Authentic Leadership for Everyday People (Dino Cattaneo / Hoolibean)

We are in the beginning of the year, and for many of us, this is a time where we think about setting goals and making new plans. A big topic of the podcast is how we measure success. Over two years of conversations, my guests have given me many definitions of what success is to them – some are personal, some are business based, some are short term and some are long term.

In this episode, first I share some of my thoughts on how I think about success, and then I share some of the answers from my guest that I have found inspiring. Hopefully, their insights will provide a spark or maybe a different perspective to those of you who are going through the process of setting goals for the new year.

Featured guests: Armin Molavi, Francesca Gargaglia, Sean Fahey, Kathy Dyer, David Edelman, Jackie Hermes, Jason Greer, Jon Darbyshire, Christina Wallace

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

In today's episode, podcast guest and producer Dino Cattaneo talks about how high potentials can successfully transition into upper level management. Specifically, Dino focuses on three areas that are key to success:

Self-assess

Be a selfless leader

Accountability.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Links:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Vyra Scher is a transgender Asian immigrant woman who launched LECHERY® an affordable luxury brand offering gender-neutral European hosiery, socks, and shapewear at just 20 years old. In less than two years, the business has grown from 0 to $15 Million with 100,000 loyal customers and availability at major retailers such as Target, Kohl's, Nordstrom, Macy's, Saks, HSN, QVC, Belk, and Lord & Taylor. 

Vyra shares her traumatic background, her escape to the US, the challenges she's faced as a woman and an asylum seeker, and how those challenges propelled her to launch her own business, build a community, and find an underserved segment in her market that helped her create a compelling and successful brand.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[01:14] - Dino opens the show and introduces his guest, Vyra Scher, the young founder of LECHERY  an affordable luxury brand offering gender-neutral European hosiery, socks, and shapewear.

[02:55] - *Trigger warning. Vyra shares her background—a story of trauma and resilience.  

[05:52] - Facing prison, the risky move that Vyra made with only $1200 to her name.

[08:00] - Vyra's twofold reason for Launching LECHERY  

[09:00] - The deeper meaning behind the Lechery mission

[11:31] - A community where the nonbinary and body positivity community could share without judgment.

[12:22] - "The sanctuary for the sexy you,": Lechery's mission to help ALL people express their sexiest selves.

[14:20] - Vyra shares the most important steps in launching a successful brand that will dominate and find a home with the big box retailers. 

[17:09] - No VC necessary: How a little-known fact about construction workers gave Vyra the green light to launch her gender-neutral hosiery company.

[18:42] - Ambitious leadership—how embracing the idea that she didn’t fit the traditional mold of an entrepreneur helped her use her unique perspective to her advantage. 

[21:22] - The lessons she’s learned as a young Founder and the number one trait she feels makes a strong leader. 

[23:03] - How she keeps from sacrificing success for likeability. 

[23:56] - Vyra shares the two key ingredients to being a successful leader.

[25:17] - The challenges of starting a business in the US as an asylum seeker.  

[27:10] - Using the fuel of rejection to take LECHERY from 0 to seven figures in less than two years.

[29:51] - The disparity in VC funding between genders.

[32:36] - Despite the MeToo movement sexual harassment and abuse is still very much prominent in the workplace. The frightening experience that kept Vyra from going the VC route.  

[37:21] - You can learn more about Vyra and LECHERY on their website, Instagram, Facebook,

This is a solo episode in which Dino analyzes Bill Belichick's tenure as a head coach of the New England Patriots and lists the lessons that can be learned from how it ended.

Lou Gerstner's interview on how to turnaround companies that are in a crisis after an extended period of success.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today we talk to Jeremy Goldman, the director of Marketing & Retail briefings at Insider Intelligence. Jeremy has been an authority on marketing and its intersection with technology for over a decade. He built and led a successful marketing firm, Firebrand, but ultimately decided to sell the firm and join the bigger Insider intelligence.  

We talked about the journey of an entrepreneur and why he pivoted into his new role, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), how it's changing the business landscape, and how executives can prepare themselves for this change and the future of social media.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[02:26] - Jeremy shares his circuitous route to get to where he is today and how his leadership style has changed. 

[04:31] - Jeremy shares what led to his no longer wanting to be a CEO and why he chose to make a more significant impact. 

[07:05] - Jeremy shares how his definition of success has shifted from personal gain to positively impacting society.

[08:34] - How a passion for his mission and making a significant impact sparks joy for Jeremy in his work. 

[10:33] - Why Jeremy's current role at Insider Intelligence provides him with the best of both worlds (for him): writing and managing. 

[12:14] - How Jeremy built Firebrand to empower his team and create a culture where everyone feels like they are working towards the same end goal.

[14:44] - Jeremy shares a story about the importance of surrounding oneself with people who think differently than you do. 

[16:16] - How his entrepreneurial mindset and willingness to question everything and try new things has served both him and his Insider Intelligence team.

[18:08] - Jeremy shares how you determine whether the company is receptive to entrepreneurial thinking when determining the potential for an entrepreneurial role within a larger organization.

[19:44] - The importance of assessing the degree of autonomy available in a potential role to determine if it aligns with your goals (regardless of whether or not there is a formal 'boss').

[22:42] - Why it's not all about the dollar—the money is a measuring stick—you've got to have passion. 

[25:21] - The key to success that will enable you to push yourself to give 100% effort.

[26:18] - Jeremy shares his take on the best use of AI and how you can use it to add value to your organization and connect with your audience. 

[30:15] - Yes, it's a transformative time, but new jobs will come out of the AI revolution, so familiarize yourself now for an advantage. 

[32:49] - Recognizing the limitations of AI now while keeping an eye on how jobs are changing as we march toward the future. 

[35:02] - Dino shares the parallels between what's happening with AI now and how the Internet changed our lives (plus how we can be sure we are still adding value going forward). 

[35:50] - Jeremy shares how to avoid taking two steps backward in a rush to innovate AI technologies in your organization. 

[35:50] - How to find Jeremy and his podcast called FUTUREPROOF.

[39:34] - Twitter is culturally important but less profitable than people think, and what Jeremy believes it needs to do to succeed now. 

[43:45] - Jeremy shares the project he likes to work on outside of work that allows him to make decisions about the content, placement, and topics and helps him stay in touch with his marketing side.

[46:01] - The two jargony phrases that turn Jeremy...

Today's guest is Jesse Friedman, Head of WP Cloud and VP of Innovation and Partnerships at Automattic. We discuss how to build an open and creative culture when leading technology teams and the foundational practices that make Automattic so successful at remote work.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

jesse.blog

Additional Guest Links:

Corporate: automattic.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jesserfriedman/

Instagram: @jessefriedman

Twitter: @professor

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

This s the second and final part of the conversation with Susan Cattaneo about the writing of her latest album All Is Quiet. Susan is one of Boston's best Americana singer-songwriters. You can also listen to the first part of this conversation in episode 41.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[03:10] - Let’s talk about the song Borrowed Blue, and discuss the mother-daughter bond.

[04:50] - Listening to a snippet of Borrowed Blue.

[05:47] - A discussion on the song Blackbirds, and the song’s origin.

[08:11] - The song wrote itself.

[10:06] - Sometimes you need to let go of an idea to get to an idea that fits the context.

[12:50] - Listening to a snippet of Blackbirds (special appearance by the Lonesome Seagull).

[14:05] - A discussion on the song Broken Things, and the process of co-writing a song.

[16:34] - What is the beautiful story behind Broken Things?

[19:12] - Listening to a snippet of Broken Things.

[21:18] - A discussion on the song Diamond Days, and the right to happiness.

[24:15] - Listening to a snippet of Diamond Days.

[26:38] - A discussion on the song No Hearts Here, and the connection to human rights.

[28:50] - Listening to a snippet of No Hearts Here.

[30:50] - A discussion on the song Hold Onto Hope, and how to organize song ideas.

[33:28] - Listening to a snippet of Hold Onto Hope.

[34:51] - A discussion on the song Follow, and following intuition.

[37:49] - A talk about mutual support.

[38:55] - Thank you and closing remarks.Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

susanmusic.com

Additional Susan Cattaneo Links:

Click here for streaming links: Apple Music Spotify

Bandcamp: susanonbandcamp.com

Instagram: @susancmusic

Twitter: @susancattaneo

Facebook: facebook.com/susancmusic

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Victor Cho, CEO of Emovid comes back to the podcast. In our first conversation he mentioned his passion for the topic of the Fourth Stakeholder and the role of business in society. We agreed that since it was a topic we both loved, rather than discussing it in that episode we would dedicate a whole episode to it. So here he is.

In the past 30 years, business has moved from a world where CEOs were expected to optimize for one stakeholder (shareholders) to three, adding customers and employees. As the environment becomes even more complex and we become aware of the direct and second order impacts that businesses has on society, Victor discusses a framework that CEOs can start to adopt to decide how to manage the Fourth Stakeholder - society at large.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

The 4th Stakeholder Framework and Articles — Victor Cho

Additional Guest Links:

Corporate: emovid.com

Emovid code to get priority in the wait list: https://www.emovid.com/?promo=GF2 

Victor on Authentic Leadership for Everyday People - Building Authentic Communication with AI

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/victor-cho-/

Career Acceleration Course — Victor Cho 

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Anna Goldsmith is the founder of The Hired Pens, a copywriting agency, and the producer of TedX Portsmouth. She shares her creative leadership journey, from balancing art and business to the influence of poetry classes on her copywriting skills. She reveals her process of finding the right partner in business, emphasizing the importance of shared goals and complementary skills and being selective about who she hires.

Anna also discusses both the positive and the negative impact of ChatGPT on creativity based businesses, and shares some tips on how she uses it. Finally, we talk about Anna's role as the producer of a TEDx event, explaining how her leadership approach shifts when leading a volunteer team. In addition, for leaders who are interested in either delivering a TEDx talk or improving their public speeches, Anna provides valuable advice on preparing and delivering impactful TED talks, emphasizing the power of storytelling.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[2:58] - Anna introduces herself and explains how she started The Hired Pens.

[4:54] - How has Anna managed to balance the business and creative sides of her industry?

[6:07] - Anna argues that for a successful partnership, shared goals and complementary skills are crucial, fostering trust and respect.

[9:04] - Choosing contentment over constant expansion, Anna maintained a modest business size and avoided unnecessary stress.

[11:08] - Anna explains why she is very meticulous in her hiring process.

[13:45] - Hear how Anna balances honesty and client preferences, sharing her opinions but respecting their decisions.

[14:50] - Anna touches upon how she selectively declines clients misaligned with her values.

[16:38] - For her TED team, who are all unpaid volunteers, Anna has emphasized gratitude over payment.

[19:54] - Anna points out that crafting a compelling TED talk involves exploring passions and adhering to a formula for success.

[21:15] - Effective TED talks, like any public speaking, hinge on storytelling, emphasizing showing over telling for engagement.

[22:55] - As an undergrad art major, Anna found poetry classes most beneficial for copywriting, as they promoted concise creativity.

[25:08] - Anna explains how she has adapted to fast-paced changes, leveraging her speechwriting expertise.

[28:42] - Anna encourages listeners to keep in mind that AI isn’t going anywhere and to still find face-to-face interactions despite changes.

[29:50] - Learn how Anna can be contacted.

[30:14] - Anna reveals that engaging in daily walks, collecting found objects, and pursuing collage art and gardening provide her with a physical outlet.

[31:16] - Hear why Anna dislikes the word "synergize" and refuses to use trendy phrases like "bio break.”

[32:32] - Anna finds joy in making a sweet, milky cup of tea, especially in the winter.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com 

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

thehiredpens.com

tedxportsmouth.com

Additional links for  Anna Goldsmith

Email contact:

Maggie Olson is the Founder of Nova Chief of Staff, the first-of-its-kind destination for Chief of Staff education, certification, and development. In our conversation, we discussed her career and then dug deep into what it means to lead from the Chief of Staff spot. What are the key steps to take when you start in the role, what are the success factors, what are the traps, and conversely, what CEOs can do to make sure that they successfully onboard a chief of staff.

Maggie is the perfect expert for this conversation. After an impressive career in the retail, food and beverage, and technology sectors, she became the Chief of Staff to the President of the T-Mobile Business Group. In this role, she built the Chief of Staff model from the ground up, creating a highly efficient team and establishing an executive back-office structure. supporting the President, SVPs, and over 5,000 employees. She also built a Chief of Staff team, defining all roles, processes, and systems. This experience led her to the decision to found Nova Chief of Staff.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

novachiefofstaff.com

Additional Guest Links:

Corporate:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/novachiefofstaff

Instagram: @novachiefofstaff

Facebook: facebook.com/NovaChiefofStaff/

Twitter: @novachiefofstaf

TikTok: @novachiefofstaff

Personal

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maggie-olson-cos

Instagram: @maggiej_5

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today's guest is Matt Sawyer. Matt and I worked together a long time ago, and he taught me a lot about how to develop successful partnership with people who have a different work style or strengths. I still consider him a great mentor and friend. After a long and successful career as a marketing leader, Matt now divides his time between consulting and teaching at NYU and Columbia University. He is also the author of the upcoming book Make It In America, a book that explains the success factors and considerations for international companies interested in entering the US Market.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[04:03] – Matt Sawyer introduction

[07:16] – What are some of the ways that you drove transformation through this organization? And what can we learn from that?

[09:45] – As you think about your style as a leader and sort of what you admire and respect in leaders, what were some of the key moments in your career? What are some of the key traits you see as fundamental when you are your best self as a leader?

[11:33] – What made you decide to fully dedicate yourself to communicating and teaching?

[15:30] – What are some of the lessons, a leader in a corporate world, can take and be successful in a classroom?

[18:57] – How has your definition of success changed over the years?

[19:40] – You have just finished writing a book, which is coming out in December.

[21:58] – What are a couple of interesting areas that are unique to the American system that people need to be aware of?

[24:56] – Is there another case study you can share?

[27:55] – Is there any case of something that you see as a great best practice from a company that is coming into the US or is the book focusing on the topic of explaining what can go wrong?

[30:24] – What are the three or four key things for someone who is starting a business to think about?

[31:30] – What are some of the best practices for a company to maintain its own culture while also embracing the local culture?

[33:45] – Are there some best practices processes that you have seen in some of your case studies?

[34:52] – Are there lessons that can apply the other way, to American companies that want to go abroad?

[35:57] – Is there an interest outside of your professional interest or hobby or a passion that you have? And how has that helped you in your professional world?

[37:10] – What is the business expression or jargon that drives you crazy?

[38:04] – Food for the body or food for the soul?

[39:21] – Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

matthewleesawyer.com

Additional Links for Matt Sawyer:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matthewsawyer

Facebook: facebook.com/MakeItInUSA/

Twitter: @MattS124

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook:

Today's episode is a special one. We're thrilled to bring you our third annual "Business Jargon that Drives Us Crazy" show but with a delightful twist. In the past, we dedicated a single episode to showcase the answers to my favorite question of the podcast: "What is the business cliche or jargon that drives you crazy?" However, with our weekly show, we now have more insightful responses to share.

In honor of the Memorial Day holiday, we present you with part one, featuring the thought-provoking answers from July to December 2022. Make sure to mark your calendars because, on July 4, we'll release part two, highlighting the first six months of 2023. And remember, you can always find these insightful answers at the end of every one of our episodes. Enjoy!

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[00:20] - Kim Driscoll made history as the first woman elected as governor in Massachusetts. She was on Episode 49 before the primaries and shared the business cliché you heard in the clip that annoys her. 

[01:08] Today, we're doing a special episode featuring my favorite question of the podcast, the business jargon that annoys people. 

[02:06] - In Episode 57, Jackie Indrisano shared the phrases she considers "a cop-out used by individuals resistant to progress and not interested in listening." 

[02:24] - Jackie discusses her aversion to cancel culture, advocates for alternative approaches to resolving conflicts and disagreements, and emphasizes the importance of freeing yourself from societal expectations.

[03:55] - The other phrase that Jackie mentioned that was a common thread for many guests, including Episode 46 with Matt Sawyer 

[04:44] - Switching gears, in Episode 59, Arielle Nissenblatt challenges the common stereotype about podcasts. 

[05:12] - Challenging the idea of "fake it till you make it" in the business world. In Episode 64, Wil Reynolds shares that his authenticity and transparency are his whole shtick because he's super honest about his wins and losses.

[6:20] - In Episode 66, Judi Fox talked about something that may be considered the exact opposite of the “fake it till you make it” syndrome.

[6:28] - We're going to close this little loop about public perception, going back to Episode 56 with Ronnell Richards, who talks about his pet peeve, about the public's perception of a specific group of professionals.

[08:44] - In Episode 51, Tonya Montella talks about an expression we all hear so regularly that we’ve stopped paying attention to it. 

[09:26] -In

In today's episode there are no guests. I share a framework to assess a leader you are working for or are considering working for.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 [01:38] - The inspiration for this special episode. 

[03:11] - The ground rules to get the most out of this episode. 

[03:55] - The lens through which I formulated my thinking.  

[05:45] - The two most important things to evaluate about a company when considering a potential role. 

[06:24] - Where to source the behind-the-scenes information you won't get from your interview but need to make an informed decision about whether this is a leader you want to work for and with. 

[07:12] - Assessing a leader's strengths and how those skills are reflected in the company's culture.

[09:00] - Why it's crucial to ensure a mesh between what you bring to the table and how the company leader leads.

[11:17] - Understanding a leader's management style: what you need to ask."

[12:45] - Strategies to help you assess how an organization handles team building and individual career development.

[14:25] - How to determine if they are a stick or a carrot leader—and what that might mean for you if you join their organization. 

[16:26] - Key strategies for obtaining a clear picture of the financials when you embark on a senior-level role within a company. 

[17:35] - How the leader's communication style plays into your work style with them AND your success with the company. 

[18:37] - Some questions to ask when evaluating the CEO (Hint: this is especially valuable advice for those considering a high-level role at a start-up).

[22:15] - Did you find this special episode helpful? Do you have questions? Reach out on social or via email here.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Website: al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

 Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Work Hard Love Harder (feat. The Boxcar Lilies) | Susan Cattaneo 

The Hammer & The Heart | Susan Cattaneo 

Join me in this engaging discussion with fellow leadership coach Whitney Hinshaw Sullivan as we examine the vital role of empathy in leadership and how too much empathy can be just as damaging as too little. 

We discuss the necessity of maintaining boundaries on compassion and the courage required for difficult conversations. We tackle the challenges that come with transitioning from a peer to a leader, highlighting the often blurred boundaries between work and personal relationships underscoring the importance of self-kindness, clear role definition, and the establishment of new expectations.

KEY MOMENTS 

[02:16] - Meet Whitney and learn how her background shaped her unique leadership perspective.

[05:57] - The pivotal moment that taught Whitney about the challenges of overusing empathy. Plus, self-reflection questions to help assess if you're taking empathy too far.

[20:35] - How to recognize insufficient empathy. 

[25:42] - Actionable strategies and practical exercises for empathetic leadership.

[29:24] - The significance of boundaries in leadership and fostering a healthy work environment.

Contact dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

Whitney Sullivan

Other Whitney Sullivan links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/whitneyhsullivan

Instagram:@whitneyhsullivan 

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram : @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter:@al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

No Hearts Here | Susan Cattaneo 

Susan Cattaneo 

Today we talk to Isabella Mandis, Founder and CEO of Girls Who VC and sophomore at Havard, proof that age is no barrier to making a positive difference in the world of VC.

Isabella shares her inspiring journey into authentic leadership and starting Girls Who VC just seven months ago, her insights into navigating challenges, embracing opportunities, and how she’s making a positive difference in the world of venture capital.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[01:04] - Dino introduces today’s guest, Isabella Mandis, a sophomore at Harvard and founder of Girls Who VC and living proof that leadership transcends age.

[02:22] - Isabella shares her vision for Girls Who VC, the pioneering organization dedicated to bringing young women into venture capital. 

[04:00] - Discover how Girls Who VC has grown into a vibrant community of over 2000 members and 100 mentors in just seven months.

[06:02] - Isabella opens up about her leadership journey and how she navigates leading college students and managing projects while respecting their busy lives.

[07:46] - Explore why Isabella chose to take on the gigantic mission of addressing gender and minority disparities in the venture industry. 

[09:31] - Isabella shares a glimpse of her vision for Girls Who VC five years from now, where she hopes to invest in and support even more female-led startups.

