Made for Impact

Lara Heimann’s childhood aspirations of becoming a surgeon led her on an unexpected journey of self-discovery, inspiring her to empower others to prioritize movement and their own well-being.

"No matter where we go, we are at home in our body, but we have to take care of it.”

Lara Heimann is an international yoga pioneer and Physical Therapist focused on evolving the practice of yoga to empower movement and balance amidst a modern lifestyle of technology and sedentariness. She is redefining the modern practice of yoga through her comprehensive LYT Method of yoga, emphasizing smart alignment, functional movement, and spiritual wellness.

Get in touch with Gretchen, and let her know which impactful leaders you’d like to hear from: Connect on LinkedIn

Key Takeaways:

• How to cultivate an atmosphere of hopefulness and embrace a growth mindset.

• Understanding the connection between physical and emotional health. 

• How small changes can have a positive impact on health and productivity.

Connect with Lara:

https://www.instagram.com/lara.heimann/

https://www.instagram.com/lytyogamethod/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lara-heimann-8a556b13/

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When Sharon Price John, CEO of Build-A-Bear, found herself in the daunting task of leading a founder-led company in decline, she had to rely on her emotional intelligence and a psychological shift to create change, while navigating the universal truths that come with being a business leader.

"An organization is nothing more than a collection of people attempting to hopefully achieve the same goals. You have to bring together people that can embrace the strategy, and have strategic trust with each other."

Sharon Price John is the CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop and author of the newly published book, Stories And Heart: Unlocking the Power of Personal Stories to Create a Life You Love. She has been a catalyst for productive change in several Fortune 500 companies, and was recently named a transformational CEO by the CEO Forum Group.

Get in touch with Gretchen, and let her know which impactful leaders you’d like to hear from: Connect on LinkedIn

Key Takeaways:

• How embracing change is a massive benefit in your business and individual life.
• Self-awareness and recognizing universal truths lead to greater success.
• How leaders can create psychological shifts to encourage the outcome they want to achieve.

Connect with Sharon:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonpricejohn/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-price-john-26239820/

Stories and Heart Book: https://storiesandheart.com/book/

"You never know the impact you're making today. Something you might think is insignificant, something you might think is not a big deal, but you can change people's hearts, their minds, their souls. We underestimate our own abilities to make an impact."

With an unwavering mission to help others overcome adversity, Travis Brown, Founder and CEO of Mojo Up Marketing and Media, embarks on an inspiring journey to give a voice to black and brown executives and make a lasting impact on people's hearts, minds, and souls. He is passionate about helping people overcome adversity and serves on a number of boards and community initiatives including Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

Get in touch with Gretchen, and let her know which impactful leaders you’d like to hear from: Connect on LinkedIn

Support Travis:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisjaydenbrown/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travisjaydenbrown/

Key Takeaways

• How to use your gifts to make a lasting impact on hearts, minds, and souls.

• Ways leaders can support and navigate their people through difficult situations.

• How to apply extreme accountability to get lasting impact.

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"We can make tiny positive ripples throughout life...we don't know where they will go, but we pray and hope that those ripples make a positive impact through others and with others…."

Stephanie DiBlasio has created award-winning cultures throughout her career. How has she done it? Through a passion for empowerment, focusing on the little things, and focusing on human-to-human connections. 

Stephanie is the VP of HR and Administration for Apex Benefits. She is passionate about empowering people to reach their potential and make the world a better place. In this conversation with Gretchen, she reflects on her career working in the healthcare consulting space, and shares how she’s created a “Best Place to Work” culture that is worth more than just the award. Listen in to learn how your small “ripple” can cause a much larger impact.

Key Takeaways 

• How to create a culture of care and support

• The impact of human connection: Making a difference in people's lives through one-on-one conversations and creating a culture of engagement

• The key ingredients to creating an award-winning culture—not just for the awards, but for the greater impact

Get in touch with Gretchen, and let her know which impactful leaders you’d like to hear from: Connect on LinkedIn

Support Stephanie:

• Looking for a job at Apex Benefits? Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn (and/or email her directly at [email protected]

Check out Apex Benefits! https://apexbg.com/

"Hollowed out spaces from tragedies can become places for others to rest in.”

After experiencing the tragic death of her daughter, Liesel Mertes discovers a newfound empathy that transforms her—not only into what will become her future career, but also into something much deeper: a hollowed space for others to rest in.

In this special episode, you will learn how to switch your mindset to become more empathetic towards others, use your past pain to grow into something beautiful, the importance of checking in on people, and  how Liesel used her tragedy to create a life full of love and empathy.

