Empowering Leadership

Experiences with death, whether it be through losing a loved one or having a brush with it yourself, can be some of the most impactful experiences we'll ever face. How one responds to that adversity often defines new trajectories in that person's life.

For today's guest on the Empowering Leadership podcast, host Doug McVadon talks to Ray Whittaker. A poet and author, Ray discusses losing his wife, and then having battled a disease that nearly took his own life.

Through his poetry, Ray finds ways to heal and move forward, using his creativy and expression as an outlet.

Joe George is a long tenured executive with a track record of achievement in multiple high level roles including as a VP at Harris Teeter. George found a talent for building strong and dynamic teams, which helped him leave an imprint in the corporate world. While he was clearly well suited for the roles in which he occupied, George eventually left the corporate space to pursue work he felt was more meaningful, including teaching at-risk high school youth.

Joe George sits down with host Doug McVadon to talk about the contrast between working in corporate America and in specialized classes with high needs young people. He discusses how despite the clear surface differences, many of the techniques and philosophies about working with people were the same. Joe also talks about how some of the perspectives on working with people of different backgrounds has changed over time, and how he's adapted. Finally, Joe talks about how a chance trip to Haiti gave him the insight needed to create a food drive partnering with a local church to provide food for the people of Haiti. 

Despite the greatest ambitions of the most visionary leaders, life circumstances can change trajectories and priorities in an instant. Through no fault of their own, people can be thrust into a much different battle than the ones they had envisioned most of their lives. This kind of journey through the unkown by definition requires bravery and leadership.

Todays guest on the Empowering Leadership podcast is Michael Watson, who was one of the co-founders of Watson Tate Savory Architects. After founding the firm in 1991, Watson and his colleagues would help shape much of the public space in South Carolina, including several projects on the campus of USC. However, when Mike was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he was forced to make a choice between caring for his business and caring for his health.

Michael Watson joins host Doug McVadon for a candid and thorough conversation about Mike's prolific work as an architect and entrepreneur, as well as how he's faced one of life's greatest challenges in a cancer diagnosis. Mike talks about his journey from diagnosis through treatment, his current condition and what he hopes for in the future. He also talks about much of the work he and his colleagues as Watson Tate Savory were able to accomplish.

When thinking about the civil rights era, one of the biggest mistakes we can make is thinking that the people and events of the time are buried in ancient history. In reality, we are lucky to have many of the survivors of some of the most segregated times of modern history still among us to tell their story. 

Today's guest on the Empowering Leadership podcast is Leona Tate, who was just six years old in 1960 when she and three other young black girls who were the first to integrate into formerly all white elementary schools in New Orleans. 

Leona Tate joins host Doug McVadon to tell her gripping story of how she was first led into McDonogh 19 Elementary School and the challenges she faced just getting to the door. 

Much of the discourse about racial equity over the past several years has centered on revisiting events of the past and understanding their effect on our world today.

One of the most prominent examples of this is the reexamination of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Spurred by dubious claims of harrasement, a mob of white citizens burned, shot and looted the Greenwood community, one of the most wealthy and distinguished black communities in the country, known as Black Wall Street. After a night of violence, the entire community was levelled and never rebuilt.

Today's guest on the Empowering Leadership podcast is Phil Armstrong, Executive Director of Greenwood Rising, an organization dedicated to educating the public about 1921 and supporting initiatives that help honor the community's history. Phil talks with host Doug McVadon about the history of what led to the massacre in 1921, the cover-up that followed, and what lessons we can learn.

At first glance, some may see very little overlap between the world of art and the world of business. Today's guest on the Empowering Leadership podcast helps us see beyond the surface and dig deep into this issue.

Amy Hofland is the Senior Director of the Crow Museum of Asian Art at the University of Texas at Dallas, and she joins host Doug McVadon to talk about how art and business intersect, and how each of those worlds can learn from each other. Amy is also a practitioner of mindfulness, and she talks to Doug about how her use of mindfulness has helped her overcome obstacles and become a better leader.

Michael Braine, Chief Technology Officer of Public Storage joines host Doug McVadon on today’s episode of Empowering Leadership. Michael discusses the evolution of management and the need to balance people’s livelihoods with the pressures of production. Michael talks about finding strength in vulnerability, as well as the inspiration behind one of his mottos, “Mission First, People Always.”