Taking Her Lead

What do you care about? I mean, truly care about deeply? Michelle is a force of nature for goodness for the children of Kenya. Her heart is huge, and it drives her work against challenges and into celebrating triumphs.am Her story is one of overcoming obstacles, of finding her calling, of finding joy. Listen to this powerful interview, the audio taken from our livestream on Monday, August 16th, which you can find here: Michelle on Taking Her Lead – Recorded Interview To learn more about Matanya’s hope, go to their Facebook page: Matanya’s Hope on FB To find Michelle on LinkedIn: Michelle on IN Michelle, it was a pleasure. Enjoy, our friends! Joshua, for the team

Hello Friends! Today I get the pleasure of offering the audio from our Livestream Video Interview with Neeraja Ganesh this past Monday. She has such a powerful story of boldness, actions to elevate women, expansive thinking and constant learning. If I can ever get to India, my intention, of course, will be to spend time with Neeraja. She has such an engaging and warm personality! If you weren’t able to watch the show last Monday, here’s the link: Neeraja on Taking Her Lead – Livestream Find Neeraja on LinkedIn: Neeraja Ganesh Watch for her forthcoming book, “You Have Arrived” which will soon be on Amazon. Enjoy the show! Joshua for the team

When we had the chance to chat with Liz, I found myself instantly drawn to her. I thought about it: it was her strength shown in how open and receptive she was. She was, and is her full self… or at least very far down the road to being her full self. There is an indomitability to having an open heart. A closed, protected heart can be hurt. An open heart seeks the challenges, seeks the hurts to heal. This is the audio from our livestream video interview with Liz which we did on June 7th. Take the time to listen to the full interview – even in chunks. You’ll find your heart opening… now isn’t that a good thing? Joshua, for the team To find out about Liz’ teaching on Cardiac Nursing (her background) – check out her book: Cardiac Nursing To watch the full video episode: Liz Perpetua on Taking Her Lead Lastly, to find out more about her work and background, find her on LinkedIn: Liz on IN

Mariah is one to watch. A rising star fighting for good. She’s President of the College of Arts and Sciences Student Council at Howard University, a leader within the March for our Lives movement, a speaker, challenger of the status quo, and passionate people person. Her story is one of rising. Rising from trouble to make good trouble. We loved our time with Mariah, and know you will enjoy the audio from our Livestream Video Interview from May 24th, 2021. Joshua, for the team. To find out more about Mariah, find her on IN: Mariah Cooley on LinkedIn To find out about March for our Lives: March for our Lives Website To watch our full live interview with Mariah: Mariah on THL – Livestream

Each of us is many things. Many passions, many pursuits, many thoughts, many experiences. But, all too often, we either compartmentalize our multifaceted-ness, or are fragmented through trauma. When any of us can bring our facets together, to find harmony in the collaborative and co-supportive internal life that comes, great healing can happen, and great power to do good. Fran, our guest on our livestream show back on May 17th, has done the work to become whole. She is an accomplished jazz musician as well as a gifted leader. She is an outspoken person, advocating for good, and a passionate people person. She brings all of herself to each of her pursuits, and the result is electrifying. It was a fascinating interview. I hope you take the time to watch it: Fran on Taking Her Lead – Livestream Here, we offer the audio so that you can listen! Check our Fran’s profile on LinkedIn: Fran on IN Lastly, to know more about Brave Bison: https://bravebison.io/ Cheers, Joshua, for the team

A situation so many women face: Kids are grown. Previous career ended two decades prior. How to restart, or recapture, or create anew? Self-talk, negative emotions, cultural perceptions, a variety of factors stand in the way of moving forward. What a treasure to know someone who’s successfully navigated this. Donna did it! She now has a career she’s passionate about. She made it. How she did it is a very interesting story. Listen in as she and I chat. Joshua, for the team To find out more about Donna and connect with her, find her on Linkedin: Donna Romanick To learn about Act Theatre and get involved in their good work: Act Theatre To watch the full video interview I did with Donna: Donna Romanick on Taking Her Lead

