Business As Unusual, is a series produced by BiCurean Consulting. We present Entrepreneurs, Innovators, CEOs, & Founders who are innovating the way we do business. 

This episode we spoke with Jeff Leitner about his lifetime of working to create better options for us all. For 20 years, he’s helped companies, governments, institutions, and nonprofits identify and realize new opportunities — to expand their reach, increase their share, and change their worlds. Together, we’ve created disruptive new products, services, programs, and approaches.

His clients and collaborators include the U.S. Department of State, Starbucks, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, University of Southern California, TED, Clear Channel, UBS, Allsteel, National Endowment for the Arts, NASA, Harvard Medical School, Panera, Jim Joseph Foundation, The GRAMMY Foundation, and the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education.

He led the invention of the first doctorate in social innovation, a new model for supporting emerging democracies, a monthly forum on business ethics, and a groundbreaking approach to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He launched a graduate school of nursing and the now-standard model for taxi advertising. He hatched new tools for supporting musicians and making sense of office culture.

He’s enlisted and led this work with hundreds of remarkable experts, practitioners, and guest thinkers. He’s been part of tackling an A-to-Z of challenges — from the arts, board development, and casual dining to unwritten rules, voting, workplace design, and Zen. His work has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and Inc. It’s been highlighted on podcasts and public radio. It’s been recorded for posterity in books on business, politics, leadership, innovation, and stopping human trafficking. And it’s won a few awards.

Along the way, he’s served as innovator-in-residence at a major university, fellow at a DC think tank, and senior fellow at a prominent foundation. I have launched a philanthropic lab, an international design initiative, a hit podcast, and a streetwear brand. I have given talks around the world and lectures at a number of universities, including at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and Stanford’s d. school. He co-wrote a book on my original approach to social change.

My wife and I live in suburban Chicago, about an hour from where our daughter goes to graduate school.

If you’re interested in talking to me about a project, connect with him!

Show Links

Leitnerproject.com

https://www.stevenholl.com/

Produced by BiCurean Consulting- connecting people and ideas to actions and opportunities.

BiCurean.com

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Business as Unusual, a podcast series by BiCurean Consulting, features people saying yes to the opportunity to create new ways of doing business. This week we are speaking with Dr. Dora Wolfe about her work as a Mental Health Mentor.

Hello! After spending 25 years working directly with patients Dr. Wolfe decided to make the transition to become your “mental health mentor” in an attempt to reach as many people as possible. Her goal is to motivate, educate, empower, and inspire people to make their mental health a priority ❤️

As an integrative provider with specialization in trauma and attachment she strongly believes that everything from early brain development, to diet, exercise, stress management, connection and countless other modalities serve to make us or break us when it comes to our overall well-being.

Follow on LinkedIN -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-dora-wolfe-690a464b/

FB Group-

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087331033617

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Business as Unusual, a podcast series by BiCurean Consulting. features people saying yes to the opportunity to create new ways of doing business. This episode we are speaking with Dr. Janine Stitcher and Scott Schutte of the Healthy Behavior Institute.

The Healthy Behavior Institute is actually born of a need we’ve learned from over 18 years of providing top-tier personal training services to thousands of clients. Yes, it comes from being coaches ourselves.

See, we (Scott and Nate) started off like many coaches. Deciding that we loved fitness and helping people, we set out to be fitness professionals. We took every course we could. We wanted to be the best and do right by our clients.

During the years that followed of working and consistently furthering our education, we continued to be frustrated with some clients' lack of progress. We could get them to work hard in the gym, but they were still so inconsistent with what they needed to do outside of the gym. We knew what our clients needed to do to lose the weight and get in the shape they wanted to, but saw them seemingly unable to consistently execute even the simplest of strategies. We knew what principles they needed to implement. And what's more, is that they knew we were right. They would agree with the assessment of their nutrition and their lifestyle, but they still stumbled and failed.

Sure, there were exceptions to this rule. Some clients were compliant that we could point to that showed what was possible. But it wasn't the majority. We knew it wasn't right to just blame them and their supposed lack of willpower. They were hiring us to guide them to their goals and we were missing some tools to do it. Our quest was to discover or create a way for more of our clients to predictably achieve their goals.

Then fate stepped in.

Dr. Janine Stichter (Dr. J) started training at our gym. It just so happened that she had a Ph.D. in behavior change. After some inter-workout conversations, it was blatantly evident that her experience and understanding of the underpinnings of behavior was the missing link in the fitness industry.

It wasn't long before she became part of our team. And with our respective expertise, we combined the world of psychology with the world of fitness, and our clients benefited. Our client retention (which was already good) got better. Clients commented that the customized paths we provided for them to reach their goals were easier to follow. Our impact on our clients increased and so did our income.

