Lead With Your Brand!™

As we approach the end of the year, it is a great time to think not only about how to describe your brand, but also about the repeatable behaviors that you can demonstrate to truly show those around you what you want to be known for. You can have the most impressive diploma hanging in your office, but if you show up to meetings late, talk over people and dismiss ideas…your brand isn’t about your accomplishments, your brand is being a jerk. Take the time to examine your own behaviors and make sure they are sending the message you want them to.

This week, Jayzen is excited to welcome Mohammad Anwar to the show. Mohammad started Softway as a technology services company with his family at the age of 20 while pursuing his B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics at the University of Houston. As the company grew, there was a time when the company culture at Softway was so toxic that it almost caused the enterprise to fold. He took full responsibility for the problems and knew that, as the leader, he needed to change for the company to survive. After deep introspection, he eventually turned the company around by creating and sustaining a humanity-centered culture at Softway based on the philosophy that love is a business strategy.

Guest Bio

Mohammad Anwar

President and CEO

Softway and Culture+

Mohammad is the President and CEO of Softway and Culture+, co-creator and facilitator of Seneca Leaders, co-host of Love As A Business Strategy podcast, WSJ Best Selling Author of 'Love as a Business Strategy: Resilience, Belonging and Success,' speaker, and a member of Forbes Business Council. He started Softway as a technology services company with his family at the age of 20 while pursuing his B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics at the University of Houston. He is celebrated for creating and sustaining a humanity-centered culture at Softway based on the philosophy that love is a business strategy. However, there was a time when the company culture at Softway was so toxic that it almost caused the enterprise to fold. He took full responsibility for the problems at Softway and knew that, as the leader, he needed to change for the company to survive. After deep introspection, he eventually turned the company around. From this experience, he also created a sister company of Softway, Culture+, and co-authored a WSJ bestselling book, Love as a Business Strategy. When Softway began in 2003, it was a small company that created websites for merchants in Houston. Since then, it has grown to a Business-to-Employee solutions company that focuses on bringing technology solutions to others by building high performing teams to build solutions that speak to the human needs of your workforce - and business performance that speaks for itself. In 2021, he formed Culture+ as a standalone organization fully dedicated to our mission: bring humanity back to the workplace. Culture+ provides Culture-as-a-Service to transform behaviors of employees and leaders - creating high-performing teams capable of achieving any business outcome.

Links

To learn more about Lead With Your Brand and the Career Breakthrough Mentoring program , please visit : LeadWithYourBrand.com

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop at your company, visit Jayzenpatria.com

Please connect on Linkedin and all platforms @jayzenpatria

It’s that time of year again…you guessed it, year end performance reviews! Now is the time to think through the key words that describe your personal brand, that is, your word bank of brand attributes. Jayzen takes a special moment in this show to help you better get your arms around how to create and use your personal word bank, as these are the key attributes that you want to be known for and should be used to populate your year end review.

This week, Jayzen is thrilled to welcome Victoria Russell to the show. Victoria is the first Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits and has an amazing career journey to share. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing, analytics and compensation across several top companies before moving into D&I. Her philosophy of “saying yes” in her career and leaning into the fear of new positions has allowed her to continue to grow and expand her roles, with wisdom we can all learn from.

She sits on several non-profit boards and her work has been widely recognized, including being named to the Executive Leadership Council, honored as a Daughter of Greatness by the Muhammad Ali Center and featured as Today’s Woman 2020 Most Admired Woman in the Corporate Category.

Guest Bio

Victoria Russell

Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer

Beam Suntory

In January 2021, Victoria Russell was named the first Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits. In this newly created role, Russell joined the company’s Senior Leadership Team and leads diversity and inclusion across talent acquisition, career development and employee retention, marketing, community relations, and building organizational capability to better recognize bias and further drive inclusive mindset. Russell also supports the development of diversity guidelines for the company’s supplier base and champions Employee Impact Groups and leaders across the business.