Key Takeaways

• Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions about disruptive life events. If a friend has experienced tragedy, write memorial dates in your calendar and check up on them when the time comes.
• Something important to keep in mind: Resilience is the capacity to keep going in the aftermath of something hard. Fortitude is the capacity you have during that challenging moment to get you through!
• As human beings, we have rhythms of production and rest. If you don’t rest when you need it, you won’t be able to produce.

Get in touch with Gretchen, and let her know which impactful leaders you’d like to hear from: Connect on LinkedIn

Support Liesel:

• Connect with Liesel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lieselmertes/
• Check out Liesel’s website: https://www.lieselmertes.com/
• Handle with Care: Empathy at Work podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/handle-with-care-empathy-at-work/id1462428485

“Healthy teams get smarter. But smart teams don’t get healthier.”

Many leaders believe that in order to see success, we have to become smarter. But becoming smarter doesn’t happen if your team isn’t healthy. So how do we get there?

Enter Kevin Twomey—the principal consultant for Table Group, a purpose-driven firm that works to change the world of work so that people can be more fulfilled. In this episode, Kevin shares the ways in which we can transform our workplace in order to reach our ultimate organizational health.

Key Takeaways

• Your life’s calling and purpose should be integrated into both work and home.
• Being smart is not enough. Unless you learn how to work together as a team to utilize those smarts together, then you won’t see success.
• Sitting down and having those vulnerable conversations, re-examining your purpose, values, and strategies stimulates progress, growth, and company transformation.

Get in touch with Gretchen, and let her know which impactful leaders you’d like to hear from: Connect on LinkedIn

Support Kevin:

• Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn here.
• Learn more about the Table Group here: https://www.tablegroup.com/about/

To make an impact and lead the life you want, give up your selfish ways and surround yourself with people, energy, and motivators that inspire you to become the best version of yourself.

Lin Behnken, the president of CertaPro Painters of Dayton, Ohio, is an impressive leader who drives others to see more in themselves than they thought possible. In this episode, Lin shares tips on building a culture that balances hard work and enjoyment—2 factors he finds indispensable to motivating and encouraging his team.

Throughout this episode, Lin Behnken drops gems that can greatly benefit your life - not only in business, but at home, with relationships, and more.

Listen in to learn: 

• In order to get where you want to be, you have to weigh the options, set your ego aside, and make selfless decisions.
• In order to create a culture of fun and consistent growth, you must encourage each other, allow people to bring in their personalities, and you have to get out of people's way and let them utilize their talents.
• Winning can also be losing - losing allows you to find a new way through and to become that much better the next time around.

Support Lin:

• Connect with Lin on LinkedIn here.
• Career opportunities at CertaPro of Dayton: https://certapro.com/dayton/careers/

Get in touch with Gretchen, and let her know which impactful leaders you’d like to hear from: Connect on LinkedIn

Driven by positivity, JoDee Curtis, the owner of Purple Inc. and author of the Joypowered series of books, sets out to create a joy-powered culture through her HR consulting firm but faces the challenge of finding the balance between achieving her goals and managing her time and priorities.

In this episode, JoDee shares her secrets to effective time management and setting your priorities straight for success. In addition, JoDee shares with us the limitations of positivity as a strength and how she has created a successful joy-powered culture in business.

Get in touch with Gretchen, and let her know which impactful leaders you’d like to hear from: Connect on LinkedIn

Support JoDee:

• Looking for a job at Purple Inc.? Connect with JoDee on LinkedIn (@Jodee Curtis) and/or email her directly at [email protected]
• Check out her Joy Powered series of books here: https://getjoypowered.com/books/joypowered/
• Joy Powered Workspace Podcast: https://getjoypowered.com/podcast/

Gretchen shares a touching realization in this holiday heart-to-heart. Listen in to hear her reflect on the first few months of Made for Impact, and express her gratitude towards the opportunities that the show has given her.

And, Gretchen provides space for you to reflect on your own impact in the past year—a perfect way to close out the holiday on a note of gratitude. She shares why we need to celebrate the wins in our life, identify the people who support you, and to encourage others to share their story.

Get in touch with Gretchen, and let her know which impactful leaders you’d like to hear from: Connect on LinkedIn

Redemptive entrepreneurship is here to solve society’s challenges.

At least that’s what Andy Crouch thinks. He’s an author, speaker, business builder, and Partner for Theology & Culture at Praxis Labs.

And he claims redemptive entrepreneurs pursue big outcomes in an “I sacrifice, we win” approach – despite risky environments.

In this episode of Made for Impact, he reveals why big moments come from the intersection of authority and vulnerability and how you can restore health to our communities.

Support Andy:

• Strong and Weak Bible Study
• The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place
• My Tech-Wise Life: Growing Up and Making Choices in a World of Devices

Get in touch with Gretchen, and let her know which impactful leaders you’d like to hear from: Connect on LinkedIn