Inspire Greatness

Rahul Powar, Founder and CEO of Red Sift, joins Inspire Greatness to share his leadership journey and practical tips for empowering teams through clarity, innovation, and trust. Hosted by Matt Tenney, this episode highlights how leaders can use technology and intentional delegation to unlock their team’s full potential.

From building breakthrough technologies at Shazam to leading global teams through rapid innovation at Red Sift, Rahul Powar reveals the pivotal moments that shaped his leadership approach. He shares how delegating outcomes—not tasks—helped his teams think bigger, move faster, and take true ownership. In this conversation, Rahul offers practical insights on inspiring greatness in others, embracing AI to elevate strategic thinking, and celebrating wins in ways that strengthen culture. You’ll hear stories that spark new ideas, challenge assumptions, and give you tools you can put into practice today. Matt Tenney guides the discussion with thoughtful questions that uncover both the personal and professional sides of Rahul’s leadership journey.

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Brought to you in partnership with PeopleThriver — your go-to resource for thriving in leadership, alignment, and purpose-driven culture. 

Discover practical strategies and empowering frameworks to elevate your team and make values visible. Visit PeopleThriver.com to learn more.

Liz Ponder, CEO of SRP Federal Credit Union, joins Inspire Greatness to share her leadership journey and practical tips for inspiring greatness in her team. Hosted by Matt Tenney, this episode highlights how clarity, care, and high standards can transform a team’s culture.

From more than 26 years in the financial industry to her rise as CEO of SRP Federal Credit Union, Liz Ponder reveals how she helps teams thrive through clarity, accountability, and genuine care.

In this conversation, Liz offers practical insights for inspiring greatness in others and building teams that stay aligned, motivated, and connected to the mission. She shares stories from her own leadership path and the experiences that shaped her approach.

Matt Tenney guides the discussion with thoughtful questions that uncover both the personal and professional sides of leadership.

The powerful, proven methods for inspiring greatness in your team that Liz discusses include:

• Clearly communicating the vision, core values, and value proposition
• Genuinely caring for the team while challenging them directly
• Setting clear goals that are ambitious yet achievable

📖 Read the full show notes: https://peoplethriver.com/inspire-greatness-podcast/liz-ponder
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Follow Matt on LinkedIn for more leadership insights and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matttenney/

Brought to you in partnership with PeopleThriver — your go-to resource for thriving in leadership, alignment, and purpose-driven culture. 

Discover practical strategies and empowering frameworks to elevate your team and make values visible. Visit PeopleThriver.com to learn more.

Mary Thompson, CEO of BNI®, joins Inspire Greatness to share her leadership journey and practical tips for inspiring greatness in her team. Hosted by Matt Tenney, this episode highlights how generosity, courage, and connection fuel extraordinary leadership.

From three decades of leading franchise organizations to serving as COO of Neighborly® and now CEO of BNI®, Mary Thompson brings a rare blend of operational excellence, global expansion experience, and deeply human leadership. She reveals how she’s helped teams win by investing time—not just resources—in relationships, and by knowing when to lean on others to lead with strength. 

In this conversation, Mary offers practical insights for inspiring greatness in others, building resilient teams, and finding the right people who can help you grow. You’ll hear stories that spark new ideas, challenge assumptions, and give you tools you can put into practice today. Matt Tenney guides the discussion with thoughtful questions that uncover both the personal and professional sides of leadership.

📖 Read the full show notes here
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⭐ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review to help others discover the show!

Brought to you in partnership with PeopleThriver — your go-to resource for thriving in leadership, alignment, and purpose-driven culture. 

Discover practical strategies and empowering frameworks to elevate your team and make values visible. Visit PeopleThriver.com to learn more.

Socrates Rosenfeld, CEO and Co‑Founder of Jane Technologies Inc., joins Inspire Greatness to share his leadership journey from combat aviation to building the leading ecommerce platform in cannabis. Hosted by Matt Tenney, this episode highlights how knowing yourself, listening deeply, and communicating purpose can transform teams.