Before joining Beam Suntory, Russell had a successful 14-year career at Papa John’s International, ultimately stepping up during difficult times in 2018 to become the first to lead Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. In that role, Russell was credited with step-changing the company’s actions to build a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization comprised of 120,000 team members. She previously held marketing analytics roles of increasing responsibility, providing valuable insights into the business, and the customers and communities they serve. Prior to Papa Johns, Victoria held compensation and marketing roles at Lexmark, Humana, and Brown-Forman and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and a M.B.A in Marketing from the University of Kentucky.

Victoria serves on several non-profit boards including, Fund for the Arts – Board Chair, Leadership Louisville, and the Chestnut Street YMCA. In 2019, she was named “Woman Making A Difference” by Louisville Business First and selected as one of Louisville’s Forty Under 40. She was also featured in The Business Journals’ Influencers: Rising Stars, a national list of influential young executives. Her other recent accomplishments include Leadership Louisville Class of 2020, University of Kentucky 2019 Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award, founding member of the Adweek D&I Council and named of one the Adweek & Adcolor 2020 Champions of Diversity & Inclusion. Victoria was also named to the Executive Leadership Council, honored as a Daughter of Greatness by the Muhammad Ali Center and featured as Today’s Woman 2020 Most Admired Woman in the Corporate Category.

Links

To learn more about Lead With Your Brand and the Career Breakthrough Mentoring program , please visit : LeadWithYourBrand.com

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop at your company, visit Jayzenpatria.com

Please connect on Linkedin and all platforms @jayzenpatria

In celebration of Veteran’s Day in the United States, we’re reaching into the vault to share one of our favorite shows from the first season. Jayzen is thrilled to welcome Val Nicholas to the show as they talk about his start in the US Army and how it impacted on his personal brand and media career.

We all pay a premium for the brands that we love. Great brands stand for something and give you a full brand experience, versus just being a commodity product where the lowest cost is all that matters. The same is true of your personal brand and how your career audience sees you. Are you a super-premium brand that commands a higher price? Are you the go-to person that everyone wants on their project team? Or, do you just blend in as one of the herd. To reach your next career breakthrough, you have to stand out like a super-premium brand.

Val is an award winning producer and currently is the Senior Vice President and Creative Director SummitMedia Corporation. Previously, he has held executive positions at several top media companies. Val is a proud veteran of the US Army and has worked extensively to expand workplace opportunities for vets.

Guest Bio

Val Nicholas is the Senior Vice President and Creative Director at SummitMedia Corporation and co-founder and executive producer of Eyes on Target Productions, a production partner of Blumhouse. He is an seven-time Emmy award-winning television marketing and program production executive and has experience both in front of and behind the camera. He has held management positions at top media companies including NBC News & MSNBC, ABC and KCRA-TV. Val is a proud veteran of the US Army and attended the US Army Leadership Training School. He currently sits on the national board of the USO and Blue Star Families.

Links

To learn more about Lead With Your Brand and the Career Breakthrough Mentoring program , please visit :LeadWithYourBrand.com

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop at your company, visit Jayzenpatria.com

Please connect on Linkedin and all platforms @jayzenpatria

Lead With Your Brand listeners are always asking about which episodes are not to miss. Although we love each of our guests, this week we are reaching into the vault to share an amazing show from our second season.

Jayzen is so thrilled to welcome his former colleague and all around amazing person, Susan Jin Davis, to the podcast. Susan has an amazing story to tell that is truly at the intersection of career and life. She has an incredible understanding how intertwined work and life are and need to be. As a self-proclaimed “change agent,” Susan leads with her bold brand to support her community and the world we all share, with a “pay it forward” attitude, constantly trying to open doors for those around her.

Susan has had an incredible career journey, serving as Comcast’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, working as an attorney and many other roles. She has been a pioneer in the field and currently is the Social Impact Officer for Al Roker Entertainment. In addition to her work in sustainability and social impact, She is a tireless advocate for diversity and the AAPI community.

