What keeps you grounded when life starts to fall apart?

When the pressure builds…

What actually holds you?

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, we sit down with Dominic Kolleh, a trauma-informed life coach and founder of True North Solutions, whose work focuses on helping people rebuild their lives and careers after some of their most difficult experiences.

Dominic brings over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of career development, performance, and well-being supporting individuals navigating trauma, burnout, and major life transitions, and helping organizations create cultures rooted in safety and growth.

But what makes this conversation so powerful is her perspective:

People are not defined by the hardest chapter of their lives.

Together, we explore what really happens when life feels overwhelming and how that often traces back to disconnection from our values, our purpose, and ourselves.

We talk about anchors—the things that ground us when life feels unstable and the importance of self check-ins to recognize when we’re drifting.

Because transformation doesn’t start with pushing harder.

It starts with slowing down, becoming aware, and coming back to what holds you.

This is a conversation for anyone who feels overwhelmed, out of alignment, or like they’re just trying to keep it together and is ready to find their way back.

Because leadership doesn’t start with others.

It starts with you.

Thanks for being here.

Can you be grateful for suffering?

Not just the good moments.

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, we sit down with Kathleen Patrick—former Pediatric ICU nurse turned philanthropy executive—to explore a deeper kind of gratitude… one that most people never consider.

Kathleen has spent decades leading in healthcare and philanthropy, inspiring multimillion-dollar giving and building communities rooted in generosity. But what makes her perspective so powerful isn’t just her leadership—it’s how she’s learned to see meaning in the hardest moments of life.

Together, we unpack:

Because real gratitude isn’t built in comfort.

It’s built in the moments where you have every reason not to choose it.

And that choice… can change everything.

🎙️ Beneath the Transaction is a podcast about what’s really shaping our lives and leadership—beneath performance, beneath outcomes, beneath the surface.

If you’re a leader, a parent, a partner, or someone in the middle of becoming—this conversation is for you.

👉 Listen to the full episode

What does it take to build something successful… and still stay grounded in who you are?

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, we sit down with Melissa Solis, CEO of Inbenta and a seasoned technology executive with over 30 years of leadership experience across insurance, fintech, fraud prevention, and AI.

Melissa’s story is remarkable. As co-founder and former CEO of GIACT, she scaled the company from startup to industry leader—growing a client base of over 1,000 companies and ultimately leading to a $610 million acquisition by the London Stock Exchange. Today, she leads global AI strategy at Inbenta, helping organizations innovate while staying grounded in purpose and responsibility.

But what makes this conversation powerful isn’t just her success.

It’s how she got there.

Melissa opens up about the role adversity has played in shaping her—growing up with serious health challenges, navigating multiple surgeries, and learning how to find meaning in suffering. She shares how those experiences didn’t just build resilience—they shaped the way she leads.

We talk about authenticity, humility, and the importance of creating safe spaces where people can be vulnerable, take ownership, and grow.

Because leadership isn’t about having it all together.

It’s about being real enough for others to grow.

This conversation is about more than business or success.

It’s about becoming—and learning how to lead from a place of purpose, forgiveness, and truth.

If this resonates, take a moment and ask yourself—what has actually shaped me the most? And how is it showing up in the way I lead today?

Welcome back to Beneath the Transaction.

This week we sit down with Alix Prassas — an organizational effectiveness leader with more than two decades of experience in People & Culture, global organizational development, DEI, and change management.

But this conversation isn’t about frameworks.

It’s about the moments that shape culture quietly and powerfully.

Alix shares her journey from working in a family business to leading large-scale transformation efforts, and what she’s learned about trust, vulnerability, and accountability along the way.

Together, we explore:

Why culture is formed beneath the surface

How small leadership moments shape belonging

Why vulnerability is a prerequisite for trust

What accountability looks like when it’s rooted in relationship

Why conversations around diversity require courage and openness

And what it means to “have the conversation anyway”

This episode is honest. It’s practical. And it reminds us that transformation isn’t about bold declarations — it’s about consistent courage.

It takes a Tribe to practice transformation.

Let’s practice this together.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Culture Change

01:58 Alix's Background and Journey

06:32 The Importance of Culture in Retail

14:34 Building Trust and Vulnerability

20:25 Navigating Difficult Conversations

30:58 The Role of Accountability in Leadership

40:28 Personal Stories and Lessons Learned

50:11 Final Thoughts on Culture Transformation

What if the version of yourself you bring to work… isn’t the real you?

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, I sit down with Kendra Davenport, President and CEO of Easterseals, to talk about what it really means to lead beyond the surface.

Kendra leads an organization that impacts over 1.5 million people each year, overseeing a national network of 70 affiliates and 38,000 employees across the country. With more than three decades of experience in the nonprofit sector, her leadership has consistently been rooted in one thing:

People.

But what stood out most in this conversation wasn’t her scale—it was her willingness to go deeper.

To be vulnerable.

We talk about the tension so many leaders feel—showing up professionally while leaving the personal at the door—and why the best leaders don’t operate that way.

Because culture isn’t built through policies or processes.

It’s built through relationships.

And the leaders who are willing to show up fully—

This is a conversation for leaders who want more than performance.

Who want connection.

Because transformation doesn’t happen at the surface.

It happens when we’re willing to be known.

If this resonates, take a moment and ask yourself—where am I holding back as a leader?

Follow Beneath the Transaction for more episodes like this. Thanks for listening!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Nonprofit Landscape

When profit becomes the focus, something deeper starts to break.

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, I sit down with Brian Belliveau, Chief Growth Officer at Columbia Southern University, to talk about what leaders often miss when they’re trying to grow an organization.

Brian brings over 20 years of experience leading growth at scale—but what stands out most isn’t strategy. It’s how he thinks about purpose.

As a U.S. Navy veteran and former Hospital Corpsman, his leadership is grounded in service, discipline, and people. And in this conversation, he challenges a common pattern in leadership:

We move too fast to solutions…

We talk about how profit can quietly become the driving force behind decisions—and how, over time, that disconnects organizations from their purpose, their people, and their impact.

Because the issue usually isn’t what we’re doing.

It’s that we haven’t gone deep enough to understand why we’re doing it.

This is a conversation for leaders who want to build something that lasts—not just something that performs.

Because profit should never outweigh purpose.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background of the Podcast

What does tattooing have to do with purpose?

More than we think.

In a lot of indigenous cultures, tattoos weren’t just something you chose—they reflected how you lived. Your identity. Your story. Your responsibility.

In this episode, I sit down with Kiko San Diego, a traditional Filipino tattoo practitioner and co-founder of Tribal Korner.

Kiko carries forward ancestral practices like batok, and the way he talks about his work—it’s not just art. It’s something deeper. Something intentional.

This conversation isn’t really about tattoos.

It’s about what it means to live a life marked by purpose.

Because long before we defined ourselves by titles or achievements,

Welcome to Beneath the Transaction.

As you listen, I’d invite you to lean into this idea—

What is my purpose?

If this resonates with you, we’d love for you to follow the show, share it with someone you care about, and keep having these conversations in your own life.

Grateful for Kiko and the work he’s doing to carry this tradition forward. Go check him out and follow along at @tribal.korner

Thanks for being here.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Indigenous Tattooing

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris sits down with Arthur Soriano, a researcher exploring the Philippine and Austronesian past, present, and future.

Together, they explore what modern leadership can learn from indigenous culture—long before systems, titles, and metrics defined how we lead today.

Arthur shares insights into pre-colonial Filipino life, from systems of governance and community to the values that shaped identity, belonging, and purpose. Through oral history, cultural memory, and research, the conversation uncovers a deeper way of understanding leadership—one rooted not in control or performance, but in relationship, responsibility, and shared identity.

But this conversation isn’t just about history.

It’s about what we’ve forgotten—and what we can reclaim.

Because many of the answers we’re searching for in leadership today

And sometimes, the way forward

Chapters

00:00 Exploring Indigenous Connections

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris sits down with Ben Fielder, Vice President at NCF Michigan, to explore how giving can move from transactional to transformational.

Ben has spent his career walking alongside individuals and families, helping them steward what they’ve been entrusted with and discover a deeper sense of purpose in how they live and give. With a background in church stewardship, higher education, and relationship-driven philanthropy, Ben brings a thoughtful and grounded perspective on generosity, identity, and legacy.

Together, Chris and Ben explore the connection between purpose and generosity, and how the way we give is often a reflection of who we are becoming. They talk about the importance of living intentionally, the role of faith and identity in shaping our decisions, and why community is essential for creating meaningful, lasting impact.

At its core, this conversation is about more than giving.

It’s about learning to live with purpose in the present—

Because when giving becomes an expression of who we are,

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Transformation

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris sits down with Vanessa Plant, Executive Director of the Alku Foundation and an experienced leader in Boston’s nonprofit and philanthropic space.

Vanessa has spent her career helping organizations move beyond traditional, transactional approaches to fundraising and into more relational, trust-based models of giving. Her work centers on building authentic partnerships, strengthening organizational culture, and creating lasting community impact.

Together, Chris and Vanessa explore what it looks like to move beneath the transaction in philanthropy—shifting from control and metrics to trust, relationship, and shared purpose. They discuss the principles of trust-based philanthropy, the role culture plays in nonprofit effectiveness, and why meaningful impact begins with how we choose to relate to the people we serve and support.

At its core, this conversation is about more than giving.

Because when philanthropy becomes relational,

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Beneath the Transaction Podcast