From his path as a combat veteran and Apache helicopter commander to scaling Jane Technologies into the backbone of cannabis retail across 39 states, Soc reveals how he learned to lead with clarity, courage, and authenticity. 

In this conversation, he offers practical, grounded strategies for inspiring greatness in others, strengthening trust, and aligning teams around a shared “why.” He shares the pivotal moments that shaped his approach to building high‑performing teams—especially the shift from reacting under pressure to listening with true intent. 

You’ll hear stories that spark new ideas, challenge assumptions, and offer tools you can put into practice today. 

Matt Tenney guides the discussion with thoughtful questions that illuminate both the personal and professional sides of Soc’s leadership journey.  

 📖 Read the full show notes here
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Follow Matt on LinkedIn for more updates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matttenney/

Stock music: https://www.storyblocks.com/

Brought to you in partnership with PeopleThriver — your go-to resource for thriving in leadership, alignment, and purpose-driven culture. 

Discover practical strategies and empowering frameworks to elevate your team and make values visible. Visit PeopleThriver.com to learn more.

Shari Cedar, CEO and Co‑Owner of AK Building Services, joins Inspire Greatness to share her leadership journey and practical tips for inspiring greatness in her team. Hosted by Matt Tenney, this episode highlights how continuous improvement, clear communication, and an ownership mindset can transform a workplace.

From her early career in TV production to leading a fast‑growing, family‑run janitorial company in Florida, Shari Cedar reveals how purposeful leadership shaped her path. 

In this conversation, Shari offers practical strategies for inspiring greatness in others and creating teams that thrive, along with candid insights from her own evolution as a leader. 

You’ll hear stories that spark new ideas, challenge assumptions, and offer tools you can put into practice today. 

Matt Tenney guides the discussion with thoughtful questions that illuminate both the personal and professional sides of Shari’s leadership approach.

 📖 Read the full show notes here
🎧 Subscribe for more expert insights on leadership, culture, and personal growth
⭐ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review to help others discover the show!

Brought to you in partnership with PeopleThriver — your go-to resource for thriving in leadership, alignment, and purpose-driven culture. 

Discover practical strategies and empowering frameworks to elevate your team and make values visible. Visit PeopleThriver.com to learn more.

Sébastien Page, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Global Multi‑Asset at T. Rowe Price, joins Inspire Greatness to share three unconventional leadership insights that challenge traditional thinking. Hosted by Matt Tenney, this episode highlights how staying mindful of unintended consequences, embracing healthy disagreement, and tapping into productive worry can transform the way leaders inspire greatness.

From the surprising lesson of “why you shouldn’t die on Everest” to the hidden risks of measurable goals, Sébastien Page reveals how leaders can stay grounded and avoid the unintended consequences of well‑intentioned metrics. 

He also explains why being just a little disagreeable can strengthen your leadership—and why businesses shouldn’t function like democracies if they want clarity, accountability, and high performance. 

Finally, Sébastien shares how learning to “love to worry” can help leaders tap into the productive side of neuroticism and turn anxiety into strategic insight.

You’ll hear stories that challenge assumptions, spark new ideas, and offer practical tools you can put into practice today.

Matt Tenney guides the conversation with thoughtful questions that uncover both the personal and professional sides of leadership.

Purchase Sébastien's book The Psychology of Leadership

📖 Read the full show notes here
🎧 Subscribe for more expert insights on leadership, culture, and personal growth
⭐ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review to help others discover the show!

Brought to you in partnership with PeopleThriver — your go-to resource for thriving in leadership, alignment, and purpose-driven culture. 

Discover practical strategies and empowering frameworks to elevate your team and make values visible. Visit PeopleThriver.com to learn more.

In this episode of Inspire Greatness, we welcome Abhishek Shankar—CEO of Emids and a leading voice in AI‑driven digital transformation across the global health and life sciences ecosystem. 

With more than two decades of experience scaling technology organizations, driving enterprise modernization, and leading large‑scale digital transformation, Abhishek brings a rare blend of strategic clarity, engineering depth, and purpose‑driven leadership. 