[09:52] - Discover the programs that Girls Who VC has in place to connect more aspiring venture capitalists with industry experts.

[10:43] - Learn three valuable lessons Isabella has picked up since starting Girls Who VC.

[14:19] - Isabella highlights how COVID shaped her career positively, allowing her to gain valuable formative opportunities and build connections in the venture capital field.

[16:22] - As Girls Who VC continues to grow, Isabella shares some of the hurdles they’ve overcome and the plan for the organization's future.

[20:57] - Why it’s crucial to Isabella to create a diverse leadership team 

[22:13] - What’s unique about Gen Z entrepreneurs.

[23:31] - Dino expresses his own opinion of Gen Z entrepreneurs and their focus on making the world a better place. 

[27:16] - Isabella shares valuable advice she has received from her mentors and the key lessons she’s learned. 

[28:31] - The proven significance of encouragement for female founders

[29:09] - Isabella invites those interested in supporting or joining Girls Who VC to visit their website and join the community (it’s FREE). You can also reach out to Isabella on LinkedIn. 

[29:52] - Isabella shares how her interests outside of school and work have impacted the way she thinks about making a difference.

[30:48] - Isabella shares the overused word she just plain doesn’t like. 

[31:45] - Why she’s so inspired by TV and TS (and her favorite TS song). 

[32:40] - If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and family, and subscribe on your favorite...

Governing, running a city, a state or a country is an increasing complex job, and we need specialists who are passionate about that job if we want our society to thrive. Kim Driscoll comes very close to that ideal: she is smart, pragmatic, and she is truly following a calling. She was part of a team that turned around the city of Chelsea in Massachusetts after it entered receivership, and then went on to become mayor of Salem, an office she has held for for 16 years. Currently, she is running for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts.

This interview is focused more on Kim’s journey and her experience in public service than her campaign, so even if you don’t agree with her politics, you will find a lot of helpful and practical advice.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[02:41] – Kim, welcome to the show, tell us about yourself and where your journey started, and what led you to choose at some point to enter into public service?

[05:09] - What drew you initially to, you know, urban planning to working for the city? Was there something that was in your interest or was it more like an opportunity out of college?

[06:43] - What were some of the early lessons for you as you were progressing from intern to urban planner? Like what really, what it took to get decisions made?

[08:54] – What are some of the lessons and qualities that help move things along with your peers and colleagues?

[10:14] - When did you start thinking about who you were as a civic leader and what were the qualities that you were trying to model and you know how to embrace it? Were there people who were mentors or inspirations to you and what did you learn from?

[12:48] - Was there a moment that was like a particularly challenging situation that you had to navigate? And what did you learn from it?

[14:30] - What are some of the examples of the programs in a situation that goes from “a community that is not showing up” to “a community that decides to participate”? And what are some of the lessons that can be drawn out of that?

[16:22] - What made you decide to make the jump into sort of the elected path? How does that happen for somebody to decide, to get involved in politics?

[17:55] - How did you start thinking about what else you needed in order to be successful in that process and to make the decision to actually tackle that?

[20:06] - How do you think about and how did you prepare yourself for having difficult conversations?

[21:52] - How does one find that balance and how long does it take before you're in a place where you're really comfortable that you are in the right spot?

[23:14] - How do you think about your leadership style and who you want to be as a leader?

[25:59] - What do you think you brought into who you are right now from your experiences resettling every few years?

[28:14] - What is the attractiveness of the Lieutenant Governor role?

[30:04] - How do you think about your sort of career past the Lieutenant Governor? Do you have bigger political aspirations in the long run?

[31:44] - If you were to think back at what has helped you be successful and were to distill two or three leadership tips that people can apply in any area of their professional life, what are the two or three most important things that you say people would use?

[33:42] - Do you have a hobby or an interest outside of work and government that is important to you and maybe how has that influenced the way that you work and govern?

[34:39] - What is the one cliche or expression that makes you crazy?

[34:58] – Food for your body or food for your soul.

[35:58] – Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

Today we talk to Anngelle Wood, a prominent figure in the Boston media and music scene who wears many hats, including host of the Boston Emissions radio show, producer and host of the Crime of the Truest Kind podcast, and organizer for the historical Rock & Roll Rumble , a 40 years old Battle of The Bands that is a Boston institution.

Anngelle shares the story of her journey in the music industry, how she became the organizer for the Rumble, and her mission to serve the local Boston music community by giving bands a platform to play and fans a safer experience, plus a peek into her true crime podcast.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[01:38] - Dino introduces Anngelle Wood, the organizer of the Rock & Roll Rumble, a local battle of the bands that has lasted for over 40 years and is a true institution for the Boston music community.

[03:56] - Anngelle introduces herself and shares that she's a Boston native with over 20 years of radio experience and how her background led to opportunities in the New England music scene, including hosting a show called Boston Emissions and organizing the Rock & Roll Rumble.

[05:29] - Anngelle shares the background behind Rock & Roll Rumble and the story of its roots dating back to 1979 at the legendary Boston venue called The Rat and how the competition works. 

[07:18] - Anngelle explains how the Rock & Roll Rumble can change the trajectory of a band and her work to make it more of a festival and showcase to help bands improve their performances and presentation.

[08:47] - A look at some of the more well-known bands who've participated in the event through the years. 

[10:27] - Dino notes that the Rock & Roll Rumble was a platform for bands to gain national recognition in the past and asks about the considerations they made while organizing the event in the current phase of the music industry.

[11:24] - Anngelle shares the mission of Rock & Roll Rumble and explains the criteria for selecting bands.

[13:31] - What does "taking it to the next level" look like for a Boston-based band?

[14:11] - Shaking things up: how Anngelle ensures a diverse lineup for the Rock & Roll Rumble.  

[15:39] - An electric atmosphere and a moment of transformation that changes everything for that band.

[17:13] - Anngelle describes their early experiences in radio, including working at independent station WFNX that focused on local artists, which carried over into her work now.

[20:22] - Stepping through an open door: A vacancy that led to an opportunity for Anngelle and rock and roll in Boston. 

[23:25] - Don't underestimate a band based on its previous performances: Anngelle shares the experience that caused her to change how the Rumble is run.

[25:12] - Anngelle shares what she's learned in managing such a diverse group of resources to pull off the event every year, including managing the different components such as finding a venue, accommodating bands for sound checks, hosting judges, and tallying numbers for the winner at the end of the night, including the wild cards. 

[27:25] - Anngelle shares what every band wants and gives us a behind-the-scenes...

Authentic Leadership for Everyday People is the podcast where we investigate the connection between effective leadership and authenticity. If you are looking for inspiration and tips on how to become a better leader by being your true self, you are in the right place.

Today we are talking with Maryalice Morro. She has had a distinguished career as a healthcare leader in the Navy, ultimately serving as Chief of Staff for Navy Medicine East (15 commands East of the Mississippi and all the way to Europe).

 In our fascinating conversation, she talked about the importance of making sure that people feel comfortable doing their job in life or death situations, managing complex healthcare organizations, operating in teams, and leading as a nurse in environments where physicians are considered the leaders. We also touched on the challenges and opportunities presented to frontline caregivers by the current environment.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[03:16] - Alright Maryalice, it’s great to see you again. It’s great to have you on the podcast. Why don’t we start and have you introduce yourself to our listeners, a little bit of your story and your career and we’ll go from there.

[06:18] - As you started thinking about what type of leader you wanted to be, what were a couple of crucial moments, where you realized that you wanted to be a certain type of leader, maybe as opposed to other types of leaders?

[09:02] - What are some of the practices that leaders can adopt to make sure that everybody working with them is comfortable in situations of high uncertainty and risk?

[11:05] - What are some of the approaches that leading from a position, that technically within the team is not considered the leader, one can take to bring leadership to the team? .

[13:20] - You went from CEO of a hospital as a nurse to chief of staff as a nurse; how was that transition in leading a much even larger staff and probably with even more bias towards physicians versus nurses? What were some of the challenges that you faced and how you tackled that?

[15:32] - If you think about the skill sets and the activities that you were required to do as a leader, where is your passion? What are the things that you really loved doing in that role and what are the things you did because it’s what the role required?

[17:50] - What are some of the lessons that you took from interacting with people so young, sent out so quickly, to high level responsibility?

[19:55] - I’m wondering if you’d be willing to share if there was a setback or something that happened in your career and what you learned from that.

[22:16] - In an institution like the Navy and even the VA organization; there’s a lot of set rules and I’m sure there’s been situations where you have not personal agreed with a rule or you felt that is was maybe archaic and didn’t help the situation, how did you navigate that?

[23:45] - Was there a moment when you started articulating these are my core principles as a leader? As I operate as a leader, these are the four or five things that are important to me.

[26:26] - One thing that is really important is the idea that the people who work for you may have different styles; what are some of the things that you did to accept people of different styles and to make sure they were put in a position to be their best selves?

[28:18] - What are the driving principles that informed this program and what do you want to achieve for somebody who has

An anthology episode including all the answers to the favorite food and drinks by guests of the podcast. Includes answers by:

Anna Goldsmith

Ginevra Bersani Franceschetti

Jason Downie

Bryan Adams

Jesse Friedman

Melissa Kwan

Jason Thompson

Whitney Hinshaw Sullivan

Jeff Bender

Debi Kleiman

Carlos Williams

Don Martelli

Mosongo Moukwa

Giovanni Vacchi

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

When the line between corporate power and societal responsibility blurs, leaders must navigate the terrain with both integrity and strategic insight. Join me, Dino Cattaneo, as we traverse the complex world of leadership in the context of corporate social responsibility.

Unpack the history of businesses influencing politics, the essential nature of accountability, and why actions like those of Disney, Bud Light and Goya have sparked such intense debate. In a time where every silence and statement is amplified, we scrutinize the delicate balance companies must strike between being authentic and protecting their brand.

We talk about corporate advocacy, the current context, some of the pitfalls to avoid and we offer a set of questions and a framework that leaders can use to decide whether and how to engage in specific topics.

Chapters:

(00:10) - Corporate Social Responsibility and Leadership

(08:16) - Corporate Advocacy in a Turbulent World

(17:55) - Decision-Making Framework for Social Issues

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Website episode page

Episode 42: Leading Organizations Through Post Roe vs. Wade Complexity

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Sources

Wikipedia: 2000–2001 California electricity crisis

IMD: The BlackRock Letter: a Turning Point for Real Change?

Bain & Company: Do ESG Efforts Create Value?

Aspen Institute: Three Takeaways on Corporate Advocacy

Arthur Page Society: Stakeholder Capitalism and ESG: A Guide for Communication Leaders

Wikipedia: Disney and Florida's Parental Rights in...

Today, I sat down with Jeff Bender, the CEO, and Founder of Lion and Owll, a company that designs gender-neutral, chic, and comfy kids' clothing, a business he launched in an effort to create a safe, inclusive, and self-confident environment for all children after learning that his daughter is transgender.

During our conversation, we explored Jeff's transition from a career in hospitality, drawing parallels between parenting a transgender child and launching an apparel company. We discussed the significance of supporting children's choices in the face of financial constraints and differing opinions. Jeff also shared his leadership style and provided valuable advice for entrepreneurs on key questions to ask when pursuing an idea, and how Kickstarter is helping businesses find impactful solutions that resonate with a broader audience.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[1:43] - An introduction to Jeff Bender and his company, Lion and Owl.

[8:56] - Jeff discusses the challenges he faced in transitioning from a career in hospitality to starting an apparel company, the parallels between raising a transgender child and starting a business, and the need for support and community in both endeavors. 

[13:39] - Jeff explains his leadership style, drawing from his background in the kitchen, where the executive chef provided the vision, and the staff executed it. 

[22:27] - Jeff emphasizes the role of love in promoting inclusivity and shares his insights on how to have positive conversations with individuals who may not share the same viewpoints.

[25:21] - Jeff shares valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs on the essential considerations to address when pursuing an idea. Plus, his tips for using Kickstarter to zero in on solutions that not only improve people's lives but also effectively address pressing issues.

[27:27] - A devoted listener, Jeff shares his response to his all-time favorite question on AL4EP. He also opens up about his go-to meal when he’s at home in the kitchen. Plus, the pivotal role of music in his family's life and the special musical connection he shares with his transgender daughter.

If you enjoyed this episode, this is an invitation to subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com 

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

Lion and Owl

Other links for Jeff Bender:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thelionandtheowl 

L+O Instagram: @thelionandtheowl

L+O Facebook: facebook.com/thelionandtheowl 

L+O TikTok: @lionandowlapparel

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn:

Welcome to Authentic Leadership for Everyday People, , the podcast where we investigate the connection between effective leadership and authenticity. If you are looking for inspiration and tips on how to become a better leader by being your true self, you are in the right place. Today we talk to Jackie Hermes, Founder and CEO of Accelity, a B2B Marketing Agency that specializes in helping SaaS Software companies grow their business, and host of The Art of Entrepreneurship podcast.

Jackie shares her journey to growing her agency to a 7 figures business without any external funding and support, and gives us her perspective on the most important things new founders need to focus on.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[02:34] - Jackie, it's great to have you here. Why don't we start, give our listeners a little bit of your story; your background and get them to know you.

[03:51] - What led to the drive of being an entrepreneur? Have you always been interested?

[05:37] - Tell me a little bit about how that process worked for you when you realize that maybe it was okay, if you weren’t going to turn out what your parents or friends expected and how you went about that.

[07:01] - What are some of the key lessons that you’ve learned along the way? 

[08:46] - How was the process to learn what type of leader you wanted it to be? And when did you start articulating like, “okay, this is my leadership style”.

[10:50] - As you are building your company and your own team, what are some of the key lessons that you bring in, as you bring people to work under you to make sure that you're setting the right culture that you want for your company?

[12:38] - What is true and authentic to you? How do you define authenticity? And then, how do you define it for yourself?

[13:41] - You mentioned that there were situations that maybe have taught you a little bit of a lesson or like, where you are not confident? Is there an example that you would be comfortable to share?

[16:28] - What is your vision for the business? What's your goal in terms of scale? And how do you define success?

[18:11] - Do you have a perspective on what you'd like to do?

[19:12] - How do you define success for yourself?

[20:10] - How important is that a part overall of the culture that you're setting within the company?

[22:22] - do you do anything in terms of helping them manage clients expectations and helping manage client expectations to support your team?

[24:00] - How do you think about which clients you want to take on and maybe clients that you may decide to pass on? Hmm,

[25:40] - There's an episode in your podcast that I really liked, which is when you talk about how to react, about feedback and comments from external people and negative feedback. So I don't want you to give away the whole thing, but can you talk a little bit about that?

[27:42] - if somebody was either building an internal team or a new internal venture inside a company or starting their own company right now, what would be the like, two or three most important things that you think they should be thinking about?

[28:39] - Anything else people should be thinking about?

[29:05] - Let's move a little bit to the personal side. What is a passion that is not directly work related, that is important to you? And how was it informed, your work?

[30:32] - We all live in an era with big business cliched, jargon expression, which is one that drives you crazy, once makes you want to rip your head out.

[31:11] - Food for the soul, or food for the body. So is there a particular, either recipe or drink? Or if you want to go to the soul site, a book, a movie, some music, a piece of art, that really speaks to you?

Contact dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

Robyn Bolton is the founder and Chief Navigator of Mile Zero, an innovation consulting firm. Robyn’s story is a perfect illustration of the core belief that is at the core of this podcast: if you go through the process of intentionally defining your true values and make decisions accordingly, you will not only be happier but find the right professional success.

Robyn’s career started on a very traditional path: Procter and Gamble, an MBA at Harvard, consulting at BCG, and a stint at Innosight, a prestigious innovation firm. But at some point, she found herself questioning whether what she was pursuing was what she really wanted.

And when she started her own firm, she chose to avoid the traditional rules of having a growth plan. And that actually led to long lasting success, on her own terms.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

milezero.io

Additional Guest Links:

UnlockingInnovation.co 

linkedin.com/in/robynmbolton

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

The first half of Cindy Gallop’s career would have been enough for most people: she was instrumental in building Bartle, Bogle and Hagerty into a global advertising firm, opening and growing both their Asia and US offices. But for the past almost 15 years Cindy has blazed her way into a new uncharted territory.

Her company Make Love Not Porn is driving a really important conversation around sex, sex education and consent. In the process, Cindy has also become a powerful voice in support of women entrepreneurs and women equality in general.

This episode is marked as explicit because some of the topics discussed include sex.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[02:57] - The great tagline on Cindy's LinkedIn that piqued my curiosity and made me want to have her on the show.

[04:50] - Cindy shares her intro to advertising and why 'do interesting things, and interesting things will happen to you is her life's motto.

[06:37] - A leader puts their people ahead of themselves.

[07:46] - The influential bosses who championed Cindy's career in the male-dominated advertising industry.

[10:21] - To operate with authenticity, identify what you stand for, what you believe in, what you value, and what you're all about. And then live your life and operate your business accordingly.

[10:37] - Cindy shares the story of how she came up with her "I am the Michael Bay of business" tagline.  

[13:33] - The women supporting women's movement to build a female financial ecosystem. 

[15:30] - Cindy shares how Make Love Not Porn celebrates real bodies and real relationships to educate and change people's sexual attitudes and behavior for the better.  

21:07] - The TED talk that went viral pitting the porn world against the real world uncovering a huge global social issue that solidified Cindy's mission for Make Love Not Porn.

[23:41] - Cindy shares the obstacles to funding and advertising for an adult-based business. 

[26:49] - When you have a world-changing startup, you have to change the world to fit it, not the other way around.

[28:21] - The strategies Cindy has used to find investors and raise capital through social channels such as LinkedIn.

[31:20] - I ask Cindy to share her win-win brand-building model for businesses and investors.

[34:06] - Cindy clears up the misconceptions about owning a successful start-up as an over-50 entrepreneur. 

[35:33] - I ask Cindy the expression or business jargon that drives her crazy.

[36:58] - Food for the body or food for the soul.

[37:57] - Cindy shares her favorite cocktail.

[38:03] - Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

cindygallop.com

al4ep.com

Additional Cindy Gallop Links:

Cindy's Ted Talk: ted.com/talks/cindy_gallop_make_love_not_porn

Make Love Not Porn: makelovenotporn.tv/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cindygallop/

Instagram:

Authentic Leadership for Everyday People is the podcast where we investigate the connection between effective leadership and authenticity. If you are looking for inspiration and tips on how to become a better leader by being your true self, you are in the right place.

Today's guest is Jason Greer, he is an entrepreneur who specializes in labor relations. With a focus on creating a positive environment and has been dubbed the “employee whisperer”. Greer started his own consulting firm and is ranked in the top 5% of consulting businesses in his field. Greer is also an author of the book called Bias, Racism & the Brain: How we got here & what needs to happen.

In this episode Jason talks about his leadership style and how to bridge the tension between managers and employees in the work place. We also have a very candid situation about race and diversity in the workplace, and why increasing diversity in the long run benefits everyone.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Greer Consulting, INC: hiregci.com

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[02:19] - To start out, why don't you introduce yourself to our listeners.

[02:44] - Jason, how did you go down this career path? What was the inspiration that made you enter the field of labor and management relations?

[04:58] - Take me back to the moment, what was it like to realize you had found your calling?

[06:13] - Are there moments when you are talking to one side, that you are helping consulting to one side, that you draw on your experience from being on the other side? And what’s the conversation like  at that point?

[08:11] - What techniques do you use to teach managers to incorporate the idea of vulnerability as an ongoing practice when they are dealing with their counterparts?

[10:32] - Was there a specific moment when you realized the type of leader you wanted to be? And what type of leader do you want to be?

[14:07] - If you would be comfortable sharing a situation where you were forced to make a choice like that and how you naviaged it.

[16:38] - How do you pass this mindset to your team? And how do you coach them on how to make the right decision according to the right values?

[18:48] - What was your definition of success when you started out? And how has that changed now?

[21:21] - It is very clear to me that a lot of what is driving you is the idea of fulfilling your mission. So, what is your mission?

[25:18] - A good way to get into this topic, it would be for you to tell us a little bit about your book

[30:39] - Where should they start? What are the most important elements for it?

[33:37] - What are some of the changes that companies can make to actually start generating a broader pipeline, a broader number of opportunities for people from the  beginning of their career?

[38:03] - What has been your experience, creating this type of program within corporate america?

[40:05] - Trying to build this type of mentorship program in corporate america, and what has worked, if anything? And what has been your experience?

[42:56] - What do you think it is going to take for more diverse candidates to actually make that next step to become chief people officers?

[44:57] - Do you have a hobby or a passion that is really important to you? And how has that impacted your professional life?

[46:33] - There are expressions in business, business jargon in every era. That after a while loses its meaning. Which is the expression that drives you crazy right now?

[47:39] - Final question, food for the soul or food for...

Our guest today is Melissa Kwon, co-founder and CEO of eWebinar. Melissa is a 3x bootstrapper navigating the entrepreneurial world while embracing the digital nomad lifestyle.

In our discussion, she talked about finding her authenticity and how that shaped her approach to leadership and entrepreneurship. She explained why the bootstrapping path was a better approach for her than looking for VC funding. We also delved into the unique experiences and challenges of being a digital nomad. Melissa also dispelled some myths and offered valuable insights into building and effectively managing fully remote teams.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[02:00] - Melissa Kwon, introduces herself and eWebinar her webinar automation system.

[04:00] Melissa shares her experience with her previous startups, the challenges of raising venture capital, the sacrifices required for massive startup growth, and why she decided not to pursue that path.

[10:00] - Melissa discusses the fresh approach she took when starting eWebinar with a clear vision compared to her previous startups and why it’s vital to her to learn the necessary skills and prioritize ventures that align with her values and happiness.

[14:00] - The challenge of going against the traditional model of pursuing skills and career first, and how she learned to detach from ego-driven communities in order to focus on doing what she loves.

[17:00] - Melissa talks about transitioning to a digital nomad lifestyle, her experiences in various communities, including in Amsterdam, and offers advice for those considering a digital nomad lifestyle to live more freely

[22:00] - Melissa highlights the key traits she looks for in a successful remote team and shares her strategy of empowering team members while swiftly addressing any issues.

[30:00] - Melissa describes how eWebinar works and how to get a live demo.

[32:00] - Melissa shares the behind-the-scenes of how her travel impacts her professional life, the business expressions that drive her crazy, and the special dish she loves.

If you enjoyed this episode, this is an invitation to subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

eWebinar

Other links for Melissa Kwan:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melissakwan

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram: @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter:

Today's episode is a special one as we honor the Juneteenth holiday. In this episode, we're resharing a small extract from my conversations with two incredible guests from last year, addressing the progress that still needs to be made.

First up, we have Jason Greer, a renowned labor and diversity expert, founder of Greer Consulting Inc, and author of the book “Bias, Racism & the Brain." Then, we'll hear from Zenica Chatman, a dedicated coach specializing in empowering women to overcome workplace bullying. 

Listen in as we delve into thought-provoking discussions on bias, racism, and creating a positive workplace culture on the path to a more inclusive society.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[00:10] - Dino opens the show and shares that in honor of the Juneteenth holiday, he will revisit two conversations he had last year, Jason Greer in Episode 31 and Zenica Chatman in Episode 50. 

[00:51] - Jason, a labor and diversity expert, shares the dual missions that drive him forward and his family’s personal battle that fuels his passion for eradicating racism during his lifetime. [04:05] - Jason shares the background behind his book “Bias, Racism & the Brain: How we got here & what needs to happen,” that he co-authored with his best friend, Phil Dixon, that takes people into his stories to open peoples eyes to help them see their biases through a new lens. 

[08:37] - In a world where technology connects us more than ever, our brains still function as if we're primitive beings searching for survival. True self-awareness often requires a wake-up call to see our own prejudices through a new lens.

[09:42] - Helping people tap into their stories.

[10:03] - Jason shares how companies can get started with  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training, why it's vital to be honest about why you are doing it, and why your company's culture really matters. 

[12:46] - You can listen to the full interview with Jason here, in Episode 31 of the “Authentic Leadership For Everyday People” podcast. You can learn more about Jason and his company at Greer Consulting Inc. 

[13:41] - Zenica Chatman shares the statistics and background of the discrimination and bullying of women of color in the workplace. 

[16:02]

Our guest today Tangia Al-awaji Estrada a storyteller, business builder, and PR consultant. She co-founded BIPOC Podcast Creators, the premier resource for black, indigenous people of color-identified creators across the podcasting space.

In our conversation, we discussed what it took her to find the right calling, the pivotal event that made her step away from a successful career as a campaign director in politics, and how, after starting a podcast, she found her authentic leadership calling when she start BIPOC Podcast Creators.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[03:23] - Tangia Al-awaji Estrada introduces herself and her early experiences with community engagement.

[10:10] - Tangia shares her career path and her accidental entry into the PR space through politics.

[17:30] - The emotional and personal toll of political campaigns and the pivotal moment where Tangia defied external expectations to follow her passion with the creation of the "That's What She Did" podcast.

[25:07] - Tangia reflects on her journey from podcasting to co-founding BIPOC Podcast Creators, a thriving movement for podcast creators, and her hopes for the future of the organization.

[28:58] - Tangia shares what she believes are the essential ingredients for effective leadership and personal growth.

[29:42] - Advice for those aspiring to create a group: Tangia shares what you need to do first to cultivate an engaged community. She also reveals the predominant challenges of the BIPOC Podcast Creators community and the valuable support and networking opportunities for creators to connect and learn.

[35:07] - Tangia explains how the pervasive usage of "hustle culture" has diluted its original meaning. Plus, she shares the recent book she read that "offers profound messages about choices, accountability, and redemption, which she found beautiful and thought-provoking."

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

BIPOC Podcast Creators: BIPOCpodcastCreators.com

Subscribe to the BIPOC Podcast Creators Newsletter

Other links for Tangia Al-awaji Estrada:

Website: tangiarenee.com

Tangia's Substack: audaciouslybytangiarenee.substack.com/

LinkedIn:

Today's guest is Zenica Chatman. Zenica was working in corporate America as a communication manager when she was the victim of a bullying episode at work. She took her own experience overcoming her situation and now she is a coach who works with women of color who have been bullied in the workplace.

In our conversation, we first focused on the problem of bullying in the workplace in general. We had a very practical conversation on what people can do to address and prevent the problem. Zenica had excellent specific advice from all perspectives, and she shared what victims, HR people, corporate leaders and peers can do. Then we zeroed in on the specific challenges that women of color face in the workplace, and why it is important to tackle the problem specifically for them.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[03:15] – Welcome, let’s start by giving my listeners, who you are and a little bit of what’s relevant in your story, and how you got to the point where you are.

[05:51] - What were some of the other drivers in your decision to leave corporate America and dedicate fully yourself to this?

[07:26] - I would love our listeners to hear a little bit more about your personal journey. You started your own business and was that in the middle of the pandemic or before?

[08:06] - As you thought about building your business, what were some of the steps that you took?

[09:51] - What were some of the factors that helped you find the courage?

[11:50] - If you think back about your journey up to, you know, when you started experiencing the bullying, what were some moments in your life that you. Helped you prepare for making that transition?

[14:38] - What were some of the key experiences that helped you get to that point?

[17:12] - What was it like to get the first client?

[18:00] - When was the moment that you knew that it was actually going to last?

[19:31] - What are some of the examples of bullying in the workplace? And if you're an employee that's on the receiving side of it, what may be some early warning signs?

[21:30] - Is there a way when you are looking at a potential employer to start screening for this type of things to say like, oh, maybe that's really a place where there's a higher risk?

[24:53] - What are some steps that HR departments can take to start preventing this type of behavior?

[27:48] - What can a leader of a big team or a department, or even a CEO, what should they be looking for, looking from the top to find and prevent instances of some of their subordinates, some of their middle manager, et cetera, be bullies? What are some of the steps that they can take to prevent that?

[30:01] - What do you do if you are a peer of the person that's being bullied and you witness that happening?

[31:42] - How do you recommend a bystander take action?

[34:30] - What makes the bullying of women of color unique and what makes it so relevant?

[37:15] - What are some of the other elements and common themes that you've heard from your peers? Who’s gone through similar experiences?

[38:58] - What are some additional steps that relate specifically to bullying of people and, then specifically women of color?

[40:53] - Have you encountered places that have an example of a great practice that is actually helping and creating impact?

[41:26] - Have there been cases of some of your clients that have been able to overcome this and then been in a mentoring position and been effective at mentoring to prevent other people in the same situation?

[42:45] - What are two or three actions that you would want somebody who's listening now, to be like I can take these steps and make the environment better in my company?

[44:27] - What is an interest or a hobby or a passion that you have that is not work-related and has in any way, shape, or form also influenced the way that you work?

[45:55] -...

Michel Cohen is the visionary, CEO, and Founder of DentalPro, Italy's largest Professional Dentist Clinic Group, boasting over €200 million in sales, 2500 employees, and 265 clinics and offering accessibility to quality dental care across the country. 

Michel shares how his leadership philosophy and passion for growth have shaped the culture of Dental Pro, the importance of clear values in building and operating the business, and the challenge of maintaining consistency in a rapidly growing organization. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[01:15] - Dino introduces his guest (and dear friend) Michel Cohen, the CEO and founder of DentalPro. 

[02:44] - Dino shares a story from his past with Michel that explores the impact of authentic relationships in your personal and professional life.

[04:17] - Michel shares his career journey and the crucial elements in building a thriving business.

[08:31] - How Michel’s experience at Procter Gamble honed his skills in identifying and recruiting the right people and served to make DentalPro people focused while growing into the largest dentistry company in Italy.

[09:53] - Michel shares the key principles he focused on to become the type of leader he wanted to be while growing the organization.

[12:27] - Beyond work-life balance: the specific motivation Michel seeks when recruiting team members at any level. 

[13:32] - The vast importance of integrity in creating the culture of a company you are building from scratch. 

[15:42] - The one thing that Michel dislikes to hear from his team at any level of the company. 

[16:49] - The vital checks he's put in place to preserve the culture and ensure everyone on the team at DentalPro is rowing the same way. 

[18:49] - Ensuring a top-notch experience for every client and patient in the network.

[20:48] - Working to create a homogeneous approach doctor by doctor. 

[21:53 - The role a balance between clinical expertise and organizational management played in DentalPros' success.

[24:31] - How PNG informed the "Sky is the Limit" DentalPro company motto. 

[26:59] - Michel shares his thoughts on the connection between team sports and business

[29:11] - The business attitude that drives Michel crazy.

[30:16] - Michel shares his immersion-style music listening preference, his favorite bands (The Cure, Talking Heads), and the special concert he’s attending soon. 

[31:25] - If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and family, and subscribe on your favorite listening platform so you don't miss any episodes. Be sure to follow the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

Authentic Leadership for Everyday People is the podcast where we investigate the connection between effective leadership and authenticity. If you are looking for inspiration and tips on how to become a better leader by being your true self, you are in the right place.

Today's guest is Marzio Schena, founder and CEO of Anote Music. He is a relatively young founder, and he is very candid about the pros and cons of starting a company early in your career, so there are plenty of great insights for founders.

The company is also a great new concept in music: a trading platform that allows music fans and investors to invest in and earn royalties from current catalogues owned by record labels, publishers and artists. It’s a fascinating concept that expands access to funding to a much broader group of artists and at the same time gives access to this market to a broader pool of investors. And it is also a great application of blockchain, which Anote uses to support a portion of its process as you will hear.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[02:50] – Marzio, welcome. Why don’t we start by having you introduce yourself to our listeners and tell us a little bit of your story?

[3:57] – You are a very young founder, what made you decide to start your own company so early in your career?

[05:05] – How did you go about finding co-founders? Did you have an idea of what type of co-founder would be the right co-founder? And what made a good co-founder in your mind at the time?

[06:22] – How many people are in the company right now, other than the three of you?

[06:47] – As the CEO, how did you decide what the roles would be?

[08:09] – If you think about what kind of CEO you want to be, how would you describe that?

[09:30] – What are the biggest two or three lessons about leading that you have learned in the first few years?

[11:39] – What are the qualities that you look for in people that are coming into your team?

[13:00] – Marzio explains what ANotes does.

[16:47] – How did you start gaining the trust and start making progress in this industry?

[19:37] – What were the two or three moments you had significant progress, a step towards being a viable business?

[20:52] – Roughly how many artists are on your marketplace?

[20:28] – What are some of the key barriers and how did you overcome them with the individual investors and consumers?

[23:40] – As the CEO, how are some of the challenges you face, when you have to rethink the whole approach and communicate that to your team?

[26:35] – What does success look like for you in ten years?

[28:00] – What are the two or three things for someone who wants to start their own business, needs to think about?

[29:18] – For an individual fan who is coming to your marketplace, how does it work?

[31:25] – Simply explaining blockchain.

[33:26] – Do you have any interests or passions outside of work? Is there one that has informed or been helpful in your work?

[34:27] – Is there an expression in business that drives you crazy?

[36:30] – Food for your body or food for your soul?

[38:05] – Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

anotemusic.com

Additional Guest Links:

Anote Music platform: app.anotemusic.com

Discord: discord.com/invite/9ZWfskUPuc

Twitter:

Today's guest is Kelly Campbell, a former CEO turned Trauma-Informed Leadership Coach. She is also the author of Heal to Lead: Revolutionizing Leadership through Trauma Healing (Wiley), an inspired keynote speaker and a longtime conservationisttrained by Al Gore as a Climate Reality Leader in 2017.

In this candid and raw interview, Kelly discusses the intersection of personal trauma and professional leadership, and she sheds light on the profound ways that unresolved childhood experiences can shape our leadership styles.

It’s a show – don’t tell type of conversation. She shares the story of how she founded and built a successful digital marketing agency. Kelly talks about the success, but is not afraid to delve into her own leadership challenges which were sparked by a crisis at the tender age of nine.

Like all good stories it has a happy ending, as Kelly takes us through how these experiences led her to a journey of personal, spiritual and professional transformation, and ultimately informed her mission to guide leaders through their past to enhance their influence and effectiveness.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

klcampbell.com

Additional Guest Links:

Contact at:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kellylcampbell/

Instagram: @kelly.l.campbell

Book - Heal to Lead: klcampbell.com/heal-to-lead-book/ - on Amazon

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today, we talk to Uriya Rosenman, an Israeli teacher and Sameh Zakout, a Palestinian singer and actor. As the founders of the DUGRI Project, a social venture dedicated to amplifying a moderate Israeli-Palestinian narrative, they aim to forge a mutually beneficial future through music, content, education, and community building, fostering unity among Jewish and Arab children in schools.

DUGRI's inception coincided with ground riots and the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, drawing global attention to their impactful collaboration. Uriya, a moderate Israeli, and Sameh Zakout, a moderate Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, uniquely amplify a creative Jewish-Arab voice challenging established narratives. They underscore the crucial need for dialogue during these challenging times.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[02:17] - Dino introduces the DUGRI Project, sharing the project's mission and the founders' determination to address tensions through music, content, and education. DUGRI emerges as a response to the lack of moderate voices, creatively echoing a new Israeli-Palestinian narrative focusing on normal lives and mutual understanding.

[04:06] - Introducing Uriya Rosenman, a Harvard student specializing in education, social entrepreneurship, and music, and Sameh Zakout an actor and singer.

[07:34] - The responsibility of being Jewish-Arab creators.

[11:23] - DUGRI is established as a social venture to creatively echo a new Israeli-Palestinian joint narrative, focusing on a mutually beneficial future through music, content, education, and community building to bring Jewish and Arab kids together in schools, highlighting the importance of education in fostering unity.

[19:36] - Sameh reflects on the complexity of the situation, emphasizing the shock, loss, and challenges faced by both Palestinians and Israelis after recent events.

[25:47] - The need for understanding history, finding a solution, and rejecting the idea of returning to the status quo to overcome challenges.

[31:25] - Uriya advocates for social awakening, emphasizing personal responsibility, challenging simplistic narratives, and promoting authentic leadership for societal change. He concludes with a call for leaders to focus on maximum well-being for all, advocating for real change and societal awakening.

[39:59] - You can watch their new video here. You can also connect with the DUGRI Project on various social media platforms to follow their journey and stay updated on their latest content. You can find them on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.Today's guest is

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

DUGRI Project 

Other links for DUGRI...

Today's guest is Kurt Landon - founder of Enspira, an HR Consulting and Human Capital firm. This is the first of two episodes. In this episode, we focus on how Kurt became a leader, and how working in HR and human capital at firms like Expedia, Biogen and Pinterest prepared him to become a leader.

Kurt's Flourless Chocolate cake recipe: bit.ly/kurtcake

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[03:30] – Welcome to the podcast, let’s start, why don’t you give our listeners your background, story, and how you got here.

 [05:17] – You started your entrepreneur career fairly late in your professional journey. What was the driver to go on your own after so many years?

[09:25] – What are the advantages, as an entrepreneur, do you think you got from going this route, which is not as traditional.

[11:30] – When did you start being intentional about defining your leadership style? How do you define your leadership style?

[13:54] – Kurt talks about a chapter from the book, The Feiner Points of Leadership by Michael Feiner.

[17:27] – Is there one of those experiences that you would be willing to share 2 or 3 lessons that you learned from that specific experience?

[20:09] – Kurt later learned that a new leader did not like him because of his sexuality.

[24:27] – Kurt recaps multiple lessons.

[27:23] – You are going into every experience with trust.

[30:29] – How do you think of your best self as a leader? What are the qualities that you try and embody?

[35:08] – Do you have any interests or hobbies outside of work that are important to you and how have they shaped or influenced your work?

[37:04] – Food for your body or food for your thought?

[41:57] – Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

enspirahr.com

al4ep.com

Additional Guest Links:

LinkedIn Enspira: linkedin.com/company/enspira

LinkedIn Kurt:  linkedin.com/in/kurt-landon-he-him-3791015/

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Honest Mechanik: honestmechanik.bandcamp.com

Books

The Feiner Points of Leadership by Michael Feiner

Today, I’m sitting down with Jazzy T. Williams, CEO and Founder of the JazzCast Pros Network a platform that provides a unique space for thought leaders to resonate with a global, niche audience. Focused on leadership and self-development, the network's mission is to educate, empower, and inspire women and people of color, fostering social equity, financial independence, and healthy self-relationships.

We delve into Jazzy's transformation from radio talent to entrepreneur, exploring the intricacies of managing artistic talent. Additionally, we'll uncover the art of empowering voices in the realm of thought leadership and the universal leadership lessons that seamlessly translate to any field.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[02:22] - Jazzy shares her remarkable journey from radio talent to empowering leader in podcasting.

[16:44] - Dive into how "Beauty Boss Millionaire" ignited Jazzy's leadership journey and her mission-driven podcasting network, JazzCast Pros. Plus the three key qualities she embodies as a leader to transform the podcasting landscape.

[21:58] - Jazzy shares the art of helping hosts find and embody their genuine voice while respecting the essence of authentic podcasting leadership.

[27:22] - Jazzy walks listeners through the fine line between sponsorships and podcasting leadership, with a cautionary tale of an “infomercial” episode and the true value of products in real life.

[30:11] - How Jazzy measures her success through the enduring legacies she leaves, and shaping leaders in the podcasting industry.

Contact dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

jazzcastpros.com 

Other links for Jazzy T Williams/JazzCast Pros

Network Podcast Page: podbean.com/podcast-network/JazzCastPros

JazzCast Apple Podcast Channel: podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/jazzcast-pros-network/id6442574935

JazzCast Pros on Facebook: facebook.com/JazzCastPros

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jazzytonair

Instagram:@jazzytonair 

Book a free podcast consultation with Jazzy: calendly.com/jazzcastpros/30min

Get 15% off remote audio + video recording wih Riverside.FM Promo Code: JAZZYCAST 

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram : @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter:

Today our guest is Pam Prior, who helps us examine leadership through a financial lens. Pam is a CFO-turned-entrepreneur and finance coach, and her mission is to make finance fun and valuable for small business owners. Drawing on her 30-year career, she shares insights on building leadership, creating a fun yet productive work environment, and the key steps entrepreneurs should take for financial soundness.

Pam stresses the significance of leaders empowering their teams, setting high expectations, and embracing a culture where failure is viewed as a learning opportunity. Her unique approach to connecting finance with storytelling and leadership provides actionable insights for entrepreneurs looking to navigate the financial landscape of their businesses. Tune in to discover how Pam Prior makes finance not only manageable but genuinely enjoyable for small business owners.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:24] - Pam transitioned to helping entrepreneurs, aiming to make finance enjoyable and valuable for small business owners.

[4:15] - Starting in the DuPont mailroom at 17, Pam turned routine tasks into enjoyable games, influencing her successful CFO approach for entrepreneurs.

