Grow Strong Leaders Podcast

When you think about it, leadership and sales have a lot in common. For example, both require the ability to build trust quickly. In this value-packed episode, Larry Levine shares ideas from his new book, Selling In a Post-Trust World, that apply to leaders and salespeople alike. 

Larry is also the international best-selling author of Selling from the Heart and the co-host of the award-winning Selling from the Heart Podcast.  

In a world where it can be hard for salespeople to create trust, Larry helps sales teams leverage the power of authenticity to grow revenue, grow themselves, and enhance the lives of their clients. Larry has coached sales professionals across the world, from tenured reps to new millennials entering the salesforce.  

You’ll discover: 

• The importance of identifying your WHY to have the greatest possible influence and impact
• Why the ability to create authentic relationships must begin with being authentic with yourself
• How you can create an inspirational experience for your team members and your clients
• The power of learning what your unique “secret sauce” is and using it consistently
• What you can learn when you’re curious and not making assumptions

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Sometimes personality tests are used to put people in a box, which can be restrictive and limiting. Markey Read advocates a different approach, one that empowers you to discover your superpowers and use them more often. You’ll enjoy this lively conversation where Markey explains why it’s best to identify and focus on your superpowers and spend far less time on your bozopowers. She and Meredith share personal stories about themselves, revealing how they’ve each learned how to do this in their work and with their spouses.

 Markey Read is an internationally acclaimed trainer and consultant renowned for her innovative approach to Team and Project Leadership. Recognized as a thought leader in her field, Markey champions the belief that everyone possesses innate leadership qualities. However, mainstream corporate culture often obscures these talents by favoring certain styles over others. 

With over 30 years of experience in coaching, training, and developing dynamic leadership teams, Markey specializes in empowering emerging leaders and entrepreneurs to harness their unique superpowers while effectively delegating their bozopowers, allowing them to excel in their areas of expertise. 

As a highly sought-after keynote speaker and trainer in the US and UK, Markey has successfully guided entrepreneurial ventures and international corporations in transforming their organizational cultures. She is the author of two books, Leadership Styles and Launch, Grow & Prosper as a Woman Solopreneur, and she’s certified in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, FlexTalk, and Emotional Intelligence. Markey holds a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Group Dynamics from the University of Vermont. 

You’ll discover: 

• What led Markey to do the work she does with leaders and teams
• How learning about personality types can help you discover your superpowers
• The distinctions she makes between skills, superpowers, and bozopowers
• Why Markey uses rooms in a house to explain your natural tendencies and areas of stretch
• Questions leaders can ask to discover the preferences of their team members

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If you’ve ever wondered what’s involved in a company being named one of the best places to work, this episode’s guest Angie Redmon pulls back the curtain and reveals key elements. She also explains the commitment and alignment required to build a culture that’s worthy of being recognized. If you’d like to uplevel the culture of your team or entire organization, you’ll gain valuable insights from this conversation. 

Angie Redmon has invested more than two decades learning what makes good companies great, and it always comes back to the same thing: Companies who care about their people as much as they care about their bottom line are more likely to recruit and retain outstanding employees. Through her dedication to workplace culture and employee engagement, Angie has developed and led HR teams with multiple companies in diverse industries. 

Now, Angie is the President and Founder of striveHR, LLC, an organization focused on guiding aspirational companies through the process of pursuing a best workplace distinction. She channels her work into helping organizations develop their people strategies and guiding HR professionals to develop in their careers through her coaching and mentorship. Angie has an impressive track record of helping organizations uncover employee engagement challenges and guiding organizations to achieve an award-winning workplace culture. 

You’ll discover: 

• What it takes to be an award-winning workplace
• The most common issue that gets in the way of creating a positive culture
• The steps a company can take before applying for an award
• How an award can help you with recruitment and retention of the best talent
• What needs to be done to sustain the progress after winning an award

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Think of a person who takes up more real estate in your mind than you’d like…someone whose words or behavior you find annoying, irritating or worse. 

What if you could transform your attitude towards that person into one of gratitude? 

In this episode, I describe a simple yet powerful way to help you appreciate the value of every person in your world. 

