Monique Lee, Group VP Sales,  at Wyndham Hotels, shares her career journey from unforgettable childhood hospitality experiences to leading roles. She emphasizes the impact of mentors and the importance of intentional, authentic leadership. Her story highlights resilience, balancing work-life challenges, and leveraging AI for success in today's dynamic sales environment.

 David Mililli's career began as a busboy but grew into leadership roles across hospitality and technology. His journey highlights the power of staying open-minded, surrounding yourself with people you trust, and having the humility to listen.  He reminds us that “if you keep your intelligence over your emotions, you’ll always be successful.” His story is a powerful example of how curiosity and courage can shape an extraordinary career. 

Nancy shares how the road to connection has become a recurring theme
in her leadership journey. She discusses the importance of listening,
knowing your self worth, and trusting your gut. Nancy also shares
details about her personal board of directors, what she's learned from
working internationally, and about her experiences with self doubt and
advocating for yourself and others.

Josiah shares how his public speaking journey started with a panel at
a conference years ago. He discusses how his leadership has evolved,
how he develops new skills with each role, and the biggest lessons
he's learned over the past few years. He talks about his curiosity,
including what he was curious about as a child and the things he's
most curious about today, and his advice to his younger self. 

Roger describes how overcoming adversity made his companies stronger, and how rewarding others with the opportunity to lead provides continuity.  He also explains how preparation and hard work can turn calculated risks into success.  In addition to sharing how one builds a strong career, Roger discusses the benefits of becoming a hotel owner as soon as possible.

In this interview, Betsy O’Rourke, former Chief Commercial Officer at Xanterra Travel Collection, reflects on her lifelong journey in travel and hospitality—from crewing on boats in Malta to leading global brands. She discusses strategic leadership, resilience through crises, and mentoring future leaders. Betsy emphasizes curiosity, agility, and empathy as essential traits for growth in both business and personal development.

Brad shares how his leadership style has evolved over time, including what has gotten better and worse, and how he views team sports playing a role in developing leaders. He discusses what he's learned from board service, how he stays physically and mentally healthy, and why surrounding yourself with the best people, personally and professionally, is critical. Brad also shares some sayings that serve as his guiding stars and what he'd tell 18-year old Brad today.

Sarah shares why she trusts her instincts when it comes to evaluating risks and the impact her preparation and practice have on her public speaking. She discusses the importance of the outdoors and physical activity on her overall performance and why curiosity is important. She talks about how developing human connections can help you feel more at ease in any environment, how she tackles moments of self-doubt, and what she'd tell her younger self.

Rafat Ali shares his journey from engineer-turned-journalist to serial media entrepreneur, reflecting on the choices, setbacks, and grit behind building Skift. We explore the most admired leadership qualities, founder-led passion, and customer empathy. Don’t miss his parting advice on career compounding, travel, embracing contrarian views, and the power of “ask and you shall receive.”

Brian shares why investing time upfront is one of the keys to building high-performing teams.  He also explains how his The Power of Gratitude at Work program helps transform organizations – and why it’s easy to do.  Brian underscores the importance of public speaking and why loving what you do, saying Yes, and raising your hand for more opportunities are critical.