Guest Bio

Susan Jin Davis

Social Impact Officer, Al Roker Entertainment

Susan Jin Davis has 30 years of experience in the telecommunications, media, entertainment, and technology industries. She currently serves as Social Impact Officer for Al Roker Entertainment, a leading producer of TV, digital, branded programming and entertainment. She is also an advisor for ALO Advisors, a firm specializing in areas of sustainability, diversity, and corporate social responsibility.

She is also serving as a Senior Advisor on Social Impact & Sustainability for Philadelphia Soccer 2026, as part of Philadelphia's application team to be a host city for the World Cup games in 2026. Her focus is on human rights such as worker rights, housing, discrimination, safety and security, and grievances.

Most recently, Ms. Jin Davis was a senior executive at Comcast Corporation, where she held a multitude of roles over a 15-year career at the Company, including becoming the company’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, creating the framework for the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance disclosures, operationalizing its renewable energy and energy efficiency strategy, and contributing to transforming its fleet to low-carbon vehicles.

Ms. Jin Davis is a well-experienced and well-respected executive in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”). While at Comcast, Ms. Jin Davis negotiated a historic Memorandum of Understanding between Comcast and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) national community as part of the company’s acquisition of NBCUniversal. This created ground-breaking diversity commitments in the areas of programming, supplier, employment, and community investment that are the foundation for the company’s current DEI strategy.

An advocate for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in business and corporate America, she is active in the AAPI community nationally. She serves as the Chair of the Board of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) and serves on the Board of the Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship (National ACE). Additionally, Ms. Jin Davis is a past board member of Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP) and the Asian and Pacific American Scholarship Fund (APIA Scholars). Her other volunteer leadership service includes the Board of Directors of the Juvenile Law Center and the Board of Trustees of her undergraduate alma mater, Bryn Mawr College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.

She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Dickinson School of Law of Penn State University. The active runner, arts lover, and foodie lives in Kennett Square, Pa. with her daughter, Sophia.

Links

To learn more about Lead With Your Brand and the Career Breakthrough Mentoring program, please visit: LeadWithyYourBrand.com

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop at your company, visit: JayzenPatria.com

You’ve seen her on Law & Order, Elementary, New Amsterdam and plenty more of your favorite shows! Jayzen is thrilled to welcome his very special guest, April Hernandez Castillo to the show. She launched her career as the “Yo girl” in the Visa Check Card spot starring Yao Ming and Yogi Berra, originally airing on the Super Bowl. Expanding her impact on the world, she has gone on to become a successful author and keynote speaker, sharing her message of resilience, overcoming adversity, and the ability to move beyond trauma.

Her career wisdom learned from the hussle of Hollywood and constantly keeping your foundation strong while striving for more, are lessons that apply to any industry.

Guest Bio

April Hernandez Castillo

Actor, Speaker, Author

April Hernandez Castillo's dream became a reality when she booked her first commercial as the “Yo girl” in the Visa Check Card spot starring Yao Ming and Yogi Berra. The commercial would air for the Super Bowl and become a sports classic. She then went on to star in television shows such as; Law & Order: SVU, The following, Person of Interest, and Elementary. April garnered a recurring role on Showtime’s Dexter which she was nominated for a SAG nomination for Best Ensemble cast. April is most noted for her powerful portrayal as “Eva Benitez” in the hit movie Freedom Writers starring Oscar winner Hilary Swank. She also has worked on NBC’s popular show- New Amsterdam, Prodigal Son, and Gossip Girl.

April has also graced a different stage as a public speaker. Her message of resilience, overcoming adversity, and the ability to move beyond trauma has taken April on a journey across the United States and internationally. Reaching an array of audiences from high schools, universities and conferences, she has spoken on some of the most prestigious stages starting from Harvard University, Q Conference to her biggest stage to date, TEDx.