We realized in talking with other coaches and business owners that they also wanted to realize these changes with clients and also wanted to create greater value for their clients and increase their revenue.

That’s why we created scalable systems that didn't require coaches to be Dr. J but have the core education and processes to execute in their fitness facilities with their clients. The Healthy Behavior Institute was created to share this information and these systems.

Website: https://healthybehaviorinstitute.com/

Follow on Social Media:

Dr. Janine Stichter

FB - Janine Stichter janine.stichter.1

Insta - drjaninestichter

Scott Schutte

FB - Scott Schutte scott.schutte.12

Insta - scott.schutte

YouTube - Becoming The Ultimate Coach with the Jock and the Doc

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Business as Unusual, a podcast series by BiCurean Consulting. features people saying yes to the opportunity to create new ways of doing business. This week we are speaking with Robinne Alexander of Robinne Alexander & Associates and Melanated Moms of Children with Autism Initiative.

Robinne Alexander is an unapologetic servant leader and consultant with over 14 years of experience in leading and creating initiatives that help fortify the mission of others.

Born in the small town of Port Arthur, TX, Robinne Alexander was always determined to walk to the beat of her own drum. She attended Port Arthur public schools where she was a good student but struggled to keep up with the status quo of traditional classroom learning. After failing and repeating multiple grade levels in school, she knew that something different had to happen. Against her parent's will, she dropped out of 10th grade still determined to figure out life, yet again, on her own terms. It goes without saying that there was no indication of the remarkable journey her life would quickly unfold in the years to come. All the while, unknowingly having Autism, Dyslexia and ADD.

In 2005 she found herself having a pivotal opportunity that led to her working with her first celebrity from BET Network as a Personal Assistant. Over the next few years of learning the business of being an entrepreneur, she eventually found herself working with more television stars, sports figures, and all levels of government and C-Suite executives for her own entrepreneurial ventures.

Prior to becoming a full-time Autism consultant and advocate, she was known as the Millennial's "go-to" licensed financial expert. Some of her most notable exposure include being an Academy Instructor for Live Richer Academy, and a guest financial consultant for Black Enterprise.

After 2 wildly successful businesses and working with the Autism community, she knows what it means to be neurologically diverse and still achieve meaningful change for herself and others.

Robinne's Website: https://www.robinnealexander.com/

Follow Robinne on Social Media:

instagram @lipstickstilettoshustle

facebook @mmocainitiative

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Business as Unusual, a podcast series by BiCurean Consulting. features people saying yes to the opportunity to create new ways of doing business. This week we are speaking with Dan Mahle of Wholehearted Masculine.

Dan Mahle (pronounced Ma-Lee) is an executive coach and seasoned group facilitator with a passion for partnering with leaders to build more thriving, equitable, and inclusive cultures.

Dan is the founder of Wholehearted Masculine, where he specializes in supporting White male leaders to participate in building equitable workplace cultures by journeying inward to become more courageous, confident, and accountable partners in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) work.

As an ICF-certified coach, Dan helps leaders connect to their authentic power in accountable ways by exploring and expressing vital parts of themselves that are often undervalued in start-up and corporate business environments.

Dan's website: www.WholeheartedMasculine.org

Find Dan's next event:

I host events on a regular basis, which can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/engaging-white-men-in-dei-958129?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

Follow Dan on Social Media:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmahle/

https://www.facebook.com/danmahleofficial

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Business as Unusual, a podcast series by BiCurean Consulting. features people saying yes to the opportunity to create new ways of doing business. This week we are speaking with Julie Kratz about Allies as Coaches and her business, Next Pivot Point.

Next Pivot Point exists to promote allyship and inclusion across all dimensions of diversity in the workplace to make sure everyone feels seen, heard, and belonging at work.

Julie Kratz is a highly-acclaimed TEDx speaker and inclusive leadership trainer who led teams and produced results in corporate America. After experiencing many career “pivot points” of her own, she started her own speaking business with the goal of helping leaders be more inclusive.

Promoting diversity, inclusion, and allyship in the workplace, Julie helps organizations foster more inclusive environments. She is a frequent keynote speaker, podcast host, and executive coach. She holds an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, is a Certified Master Coach, and is a certified unconscious bias trainer.

Her books include Pivot Point: How to Build a Winning Career Game Plan, ONE: How Male Allies Support Women for Gender Equality and Lead Like an Ally: A Journey Through Corporate America with Strategies to Facilitate Inclusion, her children’s book Little Allies, and Allyship in Action: 10 Strategies for Living Inclusively.

