Humanize Your Workplace

On this week’s episode of Humanize Your Workplace, we are joined by Jeannette Fournier.

Before joining Caring for Friends, as Executive Director, she provided strategic management advice to nonprofits to help increase their capacity while at Dunleavy & Associates. Prior she served as Playworks Pennsylvania’s Executive Director, scaling the regional bullying prevention and school climate program to serve thousands of students in Greater Philadelphia. She has also worked on policy and advocacy at think tanks in Washington, DC and supported various start-up nonprofits. She has served as a member of the UNESCO-World Economic Forum education task force, on Girls Leadership’s Board of Directors, and is active in her church.

Jeannette received her BA in Political Science from Drew University and her Master of International Law with International Relations from Kent University. At home she enjoys oil painting, gardening, and cooking with her children, husband and friends.

We chat about 

On this week’s episode of Humanize Your Workplace, we are joined by John Lim.

John Lim is an entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and author. He has co-written two books ‘Making Fake Star Trek’ and ‘Making More Fake Star Trek,’ detailing his days as an actor and co-created an adult coloring book called ‘Corporate Cliches.’ John currently hosts two podcasts ‘Moving Forward’ and ‘Making Fake Star Trek’ based on his book series. You can learn out more at www.bemovingforward.com.

We chat about:

On this week’s episode of Humanize Your Workplace, we are joined by Susan Freeman. 

Susan’s goal is to help women in business communicate effectively with the world -- and to help men communicate effectively with women in business! Susan’s passion for helping women succeed is long-standing. She co-founded “Women’s Business Connection” in Massachusetts and “Girl Power”. She  has also taught “Girls in Politics,” a program created to introduce girls to politics, policy, and the branches of government. Her enthusiasm for the  benefits of building meaningful relationships has made her a great connector. She helps professionals communicate  effectively in order to develop new business. She trains professionals to use client-centric insights to assess needs and identify solutions that meet strategic goals.

Susan has worked with some of the most prestigious law firms and financial services institutions in the world. Susan is the co-author of the book,

Susan was graduated with honors from Hawaii Pacific University with a Master of Arts degree in Communication and she was graduated from Louisiana State University with  a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Political Science and Journalism, with a minor in Marketing. She also studied Marketing at Northeastern University in Boston. 

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On this week’s episode of Humanize Your Workplace, we are joined by Deirdre K. Breakenridge. 

Deirdre K. Breakenridge is CEO at Pure Performance Communications. As a 30-year veteran in PR, marketing, and branding, she has worked with senior leaders and organizations, including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, JVC, Kraft, Nasdaq, NBA Events & Attractions and the Public Relations Society of America.

Deirdre is a career-long storyteller and relationship agent, helping brands and professionals to get “unstuck” and ignite their communications. She’s been working with leaders for decades to create award-winning PR and marketing programs and building relationships based on loyalty and advocacy. Deirdre takes a proprietary approach to communications with her FEEL First communication model that encompasses the findings of a 52+ Week research project.

Deirdre is the author of six business books sharing stories about her communications journey. Her most recent book, “Answers for Modern Communicators,” was published by Routledge and was recently named among the Top 100 Storytelling Books in 2019 by Book Authority.

For 15 years, Deirdre has taught PR and social media courses, online and in the classroom for NYU, UMASS at Amherst, Rutgers University, and Fairleigh Dickinson University. She also takes her passion for education into organizations with communication training programs and she speaks internationally on the topics of PR, marketing, branding, and social media communications.

Deirdre has been blogging at PR Expanded for over 10 years and she is also the host of the podcast, Women Worldwide, which in its 5th year has nearly 2 million downloads

We chat about:

You can connect with Deirdre on LinkedIn. 

On this week’s episode of Humanize Your Workplace, we are joined by Angelo G. Spenillo.

Angelo G. Spenillo is a husband, stepdad, metalhead, in-house attorney, and author of "I Am a Professional Metalhead." Angelo grew up in New Jersey where he began a lifelong obsession with heavy metal music - one that influenced his entire legal career.

In 2000, Angelo began his career as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice. He left the practice of law several times to work in sales, marketing, account management, and product development, until he finally found his true calling working as a lawyer for software companies. Since then, he has built legal departments for several rapidly growing companies and finally found his dream career - unless, Sevendust has a need for a third guitar player in which case the law thing would be a great fall back gig.

Angelo earned his undergraduate degree from Union College and his law degree from Georgetown. He is currently in-house counsel at a fast-growing software company.

He resides in Savage, Minnesota with his wife Carol, two stepkids, and one guitar less than would be ideal.

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On this week's episode of Humanize Your Workplace, we are joined by Teresa Douglas. She has worked remotely since 2010 in a variety of management-level roles. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Based in Vancouver, Canada, she specializes in strategic analysis and operations management.  She is also a co-author of Working Remotely: Secrets to Success for Employees on Distributed Teams

We chat about:

*Teresa's own journey of working in a traditional workplace to working remotely

*How to stay connected to your virtual team, and how to create more collaborative spaces with virtual employees

*What to consider before going remote

On this episode of Humanize Your Workplace, we are joined by Tiffany Tavarez  serves as Vice President of Community Relations at Wells Fargo where she implements the company’s corporate responsibility priorities through strategic philanthropy, stakeholder engagement and team member volunteerism across the Northeast (PA, NY, NJ, DE, CT). Her career in community relations has included reputable organizations such as PECO/Exelon, Comcast, Temple University, First Person Arts & the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage.

