male, she co-founded Wednesday Women – a LinkedIn Group with the mission to increase the visibility of executive women leaders we should know, learn from, and be inspired by.
When she is not in the throes of work-hustle, she is fanatically family-centric, an adventure enthusiast, an avid reader, and a passionate traveler. She is also a fan of Modern Stoicism and has amazing taste in music as a big fan of The Killers.
Being based in Alaska and surrounded by nature, she gets a daily reminder just looking out the window to heed her own best advice to slow down, pause before delving in too deep, reacting to outside pressures/points of view. In the words of The Killers, Melissa wishes for everyone that “Your limits be unknown, and your efforts be your own.”.
Melissa Moody on LinkedIn
Nikki Carvalho's ascent to the presidency of State Window Corporation is a testament to her exceptional leadership qualities and unwavering dedication. As President, she not only holds the title but also leads by example, setting a high standard for excellence and encouraging her team to reach their fullest potential.
But Nikki's journey to success did not start overnight. She honed her business acumen and gained invaluable experience during her tenure as the Chief Financial Officer of the Peel Financial Group of Companies. Before that, she spent a decade at Deloitte, building a solid foundation of knowledge and skills across disciplines and industries.
As a female and visible minority leader in her male-dominated industry what notable sets Nikki apart is her refusal to be confined by preconceived notions and her unwavering belief in the power of diversity, kindness, and compassion. She is a showcase for what is achievable to underrepresented individuals who often face barriers in their careers. Through her unwavering passion for pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo, she inspires those around her to strive for excellence. And through her leadership, she aims to redefine the industry's perception of leaders by showcasing qualities of kindness, compassion, and rationality, while also championing the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations.
She walks the walk in terms of advice to not let imposter syndrome stand in the way of success. If you believe that you have earned a seat at the table – take it, by advocating for, and believing in yourself.
Nikki Carvalho on LinkedIn
State Window Corporation
Janna Kimel knows how to unlock potential at the intersection of UX Research, design, and accessibility. For more than 15 years, she has been a driving force in the world of UX Research, design, and accessibility. With an unwavering commitment to championing inclusive design and research, she has transformed countless ideas into reality, igniting new team dynamics and supercharging existing ones with her approachable and positive leadership style.
Her journey as a researcher has given a voice to products and experiences, while her expertise in building collaborative and inclusive environments has paved the way for seamless project alignment. With creativity and empathy as driving forces, today’s guest thrives on mentoring team members and brings a unique blend of curiosity, integrity, and openness to every endeavor
Janna has faced and continues to fight chronic pain for much of her life. And rather than let it slow her down, she has combined her worlds in launching the Chronic Pain Project. This passion project is a coming together of her love of art, empathy building, and her experience as a researcher. She understands that chronic pain can be intense and isolating and wants to bring others together to visualize the experience and share their stories.
She attributes her success and happiness, at least in part to finding balance in her life. Part of this came through great advice from a former colleague who told her to “drive your own bus” so that you get to control the destination, and through embracing others and welcoming them into her world including her husband, cat, and even herself, via a committed morning meditation practice.
This self-awareness is also reflected in her advice of “pull your chair up to the (proverbial or literal) table, and share your voice. Your true voice.” Because everyone has value to add and should be able to do so in an authentic self manner.
Janna Kimel
Learn more about and maybe even join The Chronic Pain Project.
Janna Kimel on LinkedIn
Tamsen Webster is part strategist, part storyteller, part English-to-English translator, and with an overlay of enthusiastic positivity. Take all those things to varying degrees depending on the day and tasks at hand, and there is no wonder her clients and followers learn and embrace the council on how to drive action with their ideas.
The primary benefactors of Tamsen’s expertise are storytellers. She has spent the last two decades helping them find and build their best stories they tell themselves and others. As the founder and Chief Messaging Strategist at Find The Red Thread, she boasts an impressive and diverse client list that includes big guns like Johnson & Johnson, Harvard Medical School, and Intel, as well as start-ups leading the next wave of innovation. She is also a professional advisor at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and a mentor for the Harvard Innovation Labs.
Additional accolades include being an in-demand speaker, being named to the Thinkers50 Radar Thinkers to Watch class of 2022, and publishing her first book – Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible. And most recently, she launched the accompanying Red Thread online course and is poised to publish her second book in the fall of 2024.
Pattern-driven, bidirectional, and curious, Tamsen is Boston-based with her family, a reluctant marathoner and connoisseur of dark chocolate, and, in her mind at least, a champion ballroom dancer. In her impressive 20+ years in marketing, 13 years as a Weight Watchers leader, and ten years later still working with TEDx Cambridge/New England, Tamsen has learned the value of support in its giving and receiving. Being open to receiving, as well as giving support to those around you, creates a positive pattern that extends into and creates a positive community for growth and learning.
TamsenWebster.com
Tamsen Webster on LinkedIn
Sign up for: The Red Thread Newsletter
Book 1: Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible
Book 2: Coming Fall 2024 – stay tuned!
Cindy Gallop is a woman to be reckoned with. With a background in brand-building, marketing, and advertising, she’s been a trailblazer since 1998, when she started up the US office of ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty in New York. Since then, she's only gotten more badass, earning accolades like Advertising Woman of the Year and being named one of the 15 Most Important Marketing Strategy Thinkers Today, alongside the likes Malcolm Gladwell and Seth Godin.
What really makes Cindy exceptional, is her outspokenness and willingness to challenge the status quo. Not content with just doing things the way they've always been done – oh no, when she sees something that is not working or needs to be done/done differently she moves to make those changes. Case in point, in 2009 during her TED presentation, in reaction to and based on her own direct personal experience dating younger men, she launched to a live audience that included Robin Williams (who BTW was duly impressed) Make Love Not Porn, THE social sextech platform designed to promote positive sexual behavior and values. It is a frank, open, and positive place for all to learn about sex that is very much needed. The world has been engaged and supportive of her endeavour ever since.
She also lends her badassery as a board advisor to a bunch of tech ventures, works as a personal brand/life/executive coach, and consults on brand and business innovation for companies around the world. Her consultancy approach “I like to blow shit up.”. You will never be at a loss for what she is thinking, particularly when it comes her fierce advocacy for diversity and inclusion in advertising, tech, and business. Her impact on those industries has been immeasurable.
So it should come as no surprise that when asked for her best piece of advice Cindy says “Don’t give a damn what other people think, do what you believe.”. This has certainly served her well
Cindy Gallop on LinkedIn
Cindy Gallop on Instagram
Make Love Not Porn website
Donate to Make Love Not Porn Academy Crowd Funding
Liz Robinson is someone who truly knows how to build teams, capacity, and community. With deep roots in communications for financial services, she has led impactful efforts like the one to expand the national conversation about how we value and pay for college, at institutions like Sallie Mae and U-promise Investments.
With more than 20 years of combined brand strategy and creative agency expertise, she has a unique ability to create meaningful experiences that drive positive change. Liz understands the power of a brand's impact on relationships, from consideration to loyalty and advocacy, and has successfully leveraged thought leadership, consumer insights, and her own highly creative mindset to drive revenue growth and customer loyalty at all the organizations that have been fortunate enough to have her on their team.
It was after a family trip to Kenya, that her business experience and passion for making an impact collided and inspired her to take that critical and essential first to explore how she could instigate and support a broader impact on building communities. Thus, her foray into the world of international non-profits and the start of her own business, L Rob Inspires. Today, at the helm of L Rob Inspires, she and her team are dedicated to helping non-profit and for-profit organizations build communities and foster stronger relationships with their customers, and in both cases make a different to the world.
Liz is Massachusetts-based with her family and four dogs and makes time to give back to her own community by volunteering with the Lovelane Special Needs Horseback Riding Program as well as an active board member on a couple of community focused organizations.
Please consider giving to one of the many deserving organizations that L Rob Inspires supports;
Team Heart
Embrace Kulture
Teach the World Foundation
Connect with Liz:
L Rob Inspires
Liz Robinson on LinkedIn
Lizz Bacon is an innovative problem-solver. A few years after graduating Stanford with a bachelor's degree in literature, she had the epiphany that she was a designer and pursued a master's degree in the discipline. And for the 25 years since, she has been practicing at the forefront of the digital product development.
While working for St. Jude Medical, she realized that she loves working on meaningful problems in the health domain. Losing her job at St. Jude’s was a pivotal moment in her career that lead to her starting her own company, Devise Consulting, at helm of which she has been pursuing her passion to help others ever since. And ironically, her first client was St. Jude’s – leadership quickely came to realise after her departure that Lizz is one-of-a-kind and couldn’t be replaced by anyone else.
Most recently she is taking her passion for helping make the world a better place with compassion and empathy and writing a book about how to sustain our souls at work.
In her down time, our guest enjoys writing poetry, drawing, driving cars as fast as possible, riding motorcycles through forests and mountains, drumming, and enjoying good times with beloved family and friends.
Lizz's best advice is to prioritize activities that feed your soul and give you a positive emotional state. She’s found balance and peace in mediation, even when, and sometimes especially when, “monkey mind” takes over …” it’s important to be attuned to one's true self and listen to the murmurs within”.
Lizz Bacon’s website
Devise Consulting
Devise Substack
School of Possible Substack Open House March 6
Danielle Barnes is the CEO of Women Talk Design, where she’s on a mission to amplify the voices of women and nonbinary individuals. She’s trained hundreds of wanna-be speakers on the power of storytelling and how to become more confident public speakers. Knowing that helping to create great speakers is only half the equation, she and her team also provide resources for organizations and conference coordinators on how to create and maintain inclusive environments that makes anyone feel welcome.
A serial starter of good things, Danielle is also the co-founder of Austin Design Week, a week-long event celebrating the design community in Austin through a hundred-plus free community-hosted talks, workshops, and events that ran from 2016-2021. And prior to that, she founded and led education company General Assembly’s Austin campus, launched the San Francisco campus, and championed the first full-time User Experience Design Immersive program.
As her next new thing – she has recently co-authored a book - Present Yourself, which will drop on March 11th, 2024.
She current lives in Berkeley, California, is a mom to one, and as if she isn’t busy enough, she also finds time to volunteer with CreativeMornings Oakland, a monthly lecture series for the creative community. Which further speaks to her drive and passion creating opportunities for others and in doing so, helping them bring their vision and dreams into reality.
Danielle Barnes on LinkedIn
Women Talk Design
Book: Present Yourself
Sign up for Women Talk Design Training & Events
Andrea Nordgren an extraordinary Colorado-based commercial, branded content, and film director.
Her journey in storytelling began with her nomadic childhood, which cultivated her into a highly agile creator with an insatiable curiosity about human behavior. She possesses a life-long wanderlust and is deeply passionate about championing diverse communities, cultures, and causes. With a degree in psychology and experience as a certified substance-abuse therapist, Andrea’s ability to genuinely connect with people is elevated to another level.
Known for her intimate, vibrant, and human approach, Andrea seamlessly blends her roots in docu-style storytelling with a knack for working with professional talent. Her on-set style has been described as calm, kind, inclusive, and collaborative, creating an environment where everyone can flourish and contribute their best.
Her extensive background as a graphic designer, creative director, and executive producer in various industries has shaped her into a versatile director capable of producing captivating content across sectors such as finance, hospitality, food & beverage, tech, and sports. However, this producer/director’s true expertise and passion lies in the healthcare, pharma, and wellness spaces. It's no wonder she chosen to direct celebrities and influencers like US Soccer phenoms Alex Morgan and Naomi Girma, novelist and Food Network star Katie Lee Biegel, Comedian Eric Andre, and direct the likes of sports legend Charles Barkley just to name a few.
Beyond her remarkable accomplishments, Andrea is a true ally and activist for diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is dedicated to creating positive change in the media landscape, not only advocating for representation in front of and behind the lens but also serving as an industry mentor and volunteering with organizations like Medicine Horse and Denver Basic Income Project to lead storytelling strategy and marketing.
Andrea found her true destiny when she started betting and investing on herself. That attention to herself, balanced one of her favorite quotes from Ava DuVernay’s “If your dream only includes you, it’s too small.” has guided this compassionate creator to success, while building the success of others as well.
Andrea’s website – check out her amazing videos and projects.
Andrea on Instragram – where she may, or may not, spend too much time.
Margot Bloomstein is a true powerhouse in the content strategy industry. With her notable publications, including "Trustworthy: How the Smartest Brands Beat Cynicism and Bridge the Trust Gap" and "Content Strategy at Work: Real-World Stories to Strengthen Every Interactive Project," Margot has become a prominent voice in the field.