Fine out more about Julie's work and Next Pivot Point on their website: https://nextpivotpoint.com

Check out their newest program - Lead Like an Ally https://nextpivotpoint.com/lead-like-an-ally/

and be sure to follow her on LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliekratz/

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Business as Unusual, a podcast series by BiCurean Consulting. features people saying yes to the opportunity to create new ways of doing business. This week we are speaking with Stephanie Hurne about getting your words out.

For as long as she can remember Stephanie has written stories. She still remember being at primary school speaking to her teachers about the fantasy worlds she'd created, or demanding (!) that her friends act out the scripts she'd written.

Eventually she went to university to study Media Production, specialising in script writing because when else in her life was she going to be able to dedicate one year of her life to her own little world?

After many years and a lot of "Dutch courage" she self published her first book “The Light” but it went well and between that book and it’s follow up she sold around 800 copies.

In 2018 she came up with the idea for The Diseased but didn’t let herself start writing it until 2020 because she had to finish the second half of The Light.

In the four years since she first ever hit publish she's learnt a lot, and after setting up her own indie publishing house I’m learning even more. She's hoping one day she can use all the lessons she's learning on her own books to help other writers get their stories out into the world.

Find out more about Stephanie Hurne on her website:

WWw.smthomas.co.uk

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One is never too old, or young for that matter, to truly commit to, and go after, a dream. It just takes a lot of hard work, planning, and belief in one's self.

Business as Unusual, a podcast series by BiCurean Consulting. features people saying yes to the opportunity to create new ways of doing business.

Rich had a personal epiphany in that as he hit middle-age and was looking in that self-reflective and metaphorical mirror, He asked himself the question, "why Rich are you not doing your passion?" He didn't have an answer for himself and decided right then and there to commit, with all his heart, to bringing his passion and dream to fruition. He often joke with others that when he hit his "mid-life crisis," he didn't go buy a convertible and get a young girlfriend, He instead went out and bought a new guitar and started writing and recording his songs!

Follow Rich:

https://www.facebook.com/richchambers...

https://www.instagram.com/richchamber...

https://www.youtube.com/c/RichChambers

https://twitter.com/RichChambers5

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Learn from a seasoned professional about streaming -- the modern way of sharing yourself.

Mikey is an innovator and creator who has worked to hone his craft through trial, error, and dedication.

Business as Unusual, a podcast series by BiCurean Consulting. features people saying yes to the opportunity to create new ways of doing business.

St. Louis native, Mikey Famine, is a musician and audio producer by trade that started podcasting in mid 2018. He has recorded and streamed nearly 1000 hours since then. Mikey has a made a commitment to using his platform and skills to promote and advocate for worthy causes like humanism and social justice. Learn about this new medium, his journey, and the opportunities you too can access with your laptop and some patience.

Find Mikey https://solo.to/mikeyfamine

Follow him on YouTube- YouTube.com/mikeyfamine

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Business as Unusual, a podcast series by BiCurean Consulting. features people saying yes to the opportunity to build new ways of doing business.

We are delighted to present Jeremy Hale- Jeremy's got a vision. A world in which people will be driven by collaboration instead of ego, impact instead of greed, and focused on maximizing resources available instead of single use waste.

Find Jeremy on LinkedIN- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyhalesustainability/

Jeremy graduated with a BS in Biological Sciences from Bowling Green State University, where he played rugby and discovered his passion for traveling. After Bowling Green, Jeremy worked for a flavor company as a confectionery technologist working on the creation and innovation team and earned his certification as a chocolatier from the Barry Callebaut Institute in Chicago. He moved on to work in various marketing and sales roles before buying a one-way ticket to backpack Europe working as a web developer and content writer. He would come back to the US for a short time before moving to Asia to teach and rediscovering his passion for sustainability from the pollution he experienced daily.

Jeremy has worked on numerous grants as a writer and project manager. He was also involved in the XPrize Carbon Sequestration as an Academic Liaison for Drawdown Hemp and constructed the life cycle analysis for the proposal. Jeremy’s currently a member of The Global Hemp Association, The National Hemp Association, International Biochar Initiative, Hot Planet Repair Team, ABBRI, to name a few; and is currently a voting member for establishing standards in multiple industries for ASTM International.

Today his focus is on systemic solutions for communities focused on regenerative agriculture to improve quality of life. His work is based on the premise of providing food, shelter, and clean water, before scaling industries and establishing infrastructure to support generational financial stability. As a scholar-practitioner he develops research projects with universities to support industry development and support communities through sustainable strategies and innovations.

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