Episode 169: The Finale of Business Resilience DECODED

This podcast is bittersweet for our team, but after six years and almost 170 episodes, we are officially ending the Business Resilience DECODED. To wrap up the show, Vanessa sat down with her Co-Producer Kristen Stegall, CEO of the podcast production company Novice Studios in Charlotte, to reflect on what the show has meant to her, what’s next for the team, and how you can still engage with our catalog of episodes.

Thank you so much for tuning into our podcast - whether you’ve been a loyal listener since the beginning, or if you’ve just discovered our show. We hope we’ve provided value, connection, and inspiration for you and the next generation of leaders in our industry.

You can still listen to our episodes on the following platforms:

Disaster Recovery Journal:

Asfalis Advisors:

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Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer

Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.

Episode 168: Generative AI | How to Write Thorough Policies for GenAI in Your Organization

One of the biggest trends across all industries is the use of AI tools, specifically Generative AI or GenAI. The World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Risk Impact Report lists misinformation, societal polarization, and cyber insecurity among the top risks to watch over the next two years, and GenAI can have an impact on all of them. Today we are joined by my friend James Donnelly, the Director of Issues and Crisis Management at M Booth to share what we need to know about GenAI and what you need to know as you’re creating policies for the use of GenAI in your organization.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

Disaster Recovery Journal:

Asfalis Advisors:

Connect with the podcast!

Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer

Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.

Episode 167: The Culture Shifts That Will Increase Employee Retention & Profitability

Today we are joined by Vanessa’s friend, coach, and mentor: Ron Harvey, the VP and chief operating officer of Global Core Strategies & Consulting. Harvey and his team work with leaders to develop strong work cultures within their organizations, build diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and retain top talent. In this episode, Harvey is sharing his expertise on the culture shifts that will increase employee retention and profitability.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

Disaster Recovery Journal:

Asfalis Advisors:

Connect with the podcast!

Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer

Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.

KEYWORDS: Workplace culture, leadership skills, DE&I, diversity and inclusion, profitability, core values, retaining talent

Episode 166: The Impact of ESG on Business Continuity

ESG – which stands for environmental, social, and governance investing – is a way for investors to evaluate risk and social responsibility before investing in companies. In this episode, we’ll be sharing some specifics of ESG, how it can affect your organization’s business continuity practices and decisions, and why you might consider becoming an ESG-compliant organization.

Source: Global Risk Management Institute: What Is ESG?

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

Disaster Recovery Journal:

Asfalis Advisors:

Connect with the podcast!

Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer

Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.

KEYWORDS: ESG, environmental impact, social impact, org structure, DEI, ESG investing, ethical company, recruiting, retaining talent

Episode 165: Best Practices to Land Your Next Big Role | Resumes, Interview Tips, & More

If you find yourself looking for a new role, you might be wondering how to set yourself apart in the application and interview process. Enter Kim Hooper, an HR manager for Asfalis and an award-winning security professional with more than 20 years of experience at companies like Wal-Mart and Amazon. In this episode, Kim is sharing her best tips and practices for polishing your resume, nailing the interview, and more!

Resources mentioned:

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

Disaster Recovery Journal:

Asfalis Advisors:

Connect with the podcast!

Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer

Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.

Episode 164: Should Brands Take a Political Stance?

In 2024, we are entering election season, which in the U.S. has become more and more divisive over the last several years. In this episode, we are going to dig into whether businesses or brands should take political stances on divisive issues, and how you can choose to navigate this going into 2024.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

Disaster Recovery Journal:

Asfalis Advisors:

Connect with the podcast!

Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer

Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.

KEYWORDS: politics, election year, risk management, workplace safety, workplace culture

Episode 163: The Joy of Metrics + Training the Next Generation of Professionals

Metrics are a huge factor in business continuity and allow us to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of our strategies. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Bernard Jones, professor of homeland security and emergency management at St. John’s University. Throughout his career, he’s worked in several industries, including tech and data, healthcare, security, and higher education.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

Disaster Recovery Journal:

Asfalis Advisors:

Connect with the podcast!

Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer

Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.

KEYWORDS: emergency management, homeland security, Gen Z, next generation, business continuity metrics, business continuity

Episode 162: Artificial Intelligence in Business Continuity | Use Cases, Risks, and Our Favorite AI Tools

At the recent DRJ conference in Phoenix, the topic everyone wanted to talk about was AI (artificial intelligence). As tools like ChatGPT become more mainstream, the conversation is shifting to how we can actually use these tools in our industry. In this episode, we’re sharing some of the ways we’re using AI in our business, and how you can better leverage it as a tool for your own business.

AI Tools:

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

Disaster Recovery Journal:

Asfalis Advisors:

Connect with the podcast!

Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer
Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.

Episode 161: Supply Chain Resilience in the Wine & Spirits Industry

Supply chains continue to be a trending topic, and in this episode, we’re digging into managing and troubleshooting supply chains for the wine and spirits industry. We’re joined by John Liuzzi, the national director for business continuity for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, who is running a “dream team” of business continuity professionals in his industry to share his insights, plus how business continuity challenges differ in the public vs. private sectors.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

Disaster Recovery Journal:

Asfalis Advisors:

Connect with the podcast!

Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer

Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.

KEYWORDS: Wine and spirits, beverage industry, business continuity, risk tracking, business continuity tools, supply chains

Episode 160: Leadership Risks You Need to Prepare For

Leadership is a major factor in how smoothly your emergency management and business continuity plans are created and implemented, so in this episode, we are sharing some of the top leadership risks to prepare for in order to have a stronger team. The article Vanessa references for this episode is from Forbes on “Navigating Leadership Challenges in a Rapidly Changing World.”

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

Disaster Recovery Journal:

Asfalis Advisors:

Connect with the podcast!

Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer

Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.

KEYWORDS: Leadership, risks to watch, business continuity, leadership trends, emotional intelligence, training, social justice issues