As the principal of Appropriate, Inc., a renowned brand and content strategy consultancy based in Boston, Margot has worked with industry giants like Harvard University, Fidelity, Mailchimp, and Timberland, showcasing her breadth of expertise. She is known for her development of the message architecture-driven approach to content strategy and the creation of BrandSort, a widely embraced tool.
Margot's impact extends beyond her consulting work. She has been a featured speaker at prestigious events such as the Content Strategy Consortium and SXSW. She is an advisor at Women Talk Design and also teaches in the content strategy graduate program at FH Joanneum University in Austria.
But Margot's journey didn't start at the top. Hailing from a small town in New York, she pursued a BFA in Design and Anthropology at Carnegie Mellon University. Along the way, Margot gained teaching experience and established her successful content strategy consultancy.
When she's not revolutionizing the content strategy world, Margot enjoys painting, exploring museums, and hiking with her German Shepherd rescue, Rex.
Margot Bloomstein on LinkedIn
Appropriate, Inc.
Trustworthy: How The Smartest Brands Beat Cynicism And Bridge The Trust Gap
Ann Rockley is as resilient as she is innovative and tenacious. Conquering both the professional world and a chronic illness simultaneously for more than three decades, she has defied the odds while leaving an indelible mark as an internationally recognized expert in content strategy and content management. Duly dubbed the Mother of Content Strategy, for three decades Ann partnered with Fortune 100 companies across high tech, life sciences, and financial services, setting new standards for, and literally writing the book – Managing Enterprise Content: A Unified Content Strategy, on strategic content success.
But here's where her plot thickens. In 2021, Ann embarked on an extraordinary journey of transformation. With her ever-growing pool of experience as an industry expert and consultant, with intent and a new mindset she pivoted her focus from content strategies to something closer to the heart – health and success for busy individuals. Her decades of first-hand experiences taught her what it takes to climb the ladder of success as well as the toll it takes on mental and physical well-being, and the strains it puts on personal relationships and family dynamics.
Recognising the importance of sustainable success and refusing to let health take a backseat in the pursuit of professional achievements, she now shares her valuable advice and guidance to help her clients navigate the delicate balance between career aspirations and maintaining optimal health as a Revitalization Coach.
Never one to back down from a challenge, or to let someone or something stand in her way, her best advice for happiness and long-term success is “Don’t let anyone or anything limit your dream”. And don’t be afraid to pivot, you never know what you’ll find down the new path.
Ann Rockley on LinkedIn
The Essential Mindset Show
The Rockley Group
Tara King is a force to reckon with. With her palpable passion for life and deep kindness that she extends to all she meets, it’s no wonder she has a zest for transforming the way customers – internal and external – experience brands. As the Director of Customer Experience at Gibraltar Building Accessories, she's taking customer-centric strategies and communications to new heights.
Her earned track record speaks volumes, much of which was earned during her two plus decades working at Volvo USA. With her grit and tenacity, it is no wonder that her expertise in strategy, process enhancement, training, and network transformation has revolutionized customer relations across the automotive, retail, and manufacturing sectors.
Her road has not been an easy one – becoming a mom at 15 and facing what for others would be unsurmountable challenges. – which is some of why she is so committed to personal and professional growth. Earning a Management Certification from the renowned Yale School of Management, as well as having an advanced coursework from The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center and Sotheby's Institute of Art, she has an impressive range of skills in her toolkit. Adding to those already impressive credentials will be newly minted Author of a book on personal empowerment and success in early 2024.
Out of the office, Tara can be found exploring the world or whipping up a scrumptious meal for loved ones. And her giving nature extends beyond work, as she actively volunteers with local charities to make a positive impact.
Tara King on LinkedIn
Amanda Todorovich is a communications and marketing powerhouse in the healthcare industry with more than 20 years of storytelling experience. As the Senior Director, Health Content, at the Cleveland Clinic, she leads one of the most successful content marketing teams in the country.
Her accomplishments speak for themselves; she's grown clevelandclinic.org into one of the world’s top 30 most-visited websites! And let's not forget about the #1 most-visited hospital blog that she transformed into a revenue-generating powerhouse, with more than 7 million sessions per month.
Amanda's contributions have earned her prestigious accolades, including being recognized as the Content Marketer of the Year by the Content Marketing Institute and being part of the inaugural Fearless 50 by Marketo. Her success has been driven by her passion to make a difference in the healthcare industry and accomplish meaningful missions and visions.
According to Amanda, the secret to success lies in working hard towards your goals and not getting caught up in office politics or personal struggles. She advises “Listen to your gut. And if you get goosebumps, go for it.”
Amanda Todorovich on LinkedIn
We are kicking off 2024 with content and marketing industry royalty.
Ann Handley is a writer, a digital marketing pioneer, and a doubling-crowned Wall Street Journal best-selling author. A sought-after speaker, she is as memorable as she is inspiring, empowering audiences around the world to create marketing that your customers will love, and igniting real results for their business. And she is a super snappy dresser – just google some images of her and you’ll see what I mean.
To add to the list of her accomplishments Ann is a successful entrepreneur and company leader of two start-ups – ClickZ and Marketing Profs. And for the last 15 years at MarketingProf’s she and her team have hosted marketers from around the world at B2B Marketing Forum – which over the years has become the premier global marketing event for business-to-business marketers. It is no wonder that she consistently named one of the most influential marketers on social media and a thought leader.
The onslaught adoption, or attempt thereof, of generative AI techology has this professional communicator encouraging people – whether at the start or tail-end of their careers – to learn how to write and not depend on what these new tools can seemingly generate. And when Ann says “write”, she is not talking about grammar and punctuation, although that is important too. No, she means learn how to express yourself – its “important in an age of AI – where some think the robots can do it. But writing with a perspective and being able to communicate and express oneself is critical to success in any field”.
Fewer wiser words have been spoken.
Ann Handley
Ann Handley on Instagram
Ann Handley on LinkedIn
Ann’s newsletter: Annarchy Newsletter
Ann’s books
As 2023 takes its final bow, I can't help but be filled with gratitude for every one of you who has become a part of the Uncharted Journeys community. It has been an incredible first 60 episodes filled with inspiring stories, thought-provoking discussions, and beautiful moments of connection.
Before we dive headfirst into the unknown wonders of 2024, I need to give a special shout-out to the extraordinary guests who graced our episodes with their wisdom, honesty, and boundless passion. Your unique journeys and expertise have enlightened me, opened my mind to new perspectives, and done the same for my audience.
And of course, a big thank you, to my listeners and supporters who have joined me on this journey thus far. Your engagement, feedback, and encouragement have been humbling and motivating. I look forward to bringing you more captivating episodes, engaging discussions, and diverse perspectives in 2024.
On this last Tuesday of 2023 instead of a guest, this week's episode is a compilation of the songs our Uncharted Journey guests have shared to help us round out this year and welcome the new one.
As we gear up for a prosperous New Year, I wish you a holiday season bursting with joy and fulfillment, and a New Year brimming with success and wonder. I can’t wait to continue exploring the uncharted territories of knowledge, growth, and inspiration with you as we continue on this uncharted journey together.
Happy New Year!
Uncharted Journeys Playlist 1 on Spotify
In a world where mental health is often overlooked, Nicole Ferry stands out as a force of empowerment. She’s had a drive to serve for as long as she can remember, Nicole recently shifted her service dedication from law enforcement to mental wellness. With a mission to raise awareness about warning signs and the importance of seeking help, she is dedicated to fostering understanding and action in suicide prevention. Her story serves as a beacon of resilience, offering hope even in the darkest moments.
With an impressive 26-year career in law enforcement, including a role as Special Agent in Charge, Nicole brings a unique perspective to her work. Her experience as a Military Police Officer in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, rising to the rank of Sergeant, has honed her skills in leadership and strategic thinking. State-certified as an Emergency Medical Technician for 24 years, she possesses a deep understanding of public safety and well-being. She holds undergraduate degrees in criminal justice, and her Master's in Public Administration, with a concentration in Homeland Security, further enhanced her service expertise across the board.
Nicole’s commitment to making a difference goes beyond her professional journey. Experiencing the fall out of suicide first-hand, and subsequently battling PTSD and recognizing her trauma, she knows the challenges people face – personally and professionally – and is dedicated to supporting their resilience. As a keynote speaker, where she shares her story from the heart, her unique style blends empathy and empowerment and creates a safe space for individuals to share their struggles and seek help.
Nicole's approach to helping others - her family, she is a mom to 2, her in-service community, as well as those she meets in her day-to-day - is rooted in promoting mental well-being, self-care, and resilience. She takes the time each day to reflect and think about where she is in her healing journey and advocates that we all need to do that in our own way. Just one of the ways she inspires others to overcome obstacles and thrive.
Nicole Ferry Keynote Speaker Website
Nicole Ferry on LinkedIn
Anne-Phyfe Palmer grew up in New Orleans, and later moved to and settled in Seattle. It was there that she founded 8 Limbs Yoga Centers in 1996 to provide an inclusive and welcoming home for yoga practitioners. For 23 years she helped others find a deeper, inner connection with themselves, as well as with the world around them with a clearer lens on topics like the environment, as well as social and racial justice. And while she sold her yoga business in 2020, she continues to teach and build programs so that others can find the peace and joy she has embraced for decades.
Today Anne-Phyfe is grounded in nature, literally. Working at the Arboretum Foundation, she is finding new ways to give back to the world, as well as learning how to let others take the reins and set the direction for her workdays.
Always in for an adventure Anne-Phyfe, her husband, and their 16-year-old, she's a mom to two, took a one-year sailing sabbatical on the Pacific Ocean that concluded in August 2021. She has also always had a passion and love of learning. To grow and support her ability to be a mentor and coach she is currently studying Internal Family Systems and Hakomi Therapy. Her ongoing success has come from being open to receiving what the world has to offer – whether that is an idea or something more concrete, as well as working hard and “going for it” when she puts her mind to it. She cautions those of us who lean into our drive and passion “Don’t push too hard, and make sure to take time to know what feeds and nourishes you” and then to do those things so that you can continue to push, grow, and flourish.
Anne-Phyfe Palmer
Anne-Phyfe Palmer on LinkedIn
Anne-Phyfe’s Keepsake Journal Collection
Anne-Phyfe’s book recommendations:
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Growing a business: Paul Hawken
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Poser: my life in 23 yoga poses, Claire Dederer
Theresa Regli has more than 30 years’ experience in the digital technology industry, and is possibly THE most noted global expert in Digital Asset & Media Management (DAM). She advises clients on the DAM marketplace, data orchestration, creative operations, content supply chain, and Martech stack strategy, and subsequently supports the sustainment of digital stewardship and best practices, is the author of the definitive book on managing media and digital marketing assets, Digital & Marketing Asset Management: The Real Story of DAM Technology and Practice, a sought after martech industry speaker, and serves as a DAM industry liaison and lecturer in the digital media Master’s program at King’s College, London.
A graduate of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth’s Executive MBA Program, and she holds degrees in linguistics, journalism, and French language from Boston College, L’Université Stendhal in France, and Richmond College in the United Kingdom.
A lifelong-learner and one who embraces a challenge – be that a double-black diamond run in the Swiss Alps or learning to play the cello, in 2017 she uprooted her life and moved to London, England to fulfill her dream of living abroad, as well as a self-imposed challenge of starting her own business to reach new height of career success. Six years later she has exceeded her own expectations on both fronts.
Her advice to being happy and building a successful career “Pack your suitcase and grab your passport” and go where the experiences are and where you can build your network. “You can’t build a successful business network by sitting in your house”. She learned this early on, often paying her own way, and taking on debt, to be at the events, conferences, and courses where she could learn and meet people.
An avid traveler and adventurer, Theresa can often be found not in London skiing, hiking, and taking in local theatre, music, and arts productions.
Theresa Regli
Theresa on LinkedIn
Vox Veritas Digital
Buy Theresa’ book: Digital and Marketing Asset Management: The Real Story About DAM Technology
Jessica Hickey is a woman of many talents - Operations Mastermind, Author, Speaker, Coach, Author, and Sailor. Her professional life has been as varied as it has been interesting. From mixology to administrative to project management, an engineering degree, and the chance to learn all about how to run a business, to publishing a book as well as coaching CEOs of multiple types of companies.
