Despite Impossible

Despite Impossible

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Despite Impossible episodes

  • Rewind Episode: Dr. Aimee Daily

    Today’s guest is Dr. Aimee Daily. Aimee is committed to helping ensure that kids get the care they need to reach their full potential. Aimee is also the president and chief executive officer at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals where she focuses on leading with authenticity, accessibility, and responsiveness and on building connections with team members, hospital leaders, and CMN Hospitals’ dedicated network of corporate, media, and community partners. This is Aimee’s story.

    30 min
  • Friends at Work

    This week friends at work Ryan and Tansley discuss what it means to have friends at work.

    Understanding all the research out there, they question, if there is a downside and Ryan flexes his HR wisdom! Tansley thinks credit unions the perfect place to develop friends at work and shares how that has shaped her network over the years.

    Our favorite work friends discuss the importance of boundaries and candor in friendships at work and how promotions can influence or change those relationships. 

    Check this episode and listen with your work friend!


    12 min
  • Season 4 Episode 22: Jess O'Brien

    Today’s guest is Jess O’Brien. Jess is an artist, a coffee aficionado, a sky gazer, and someone who is deeply inspired by nature. Jess is also the photographer of our Northern Lights’ lighthouse debit card design, highlighting Michigan’s beauty, available now at orsa credit union. This is Jess’s story.

    14 min
  • New Generational Challenges

    This week on Third Fork—what does it mean to grow up in a world that’s changing faster than ever?

    Tansley and Ryan explore the realities younger generations are navigating—from AI to the lasting impact of the pandemic. Ryan reflects on his own kids and the future they’re stepping into, while Tansley sees something just as powerful: a deep and steady sense of hope.

    They bring it into the workplace, too—where multiple generations are learning, stretching, and sometimes struggling to understand each other. But they come back to one truth: No matter how much evolves, our need for real human connection remains—and it matters more than ever.

    15 min
  • Season 4 Episode 21: Heather McKissick

    Today’s guest is Heather McKissick. Heather is optimistic, someone who is community-minded, outgoing, and self-described as impatient. She is also the CEO of the Credit Union Executive Society (CUES), an organization dedicated to providing credit union professionals, directors, and suppliers the resources they need to reach their greatest potential. This is Heather’s story.

    22 min
  • Kind In Your Candor

    Today, Tansley and Ryan talk about candor. Specifically, when and how you should tell someone that something is wrong or that they might want to fix something. Candor is kind!

     A few great examples they discuss:  "You have some broccoli in your teeth" or "Is there something off with the data in this slide?" and ofcourse "Tansley... you have two different boots on."

    A really fun epsiode with some real practical advice on those awkward encounters we all face. 


    13 min
  • Season 4 Episode 20: Jerry Colonna

    Today’s guest is Jerry Colonna. Jerry is a coach, a writer, someone who has been journaling since age 13, and who provokes deep feelings in others. Jerry is also a speaker who focuses on leadership, business, and the practice of radical self-inquiry. He is the Co-founder and CEO of Reboot.io, a company born from the rallying cry that work does not have to destroy us. This is Jerry’s story.

    22 min
  • Spring Forward!

    This week on Third Fork, Tansley and Ryan reflect not just on the actual seasonal time change but on how one might spring a head in life or work. 

    Ryan talked a lot about the seasonality and importance of a reset to prep for the next season and how as an individual and a team you might get there... he also shares his new obsession with Cloudcode. 

    Tansley shares how at orsa smaller sprints help chunk out the larger goals when we are looking at both short and long term horizons. She also shares that we might just want to ask ourselves, "what makes me happy" and make sure we are intentional about incorporating those things in our seasons. 

    15 min
  • Season 4 Episode 19: Dr. Keith A. Crandall

    Today’s guest is Dr. Keith Crandall. Keith is an upbeat dreamer, a native Michigander, a biologist, and someone who enjoys observing and learning from the world around him. He is also the founding Director of the Computational Biology Institute at the George Washington University. This is Keith’s story.

    26 min
  • When Life Gets Noisy...

    This week, Tansley and Ryan talk about how to handle your work life when your personal life gets complicated and noisy.  

    It is a HUMAN thing! You are not alone!

    Tansley and Ryan share great advice on how you can walk through your work life, showing up in an authentic way and be successful - even when your personal life turns up the volume!

    14 min

About Despite Impossible

From the publisher's feed

I am Tansley Stearns, and this is Despite Impossible. I am a long-time credit union executive leading orsa credit union as president & ceo. I have always admired and been inspired by…