Kathy Varol retraces her career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

From the Peace Corps to Microsoft to business school to Adidas, Kathy's career journey fed a passion for helping leaders harness business as a force for good. Today she leads Kathy Varol Consulting, focusing on working with organizations to embed “purpose into their company in order to transform their culture, their business, and the world.”

She also hosts the popular Purpose and Profit Podcast, “sharing the stories of business visionaries who are intentionally establishing a purpose beyond profit.” 

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started!

More about Kathy Varol:

Purpose and Profit Podcast: https://kathyvarol.com/podcasts/

Kathy Varol Consulting: https://kathyvarol.com/

Dr. Derrick Gay retraces his career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

We learn about his journey from music, to teaching and administrating, to founding a consultancy that’s partnered with over 500 organizations across numerous sectors to deepen D&I capacity; enhance inclusion and engagement; attract, hire, and retain the best talent; and design strategy to maximize business and education goals.

Many leadership lessons are packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

Learn more about Dr. Derrick Gay.

Ken Babcock retraces his career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

Growing up in Buffalo, embracing leadership roles in high school and college set the foundation for a career that took him to Deloitte Consulting, Uber, Atomic, and Harvard Business School, where he and his co-founders started Tango – a Chrome extension that takes the pain out of documenting processes by automatically generating how-to guides while you work. Ken is Tango's CEO.

Many leadership lessons are packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

Debra Wilson retraces her career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

Growing up in Connecticut, attending an independent school, and moving to new parts of the country for college and law school all shaped her career and leadership philosophy and led her to a distinguished career working with thousands of schools as an association executive. Now she's been named President-elect for the National Association of Independent Schools.

Many leadership lessons are packed into this episode (including the importance of a personal board of directors!).

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

Christine Evans, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer of Headspace Health, shares her career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

Christine retraces her journey from the fashion world to executive marketing roles at leading health-related brands like Fitbit and Headspace Health.

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too!

Visit Headspace Health to learn how they’re transforming mental healthcare: https://www.headspacehealth.com/

And please subscribe to the Leadership Backstory from your favorite podcast app!

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Jason Brooks, CEO of Harkness.ai, shares his career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

Learn about Jason's career in education and how it propelled him to found Harkness.ai as a platform to empower everyone to meaningfully contribute their voice at work, in school, or in any other group.

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

Visit https://harkness.ai/ to learn more about how Harkness.ai empowers people to make data-driven decisions that fuel individual & team growth.

And please subscribe to the Leadership Backstory from your favorite podcast app!

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Let's welcome Seth Odell to the Leadership Backstory.

Seth shares his career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

We learn how a career start in broadcast news set him on a path to working for some of the biggest brands in higher education. 

From UCLA to SNHU to Helix Marketing to National University— each made him a better leader and prepared him to found and lead Kanahoma. 

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

That’s Ernest Koe, CEO of Proof+Geist, a software consulting firm driven to improve your experience with technology.

Ernest shares his career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

We learn what it was like to immigrate to the United States as a teen and how his career started in teaching, then pivoted to software development before landing him as the CEO of a software consulting company.

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

Let's welcome Vanessa Didyk, CEO of ZeeMee, the #1 social media platform for authentic peer-to-peer engagement and live virtual events.

Vanessa shares her career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

Her story is fascinating, from building a successful business out of college to acquisition to starting a subsidiary to the top spot at ZeeMee. 

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

Brendan & I learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

Let's welcome Ahad Khan to the Leadership Backstory.

Ahad's the CEO of Kajabi, a platform that helps creators build knowledge into income.

"Linearity is boring."

Ahad Khan's non-linear career path energized his leadership philosophy, guiding him to become CEO of Kajabi, a platform that helps creators build knowledge into income.

Listen to episode one of the Leadership Backstory to hear how each stop on Ahad's winding career path shaped how he leads today.

Why taking a non-linear path matters:

Varied experiences and roles. Success and failure. Small startups, large companies. Each played a part in Ahad's career, stitching together a fascinating career tapestry. Take these two:

• Ahad experienced the highs of a fast-rising mobile gaming startup that lost momentum, ultimately teaching him the importance of creating a product-forward business.
• Ahad joined another startup that solved a distinct challenge that resonated with his mid-western roots. This one ended differently with an acquisition by one of the largest companies in the world! There he learned the power of communicating with clarity and simplicity.

Many more lessons to absorb from his career, some of which may help you on your journey.