A professional civil engineer, lean/six sigma green belt, and a certified change management professional, Jessica has worked in a variety of sectors including government, corporate real estate, professional services, as well as delving deep into entrepreneurialism. It was in this last area she found her groove – and spent 15 years as a “fixer” and fractional COO for companies spanning the hospitality, retail, and services industries. Recently she shifted once again and now spends much of her days as a Vistage Chair facilitating CEO peer advisory groups where curated peer groups benefit from her decades of diverse and vast professional successes.
Outside of work, she loves to travel and sail when the winds are favorable. She also volunteers and shares career experiences as a mentor to students at her alma mater San Diego State University. Part of that mentorship is sharing her philosophy of “Believe the people that believe in you”, something she learned from a woman fighter pilot trainer she coached, and has leveraged herself throughout her successful professional and personal life.
Welcome Jessica Hickey.
Vistage Coaching & Peer Advisory
Book: Stop Pushing String
Sylvia Baffour is an Emotional Intelligence Coach, Professional Speaker and Trainer who was recently ranked by HubSpot among the Top 15 female motivational speakers ahead Oprah Winfrey and Mel Robbins!!
A world traveler, she has visited more than 38 countries, lived in eight and speaks five languages. Her global experiences give her a unique perspective and ability to connect with diverse audiences around the world. In 2014, at the World Championship of Public Speaking she ranked in the top 20 of the 35K globally diverse speaker entrants.
For almost 20 years Sylvia has been engaging and inspiring audiences around the world with tools and strategies from her Dare to Care™ Framework. Keynote and workshop attendees have learned about her proven theories and methodologies build thriving work cultures with emotional intelligence. She has worked with the likes of Whirlpool Inc., Lockheed Martin, Capital One, Doctors Without Borders, and the World Bank.
I Dare You to Care is the title of both her emotional intelligence podcast and book. Both of these focus on using emotional intelligence skills to inspire, influence, and achieve remarkable growth.
Her positivity is infectious, and you can’t help but believe you can do whatever you put your mind to after talking with her about your ideas. From her early days as a management consultant to building her Dare to Care business, Sylvia has always understood the value of showing up purposefully in every interaction. She councils that success comes from intentional communications; that we should “prepare for and think about how we want people to feel after we’ve walked away”, and by doing so we can help ensure we engage in positive, productive conversations that have the intended results.
Sylvia Baffour on LinkedIn
Dare to Care
Dare to Care the book
Sylvia on Instagram
Lisa Welchman loves the web and all that it offers. And because of this love and the vision of the online venue’s potential to generate good – she has made it her mission to create a safer and more compassionate web through her consulting, writing, and speaking. As a leader in the digital governance space for more than 20 years, her passion centers around helping digital teams learn how to collaborate more effectively so that they can help improve the quality and safety of our online world. Something we are in desperate need of today, more than ever.
Bold and fierce are two words that come to mind once you meet and get to know Lisa. She is the foundational force of good digital governance and the importance of educating and encouraging leaders to have the right conversations and take the right steps to organize, govern, and run their digital teams more effectively.
Over the years, she has worked with all kinds of digital teams in organizations aligned with most vertical market spaces—and seen it all. Some of her vast expertise can be found in her book Managing Chaos: Digital Governance by Design. She also co-hosts a podcast with her design leader where they talk to the designers, technologists, and business leaders responsible for building the digital experiences that make up our world.
Recently relocating her home base to the Netherlands fulfilling a lifelong dream of living in Europe, Lisa believes that success comes from knowing what you want out of your life and career, and then going after it.
Lisa Welchman: author, speaker, consultant
Lisa Welchman on LinkedIn
Surfacing Podcast
Patty Radford Henderson has a passion for helping marketers see what is possible. As a senior marketing strategist, former agency owner, and start-up founder she has spent her career helping brands create customer-centric content marketing programs. She’s worked with Aveda, Thomson Reuters, General Mills, and Medela and has held leadership positions at Target and Regis.
As an experienced marketing leader, entrepreneur, and marketing solution provider she is committed to helping teams smash organizational silos and transition to a more strategic customer-centric approach to integrated omnichannel planning. Patty found her penchant for marketing early after graduating college with a degree in communications. Never shying away from a potential opportunity, she has sought challenges and knowledge with every role she has held and subsequently conquered.
She is taking her determination and love of a challenge to the next level with her latest endeavor. Leveraging her 25+ years of wrestling with spreadsheets as strategic planning calendars, she founded Annum – a specifically designed software company that helps marketers break down organizational silos and plan smarter. Patty is embracing the challenges that come with bootstrapping a start-up and is invigorated by the direct input she has with all facets of the business. And she is leaning into her own best advice – be open to absorbing other’s experiences, and advice, to help yourself, but stay clear on the impact you want to make and how you want to feel as you carry out your vision.
Annum
Patty on LinkedIn
Jenny Magic is just an all-around amazing and kind individual. Pair this with her 20 years of marketing transformation experience she guides management and team performance practices on positive methods to navigate and conquer change. One of her clients dubbed her a "marketing therapist" years ago for her ability to get a dysfunctional team back on track, and the label stuck. She even helped Sesame Street get along better.She relies on facilitation skills to build consensus around the tactical areas—processes, workflows, and technology—that allow change to actually stick. She is a certified professional coach as well as an external practitioner for the Fearless Organization, using the Psychological Safety Index as a team performance benchmark.Her own journey has been fueled by self-induced change. Not one to sit around and enjoy the splendors of success, Jenny has been on the pursuit of the “it” that will ground and fulfill her need to positively contribute to the world, while also gaining professional satisfaction. That itch has been, at least for now, scratched with the recent rebranding of her company, and the release of her first book. Along with co-author Melissa Breker, "CHANGE FATIGUE: Flip Teams From Burnout to Buy-In", is a must-read for any team leader. The book was fueled and inspired by her experience that a key predictor of any success is not just having a great plan but planning for change. Which, she and her team at the newly minted Build a Better Change, can help organizations realize. Jenny lives in Austin with her architect husband and two Zelda-obsessed sons, is an avid reader, fierce game night competitor, and former top person of the family waterski pyramids. And she believes that “Reciprocity is real”, and that if you get up each day thinking, how can I help others achieve their goals, or just have a better day, that your own life will be more fulfilling and successful. Jenny Magic on LinkedIn Build Better Change (formerly Better Way to Say It) CHANGE FATIGUE: Flip Teams From Burnout to Buy-In Build Better Buy-In Course
Allison Abraham has carved her success from a committed and deep work ethic. By taking a visionary’s point of view on just about everything and making sure those around her are supported, seen, and allowed to shine, she has set an example of what success can be. Previously as a leader of Non-Linear Creations, and now, as Valtech’s Managing Director of DXP for the Americas and part of the agency’s Americas Leadership Team, she actively drives the success of the org and all those who work for it. For more than two decades, she has been helping companies and brands excel through digital marketing and business transformation initiatives across multiple verticals. Along the way she has become an industry thought leader, public speaker, and strategic advisor to many C-suite and board stakeholders. She is passionate about equity and building women up, particularly in the field of technology. As such, she is a strong advocate and participating proponent of Valtech’s Tech Girl North America – a group designed to highlight opportunities for women in technology and equip young girls, the future leaders, with the skills and tools to take on the tech space. That is just one of the ways is a champion and mentor to the many organizations and boards she gives her expertise and time to. As most of us have, but specifically as a female leader in the tech space she has faced her share of challenges and toxic interactions. Her best advice - “Don’t make yourself available to things that are toxic. Set boundaries to keep yourself and your mental health safe.”. To do that, she has found doing the inner work, which often goes unheralded for its importance, is critical. Build and get to know your humility and self-awareness – then live that out loud. She says that has been critical in her success building. ValtechAllison on LinkedIn
Liz Bachman is a woman of the world, living in 16 different states in two countries before her 25th birthday. This mobility instilled in her a love of adventure, travel, and a delight of new experiences.
Her career journey has been equally diverse, beginning in banking, recruiting, and architecture, all leading to continued success in the fast-paced and dynamic environment of data centers at Microsoft as a certified PMP and fellow problem solver, a true kindred spirit. She found her way to compliance through process improvement, finding every compliance issue and opportunity for improvement by identifying the gaps or causes for the issue.
Her current role as senior compliance manager for supplier non-compliance of the supplier governance monitoring and enforcement team, my goodness that's a mouthful, allows for the identification of trends and implementation of migrating enterprise strategies.
Her adventurous spirit combined with the belief that it's never too early to start planning for retirement, today's guest experienced a life change when she was spending time on a sandy beach in the Sea of Cortez in the Baja California Sur in Mexico, her retirement destination.
It was during this time of exploration for retirement location that she found and started another journey of living plastic-free after finding and then filling a plastic bag with other plastics in the ocean while snorkeling. Five years later, her passion for living plastic-free has grown to include long walks on the beach with her dogs, discovering new restaurants and speak easies.
Liz knows it's difficult to change, which has fueled her passion for sharing lessons learned, tips, and tricks for living plastic-free in an understanding and compassionate way. “It is not an all-or-nothing game. Everybody can make a difference with little and small changes. And this isn't something that we can wait on starting.”
Living Plastic-Free Support List
Personal Care
Toothpaste – Bite: https://bitetoothpastebits.com/
Deodorant - https://www.nativecos.com/
Hair products: https://hairstory.com/
Toilet Paper: https://us.whogivesacrap.org/collections/all
Lipstick: https://vermouth.co/
Cleaning, Personal Care and Pet Products - https://www.grove.co/
Food storage - https://www.stasherbag.com/
Recycling for items not recycled by city - https://www.ridwell.com/
Clothes: www.prana.com
Greens - https://www.lettucegrow.com/
Andrea Belk Olson began her career building a tech startup from $10k in seed monies to a multi-million-dollar organization in only eight years. She went onto serve as the first female corporate executive at multiple global companies, and an I-CORPS certified instructor with the University of Iowa’s Startup Incubator. Trained as a behavioral scientist, Andrea founded a strategic differentiation firm, specializing in helping multi-billion-dollar organizations compete through better understanding customers. Andrea is the author of What to Ask: How to Learn What Customers Need but Don’t Tell You and an ongoing contributor to multiple major publications including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur Magazine, INC., Chief Executive Magazine, and Rotman Business Magazine (University of Toronto). She is also literally a world traveler, having worked in over 12 different countries throughout her early career. Andrea also serves as an instructor for the University of Iowa Venture School, and Business Coach for the Tippie College of Business Startup Incubator. Her best piece of advice, “Don’t feel trapped by what you think you’re SUPPOSED to do or be”. Go out and do what it is you want to do, and it's never too late.
Andrea on LinkedIn
Andrea on Twitter
Pragmadik.com
AndreaBelkOlson.com
Kate Billing has been obsessed with what it is to be human and how to be and do it better since she was 10 years old. She’s treated herself and her life as an ongoing experiment since her 20s in a way that now has an official title ‘Biohacker’…and has found it to be SO much more than just the ‘bio’ bit.
Those many years of awareness have honed her skills as an expert in leadership development and personal growth which she puts into practice a co-founder and executive development director at Blacksmith HQ. Through her unique vertical development approach, she offers Fully Human experiences that empower leaders to become the people they aspire to be.
With more than 25 years of experience in the people, culture, and leadership space, Kate is self-professed loving, challenging, and edgy which has led to her reputation for having sharp insights, a compassionate approach, and an infectious energy. All of these come in handy as she challenges the typical fast-paced, traditional approaches to capabilities development. Her approach helps clients adapt rapidly to ever-evolving technology and external forces so that they can navigate life’s transitions unlock their true potential and become authentic, responsible, and compassionate role models.
Her work incorporates timeless wisdom from psychology, neuroscience, chronobiology, anthropology, and philosophy, combined with her own lived experiences.
Always connected to her diverse global community, she likes to bring the cool stuff happening out there to New Zealand, and equally, shares her unique insights with the rest of the world while wearing the best ensembles. And her best piece of advice “Spend time with your own mind and be curious about what is in your mind that might help you move forward”, because you are the only one who can answer the most critical questions that will enable you to embrace a whole-person+whole-life philosophy and unlock your true potential and become authentic, responsible, and compassionate individuals with enriched lives that enrich those we meet.