Links

To learn more about Lead With Your Brand system, please visit: LeadWithyYourBrand.com

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop at your company, visit: JayzenPatria.com

“I reached a point in my career where I really wanted to be able to make a change in the industry that would help other people come into the business, and find their place and be able to work and tell stories, and do all the things that will democratize that access.” Jayzen is excited to welcome H Schuster to the show. H has built her career producing some of the most iconic unscripted television shows that we all love, and now as Founder and CEO of HUSSLUP, is transforming the creative industry. As an opportunity-maker, she is constantly striving in her career to not only create incredible content, but open the door for others along the way.

H has more than 15 years of experience producing and overseeing high profile hits, including the Kardashian franchises, "The Biggest Loser," "MasterChef," and others. During her career, she has worked closely with top producers like Mark Burnett, Ben Silverman, and Eli Holzman and A-list talent, as well as with numerous FORTUNE 100 companies to integrate their brands into TV and digital content.

Guest Bio

H Schuster

Founder + CEO

HUSSLUP

HUSSLUP Founder and CEO H Schuster is a senior media executive with more than 20 years of experience producing TV and leading divisions at major media companies and startups. She founded HUSSLUP to connect millions of professional creatives around the globe to each other and to the companies that need them in order to democratize access to the industry. As CEO, she leads a diverse, senior-level team of industry veterans with the mission of “transforming Hollywood’s old clique with one click.”

Prior to HUSSLUP, H was Founder and CEO of Morocco Junction Entertainment, a production company financed by All3Media. She built a slate and oversaw creative development and production for projects at Discovery, TLC, Lifetime, History, Spike, MTV and Animal Planet, as well as executive producing “Abby’s Studio Rescue” for Lifetime and creating “Tabatha’s Life Takeover” for Bravo. She also provided strategic and content consulting to major production companies and producers.

Earlier, Schuster headed unscripted television for Ryan Seacrest Productions, Reveille, and Shine America. She also served as the CCO who scaled Detour, a location-aware podcasting company that was one of Apple's top 10 apps of 2016 and sold to Bose.

Schuster has more than 15 years of experience producing and overseeing high profile hits, including the Kardashian franchises, "The Biggest Loser," "MasterChef," and others. During her career, she has worked closely with top producers like Mark Burnett, Ben Silverman, and Eli Holzman and A-list talent, as well as with numerous FORTUNE 100 companies to integrate their brands into TV and digital content. At Detour, she also worked closely with the engineering team to iterate on and ship product.

Schuster earned a PhD in cultural studies at NYU and attended Stanford Law School. She served multiple terms on the Outfest Board of Directors, is a founding member of Chief, and is a member of the Producers Guild of America, the Television Academy, and Women in Film.

Links

To learn more about Lead With Your Brand system, please visit: LeadWithyYourBrand.com

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop at your company, visit: JayzenPatria.com

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Each week we will be amplifying the voices of Hispanic professionals with amazing career stories and breakthrough moments that we all can learn from. In addition to our weekly guests, be sure to check out the special Hispanic Voices collection in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at LeadWithYourBrand.com/latinx

Jayzen is thrilled to welcome Luis Sandoval to the show. As a child, Luis always knew he wanted to move to America and work in the media. After graduating from the University of Baja California, Luis landed a part time job at a San Diego radio station. His “say yes” work ethic and “good vibes” attitude helped him move up the ranks at one of Southern California’s top Spanish language radio shows. Soon after, never having worked in television before, he landed an on-air talent position at Univision.

In 2018, Luis came out as gay during a live broadcast of “Despierta America” with the intention of creating awareness of the issues that LGBTQ+ young Latinos face in America, becoming the first and only out Latino TV personality in Spanish media in the US. He is Two time Daytime Emmy Award winner and Three time GLAAD Award recipient.

