Leading Conversations

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Linda Dunkel, President and CEO of Interaction Associates (IA) an employee owned organization known for its research and pioneering in collaborative problem solving and decision-making. In 2006 Linda was awarded the Winning Workplaces Best Bosses Award, a national honor that recognizes the most innovative and inspirational leaders of midsized and small businesses across America. When asked what she cares about, Linda responds: “I believe strongly in the value of every human life and the fundamental equality of all individuals. Human dignity in all settings is a key driver for me.” In this time of rethinking the corporate model of commerce, when people are considering how to blend what matters to them with their means of earning an income, Linda Dunkel shares the lessons learned as a leader of a non-traditional organization, and some of the challenges she sees that are ahead for all of us. Join the conversation as we explore the possible!

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Lynne Twist, global activist, fundraiser, Founder of The Soul of Money Institute and author of The Soul of Money. She founded the Soul of Money Institute to express her commitment to supporting and empowering people in finding peace and sufficiency in their relationship with money. She says, “Money is a current, a carrier, a conduit for our intention. Money carries the imprimatur of our soul.” Lynne has spent more than three decades leading global initiatives including: ending world hunger, protecting rainforests, empowering indigenous peoples, understanding human consciousness, creating a sustainable future for all life. Lynne sees our current economic crisis as a “natural unraveling” of a system that has never truly worked for our world. She believes, “We now have the opportunity to live the most meaningful lives any generation of humankind has ever lived.” Discover how we can “create a new future of sufficiency for ourselves and all beings everywhere.”

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Don Proffit, an ethical literacy coach with the Institute for Global Ethics and President of Proffit Projects, LLC. A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, Don Proffit was assigned to alternative service in Alaska. That experience included an extended stay in the remote Inuit village of Point Hope, 150 miles above the Arctic Circle. In this isolated setting, his worldview began to take shape as he experienced the isolation of the outsider and witnessed the powerful role the arts and ethics can play in defining inclusive communities. The teachings from these early experiences provided insights that he brought to the New Jersey school system in order to create a caring, inclusive, safe school community for a student body from diverse backgrounds.

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Rayona Sharpnack, founder and CEO of the Institute for Women's Leadership and author of, Trade Up!: 5 Skills for Redesigning Your Leadership & Life from the Inside Out. A leader's most important job is to reveal and shift the boundaries of peoples' thinking... starting with our own. These boundaries, also known as 'contexts' are what determines what actions we take, where we stop in executing our responsibilities and ultimately what impact we can have. Rayona coaches some of the most successful leaders in business. She has been an educator, tennis champion, manager and player for a women's professional softball team. Her masterful approach takes very complex theoretical concepts and distills them down to poignant, relevant and easily accessible learning distinctions -- resulting in dramatically more effective leadership skills for her clients. Join us as Rayona explains how your context is your presence, your belief system, your purpose.

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Michael Strong, CEO and Chief Visionary Officer of FLOW, a nonprofit dedicated to Liberating the Entrepreneurial Spirit for Good. In his book, Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs & Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the Worlds Problems, Michael poses these questions: What if the distinction between business & doing good vanished? If all those who engaged in business were committed to a deeper purpose, & all those committed to doing good were entrepreneurial and enterprising? What would it take for a world of seven billion people to solve all the world's problems? Our capacity to think has been “schooled” out of us. We need a radical shift of our education system to produce critical thinkers, creators & innovators to reshape business and commerce. Michael, and Whole Foods CEO, John Mackey, co-founded FLOW, bringing that all together, focusing it on the goals of sustainable peace, prosperity, & happiness for all. Join the conversation of possibilities!

Cheryl Esposito welcomes the return of Darcy Winslow, a pioneer and practitioner of sustainability frameworks and principles, and Founder of Designs for a Sustainable World Collective. Fresh from an expedition to Antarctica hosted by BP Alternative Energies Division, Darcy will take us inside this exciting, eye-opening and inspiring experience where fifty global youth leaders from around the world joined her, Peter Senge, Robert Swan - polar explorer and environmental leader - and other thought leaders to explore systems thinking, sustainability principles & science. What is being called for in leadership for a sustainable world? “We went to power up these next generation leaders around the issues we face due to climate change, collapse of systems, and declining natural resources… for some, their lives are forever changed because of the inspiring beauty that is Antarctica.” Join us as we explore leading business into a sustainable future!

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Nina Simons, president and co-founder of Bioneers a non-profit that promotes practical environmental solutions and innovative social strategies for restoring Earth’s imperiled ecosystems and healing our human communities. Nina’s life and work are informed by her passion for the natural world, women’s leadership, systems thinking, and the arts’ capacity to shape culture and consciousness. Previous leadership roles Nina has held include president of Seeds of Change and director of strategic marketing for Odwalla. What can we learn from nature about leadership? Nina says it is time to redefine leadership, to blend the “feminine” - innovation and relational qualities- with the “masculine” - analysis and procedural qualities; to create models that support the whole. Are women the key to this evolution in leadership? Join the conversation as we explore this shift in consciousness!

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Mark Silver founder of Heart of Business, and a successful business teacher and healer, who brings an active connection with the Divine to his work. Mark says that Heart of Business has helped thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners to integrate the nitty gritty of business with the heart-opening truths of spirit in a way that actually helps the business be profitable and make a difference in the world. Mark has run a magazine, worked as a paramedic, operated a distribution business, been an activist, and worked in the non-profit arena. He has failed horribly in business, and he has succeeded beautifully, each in turn. He trained at the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism in Organizational and Business Healing, and is a Sufi healer and teacher. His vision is that in the process of your business becoming profitable and sustainable, your heart will deepen in knowing its own truth. Join the conversation to bring heart to your business!

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Melanie DewBerry-Jones author of What Was God Thinking? An Owner's Manual for Living from the Soul and founder of Soul Purpose Coaching. Melanie has been called a bringer of truth, depth & expansiveness. Leaning into her background in Native American spirituality and cosmology she offers a wholeness perspective in applying spiritual principles in business & for personal development. The sacred is about who we are, our natural self. We often let external factors dictate our sense of self. There is a belief that business & self or business & spirit don’t merge; that they are separate. It turns out business is actually very personal, says Melanie. She asks us to embrace connection in a meaningful way. We must define Presence, Transparency, build Community, and honor Humanity. It's good for business because it's good for the people who make your business. Join the conversation to hear tangible approaches in merging spirituality, business, & the personal.

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Peter Block award winning author, thought leader, and consultant to corporate, government, and community organizations in the realm of empowerment, stewardship, chosen accountability, & the reconciliation of community. Peter’s many books include The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting on What Matters, the 2002 Independent Book Publisher Business Breakthrough Book of the Year; and his most recent, Community: The Structure of Belonging. Peter suggests that our major challenge in moving toward a relevant future is to focus on what we can create, rather than what problems we can solve. Instead, he observes, Nothing new gets created by better problem solving or by focusing on low-hanging fruit. No matter how sophisticated we are as a learning organization, if our conversations are limited to measurable outcomes, we are simply getting better at a system, not creating a new future.” Want to know how to do this? Just say yes and join Cheryl & Peter in the conversation!