Kate Billing on LinkedIn
Blacksmith – Fully human executive development
KateBilling.com– October 2023
Turning Point – Embracing the midlife power of female leadership
Jill Jago is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Vermouth, a premium, sustainable beauty company that aims to create a line of fully compostable beauty products made from natural ingredients and packaged using absolutely no plastics. She doesn’t believe in perfection and is a language fanatic – a very good combination. Her vast experience has shown her that the most exciting and world-changing ideas are born from a chaotic soup made up of clashing opinions, crazy notions, and stubborn dreams. There isn’t a messy situation she can’t handle by looking for patterns, making connections, and eventually finding then tugging on the end of the thread that will weave all the best bits together into one glorious opportunity. Positive doesn’t begin to describe her demeanor. She firmly believes as humans we have the power to create the future we want. Not one to stand by and see what happens – she actively seeks out people to partner with who are willing to challenge the status quo and who are as committed to making a positive impact as she it. Jill’s motivation to make more sustainable outcomes possible by challenging conventional wisdom has been built during a series of increasingly senior roles in a variety of industries. From starting her own water company to as CSO for an oil company she learned about resilience and climate change and the important role communications play in sustainability issues. She is committed to tackling the little-p political sustainability-related challenges with courage and a strong voice. The world is lucky to have her passion and loyalty to this commitment. She’s learned many lessons throughout her journey, and she wants people to know that “if anybody says you can have it all – be wary, because that is where madness lies”. Instead, lean into balance by finding what makes you happy and choosing what is important, rather than what you think is the right answer. Making that decision takes courage, but it’s an important decision to make.Check out Vermouth’s fabulous line up of lipsticks at Vermouth.co.
Danielle Paige spends her days as the chief marketing and growth officer at Nixon Peabody, an AM Law 100 firm. As a key leader, she focuses on brand strategy, digital business transformation, as well as client engagement and growth. A brand builder, storyteller, devoted client partner, collaborator, co-conspirator, and business driver, she has extensive experience in brand and reputation strategy and execution, operations, talent development, and culture building. She is a force to reckon with, and nothing can get in her way when she sets her sights on something. Danielle is outgoing and committed to success, both hers and others. A founding member of Chief, she sits on the executive board at Fast Company. Energetic, optimistic, and relentless, her sense of adventure started early on. As did the realization that to succeed means unequivocally believing in yourself and being able to adapt, quickly. Danielle continues to be guided by her inner drive to find work that was inspirational; to be a part of a company and in a role where she can make an impact.Her journey has had its fair share of shake-ups and success, and from each experience, she has learned important lessons and brought those with her to her next adventure. One of those early lessons was that relationships are key to success. In her words “once you’re with me on my journey, I’m hard to shake”. Her tenacity is palpable, and her energy contagious. Her best piece of advice is to “set goals for yourself and make sure that they are aspirational, and at least a little bit scary. Something that feels would take some element of magic to achieve.” Then get to work. Danielle Paige on LinkedInDanielle Paige at Nixon Peabody
Laura Parr is a trained business coach and mindset mentor. She has a background in business consulting with one of the largest consulting firms in London. Before pivoting to follow her passion for helping with her coaching practice she started, scaled, and sold her property business.
Her pivot that led to selling her successful business was the realization that life is not just about financial success – which she caveats is important to some, and that is ok – but the meaning, passion, and purpose are more important. She, and supporting research, has also found that for women, success is also often measured in being able to give back – back to the community, those in need, people, and organizations that have supported their journey.
Today, she’s focused on helping women who feel unfulfilled and who are looking to create a legacy as well as their freedom by building businesses of their own. She teaches people how to set solid foundations to ensure long-term, sustainable success, as well as how to incorporate social or environmental aspects to a company set-up, enabling these new ventures to give back alongside financial success.
Laura is an avid traveler, loves new experiences, and loves the people that she works with to create some incredible businesses along the way.
Her best piece of advice, do what you love. Work with people you like – coworkers, employees, clients. And don’t forget to keep up with what makes you happy today. Because it changes. She says “Take a minute to be introspective, and conscious of what happiness means to you” – you have to understand that to authentically know what it looks like for you – if you can’t do that, you can’t achieve it.
Laura Parr on Instagram
Laura Parr on LinkedIn
Laura Parr’s Conscious Business Community Facebook Group:
Laura’s co-authored book: Iconic Wealth for Women
Join Laura at the Iconic Weather for Women event on September 14th, 2023 in London, UK. Its program is geared toward helping women maximize their monetary and philanthropic wealth.
Nancy Harhut is a highly strategic and results-oriented internationally recognized Creative Director. Known for depth of knowledge and practice in using decision science to prompt customer action and loyalty, she and her teams have won over 200 awards for marketing effectiveness. Growing up, she had a zest for life and liked trying new experiences, from wearing paper dresses to trying a pomegranate for the first time. Intent on being a lawyer, suffering through four years of Latin to help in that pursuit, but after taking just one advertising and communications class as a senior in college she set her sights on the advertising world. Nancy has worked at various agencies, including Eastern Exclusive and Mullen, and most recently started her own agency HBT Marketing. As the firm’s hands-on Creative Director, she and her team create inventive and delighting digital and direct marketing campaigns driven by behavioral science.. Her path has not always been an easy one, but Nancy has always landing on her feet despite the twists and turns of the industry. She loves what she does and is constantly testing and trying new things. She remains actively involved in the creative process and is always looking for new challenges in behavioral science. Despite the challenges of navigating compliance and legal issues with clients, she finds satisfaction in finding ways to create effective work that satisfies both the client and the creative team. Her advice to others is to pursue their passions, empower others, and treat everyone with kindness and respect. She believes in karma and giving back to the industry by mentoring young people in the field. HBT MarketingNancy Harhut on LinkedIn
Dr. Amy D'Aprix is a renowned expert in her field who is affectionately known as Dr. Amy. With advanced degrees in Social Work, she serves as the Chief Empathy Officer and Life Transitions Expert at Life Transitions. Her mission? Assisting clients in navigating the challenges of aging and caregiving by offering down-to-earth, practical, and professionally informed guidance. Dr. Amy is not just an ordinary speaker and coach; she is captivating, pragmatic, and inspiring. With over 30 years of experience, she fearlessly delves into a wide range of topics to empower and assist others. Her expertise extends to aging-related matters as a Certified Professional Consultant on Aging, and she also holds a position on the Board of Directors of the International Federation on Ageing. As an accomplished author, Dr. Amy has written the transformative book, "From Surviving to Thriving: Transforming Your Caregiving Journey." She has also co-developed an audio coaching session and companion journal titled "Building the Bonds of Friendship at Midlife and Beyond." In addition, she has created innovative tools like the Life Memories Journal and Caring Cards, designed to foster meaningful intergenerational conversations. Passionate and vibrant, Dr. Amy infuses joy into everything she does. Like many successful women, she fearlessly embraces risks in her personal and professional life, eagerly learning from each experience. Now, with three decades of experience under her belt, she relishes this well-deserved stage of life. She focuses on doing what she loves, both personally and professionally, while also giving back to her communities. Dr. Amy's ultimate advice? Find humor in the tapestry of the human experience. Recognize that there are countless paths to happiness and that choices can be made to fulfill your deepest desires. If you find yourself unsatisfied with your current situation, seek out something that brings you joy and strive to attain that fulfillment. Remember, not every decision is a matter of life or death. Take a step back, breathe, and enjoy the journey. Dr. Amy D’Aprix on LinkedInDrAmy.life
Mary Quist-Newins is a driven financial industry founder, practitioner, instructor, researcher, author, coach, leader, and mom and grandmother. Her wall is crowded with degrees and certifications - she is Certified Financial Planner, and has not one, but two master’s degrees in business and finance along with two more advanced financial planning designations (CLU®, ChFC®), all of which she has leveraged during her three-plus decades in the financial services industry. Her passion throughout her career has been to raise women up in the financial industry – both as professionals and customers. Her current gig as the founder, Executive Director, and President of Moneyweave® Academy – a not-for-profit focused on helping women improve their financial security, blends her profession and passion in equal parts. She is the only endowed professorship in the nation dedicated exclusively to the study of women and money at The American College. And while at The College, she founded the thriving and unique Center for Women and Financial Services. Today’s guest has dedicated her career to bringing equality and equity to women in the financial realm. Leveraging the experiences and education of a multicultural upbringing – having lived in four countries and 11 states – Mary is comfortable with being uncomfortable. Something that has helped her throughout her career and life’s pursuits. Inspired by her mother’s persistence, Mary approaches each opportunity with curiosity, passion, and a drive to succeed. All of this she taps into as she builds MoneyWeave Academy and the vision of making it THE go-to resource that empowers women to learn and take control of their financial health and future.Through it all, her greatest joys continue to be helping others, her family, and good friends, learning, and pursuing health. And Mary’s best advice is “It’s never too late/early to take hold of your finances because intellectual financial wealth impacts your whole life’s journey”. Money Weave AcademyMary Quist-Newins on LinkedIn
Cynthia Nelson is a visionary entrepreneur with 25+ years of start-up and corporate experience building lifestyle and content platforms with world-class brands including Amazon/Audible, Walmart , Kraft, Sony Music, American Airlines, Disney, and numerous other media outlets. From early days as in the PC repair business to the COO of a major broadcast outlet, where together with an all-female Toedoebebe executive team they raised $15M in 2008 and had a public exit in 2012 with Entravision, Cynthia is a force to be reckoned with. She has garnered expertise in #allthingscontent - content creation and executions across all media channels operations, marketing, sales, research, technology/development, product development, content syndication and beyond. After the exit she founded and is the Managing Partner at Luminacion where she advises clients from the intersection of culture, content, and commerce on how to develop new opportunities by integrating brand and content the create monetizable moments. With not a horse in sight from her home and office in New York City (she once dreamed of being a horse rancher), Cynthia takes heed to the lessons she learned from her parents – don’t wait around for someone else to do things for you, be self-motivated; think strategically breaking the rules if you have to, and get excited about the little things. She is an in-demand writer, speaker, and advisor to a variety of outlets from Forbes to Digital Hollywood to Jupiter Research and Marketing to Moms just to name a few. As well, if she wasn’t busy enough, is an advisor and serves on several boards, and an active investor in female-led companies. Her best advice for success – don’t do it alone. Connect with others – talk to friends. Make new friends. Make meaningful connections with others who are akin to you by sharing your expertise and listen actively to what they have to say and share. Cynthia Nelson on LinkedInLuminacion2
Jess Tyson is a hard-working and detail-obsessed founder, author, podcast host, and speaker. She spends her days as the proud Director of Calm at Don't Panic Management, the first virtual assistant agency to embody a people-first approach to virtual assistant success. Since 2011, she's been making matches between chaotic, overworked entrepreneurs and focused, calm virtual assistants. Her book, Panic Proof, explains how the art of hiring and working with a virtual assistant is a must-read resource for small business owners and solopreneurs. She also offers the Panic Proof Blueprint one-day intensive workshop for struggling owners who need a hand with delegation and best practices to build a life they love.
Not only is she the great mind behind her brand, but Jess also stays active and aware of what it means and takes to be a virtual assistant by doing the job as the manager for inbound speaking opportunities, email marketing, travel planning, and scheduling for the original Content Queen, Ann Handley. She also gives her time and skills as the Marketing Director for going on close to 20 years for YPI Inc, a non-profit organization that offers a 2-week camp that creates a safe and inspirational environment where young people from diverse backgrounds can explore their creative side.
She once dreamed of days on the ocean working as a marine biologist, but Jess figured out early that she likes variety in her days and that there is more to life than work. Thus, she didn’t want to pigeonhole herself into just one thing. Hence her start on what was then an unconventional path into the world of virtual assistants. That decision grew from being a job that allowed her to travel and hang out at the beach into an industry-leading company.
Her life is often a whirlwind of wrangling her two young kids, speaking at events, organizing meetups, and building out her latest project, the Georgetown Collective, which is a carefully curated coworking and community space called Unconventional in the heart of Georgetown, CT.
