Natalie Egan is an entrepreneur, sales expert, and software executive. She is CEO and Founder of Translator, a DEI learning platform that is designed to grow diversity and overall work culture. She previously worked at LinkedIn, Ecolab, Autonomy, and her own business PeopleLinx. Her career started in hospitality before moving into business.

Leadership is all about learning from mistakes and applying those lessons in the future. While most people know this, few actually persevere to find success on the other side of hardship. It takes humility, ambition, and empathy to grow as a person and to make a business grow. The perfect example of this ideal is Natalie Egan. From identity to values to workplace culture, Natalie has transformed much of her life step by step. Her journey has taken her from a strict leader to an understanding one and a failing business to a thriving one. It has been a difficult path, but she now has lessons to share about her path to where she is today.

In this episode of Next Wave Leadership, Dov Pollack talks with Natalie Egan, the CEO and Founder of Translator, to discuss what it means to change as a leader and as a person. They go through Natalie’s childhood and early career, her career missteps, and how she changed her direction. They also touch on topics like toxic masculinity, creating a great work culture, and finding purpose in life.

Chris L. Fuentes is a lifestyle brand CEO who has worked in leadership roles at companies such as Yankee Candle and Cycling Sports Group. After helping lead other businesses, he decided to disrupt the $1 billion insect repellent industry. Chris founded Ranger Ready Repellents in 2017 with a mission to combat vector-borne diseases. He gained much of his expertise at the VF Corporation, where he worked for nearly 15 years.

The story of the humble start-up is common in leadership. Everyone loves an underdog story, but there are genuine and underexplored pitfalls that come with leading young companies. While tenacity is a great start, there’s a lot of strategy involved — the kind of strategy that comes from larger businesses. Fortunately, Chris Fuentes has experience in both worlds.

Chris is an experienced executive who has worked with leading brands like Yankee Candle and the VF Corporation. He took his knowledge and applied it to his company, Ranger Ready Repellents, to disrupt the insect repellent industry. His approach to leadership takes key values from the intimate and corporate aspects of business and has led to immense success.

Dov Pollack sits down to interview Chris L. Fuentes, the Founder and CEO of Ranger Ready Repellents, on this episode of the Next Wave Leadership podcast. They talk about the business and how it uses elements from start-ups and larger companies alike. They then discuss what reverse mentoring looks like, the ideal of the courageous general, and how Chris helps build the company’s culture.

Nicole Yelsey is the Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at KindWorks.AI, a software that promotes kindness and well-being through AI technology. She has worked with Fortune 100 companies and startups alike with 20 years of experience in marketing and brand development. She's worked on Superbowl commercials and Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award shows. Nicole serves on the advisory board of Apologue Spirited Liqueurs and is the Co-president of the Chicago Booth Alumni Club of Chicago.

In the business world, efficiency and profit are often valued over everything else. This overwhelming emphasis can lead to success, but it can cost you your people. These cutthroat models rarely work in the long term and typically create hostile cultures for your employees and customers. However, there is a better way.

KindWorks.AI is a startup with a mission to introduce kindness into the fabric of work culture. Nicole Yelsey is in charge of their marketing and brings her own leadership style to the budding company. Her vision of a healthy workplace is inspired by the great leaders in her life and what they passed on to her. Now she passes it on to you.

In this episode of Next Wave Leadership, Dov Pollack interviews Nicole Yelsey, the Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at KindWorks.AI, to talk about kindness in corporate culture and how it can make a positive lasting difference. They discuss the importance of core values and their impact on company culture, how innovation is encouraged, and the philosophy behind KindWorks.AI. Nicole also talks about her own life and what has influenced her along the way.

Terry Moore is the Executive Chairman at BRIGHT, a health technology company that seeks to combat cognitive decline with brain health and wellness products. Coming out of retirement to start the company, he is a recognized executive and business philosopher with a background in marketing and strategy. He is also the Founder and CEO of Sequence Ventures and the Founder and President of his philanthropic organization, Radius Foundation. Before his retirement, Terry led his own consulting firm for more than 20 years.

