Connecting With Purpose

Spartan Investment Group is on a mission to improve lives through real estate. As co-founder and CEO, Scott Lewis is living his purpose through Spartan. There are few people with as diverse a background as Scott, which had included teaching English in Thailand, various positions in sales, strategic and project management for the federal government culminating at the GS 15 level, and being on active duty in the US Army as an Infantry Officer, making him an Iraqi Freedom combat Vet.

What's the common theme through all of these? Scott's desire to educate people and build them up so they can grow and thrive. That's his purpose and he lives it every day, in a very practical way. Part of this process is educating himself so he can model not only the behaviors and enable Spartan to be successful but also offer the wisdom to others of what they can learn and how they can grow. For context - how many other leaders to you know who read 64 books last year? Scott did.

Listen into this episode to understand how to embed values authentically, how to inspire learning in others, how to serve with meaning, to make the impact you'd be proud to make.

Additional Resources

• Connect with Scott on Linkedin

• Learn more about Spartan Investment Group, LLC

• Learn more about PurposeFused

• Take the WIP (Wellbeing, Impact and Performance) Check-In Assessment

• Learn more about PeopleForward Network

In this conversation, Michael Bearup shares the insights from his 38 year long career with KPMG, within which he most recently held the following titles: Former Lead Partner for Culture at KPMG US, Lead Director KPMG US, Office Managing Partner KPMG Colorado. Michael Bearup's mission is to engage in conversations that bring out the untapped potential in individuals. He has discovered the key to this process and recognizes that a significant aspect of a high-quality life stems from the strength of your team. By prioritizing people and fostering trust through psychological safety, he creates an environment where individuals are gently challenged and supported, encouraging the sharing of ideas and open communication. Through incremental experiences, conversations, and challenges, a sense of unity and support among people is built. Michael is dedicated to establishing a culture that not only tolerates failure but openly embraces it as a crucial part of working towards a shared vision and achieving personal bests. As a true relationship-builder, coach, and servant leader, this episode is rich with simple yet powerful concepts that center around putting people first, as exemplified by one of the best in the field.

Additional Resources

• Connect with Michael on LinkedIn

• Learn more about PurposeFused

• Take the WIP (Wellbeing, Impact and Performance) Check-In Assessment

• Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Join us for an enlightening conversation with Dr. Ophelia Byers, Founder and Principal at SitchRoom, speaking from the heart about the origins of her purpose, the importance of leadership training and the impact she has achieved as a former Chief Nursing Officer and continues via her transition into founding her own leadership development consultancy - SitchRoom. With a focus on the challenge for individual contributors transitioning into leadership, what's missing? In healthcare and corporations it's essentially the same - the mindset shift of the new leader and believing in themselves in their new capacity, combined with specific (and tailored) support via preparation for the leadership role and how that sits within the broader culture of the organization. We dive into the importance of care, creating beautiful experiences and making the leadership journey enjoyable and meaningful. Also, considering how every interaction, connection and experience is an "energy exchange" - we give and receive. Understanding this enables us to be intentional about our our time given energy is a multiplier of our time towards impact.

Additional Resources

• Connect with Ophelia on LinkedIn
• Learn more about StitchRoom
• Learn more about PurposeFused
• Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Do something you love and opportunities will continue to open up". Inspired by Nelson Mandela's Presidency in South Africa and his Nation's historic Rugby World Cup victory which unified South Africa in 1995 (popularized beyond rugby circles via the movie: Invictus), Dallen Stanford's energy was directed towards positive impact from that point on. From playing international rugby as a team mate, to coaching kids and college students, to broadcasting - now at the pinnacle of rugby commentary on a World stage - Dallen puts smiles and infuses positivity into people's lives at scale. This episode is grounded in positive values, positive energy, positive intent and possibility. If you want some takeaways from someone who followed their passions to make their dream a reality- this one is for you!

Additional Resources:

• Connect with Dallen on LinkedIn
• Learn more about PurposeFused
• Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Nathan Ott is the Chief Polisher (CEO) and co-founder of The GC Index and author of the book: Coaching Me, Coaching You. The GC index measures an individual's natural energy & inclinations when it comes to making their biggest impact and contribution to a role, team or organization. Their vision is to empower more than 10% of the world's population to positively impact their world! Nothing like thinking big.

In this episode we explore Nathan's Magic Moments "It isn't Meeting of the Minds", "Coming of Age" and "The Motherload" and discuss the intersection between individual purpose and people's energy for impact. We consider the value to organizations in having measurable data combined with a simple language that empowers them to make better people decisions, in recruitment, for individual and team performance and for optimizing projects and processes.

For anyone keen to learn more about motivating and aligning people to perform at their best and make their ultimate impact - this one is for you!

Additional Resources: Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn

Get your copy of Coaching Me, Coaching You

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Chris Allaire is the Founder and CEO of Averity a NYC based, people-forward recruiting company that have been named the Best Staffing and Recruiting Company to Work For in North America, on multiple occasions.