Don’t panic management
Panic proof blueprint 1:1 workshop
Don’t Panic Podcast
Jess Tyson on LinkedIn
Jay Trestain is a self-professed unicorn - technologist, strategist, mentor/career coach, volunteer, and massive advocate for women and girls in STEM; she also has some of the best hair going in the industry. Jay loves talking to people about how the lines between technology and human experience are increasingly blurring together. In her day job as IBM iX's Global Lead for Adobe Workfront, she is an experienced global leader with extensive experience in information technology and services. She is skilled in Sales, Partner & Relationship Management, Enterprise Mobility, Digital Reinvention, Go-to-market Strategy, and Offering portfolio development/management. Her management style is simple – be in service of whomever you work with. Your teams. Your clients. And yourself. She believes great results can happen when everyone’s interests are considered. Another of Jay's passions is ensuring her daughter (and everyone else's) has access to genuinely equal and unbiased opportunities across all sectors - particularly tech. She is also a massive and vocal advocate for driving better awareness and understanding of mental health and the impact it can have. Her passion comes from firsthand experiences she's endured and evolved from in her own life – something she has been open about and talks freely of to encourage others to do the same. Her perspective is that by sharing and being forthright with what her life outside of work entails, she can provide others the opportunity to be compassionate and flexible and feel safe to share their own needs and be on the reciprocal end of that compassion and flexibility. Jay's figured out how to "get very comfortable with chaos" and leans into it; works with it, not against it. While her global gig (an intentional choice to have the flexibility of working across multiple time zones, not just the local one) is a far cry from being a Formula One driver as she had visions of being when she was young, Jay still finds reasons to pop champagne and celebrate the wins, big or small … she's just not (often) spraying it all over people. Her best piece of advice – make value-based decisions. Get comfortable with what really makes you tick. And not the salary or title, but what is deep down inside, your foundational values – and then use those to make decisions. Because at the end of the day, if you've been faithful to who you are, then good things will happen. Connect with Jay: LinkedIn Or at:IBM Think (May)Adobe’s EMEA Summit (June)Cannes Lion (June)
Cathy McPhillips is the Chief Growth Officer at the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Cathy is a Buckeye through and through. Growing up in Lakewood, Ohio, she attended Ohio University to study journalism. While at OU, she worked at The Post, the school newspaper that started her content career—amassing 30 years of marketing expertise in a variety of roles and organizations, including agencies, B2C, restaurants, and non-profits, as well as starting up and running her consulting firm for 13 years. Cathy was the original marketing lead at the Content Marketing Institute and an OG member of the Orange Foundation. She is as gracious with her time and knowledge as her kindness and participates on several not-for-profit boards and committees.Ambitious and reliable, Cathy never loses sight of humor's importance: "You've got to find the joy and happiness in what you do; otherwise, what's the point". Growing up in a large family, she knows how to navigate a crowd and get to the root of what must be done. That alone will get someone far in life but add it to an uncanny ability to remember people and places and make the right decision at the right time, and there is no wonder how she lands top roles with exciting companies on the cusp of greatness. A far cry from early visions of being a librarian.Reflective and loyal, Cathy takes her time making significant decisions. It took her several months, and being pro-actively locked out of her email while on vacation (thank you, Pam Pulizzi), to realize it was the right move to give up her own business and go all in with her CMI-orange-obsessed posse. She has the same gut feeling as Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute "It's not about the technology – which is admitted very cool" but knows the team will help make life better via the AI tools that are popping up everywhere.Her best advice – trust in yourself. Believe in what you are doing, get a little uncomfortable trying new things, and excel where you didn't think you could.Cathy McPhillips on LinkedInMarketing AI InstituteMAICon July 26-28
Lisa Bragg takes her name more literally than most. Her book Bragging Rights: How to Talk about Your Work Using Purposeful Self-Promotion officially hits the literal and virtual shelves on May 11th. It is a must-read for anyone looking to improve their self-advocacy skills. Lisa is also a speaker, advisor, professional mentor, and the founder of MediaFace, a Toronto-based content and consulting firm. Before MediaFace, she was a TV reporter and anchor for 15 years and the Executive Producer for Tedx Hamilton. Connecting with others has been the red thread throughout her career.Lisa knew early on that she wanted to go into broadcast journalism. The news was always on in her home growing up, and that, combined with her insatiable curiosity, made becoming a reporter a natural path. She was as comfortable behind the camera as in front of it – often heading out on her own to interview people that others overlooked. She loves hearing their stories, giving them a platform to share them, and opening the door to other opportunities.Lisa’s passion and enthusiasm to help and cheerlead others turned her away from TV and onto starting MediaFace. She didn’t want to follow the factory mindset that if she just worked hard and stayed the course, someone else would notice her work and achievements and raise her up. Instead, she heralded her own success and knowledge and started her firm to do that for others and their companies.She’s accomplished a lot and says that a significant a-ha was realizing that balance is essential. She is quick to point out that “true balance doesn’t live anywhere,” but knowing and acknowledging what is the most important thing – be that family, work, or writing a book – at that moment in time and focusing on that, while making sure the other projects are tended to, sometimes by others, is more than half the equation to success. The other half – be willing to talk about those successes. Proactively and unabashedly share what you have to offer with the world. “Tell people what you want and self-advocate – contrary to what we think sometimes, people are not mind readers.” When you brag, do so intending to serve – thinking about how your knowledge helps someone else succeed. Lisa BraggOrder: Bragging Rights: How to Talk about Your Work Using Purposeful Self-PromotionBragging Rights Riff Tool: for idea generationLisa Bragg on LinkedInLisa Bragg on Instagram
Zontee Hou brings a unique blend of strategic, academic, and practical thinking to all she does. With more than 15 years of marketing industry experience garnered from the likes of IMF, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Allstate Insurance, and Indiana University, she KNOWS marketing. Today she leverages those honed skills and passion for advising and teaching as the founder of Brooklyn-based consultancy Media Volery and as the co-lead of strategy for Jay Baer’s Convince & Convert agency.
As if she isn’t busy enough, she is also a faculty and adjunct lecturer at Columbia University and the City College of New York, helping students create connections between marketing methodology and business goals. So it is fair to say that she is putting her degrees in marketing and strategy from NYU and Columbia to good use. Teaching and her busy speaking schedule also fulfill her performer's dream.
Unlike many of us who’ve ended up in content and marketing through technology, business operations, or even accounting – yes, I know an accountant turned CMO – Zontee has had her sights set on being a leader in the industry from early on. She has been a consistent early adopter and leader in what are now mainstays like podcasts, blogging, vlogging, and strategic use of content. This has enabled her to understand what it takes to build these core skillsets and help other organizations succeed and quickly get to market. Creative and loyal, she is all in on everything she does – bringing what she knows to the table every time.
Fortunate to have had strong female role models and mentors, starting with her mom, Zontee has shaped her career and company to enable success in all facets. As a new mom, she is thankful to have recognized that she didn’t need to be boxed in by anyone else’s expectations or limitations. And her best advice – build a network. “Connecting with others, and then paying it forward” has had the most significant positive impact on her career, she says. She’s made lifelong connections that started as a simple introduction and turned into key community members.
Zontee Hou
Media Volery
MarketingProfs – ShakeUp B2B
Jess Moore Matthews is a force to be reckoned with as the founder and Chief Good Troublemaker at Backbone Digital Leaders - an agency conceived by unbought and unbossed black women. Her digital marketing and organizing expertise started with a tweet during former President Obama’s address to her graduating class. Those 120 characters led her from intern to leadership positions on several presidential and down-ballot campaigns and in industries from tech to state and local government. She has been a digital trainer and coach with the National Democratic Training Committee and a mentor to many.Destined to impact the world in a big way, Jess is mission-driven – when she sets her mind to something, there is no stopping her. She blends her pursuit of honesty, with herself and others, and faith, in those who came before her and the powers around her to guide her in decisions and direction that uplift communities and give them a seat and a voice at the table. Seeing others succeed empowers her to do more for her team and those they support.Jess has a clear vision of where she wants to take Backbone Digital Leaders and has had great role models to show her what hard work, dedication to that vision, and mutual respect can help you achieve. She’s also recognized that the little moments are the big moments in our lives. We must breathe in and absorb what is happening because we never get that time back. Something she is doing more of as she pursues justice for all. She also believes that love is radical. And that actions fueled by love conquer all, and the future belongs to those who speak up and fight for it. Hear, hear!Backbone Digital LeadersJess Moore Matthews on TwitterJess Moore Matthews on LinkedIn
Jen Frost is the Managing Director of Marketing with One North Interactive in Chicago. A long way from visions of being a teacher and trying to get her brother to sit through “lessons”, Jen has always loved sharing her knowledge and collaborating with others – something she finds rewarding.
Creative and flexible, she enjoys the changing nature of her work; she’s learned to be flexible. Like many, Jen honed her marketing chops across multiple industries within Fortune 1000 as well as start-up businesses in the technology software and services fields. She figured out early on that the big, corporate environment wasn’t for her and that her sweet spot was marketing to C-Level B2B buyers. Along her 19-year journey with One North she has excelled in M&A, change management, executive and internal communications.
Like so many, she’s had to learn balance – something she finds by spending time with her son and her music. She, a champion of women through Women Employee Resource Groups and a proud member of CHIEF, also helps others find their balance. She is a mom, loves photography, travel, and finding great new restaurants. She is also an avid song writer, and who knows, we may see her at the Grammys for song writing one day.
Through it all, she has relied on advice from her dad - be inclusive, think outside the box, and don’t take it personally. And her best piece of advice – everyone should have a negative thought stopper; a mantra that you say to yourself and it bolsters you to help navigate tough and negative situations– hers is “Strong, and getting stronger”. "We have to be able to build ourselves up" - if we can't do that, how can we help others.
Jen on LinkedIn
Look for Jen’s blog on Surviving Business Dinners – coming to Instagram soon.
Susan Baier helps marketing agencies build ROI and reputation with research. As one of the few, and certainly the best, attitudinal segmentation researchers, she helps clients understand how their customers think and feel in order, which in turn helps them deliver the best possible experiences to their audiences.
A far cry from being a nurse – something she aspired to be until she passed out getting her ears pierced, Susan earned an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from the University of Arizona. Before she and her sister started Audience Audit, she held senior positions in Brand and Category Management at Dial, Circle K Stores Inc, and ConocoPhillips.
Fiercely independent, Susan surrounds herself with a community of mutual support that she feeds and taps into as a researcher and business owner. Something she wishes she had done earlier in her career. Collaborative by nature, Susan got caught up in the title-chasing and prove-you-wrong rat race early on in her career. Corporate success brought increasingly complex and pressure-filled gigs. Susan excelled but just about burnt herself out. When the recession hit in the late 2000s and she lost her job, she took that opportunity to start Audience Audit. For 12 years, it was just her, and now she has a team, and it is, as she says, “a full-fledged agency”.
Finding the balance of growth, leadership, and delegation has been a back-and-forth process. “It’s challenging to let others run something you’ve built” because some of what makes it successful lie in the head and heart of the founder. Almost a decade and a half later, Susan has found that balance, for the most part, after some back-and-forth. “Each week brings new opportunities to grow and set a slightly different path,” helping her see that there is still so much to learn. She is also keenly aware that the decision impacted more than just her; she has a sense of responsibility she takes to heart.
Today Susan focuses on and embraces the idea of being relentlessly helpful – “Give all you’ve got because this is the only time you have to do that”. But she warns you to ensure you have boundaries for whom and when you give that relentless help. There is power in being able to say no – “we need to get practice in saying ‘Nope’ – easily, positively, and without regret.”.
You can meet up with Susan in Chicago at the Build Better Agency conference
Learn more about Audience Audit
Connect with Susan on Facebook and LinkedIn
Lacrecia Cade has had an impactful and exciting career that has been as varied as it has been interesting.
Like a puzzle, she has purposefully pieced together a career - starting as a lawyer, moving into entrepreneurship, becoming a marketing executive, and ultimately becoming President and CEO – where she is today. Strategic and not one to take no for an answer when she's looking for a yes, she's been a positively disruptive force throughout her unconventional journey.
Lacrecia leans into seeking challenges. From her early grade school days, she knew if she wanted to succeed, she'd have to disrupt more than a few preconceived notions – hers and others. It's been a tough go, but she maintained her good nature and never lost sight of fun.
She set her sights on being a lawyer from a young age. Highly empathetic and concerned about fairness – she specialized her law career in employment, education, and insurance coverage. A self-proclaimed insurance nerd, it was during her time at Aflac insurance that she dug into the inner workings of running a Fortune 150 insurance company – first as a lawyer and then by moving into the business to lead the B2B marketing team. After that, she took on the challenge of serving as the first female president of Atlanta Life Insurance Company. She remains bold in the insurance industry at the helm of the industry-disrupting insurance company The What-if Collective.
Lacrecia saw the links between lawyering and marketing early in her career. She loved lawyering but knew, in its purest application, it was out of sync with what she was supposed to be doing. Wanting more, she sought opportunities to understand and learn how a successful business ran not just in a financial and operational sense but in terms of culture, people, and atmosphere.