Numerous organizations throughout the region have recognized her work; some highlights include Philadelphia City Council, LEADERSHIP Philadelphia, IMPACTO, Femme & Fortune, Hispanic Media LLC, Friends of the Urban Affairs Coalition & the United Way of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey. In 2018, the Forum of Executive Women presented her with the Emerging Leader Award and most recently, she was named in the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2019 Top Forty Under 40.

Tiffany Tavarez serves on Governor Tom Wolf’s Pennsylvania Commission for Women; Vice Chair, Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and Esperanza; Chair of the Monument Lab Advisory Board and Member of the Temple Contemporary Advisory Council. She is a first-generation college graduate who has earned degrees from both Temple University (B.F.A.) and University of the Arts (M.A.).

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In this episode of Humanize Your Workplace, we chat with Kristy Wallace.  She is the CEO of Ellevate Network and is responsible for executing Ellevate Network’s mission to close the gender achievement gap in business by providing professional women with a global community to lean on and learn from. She directs the Network’s staff, is responsible for business growth and strategy, and works closely with Ellevate's Chapter Leaders, Business Partners, and Champions to further Ellevate's impact.

Kristy is a regular speaker and thought leader on Leadership, Diversity, Social Entrepreneurship, Networking, and Entrepreneurialism. Kristy is also the host of the Ellevate Podcast, Conversations with Women Changing the Face of Business. Most recently, Kristy was recognized as a Woman of Influence by the New York Business Journal.

Kristy strives to support women and girls in achieving their dreams. She is an Angel Investor with Pipeline Angels, and organization creating capital for women and non-binary femme social entrepreneurs; a Member of the UN Women Global Innovation Coalition for Change; an Advisor for the 92Y Women in Power Fellowship for Rising Female Leaders; on the Advisory Council for the Villanova University Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship Institute; Co-Chair of the Leadership Advisory Board for the Girl Scouts of Greater NYC; and a Board Member at Workforce Professionals Training Institute.

Prior to joining Ellevate, Kristy was a founding team member of Zeel.com, where she oversaw operations, business modeling, brand development, partnerships, and fundraising. Prior to Zeel, Kristy served as VP of North America Ad Sales and then GM of International Operations at Vault.com.

Kristy obtained her BA in English/Sociology from Villanova University. Kristy lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and three wonderful children.

We cover:

* embracing networking and finding ways to connect with people (in and outside of your organization)

* making a commitment to bring your whole self to work

* providing a safe space (online and in person) for employees to share topics that are important to them

To follow Ellevate on social media:

Instagram: @Ellevate_Ntwk 

Twitter: @EllevateNtwk 

On this week’s episode of Humanize Your Workplace, we are joined by Christie Lawler. She founded CJL CONSULTiNG in 2009 while completing her MBA as a way to stay engaged in her career while completing her studies. As Founder & Owner of CJL CONSULTiNG, Christie supports clients by creating beverage marketing and training programs for the likes of Alamo Drafthouse, American Social, Arcis Golf, Drive Shack and Flagship Restaurant Group. Christie is also the host of Lawler Out Loud: Mixing up the Mainstream – a weekly podcast featuring trendsetters and newsmakers around the hospitality industry.

Prior to the rebrand of CJL CONSULTiNG in 2017, Christie was consulting with AREAS, Smokey Bones and Shula’s after spending seven years serving as the National Accounts Manager for both Sidney Frank Importing Company and Lavazza. After managing more than 200 accounts across the U.S., she was excited to bring her knowledge of the sales side full circle to help her company’s clients drive their beverage strategy forward.

Before entering the world of sales, Christie worked as a newspaper reporter and went on to create the marketing office for MWR Europe covering Southern Germany while stationed overseas with her active-duty husband. Upon moving back to the U.S. in 2004, Christie got her first taste of national accounts beverage marketing while creating training and beverage programs for HMSHost, Consolidated Restaurant Operations, Outback Steakhouse and House of Blues.

In 2018, Christie developed the charitable side of her career founding The WITI Group, a 501(c)(3) foundation focused on empowering and supporting the women of the hospitality industry. She is also proud to serve as a CORE Ambassador as well as an advisory board member for “The Bar” with Datassential. CJL CONSULTiNG is WBENC Certified as a Woman-Owned Small Business. Christie also travels the U.S. for her speaking engagements covering marketing, branding, sales strategy and cultural development topics.

We chat about: 

*how "bad bosses" can help you grow and learn

* the secret to landing top clients

* how to create memorable experiences and build relationships at work

On this episode of Humanize Your Workplace we are joined by Dan Frutiger.  Dan comes from the Mid-Western US while growing up in various places. Some of these places include Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico. He has been in Southern California for many years and has made it his home.

After attending several schools growing up he acquired his Bachelor of Science degree in Management/Business.

Dan’s experience includes a career in developing and implementing mentoring programs, outside sales and Learning and Development with various organizations over the years. This experience has taught him to always stay in a learning posture. Also, to implement changes personally and professionally in order to stay relevant each day.

What inspires him the most is having the opportunity to contribute to the success of others. This is why training has become such a fulfilling passion for him and keeps him going and growing.

We chat about: