Blazing Trails

A "mix between The Economist and Twitter" -- that was Jim VandeHei’s vision for Axios when he founded the company in 2016. Today, as CEO, he leads his team of several hundred with that principle top of mind. He calls it “Smart Brevity” and in this episode, he joins Sarah Franklin, Salesforce’s President and Chief Marketing Office, to discuss how that mindset has helped the company stand out among consumers, while also creating trust within the company. Tune in to learn how to apply Smart Brevity to your business.

Growing up in India, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai dreamed of working in Silicon Valley. Now he helms one of its most iconic companies. Sundar led the development of Google’s most important products, including Chrome, Android, and Maps. The understated CEO with an oversized influence on the world is guiding the company into the future of AI development.

This week on Blazing Trails, join Monica Langley, Salesforce EVP Global Strategic Affairs, as Sundar shares his passion for technology as an equalizing force to bring products to everyone, his optimism on how tech can help solve climate change and his fun experience with his son using AI to chat with Pluto.

What makes you different makes you stand out. As one of few women at the helm of the finance industry, Stacey Cunningham, President at NYSE, knows this better than most.

In today’s episode from the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, Cunningham shares some of the key moments that have marked her career and made her the leader that she is. She shares advice for how to be thoughtful when communicating with your team, dives into diversity and inclusion in corporate America, and explains why you should always lean into the qualities that make you stand out from your peers. Plus, stay tuned for her take on upcoming investor trends and opportunities, including why she believes most companies should go public.

This week we feature a rerun of one of our favorite episodes from earlier this year. Enjoy!

Scott Galloway, professor at NYU Stern, multi-time founder, best-selling author, and host of the Prof G Show, joins the podcast with Karen Mangia, VP of Customer and Market Insights at Salesforce. In this wide-ranging conversation, Scott and Karen share their perspectives on the long-term economic and social effects of the pandemic, the ever-evolving relationship between consumer and brand, and the rapid acceleration of digital. Plus, hear a deep dive with Scott on the death of higher education, company-driven training programs, and what he learned about healthcare while trying to schedule a vasectomy.

‘Doing well by doing good’ is the mission that drives Amanda Brinkman as the Chief Brand Officer at Deluxe and the Host and Creator of the Small Business Revolution series. Her passion for small businesses has evolved over time, and now, six seasons into the show, she has a wealth of knowledge to share.

Brinkman believes that consumers want brands that are doing good in the world. Learn how -- through simple digital housekeeping of your brand’s online presence -- a small business can stand to lose or gain a great deal. Plus, Brinkman shares how to build a unique business that not only stands out but leaves a positive impact.

If this past year has taught us anything, it’s that change and transformation is not only inevitable, but it takes shape in a variety of ways: large and small, personal and collective. In this week's episode, we hear from two business leaders who know all about change from two different perspectives and scales.

Jen Fisher is the Managing Director and Chief Well-Being Officer at Deloitte, bestselling author of "Work Together Better," and host of the WorkWell Podcast, and Karen Fang is Managing Director and Global Head of Sustainable Finance at Bank of America. Despite their different roles, they bring to the conversation a rich understanding of the power of transformation—from the small ways we thank ourselves every morning to the large ways we allocate capital in a corporation.

When you hear the word ‘entrepreneur’ what kind of person comes to mind? An athlete? An artist? A doctor? A celebrity?

How many people imagined a military veteran? Veterans possess a lot of the qualities needed to be successful. They are great at building teams, are focused, and have stamina and integrity.

In honor of Veterans Day, we spoke to Taylor Justice, who, after leaving the military in 2007, co-founded Unite Us, a tech start-up, that reached unicorn status this year and is valued at more than $1.6 billion dollars.

In today’s episode, Taylor and Michael discuss how the pain points he experienced transitioning from active duty military to the civilian sector inspired him to start his company.

After Taylor, we’ll hear from Sam Allen, the Chief Operating Officer of Salesforce.org. He’s a former Marine, and he joins us to talk about Salesforce’s commitment to helping re-skill veterans for the jobs of tomorrow.

How do your coworkers perceive you? How about your boss, or your clients? If these aren’t questions you’ve given much thought, then today’s guest, Kyra Kyles, is here to help. Kyra is the CEO of YR Media and the former Editor in Chief of Ebony Magazine -- she’s spent her career helping establish the brand image of the companies she’s worked for, and simultaneously learning how to establish her own personal brand.

How you work, speak, and present yourself are imperative in today’s digital environment. Kyra joined host Ebony Beckwith, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Salesforce, on #BossTalks to share her tips and tricks for establishing yourself at work and online. She explains why you shouldn’t identify yourself by your job, how to incorporate your interests and goals into who you present at work, and why you always need to show up the way you want to be perceived. All that and more on this episode of Blazing Trails.

How are we staying safe, secure, and innovative in the era of digital-everything? The urgent need to democratize technology is creating an equally critical need to ensure we protect technology users.

Up next on Blazing Trails, please enjoy this conversation from Dreamforce 2021 featuring U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton. They discuss the role of policy in helping secure our communications and technology and how they are both striking the careful balance between improving consumer trust in data safety while still implementing new technologies.

As employers continue to navigate the changing landscape of work, many are faced with a myriad of difficult decisions. Should employees return regularly, irregularly, or at all? What digital tools should we invest in and rely on? And how can we build an amazing workplace culture with a partial or fully remote staff?

Stewart Butterfield, the CEO and co-founder of Slack, and Jennifer Tejada, the Chairperson and CEO of PagerDuty, joined Fortune Magazine's Michal Lev-Ram for a discussion about managing and leading increasingly digital teams. They share their personal experiences, recommendations for fostering meaningful, remote relationships, and the tools they use every day to stay connected.