Working against the current can be exhausting. Her comfort with all degrees of disruption and willingness to push for change – Lacrecia doesn't do the "status quo"; initially, a hindrance became her calling card and got her hired in progressively challenging roles. Cognizant of how her direct approach could come across to those not in on the "why" she was hired (for her reputation of being able to get things done/changed quickly), she always made sure to understand the goals of the gig and plan accordingly, not wanting to be seen as a bull in a China shop, or worse.
Lacrecia had a life-altering a-ha moment about a year into working as an in-house counsel for Morehouse College. After about a year, she realized that she wasn't as tired while she was still working extremely hard. Why – because the unconscious friction of being "the only" in a room of peers had been removed. Most of her education had been done where she was one of, if not the only, person of color, and same with her early career roles, she hadn't realized how much extra energy it took to thrive when negotiating to be the "only" in the room. She says that awareness gave her freedom and a firm sense of self. It was very empowering and is something she carries forward, creating environments where people don't have to work against who they are.
Work/life balance "Can't be had," says this mom of two daughters. As a self-professed extrovert, she's "done some hard shit in her time," but building a company remotely is the most challenging thing she's ever done. There is never-ending pressure from all aspects of her life. So, her best advice – make deposits in different parts of your life when you can so that you can make withdrawals when you need to. That is how to maintain a positive life flow.
Lacrecia Cade on LinkedIn
With her signature strategic optimism, Kate O’Neill is helping humanity prepare for an increasingly tech-driven future. She is the founder and CEO of KO Insights, an industry leader, and someone who excels at introducing new successes to companies.
Kate has always sought to understand the meaning of music, words, and interactions and how they impact our day-to-day lives. A self-professed language nerd, she speaks multiple languages and plays multiple (12!) instruments. Encouraged by her family, her mom set an example of what hard work and determination can accomplish and always encouraged her curiosity.
Adaptable and always attracted to people who could reinvent themselves, Kate doesn’t take a traditional approach to her professional or personal growth. She loves that the generation coming into the work phase of their lives is taking a different tact. That they don’t stress about anticipating what their entire career path will be. Sure, they plan for it and take on new challenges as they present themselves much more readily than previous generations.
Kate has reinvented herself on what has become available. “No way I could have anticipated what would be available after college,” she says. But with, a mindset of openness and adaptability and a willingness to apply what she learned and knew to new things gave way to tremendous opportunities, like heading up a language lab at the University of Chicago and building its first website. Toshiba then recruited her to develop its intranet.
She moved into the start-up world while managing her technical writing and website management business. From there, she sought out Netflix, impressed by its vision. At first, they didn’t know what to do with her, but they knew they wanted her. One of its first 100 employees, they created and gave Kate the platform’s first content management role.
Kate is currently working on book #6 – admittedly, it is going slower than expected. She’s taking a more considered approach – trying to listen to her audiences and clients to address the challenges they face in today’s technology-laden world and what impact they and the solutions we come up with will have on all facets of our future. Following her advice, Kate is falling in love and focusing on the problems, not the solutions, as she writes her book. She’s letting herself be fascinated by the questions, not the answers, making sure she considers all the options and potential outcomes.
I can not wait for this new book!
Website: KOinsights.com
About: koinsights.com/about/about-kate-oneill/ | linkedin.com/in/kateoneill
Pronouns: she/her (Why do I include these? Learn more.)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateoneill/
Mastodon: https://mastodon.cloud/@kateo
Lisa Buyer is a leader. Always one to be on point and often ahead of the curve, she is a bright light that shines on female leadership advocacy as the founder of the #FemaleDisruptors movement. She and her team at Female Disruptors spotlight women who are disruptors in their space. She inspires future female disruptors via much-needed advocacy, education, and inspiration via unwavering and committed passion, vision, focus, compassion, and determination.
Words have held a special place in Lisa’s heart from an early age. An avid reader, she dreamed of being a journalist and was inspired by her high school yearbook teacher to pursue her passion. She realized early on that she needed to carve her path and thus hacked her way to a successful digitally-centered PR practice and thriving agency, The Buyer Group. She re-imagined the age-old PR practices into a technologically enabled discipline. She created the textbook for it with her book Social PR Secrets – now widely used in PR curricula across the US.
It was well into the agency’s success that she noticed a discrepancy between the coverage she could secure for her male clients and the female leaders she worked with. Equally or more qualified and impressive as their male counterparts, the traditional media outlets just weren’t as interested. Heeding her advice to not rely on others to get your narrative out in the world, in 2019, Lisa created her outlet to provide the platform these and other, amazing women deserved. Focused and professional, the #FemaleDisruptors movement was born with a new megaphone for professional women.
Then in 2021, things changed; all the business and personal struggles of growing a successful business and movement amplified. Lisa was burnt out. Her team was at a crossroads. Her daughter was struggling. Lisa knew what she had to do. Giving the team 30 days’ notice, she shuttered The Buyer Group for the foreseeable future. Now what?
Turning to the personal growth and success thought leaders she leaned on early in her career, she was inspired by Susie Orman once again. Coming out of retirement to support the Me2 movement, Lisa listened to her podcast Women and Money. She was back at it within weeks – starting up a virtual summit, updating existing and creating new digital PR courses, keeping her core focus on her daughter, and ensuring she had the needed support and resources.
Today, Lisa thrives again thanks to her early enablement and encouragement to try new things. She doesn’t miss client work or managing a team. And has come to realize that it is ok to close one chapter of your life to start a new one; you don’t have to stick with something just because it's successful or because there is history to it.
Lisa’s bucket is a full grow movement for women around the world. She is thinking about how she can help and mentor young adults, that vulnerable 18-25 age group, navigate unprecedented times with digital wellness and clarity on the social impact digital has on all parts of our lives to help them look forward and evolve beyond where they are today.
Melanie Deziel is the Co-Founder and VP of Marketing at The Convoy and author of the best-selling marketing and business communications books "The Content Fuel Framework: How to Generate Unlimited Story ideas.", and more recently" Prove It: Exactly How Modern Marketers Earn Trust" She is an international keynote speaker, skilled virtual presenter, and is recognized as one of the world's leading experts in native advertising and branded content.
A far cry from ice cream sampler, although she does indulge in the frozen dairy delights, just not in a professional manner; Melanie has always loved how words could compel people – to listen, to buy, or to believe. She found early on that she had a knack for doing just that, as did others. From the NYT's recruiting her as its first editor of branded content, where she wrote the native ads that won the Best Native Advertising Execution OMMA Award, to co-founding Story Fuel and becoming a speaker with a global audience - people are compelled by what Melanie has to say.
With an adventurous nature and an openness to letting the universe guide her, Melanie, early on, let things come to her; later, she started to pursue what she wanted. From the Huntington Post to the New York Times and Time In. – she learned a lot but yearned for more control. From there came her own business, a book, speaking career, and she has ridden that wave ever since.
Melanie credits her successes and fulfillment to hard work, a willingness to take risks, and the stars aligning on multiple fronts. She notes that great opportunities sometimes come from unfavorable situations. She'd had a slow burn fueling an internal fire to do more when her dad got sick. Taking time away from work to help care for him gave her clarity. She realized that she didn't miss work; conversely, they weren't missing her. It was time to branch out on her own.
That was challenging. Culturally there was, and still is, shame about not wanting to climb the ladder and get to the C-suite. Luckily for her and her extensive client and follower list, she didn't care what others thought. The passion and fun she has working with companies that share her values make getting up each morning a new adventure.
Admittedly, as much as she loves her gig, she is a bit jealous of what is available to kids today in terms of choice – both in education and careers. Impressed with how the generation coming into their career phase is embracing technology and innovation, the chances they are taking, and the resulting fruition. Melanie is also impressed with how women are stepping up, bringing their voices and whole being to the table, and asking for what they want and the attention their ideas deserve. She admittedly struggled with this early in her career and didn't have many female role models to look to, which is one of the reasons why she is so willing to help others reach their goals.
Twitter: @mdeziel
Instagram: Instagram.com/meldeziel
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melaniedeziel
Contact: https://www.storyfuel.co/contact
Cheryl Sutherland is a Mindfulness Speaker and Founder of PleaseNotes, a for-purpose company of affirmation-filled products.
She has spent her career spreading the message of mindset growth and human potential and has worked with companies such as Wonder Women Tech, WeWork, The Women's Leadership Intensive, and Badassery Magazine. In her teens, she had visions of reshaping people physically as a plastic surgeon; she now helps others reshape their frame of mind and commitment to themselves.
Cheryl describes her career a 'Either a great story or a dumpster fire – it depends on the perspective".
Before getting into personal growth – it was all about working hard. She was ticking all the proverbial boxes but felt something was missing. Looking for inspiration, she attended a "how to make more money and be more successful" workshop. She had a revelation. And after a lot of internal reflection, what she took away from that workshop was not about making more money but about following your passion. So she permitted herself to step away from the "success" she'd achieved and leaned into her newfound passion – personal growth.
With entrepreneurship in mind, she left Calgary for LA and set her sights on learning firsthand, on the fly, how to start a company and about self-growth. Her most significant discovery was that the magic bullet for success was confidence. It didn't matter what you knew or how passionate you were about something; if you were confident that you could do what you had a plan for, then that was the motivation and fuel needed to succeed at it.
She loves the pace of running a company. Still, at the beginning of 2022, she stepped away from her company's operations, promoted herself to visionary, and hired a business manager to run the day-to-day while I see she started work with a tech company. She realised that her old habits of negative self-talk and anxiety were creeping back into her life and needed to step back to reset her intentions and more precise boundaries.
Her mantra throughout it all has been, "If it's easy, I don't want it". And Cheryl firmly believes that you can have anything you want if you believe you can. Reflecting back on her career thus far, she realises that "If I had just believed in myself from the beginning, finding success and fulfillment would have been much easier".
Cheryl on LinkedIn
PleaseNotes Website
Kristina Halvorsen is a widely recognized leader in content strategy and UX. She is the owner of Brain Traffic, a content strategy consultancy; the author of Content Strategy for the Web; the host of The Content Strategy Podcast; and the founder of the popular Confab and Button conferences. She’s come a long way since dreaming of being Marsha Brady as a pre-teen.
Curious by nature, Kristina is driven by the constant craving to meet interesting people, learn new things, and take on challenges. Curiosity, supported by her resilience, has helped her run her own successful business and stay on top of her game for more than 20 years. Oh, and she loves just the right amount of chaos thrown into the mix for fun.
As a theatre major in college, after graduation, she quickly turned her sights to a gig that could help her pay rent and to eat, and so began her foray into the web world via sales, PR, and marketing. She noticed themes – a lack of focus on the importance of content and that content problems are actually people problems. Inspired by the article “Content strategy and the philosophy of data”, where she saw the term Content Strategist for the first time, she took it on as a title, wrote an article, then a book, and then built a business on it.
Kristina has seen the discipline of content and UX be born, grow, and mature, and she continues to embrace the changes that continue today. “It’s exciting times,” she says, talking about the growth of awareness and specializations that have come about in the last five or so years. “People are asking tough questions and pushing for the answers” – it’s what our industry needs. It’s one of the reasons she started the ConFab conference in 2011 – to bring content strategists together to learn, connect, and grow.
Kristina takes a hands-on role in multiple areas of her business. From helping clients get to their lightbulb moments, coordinating speakers for her events, and sponsoring scholarships for speakers and attendees. This may be the training ground for her next passion career in the theatre.
Her best advice – treat yourself to therapy; it’s a gift that just about everyone could use. And if you’re lucky, your work benefits will pay for it. And another thing we can start doing right now is to stop being so hard on ourselves. The internal dialogue of “we’re not parenting well enough, we’re working too much, not doing enough for others” is unproductive. Kristina believes we need to stop looking at what is wrong and turn to look at what is right when we look in the mirror, and while you’re there – pat yourself on the back – you deserve it.
Kristina Halvorson on LinkedIn
Braintraffic
ConFab Conference
Button Conference
Karla Santi is a change-maker and creative visionary. An early entrepreneur, she's accomplished on many fronts, including being an advocate for women in tech for her entire career – often speaking locally and nationally to encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM. As Blend Interactive's CEO and visionary, she uses her strong creative drive to foster a company culture and environment where people want and love to work. She sets an excellent example for her kids, team, and others in the community and nation.