I kick things off by sharing a thought-provoking quote from Chapter 7, “Attitude,” in one of my all-time favorite books, The Power of Awareness by Neville Goddard. You can ponder those words for a long time when considering your own role in creating a positive relationship with someone important to you. 

I also talk about a simple process you can complete before a conversation to help you develop a greater appreciation for the person you’re about the meet with. 

I’m the co-founder and president of Grow Strong Leaders, a company that publishes software tools and books to help people build strong relationships at work and at home. 

You’ll discover: 

• Two definitions of appreciate that I learned from Dan Sullivan, CEO of Strategic Coach
• An exercise you can complete before you meet with someone to ensure you bring a positive attitude
• The positive impact of completing the exercise
• What appreciation means for the other person

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If you’ve ever gone through a major transition from one career path to another that’s totally unfamiliar, you may have felt disoriented and unsure of your identity. That often happens to college and professional athletes when they leave the sport that’s been a central part of their identity.  

This episode’s guest, Jay Dixon, specializes in helping these athletes discover how they can transfer the skills they already have to the business world. You’re going to hear ideas that you can apply to your own role as a leader. 

Jay is an expert at the intersection of sports and business. He was a student-athlete at the University of Nevada, where he played football. Since then, he’s cofounded three companies and consulted or participated in more than 50 transactions. After these experiences, Jay started an elite accelerator for athletes called SuccessCoach.com. It blends the mindset strategies of elite CEOs and an actionable playbook to transition their athletic talents into thriving business ventures. 

He’s the author of a new book, After the Game: Bridging the Gap from Winning Athlete to Thriving Entrepreneur. It’s an excellent book for anyone in business.

You’ll discover: 

• Jay’s personal journey from athlete to entrepreneur
• The unique strengths athletes have that serve them well in the business world
• Why a growth mindset is the first piece in the 10 mindset elements that Jay teaches
• Tips for optimizing your time and energy
• The distinction between expectations vs agreements

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Did you know that two communities only 5 miles apart can have a 20-year difference in life expectancy? That’s a reality in the United States, and Dr. Jean Accius is committed to changing that drastically so everyone has the same opportunity for a longer, healthier life. This topic is just one of many we explored in this deep, meaningful conversation with an exceptional CEO and human being. You’ll be fascinated with Jean’s journey and the compelling stories he shares that illustrate his brilliance as a leader. 

Jean came to the United States as an immigrant from Haiti when he was four. Today, he is the President and CEO of CHC: Creating Healthier Communities. Before that, he spent more than 15 years at AARP, the nation’s largest nonprofit, where his most recent position was Senior Vice President of International Affairs and Global Thought Leadership.  

Throughout his career, Jean has focused on addressing barriers to health and health equity and creating solutions that ensure people have longer lives with more time to learn, earn, and be with their loved ones. 

You’ll discover: 

• Jean’s experiences in his leadership journey that shaped his approach today
• The distinctions Jean makes between drive vs driven and success vs significance
• How leaders can step back to allow others to step up
• Effective ways to get buy-in for a project or a vision
• The importance of understanding Interdependence in getting things done

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How did Dr. Antonia (Toni) Novello become the first woman and the first Hispanic to hold the position of U.S. Surgeon General in 1990? Hers is an inspiring story and compelling read as described in her book with Jill Tietjen, Duty Calls: Lessons Learned from an Unexpected Life of Service. In this conversation, we discuss Toni’s career path to that position as well as her role during 9/11 as the New York State Commissioner of the Department of Health. 

Toni and Jill are both highly accomplished women, extraordinary leaders, and trailblazers in their respective fields, so it was a real honor to have them as guests.

 Toni was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a B.S. and an M.D. She completed her residency and internship in pediatrics at the University of Michigan and a fellowship in pediatric and adult nephrology at the University of Michigan and Georgetown University. Also, she received a Master’s and a Doctor of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. 

 In 1990, Toni was sworn in as the 14th Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service and became the first woman and the first Hispanic to hold this position. From 1999 to 2007, she was the New York State Commissioner of the Department of Health and served in this position during 9/11. 