To speak a little to Chris and Averity's approach to recruiting (and work generally): Human beings are not buzzwords! People are not algorithmic searches. You are not a robot. People hire people; Chris has two simple philosophies:

1. If it's not fun, it's not worth doing.

2. Find something you're good at and do it better than anyone else.

Chris has coined the phrase "Genuosity" to reflect the genuine, authentic curiosity he has for people, his his clients and candidates. Listening with intent, offering thoughtful questions to build meaningful relationships and play the long term value game. This is an approach often missing in today's "spray and pray" sales culture.

He's a proud husband and father to 2 incredible girls, an entrepreneur, self-claimed "damn good cook & crab cake connoisseur", decent golfer, guitarist, dog lover, pilot, and a baseball enthusiast.

Additional Information

• Learn more about Averity
• Connect with Chris on Linkedin
• Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Join today's host, Neil Turnham as he chats with Dan Winter-Bates, Head of Organizational Development for the NHS in the UK and the vocalist of Bury Tomorrow, a renowned metalcore band. In this episode, they explore imposter syndrome: its origins, its emotional impact, and practical strategies for dealing with it. Dan's unique perspective, blending healthcare leadership and a music career, provides valuable insights into a common issue many face. Tune in to discover how to address imposter syndrome and boost self-confidence.

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about PurposeFused
• Follow Dan on LinkedIn and Instagram
• Learn more about Bury Tomorrow
• Learn more about Metal for Good
• Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Dr. Nigel Girgrah leads with vulnerability and courage. He quite simply wants to make people feel good. As Chief Wellness Officer to over 30,000 employees, he models behaviors that create an open, empathetic and accepting workplace, where people care for each other and collaborate to achieve great things. Dr. Girgrah shares his own mental health challenges, career highlights, challenges, philosophy of building trust and of course how purpose plays a role in people's wellbeing and performance. This episode is a must watch! There are so many nuggets in here for organizational leaders to take away, to embrace wellness as a core component to employee engagement and performance.

Dr. Nigel Girgrah is an experienced Physician Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry. Dr. Girgrah has become a national thought leader in the area of workforce well-being - an area he is passionate about and believes is fundamental to people's engagement and performance. As Chief Wellness Officer at Oschner Health System, Dr. Girgrah oversees the wellbeing of over 30,000 employees and heath services providers who heal over 900,000 patients annually.

Dr. Girgrah has a strong healthcare services background with a Diploma focused in Managing Health Care Delivery from Harvard Business School. Prior to his current role, Dr. Girgrah held operational leadership roles including: Associate Medical Director of Medical Sub-specialties, Chairman of GI and Hepatology, and Medical Director Multi-Organ Transplant Institute.

Additional Resources

Connect with Nigel on Linkedin

Learn more about Oshner Health

PeopleForward Network

Grace Zuncic is Chief People and Impact Officer at the deeply purpose-driven adventure gear retailer, Cotopaxi. She sees it as her own purpose to help others be their best selves, which she's realized is something she can do at scale in HR roles. Now, she's helping Cotopaxi through a stage of rapid growth beyond its initial familial startup phase, to attract, develop, and engage employees

We discussed ways that employers can help their people identify and engage with their own individual purpose, even if the organization is earlier in its technical impact journey than Cotopaxi. Three levers came up to do this: first, building a culture with a growth mindset, questioning each other and established practices, and practicing radical candor. Secondly, doing human things that fit your organization's size and structure, like celebrating birthdays, sharing personal stories, or posting non-work inspiration photos on a corporate channel, like Cotopaxi's #inthewild Slack channel. And finally, helping people see and recognize the ways that the other pieces of their 'pie' can provide fulfillment, inspiration, and purpose - and supporting them to spend time and energy in those activities, not just at work.

Additional Resources

• Connect with Grace on Linkedin

• A Description of the larger 'pie' - the 6 Spheres of Impact - An Updated View of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• A Corporate Approach to Individual Story Telling

• Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Mark Atkinson's purpose is to make work a source of dignity and self actualization. He's pursued that goal in a wide variety of roles and sectors, now as an entrepreneur and CEO of Mursion, Inc., a VR training platform for professionals to practice and master workplace skills. He's frustrated that we use creature comforts to entrap people in functions that don't elevate them to their full potential. We discussed how supported skill-building, stretch assignments, and rigorous measurement of progress can make work a source of dignity.

Additional Resources

• How Tech Will Help Solve the Human-Skills Shortage by Promoting Empathetic Leadership
• Ericsson Fosters Inclusive Behaviors through Immersive, Science-Based Learning Experiences
• Four criteria for building skills that support high-performance cultures
• Meet Learners Where They Are With Personalized Training
• Does Your Company Make You a Better Person?
• Learn more about PeopleForward Network