Guest Bio

Luis Sandoval, Senior Correspondent for Univision’s “Despierta America”

Host of “Buena Vibra” on K-Love 107.5FM in Los Angeles

Luis Sandoval is a one of a kind TV and Radio Host. He currently hosts “Buena Vibra” (Good Vibes) a Radio show on K-Love 107.5FM in Los Angeles and also serves as Senior correspondent for “Despierta America” Univision’s National Syndicated TV morning show. He is Two time Daytime Emmy Award winner and Three time GLAAD Award recipient. Based in Los Angeles, has hosted many Univision Network special shows including the Rose Parade, El Grito celebrating Mexico’s Independence Day, and Teleton.  Sandoval has been part of the Univision family since 2004.

On October 11, 2018 Luis came out as gay during a live broadcast of “Despierta America” with the intention of creating awareness of the issues that LGBTQ+ young Latinos face in America, becoming the first and only out Latino TV personality in Spanish media in the US.

On TV, Sandoval is known for reporting on human-interest stories, parodies and humorous segments. He also has conducted numerous interviews with Hispanic and Hollywood celebrities, which can be seen in his witty entertainment pieces.

Luis Sandoval is a dynamic personality with unparalleled talent, a laugh-out-loud sense of humor and a tremendous ability to transmit positive energy through any platform. His gift for connecting with people on a personal level is the reason audiences across the country have fallen in love with his charm.

From 2012 – 2017 he also served as co-host of LAnzate (I Dare You), the first national show produced in LA for Univision Network. The show featured events, concerts, landmarks, artists, and singers in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Texas, New York, Mexico and more.

Sandoval is an advocate for Orphan kids with the non-profit organization Corazon de Vida since 2012 and currently serves as president for the organization’s chapter in Los Angeles, always looking for way to connect and give back to his community. He is a member of the Frida Kahlo Theatre Group in Los Angeles and fluent in English, Spanish as well as Italian.

As an openly gay celebrity, Luis also is an activist for LGBTQ+ rights and works constantly to normalize the life of same sex couples in the Latino community.

A native of Tepic, Nayarit Mexico. Sandoval received his B.A. in Communications from the University of Baja California.

Links

To learn more about Lead With Your Brand system, please visit: LeadWithyYourBrand.com

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop at your company, visit: JayzenPatria.com

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!  Each week we will be amplifying the voices of Hispanic professionals with amazing career stories and breakthrough moments that we all can learn from.  In addition to our weekly guests, be sure to check out the special Hispanic Voices collection in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at LeadWithYourBrand.com/latinx

Jayzen is thrilled to share the stage with Lauren Lopez, SVP of Talent Management for The New York Times. As a proud Nuyorican, her work is directly aligned with her passion for eliminating barriers to entry and growth that continue to exist in today’s workplace.  Rooted in the belief that every person has talents and experience that can benefit others, she brings a wealth of practical information and key tips to help you advance your career, always reminding us to "run our own race."

Guest Bio

Lauren Lopez

Senior Vice President, Talent Management

The New York Times

Lauren Lopez is an HR Leader rooted in the establishment of healthy and productive company culture, with the foundation of all her work starting with an equitable employee experience. From Talent Acquisition and Employee Relations to Inclusion and Talent Development, her 17 years of experience have allowed her to provide innovative and sustainable workforce solutions to organizations in times of great transformation and change.

Lauren’s career has crossed the technology, financial services, digital media, publishing and the sports entertainment industry affording her the opportunity to play the role of a servant leader, strategic advisor and coach. She is a believer in the power of coaching for the advancement of communities, organizations, and leadership. Her work is directly aligned with her passion for eliminating barriers to entry and growth that continue to exist in today’s workplace. Lauren is most fulfilled when she is able to help talent unlock the path to their purpose.

Lauren is a proud Nuyorican raised in Hell’s Kitchen and currently residing in Westchester with her two children - Dahlia and Cyrus, her husband Ozzie and their dog BB.