Before joining Emids, he held senior leadership roles at Tech Mahindra and HCL, where he shaped industry‑wide strategies around AI, software‑defined innovation, and digital engineering.

In this conversation, Abhishek shares three powerful strategies for inspiring greatness in your team: 

1. Put employees first so they can put customers first, creating a culture where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to deliver exceptional work.
2. Invest in relationships that go beyond the contract, because trust, partnership, and genuine connection drive long‑term success far more than transactions ever will.
3. Embrace the mindset that you are always a work in progress, modeling humility, curiosity, and continuous growth so your team feels safe to evolve alongside you.

📖 Read the full show notes here
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Brought to you in partnership with PeopleThriver — your go-to resource for thriving in leadership, alignment, and purpose-driven culture. 

Discover practical strategies and empowering frameworks to elevate your team and make values visible. Visit PeopleThriver.com to learn more.

In this episode of Inspire Greatness, we welcome Roger Martin—CEO of ThriveMore Brands, entrepreneur, and author of An Insider’s Guide to Business: Secrets from an Entrepreneur’s Playbook. 

Roger has spent three decades in sales, marketing, and C‑suite leadership, co‑founding two national franchise brands and leading teams of more than 500 people. 

He is also the creator of ThriveMore Autopilot, a platform designed to help brick‑and‑mortar businesses generate and convert more leads, and he hosts the ThriveMore with Roger Martin podcast.

In this conversation, Roger shares three powerful strategies for inspiring greatness in your team: setting high standards and holding people accountable to clear deadlines; challenging individuals with just a bit more than they think they can handle so they grow beyond their comfort zones; and consistently expressing genuine appreciation in a way that truly lands.

📖 Read the full show notes here
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Brought to you in partnership with PeopleThriver — your go-to resource for thriving in leadership, alignment, and purpose-driven culture. 

Discover practical strategies and empowering frameworks to elevate your team and make values visible. Visit PeopleThriver.com to learn more.

What does it take to inspire greatness in your team? In this episode, Rick Harris—non-profit growth strategist and Advisor to the Association of Proposal Management Professionals—shares three essential strategies every leader can use to build stronger, more motivated teams.

Rick is the former CEO of APMP and a 30+ year veteran in the non-profit sector, widely recognized for helping organizations strengthen membership, education, networking, and community-building. 

His expertise has guided countless non-profits toward sustainable growth through effective business planning and marketing, and he continues to champion the mission of APMP.

In this conversation, Rick shares three powerful strategies for inspiring greatness in your team: being a working leader from the start, keeping your team well compensated, and truly getting to know your team.

📖 Read the full show notes here
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Brought to you in partnership with PeopleThriver — your go-to resource for thriving in leadership, alignment, and purpose-driven culture. 

Discover practical strategies and empowering frameworks to elevate your team and make values visible. Visit PeopleThriver.com to learn more.

Dr. Lindsay Whorton, President of The Holdsworth Center and author of A New School Leadership Architecture, shares proven strategies for school leadership, team inspiration, and long-term success on the Inspire Greatness podcast

From her early work at Boston Consulting Group to becoming President of The Holdsworth Center, Dr. Whorton reveals how she helped grow the organization from serving seven districts to impacting more than 1,900 leaders across Texas public schools. 

In this conversation, Dr. Whorton shares practical strategies for inspiring greatness in others and building thriving teams:

• Distributing the weight of big challenges — ensuring responsibility is shared across the team rather than carried alone.
• Believing in people through high expectations — setting the bar high and empowering others to rise to it.
• Balancing urgency with long-term vision — navigating immediate demands while keeping sight of long-term goals.

You’ll hear insights from her own leadership path and stories that spark new ideas.

📖 Read the full show notes here
🎧 Subscribe for more expert insights on leadership, culture, and personal growth
⭐ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review to help others discover the show!

Brought to you in partnership with PeopleThriver — your go-to resource for thriving in leadership, alignment, and purpose-driven culture. 

Discover practical strategies and empowering frameworks to elevate your team and make values visible. Visit PeopleThriver.com to learn more.