[6:17] - Pam argues that balancing high expectations and a fun culture in leadership demands daily commitment and adaptability.

[10:02] - Pam shares a critical lesson learned from neglecting signs of overburdening having led to a $1 million fraud.

[15:26] - Taking responsibility for the crisis resulted in colleagues' dismissal.

[17:02] - Initially accepting challenging clients for financial reasons, hear how Pam learned to heed intuition and prioritize balance.

[19:39] - Pam explains how she significantly changed her leadership style after gaining invaluable leadership insights early in her accounting career.

[22:34] - Pam communicates the importance of finance by aligning it with entrepreneurs' goals and desired outcomes.

[24:42] - Hear three pieces of advice: separate personal and business finances, register your business, and prioritize paying yourself from the start.

[28:35] - Where can Pam be found online?

[28:57] - Pam reveals that her current passion involves diving deep into decentralized finance, Web3, and crypto for the past two years.

[29:34] - Striking a balance, Pam simultaneously loves and hates the advice: "Don't let highs get too high or lows too low."

[30:32] - Currently, Pam's soul finds nourishment in spirituality and interconnected beliefs, while tuna casserole fuels her body.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

 Websites:

 al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

pamprior.com

Other links for Pam Prior:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PamSPrior

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamSPrior

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamsprior/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pamprior

Instagram: 

Chris Lynch is the Executive Chairman, and CEO at AtScale, the industry leader in data federation and cloud transformation. Sometimes known as the Punk Rock VC, Chris is a VC investor, operator, advisor, and mentor to dozens of entrepreneurs and startups. He has been in the founding team of Arrow Point, Acopia Networks and Vertica.

We talk about the influence of punk rock and the Sex Pistols on his approach to work, why connection is the key to success in any industry. Chris is also pushing for more transparency and disclosure in equity compensation in privately owned companies, especially in high tech and private equity/venture capital environments. So we talked about the changes needed, and most importantly, about what questions people should ask before accepting a job in a privately owned company where equity is a significant part of the compensation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[02:40] - Chris shares how he arrived at where he is today.

[05:01] - How work, love, and punk rock influenced Chris' business career. 

[08:23] - From dreams of playing bass in a punk rock band to inventing a persona that helped him 'fake it until he made it.'

[11:04] - Why connection and authenticity are the keys to success no matter what you are 'selling.'

[13:10] - How accepting failure as part of the process ultimately leads to success.

[16:21] - "Celebrating success is fine. But it doesn't make you more successful. Overcoming failure makes you more successful."

[19:41] - Chris shares how his definition of success has evolved over his career.  

[24:43] - What are the traits of a good Venture Capitalist (VC)?

[26:25] - Chris shares his answer to the 'trick question' that opened the door to him working with the Godfather of VC (and a top 5 IPO).

[28:50] - Chris shares the secret to his success and his message for those he mentors.

[30:18] - How to join Chris in his mission to create more transparency in the private equity market.

[34:57] - The most important questions to ask before joining a startup or a privately owned venture that features equity compensation. 

[37:51] - Why employees need to negotiate equity compensation the same way they would for cash. 

[39:47] - How to find more information about Chris and the types of investments he is   

[41:28] - Crowdsourcing the power of music and the tech entrepreneur ecosystem to do good through Tech Tackles X.

[44:13] - Why perfection is the enemy of progress.

[46:05] - Chris shares a question for listeners to answer for a special opportunity to meet with him via ZOOM. Jean dot O'Neill at escale.com.

[47:16] - Chis shares the VC jargon that leaves him empty.

[50:34] - Why we all need to stop fighting amongst ourselves to connect with what's real.

[53:04] - Chis shares his favorite meal and drink.

[53:50] - Why Chris believes the Sex Pistols changed the world with just one record.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com 

Websites:

al4ep.com

AtScale.com

reverbadvisors.com

Tech Tackles Cancer / Tech Tackles X: techtacklesx.org

Other Christopher Lynch links:

LinkedIn: 

Allison Bennie is a Creative Leadership and Life Coach at Does As She Pleases, an international coaching, facilitation, and training company that helps people in the performing arts who want to live by their own rules.

Allison and I were both diagnosed with Adult ADHD in. the past 3 or 4 years. Today she joins me to discuss our journey to being diagnosed, what the diagnosis has meant in our lives, and how we live successfully with Adult ADHD. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:59] - We’re starting year three of the AL4EP podcast. Thanks, listeners! 

[01:38] - How my Adult ADHD diagnosis changed my life.

[02:10] - Getting real about Adult ADHD with Allison Bennie.

[03:49] - Allison shares her background growing up in Scotland and her work with others to help them carve out their own path.

[04:27] - Allison shares the story of her post about the chicken and the egg on TikTok and how it made her feel seen.

[06:49] - Dino shares how seeing others he respected get diagnosed with Adult ADHD gave him the courage to pursue his own testing. 

[09:07] - Allison discusses how reading Fast Minds inspired her to explore testing.

[12:30] - Dino reveals what adults with Adult ADHD often struggle with.   

[13:23] - Dino shares an experience from his past that helped him pinpoint the patterns of ADHD in his life. 

[14:42] - The guilt aspect of ADHD for adults. 

[16:06] - Allison shares how a building designed to promote collaboration left her feeling like she was going mad.

[19:44] - Allison shares why it’s more common to have ADHD and autism than one or the other. 

[21:05] - How the ongoing “ADDinoed” joke turned into a health diagnosis for Dino. 

[21:22] - How after several misdiagnoses, finally being diagnosed with ADHD was like a weight being lifted, permitting Allison to, at long last, fully be herself. 

[24:10] - How seeing others face the challenge of ADHD and be successful offers a glimmer of hope for others who might be suffering in the same way. 

[24:51] - Dino shares how getting the ADHD diagnosis was like the shift from the minor 3rd to the major 3rd.

[25:53] - Why it’s NOT laziness. 

[26:50] - Allison shares her journey to making healthier dopamine choices. 

[29:37] - Dino shares how Christina Wallace helped him determine he could be BOTH a coach and a marketer.  

[30:34] - If you or someone you know may be living with Adult ADHD, there is help. Find out more at ADD.org.

Contact

Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com or...

Authentic Leadership for Everyday People is the podcast where we investigate the connection between effective leadership and authenticity. If you are looking for inspiration and tips on how to become a better leader by being your true self, you are in the right place.

Today's guest is award winning Americana singer-songwriter Susan Cattaneo. Susan started her career as a writer-producer in television, where she ended up running on air promotion for WPIX, New York's number 1 independent channel. She left that career to attend Berklee College of Music on a vocal scolarship and was hired to teach songwriting there upon graduation.

Susan talks about what it is like to teach and work with creative people, and the lessons that leaders can take from that process. Since we are married, and I am also her manager, we also talk about what are some factors that make a work partnership between life partners successful.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[03:36] - Susan, welcome to Authentic Leadership for Everyday People, how are you doing?

[04:22] – Why don’t you start by giving my listeners, our listeners, a background of how you started some key changes though your career.

[07:31] – This interruption, part of our dynamic, you do have the tendency to under play your accomplishments.

[09:42] – If any body listening here is interesting in learning about writing lyrics, check out Pat Pattison on Coursear.

[10:21] – Take me to the moment when you actually made the decision to

[11:12] – What was the moment, of saying, “that is okay, I am willing to step away from this” and what was the driver?

[14:47] – You made the discovery of a new professional path, that you didn’t know at the time, which was the staff-song writer.

[16:33] – We both had to make an adjustment, I think, and we moved back to Boston. And that is when you started teaching.

[17:56] – If you were to step in the shoes of a manager or senior leader who is coaching new younger employees that are coming, and they may have some skills, what are some of the things that you learn in terms of being effective?

[20:48] – What are some of the elements that make a successful co-writing session?

[24:15] – There is obviously the scenario where you know that you are writing something that is going to be for you.

[25:22] – I remember the day I told you, “You went to Berkley cause you wanted to be an artist, you have this enormous catalog of songs, no body is buying records anymore, let’s have you become an artist”.

[27:27] – I think this is a really important part in this podcast, I always ask people was there a moment when something didn’t go the way you wanted.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

susanmusic.com

Additional Guest Links:

Facebook: facebook.com/susancmusic

Instagram: @susancmusic

Twitter: @susancattaneo

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter –

Gaia van der Esch was nominated for the Forbes 30 under 30 a few years ago and is currently the Managing Director of 3ZERO, an organization working to make the world three zero: zero exclusion, zero carbon, and zero poverty. Gaia is the author of the soon-to-be-released “​​Leading Our Way: How Women Are Re-Defining Leadership.” 

Gaia discusses the moment she knew she was a natural-born leader, how her desire to make a difference guides her career decisions, her evolving perspective on leadership, and her three pieces of advice for leading visionaries.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[00:56] - Dino introduces his guest, Gaia van der Esch of 3ZERO. 

[03:07] - Gaia shares her background growing up in Italy, her humanitarian work, and her rapid rise to leadership positions.  

[08:18] - How a focus on gender equality led her to write a book on leadership (releasing soon). 

[09:44] - Gaia shares her current role 3ZERO, what the organization stands for, and her vision for a better world. 

[10:43] - A natural leader. 

[13:04] - Gaia shares a story about the logical thing she did that led to a promotion for her and helped form her opinion of what leadership is about. 

[15:59] - The gradual realization of her dual motivations: Gaia shares the importance of comprehending global issues and creating a positive impact and how her desire to make a difference guides her career decisions.

[17:30] - Building her self-confidence while recognizing her leadership traits. 

[20:13] - It's not about me and my profile: How people with values and skills can engage in meaningful roles that transcend profit-focused motives or self-centered interests.

[20:38] - Mission-driven and not afraid to speak up from an early age.   

[23:02] - Gaia shares her innate drive for impact built from an unchanging core motivation and 

[24:27] - Gaia's evolving vision of leadership. 

[25:47] - From task-driven efficiency to a facilitative role, Gaia shares how her leadership role has grown to encompass emotional authenticity, team empowerment, and fostering an ecosystem for collective success.

[28:13] - Dino shares the common challenge high-performing individuals have when they are thrust into a role with different cultures and working methods. 

[29:50] - Recognizing her role as a change-maker. 

[32:30] - Facing the challenges of being a leader and a visionary while steering your organization toward a unifying vision. 

[33:45] - Dino asks Gaia to share her advice for leading visionaries. 

[34:02] - The one question Gaia asks herself to stay aligned with her vision. 

[35:24] - Recognizing when to shift your efforts elsewhere.

[36:53] - How to adopt a strategic approach to the broader organizational dynamics to be a more effective change-maker.

[37:49] - Gaia shares the behind-the-scenes of her upcoming book, set to release in a few months, and focuses on how women are reshaping the definition and practice of leadership. 

[38:43] - Changing the rules of the game: Gaia encourages listeners to consider updating the rules of leadership. 

[40:08] - "Leadership isn't confined to job titles but is an attitude that can be exhibited at any...

Sean Fahey has been an entrepreneur his whole life. He spent the last 13 years building Vidcruiter, an HR tech company that uses software and video to significantly improve the recruiting process for organizations.

Sean shared his experience as an entrepreneur, the advantages and disadvantages of starting early and had plenty of helpful advice and suggestions for people who want to start their own business.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[01:44] – I ask Sean to share his story and how he got there.

[03:42] - Sean reveals when his path started being an entrepreneur at the age of 19.

[05:31] - Being an entrepreneur is not something that you even hear about as a career path.

[08:15] - You need to be looking at and evolving your thought process in terms of, "what do I need to improve on the current status quo".

[11:15] - You need to find a way into the business that suits your lifestyle, your model, what you want to invest in, what your outcome is, and, you know, do you want a lifestyle business or not?

[13:59] - Sean expresses his views on investors, "If I can't convince someone to work for free on my idea and see if it's going to develop, why should I try to convince an investor to give me money on the idea?"

[15:33] - It's too hard to tell if someone's going to be good long-term within three coffee dates, but this share trade for work concept is what Sean recommends to everyone.

[18:44] - The goal is to have a win-win outcome. And so, the only way to do that is that everyone has realistic expectations about what the business is worth and where it is.

[19:15] - Sean didn't set out to be a leader instead he set out to accomplish something.

[22:17] - It's sort of like letting people decide the level of engagement that they want to have within the organization.

[23:46] - One of the most essential things Sean thinks a business owner needs to realize and have in their operational mindset, is that if something is not flowing perfectly, there's a process that's missing.

[24:45] - One of Sean's goals is to try and make sure everyone has fun at work. 

[26:04] - Sean realizes that walking into work with a happy mindset, makes for happy people.

[31:48] - If you want to be an entrepreneur, Sean recommends completing the grit test.

[33:25] - Sean fell in love with the process: the process of building the business and the process of improving the business.

[36:08] - Sean's definition of success is about being able to walk away and have the business keep growing and making an impact.

[39:35] - The pandemic has made video interviewing popular, or maybe not popular, but normal.

[40:35] - Sean shares his hobby or interest outside of work.

[40:50] - Food for the body or food for the soul?

[42:06] - Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

vidcruiter.com

al4ep.com

Additional Guest Links:

Contact at:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/vidcruiter/

Facebook: facebook.com/VidCruiter

Twitter: @VidCruiter

YouTube: youtube.com/user/VidCruiter

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn:

Arielle Nissenblatt's is the community team manager at SquadCast, a remote recording software solution. Her obsession with podcasts began when she learned she loved being entertained by audio. An advocate and influencer in the podcast community, she founded EarBuds Podcast Collective in 2017. EarBuds is a weekly podcast recommendation engine that sends a newsletter with a theme and 5 podcast episodes on that theme, with each weekly issue curated by a different person.

Arielle is also a founder of Podcast Taxonomy, an international multidisciplinary effort to standardize roles and credits in the podcast space.

We talk about building a community as a long-term investment. Arielle shares her insight into what it takes to engage a community over the long haul successfully and how Arielle's podcasting influencer involvement is turning into a win-win for all.  

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[03:02] - Arielle shares the history of her longtime love of being entertained by audio. 

[04:42] - The passion that led Arielle to start the EarBuds Podcast Collective newsletter in 2017.

[06:42] - The bold move Arielle made that granted her entry into Podcast Movement and opened the door to a full-time job in the podcasting industry.

[07:47] - The questions Arielle and her team are asking to build a thriving community team at SquadCast.

[10:39] - Why community engagement and growth is a long-term investment. 

[12:08] - Digging in to successfully define community for an organization.

[15:30] - The key teams that make the SquadCast community a success. 

[17:15] - How SquadCast employs social content and feed drops to promote and determine the community's needs. 

[19:00] - How the product development team is leveraging the community's input to bring about big design changes. 

[20:00] - The advantages of employing your community as the human side of marketing. 

[21:30] - Arielle shares how her position as manager of the community team and her involvement in the podcasting community creates a win-win for SquadCast. 

[22:44] - The pivotal moments in her journey that helped Arielle prepare for her job as an influencer. 

[25:53] - Half the battle is just being aware of what's going on and having an opinion that you really believe and can back up. 

[27:08] - I asked Arielle when she learned to delegate. 

[28:37] - Arielle shares the growth journey of Earbuds Collective—from its upstart beginning to fully monetized. 

[31:35] - Arielle offers her insight into other ways podcasters can profit from their shows outside of a financial return to make their investment worthwhile. 

[34:23] - I ask Arielle to share some of her passions outside of work. 

[36:45] - Arielle offers up the one expression about podcasts she's tired of hearing.

[37:57] - Arielle shares her favorite book.

[38:30] - Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

Suzanne Dean had a long career first as a musician and composer, then as a music educator, and finally as the founder of a grassroots non profit. In our conversation, we focused on the first and the last part of her career.

We started with her experience as a musician and the journey to figure out exactly in which part of the industry Suzanne wanted to operate. And then we talked about how she connected her passion for the arts by starting Artists For Wildlife Conservation, a non-profit that works with artists and musicians to raise funds for local organizations that do work to preserve wildlife.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

suzannedean.me

Additional Guest Links:

Artists for Wildlife Conservation: afwildc.org

Instagram: @artistswildlifeconservation

Facebook: facebook.com/ArtistsForWildlifeConservation

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

In this special Thanksgiving episode, I'm thrilled to introduce my guest Scarlet Keys, a celebrated songwriter, esteemed educator at Berklee College of Music, TED talk speaker, and author. 

Over the past three years, Scarlet courageously faced a challenging health journey, discovering the transformative power of gratitude along the way. Join us as Scarlet shares the various gratitude practices that fueled her resilience during her battle with cancer and offers a sneak peek into her upcoming book, "What If It All Goes Right? Practicing Hope in the Hardest Times." Listen in to be inspired by Scarlet's transformative journey, providing a beacon of hope for those navigating life's challenging seasons.

If you enjoyed this episode, this is an invitation to subscribe so you don’t miss any future episodes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[02:03] - Scarlet Keys discusses the life lessons her health battle taught her. 

[04:00] - Scarlet shares her personal experience with a breast cancer diagnosis.

[09:00] - The significance of choosing a positive mindset to learn to live well amid a health crisis.

[11:00] - The importance of rejecting silent suffering and embracing support systems.

[13:00] - Scarlet shares her interest in neuroscience and how practices like gratitude and laughter can positively impact the brain's chemistry and act as powerful healing agents. 

[16:00] - Scarlet describes the moment she realized that her message could extend beyond her songwriting, leading to her upcoming book, “What If It All Goes Right? - Practicing Hope In The Hardest Times.” 

[23:00] - Scarlet shares the various gratitude practices, including blasts, humor-infused gratitude, and retrospective gratitude that she used during her cancer battle and shares with readers in her book.

[24:27] - To preorder an autographed copy of “What If It All Goes Right? - Practicing Hope In The Hardest Times” click here.

If you enjoyed this episode, this is an invitation to subscribe so you don’t miss any future episodes.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

Scarlet Keys

What If It All Goes Right? - Practicing Hope In The Hardest Times

Other links Scarlet Keys: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scarlet-keys  

Instagram:

Today's guest is Ali Cox, founder and CEO of Noble West, a marketing consultancy that specializes in food ingredients, agriculture and the entire agricultural ecosystem. Ali is not your typical CEO – before starting her business career, she won a world championship gold medal and an Olympic silver medal, in rowing. At the time she won it, in 2004, the US had not medaled since 1976 in her event, the women’s 8, and that team’s win launched an era of historic dominance for the US in the event.

In this episode, Ali discusses her transition from a professional athlete to a marketing and advertising professional, the evolution of her leadership style, and her mission-driven approach to improving the food supply chain. The conversation touches on the challenges of leading a remote team, the importance of setting clear expectations, and the significance of building trust within her organization. And since she is an expert in the food I also asked her for some advice for consumers on making informed food choices.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

wearenoblewest.com

Additional Guest Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alicox

Instagram: @alicox.ceo

Instagram: @wearenoblewest

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today we talk to Rishi Bhatia. As CEO of Purple Carrot, a Massachusetts-based 100% plant-based meal kit company, Rishi leads the rethinking of plant-based food—making it mainstream for everyone. With over two decades of experience as a CTO and in product strategy, leadership, marketing, and innovation roles, Rishi has spearheaded customer-focused transformational strategies for both Fortune 500 companies and startups.

Rishi discusses his journey from India to the US, how he transitioned from technology and product to CEO, and how to manage relationships with private equity and venture investors. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[00:59] - Dino introduces today's guest, Rishi Bhatia, CEO of Purple Carrot, a plant-based meal company. Dino talks about Rishi's unique path and how learning has impacted his career.

[03:20] - Rishi shares his appreciation for Dino's holistic approach to life and talks about his journey from India to the US and his work at a startup in the healthcare space.

[05:16] - The challenges of transitioning from an execution-based skillset to a leadership role.

[05:53] - Rishi shares his love for learning and how cascading skills to a higher value proposition has helped him unlock his potential and that of those around him.

[07:38] - Rishi shares a story of a decisive decision he made to offboard a team member who wasn't pulling their weight, ultimately earning his team's trust.

[08:54] - Transitioning to high-growth, high-risk startups.

[10:07] - Rishi talks about how working in mid-size or growth-stage startups intensifies the pace of learning, innovation, (and failure).

[10:37] - Rishi discusses the key traits of the leader he aspires to be and his ongoing learning and focus on creating purpose-led massive impact. 

[10:53] - Rishi talks about his aspirations to scale Purple Carrot and describes the key traits of an effective leader who thinks BIG to capture potential.

