PoolePRoof Wisdom

Charles' not-so-random thoughts on a number of topics, delivered in his very PooleProof way.

For the Love (And Advocacy) of Animals

Today, it’s all about our friends and companions, furry and otherwise. We speak in this space about all manner of human topics and issues, but for many of us our dogs, cats, reptiles, pigs, horses. . .and every other kind of animal friend under the sun are part of the family and often perceived as so much better than a LOT of humans.

Katherine has more than  26 years of experience she brings to  her role with The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement. She speaks publicly on leadership, culture, coalition building, communications, fundraising, and industry trends. Her animal welfare career began as communications head for the Humane Society of Missouri. She has since served as executive director for the Animal Protective Association of Missouri, animal welfare issues consultant for The Humane Society of the United States, president and CEO of Asheville Humane Society, and executive vice president for San Diego Humane Society. She is the author of Coalition Building for Animal Care Organizations.

Working, Now: A Whole New World

What You Need to Know about how we work, when we work, and why we work now.

About Angee Linsey

Angee Linsey has dedicated the last 20 years of her career to helping companies build great teams through exceptional recruitment strategies, as well as helping individuals achieve their career goals. Currently she leads Linsey Careers, a national executive search firm that specializes in marketing and communications recruitment and career coaching. She has successfully filled communications leadership roles for companies including Logitech, Serta Simmons Bedding, Nordstrom, Jackson Family Wines, A.T. Kearney, Omnitracs, Travelport, Kosmos Energy, Dolby, Kimberly Clark and more.

Angee has been a featured presenter and keynote speaker at international and regional industry conferences, as well as at academic institutions from Columbia University to the University of Washington. She also authored the book, Dare to be Deliberate – Level Up Your Communications Career, a guide for communications professionals who want to be more intentional in how they manage their careers.

A three-time Silver Anvil award-winning comms pro herself, Angee understands the sector and what it takes to succeed in it. She held communications roles in corporate and agency environments, as well as served for 25 years in the military — first as a U.S. Army journalist and then as a Navy Reserve Public Affairs Officer. She graduated from the highly regarded School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, and later earned a master’s degree in career development.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion seems on everyone's lips these days, particularly  business leaders who, on the heels of social justice protests, realized they could no longer ignore the obvious.  It sounds like good news, but too many were interested in monetizing the movement and not truly committing to change.   

There's been an exceptional increase in how many have gotten on the apparent DEI bandwagon, reflecting what they claim is their commitment to  DEI in advertising and other programming, but not in boardrooms and C-suites in any significant way beyond the symbolism such companies and brands are selling.  

There are exceptions of course, like Procter & Gamble, and in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, Schnuck Markets.    In this episode, I speak with the company's President and Chief Operating Officer, Dave Peacock, about the company's efforts and how business leaders must walk the talk when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Today, good people, it’s all about health, wellness, and fitness.  About how a dedication to personal fitness blossomed into a source of fitness inspiration and a growing fitness business. Join me as I have an honest and very thoughtful conversation with Kevin Morris, a Newark, New Jersey personal trainer and owner of @BlackFitness.  Kevin created BlackFitness in 2015 based on a desire to educate and inspire the Black community to be advocates for their own health, whether physical or emotional.  And today, the page that reaches more than  240,000 Instagram followers and receives approximately 1,500,000 views weekly.

In this Conversations episode, I speak with Denise Pines, a longtime community health advocate and media pioneer who also has become trusted resource for women as they pursue midlife wellness. She’s the co-visionary and CEO of Tea Botanics and inspiration of Hot Flash Tea. Founder of WisePause, a pro-aging health and education platform, and The FemAging Project, which provides research and reports to the health and tech industry in addressing innovation for women ages 40+. 

Denise is on the Board of Directors for the Federation of State Medical Boards and Osteopathic Medical Board of California and she’s the immediate past President of the Medical Board of California. If that wasn’t enough, she’s the co-founder of Women in the Room, an award-winning filmmaker who has produced 11 documentaries including the award-winning film, “PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools.”  Her next documentary, Anthony Fauci, will air on PBS Spring 2022.

I call her a BOSS.  Listen and you'll understand why.

In a new episode focused on mental health during Mental Health Awareness Month, Charles discusses trauma and how understanding its origin and influence on who we are is the pathway to healing and being OK.