Forward Conversation with Friends

What happens when you stop defining yourself by your degrees, certifications, job title, or résumé?

In this episode of Forward Conversation with Friends,I sit down with Alexandra Leach, a Senior Project Manager in the financial technology industry and former NASA project manager, for an honest conversation about career transitions,professional growth, AI, and the importance of staying human in a rapidly changing world.

Alex shares her journey from NASA to the private sector, earning her PMP, becoming a senior project manager, andnavigating the very different pace and culture of government and industry.

We also talk about something many professionals struggle with: the pressure to prove yourself through credentials. Certifications and degrees matter, but Alex reminds us that there is only one you. Your personality, empathy, approachability, curiosity, and willingness to grow can be just as powerful as what's written on your résumé.

And then we dive into AI.

Is AI really taking all our jobs?Or are we allowing fear, headlines, and social media to shape our perception ofwhat's happening?

Alex offers a thoughtful perspective: don't lose your humanity in the age of AI. Technology may change the way we work, but people are still at the center of everything webuild. We also talk about stepping away from social media, protecting your mental space, and remembering that thereality presented by an algorithm isn't necessarily reality itself.

This is a conversation about career growth, but it's also about identity, resilience, perspective, and remembering who you are while everything around you is changing.

Take a breath. Don't follow the frenzy. Bring your wholeself. And keep moving forward.

Why do so many organizations spend hours documentinglessons learned, only to file them away and never use them again?

In this episode of Forward Conversations with Friends, I sit down with Nina Blassingame, Founder and Principal Guide of Crossing Change, to explore how organizations can transformlessons learned into lasting organizational intelligence that drives continuous improvement.

Nina shares the inspiring story behind her entrepreneurialjourney, the framework she developed to help organizations activate what they already know, and why focusing on 90-day priorities creates momentum that leads to meaningful change.

We also discuss the importance of preparing people, not just processes, for change, balancing organizational priorities, and building a culture where learning becomes a competitive advantage.

In this conversation, you'll discover:   

• Why traditional lessons learned sessions often fail.

• How to convert knowledge into measurable organizational improvements.
• The power of quick wins through 90-day implementation cycles.   

• Why communication is the foundation of successful change management.

• The importance of networking and nurturing authentic professional relationships.

Whether you're a project manager, program leader,executive, or someone leading change within your organization, this episodeoffers practical strategies you can begin applying immediately.

Guest: Nina Blassingame, Founder of Crossing Change

If this conversation inspired you, please follow thepodcast, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who is leading change in their organization.

Because moving forward isn't about avoiding change, it'sabout learning from it.

What does leadership look like when the stakes areglobal and every decision impacts lives?

In this episode of Forward Conversation with Friends, host Mignon sits down with Monika Gorzelanska, former USAID executive, global operations leader, and author of Beneath the Flag. Drawing from years of leading international development projects across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the United States, Monika shares extraordinary stories of resilience, servant leadership, and navigating uncertainty.

Together they discuss:

• The One Team framework for creating high-performingorganizations
• Why servant leadership creates stronger teams
• Balancing planning with adaptability in complex projects
• Avoiding analysis paralysis while making confident decisions
• Finding purpose instead of chasing titles
• Why passion and persistence matter more than perfection
• Lessons learned from managing projects in conflict zones and rapidly changing environments

Whether you're a project manager, executive, entrepreneur,or someone looking for greater purpose in your career, this episode offers practical wisdom and inspiring stories that will challenge how you think about leadership and success.

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share thisepisode with someone who is building a career with purpose.

🎧 Listen now and move Forward.

In this insightful episode of Forward Conversations with Friends, Mignon Edorh sits down with career strategist and founder of Resume Ready, Mark Misiano, to explore what it truly means to build a fulfilling career.

Together, they discuss how people at every stage of life, from Gen Z professionals entering the workforce to experienced leaders preparing for retirement, can find clarity, align theirtalents with their passions, and pursue opportunities that create lasting impact.

Mark shares his practical framework for career success, the role AI can play as a thought partner, why personal branding matters more than ever, and how meaningful human connections often open doors that resumes alone cannot.

You'll learn:
• How to discover what career path is right for you
• Why passion, talent, and opportunity must work together
• The importance of communicating your unique value
• How AI can support, but not replace, your authentic voice
• Why networking is really about building genuine relationships
• How to create a fulfilling second or third act in your career

Whether you're considering a career change, seeking greater purpose in your work, or preparing for your next chapter, this conversation offers practical wisdom and encouragement to help you move forward with intention.

Listen now and discover how clarity, connection, and courage can transform your career journey.

In this episode of Forward Conversation with Friends, host Mignon Edorh sits down with NASA leader and veteran advocate Jason Smith for an inspiring conversation about resilience, reinvention, networking, and purpose-driven leadership.

Jason shares his remarkable journey, from the military, toovercoming severe health challenges, rebuilding his life through education, and eventually leading transformative initiatives at NASA. He also reveals how a simple desire to reconnect with the military community unexpectedly led him to help grow NASA’s SkillBridge program from a grassroots effort into a recognized agency-wide movement supporting transitioning service members.

Together, Mignon and Jason explore:

• The power of networking and finding community

• Why soft skills matter just as much as technical expertise

• How empathy transforms leadership and collaboration

• Lessons on questioning processes to drive meaningful change

• Advice for young professionals navigating careers intoday’s world

• The importance of volunteering, curiosity, and steppingoutside your comfort zone

This heartfelt conversation is filled with practicalwisdom, humor, authenticity, and encouragement for anyone navigating transition, career growth, or personal setbacks.