[11:19] - Rishi discusses the importance of cultural attributes in leadership and letting the best ideas in the organization win.

[11:50] - Making decisions as a leader: the importance of combining intuition, data points, and business model metrics. 

[12:53] - The journey to becoming a CEO and mastering the human element.

[13:25] - Rishi shares the path of learning he took to acquire the human element of leadership

[14:39] - The importance of storytelling and emotional connection in marketing.

[17:25] - Rishi discusses how his definition of success has evolved to focus on impact and legacy.

[19:03] -Rishi explains how his personal values of plant-based eating led him to Purple Carrot because he appreciated their business model as it aligns with his mission of creating a more significant impact through a clear and defined mission.

[19:36] - Meal options for flexitarians and the importance of having a clearly defined mission as a North Star for an organization to have a bigger impact or purpose beyond just their business model. 

[20:12] - Balancing impact and profitability when running a business. 

[21:02] - The importance of paying attention to business model refinement: breaking down investor communication into three segments: when things are going really well, when things are going okay, and when things are not going well.

[23:20] - Rishi shares an example of a high-growth startup's decline in profitability and his experience with unaligned heavyweight investors.

[26:00] -The importance of paying attention to red...

Jason Thompson, is the Founder and CEO of 33 Sticks.  He is an expert in data and analytics, but what makes him unique is the fact that he built his business around the leadership principles of humanity and empathy.

In this episode, we delve into Jason's journey, exploring the roots of his discontent within the Machiavellian landscape of corporate America and his quest to launch a business grounded in the principles he passionately believed in. During our conversation, Jason shared the core principles that guided him and the refinements he had to make along the way to shape the business of his vision. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[02:34] - Jason Thompson, Founder and CEO of 33Sticks shares his transition from software engineering to analytics consultancy, highlighting the founding of the company to challenge traditional service approaches.

[04:48] - Jason shares the background behind his notebook.

[09:02] - Jason outlines the two foundational principles of his leadership philosophy that have helped him create a more humanized and empowering work environment.

[16:03] - The changing definition of success.

[27:51] - The evolution of a leader—Jason reflects on his shift to acceptance of his role and the importance of finding a healthy leadership approach.

[32:24] - Jason shares how his hobbies of cooking, coffee, and music increase his value as a leader. Plus, why he’s adamant about having the work he does speak for itself.  

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com 

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

​Hippie CEO

33 Sticks

Other links for Jason Thompson: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/usujason/ 

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram: @al4edp 

Podcast X: @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Work Hard Love Harder (featuring The Bottle Rockets) | Susan Cattaneo 

The Hammer & The Heart | Susan Cattaneo 

Books

Data Literacy for Kids - A is for Analytics

In today's episode we revisit all the answers to the question: what is the business expression or jargon that drives you crazy.

If you missed it, make sure you check out 4th Annual Business Jargon that Drives You Crazy - Part 1, which came out on Memorial Day.

Here are our featured guests:

Ginevra Bersani Franceschetti

Jason Thompson

Dr. Amanda Blake

Anna Goldsmith

Jason Downie

Amy Vaughan

Stephen Klein

Steve Wunker

Christian "Boo" Boucusis

Pam Prior

Dr. Yasmeen Abu Frahia

Anthony Frasier

Annie Garofalo

Kelly Campbell

Simon T Bailey

Rachel Labi

Greg Bedard

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Additional Guest Links:

Go to the individual pages...

Christian "Boo" Boucousis is the CEO of Afterburner and a former fighter pilot for the Royal Australian Air Force. In our discussion he talks about his personal history, the key components of the training fighter pilots go through, and how the leadership traits developed through this training apply in every environment.

What you will hear are not the trite stereotypes about toughness we usually hear when people talk about applying military principles to corporate leadership. You will hear about outcome focused leadership, self-awareness, credibility, trust and approachability. And at the end of the conversation Boo also shared a couple of practices you can start immediately to apply those principles to your own leadership.

Key Moments

[01:10] Episode intro

[02:50] Boo's story

[06:31] Power of fighter pilot training

[11:37] Different leadership dimensions

[21:11] Unexpected aspects of leadership lessons from fighter pilot model

[27:51] Tips to apply fighter pilot leadership model immediately

[39:58] Hobby, business jargon that drives Boo crazy and food for the body/food for the soul

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

afterburner.com

Additional Guest Links:

Personal LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christian-boo-boucousis/

Christian's Newsletter on LinkedIn - The Debrief

Afterburner, Inc. Social Links

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/afterburner

Instagram: @afterburner_inc

Twitter: @AfterburnerInc

Facebook: facebook.com/Afterburnerevents

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today we talk to Jonathan Rosoff, an entrepreneur, business leader, marketer, social impact strategist, and now the CEO and founder of Formative, a venture capital firm focused on investing in technology startups that are making a positive impact on society. 

Jonathan shares his insights on technology and social impact, the evolution of his definition of success, and his advice for finding meaningful work that feeds your soul.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[01:34] - Dino introduces Jonathan Roseoff, his old friend and colleague who founded Formative, an agency that blends marketing, technology, and policy expertise to design and launch social good campaigns for purpose-driven brands. They also help tackle significant global health issues for clients such as Microsoft.

[02:13] - Formative's role in flattening the Curve at the beginning of the COVID Pandemic. 

[03:00] - Jonathan talks about his journey to where he is now and the things that form who he is and inform what he wants to do. 

[05:12] - From telling dad jokes to wearing his heart on his sleeve Jonathan shares his natural evolution, what authentic leadership means to him, and learning from his successes and failures.

[06:44] - Jonathan discusses what he thought a leader would be (compared to now) and shares his secrets for building trust.

[08:45] - What genuine authenticity looks like in a  corporate environment and the ingredients it needs to be effective.

[10:23] - Dino emphasizes the importance of marrying authenticity with additional values. 

[11:37] - True authenticity reveals who people are; Jonathan shares the need to motivate positive change.

[12:33] - Jonathan shares the motivation behind starting his own agency and the challenges and rewards of competing against larger firms and solving complex global problems.

[15:43] - How Formative's work with the Seattle Flu Study informed decision-making during the pandemic.

[18:00] - Jonathan reveals Formative’s secret to success and the core values that drive everything they do.

[19:45] - Jonathan shares what type of people Formative hires and how the company helps people grow in their careers. 

[21:45] - How Formative uses employee surveys to reinforce its core values and how market conditions have affected them. 

[22:54] - What makes up Formative's core values, and why Jonathan believes productive debate drives great work.

[26:06] - The pros and cons of bringing business skills to social impact work and the challenge of creating partnerships that incorporate the countries that will be recipients or collaborators in developing solutions.

[28:21] - Jonathan talks about how his definition of success has changed over the years.

[29:34] - Why impact matters, and Jonathan’s advice for finding opportunities that align with your passions and your way into places where your heart is.

[32:30] - If you want to learn more about Jonathan and Formative, visit their website or drop him a line. 

[33:05] - Jonathan shares his passion for music outside of work, including singing with the Seattle Symphony and a dad band in dive bars. 

[35:13] - Jonathan shares the "humble brag" expression that he feels is inauthentic.

[36:53] - How the Ukrainian group DakhaBrakha is making incredible original music and using it to raise awareness for what's...

Christian Muntean is a strategic coach and consultant based in Anchorage, Alaska, who specializes in leadership transitions and business exits. Christian came into this work from a very nontraditional path. He started his career in the NGO world and specifically doing work supporting medical efforts in Africa and Kosovo. Through this work he became interested in mediation and that is what ultimately led him down his current path.

In our conversation we spent a lot of time discussing his experiences in Africa and how that informed his overall approach to leadership. A key point that he made is that in his experience the success of projects often is affected more by how it is organized and run than by the amount of resources availailable.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

christianmuntean.com

Additional Guest Links:

Dowload the Train To Lead Self-Assessment HERE

Leadership resources: christianmuntean.com/resources/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christianmuntean/

Book: Train To Lead

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today's episode is a little different. In Episode 36 singer-songwriter Susan Cattaneo and I discussed the lessons that leaders can learn from those who lead and teach in creative environments. Since she is my wife, we also discussed the pros and cons of working with your spouse. In this episode, Susan comes back and we talk about the process of writing, recording and producing her album All Is Quiet.

Key Takeaways

[02:40] – Let’s talk about All Is Quiet and let’s start with the type of record that it is.

[03:51] – The last record took us six months to record, we had like 5 studios, and people were there. I remember talking about this record, let’s just get two guitar players, a studio, and we’ll do it in three days.

[05:03] – What was the original title meaning?

[07:39] – Don’t be bummed out, everyone is having a different pandemic.

[10:01] – It was a very trusted team, for us.

[14:26] – I think it really is a testament to their artistry that allowed me to shine, and they supported me really beautifully.

[17:28] – Recording remotely because we couldn’t get together in real life.

[18:16] – I want to talk for a second about the harmonies.

[20:50] – Discuss the song All Is Quiet

[22:44] – The album is done a little bit old school, in that the order of the songs is well thought out.

[23:49] - A music track is being played.

[26:04] – Another music track is being played.

[26:48] – So one can say that the album begins with an end and ends with a beginning.

[27:00] – Let’s go back to the beginning.

[28:20] – The spelling of the title, is intentional.

[29:50] – The verb choices that I use are really important.

[30:39] – Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

susanmusic.com

Additional Susan Cattaneo Links:

Click here for streaming links: Apple Music Spotify

Bandcamp: susanonbandcamp.com

Instagram: @susancmusic

Twitter: @susancattaneo

Facebook: facebook.com/susancmusic

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

In this episode we go back to the interviews with Debora Spar and Roger Brown and take out some of the key lessons from leading in higher education that can be applied to other organizations.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Additional Guest Links:

For Debora Spar: Episode 18 of the Podcast

For Roger Brown: Episode 30 of The Podcast

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today's guest is Jim Young . My guest is my friend Jim Young, also known as The Centered Coach. Jim had a long career in tech, rising in his company until he was the president. And then, he experienced a serious burnout, that led him to a serious recalibration of his life and priorities. Now he is an executive coach, speaker and facilitator who specializes in Burnout and DEI work. His book, Expansive Intimacy: How "Tough Guys" Defeat Burnout, helps men create a roadmap for more fulfilling lives.

We had a very frank and candid conversation about his experience, and then what people and companies can do to prevent burnout and what to do when they experience it. And given that right now there is a big debate about so called “quiet quitting”, we also took a little bit of time to discuss our perspective on it.

KEY TAKEAWAYS  

[02:50] – Jim shares his story with us.

[04:36] – I ask Jim to share what challenges help develop his leadership style.

[06:35] – Jim recounts examples when he didn’t need to be the strongest voice in the room.

[08:22] – Giving up control when in a new leadership role starts with trust.

[09:42] – The key strategy for Jim was fostering a real sense of teamwork.

[11:45] – Jim gives an account of a setback in his career that helped him grow.

[13:04] – Jim voices some steps he took to pause and reset.

[14:42] – We talk about Jim's definition of success and how it has changed over time.

[16:04] – Jim talks about the drives him to succeed externally and internally.

[18:05] – The primary question Jim would ask is, what do I want?

[19:14] – I ask Jim how he defines authenticity.

[20:27] – Jim mentions the classic symptoms of burnout.

[22:49] – Asking uncomfortable questions is a way to assess the people around you.

[25:04] – People sometimes need to see a perspective reflected in them.

[25:34] – I ask Jim what some of the first places to seek help are.

[27:05] – Burnout is often happening because of the tone that’s being set by leadership.

[29:29] - Workload is one of the six factors that drive people into burnout.

[31:00] - Until you know your values, you might not know what decision to make.

[34:03] – I shift the conversation to the TikTok term, “quiet quitting."

[36:57] – We talk about the boundaries and expectations of the worker and the organization.

[40:38] – Leverage is a dangerous word that makes us more adversarial than a unit.

[42:51] - Thriving requires that all of us are doing well, not one or the other.

[43:09] – Jim tells us about his fun hobby.

[44:45] – I ask Jim which business express drives him crazy.

[45:30] - Food for the body or food for the soul.

[46:50] – Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

thecenteredcoach.com

Additional Jim Young Links:

Read a chapter and preorder the book at: thecenteredcoach.com/book

Contact at: thecenteredcoach.com/contact

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thecenteredcoach

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn:

Jim Schleckser is founder & CEO of The CEO Project, a company that serves CEOs and high-revenue entrepreneurs. Their offering combines peer group meetings and discussions with personalized one-on-one coaching sessions led by former CEOs.

We start with Jim's path to his first CEO role, and how coming up from the sales side shaped his approach. And in this context he shared some of his early mistakes and lessons. We then talked about what drove him to choose a more entrepreneurial path.

We continue with a deep dive into what makes a CEO successful: how to balance organizational culture and leadership, the importance of building complementary teams, the need to know from the beginning how a business is going to be sustainable from a financial standpoint, when and how to think about raising capital. We finish with some thoughts on how the CEO role has changed over the past 20 years and what are the key traits to be effective.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

theceoproject.com

Additional Guest Links:

Corporate:

The CEO Project Podcast (aka The Lazy CEO podcast): theceoproject.com/the-podcast

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/theceoproject/

Facebook: facebook.com/IncCEOproject

YouTube: @CEOProject

Personal

jimschleckser.com/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jimschleckser/

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today we talk to Scarlet Keys, songwriter, author, podcaster, and Professor of songwriting at Berklee College of Music since 2003. 

Scarlet was a signed songwriter in Nashville and then evolved into one of the country’s top songwriting educators, aside from teaching at Berklee she is an in demand professor at songwriting camps and workshops across the country.

I her podcast What's in a Song.  you will hear some amazing in depth conversations on creativity, songwriting and music. It’s an opportunity to get an in depth look at how the sausage is made with some real music industry insiders.

In this episode, Scarlet talks about her story, takes us behind the curtains of the Nashville writing community and even gives us some songwriting tips. And at the end, I am sharing an excerpt form her podcast where she talks to Grammy winning songwriter Lori Mckenna.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:59] - Introducing Scarlet Keys - educator, songwriter, podcaster, and good friend.   

[03:22] - Scarlet shares her journey to Nashville and living the songwriting dream. 

[05:38] - The day-to-day life of a paid songwriter with Warner Brothers.  

[07:20] - Scarlet shares the moment the legendary Paul Williams welcomed her into the songwriting fold (and got her coffee). 

[09:48] - The moment her publisher gave her permission to step off of the roller coaster of writing songs as a career. 

[10:52] - How moving on to teaching helped her gain the tools she needed to become a master writer. 

[12:00] - Scarlet shares the inspiration behind The Craft of Songwriting. 

[13:56] - Scarlet explains her process of leading with intuition.  

[15:30] - How musicians use tone to portray the emotions of the lyrics in their songs.

[18:28] - How musicians create empathy and connection with the audience.

[20:49] - Scarlet shares what a topliner does.

[21:49] - How to stop chasing visibility and connect with those who resonate in your space. 

[22:31] - Scarlet introduces us to her podcast, What's in a Song. 

[23:01] - How Scarlet is using her podcast to educate, inform, and entertain and shares some of her favorite guests.

[25:00] - Scarlet shares the inspiration and excitement (and some help from Dino) that helped her launch her podcast. 

[26:38] - The three biggest things Scarlet has learned from starting her podcast and the guests on her show. 

[28:17] - How doing morning pages from The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron helps clear away writer's block for many artists. 

[29:48] - How artists can use neuroscience to bypass the critics.

[31:05] - Scarlet shares the musician who most inspired her career. 

[32:00] - A little flavor of Scarlet's podcast, What's in a Song, with guest

Harry Duran is the host of the Podcast Junkies podcast, the Vertical Farming podcast, and the founder of FullCast, a podcast agency. He also is a remarkable example of someone who has fully embraced his authentic self. 

In our conversation, he shared his journey from the corporate world to independent consultant to agency founder. We also talked about his decision to start sharing more publicly his full life and the impact that had on his business connections. Finally, we had a fascinating conversation about how he founded the Vertical Farming podcast, and we discussed what someone who wants to start a podcast should take into consideration.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[02:32] - Harry shares the story of his journey from the corporate world to becoming a podcast entrepreneur to starting his own agency, FullCast, and launching over 100 shows for clients.

[05:44] - How diving into "Digital Narnia" helped Harry gain the knowledge he needed to start his podcast agency.

[07:16] - Harry shares his journey to finding his true passion in podcasting and starting FullCast, where he helps podcasters focus on their genius by providing a "done for you" service for their podcasting needs.

[11:03] - On becoming "the cosmic conduit for awakened souls ready to transmit their message to a global audience."

[14:02] - Dino shares the importance of being explicit about one's values and making decisions based on those values to achieve success and happiness, with authenticity being the key to this process.

[14:43] - How Harry overcame his polished corporate image and fears of being vulnerable by sharing his personal journey and experiences, which has allowed him to connect with people on a human level and help others feel less alone in their struggles.

[18:43] - Why Harry believes that putting yourself out there and having faith in the universe will bring the right opportunities and people into your life.

[20:42] - Dino shares how being open and transparent about who you are may lead to fewer but more qualified leads, resulting in a more efficient system, but there's a caveat for it to work.

[22:43] - Harry explains how consistently writing about his experiences and passions without expecting anything in return resonates more strongly with him and those he hopes to connect with.

[25:16] - Dino expresses his gratitude to Harry for their past working relationship and his instrumental role in setting up his podcast systems and strategies (and how they've maintained a strong connection).

[26:06] - Harry shares some tactical and strategic advice on launching a successful podcast, from the four basic requirements to the importance of planning and commitment.

[31:11] - Harry and Dino discuss the importance of focusing on the content and sustainability when starting a podcast instead of just the tactical aspects like mic and software choices.

[32:02] - Harry discusses his experience managing a team and building an agency, emphasizing the most critical aspects of effectively leading a team.

[36:30] - How the book, "The Vertical Farm" by Dickson Despommier, inspired Harry to create the Vertical Farming podcast, a sponsorship-driven show that would appeal to...

John Torrens is an entrepreneur, founder of two successful healthcare related businesses, and a professor of entrepreneurship at Syracuse University. What makes him unique is that he accomplished all this, including getting a PhD. in business, while having adult ADHD.

In this episode, you will hear about how John adapted once he got his ADHD diagnosis and actually became a better entrepreneur by leveraging the strengths that ADHD gave him and managing the weaknesses. We also discussed how being a professor made him a better entrepreneur and his take on Gen Z.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Additional Guest Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnmtorrens

John's Book: Lightning in Bottle: How Entrepreneurs Can Harness Their ADHD to Win

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today's episode is special, coinciding with Veterans Day week.  In Episode 27 in January 2022, I interviewed Navy chaplain Brandon Harding who introduced me to 23rd Veteran—a unique mental health program for veterans dedicated to providing a unique mental health program for veterans coping with trauma. After volunteering as a coach for their programs, for the past two years, I've witnessed their remarkable impact.

In honor of Veterans Day, I've invited Brandon and Mike Waldron the Founder and Executive Director of 23rd Veteran, to join me on the show to discuss the distinctive aspects of their program, its vital importance, and the broader challenges veterans face during their transition to civilian life. We also explore the valuable leadership lessons veterans carry with them from their military service.

I hope their insights inspire you to take action this week, whether by supporting a veteran or contributing to organizations like 23rd Veteran.

[00:00] - Veterans often grapple with isolation, negatively impacting their mental health. Listen in to hear what factors contribute to this issue. 

[02:08] - Mike Waldron shares his personal journey and how he founded 23rd Veteran after overcoming combat stress and PTSD through socialization and fitness. He introduces listeners to 23rd Veteran which offers a unique mental health program, featuring outdoor wellness adventures and group therapy.

[07:15] - How 23rd Veteran fosters camaraderie and trust through outdoor trips, creating positive memories and stronger bonds among veterans.

[14:11] - The biggest challenges veterans face reintegrating into civilian life. 

[16:28] - The guests share the deeper leadership lessons from the military.

[24:39] - How you can help foster camaraderie and build trust with the veterans in your life.

[29:18] - Visit the 23rd Veteran's website at 23rdveteran.org to help veterans in need and to support their vital work.

If you enjoyed this episode, this is an invitation to subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

23rd Veteran 

Other links for Mike Weldon and 23rd Veteran

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mikewaldron23

Instagram: @23rdveteran 

Facebook:

Giovanni Vacchi is the CEO of Colombini Group, a family owned company that has been one of the leaders in the Italian design and furniture sector for over 50 years. Giovanni had a variety of experiences across countries and industries, and in this conversation shares how authenticity and effective leadership are pivotal in diverse business environments.