There just aren’t many people like Lisa Vann. Such a huge heart. Such a skilled and powerful mind. Talk with her for two minutes, and it seems like you’ve known her for twenty years. She makes everyone around her know, really know and experience her care. Such things have laid the foundation for her incredible career. They have also, being what they are, been qualities that haven’t changed over the years of dramatic professional growth and expansion of influence. Her story is not so much one of personal growth as it is one of how Lisa’s had a solid foundation in who she is, and liking that self, she’s clung to her identity. We had a blast chatting with her. I can’t wait until the next time I’m in Belltown, Seattle. I’m going to give my locks some love at Vann Studio Salon, for sure. Check out the full video interview here: Lisa Vann – Taking Her Lead Livestream Book an appointment! Vann Studio Find Lisa on LinkedIn: Lisa on IN Joshua, for the team.

Financial Feminism. As our guest, Jessica Robinson, said, women make money decisions together. Why don’t men make such decisions together, rather than maverick-ly? Shouldn’t something as important as why, where and with whom we invest be topics discussed with others? Hmmm. So, Financial Feminism isn’t about getting money away from men. It’s about making sound, very purposeful decisions about our money. Coming from a woman like Jessica, we should pay attention. She has made a career out of knowing where money goes, with whom is stays, and why. She works, leads, consults, and speaks with purpose, with the input of others she trusts, with wisdom. In addition, of course, she parents with such critical components. She has super cool kids, who are being led to look at the world with those components. Jessica talks about her kids, her hopes for women in the world of finance, how far things have come, and how far they still have to go. It’s a truly wonderful conversation. Enjoy this audio. Enjoy the livestream: Jessica Robinson on Taking Her Lead Livestream Seriously, and with some others, enjoy her book: Financial Feminism Thanks for letting us into your journey, Jessica! Joshua, for the team

Hara Allison is an accomplished artist. Her gifts are incredible. See her work, and you’ll find this quickly, as well. Now, which of her gifts is the most powerful? Her eye for angle? Her eye for balance? Color? Expression? There are many that you need in order to do the work she does. But, I posit that after chatting with her, I know what it is. Her eye for the beauty in us and of us. She sees each person. SEES them. Her art is amazing because we get to see through her eyes which SEE. When you view her series, you see the beauty. The beauty that is inherent in people. Her ability to see from her heart is what makes chatting with Hara such a joy. She brings you joy. She is joyous. She has much to say, and you’ll be lifted as you listen. Take a break from the stresses of life and enjoy this conversation. If you wish to find out more about the work she does, navigate to: Hara Allison Photography For the team, Joshua

Have you ever felt the sting of loss over something special in your childhood? A park that closed down. An ice-cream shop that your dad or mom took you to. These places are more than places. The power they hold in real time and in nostalgia is augmented by the feelings and thoughts we associate with them. This reality doesn’t reduce their importance. It elevates it. Stephanie had that experience times a hundred. Or more. Her grandfather started Stuckey’s Corp, which, some of you might recall, was made up of divinely good pecan stands across America, and particularly along Route 66. She felt the powerful pang of loss when the organization faced bankruptcy a few years back. Then, she did what few of us could have, and took action. She bought the company, and for the past few years she’s been revitalizing it, promoting the hell out of it, and recapturing market as she’s building out new locations. She tells that story within her story, which is amazing as well. Listen and be inspired. We so value your participation in this journey. Joshua To connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn, go here: Stephanie Stuckey To find her on Facebook, go here: Stephanie on FB Here’s Stuckey Corp’s webpage: Stuckey’s Corp

Anyone who meets Cathy in person will walk away with a feeling. Many good words could be applied, but the best? Gifted. Is Cathy gifted? Oh, most certainly. But, the feeling you walk away with is one of having been gifted. Cathy is strong, incredibly intelligent, insightful, gracious, funny, strategic and quite buoyant, but more than anything else, she is generous. It’s that generosity that has inspired countless women to trust her guidance. It’s that generosity that makes her such a quick and deep connector. You know that she’s thinking of what she can do for you… it’s palpable. Cathy has a long history of coaching women in politics around the globe. From the highest positions in the world to those of local representatives, she puts her all into every woman, every race. She continues this work through her consulting firm, Connections Group. In addition, she teaches political science at the University of Washington in Seattle. She shares her story with us, and it’s like we get to walk through her life with her. She’s just like that… inviting us in. Find Cathy on LinkedIn: Cathy Allen Check out Connections Group Learn more about her classes at the University of Washington Joshua, for the team