🎧 Tune in and join us for one forward conversation at a time.

In this episode, host Mignon Edorh sits down with Ashmita Sarkar, a project management professional and nonprofit co-founder, to explore what it takes to succeed in today’s evolving project landscape.

Ashmita shares her journey from scaling a grassroots nonprofit to leading strategic initiatives within PMI, highlighting the importance of operational efficiency, stakeholder engagement, and data-driven decision-making.

The conversation dives into three core themes:

• Establishing a single source of truth for effective decision-making.
• Creating project clarity through strong charters and structured execution.
• Developing power skills like active listening, communication, and problem-solving.

They also explore the role of AI in project management,emphasizing the importance of AI fluency and positioning AI as a partner rather than a replacement.

This episode is a must-listen for professionals looking togrow their impact, sharpen their leadership skills, and navigate the future of work with confidence.

In this episode of Forward Conversation with Friends, host Mignon Edorh sits down with project management expert and entrepreneur Nikouri Brown to explore what it truly means to live and work with intention.

Nikouri shares her journey from corporate project management to founding her own consulting firm, revealing how structure, discipline, and clarity have shaped both her professional success and personal life.

She emphasizes that project management isn’t just a career, it’s a mindset that can be applied to everything from career growth to parenting and even everyday decisions.

Together, they unpack powerful concepts like:

• The importance of intentionality and structure in a world full of distractions.
• Why rest and play are also strategic decisions, not wasted time.
• How to prepare the next generation to succeed through discipline and awareness.
• And how to embrace AI as a partner, not a threat, by leaning into learning and adaptability.

Whether you’re navigating change, building a career, or simply seeking more clarity in your life, this episode offers practical wisdom to help you move forward, one intentional step at a time.

Why do so many of us feel anxiety before the workweek even begins? In this powerful episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with coach, author, and podcast host Angie Callen to unpack the phenomenon she calls the Sunday Scaries, the creeping anxiety many professionals feel as Monday approaches.

Angie, host of the No More Mondays podcast and authorof Scary Good: Discovering Life Beyond the Sunday Scaries, shares insights on why so many people dread the start of the workweek and what it really says about how we’re living and working. From shifting your perspective to taking smallbut intentional steps toward alignment, Angie explains how reclaiming your Sundays can lead to a more fulfilling career and life.

The conversation also dives into the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence in today’s workplace. Rather thanfearing replacement, Angie encourages professionals to embrace adaptability, strengthen human skills like communication and leadership, and remember that AIshould sit in the passenger seat, not the driver’s seat of our careers.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What the Sunday Scaries really mean, and why they affect so many professionals
• How small shifts in mindset and habits can transform your relationship with work
• Why human skills are becoming more valuable in the age of AI
• How to stay adaptable and intentional in your career journey

If you’ve ever spent Sunday evening worrying about Mondaymorning, this conversation will challenge you to rethink your relationship with work, and remind you that being human is still your greatest advantage.

In this powerful March episode of Forward, I sit down with Dr. Safi Mojidi, a cybersecurity leader, educator, and unapologetic change agent to unpack a journey that spans federal agencies, including NASA, and now academia.

From delivering secure enterprise solutions under pressureto earning a doctorate to challenge systemic gaps in cybersecurity, Dr. Mojidi shares:

• Why security is a business strategy, not a blocker.

• The reality of navigating tech as a Black professional, and as a trans man.

• Why diversity is not optional in cybersecurity.

• The truth about AI hype and what you actually need tosucceed.

• How documentation, clarity, and “professionally pushing back” can protect your career.

• What executive leaders really need to understand about cyber risk.

This episode is about more than cyber. It’s about courage,identity, impact, and building secure systems that protect everyone.

If you’re in cybersecurity, tech, leadership, or aspiringto be, this conversation will challenge and equip you.

Incident Response in the AI Era: Inside the Modern SOC, Cyber Leadership, and the Human Factor

In this episode, we dive deep into the real world of cybersecurity incident response with a seasoned cyber leader who has spent over 15 years protecting mission-critical environments, from the DoD to enterprise-scaleSecurity Operations Centers (SOC).

This conversation goes beyond buzzwords and tools.We unpack what cybersecurity looks like behind the scenes and why human collaboration, leadership, and governance are now the most critical defenses in the age of AI-drivenattacks.

What you will learn in this episode:

·       The many interconnected domains of cybersecurity and why SOC is only one piece of the puzzle

·       Inside a modern Security Operations Center (SOC): analysts, threat intel, forensics, red/blue teams, and fusion operations

·       Why siloed security teams fail, and how cyber fusiontransforms response and resilience

·       How leaders manage pressure when defenders must be right 100% of the time

·       The overlooked power of post-incident debriefs and psychological safety

·       How AI is reshaping both attacks and defense, and why governance matters more than tools

·       What aspiring and early-career professionals should focuson to succeed in cybersecurity today

·       Why Zero Trust is a journey, not a product

Whether you’re a cybersecurity professional, technology leader, student, or simply curious about how organizations defend themselves in a rapidly evolving threat landscape, this episode delivers practical wisdom, leadership insight, and a grounded perspective on AI and security.

Because in the end, true cyber resilience isn’t built by machines alone, it’s built by people.