Changing the world is a common idea but how many people actually attempt to make it happen? Terry Moore started his own company, BRIGHT, based on research to prevent Alzheimer’s—a disease that currently has no cure and virtually no treatments. He envisioned a future where people could find relief from the disease and has made measurable progress towards that end. His approach to change involves challenging the status quo and encouraging the outliers. There’s no singular answer to how to change the world, but his unique perspective might be a step in the right direction. In this episode of the Next Wave Leadership, Dov Pollack talks with Terry Moore, the Executive Chairman of BRIGHT, to discuss his career and his ideas on change. They discuss the need to encourage young outliers in society, how to approach problem solving, and why treating life like a game can be effective. They also walk through BRIGHT’s current work and their plans for the future.

Dov Pollack is an executive coach and development consultant who has helped brands such as Charles Schwab, Slack, and Amazon. Through his executive coaching consultancy, Next Wave Leadership, he works one-on-one with leaders to find their presence and better tell their story. He is a Founding Partner of Riverene and has previously worked with Future State Inc. and Hill Physicians Medical Group.

Dov is the host of the Next Wave Leadership podcast, where he interviews leaders about how they're building great places to work by creating inspiring cultures in which to grow.

What actually makes a great leader great? Which qualities or features separate the average executive from inspirational torchbearers?

Dov Pollack has built his brand, Next Wave Leadership, around coaching executives to find their voice and develop their presence. He has expanded the concept into a podcast where he interviews prominent leaders to see how they guide their organizations. Along the way, he has developed a keen sense for what differentiates them from the rest. Now it's time to hear from him on how to authentically lead.

Chad Franzen flips the script and interviews Dov Pollack this week on the Next Wave Leadership podcast to hear his story and his perspective on building an executive presence. They start with Dov’s coaching and the mentality-shifting questions he asks his clients. He then dives into more detail on harnessing your story, why minority leaders are invaluable, and the reason behind leaving his screenwriting.

Jinny Uppal is the Principal at CK Advisory LLC and has held leadership positions at Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, and Macy’s. She has more than 20 years of working experience with Fortune 500 companies, helping drive growth and lead corporate transformation. She is an experienced technology and business leader with a track record of driving growth in telecom, e-commerce, and retail businesses.

Jinny recently wrote her first book, In/Action: Rethinking the Path to Results, where she dissects counterproductivity and how to reconfigure your business.

The zeitgeist of modern entrepreneurship is constant work. Many people believe that the more you work, the more successful you are. However, this rhetoric has left many people in business feeling drained and coming up short. When this is added on to the immense weight that already falls on leaders, burnout is inevitable. Something needs to change.

For Jinny Uppal, she discovered that utilizing strategic rest and mindfulness had resulted in the greatest growth of her career. She has spent many years leading brands such as Macy’s and Kohl’s but is now redirecting her goals to help others find what she has with her book, In/Action. Now, she offers some of those same insights to you.

Dov Pollack sits down with Jinny Uppal, the Principal at CK Advisory LLC, on this episode of Next Wave Leadership to see how nonlinear paths can lead to nonlinear success. They discuss Jinny’s own story of taking a step back and how others have used similar methods to great results. They also touch on the difference between goals and principles, why daydreaming can be so effective, and the powerful stories in Jinny’s book.

Samantha Choi Cadley is an entrepreneur, investor, advisor, and the CEO and Chief Creative Officer for Manual Labor. She has helped lead the company for over a decade, helping them become a leading creative and marketing studio. She started her career in design and creative direction at prominent brands such as GAP, Polo Ralph Lauren, and John Allan. Recently, she has started sharing her experience with TinkerBarn Ventures and Your29 as an advisor.

People are often drawn towards success stories that involve people to cheer for and challenges to overcome. This is why telling your brand’s story can be the deciding factor for many customers. After all, if there is a similar quality of service being provided, how do you differentiate yourself from the competition? Few people know the power of a great story more than Samantha Choi Cadley.

Samantha came to the United States as an immigrant, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and eventually found success as an entrepreneur. Her company, Manual Labor, is not only a thriving marketing studio but is an extension of her own story. She now helps others tell their stories and works with her own employees to bring out the best in them. Here’s how she does it.

In this episode of Next Wave Leadership, Dov Pollack has a powerful conversation with Samantha Choi Cadley, the CEO and Chief Creative Officer at Manual Labor, about leadership and how to tell your brand’s story. They touch on the background of the studio and how Samantha became the executive she is today. They then discuss topics like delegating work, how to stay humble yet respectable, how to handle stress, and much more.