Links

To learn more about Lead With Your Brand system, please visit: LeadWithyYourBrand.com

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop at your company, visit: JayzenPatria.com

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Each week we will be amplifying the voices of Hispanic professionals with amazing career stories and breakthrough moments that we all can learn from. In addition to our weekly guests, be sure to check out the special Hispanic Voices collection in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at LeadWithYourBrand.com/latinx

This week, Jayzen welcomes Adrian Whant to the show. As the founder and CEO of TrooVRS, Adrian is on a mission to leverage the power of the metaverse to meet the needs of male audiences in new and meaningful ways. TrooVRS is an immersive media platform for men to engage with practical knowledge and self-care-focused content across virtual editorial environments, experiences, and NFTs.

Adrian’s passionate leadership style has paved the way for his successful media career. Prior to founding TrooVRS, Adrian has over 2O years of experience developing award-winning, revenue-generating advertising marketing solutions for leading media brands, including NBCUniversal/Telemundo and various digital media startup companies across the influencer, original programming and ad network worlds.

Guest Bio

Adrian Whant

Founder & CEO

TrooVRS

Adrian is the founder of TrooVRS, an immersive media platform for men to engage with practical knowledge and self-care-focused content across virtual editorial environments, experiences, and eCommerce/NFTs.

A media veteran turned entrepreneur, Adrian has over 2O years of experience developing award-winning, revenue-generating advertising marketing solutions for leading media brands, including NBCUniversal/Telemundo and various digital media startup companies across the influencer, original programming and ad network worlds.

Links

To learn more about Lead With Your Brand system, please visit: LeadWithyYourBrand.com

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop at your company, visit: JayzenPatria.com

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Each week we will be amplifying the voices of Hispanic professionals with amazing career stories and breakthrough moments that we all can learn from. In addition to our weekly guests, be sure to check out the special Hispanic Voices collection in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at LeadWithYourBrand.com/latinx

Jayzen is thrilled to welcome Daniela Pierre-Bravo to the show. Daniela is a New York City-based Reporter for MSNBC’s “Morning Joe". She is also a best-selling author, speaker, contributor and producer for NBC’s “Know Your Value” platform. A former Cosmopolitan magazine columnist, Daniella has written on career advice, mental health, and financial wellness with an emphasis on women of color. Her work has been featured on the Today Show, Telemundo, Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, New York Magazine, and more.

She is the co-author of “Earn It” alongside Mika Brzezinski. Her first solo book, “The Other: How to Own Your Power at Work as a Woman of Color” hit bookstores last month. Daniela spent many years undocumented and in the shadows as an immigrant from Chile, working odd jobs to pay her way through school. When Daniela became a DACA recipient, she finally felt that she’d made it, rising through the ranks in her career. But she quickly realized that no matter how much success she achieved, she always felt she had to prove her worth as “the other.”

Guest Bio

Daniela Pierre-Bravo

Reporter

MSNBC's "Morning Joe"

Daniela Pierre-Bravo is a New York City-based Reporter for MSNBC’s “Morning Joe". She is also a best-selling author, speaker, contributor and producer for NBC’s “Know Your Value” platform. A former Cosmopolitan magazine columnist, Daniella has written on career advice, mental health, and financial wellness with an emphasis on women of color. Her work has been featured on the Today Show, Telemundo, Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, New York Magazine, and more.

She is the co-author of “Earn It” alongside Mika Brzezinski. Her first solo book, “The Other: How to Own Your Power at Work as a Woman of Color” hit bookstores last month. Daniela spent many years undocumented and in the shadows as an immigrant from Chile, working odd jobs to pay her way through school. Like many other women of color, immigrants, and children of immigrants she became an expert shape shifter in order to chameleon her way around professional environments that felt out of reach. When Daniela became a DACA recipient, she finally felt that she’d made it, rising through the ranks in her career. But she quickly realized that no matter how much success she achieved, she always felt she had to prove her worth as “the other.”

In “The Other,” Daniela shares her journey and those of other women to help you recognize your power through your own eyes instead of the traditional white gaze in the workplace.

Links

To learn more about Lead With Your Brand system, please visit: LeadWithyYourBrand.com

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop at your company, visit: JayzenPatria.com