Open, Honest, and Direct: Stories from Powerful Leaders on What It Takes to Unlock Your Team’s Poten

In this episode, Celia Balson, the Founder & CEO of WorkFriendly, a people-first consulting agency that provides HR, recruiting and training support for companies as small as two people all the way up to Fortune 100 organizations, shares valuable insights she’s garnered from both her experience as a People Leader and helping organizations think and create their own people experience.

In this episode, basketball champion Ann Wauters shares her lessons and experiences on what makes a great team - and she should know, as she’s played on many successful teams in her 20 year playing career. Now the assistant coach of the WNBA Chicago Sky, Ann mentors and coaches younger players. Ann shares her stories and lessons on what it takes to lead and be a part of high performing successful teams, both on the court and in the office.

Women have made great strides in driving corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability; in fact, more female corporate leaders are found in sustainability governance than other corporate leadership roles. As sustainability and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) become more important for organizations, many women are leading the way to a more sustainable future. In honor of the intersection of Women’s HIstory Month and Earth Month, RTB Leadership Coach Kimberly Flood talks to two women sustainability leaders to discuss and celebrate the contributions women have made in this space and provide actionable tips for anyone who wants to become more sustainable in their work and life.

In this episode, Peter Geiregat, the Chief People Officer at TVH, a global leader in parts and accessories with over 5,000 employees worldwide, shares his lessons with us and goes a layer deeper in sharing how he actually puts those lessons into practice with his team. Peter's journey has ranged from law school to nonprofit work in Eastern Europe, to the tech sector. As the former Chief People Officer of Showpad, all of this has played a role in teaching him lessons about life and what it takes to create safety on his teams and enable teams to perform at a high level.

In this episode Winnie Park, the new CEO of Forever 21, shares both her vulnerability and her humanity in the journey to become the leader she is today. Winnie, who has had an impressive career as a brand builder for two decades, goes deeper as she talks about how to build trust in teams, why relationship building is so important, and how a leader needs to show curiosity and humility.

When you are burnt out, the simplest task can seem like a mountain to scale. Executive Well-Being and Burnout Coach Kaitlyn Lyons experienced it firsthand; always a top performer in her career in the corporate world, one day, she just couldn’t muster the interest or enthusiasm she once had in her work. After making the appropriate changes in her life, she now enables others to recognize and heal from their own burnout.

Jim Conti, Talent Partner at Hyde Park Venture Partners, shares his knowledge and experience in building and growing people operations at two fast growing software startups at dScout and Sprout Social. In his role,  Jim provides strategic talent support and consulting to the firm and their portfolio companies. Jim talks about why it’s important to make clarity an integral part of your company’s culture and why taking a human-based approach to People Operations is a game changer.

In this episode, Mike Tassone, the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Own Up, talks about how a desire for more transparency in the home lending process led to a company built on the idea that technology can simplify the home financing process for consumers. Mike talks about the importance of measuring what matters and being intentional about what you say yes to and what you say no to in your work.

In this episode, Ryan Mundy, former Super Bowl winning NFL player and tech investor, discusses his many past lives that have led him to where he is today as the the founder and CEO of Alkeme Health, a digital health startup rooted in black wellness, Before starting Alkeme, Ryan co-founded SWZLE, which was acquired back in October of 2020 and was also the managing director of Techlete. Ryan talks about his career as an athlete, his exploration of finding his identity when sports ends and his trials and tribulations with mental health and how that's helped to form his new business and the impact that he's having on the world.

In this episode, Raise The Bar Coach Shiri Bade talks about how to best give and receive negative feedback and prepare for difficult conversations. Feedback is a gift, even the negative type, and it’s important to set your mind properly to receive it.