Breaking Work

#410: In this episode, Mike Gardon chats with Ty Reed. Many individuals escaping the adverse circumstances of addiction, homelessness, and past criminal justice involvement have difficulty finding employment, a key component of rebuilding lives. Ty Reed offers no-cost career coaching to individuals working to overcome these challenging backgrounds through his nonprofit, Recovery Career Services. He also educates employers and the public about the importance of providing second-chance employment opportunities.

In addition to walking his own journey in recovery, Ty has an MBA from the University of Washington and holds credentials in human resources and workforce development. He has been a featured speaker for Amazon, Comcast, The University of Washington, and many more.

#409: In this episode, Mike Gardon chats with Ross Dzikovsky. Ross is a native of Kyiv, Ukraine and is the co-founder of Bilberrry, a software development firm with its development team based in the Ukraine. Mike and Ross briefly worked together back in 2013-14, and have kept in touch ever since. Mike wanted to catch up with Ross to chat about the software development path, how he evaluates talent, the team's approach to remote work and of course, his perspective on how things are going in Ukraine. Ross has over 15 years of experience in the IT industry with a strong background in Software Engineering, Product Management and Business Analytics. As a co-founder of Bilberrry Ross oversees the team of 40 engineers and has led several large scale development engagements for brands such as Deloitte, Impinj and David's Bridal.

#408: In this episode, Mike Gardon chats with Will Smith. Will founded Acquiring Minds in 2021 shortly after discovering acquisition entrepreneurship, a love-at-first-sight moment. Prior to Acquiring Minds, Will ran partnerships & business development at two SaaS companies in the Bay Area. Earlier in his career he founded multiple online businesses, some of which were acquired, some of which continue to thrive.

#407: In this episode, Mike Gardon chats with Sonja Price. Sonja "Dynamo" Price has 15+ years of experience in Career and Leadership consulting. She has worked with a wide range of clients including Amazon, AT&T, Facebook, Google, HBO, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Starbucks, T-Mobile, and numerous other organizations.

#406: In this episode, Mike Gardon chats with Matthew Kennedy Stewart.

Matthew is co-founder and CEO of National Service Group (NSG), which operates College Works Painting, Empire Community Construction, Home Genius Exteriors, and SMJJ Investments. NSG has grown from a small Southern California-based business into an international company located throughout the United States and Canada.

#405: In this episode, Mike Gardon chats with Lisa Gevelber. Lisa founded and leads Grow with Google (grow.google.com), which is Google's $1 billion commitment to economic opportunity for all. Since 2017, Grow with Google has helped over 6 million Americans and tens of millions globally grow their skills, careers, and businesses. One of her most significant contributions is the creation of Google Career Certificates, which provide access to in-demand, high paying jobs for people without college degrees. These certificates have provided significant upward mobility to tens of thousands and counting. Lisa also leads Google for Startups, which levels the playing field for underrepresented founders and helps startups thrive across every corner of the world.

#404: In this episode, Mike Gardon chats with Patrick Tannous. Patrick is the co-founder and President of Tiesta Tea Company. Tiesta Tea is a tea company inspired by a passion for great-tasting loose leaf tea beverages. Tiesta Tea was started in 2010 while Patrick and Dan Klein (CEO & Co-Founder) were seniors in college. Since starting the business, Tiesta Tea has become the fastest-growing company in the specialty tea industry with over 8000+ points of distribution (according to Nielsen). In 2018, Patrick and Dan were featured by Inc. Magazine as 30 Under 30 Rising Stars. In 11 years at Tiesta Tea, Patrick has worked with or currently works with companies like Costco, Safeway, Target, Meijer, Amazon, Office Depot, Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods and many other Fortune 500 companies. Patrick has secured four rounds of equity financing totaling $5.2mm. Patrick is a people-focused business person and believes in doing business with high respect, morals, and values. He has a strong passion for entrepreneurship and loves helping other people chase their dreams. Patrick believes anyone can do anything if they truly care and put the effort into it.

#403: Teresa Sande Author of Find Your Fierce: Interrupt Imposter Syndrome and Own Your Success has some insightful research from studies and hundreds of interviews that transform this topic into a book. Host Justin Dux reveals his biggest fear as a podcast host and Teresa shares her story as well feeling like the biggest imposter to set out to write a book about imposter syndrome.

#402: In this episode, Michael Gardon chats with Dr. Amy Beacom and Sue Campbell.

Dr. Amy Beacom is the Founder and CEO of the Center for Parental Leave Leadership, the first consultancy in the US to focus exclusively on parental leave. Drawing on over 25 years in executive leadership development and coaching, Amy consults with Fortune 100 companies, international organizations, and working parents, transforming the way our companies and our country engage with the parental leave transition.

Amy created the first evidence-based parental leave transition coaching model and distilled it into this book, the first of its kind to provide step-by-step guidance for navigating this complex life transition. She has trained and supervised parental leave coaches both in the US and Australia and the manager-focused training program she created can be found in over 80 countries around the world. She regularly appears on expert panels, conferences, and podcasts and has been quoted in such publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Working Mother. Amy holds a BA in Sociology/Anthropology with a minor in Gender Studies from Lewis and Clark College, an MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, and a doctorate, also from Columbia University, combining Organizational Psychology, Women's Leadership, Work/Family, and Applied Anthropology. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and their son and daughter.

Sue Campbell is a writer, author, and coach who has worked with the Center for Parental Leave Leadership since its early days, helping to communicate the transformative impact of their core mission. Her professional background includes twelve years in public service, seven of those as a business systems analyst leading projects and teams to deliver process improvements through technology. Her writing, often focused on issues important to parents, has been published in many outlets, including Prevention, Good Housekeeping, Scary Mommy, and Mamalode. She is also the author of, The Cat, the Cash, the Leap, and the List, a novel for middle grade readers. Sue lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two children.

#401:

In this episode, Justin Dux chats with Noa Shaw. Noa Shaw is a certified life coach who guides his clients to become better versions of themselves by helping them identify and understand their purpose and achieve what they want in life. Whether you're searching for more meaning or fulfillment in your personal life and relationships, or seeking to establish the confidence and accountability to realize your business, career and leadership goals, Noa can help you chart your path and develop the tools you'll need to grow. With over 20 years of experience working in addiction treatment and helping clients rebuild their lives in the aftermath of trauma, Noa specializes in helping guide his clients from the depths of darkness into a life filled with beauty and light.