Karla grew up in an artistic environment – from art and sewing at home to an encouraging grade school art teacher who acknowledged her creative talent. She turned early aspirations of being an art teacher to the digital world, where she plies her creativity wherever possible and in whatever she does. True to her mid-western roots, she can't help but be authentic in all she does, no matter what life throws her personally or professionally.
Embracing what she believes in, Karla has evolved her roles at work, at home, and in the community over the years. She is willing to break out of her comfort zone, take on new challenges, and push others to do the same. Whether planned or happenstance, Karla embraces new challenges and opportunities for growth. A pivotal moment for her, and ultimately the organization, came about by chance when she had to take center stage to accept an award. The resulting invitation to speak at a gala in DC to a very influencer-heavy audience – amplified her voice and public presence – both of which she's been leaning into ever since.
Karla's learned that flexibility across the roles we fill is essential if we want to grow and mature. And she tries to provide that for her team at Blend and her family. Like so many of us, decades of experience provide opportunities for reflection and create awareness. Flexibility lets you create the space to try new things and grab opportunities as they come about. Flexibility enables you the mental space to be bold and try new things without waiting for the perfect time, which will never come around.
"Be bold, and take risks" – advice she follows to help Blend achieve its goal of being known as the best team in the industry by 2030.
Gini Dietrich is the queen of spin … from founding a thriving PR agency, writing and hosting her Spin Sucks book and podcast, or when she is on her Peloton, which she's on … a lot, she knows what she wants and goes for it. Her marketing and PR street cred are well earned as the creator of the PESO (Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned) marketing segmenting model and certification program, which millions of global marketers leverage to meet their company goals.
Early on, she set her sights on climbing the corporate ladder in a big law firm. But her first taste of marketing changed all that. And change is something she has learned to roll with. Whether that comes from being the eldest of six or moving out on her own when she was still young, her confidence and can-do attitude serve her well. She's leaned into that positivity and grit throughout her career. From being a little too ahead of her time with an online PR education program to all of a sudden being a best-selling author and needing a copywrite lawyer (oh, the irony), going on a book tour, and developing an accompanying certification course with at top tier university – Gini digs in deep and gets it done.
Successful and still extremely busy, she is more selective in where she puts her energy and isn't making as many "in-the-moment" decisions. She's learned along her journey that there are choices to be made. And as time goes on, what were once tough decisions, are now easier. Decisions like politely declining a speaking gig or client opportunity to be home more don't cause the agita they once did, or stepping back from running and building her agency, which she did for 15 years, to focus on the work and being a kick-ass communicator. She still makes compromises, as we all do, but they are on her terms and no longer compromise her family, health, or self.
A passionate communicator, another thing she won't compromise is her ethics. Not even if it means saying no to a lifelong dream of being on the Food Network. She's realized that after spending a lot of time thinking about having it all – you can't. You just can't unless you're willing to compromise on what makes you happy. And that is just something Gini is just not willing to do.
Her best advice - be what you want. Be happy; the rest will come – really, it will.
Spin Sucks
Gini Dietrich on LinkedIn
Gini Dietrich on Twitter
Spin Sucks Podcast
Spin Sucks Book
Leslie Ehm knows a thing or two about swagger. A former TV host, singer, Chief Firestarter, and advertising Creative Director turned training guru, boxer, swagger coach, and speaker, she has 20 years of heart-and-soul fueled experience in people development, authenticity, leadership, and communication. Her super-power – transforming corporate culture, exploding employee engagement, all the while releasing exponential human potential.
Born into a family of high-achieving women, she credits her mother for not being afraid to bring high energy and her rebellious spirit to all she does. Her inner marketing creative surfaced early when she dreamed of being the one to come up with great names for shades of nail polish and lipstick. A pioneer, her mom, gave her lots to model from – initiative, passion, and more than a little bit of chutzpah.
Leslie doesn't step but instead runs in headfirst into all she does. Whether packing up at 19 and moving across the pond to build a singing career or pitching TV scripts to anyone who will listen, she is willing to try anything and start at the bottom and work her way up. Leslie collects and builds on her experiences and the knowledge gained through them. Highly creative, Leslie has let passion drive the direction of her long and winding career path, leaving a slew of happy clients and gained experiences in her wake.
Her clients get her up in the morning – the drive to help others is strong and undeniable. It led her to write her Wall Street Journal/USA Today/Amazon #1 bestselling book: Swagger – Unleash Everything You Are and Become Everything You Want. Not one to let any opportunity to help go by – she most recently has turned her COVID creative outlet – portrait painting – into a fundraising effort via Portrait for Good – where she sells here interpretive portraits and donates all the proceeds to inclusive charities.
She has found success, joy, and fulfillment by saying 'yes' to pretty much any opportunity that comes her way. Her other bit of advice – ask for help when you want or need it. It shows confidence and strength in character to admit when you don't know something or are curious to learn more.
Her best advice: life is not a rehearsal; don't get a minute back once it's passed, so feel deeply, help others, and do what you love.
LeslieEhm.com
FB @LeslieEhmSpeaks
Insta @LeslieEhmSpeaks
LinkedIn @LeslieEhm
Portrait for Good
Gina Balarin discovered that she has a unique way of looking at things, so maybe a 9-5 job wasn't for her. Whether it was learning to read ahead of many of her peers and deciding at an early age that her intellectual drive was more potent than her desire to dance, she's always considered herself somewhat of a trailblazer. Also, growing up in Apartheid South Africa, she understood how words could impact how people interacted with each other and how they felt about themselves. That drew her to hanging out her shingle and setting her sights on helping marketers worldwide do marketing they're proud of.
Gina has followed her gut instincts when it comes to deciding her path. And while sentimental in her own way, she also understands the value of letting go to embrace new challenges and opportunities. She has done this over and over again in her career – whether pursuing her higher education, writing a book, indulging her creative side, or doing a Ted talk – she has pushed forward down her own Communications Boulevard to the next opportunity.
When asked, "why marketing?" she thinks deep down she's always meant to be a marketer. Always fascinated by interesting people, she thrives on the interaction and problem-solving she gets to do with clients. Helping people find ways to be prouder of who they are, what they do, and how they make a difference in the world by leveraging the power of communication awakens her own drive to do the same.
Her best advice – look after yourself. Today. Now. And be brave. As Gina attests, even the most straightforward act of bravery can change our trajectory. It's all about the choices we are faced with and what we do with them. If we listen to that empowering inner voice, the one full of support, nothing can stop us from being extraordinary.
Gina on LinkedIn
Gina on Twitter
Verballistics
Gina’s Ted Talk
The Secret Army: Leadership, Marketing and the Power of People (on Amazon)
Dia Bondi helps high-reaching professionals speak powerfully to advance their goals. She has worked with CEOs, innovators, and ambitious professionals and led workshops at corporations, including Quartz, Salesforce, Google's X.team, and Dropbox. She also helped Rio secure the 2016 Summer Olympics and has spoken at influential global events. After attending auctioneering school for fun, she translated the techniques she learned into a program that prepares women to ask for more and leave nothing on the table, called Ask Like an Auctioneer. That project produced a mission- to put more money- and decision-making power in the hands of women so we can change everything for all of us.
A curated pioneering spirit and not one to take sh*t from anyone, Dia is a northern California girl through and through. She loves the outdoors and open roads and has a keen sense of adventure, which is likely why, in her formative years, she yearned for a career as a long-haul trucker so that every day would be an adventure
Dia has carved out adventure in all that she does. Marrying her high school sweetheart, raising two amazing kids, and carving the professional path that best fits her passions and personality – she does everything with purpose and intent. Dia dreamed of working with people a certain way but didn't know how to do that. So leveraging her extroverted nature and talent for connecting with people, she turned her fitness career into a thriving coaching and leadership empowerment practice.
She gives due credit for what she's accomplished to her network of friends and mentors and their willingness to help and be frank with her. A big lesson – putting what you want to achieve into the universe, not taking no or setbacks as roadblocks, but rather opportunities. She let herself want her dreams, regardless of how grand or out-there they seemed, rather than rationalize herself out of them as many do. This is what she helps others do now, teaching others how to let their inner self drive and to ask for what they want until they get it.
With a book, Ask like an Auctioneer, on its way in 2023, Dia shares her 15 years of knowledge and insights from teaching workshops and speaking. Her best piece of advice, get serious about naming and claiming what is important to you and then go after it. She says, "it's easy to get pushed into taking on and taking responsibilities for things that are not important to us, and we need to focus on what is important for us.". By doing this, Dia has seen how it makes it easier to take on those things that aren't what we want and cultivate what IS important to us.
Dia Bondi on LinkedIn
Dia Bondi Consulting; Where Transformational Leaders Find Their Voice
Megan Gilhooly is driving a new customer experience for self-help and content strategy at Reltio. She makes it her mission throughout her career to change how organizations think about product content. Her superpower - turning dysfunctional communications teams into highly efficient content producers.
With visions of overcoming her shyness, which she absolutely has – and traveling the world as an inspirational speaker, she landed in journalism to share her voice. Yet after living through while reporting on the devastating flood and fire that hit her hometown of Grand Forks, ND, she realized that journalism wasn’t going to lead her in the direction she wanted to go, so she took her gifted writing skills to the corporate side of things. Starting on contract, she was hired and moved up to management in the world of technical writing.
Her path forward is driven by learning and going after what she wants. From a master’s degree to starting her own business (Snailers) to motherhood – she is driven by inner strength. She learned it from her mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer when Megan was just a toddler. She didn’t realize that her mom instilled a strength of character and will in her until much later in life, but she has always let it guide her in making decisions.
A big believer in taking the first opportunity that presents itself has worked out well and helped her recognize opportunities at hand. Megan has never been afraid to say yes to the first offer if it felt right. No FOMO for her. And she’s not scared of change. From getting married to moving to and then back from Canada, and then restarting her career, she says it’s the values of a company she weighs heavily in choosing her next adventure.
As a Turn Around Strategist, she can’t be afraid of change or pushing for it. She thrives on fixing problems rather than taking a well-run operation to the next level. She is strategic and comfortable as a change leader; no form of hell or high water can stop her when she sees what needs to be done. Megan loves a good challenge. She knows first-hand that sometimes you must push through the noise and push back on those in your way to get what you set your sights on.
Her best advice – is never to let anyone stand in the way of getting what you want.
Megan on LinkedIn
Melissa Bouma has more than 20 years of agency success under her belt. As a servant-leadership-focused female executive, she leverages lessons learned during her early days in retail and pioneering SEO in her day-to-day leadership role as the four-decades established award-winning agency’s first female CEO. Her passion - connecting the dots, whether they be information to knowledge or people to teams.
Like many, she had other aspirations (fashion) as a young woman growing up in LA. Her dad’s sage advice to get a business degree, a recognition that she is a left-brainer, and her stint in post-college retail led her on the path to where she is today. She says she “fell into marketing” – to leverage her retail sales skills, but when you look at her career, there has been nothing happenstance about it. Her intentional decision to delve deeper into retail strategy led her to be an early pioneer in the SEO space – building one of the first dedicated SEO practices. Cold-calling an agency she wanted to work for to get a job, she landed the gig and quickly worked her way to being president while refining and leaning into her empathetic nature. She now knows this strength as the servant-leadership approach and makes the most of it to pilot her agency teams to success.
As a self-proclaimed “Dot Connector,” she has the uncanny ability to see the right direction for her companies, teams, and herself. It is that reflection and consideration of the impact of her decision on others that has helped her embrace the often-chaotic variety of her day-to-day at Manifest. Melissa is never quite sure what the day will bring and often is shocked at what she accomplished when she takes a few moments to reflect. That is one of the most disruptive shifts she’s had to make as CEO. She has to be everywhere – a generalist versus the specialty roles she’s had before. She loves the leadership role – even if she didn’t expect to be sitting in the CEO chair.
Becoming a CEO wasn’t a conscious path. Each time a new opportunity/role came up – after dealing with the inevitable episode of some imposter syndrome – she asked herself, “Am I ready?” and, “I am the right person for the gig for the rest of the team?”. That is her servant-leadership style coming through – making sure she could deliver what the teams would need, not just her ego.
Too early to start thinking about a post-Manifest future; she loves her gig and teams too much. When pressed, Melissa knows it will involve others – she loves leading and working with people too much to ever go it alone. And she wants to be there to help others step out of their comfort zone and to be able to ask for what they want. Of course, it’s scary, she says, but being afraid is rarely a good reason not to try. Excellent advice.