Specifically, we discuss his journey from consultant to private equity investor to CEO/operator. We talk about the different approaches necessary to navigate the relationship with the board and the investors in a private equity owned business vs. a family owned business. He also shares the impact that selling insurance as a student to pay for his education had on his overall success.

We also take some time to discuss his book "The Heart Of Leadership", which was recently translated to English.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

colombinigroup.com

Additional Guest Links:

Corporate:

febalcasa.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/colombini-group

Giovanni Vacchi

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Vacchi

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/giovannivacchi

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Book by Giovanni Vacchi

Italiano: Al Cuore della Leadership https://amzn.eu/d/04VYtv70

Español: El arte y el corazón del liderazgo https://amzn.eu/d/0j4TgGGW 

English:  The Heart of Leadership https://amzn.eu/d/07TL7AHv 

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today we talk to Mya Byrne, a talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for her captivating storytelling and heartfelt lyrics. Deeply influenced by her love for classic country music, she is dedicated to creating authentic and powerful songs that resonate with listeners. Out and proud, she is a leader for the presence of queer, trans women in Country music and is one of the first two trans artists to play AmericanaFest.

Mya shares her journey as a transgender musician and activist, discussing the impact of embracing her authentic identity on her artistry, her support for other trans artists, and the connection between her songwriting and the legacy of classic country artists like Loretta Lynn.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[00:22] - Dino introduces the show and welcomes guest Mya Byrne, a courageous musician, and activist, as we explore her journey of embracing her identity and the impact it has had on others.

[02:30] - How Mya's leadership manifests in supporting other trans artists and people, providing a universal approach to embracing authenticity.

[03:14] - Mya shares her story of success, overcoming challenges, and making a difference in the face of attacks on LGBTQI+ rights.

[04:59] - Mya shares her remarkable journey as one of the first fully out trans women in country music and her unapologetic approach to life and art.

[06:38] - Explore the transformative power of embracing authenticity and the profound impact of Mya's music video, breaking barriers in the industry.

[07:19] - The challenges faced by queer and trans artists and the importance of building countercultural support networks.

[08:07] - Discover how embracing authenticity transformed Mya's artistic expression, bringing her a newfound sense of freedom on the stage and in the studio. 

[09:15] - Overcoming the challenges of being an out artist: Mya discusses the plexiglass ceiling faced by women.

[11:12] - How Mya’s authenticity as a trans woman influenced her work to help her shed light on embedded biases in society.

[12:00] - Mya shares her approach to art and work and the inspiration she finds in the Beatles' studio sessions.

[13:50] - Mya's personal growth and advocacy journey, from embracing her persona to becoming a leader and advocate in her community.

[14:33] - The importance of visibility in the face of ongoing attacks on the trans community, Mya her experiences in direct action activism.

[16:14] - Mya's evolving activism, from being on the front lines of protests to focusing on nurturing and supporting other trans artists while challenging discrimination in the music industry.

[17:12] - Inspiring others through her visibility to impact the lives of younger trans musicians.

[17:58] - The revolutionary act of simply walking down the street as a trans person.

[18:34] - The power of coming out and the fear it instills in those who seek to exploit individuals. 

[19:12] - Everyone is part of the working class regardless of occupation or social status. 

[19:46] - How a song by David Crosby inspires Mya to hold the people accountable. Speaker 

[20:26] - "Leadership is making a bowl of soup for somebody who's hungry." 

[21:03] - Mya shares how she aspires to create a better world for the younger generations in hopes they can avoid enduring the same hardships as she has. 

[21:43] - The importance of acknowledging and celebrating the joy in trans lives, alongside the daily struggles and obstacles and the power of

Joanna Strober is the CEO and founder of MIDI health, a company that provide tele health services to women in midlife. In the process, she ended up taking a leadership role not just for the company but for society as a whole, as MIDI Health does work that fills a big gap.

Like many founders, Joanna had the idea to start the company when she experienced this void of service personally. In our conversation, she very candidly discusses the experience that led her to the idea, and she shares how her previous career as a partner at a venture capital firm helped her design and build a company in a way that would enable it to be economically viable while fulfilling this mission. She also shares some eye opening statistics on what the status of healthcare for women is in this country.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

joinmidi.com

al4ep.com

Additional Guest Links:

Corporate links:

LinkdedIn: linkedin.com/company/midi-health

Instagram: @midihealth

Facebook: facebook.com/joinmidi

Personal Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joannastrober

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today we talk to Jeff Robbins, musician and co-founder of Lullabot, a renowned, fully remote company specializing in web development. In 2021, Jeff developed an app called Visibox which allows musicians and other performers to control videos and other visual elements during their performances. Jeff's current band is 123 Astronaut.

Jeff shares his journey from the music industry to co-founding Lullabot, his leadership approach, the importance of core values, navigating remote work, and redefining success beyond the dollar.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[00:56] - Dino introduces today’s guest, Jeff Robbins. 

[02:38] - Jeff introduces himself, highlighting his passion for music and early involvement in web development.

[4:26] - Jeff's transition from music to focusing on web development and finding Lullabot, a successful web development company.

[06:44] - The challenges and learning experiences of managing relationships while being part of a band. 

[07:38] - Jeff reflects on the vulnerability of committing and putting oneself out there in music, highlighting the importance of taking any pursuit seriously and putting in the necessary effort and dedication.

[08:54] - Jeff discusses the transferable skills from being in a band to building a company and how music's raw and emotional aspects inform his business practices.

[11:17] - Democracies or enlightened dictatorships? The leadership and group dynamics in bands and Jeff's experience in Orbit.

[11:31] - Jeff discusses his role as a reluctant leader in Orbit and the importance of making decisions that align with the vision.

[13:03] -Jeff’s vision in building and leading Lullabot.

[13:27] - “Okay, but it needs to look good on a t-shirt,” Jeff’s approach to building Lullabot, the concept of "celebrity-tising" the developers and promoting their talent, and how the music world influenced the company's culture.

[15:27] - The infection points of company growth and why Jeff sees leadership as a natural side effect of having a vision for your company and its creative direction.

[17:10] - Leadership as a side effect—driven by a vision for the company rather than vice versa. 

[18:06] - Defining core values is emotional and vulnerable but crucial. Jeff explains his thoughts on a company's core values and how he and his team worked to capture Lullabot's identity and the story they were telling. 

[20:50] - The core values of Lullabot and their meaning.

[24:09] - Jeff discusses the importance of making core values public, accessible, and transparent to foster fairness, honesty, and accountability within the company.

[25:33] - A REAL virtual company: Lullabot’s “remote-first” philosophy drawing inspiration from open-source projects like Drupal. 

[28:48] - The different dynamics and challenges of physical presence versus remote interactions. Resources: "Remote: Office Not Required"  and"It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work" by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson and Jeff’s podcast on the topic.

[31:13] - Jeff shares...

Authentic Leadership for Everyday People is the podcast where we investigate the connection between effective leadership and authenticity. If you are looking for inspiration and tips on how to become a better leader by being your true self, you are in the right place.

Today's guest is today is Jonathan Jacobs, the founder of Rawkstars, a non-profit that provides free music education programs and instruments to kids and young adults. His vision is that music education should not be a luxury, because music education provides great life skills.

This belief comes from Jonathan’s own journey. He had an amazing career: he toured the world as a live sound engineer for many years, then spent 20 years in technology, and now he is a leader in the Global Philantropy Group at Hasbro.

In our conversation you will hear how his passion for music gave Jonathan a focus and helped him find confidence in his own skills, and how all the lessons he learned while working in music helped him become a better leader in a corporate environment. He founded Rawkstars many years ago to start giving back. The expertise he built and the success he had with Rawkstars helped him ultimately transition from technology to philanthropy within Hasbro, so we talked about how to make big career shift within an organization.

A lot of our conversation revolves around purpose and vision: how to find your own purpose, what purpose can do for an organization, and the power of finding ways to have people experience the vision rather than just talking about it.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[03:17] - Jonathan, it’s great to have you here. Let's start by telling our listeners your story.

[04:30] - Through participation in music, I really found myself. I can literally point to a lightbulb moment.

[05:21] - It turned me from kind of uninspired, aimless, directionless, lazy kid; into a very focused, career orientated, organized, and driven person.

[08:54] - What are the key skills and key habits that you learned while doing the job, then you brought into the rest of your career?

[12:12] - What are some of the lessons you have learned, in terms of building and developing relationships and working in the context where ultimately you are responsible for an outcome but you need people to help you with that outcome and sometimes you may not have authority over those people?

[14:26] - Basically need to have people experience the vision, so they can get excited to dive into the details to bring it to life.

[15:11] - What were some of the key moments that you realized you actually enjoyed and were good at managing people? What were some of the key lessons that you used from your past and brought into that?

[17:47] - What are some of the challenges you faced and how did you work through them?

[20:27] - Were there moments where you were overcorrected to try and fit in or were those ah-ha moments?

[22:50 ] - How did you go about making that shift? If there are people who are thinking about attempting a similar shift in their company or organization, what is some of the advice you would give them?

[25:57] - Why don't you tell us a little bit about what Rawkstar was, what you did, and then if and how that played actually into your ability to get your current position?

[26:22] - Let’s take a second to tell our listeners what Rawkstar is.

[28:50] - What were some of the lessons that you bought from playing that role and making things up in that world and then how have those lessons impacted your ability to work with people where you are now?

[30:48] - We have talked about the vulnerable moments when you opened up yourself within your corporate environment, in terms of sharing your passions. How does that translate into stepping into the role that you’re in now?

[33:15] - What are the challenges of advocating for a non-profit activities or for philanthropy...

Our guest is Bryan Adams, one of the pioneers of the employer branding discipline and the author of the book “Give and Get Employer Branding” a book that is considered the bible of the discipline. He is the founder and CEO of two companies: Ph. Creative, an agency that focuses on employer branding, and HappyDance, an enterprise career technology company.

In our conversation we talked about Bryan’s entrepreneurial journey and some of the missteps he took and how he overcame them. He also discussed some of the key holes that companies have in the way they communicate with their employees, and shared a couple of examples of companies that successfully aligned their corporate culture and their communications to their employees.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

happydance.love

Additional Guest Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bryanadams1

Instagram: @bryan_phc

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Books

Bryan Adams: Give and Get Employer Branding

Kim Scott: Radical Candor

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Welcome to Authentic Leadership for Everyday People, , the podcast where we investigate the connection between effective leadership and authenticity. If you are looking for inspiration and tips on how to become a better leader by being your true self, you are in the right place. Today we talk to Andy Alsop, the President and CEO of The Receptionist, the company that made the original iPad based visitor management system.

Andy is a serial entrepreneur. In the past 30 and more years, he was part of the founding or c-level team of at least 6 different startups. He acquired The Receptionist in April of 2015, and he used all his previous experiences to adopt a new approach to leadership. He calls it "Employee Supremacy", and it is grounded in the principle that if run a company with the primary goal of helping the employees flourish, in the long run the company will be more successful and more profitable.

Key Takeaways

[02:20] - Andy, welcome, I am very excited to have you on the show. Why don’t we start, why don’t you give me a sort of a sense of your background.

[05:32] - That is fabulous. I assume by removing the name iPad maybe at some point you can do the android version as well?

[06:17] - What are like the biggest lessons from Pre Receptionist that you brought in terms of what to do and what not to do with The Receptionist as setting up the company?

[08:29] - I wanted to have employees that felt satisfied and that felt fulfilled.

[11:36] - What are you seeing in your employee base, in terms of your retention and sort of the results of this investment that you obviously decided to make in them?

[13:02] - As you were starting the company and, if you took the time to think about what were the values of the company, and what was the process to determine those values? And then starting making sure that the people within the company lived according to those values.

[15:42] - We do have them on the walls. But more importantly through this exercise, I recognized  that I wanted to make sure that everybody in the company adhered to those core values.

[18:12] - How do you personally define authenticity and then what’s the definition within the core values and the expectations within, for your employees?

[19:04] - How deeply do you go into definitions as you sort of socialize the employees to them? So you give them one definition of authenticity and then do you have, for the values, do you also have practical examples of situations, and how the values live in there?

[21:29] - There is a decision that needs to be made that may impact the company negatively in the short term but if you take the decision to keep the company in a positive state, the decision goes against the core values. Did you have to navigate any situation like that?

[23:40] - How large is your team overall?

[23:52] - What do you think would be some of the challenges maintaining that strength if you were like, scaling it X times, not going from 16 to 20 but if you were to 160, 1600?

[26:19] - How can we make a company that is really the long game, not just a short term we’re going to be growing as quickly as we can but as something that can last for the long time?

[27:24] - I remember that I was on this one walk that I came to the point of what my why was.

[30:12] - The ones who suffer the most from that are employees, right? Employees become part of the balance sheet.

[36:00] - In a situation where it is a public corporation, where shareholders have the option of where they put their capital, how that would play? Have you, is that something you have asked yourself?

[39:24] - That’s what I want to do, I want to start thinking about running my company using employee supremacy as a criteria, what are the two or three things that you would recommend they do?

[42:28] - Do you have any interest or hobby outside of work

How does stress impact leaders? In today's episode host Dino Cattaneo shares a framework and areas of intervention to manage stress as an individual and as the leader of an organization.

This episode was inspired by this LinkedIn post by Erica Seidel. - 16 Affirmations.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Quoted in this podcast:

Erica Seidel LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ericaseidel/

The Connective Good: theconnectivegood.com/

Dr. Herbert Benson - The Relaxation Response

Trevor Mowad: It Takes What It Takes

Positive Intelligence: https://www.positiveintelligence.com/program/

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Lily ZHeng is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategist, Author and Practitioner. They take a very practical approach, deeply grounded in data and in creating long-term measurable results for the companies they partner with.

In this conversation, Lily explains what it means to take a data driven approach to DEI. They share their focus on fostering long-term partnerships with clients truly committed to change, ensuring that DEI efforts are impactful and sustainable.

They also give us insights for corporate leaders on what makes an effective DEI practitioner, and some of the steps that a senior executive who wants to embrace a data-driven approach to DEI can take.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

lilyzheng.co

Additional Guest Links:

Contact at:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lilyzheng308

Instagram: @lilyzheng308

Books:

Reconstructing DEI amazon link: Reconstructing DEI

DEI Deconstructed amazon link: DEI Deconstructed

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Rachel Labi is the co-founder of Building Financial Freedom, an organization that develops financial literacy programs for youth. As she discusses her journey from advocating for mandatory personal finance education in Indiana to founding Building Financial Freedom she builds a strong case for the necessity of systemic changes in financial education, and not leaving the responsibility solely to parents.

We talk about what it's like to build an organization at such a young age - she is still a college student. She emphasizes the importance of democratic leadership, strategic networking, and adaptability. Specifically, she talks about how she used internships to align organizational goals with the career aspirations of peers, and went to a model that partners with outside organizations and corporations to fund the development of the content.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Building Financial Freedom site

Additional Guest Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rachel-labi

Instagram: @peoplelifeco

Building Financial Freedom Instagram: @buildingfinfreedom

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Jamie Mittelman is the founder of Flame Bearers, the first and only global storytelling platform for women Olympians and Paralympians. Flame Bearears champions elite women athletes, using sport as a conduit for issues such as disability bias, mental health, and pay equity. We host a podcast with listeners in 47 countries, create short form video content, and host online and virtual events.

We have a conversation we talk about how she started the podcast, and then she shares with us one of her episodes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[01:50] - Introducing Jamie Mittleman - host and founder of Flame Bearers storytelling platform.   

[02:27] - Listen as Jamie shares her story and why she started Flame Bearers. 

[04:10] - How did she end up at the Harvard Kennedy School and studying the intersection between business and government? 

[06:17] - Things she’s learned and challenges she’s faced navigating the world of business and government. 

[07:28] - Has she had any moments where she felt her work truly matters in the world? 

[08:44] - Did she go into her college education with a plan for what she wanted to do? 

[10:10] - Where did the shift from policy to mission-based work come from? 

[11:37] - Why pursue the Olympic committee? 

[13:04] - How did she decide on a podcast for her storytelling platform and how did she come up with the idea and format? 

[16:50] - Examples of the types of athletes they feature and the topics they speak on. 

[18:06] - Why they’ve been extremely fortunate due to the postponement of the games due to the pandemic. 

[19:07] - What has she learned through this process? 

[21:17] - Which of her athlete guests has she been most excited to chat with? 

[23:41] - Jamie introduces her podcast episode with Sarah Davies. 

[25:15] - Thank you so much for listening to the interview portion of this episode. 

[26:22] - Welcome to Flame Bearers with Sarah Davies, the barbell queen. 

[28:04] - Listen as Sarah shares her accolades and exceptional ability. 

[29:03] - How did she get into weightlifting and why does she love the team dynamic? 

[30:47] - What kinds of stereotypes does she face as a woman weightlifter and beauty pageant contestant? 

[33:43] - Learn about two of the women in Sarah’s corner who keep her motivated. 

[36:28] - How she’s working to change the IWF through her chair as the Athlete’s Commission and Executive Board. 

[38:54] - Corruption within the sport isn’t just impacting the sport in the U.K.

[41:52] - How did these doping issues become such a big problem in the sport? 

[44:10] - The video Sarah Davies filmed to speak out about corruption within the IWF. 

[45:33] - Learn how the anti-doping movement knows that Sarah is affecting change. 

[47:00] - Is there hope for change within the sport and the IWF? 

[49:29] - What does all this change mean for athletes like Sarah?

[52:05] - Sarah’s advice for women everywhere.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

flamebearerspodcast.com  

Other Jamie Mittleman & Flame Bearers links:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/flame-bearers/  

Instagram:

Today we feature my appearance on The CEO Project Podcast, where I discussed the topics of Authentic Leadership and Branding. The host, Jim Schleckser, had been my guest on the podcast a few weeks before this session, so this conversation started from there.

We talked about how I work with leaders to help them be more authentic. Specifically, we discussed how to create definitions of values that can be very operational and can serve as guides in day to day business decisions. We also discussed how individual values can be seen as a parallel of branding, and how to be a company's brand pillars need be reflected in the whole experience, and not just in the communications.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

The CEO Project Podcast - Dino's Episode

Jim Schleckser on Authentic Leadership for Everyday People

Additional Guest Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jimschleckser

LinkedIn Corporate: linkedin.com/company/theceoproject

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Honest Mechanik: honestmechanik.bandcamp.com

This episode is Part Two of my conversation with Nico Cattaneo, the talented composer behind our podcast theme music, my son, and a rising young comedian in New York City. If you missed Part One, be sure to check out Episode 120, before diving into this episode.

In this installment, we delve into the diverse tiers of the comedy scene and the different paths aspiring comedians can take as they navigate their way to a career in comedy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• [02:52] - Nico shares the importance of comedians producing their own shows to gain stage time in front of real audiences (and make a little money.)
• [05:32] - Nico discusses the concept of Bringer Shows, and the potential for exploitation, especially for newer comics.
• [06:49] - Nico highlights other, less exploitative opportunities, especially in cities like New York, where open mics attract audience members.  
• [07:25] - Nico explains the unconventional concept of "barking," for income, guaranteed stage time, and act development. He also shares some of the unique interactions he has with strangers, ranging from making friends to encountering resistance.
• [14:13] - Nico shares some of his favorite go-to material honed during his time “barking” to engage passersby. 
• [15:22] - The challenges and various paths to success for comedians and the concept of getting "passed" at a comedy club.
• [18:33] - Nico shares a special offer for listeners of the show who visit his Instagram page. 
• [19:15] - Nico introduces indie alt comedian,  Clara Olshansky, praising their humor and well-written personal stories and observations.
• [20:38] - Maddie Wiener — a consistent and killer performer. 
• [21:23] - Alex Taubin — from one-liners to a stand-up comedy evolution.
• [23:16] - Ethan Mead — the one comedian who makes Nico laugh more in person than anyone else. 
• [23:31] - The explosive and unpredictable style of Mia Faith Hammond and the parallel between her comedic style and that of Casey Rocket in Austin. 
• [27:04] - Nico recommends listeners check out Julia Castner recent winner of the Comedy Mob Festival, and other NYC comedians including Adam Christopher.
• [28:19] - Nico shares his food for the body recommendations from NYC including Berlin Döner he was introduced to by Espi Rivadeneira. 
• [29:07] - Nico shares his "food for the soul," the YouTube show Neutral Drop. 
• [30:26] - Nico introduces the

Welcome to Authentic Leadership for Everyday People, the podcast that investigates the connection between effective leadership and authenticity. In my show my guests are asked to share their story, be authentic, transparent and vulnerable. It is only fair that I do the same for them and for you, my listeners. This is part two of the episodes where I am turning the microphone over to my new friend Randy Wilburn, who will ask me the same questions I ask my guests. How do I define authenticity? What is my definition of success? What makes a good leader?