 Jill S. Tietjen, PE, is an author, international speaker, and electrical engineer. After more than forty-five years in the electric utility industry, her professional focus is now on women’s advocacy worldwide. Her fifteen books include the bestselling and award-winning Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America and Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies. She has been inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame and the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame and has been elected to the National Academy of Construction. 

You’ll discover: 

• How Toni and Jill met and decided to collaborate on writing this memoir
• What Toni learned from her mother in her early years that influenced her throughout her life
• The experience that taught Toni to under-promise and over-deliver
• Why loyalty is a core value of Toni’s and how it served her in her various roles
• How always being prepared opened doors for Toni’s next position

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I’ve been hosting my podcast for more than five years, since June 2019, and have never done a solo episode. That changes with this episode! Many of my listeners have requested that I share some of my thoughts about leadership, so I’ve decided to devote one episode each month to speaking directly with you. 

For this episode, I focused on the topic of character—what it is and two specific areas that show why it’s essential for leadership. My business partner Denny Coates and I have been immersed in this aspect of leadership development for decades, and even more so in the past two years as Denny has worked on his latest book, Grow Strong Character, and the two of us have created content for our new self-paced leadership development program, GSL SkillBuilder.  

I’m the co-founder and president of Grow Strong Leaders, a company that publishes software tools and books to help people build strong relationships at work and at home. 

You’ll discover: 

• What strong character consists of
• The role of character in leadership
• Why character development strengthens emotional intelligence
• The importance of helping people live into an organization’s core values
• Resources that can help you strengthen your own character

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One of the most important skills a leader can develop is the ability to help others expand their vision of themselves. Ilias Simpson has been practicing this skill for decades; and in this conversation, he gives a masterclass on how to do it effectively. You’ll be mesmerized by the stories he tells to illustrate what he does, and you’ll learn ways to build a culture where people perform at high levels and feel valued at the same time. 

Ilias is a highly accomplished leader who transforms companies into profitable growth engines through operational excellence, lean improvements, and instilling a culture of success. With a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, Ilias ensures that employees at all levels feel heard, valued, and supported.
 
 Previously, Ilias served as President of Modivcare Mobility, President and CEO of Radial Inc., CEO of PaLo Na, and Senior Director of Operations at Ryder System, Inc. Ilias graduated with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dayton and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of North Texas. Additionally, Ilias is a decorated veteran of the United States Air Force. 

You’ll discover: 

• How Ilias built trust and credibility at the age of 18 when he was put in a leadership position in the military
• The experiences from his youth and from sports that shaped his leadership style
• What Ilias does to help others expand their vision of themselves
• Why Learning Agility is a crucial skill to develop for success in business
• The benefits of having diversity of thinking on a team

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Are you helping each person on your team identify areas where they could level up? Dan Kent is a master of meeting people “where they’re at” and then listening for ways they can build on their strengths to become even more effective. In this rich and immensely practical conversation, you’ll learn specific questions you can use in conversations to discover more about another person’s capabilities and aspirations. 

One of Dan’s superpowers is his ability to not only SEE the strengths in others but also articulate them. In this conversation, you’ll learn more about how he does that with his clients. Meredith experienced Dan’s magic first-hand when she was a guest on his podcast, Clearing Obstacles. His introduction beautifully captured her essence and who she aspires to be in the world. You can listen to that conversation HERE.

Dan is the founder and owner of Best Self Coaching, a business coaching company that strengthens and grows businesses by developing the humans involved in them. He’s affectionately known as the “loving butt-kicker” they often need in their lives.  

Dan’s method is a natural extension of his affinity for working both sides of the brain. He has degrees in both Accounting and Theatre Arts, almost thirty years in business ownership, and over a decade in Coaching and Consulting. That balanced approach combining left brain and right brain has served him and his clients well. 

You’ll discover: 

• What Dan does to “meet clients where they’re at”
• The 3 Pillars Dan uses with every client he works with
• How he discovers the growth edges where a client needs to focus their development efforts
• Why everything starts with self-awareness for a leader
• Tips for finding out what your people want most from you

Check out all the episodes
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