Eschewing the normal life of the high level classical composer and performer, Emily chose to bring wholeness and goodness to others by utilizing the range of her gifts. Meet Emily Lau. She is, of course, the composer of our beautiful, compelling theme music. Yet, this talent is just the tip of the iceberg for Emily. Theatrical director, band leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, coordinator, community maker, business leader, thought cultivator, and change agent are just a few of the names she takes. Listen as she tells her story. Adventure, suffering, innovation, re-imagining are wound throughout. Emily, we thank you for your time! Joshua, for the team. Find Emily on FB at @emilylaumusic, Insta at @emilylau_music, and on her website, www.emilylau.com.

Pradha is, simply put, a renaissance woman. Her gifts are so broad, looking from one end, the other isn’t visible. Classical Southern Indian Vocalist, artist, author, dentist, medical teacher, medical technology expert, communicator, thought leader. That’s just the start. She was born with a special condition, Achondroplasia. In many areas of the world, this can be a recipe for ostracization. Pradha’s strong, compassionate parents wisely expected Pradha to manifest every gift she was given, strive to meet her full capacity in each gift, and to bring good to a world that wasn’t necessarily fair to her. She met these expectations and blew right past them. Listen as I get the intimate privilege to hear her story. Embrace that privilege with me. Don’t let go until the end – there’s a special, amazing gift there. Namaste Joshua Find Pradha’s LinkedIn profile here: Dr. Lakshmi Pradha

Question your assumptions. Reflect on your beliefs about your potential, and allow your perspectives to shift. In this episode, I chat with Debbie Hazell, who did the aforementioned consistently throughout her career. She became her full self over time. Consequently, she rose to very high levels of leadership as a C-suite financial professional, gaining wide influence that she has used to improve the professional landscape for women. Men are often viewed as more ambitious, confident, and tolerant of risk than women when hiring for leadership roles and C-suite positions. Debbie believes we still judge potential and leadership through a male lens. When we think about good leadership, we often think of so-called male characteristics like drive and persistence because many of our leaders in history have been male. What if we viewed leadership competence using a lens without historical biases? We could then take a nuanced approach to diversity and inclusion where we analyze leadership competence based on a leader’s true skills and abilities rather than a perceived handicap to overcome. We learn that Debbie herself was deemed unsuitable for leadership positions early in her career when a Myers Briggs Type Indicator assessment revealed she tended toward introversion. Over a decade of experience as the CEO of prominent asset management companies certainly proved her naysayers wrong. Today, Deborah is a passionate champion for women and gender balance and a frequent public speaker on gender equity in the workplace, as well as topics related to her extensive expertise in asset management. In this episode, Debbie emphasizes that we recognize skills and competencies for what they are and how they contribute to the leadership role. We need not pigeonhole anyone based on terminology. Let’s view leadership through a neutral lens that doesn’t champion “hard” or masculine skills over “soft” or feminine skills. Let’s challenge our assumptions, reflect on our beliefs, and let our perspectives shift. Debbie will guide us. Joshua and Jeannine, for the team Deborah Hazell – LinkedIn

