MVP Business

If you ask Melinda Garvey what her big dream is, you will probably hear her say: “I want to brainwash women!” Now, don’t be alarmed. She just sees this as the fastest way to ensure that ALL women know their worth, have a tribe of other women supporting them and can see their own path to success through access to the millions of women that came before them.

“It’s really all about creating a mindset of abundance, rather than scarcity,” Melinda explains. “There are millions of non-celeb, non-corporate titan women who are successful. We just simply don’t ever hear their stories, so we believe that the landscape is barren. On The Dot is on a mission to change that by giving access to successful women and their stories every day.”

It all started in a little Texas town called Austin. One day in 2002, Melinda decided (after one too many glasses of wine) to use her media background to empower, engage and inspire the women of Austin by launching Austin Woman Magazine. Now in its 18th year and hailed as the go-to resource for women looking to move ahead and build a legacy, Austin Woman is going strong…

But what about women around the globe? “When I heard that one of the very top reasons women were not achieving equal success was the lack of access to relatable role models,” Melinda continues, “I just got mad.” 

And so, On The Dot was born, starting with little more than a deep passion for championing women, an expertise in storytelling and the moxie to believe that On The Dot could change the conversation about women’s advancement. What if, every morning, millions of women around the world heard a story about a successful, relatable role model? How would our mindset change if we could SEE it and then know that we, too could BE it? What if we took that concept and turned it into a tool for enterprise level corporations to manage & report on their diversity and inclusion initiatives?...well that's what she did.

When not on her soapbox, you can find Melinda and her Kiwi husband and business partner, Kip, at a soccer game or swim meet cheering on their 11 year old feminist son, Beckom. Other than that—you guessed it—you can find her surrounded by a gaggle of women drinking wine, of course!

Oh, and in case you’re still reading, Melinda has also won a few awards for being such a badass:

Awards

• 2006: one of nine women nationwide selected to receive Office Depot’s “Businesswoman of the Year” Award.
• 2006: Community Advocate Award, Greater Austin Chamber
• 2011-2012: Entrepreneur in Residence for The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas Austin
• 2011: Outstanding Austin Communicator Award, The Association for Women in Communication
• 2012: Woman of Distinction winner, Girl Scouts of Central Texas
• 2013: Women of Influence, Austin Business Journal
• 2015: Enterprising Woman of the Year, Enterprising Woman Magazine
• 2017: Folio Top Women in Media Honoree

Mike O'Krent is the founder of LifeStories Alive. Between 1996 and 2000 he interviewed Holocaust survivors for Steven Spielberg’s Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. During that incredible experience, he discovered the process and the importance of recording the life stories of our loved ones. With that process he founded LifeStories Alive in late 2005. 

LifeStories Alive specializes in making personal history videos for families and businesses that value their heritage, creating heirlooms in video format – digitally mastered records of life stories with personal accounts, photos and mementos of family history.

Mike was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BBA in Marketing and Management. He began his professional career as the 4th generation in his family’s retail floor covering business.

Between 1996 and 2000 he interviewed Holocaust survivors for Steven Spielberg’s Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. During that incredible experience, he discovered the process and the importance of recording the life stories of our loved ones. With that process he founded LifeStories Alive in late 2005.

Mike values family above all else and recently developed an online course that teaches others how to capture LifeStories.

Amber Gunst first joined The Austin Technology Council in the role of Head of Sales and Membership Services and worked alongside the leadership team to craft a new vision for member engagement and growth. Their efforts resulted in doubling membership in less than a year while also significantly increasing the retention rate of current members.

Austin Technology Council is the leading unifying voice of technology in Central Texas. Since 1992, ATC has been the informed opinion leader, providing technology companies with the insights, resources and connections they need to grow and thrive.

Prior to being appointed Interim CEO of the Austin Technology Council, Amber spent an impressive 20-year career in sales and business development. She is an expert in member association sales and services, having spent four years at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, where she was the top sales and retention leader of all Chambers of Commerce in the state of Texas. She ranked in the top seven nationally in sales of Chambers with revenue over $1.5M. Directly prior to her role at ATC, Gunst worked for a global staffing firm where she was responsible for client development and management and consulting staff management. This role allowed her to develop a strong understanding of the talent and staffing needs for our region’s tech companies. She also serves as a mentor for the Founder Institute’s global accelerator program.

Art Benavides is a young, driven, incredibly positive individual who wants to bring inspiration into people's daily lives. He's a successful real estate agent, and the founder and creator of the popular app called Benspire.

Benspire's mission as a mobile app is to put you in a constant productive state, educate you on the positive news from around the world, and ultimately become your go-to app for inspiration. The way they are able to accomplish this is by sending you personalized daily quotes, providing a data base of motivational videos, on a platform designed to set your short term and long term goals, present you with weekly positive articles from around the world, and recommend books based on your career or field of interest.

Art is a man to watch...and one to listen to.

Dr. Debbie Silver is a brilliantly funny, beautifully insightful, and boldly authentic speaker, author, and educator. She has dedicated her life to understanding learning and growth behavior and has become a world-renowned and empowering speaker.

With 30 years spent as a teacher, staff development instructor, and university professor, Dr. Silver doesn’t just know her way around the classroom – she is deeply familiar with the challenges educators and leaders face at every level. One of the nation’s most popular keynote speakers and professional development presenters, Dr. Silver presentations around the world (including 49 states, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Africa, and Asia), helping audiences to interact on a more meaningful level.

Debbie’s best-selling books include, Drumming to the Beat of Different Marchers, Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8, Deliberate Optimism, and Teaching Kids to Thrive: Essential Skills for Success, 

While inspiring educators and leaders to enjoy the job they once loved, she reminds them of how important they are in the lives of others. Through her writing and her speaking, she highlights relevant and tested learning theory and tools for communication. She makes essential points while sharing poignant stories and lots of laughs. Debbie firmly believes that teachers, entrepreneurs and leaders need to be having fun and staying in touch with their passion to make their biggest impact in the world.

Letty Sanchez is the Principal Strategist, and Consultant for AEM Executive Consultants.  With over 20 years of experience in sales, leadership, operations and marketing with achievement in driving growth, performance, and profitability, she has a reputation as a change agent, repeatedly called on to lead teams to success through strong collaborative and decisive leadership skills. 

Letty has held several leadership positions with AT&T as well as private equity companies. She was responsible for $30 to $45 Million in revenue and was ranked within the top 3% of the company in each of her respective regions, and is now a business consultant and personal coach, leading individuals and teams past their perceived limits and through the challenges of business.

In this episode she discusses her passions, her journey, and her thoughts on business.

As the founder of Vine Collective a marketing and brand experience agency with a mission to improve the world, empower people, and enliven our environment, Steph Silver host of MVP Business, has seen businesses live and thrive, or dwindle and die because of clarity and commitment to their mission.

In this podcast, Steph is the interviewee - so that you can get a feel for who she is and what she's all about.