Key Takeaways

[02:37] - What do you consider your leadership style to be?

[05:23] - I was always treated as an equal, my voice was treated as an equal.

[07:41] - You don’t always have to be the smartest person in the room.

[09:40] - As a leader you have the responsibility to set direction, and then you have the responsibility to make the decision, and you have the responsibility to understand the style of the people that work for you.

[12:10] - It’s your responsibility as a leader, to serve your team.

[13:43] - Not only do you need to fundamentally understand your leadership style but you need to understand leadership styles of people around you. That will make for a much better work environment.

[16:22] - When things just didn’t go your way, what were the challenges and what were the lessons learned from that personal crisis or failure?

[18:41] - It does matter for me, in terms of the work that I do, the amount of belief that I have in the actual work.

[21:42] - I’m curious to know, were you able to go through or did you participate in any type of therapy?

[23:22] - I think getting help, having a sounding board, having somebody that you can actually talk to, to walk you through these situations is critically important for our mental and our physical well being.

[25:01] - I want you to give three leadership tips for our listeners.  

[26:24] - I think we all have a lot more career and life in front of us than we perceive.

[28:12] - What are some of your passions outside of the workspace and how do they shape the leader that you are?

[31:20] - Certain keywords that are so overused they become hollow, and I have several in my head right now, but which ones are the ones that bother you the most and what images do they conjure up?

[33:07] - I think one of the most important questions to ask, this whole idea of food for the body or food for the soul, which one would you choose?

[35:54] - These are people that are really unhappy with their state, their station in life but they are starting to do something about it.

[38:07] - What did it feel like being on the other side of the equation when it came to the interview?

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Website: al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

Dino’s Email – dino@al4ep.com 

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

EPISODES MENTIONED:

Episode 4:

Kathryn Valentine is the Founder of Worthmore Strategies, a research based firm aimed at advancing women in the workplace by partnering with companies to deliver negotiation training to women. Kathryn developed her approach to leadership in the years she spent at McKinsey and at a couple of apparel companies.

In this conversation we discuss her journey, her leadership style, and she shares a number of actions that women can use to improve their negotiation skills.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

worthmorestrategies.com

Additional Guest Links:

List of 76 things to ask for in negotiations: www.76things.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kval/

Instagram (corporate): @worthmorestrategies

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

We celebrate the end of the year with a bonus episode, shared courtesy of Between Two Mics - the Squadcast.fm podcast. In this episode Rock Felder, co-founder of Squadcast, interviewed me and 4 other members of the Squadcast community who, like me, publish business related podcasts.

The support that Squadcast offers its community is a great example of a company walking the walk, so as I close my first year as podcaster, I am celebrating by introducing you to some of my fellow Squadcasters, and by expressing my gratitude for all the help and support I received by this community.

Full episode Notes on the Between Two Mics episode page.

Links to the podcasts featured here:

• Chaz Volk’s Mr. Thrive Media
• Shubham Agarwal’s Secrets of Storytellers
• Jessica Stewart’s My Modern Met
• Tom Fox’s Compliance Network

Find me at authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

Claudia Scott, the Head of Inclusive Entrepreneurship and Director of KIVA North West Arkansas at Startup Junkie. In that role, Claudia leads the development and implementation of strategies that give access to capital and other entrepreneurial resources to underserved populations. We talked about the main challenges that these entrepreneurs face suffer, and some of the steps that can be taken to help them succeed.

In our conversation Claudia shared her personal journey from focusing on business success to helping others succeed. She discussed making the hard decision of quitting her career in banking, and how going through the process of finding personal balance also helped her find a new inspiration for her professional path.

Finally, as someone who has it, Claudia is also an advocate for Tourette Syndrome. We discussed her own experience with Tourette syndrome and she shared some advice for supporting people afflicted by it.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

startupjunkie.org

Additional Guest Links:

Personal:

LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/claudiapscott/

Instagram: @claudiapscott

Facebook: facebook.com/claudiapscott

Startup Junkie:

Podcast: startupjunkie.org/podcast

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/startup-junkie

Instagram: @startup_junkie

Facebook: facebook.com/startupjunkie

Kiva Northwest Arkansas:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/kiva-nwa

Instagram: @kiva_nwa

Facebook: facebook.com/KivaNWA

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today's guest is Nico Cattaneo, the author of the podcast theme music. He is also my son and a comedian. He takes us for a behind the scenes look at the life of a comedian in New York.

We talk about how he realized he wanted to be a comedian, how he took his first steps in that world. We discuss the role of open mics play in helping comedians develop their own creative voice, and what is the culture among comics in New York.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• [04:08] - Nico shares his early passion for storytelling and making people laugh that emerged during a memorable school trip to a farm, setting the foundation for his love of comedy.
• [07:44] - How his study of physics helped Nico launch his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian.
• [10:17] - The unique way Nico initiated his comedy journey during the pandemic, to hone his craft before moving to New York.
• [13:57] - Navigating the Comedy Community the unexpected sense of camaraderie among comedians in the New York comedy scene.
• [17:55] - Nico shares his initial approach to comedy, the disciplined regime he started with, and how he transitioned away from his rigid approach finding joy in exploring his on-stage creativity.
• [20:33] - Open mic nights serve as a secure space for artistic exploration, fostering support even when laughs are challenging. Nico highlights the cultural shift towards embracing failure as integral to growth in stand-up comedy at all levels.
• [22:48] - Mastery in any field, including comedy, requires a significant time investment, Nico dispels the misconception of overnight success.
• [24:17] - Failure is inevitable, it’s vital to adopt a sustainable mindset. Nico shares his personal strategies for dealing with setbacks. 
• [24:56] - Dino shares his own approach to handling failure and overcoming setbacks.
• [26:20] - Nico discusses the alternative pathways and the changing landscape of comedy opportunities, including new viable routes to success.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

Additional Guest Links:

Instagram: @nicocattaneocomedy

Hi Hello Comedy- Instagram - @hihellocomedyshow

Calendar and tickets: Eventbrite

Full Belly Dinner and Comedy - Instagram: @fullbellynyc

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Stephen Klein returns for the second half of our conversation. As a reminder, Stephen is an entrepreneur and AI expert whose journey weaves through academia, business, and innovation, and he is responsible for the creation of Curiouser.AI.

In this second half, Stephen pivots his focus to the innovative world of AI and the essence of being a "crazy one" who views the world differently. Stephen shares his journey from teaching in urban public schools to founding a company with a unique approach to artificial intelligence, and he introduces the concept of reflective AI, emphasizing its role in prompting humans and pushing boundaries.

He also delves into his mission of helping entrepreneurs and founders by turning his AI into a tool for articulating and storytelling. He draws parallels between his approach and the wisdom of great thinkers like his hero Steve Jobs, highlighting the importance of thinking differently and embracing resistance.

Catch Part 1 of the interview

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[2:31] - Understand AI's complexity, embrace learning, view it as a tool, and prepare for its transformative impact.

[4:53] - Stephen explains what the ultimate goal of the company is.

[6:38] - Stephen believes that everyone is a genius in their own way.

[10:38] - Stephen moved to Philadelphia for grad school, teaching underprivileged high schoolers with innovative and empowering methods.

[14:06] - In his fifties, Stephen recognized the superpower of self-awareness, which is essential for success but often suppressed by society.

[16:52] - Stephen touches upon having studied Steve Jobs and learning that visionary leaders operate on a deep level and embrace challenges.

[18:58] - Stephen has reevaluated his assumptions and has found profound truth, that helping others succeed by thinking differently is crucial.

[22:08] - In its early stages, Stephen's predominantly female tech company seeks capital, driven by passion and innovation.

[24:30] - Reflecting on a David Foster Wallace story, Stephen has realized that diverse perspectives are our competitive advantage.

[27:56] - Stephen touches upon some hobbies and passions outside of his professional life.

[28:44] - Stephen feels that although many claim to be innovative, they do so without truly understanding what it means, instead avoiding real risk and hindering creativity.

[29:49] - Stephen embraces ancient wisdom and finds value in both Eastern and Western philosophy.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com 

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

Curiouser.AI

Other links for Stephen Klein: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stephenbklein

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Instagram:

Today we talk to Ash Beckham, a speaker, author, corporate trainer, and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

Ash shares her journey of self-discovery, the importance of building trust through authenticity, and embracing vulnerability as an ongoing two-way conversation, and reflects on the ripple effect of her TED Talk and her road to becoming an accidental activist.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[01:37] - Dino introduces Ash Beckham, a speaker, author, corporate trainer, and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. 

[02:31] - Ash introduces herself and shares that she is a busy mom who also does virtual and in-person speaking, executive, and team coaching, and runs a family business putting on girls' fast-pitch softball tournaments in Ohio.

[03:52] - Dino discusses the universal experience of having hard conversations, noting how Ash's TEDx talk from 2013 about coming out of the closet inspired him to invite her to share her framework for authenticity.

[07:43] - Once Ash chose to be openly authentic, she found it difficult to live any other way, discovering that the potential backlash from living her truth was largely exaggerated in her own mind.

[08:31] - Ash believes that regardless of whether a threat is real or perceived, the fear response can still arise.

[09:19] - Ash emphasizes the importance of building trust by being authentic. And shares why she took responsibility for having difficult conversations for those who couldn't.

[10:45] - Ash stresses that we all live in the gray middle where we need to find commonalities through our similarities first, then open the door to conversation about taboo subjects.

[11:40] - Authenticity is not just something one does, but who they are, and that changes over time. 

[13:52] - Authenticity doesn't have to equate to constant struggle, but being true to oneself and figuring out what authenticity means in different circumstances

[15:28] - To be an effective advocate, it's crucial to evaluate the situation's context, desired outcomes, and personal motivations.

[17:01] -The importance of having a personal conversation about vulnerability while being aware that it can result in changed relationships.

[18:29] - Ash recommends three steps to dealing with potential pushback when embracing vulnerability.

[20:33] - When dealing with pushback when embracing vulnerability, it’s important to make it an ongoing two-way conversation rather than a one-time discussion.

[21:18] - Dino discusses the process of becoming authentic and evolving to fully embrace vulnerability. 

[22:49] - Ash shares her journey of self-discovery and what inspired her to become an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

[26:34] - Courageously facing the uncertainty of letting go of prescribed life stereotypes and advocating for acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community while hoping for familial acceptance of her true self.

[28:28] - Dino praises Ash's empathy, citing her sister's wedding and her bravery in using her own experiences for advocacy while considering the opposing perspective.

[29:51] - Ash reflects on her past behavior of excessively expressing her identity while stressing the importance of self-acceptance and progress, even without full understanding.

[32:49] - Ash discusses the importance of meeting people where they are to help them understand and become allies.

[33:22] - The importance of authenticity

Today's guest is Erin sharoni who right now is the Chief Product Officer at Foxotech. Erin had a fascinating journey to her current position. She left a 6 year career on Wall Street to become a sports reporter for NBC, CBS, Showtime, but after 5 years she decided to leave that field too and followed her passion for science and wellness. She decided to go back to school for science and she is in the process of getting her second scientific Masters at Harvard.

We spent a lot of time discussing how to find one’s passion, and the trade-offs in pursuing it. And since she is an expert in longevity and epigenetics, we closed our conversation talking about what we can learn from epigenetics and what decisions we can make in our daily life to improve our health and longevity.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[02:58] – Give us a little bit of your background and then we can talk about what drove some of your choices.

[04:56] - What were the drivers of those decisions to leave the field and restart from scratch?

[09:40] - Was there a moment when you started realizing that these are the important things for me and how was that moment? When did you transition into making decisions more intentionally in alignment with whatever the values were?

[14:10] - What was the moment when you started saying, okay, I want to serve my purpose, and then identifying what the purpose was and started making decisions, chasing whatever the purpose was?

[19:31] - What drove the decision to go back to school at that point? And what were some of the challenges that you faced?

[22:57] - What are some of the things you did before that could make the transition successful in the experience, less daunting?

[25:54] - You look at where you are now and, and how you are working now, what part of your overall experience coming back and saying, hey, that helped more than I thought at the time.

[28:04] - What is your leadership style and what have you taken from the different environments that you've been working through?

[32:31] - What is epigenetics? What are the core elements of the science of longevity and maybe what are some things that people can look into as they try to leave longer or just better?

[38:28] - Are there other examples of this type of application that come to mind and you're aware of?

[42:41] - What are some of the main areas of intervention that people can start thinking about?

[45:36] - Is there an interest or a hobby outside of your regular work that is important to you and how has that impacted your life at work?

[47:40] - Every era has expressions or business cliches, or pieces of jargon that are so overused, that they lose, meaning, which is one expression that drives you crazy?

[50:01] - To work hard and push something doesn't mean that that's a mindset you need to be in all the time.

[51:12] – Food for your body or food for your soul?

[52:47] – Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

foxolife.com

erinsharoni.com

Additional Guest Links:

Corporate web site: foxotechnologies.com

Foxolife Instagram: @foxolife

Foxolife Twitter: @FOXOLIFE

LinkedIn:

David West, co-founder and CEO of Proscia, shares his journey from student/researcher to founding and building a medical software company whose goal is to improve cancer diagnosis through technology.

We discussed how he developed his vision of authentic leadership while building the company as he transitioned from a scientist/hands-on entrepreneur to a leader who fosters a problem-solving mindset within his team. He shared the importance of finding the right investors and how transparency and effective communication are key in building trust with the venture capitalists on the board of directors.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

Proscia.com

al4ep.com

Additional Guest Links:

David West

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/david-r-west

Twitter / X: @davidwest_irl

Proscia

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/proscia

Twitter / X: @Proscia

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today we have a return guest: Christina Wallace who had joined me on EP55 of the podcast. Christina is an entrepreneur, musician, podcast host and professor at Harvard Business School. With all these interests she describes herself as a "human Venn diagram."

Christina is here to discuss her book The Portfolio Life”, in which she talks about how cultivating a number of different interests and skills is key to living a more fulfilled life and build a successful career in a rapidly changing world.

 In our conversation, Christina explains how she came up with the “portfolio life” concept, and then shares practical examples and steps that we can take to design our optimal portfolio life.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:57] – Dino introduces today's guest, Christina Wallace, who is returning to discuss her new book, "The Portfolio Life," to be released on April 18.

[04:06] – Christina shares the evolution of The Portfolio Life.

[05:13] – How Christina’s double major and learning about portfolio theory during her finance classes in business school inspired The Portfolio Life. Plus, a long ago and forgotten conversation foretells the future years later.

[09:21] – Christina describes the three tenets of a portfolio life and why life changes require a rebalancing of your portfolio.

[11:29] – Christina emphasizes that a portfolio life isn't just about work and shares the other things it includes, plus how to think about life in chapters or seasons for a happy life.

[12:26] – You only have a certain amount of time you can balance—work is just a piece of it—why The Portfolio Life is about more than having a work–life balance.

[12:26] – How the portfolio life concept challenges traditional career paths and allows for a diversified approach to work, skill development, and life in general.

[14:11] – How Christina’s grandmother’s wisdom helped her create a mindset and a unique approach to her career that has fueled her success and has helped her counsel people as they're thinking about the career piece of their portfolio.

[15:35] – Tell them a great story about the experience you bring: Christina talks about the power of associating and the ability to connect seemingly unconnected ideas or industries or networks in a world where so much of what we think of as specialization can and will be outsourced to computers very soon.

[18:34] – Christina talks about the concept of a human Venn diagram and shares how she’s built her own human Venn diagram at the intersection of multiple identities, multiple experiences, skill sets, and identities to help others understand what she brings to the room in terms of unique perspectives and experiences.

[21:12] – Embrace your uniqueness and look for opportunities where you are the perfect fit, rather than carving off parts of yourself to fit in with a puzzle that doesn't quite fit so you can focus your energy on doing amazing work and contributing to the team.

[22:25] – Whether it's in your relationships or your career, why it's essential to find the rooms that want what you have to offer.

[23:10] – Christina shares the recipe for happiness in your current stage of life.

[26:25] – Art/Life Balance, Christina emphasizes the importance of building a business model that can provide the stability, income, and health insurance to support a sustainable art career.

[27:34] – Stop measuring the quality of your art

At the end of every episode I ask my guests their "food for the soul" - arts or other things that inspire them. In this episode I answer the question with some of my food for the soul. I start with guitars and specifically, my current favorite guitar, my Powers Electric.

Then I talk about two groups of books that have influenced me - the great early 20th Century European novels and musicians biographies.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Mentioned in the episode:

Powers Electric Guitars

Luigi Pirandello - Six Characters in Search of An Authors

Italo Svevo The Conscience of Zeno

Marcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time

Joe Jackson - A Cure for Gravity

Bill Bruford - The Autobiography

Haley Forest is a renaissance woman at the intersection of leadership, creativity, and neuroscience. Haley’s career path is anything but traditional—she spent two decades in hospitality, where she developed a deep understanding of human behavior, before transitioning into the world of innovation and business strategy. Now, as she completes her doctorate in leadership psychology, she’s focused on the neuroscience of creative cognition—how our brains generate ideas and what that means for leadership, problem-solving, and team dynamics.

In our conversation, we talk about how leaders can cultivate creativity within their teams, the science behind balancing structure with innovation, and why authenticity plays a key role in fostering trust and collaboration. We also dive into her fascinating research on how alternating between deep focus and mind-wandering can enhance creative output—a game-changer for anyone looking to improve problem-solving in their organization

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

hcforest.com

Additional Guest Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/haley-forest/

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today, my guest is a dear old friend and great creative leader. Lynn Pulsifer is the owner and Chief Creative of Salty Cactus Creative. We talk about how to develop and build creativity, for yourself and for the teams you lead. 

Lynn shares her experiences as a boutique agency owner, her insights on adaptation, the creative process, and the delicate balance between ego and collaboration. Plus, she offers her valuable insight for emerging creatives on navigating the intricacies of a creative career and the importance of continuous inquiry for fostering collaboration in the competitive creative landscape. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• [02:59] - Lynn Pulsifer, owner of Salty Cactus Creative, introduces herself and shares her diverse creative background.
• [06:18] - The importance of adapting and evolving in a creative career.
• [08:42] - Lynn identifies three crucial elements and the significance of these elements in creating authentic and resonant content.
• [13:30] - Lynn shares her advice for emerging creatives.
• [20:32] - The importance of asking questions and curiosity in fostering a successful and collaborative creative environment.
• [29:53] - The value of diversity in creative passions, and experiences, for fostering innovation.
• [33:22] - How collaboration provides more brainpower, beauty, and inspiration for better results and the importance of aligning creativity with business goals.
• [38:37] - Lynn shares the business jargon phrases that have become particularly bothersome and the nourishing impact of yoga on her mind, body, and spirit at this moment in her life.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com 

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

Salty Cactus Creative 

Lynn Pulsifer Gallery 

Other links for Lynn Pulsifer

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lynnpulsifer 

Instagram: @saltycactuscreative 

Instagram: @pulsiferlynn

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram: @al4edp 

Podcast X: @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

O Holy Night | Susan Cattaneo

Rishad Tobaccowala is one to the visionaries in the world of marketing and advertising – he founded some of the early digital marketing agencies and has covered several C-level roles for Publicis. Today, he comes back to discuss his latest book, Rethinking Work.

In our conversation, we dive into the five seismic shifts reshaping the workplace, how technology—including AI—is redefining the nature of jobs, and why the traditional concept of employment may soon be obsolete. Rishad shares his unique insights on leadership in this evolving landscape, the importance of adaptability, and how companies can thrive by fostering an ecosystem of talent rather than just managing employees.

We also explore what individuals—whether they are seasoned executives or just starting out —can do to stay relevant and successful in a world where the future of work is being rewritten in real-time.

To hear about Rishad's career and his other book, check out his previous appearance on the show.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

rishad.substack.com

Additional Guest Links:

Website: rethinking-work.io

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rishadtobaccowala

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today's guest is Mosongo Moukwa, the President of Hathaway Advanced Materials and the bestselling author of the book "Be a Leader of Significance."