Working toward gender equity in the workplace is a complex undertaking, but it is one that\r\n\ntoday’s guest, Dr. Maria Adelasia Divona, does with pride. As a Senior Gender Officer at OSCE Mission\r\n\nto Skopje, Adelasia works on a range of projects that look to advance the fight for gender equity.\r\n\nIn this episode, we learn about Adelasia’s current position and gain insights into what her days\r\n\ntypically look like. We also hear about how sport changed her life and molded her into the\r\n\nwoman she is today. As someone who always stood out and struggled to fit in, Adelasia found a\r\n\ncommunity and learned skills like resilience, grace, and hard work through playing sports for\r\n\nalmost two decades. Sport is not the only thing that had a tremendous impact on Adelasia, and\r\n\nshe shares how her Master’s, which was rooted in Jesuit pedagogy shaped her understanding\r\n\nof feminism and women’s rights. Our conversation also touches on the unique island of\r\n\nSardinia, where Adelasia was born, the importance of asking for help, even if you would prefer\r\n\nto do something alone, why women should not be okay with bringing a folding chair to the table,\r\n\nand the value of find allies in the workplace. Be sure to tune in today!\r\n\nPlease note: The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants alone and do not represent those of the OSCE or of the OSCE Mission to Skopje.\r\n\nFind her on IN: Dr. Maria Adelasia Divona\r\n\nMore info about OSCE and their gender equity initiatives: OSCE – Why We Need Women in Security\r\n\n\r\n

Welcome to Episode 34!\r\n\nWe got a neat window of time with Dr. Van Leeuwen, whose passions place her at the center of quite a number of highly impactful initiatives.\r\n\nShe is the Senior Attending Physician CICU Sidra Medicine, Co Chair at Congenital Heart Academy and Latin America ELSO steering committee.\r\n\nIndomitably cheerful, patient and humble, she has navigated an industry replete with men to a very high level of influence, calling practitioners from around the world to her causes, leading and influencing for the good of staff, and most importantly, the precious children they serve.\r\n\nListen as we did, to hear her story and the wonderful way she tells it.\r\n\nTo connect with Grace on LinkedIn, click: Grace Van Leeuwen\r\n\nTo find out more about the Congenital Heart Academy, click: Congenital Heart Academy YouTube Channel\r\n\nBe well, stay tuned, and keep safe,\r\n\nJoshua\r\n\n\r\n

Welcome listeners to episode 32! We have a real treat in store for you. Dr. Tammie Chang and Dr. Luisa Duran,\r\n\nboth accomplished physicians, have huge hearts for people, and in particular their fellow women physicians.\r\n\nThey started Pink Coat M.D., an organization devoted to creating community, resources and solutions for women physicians.\r\n\nIn our conversation, they go deep – struggles, pains, triumphs and passions. You will enjoy this episode immensely, as we did, I’m sure!\r\n\nTo find out more about Pink Coat, M.D., go to their website: Pink Coat M.D.\r\n\nTo see more about each of our guests, find them on LinkedIn:\r\n\nDr. Tamara Chang\r\n\nDr. Luisa Duran\r\n\nCheers!\r\n\n\r\n\n\r\n

Welcome to Episode 31! We get the privilege to take an intimate walk with our guest, Rachel Dexheimer, over the course of her life of learning, humility, passion and purpose. You’re going to fall in like with her, of that I’m certain. Rachel is the strategic business partner and executive coach at Dexheimer Consulting Group. A very soft spoken woman, yet full of wisdom that will inspire you. Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn: Rachel Dexheimer Learn more about Dexheimer Consulting Group: DCG Dive into the Four Fold-Way, as Rachel referred to, with a fascinating presentation by Angeles Arrian: Four-Fold Way – Angeles Arrien, TedX Enjoy, and talk to you soon! Joshua Everett Mayer

Welcome listeners to episode 28! We continue the second half of our enlightening conversation with Rachelle Strawther. Please, if you haven’t, take time to listen to Part 1 (Ep. 27 from last week) in order to get context for this continuing conversation. You will continue to relish every word. Enjoy! Joshua

Hello Listeners, Rachelle Strawther is the Director of the Leadership Training and Development Program at Gonzaga University. She brings a story that will inspire, vulnerability that continues to resonate with me (and will with you), and perspectives born of struggle, reflection and humility on the world of women in leadership and positions of influence. This is part 1 – we had such an intense and fun conversation, the whole interview was 80 minutes or so, and therefore we split the interview into two parts. Part 2 will drop next week. If you are interested in connecting with Rachelle, find her profile here: Rachelle on LinkedIn If you are interested in the wonderful program she leads, navigate here: GU Leadership Studies Thank you all for listening, promoting and supporting this project we are so very passionate about. Joshua