Kat Steinmetz is a Principal of Initialized Capital, a venture capital firm for early-stage companies. Specializing in HR and leadership development, she is a trusted executive with an interest in startups. She cut her teeth as the Head of Human Resources at Burning Man, building their HR and growing their talent pool over a decade-long tenure. Today, she continues to serve as an investor and advisor for several startups.

One of the best ways to capture an audience as a business is to create an incredible experience for the customer. That initial impression is what will last — and ultimately drive people back to your product. Curating that experience is difficult and often requires a lot of creativity. Few people know this principle more than Kat Steinmetz. 

Kat is an executive with an incredible and diverse career. She started as a software engineer before transitioning to music and eventually getting into HR. From there, she learned the importance of building an impactful culture. She now uses that knowledge to craft complete experiences for the startups at Initialized Capital. 

Dov Pollack sits down with Kat Steinmetz, a Principal at Initialized Capital, to talk about HR and the ability to lead others through curated experiences. They start with Kat’s own winding journey before exploring topics such as accountability, instructional designers, and how to guide leaders. She also talks about her time at Burning Man and what it was like to build their HR from the ground up.

Dr. Yasmin Davidds is an organizational psychologist, executive, leadership development expert, and the CEO of the Dr. Yasmin Davidds Leadership Institute and the Multicultural Women Executive Leadership Foundation. She has trained and advised more than 2,000 leaders across over 200 companies, compiling that experience into her leadership programs. She has worked with companies like Microsoft, KARRASS, and Verizon.

Any story of success is filled with hardships and challenges. For some, these trials are difficult but not overwhelming. For others, their lives are filled with trauma and punishing barriers, making it all the more incredible when they break through. These are the stories that truly inspire: when seemingly insurmountable odds are overcome. 

Dr. Yasmin Davidds has come out the other side of her tribulations as a knowledgeable and successful leader. Now, she’s dedicated herself to helping others overcome and grow as leaders, especially among women and the Latino community. Her institute utilizes several different programs and valuable lessons to guide its members. So what are the key ideas behind these programs?

In this episode of the Next Wave Leadership podcast, Dov Pollack speaks with Dr. Yasmin Davidds, the CEO of the Dr. Yasmin Davidds Leadership Institute and the Multicultural Women Executive Leadership Foundation, to talk about her experiences and insights. They talk about her difficult upbringing, the barriers she broke through, and how she continues to give back to others. They also discuss her institute and how it empowers women. Stay tuned to hear all of this and much more!

Annmarie Chereso is the Founder of BringIt! Home, which gathers, inspires, and equips students, parents, and educators to empower themselves and the next generation of conscious leaders. For almost two decades, Annmarie has taught and spoken at schools and universities, facilitated workshops and trainings for teachers, and coached adults and young people. In 2015, Annmarie co-hosted Chicago’s first Conscious Parenting Summit featuring international speaker Dr. Shefali Tsabary and Conscious Leadership Group co-founder Jim Dethmer. In 2019, Annmarie published her first children’s book and is currently working on her newest book.

Annmarie has received coaching certifications from Martha Beck Inc, Mindful Schools, MEI, The Conscious Leadership Group, and Positive Discipline. Over the course of her career, she has had the good fortune of training with master teachers such as Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, Thich Nhat Hanh, Daniel Rechtschaffen, Susan Kaiser Greenland, and many more.

Creating a space where kids or employees are free to make mistakes, grow, and learn sounds risky, but risks can lead to the greatest rewards. Parents and leaders should know this better than anyone else. So, how can you create an environment that helps you and your team grow?

Annmarie Chereso believes that parenting is leadership, leadership is influence, and the way you parent is the way you lead. Also, people operate efficiently when they are free. When people are in a contracted state, they shut down their access to creativity, intuition, innovation, and a deep curiosity about the unknown. So, as a leader, it’s not about being in control. You have to be self-aware, tap into your innate power, and move past your fears and limiting beliefs to step into your most empowered self.

Dov Pollack has an insightful conversation with Annmarie Chereso, the Founder of BringIt! Home, where they discuss effective parenting and leadership skills. Annmarie explains the correlation between parenting and leadership, the value of creating a free environment where people can make mistakes, grow, and learn, and the common mistakes parents and leaders make. Learn how to be a better leader by listening to this episode of the Next Wave Leadership podcast.