In his long career, Mosongo has been on two parallel journeys. First, a global journey from Congo to Belgium to Canada to the US and more. Second, a professional journey, from pure science and research to the leadership suite in the chemical industry

Together we delve into the art of effective leadership, emphasizing self-awareness, empathy, and the universal importance of human connections and transcending cultural differences. We also explore his book, the concept of ‘home’, and the profound impact of leadership that inspires.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:38] - Mosongo shares his journey from the Congo to his leadership roles and the importance of creating human connections as the foundation for effective leadership.

[02:38]  - The importance of embracing discomfort for personal and professional growth.

[13:03] - Effective leadership requires building trust within the team. Mosongo shares a story illustrating the importance of being true to oneself and making decisions based on personal values.

[17:40] - Creating a Safe and Engaging Leadership Environment. Drawing on international experiences in diverse settings. Mosongo shares some practical steps for leaders to foster psychological safety.

[26:49] - Mosongo shares why he wrote his book, "Be a Leader of Significance," and the concepts he hopes to inspire in leaders.

[30:39] - How a commitment to continuous learning played a crucial role for Mosongo in a challenging situation and his decision process that helped him persevere. 

[38:35] - Mosongo takes listeners on a delightful exploration of Belgian beers, including aromas, and alcohol levels, and offers some recommendations for listeners to try.

If you enjoyed this episode, this is an invitation to subscribe so you don’t miss any future episodes.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

Mosongo Moukwa

Other links: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mosongomoukwa  

Twitter: @moukwa 

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram: @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter: @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Smoke (feat. Jennifer Kimball) | Susan Cattaneo

The Hammer & The...

Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal joins us for a candid discussion on his shift from a traditional sports journalism career to forging his own path in the digital media world. We navigate the highs and lows of starting a subscription-based sports website amidst an industry shrinking and in turmoil.

With a focus on authenticity and reader engagement, Greg shares his journey and the core values that have propelled his platform to become a champion of quality sports content in a sea of clickbait.

At the end of the episode, Greg taps into his deep NFL knowledge to answer six "what if" scenarios involving among others Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Bill Belichik and Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Key Moments

[1:03]Episode Intro

[4:07] Greg Bedard career and how he founded BSJ

[11:49] Lessons from Peter King & Sports Illustrated MMBQ

[13:52] BSJ vision & building BSJ Team

[20:02] Perspective on journalism industry

[27:37] Work philosophy

[30:48] Six hypothetical questions on the NFL

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

bostonsportsjournal.com

al4ep.com

Additional Guest Links:

Twitter: @gregabedard

BSJ Subscription: bostonsportsjournal.com/subscribe

Greg's Bio & Articles on BSJ: bostonsportsjournal.com/author/GregABedard

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today we talk about leadership, partnerships and co-founders. Our guest is Annie Garofalo, Founder and CEO of Confidante. She specializes in preventing co-founder conflicts. Her approach is a combination of her experience as a co-founder herself and a rigorous academic background.

In our discussion we covered all the steps to building a successful co-founder relationship, starting with figuring our whether you actually need a co-founder. If the answer to the question is yes, we talked about how to find the right co-founder and the best practices in setting up the relationship and managing conflict.

Key Moments

[1:08] Intro

[2:27] Annie's story and background

[15:21] Do you need a co-founder and best practices to set up successful co-founder relationships

[33:05] Favorite hobby

[34:06] Jargon that drives Annie crazy

[35:09] Food for the body or food for the soul

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

confidante.info

Additional Annie Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annie-garofalo

LinkedIn - Corporate: linkedin.com/company/cofounder-confidante/

Instagram: @thecofounderconfidante

Twitter: @anniegarofal0

TikTok: @the.cofounder.confidante

YouTube: youtube.com/@TheCoFounderConfidante

Podcast: How I Met My Co-Founder

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Founder Resources From Confidante

Resources for Co-Founders from Confidante Substack

Essential Co-Founder Conversations

Watch Outs When Choosing a Co-Founder

Healthy Founding Teams: The Sound Relationship House

This is a special episode, produced in partnership with Enspira HR. Human capital and HR experts Kurt Landon and Jenna Cohen discuss the actions and steps corporate leaders need to take in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

How should leaders consider whether to take a public stance on either side of the topic? What is the best way to communicate the stance? Which resources are necessary? Which areas of the company are impacted? What are the challenges and the risks?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[03:06] – We are going to have a conversation today on how the turning over of Roe vs Wade impacts corporate leaders.

[03:47] – Let’s start from the beginning.

[04:12] – What are some of the steps a leader, who has not taken a stance, should be taking?

[06:22] – Depending on what kind of industry, sector, or subsector you are in, there could be additional factors to consider.

[09:24] – What are the steps you can take before you roll out the communication to ensure that is successful within the company?

[12:39] – Who are the people and what are the conversations that you should be having? What are the questions you should be asking to get ready?

[14:20] – Jenna shares the three things that need to coexist.

[15:33] – Really determine how will the leadership of the company will align on complex topics.

[17:50] – Kurt shares a very important boundary when running a business.

[19:30] – Examples of challenging topics companies have had to deal with in the past couple of years

[23:50] – The choice of language matters.

[25:19] – What are the risks of taking or trying to stay neutral?

[28:05] – Silence is a message. Neutrality is a message.

[29:18] – Is there anything that we haven’t discussed that people should know or think about?

[33:20] – Create permissions, as a leader and organization, to not have all the answers to a complex topic like this one.

[34:55] – What is the minimum sets of actions that a leader should be thinking about this week in order to navigate the aftermath of this decision and to prepare for the complexity that lies ahead on this specific topic and issue for their organization?

[37:55] – Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Download Roe vs. Briefing Document from Enspira: enspirahr.com/downloads

Additional Guest Links:

Contact at: enspirahr.com/about/contact

LinkedIn:

Kurt Landon

Jenna Cohen

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Today's guest is Judi Fox, the Founder of LinkedIn Business Accelerator, the coaching program to help you network and position yourself to get the most out of LinkedIn and find new opportunities while building a solid support community.

We talk about how to build an authentic presence on LinkedIn by tapping into who you are as a leader and using that as a platform to create relatable content, make long-term genuine connections, and network in a way that's true to who you are.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[01:28] - Judi's pivotal role in helping launch this podcast  

[02:48] - Judi shares her career journey and how she used her LinkedIn business-building skills to launch LinkedIn Business Accelerator. 

[04:43] - Judi shares the encounter with a toxic leader that opened her eyes to her authentic self and what she wanted to do.  

[07:39] - Judi shares how a coach helped her see that relationship with a toxic management team through a new lens. 

[10:24] - How collaborating and connecting with other small businesses through strategic networking on LinkedIn helped establish Judi Fox Consulting. 

[12:29] -Judi shares the story of her transition from environmental consulting to creating the four-part model that became LinkedIn Business Accelerator. 

[14:40] - Being on a more intimate, impactful team at a woman-owned business helped Judi expand her vision, opening the door to an entrepreneurial future.

[15:47] - The tipping point that launched Judi's visibility and helped her put LinkedIn Business Accelerator into the public eye. 

[18:09] - How the LinkedIn Business Accelerator helped Dino network in a way that feels more authentic to who he is at his core.   

[19:08] - "You truly are a leader because you decide you are a leader in yourself': How to look within to create your inward leadership voice. 

[20:37] - How the story Acres of Diamonds helped Judi cement the idea that you already have the tools inside of you to be a leader. 

[21:49] - How to stop chasing visibility and connect with those who resonate in your space. 

[22:56] - How to take the first step in merging onto the "LinkedIn highway of content flow."

[25:18] - Judi shares her #foxrocks acronym for creating genuine, authentic, shareable, relatable, and valuable content. 

[28:33] - Judi shares how to create tipping point relationships in your industry on LinkedIn.

[31:38] - What's a touchpoint?

[33:03] - Judi shares the dos and don'ts of genuine LinkedIn networking.

[35:45] - Judi's template message to respond to unsolicited attempts to sell to you on LinkedIn. 

[37:11] - The BIG benefits of being open to everyone on LinkedIn. 

[38:44] - How to connect with Judi on the web (and follow the hashtag #foxrocks).

[39:42] - How being outside and hiking helped Judi to refresh.

[40:30] - Judi shares the business jargon that drives her crazy. 

[42:23] - How TikTok inspires Judi's love for interior design as art. 

Contact

Dino at:

Dr. Wayne Markman is is the co-founder and CEO of SYMBYX Biome, an Australian medical technology company developing light (photobiomodulation) therapies and devices for previously intractable, chronic diseases. One of their first applications, the treatment of Parkinson's disease, has proved to be revolutionary both in its approach and results.

Wayne's story is unusual, because he dropped out of a successful career in investment banking in his mid-forties returned to school in his forties to go back to medical school to pursue his passion in neuroscience. And it was his love for science and research in that area that ultimately led him to found SYMBYX.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[02:28] – Wayne and I have known each other for 30 years.

[03:58] - At 53, Wayne founded a business in Australia to commercialize laser therapy and medical lasers for Parkinson's disease.

[05:55] - Wayne went back to medical school at 43.

[08:24] - At the end of the day, Wayne's philosophy is you have to answer why you're here.

[09:40] - When you're in an area you love, all these possibilities can start to present themselves.

[11:47] - When somebody tells Wayne to go left, he goes right, just because it's not left. 

[13:47] - Just because you are good at something doesn't mean you should do it.

[16:17] - If you are clock-watching, that's a big red flag.

[18:02] - The skill of being the mediator or the person who pulls it all together, that skill ultimately makes a difference between things happening and not happening.

[20:42] - Do what you love because then you will love what you do.

[24:10] - Wayne didn't have a vision of where he wanted to be, but he knew what he'd enjoyed doing.

[26:40] - If you are prepared to invest in anything, you take more out of it than the person who is not.

[29:04] -Wayne learned what not to do, and that's not a good basis for managing or setting your principles and philosophy of management.

[31:57] - Wayne is a massive fan of doing what you're good at and leaving what you're not good at to other people who are good at it.

[35:08] - Wayne gives people clear instructions and then leaves them, and they either swim or sink.

[36:01] - Wayne is deeply influenced by his experiences on competitive teams and lives and dies by the team.

[37:57] - Passion, energy, and obsessive focus on a goal are not enough in the longer term to run a business. 

[39:16] - I ask Wayne to give us a non-science explanation of what he is trying to accomplish.

[43:56] - Why has there been no innovation in this medication?

[46:13] - The company has gone around the gatekeepers and directly to the consumer.

[50:18] - Wayne's company has been widely recognized as having a legitimate therapy for Parkinson's.

[51:02] - I ask Wayne if he has a passion or a hobby outside his work. And what impact has it had on his professional life?

[53:07] - Food for the body of food for the soul?

[53:28] - What is a business jargon or cliche that drives you crazy?

[55:32] - Thank you and closing remarks.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites

symbyxbiome.com

al4ep.com

Additional Dr Markman Links:

Dr. Markman

LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/dr-wayne-markman-83a35720

Twitter: @markman_wayne

SYMBYX Biome

PDCare Laser: 

Today's guest is Ricardo Regalado, a serial builder and entrepreneur. Ricardo launched 5 companies and is a partner in a 6th. His ventures are in different industries, but his main two companies are all grounded in his deep expertise in the commercial cleaning industry. Rozalado Services, the first business he launched – a cleaning services company, and Route, his latest business, is a specialized technology platform for cleaning services companies.

In our conversation, Ricardo shares his story, and we touched upon three core elements of his leadership: how starting his career in sales impacted his approach, how to lead businesses integrating members of your family, and how he built a core foundation of expertise in an industry that is not considered very trendy, like commercial cleaning services, and used that as a platform to entrepreneurship, even launching a tech company.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

rickyregalado.com

Additional Guest Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rickyregalado/

Facebook: facebook.com/ricky.regalado.39

Instagram: @rickyregalado

Corporate sites:

rozaladocleaning.com

getroute.com

Cleaning & Cocktails podcast on YouTube

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Authentic Leadership for Everyday People is the podcast where we investigate the connection between effective leadership and authenticity. If you are looking for inspiration and tips on how to become a better leader by being your true self, you are in the right place.

Today we talk to Mike Horne, an executive coach and leadership expert with over 30 years of experience leading human resources development in life sciences and high-tech organizations. Mike is also an author and the host of the podcast Authentic Change.

Mike helps executives and aspiring leaders and their teams to avoid, minimize, or reduce poor outcomes related to people and culture actions and decisions. He coaches clients on how to close the gap between probable (the best they can do) and possible (what they are capable of doing).

Contact Dino: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com

mike-horne.com

Other Links for Mike Horne:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mikehorne1/

Twitter: @mikehorneauthor

Instagram: @mikehorneauthor

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Books:

Integrity by Design: Working and Living Authentically by Mike Horne

Music:

Susan Cattaneo - Love Takes What It Takes

In this episode Dino Cattaneo presents a selection from his previous interviews with Lily Zheng and Claudia Scott on the topic of Equity and Inclusion.

Today's guest is

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Additional Guest Links:

Contact at:

LinkedIn:

Instagram:

Twitter:

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

This episode is a selection from the original 2020 interview with Rishad Tobaccowala.

Rishad Tobaccowala, is an author, speaker and known as a visionary in the advertising industry. He was the founder of two of the early interactive digital agencies in the early '90, and  covered several leadership positions at the Publicis Group, including Chief Strategy and Growth Officer for the whole group. In this interview he discusses the human side of leadership and his own career.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

Additional Guest Links:

Rishad’s LinkedIn 

Rishad’s Website 

Rishad’s Newsletter

Rishad’s Book 

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today's guest is Patrick Heron - Managing Partner of Frazier Life Sciences, a healthcare investment firm focusing on companies developing novel therapeutics.

In our conversation we covered his career, but then we dove into the hard questions: how do you build a successful partnership with a founder? As a VC, how do you balance protecting the interest of your investors with ensuring the business success of the companies you invested in? How do you navigate the hard trade offs when they show up? And then, in his dual role as investor and managing partner of Frazier, how do you build a successful VC firm? How do you manage that type of work force and how do you make sure all the incentives are lined up correctly?

Throughout the episode, Patrick was very transparent and direct. If you are either a VC or aspiring VC or an entrepreneur, you will find a lot of deep insights.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

frazierls.com

frazierhealthcare.com

Additional Guest Links:

LinkedIn Corporate: linkedin.com/company/frazier-life-sciences/

LinkedIn Personal: linkedin.com/in/patrick-heron-b4b72913/

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today we talk to Kvon Tucker, the co-founder and CEO of Consciously, a coaching and consulting company that aims to help leaders and organizations create more conscious, collaborative, and impactful workplaces. Before starting Consciously, Kvon spent over 15 years  in leadership and organizational development, spending significant time in high-growth tech companies like Netflix, Amazon and Google  and working with a diverse range of clients, from Fortune 500 companies to non-profits and startups.

Kvon discusses the concept of conscious leadership, covering topics such as the challenges leaders face in growth companies, practical exercises for building a strong vision, his journey to starting Consciously, and working successfully with your life partner.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[00:45] - Dino introduces his guest, Kvon Tucker, the CEO of Consciously, a coaching, counseling, and consulting company that helps leaders become more of who they are and build 

[02:51] - Kvon introduces himself as a CEO and co-founder of Consciously and talks about creating positive change in the world by helping people and leaders become more conscious of who they are and what their purpose is.

[05:13] - The biggest challenge in leadership today: Kvon talks about his journey through corporate America and how it led him to focus on consciousness and leadership development. 

[08:22] - The Saboteur: Kvon discusses the downside of the hyper achiever and how it can run rampant through organizations, leading to unrealistic goals and burnout.

[09:17] - There ARE bad goals: Kvon shares his perspective on setting goals in organizations and the negative effects of stress on employees.

[09:57] - The Controller and the Stickler: how it can hinder the scaling of an organization.

[10:27] - Kvon explains how fear-driven leadership and the reluctance to delegate work can cause organizations to struggle to scale.

[11:27] - Kvon shares his observation of senior leaders' growing disregard for the human body in high-change organizations and the lack of support provided to help people adapt to change.

[12:16] - The loss of compassion: Kvon discusses the unspoken expectation in some organizations that employees either keep up with the rate of change or get lost. 

[13:15] - What is successful leadership?  Kvon shares that coach-like leaders are the ones who excel even during challenging times.

[15:17] - The importance of getting clear on the vision and communicating it to the team.

[17:12] - Kvon shares the importance of leaders who have a clear vision but also create space for their team to set the trajectory towards achieving that vision.

[17:40] - Dino talks about the challenges of middle to middle-upper management and how the successful ones communicate both with their team and with senior leadership.

[18:20] - Kvon expresses who he believes to be the most influential group in organizations and how they can develop their own vision to inspire their team and their own manager.

[19:10] - Kvon shares an exercise that helps leaders begin thinking about vision and what they want their life and work to look like. 

[22:32] - Connecting the vision to the bottom line while visualizing the journey.

[[24:50] - Kvon talks about the challenges he faced in managing a team for the first time and how he learned to prioritize and delegate effectively.

[25:43] - How coaching skills help leaders navigate difficult situations and grow more effective relationships. 

[26:24] - Kvon...

Today we are tackling a topic that is crucial to the success of many companies when they go from startup to the next phase of growth. It’s the question that many founders especially technical founders or scientific founders who start as CEO's have to ask themselves at some point. When is it time to bring in a new CEO? How do you find the right CEO? And how do you set up the partnership for success.

To help us answer the questions we have Gil Blander, Founder and Scientific Officer of InsideTracker, and Rony Sellam, the CEO.

InsideTracker is a company that by tracking our biomarkers what's inside us, blood and DNA, leverages science and technology to provide personalized solutions that allow people to improve their overall quality of life and longevity.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 [01:34] - How you find the right CEO for your company when you are a Founder. 

[03:12] - Gil introduces himself.

[03:39] - Gil shares his fascination with the aging process and the inspiration and concept behind InsideTracker. 

[04:30] - Rony introduces himself and shares his background and why he wanted to get involved with Inside Tracker.  

[05:57] - Gil shares some of the challenges—from financial to people management—of starting a business as a scientist and someone unfamiliar with managing a company.  

[06:42] - Gil shares the keys he held onto to be a successful leader when he was first starting InsideTracker. 

[07:31] - Rony shares the value of having mentors and how the lessons he learned from other captains of industry taught him the importance of vision, mission, and values.  

[08:43] - How a heavy dose of humility helps grow successful leaders. 

[10:29] - Gil explains that in the company's early stages, he emphasized the science making it the foundation of its activities while remaining profitable. 

[13:00] - Gil describes his goal of finding a CEO for the company from the start and the consideration he put into finding the right fit for that role.

[16:10] - The need for two different roles to take a company with a strong scientific backbone and turn it into an impactful business. 

[17:35] - Rony shares how his desire to work with a company that is helping people live better and longer played into his decision to become CEO of InsideTracker. 

[18:09] - How InsideTracker uses personalized, science-backed information to help individuals take control of their health from the Inside out. 

[20:49] - The significance of maintaining a solid scientific foundation within a science-based company.

[22:05] - Rony recounts the two things that impressed him the most when he initially met with Gil.

[25:04] - Gil highlights the two most important criteria he sought in a CEO for InsideTracker.

[26:03] - Sharing stories of the Sunday Scaries and how that doesn't apply to Gil and Rony's partnership.

[27:34] - Rony shares how they formulated the rules of engagement for their relationship, established trust, and the surprising key to solving more problems.

[31:35] - Rony shares why it's vital to establish and stick with the chain of command in a business. 

[32:01] - Gil shares how having a sounding board helped him transition the role of CEO to Rony (and why he continues to have a coach in his corner). 

[34:23] - The costs and constraints of upholding the values of being

A couple of weeks ago, our guest was Robyn Bolton, founder of Mile Zero, an innovation consulting firm. In that episode, we focused primarily on Robyn’s career journey. Since she is publishing a book on innovation, I asked her to come back for a second episode to cover that topic, and she said yes.

The book is called Unlocking Innovation, so as you can easily imagine, today’s episode is all about innovation – different types of innovation, what makes innovation successful and how leaders can assess and improve their company’s ability to innovate.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

milezero.io

Additional Guest Links:

UnlockingInnovation.co 

linkedin.com/in/robynmbolton

Unlocking Innovation Book

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp 

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp 

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com