Creative Pushups by Manifest on LinkedIn – exercises to flex creative muscles
Melissa Bouma on LinkedIn
Website
Kate Bradly Chernis is the founder and CEO of Lately. She's also an award-winning radio producer, engineer, and voice talent with 25 years of national broadcast communications, brand-building, sales, and marketing expertise.
Growing up, Kate didn't have the aspiration of being any one thing, but more so liked to try new things to find something she wanted to do. Encouraged to explore, her aunt Jonette has always been there for her as a role model and inspiration. She set the example that even after the unfathomable tragedy of losing her family in a fire, she persevered; she stayed positive and channeled her energy into helping others. That example buoys Kate from being overwhelmed with her never-ending to-do list.
Kate also had support and guidance from her dad. After suffering for years with one ailment after another and not being able to heal, her father pointed out that maybe it was her work environment making her sick and that it was time to go out on her own. The thick skin she built up as a former rock 'n' roll DJ and on-air host at Sirius/XM is serving her well and helping keep things in perspective. As a start-up CEO, she spends a lot of her time maintaining fires contained and preventing them from spreading or new ones from starting. Those tough times were a wild ride that she would do again. That lawlessness enabled her to find her voice and passion. She leverages that and what she learned in radio about the neuroscience of music to fuel Lately's artificial intelligence.
Kate learned a lot in her many roles, but one of the most important lessons is that she needs to listen to her body. Sometimes it takes it yelling, but she listens. Walking, meditation, and looking at challenges as opportunities for growth and learning, Kate thrives on the energy of being part of an accelerator. And while she wishes there was a map sometimes, she's learned the hard way that sometimes it's easier to make up your own rules of engagement. That way, you can say what you need to say. Do what you need to do. And do not worry about being nice.
Amy Woods is an expert in content repurposing and the CEO and Founder of Content 10x – a niche creative agency and the first content repurposing agency in the world. And while it's a giant leap from her early aspirations of being a detective, that same analytic mindset and deep curiosity have helped her achieve so much, so quickly. She chalks her confidence up to what her dad instilled in her; he always encouraged her to keep an open mind and work hard.
Those traits served her well in her 13 years with Accenture as a management consultant. It wasn't until a health scare that she found her way into the world of content and digital channels. Recognizing content's impact on business, she combined her process-oriented mind, commitment to innovation, and desire to learn and start her own company. Her desire to end her road warrior travel day completely – not even wanting to commute beyond the hallway in her house, she knew that this new endeavor would be a digital org.
After a steep learning curve, lots of education, and a very well-spent $2000 on a seminar session with Chris Docker to test her business plan – which was validated resoundingly, Content 10x was borne. Always with the vision of it being more than just her, Amy has a core leadership team that runs the business's day-to-day operations while focusing on sales and growth. Amy remains hands-on and deeply entrenched in building and shaping the right team. Because as she said, "Our business lives and dies with the team that delivers it."
So, to keep her team engaged and motivated, she encourages them to step up and try "new" – new ways of working, processing, ideas, etc. Amy recognizes that new can be scary, but it's also exciting and stimulating. She says people "… hold back and worry about repercussions too much. You only live once – so if not now, when? You have to go for it."
Such great advice.
You can hear more from Amy on her podcast, The Content 10x Podcast, and B2B Content Strategist. And if you have anything to do with content, and I mean anything, I recommend her bookContent 10x: More Content, Less Time, Maximum Results,, the ultimate guide to reaching more people online with your content.
Katelyn Sorensen is the President of B2B Social and serves as Chief Executive Officer for both Loomly and Sendible. She brings in-house and agency sales, marketing, social media, and more expertise to these current roles. She has recently become an expert in remote leadership, managing diverse teams across multiple continents from her residence in London. Curious with a passion for solving problems, she loves trying new and interesting cuisines and pushes herself by setting and busting goals for her work and personal life.
Danielle Diliberti has a laser focus on process and efficiency, which has played well in her role as Sommsation's Chief Executive Officer. She is also a Senior Director at the diversified holding company Eldridge, with a strategic focus on technology-first business development and ongoing investments. She also serves as Chief Technology Officer at portfolio company The St. James. So many hats! Never afraid to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty, she leads by digging into the minutia of the technology and processes that will support and drive the organization's success.
Sonja Keerl is a MACH Alliance co-founder and industry Firestarter, challenging the status quo of the enterprise software industry in every role she’s had. A fierce believer in forward-thinking and taking chances, Construction.io is the most recent benefactor to her grit and commitment. As the organization’s Vice President, Product Marketing, Sonja brings two decades of digital industry experience in the areas of marketing, business development, and services. Previously she worked for digital experience vendors Contentstack, Bloomreach, and SDL. She is a mother of three very active kids, is based near Amsterdam, and loves adventure, travel, and great wine.
A 30-year marketing industry veteran, Lori Jones is as known for her keen business and fashion sense as she is as a marketing integration guru. Experienced across multiple adjacent disciplines such as marketing, advertising, PR, and digital and social programming, she truly shines in bringing each of those areas together. Bold in her beliefs, she doesn’t subscribe to the “business as usual” type of thinking but rather lives and works by the notion of “business as [un]usual” delivering results by outthinking our clients’ competitors within asset-intensive industries. Aside from her role as Mom to four, she is also President, CEO, and Director of Strategic Development at Avocet Communications, a family business founded by her father in the early 1980s.
Susan Hunter is an HR consultant and diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist. An avid reader and an incurable chocolate lover – not necessarily in that order. Her commitment to causes she believes in helped her flourish with firms like Aon Hewitt and Willis Towers Watson. She now applies that passion for fueling her own personal, professional, and financial freedom working with clients to solve their problems and making HR accessible and easy.
Cori Caldwell had a successful 20-plus-year relationship with Silicon Valley companies like VMWare, Symantec, and Cisco before a series of life-changing events brought her marketing and communications career to a crossroads. Taking stock in all facets of her life – work, social, and health – she chose the path less traveled and embarked on a new adventure. Leveraging what she knew and had learned from working her high-pressure tech-gigs, she turned those lessons into a passion career as a work-life coach to help others find and follow their best lives.
Michelle Anderson’s career has spanned more than 20 years as a marketing communications professional, and she’s just getting revved up. Her work and career have been led by her passions, almost always involving music and technology. Starting as a music publicist, working with Lawrence Welk-owned Vanguard Records, she evolved her career through working with consumer technology brands and filling her soul with philanthropies, including the National Abortion Rights Action League and Planned Parenthood. Most recently, Michelle joined NextTech Communications, a women-led agency born from The Bliss Group, as vice president and is excited to bring her go-for-it approach to live to her new adventure.
Amy Budd is a global marketing leader with 20-plus years of experience leading high-performance teams in technology companies. A firm believer that success comes from a blend of serendipity, courage, and skill, she recognizes her good fortune in having had leaders who were willing to take a chance on her early in her career. Her current gig with Qlik as the Vice President of Field & Partner Marketing has brought together her training and experience in corporate marketing, field marketing, and events planning.
One of the most insightful people in the tech industry, Anjali Yukkandi leads the global product marketing efforts Movable Ink as its Vice President of Product Marketing. Starting off in the tech industry as an industry analyst with Forrester Research, she has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, AdAge, CIO Magazine, and The Economic Times covering a range of topics from customer experience to dam to lessons learned from being a working mom.
A self-proclaimed Germanized American, Jessica Bergmann embraces life with a “do no harm, take no shit” attitude. Whether leading a team of content experts at Salesforce or thinking about how to revolutionize the shoe industry, she understands the role balance plays in long-term success. Her journey has taken her from Kansas City to Germany to San Francisco. An adventurer and list-making enthusiast, listen to this episode to hear how taking chances that are fueled by a long-game vision can lead to fulfilling lifelong dreams.
Caroline Kay is an entrepreneur, business and success coach, growth consultant, and fellow podcaster. She has a knack for sales, the gift of gab, and the power to persuade and you don’t even realize it, which is what makes her such an in-demand coach. She has a passion for creativity and helping people and has evolved her passion for art and teaching to create a unique space where she gets to meet really interesting people, work with fantastic companies, and continue her own adventures in learning.
As the GM of Informa's The Content Marketing Institute, Stephanie Stahl leads the brand’s event and digital operations – and gets to work with the best team on the planet! From dreaming of being an editor to doing just that and so much more, Stephanie understands that content is the critical component to delivering experiences and connecting with audiences.
A renaissance product marketer, Loni Stark as the senior director of strategy and product marketing at Adobe, is responsible for the Adobe Experience Manager and Adobe Target business. The cloud-based solutions, which are part of Adobe Experience Cloud, help marketing and IT to design, anticipate and deliver personalized, multi-platform experiences at scale. Stark holds a Master in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor in Arts and Science from McMaster University. She speaks at industry conferences and her articles on the impact of digital on customer experience and marketing have appeared in numerous business and industry publications.
Neha Sampat was born an entrepreneur. She founded her first start-up at 12 with her love of music and NKOTB and hasn’t looked back. Since then, she has added the titles of venture capitalist, CEO, sommelier, and industry leader to her handles.
Today she spends most of her time as CEO of Contentstack, an industry-leading headless content management system. A recognized industry leader, Neha leverages her platform to raise others as a proponent of equity and diversity, the democratization of technology, and as an advocate for women in leadership.
She has accomplished so much and shows no signs of slowing down. Neha has been able to avoid some of the pitfalls that often plague serial entrepreneurs by espousing to live Brian Dyson’s (Coca-Cola President and CEO 1978-1991) advice in his “5 Balls of Life” commencement address to Georgia Tech in 1991;
[…] Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends, and spirit. And you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends, and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.
By staying focused on what’s important, she has found a way to bring her passions of language, wine, building things, and making a difference into pretty much everything she does.
Named to San Francisco’s 40 under 40 list and top 50 women in tech dominating silicon valley, she strives to inspire and empower her teams to make the most of their superpowers, whatever that might be. Her superpower is adding passion together with ideas and a vision to create success.
Career song: Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey
Career street name: Less Traveled Road
Influencer:
Dreammakers podcast
Neha on LinkedIn
Neha on Twitter
Carla Johnson is a force to be reckoned with. She’s a leading innovation architect, author of 10 books, train station historian, and an in-demand speaker, world traveler, and worthy scooter race opponent. Day-to-day Carla Johnson helps organizations design and build the ideal architecture to accelerate innovation, engagement, and growth.
With both city-street cred and farm grit, Carla lives to learn. She firmly believes that to succeed; you have to keep trying new things and keep at it until you grow or learn the lesson the attempt was there to teach you. Her self-directed journey had her following a passion for animals, processes, and history, and each turn has been essential to leading her to her role today - working with companies and teaching them how to embrace opportunities and challenges through innovative thinking.
Author of 10 books, mother of three, and world traveler, Carla epitomizes what it means to embrace life.
Listen in and hear about how Carla has created a niche through her innovative approach to life.
Nicola is the founder of The Event Strategist, a boutique consultancy firm offering up a medley of event strategy advisory services. Definitely a trailblazer in her industry, she has led event related programs and teams from both the brand and agency sides of the business.
From her early industry years working in customer support for a large downtown Toronto hotel, to building amazing client programs for companies like Maritz, CWT, and Pareto, to ultimately leading the global events team and designing event strategies for SAP as its Global Vice President of Event Marketing Strategy.
An industry award winner, mother of 2 two-leggers and 2 four-leggers, and newly minted green thumb goddess, she is truly a force to be reckoned with.
Listen in and hear about how Nicola's experience in the events industry is only a few years shy of our 40 year friendship, and about how she has tamed data to help drive her success.
Trailer - full episode available Tuesday, June 14, 2022
As the world’s leading Innovation Architect, Carla Johnson helps organizations design and build the ideal architecture to accelerate innovation, engagement, and growth. Through her proven frameworks and creative approaches, she equips leaders and employees to remodel their approaches in order to boost speed, reduce risk, and enjoy more predictable outcomes.
Meg is a self-proclaimed content nerd and amateur photographer, fifth of six kids – so she’s scrappy and willing to fight for what she wants. She is passionate about the how of content and driven to help teams and organizations recognize content as a critical business asset rather than the afterthought it often becomes.
She has reported up through many different teams in both small not for profits and large enterprises and has worked for the marketing, digital, and technology parts of organizations giving her a really unique view of content and how it can be best stored, managed, and published.
She recently transitioned from 14 years in the hospitality industry to start with A W S in January in a new role made just for her building out the product management discipline in support of the technical documentation team.