In the conclusion of Sharon's conversation with Sylvia Acevedo, the trailblazing tech executive and speaker, Sylvia shares why Maya Angelou has had such a profound effect on her career and how we can inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.

This week, Sharon welcomes Sylvia Acevedo to the podcast. Sylvia began her career at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and went on to hold executive roles at Apple and Dell. Sylvia also served as the CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA and was appointed to the Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics by President Barack Obama. In part one, Sylvia talks about the impact that the Girl Scouts had on her life, how she developed her trailblazing attitude, and the challenges she overcame while working on the Voyager 2 and solar probe projects at NASA.

In the conclusion of Sharon's conversation with Rita McGrath, the best-selling author of Seeing Around Corners, Rita shares the one thing that many leaders forget to do and what companies did to not only survive but thrive during the pandemic.

Sharon welcomes Rita McGrath to Stories & Heart. Rita is a Professor at Columbia Business School and a globally recognized expert on strategy in uncertain and volatile environments. Rita is also the best-selling author of The End of Competitive Advantage and Seeing Around Corners. In part one, Rita shares how her family inspired her intellectual curiosity, and how she helps companies achieve strategic agility by seeing around corners.

Sharon welcomes Sarah Personette, the former Chief Customer Officer at Twitter, to the podcast. Sarah’s fascinating career includes her time as COO of Refinery29 and VP of global marketing at Facebook. Sarah shares the journey that drove her to lead two of the biggest companies in the world, how she stays focused in a volatile and uncertain world, and the importance of gender parity in the tech industry. This podcast was recorded days before Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter.

Sharon wraps up her inspirational conversation with the founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Maxine Clark. In part two, Maxine talks about the evolution of retail and women in business since the 1970s, advice for the next generation of entrepreneurs, and what she wants to be remembered for when she's gone.

The amazing Maxine Clark is Sharon's first guest on the podcast. Maxine is the founder and forever chief executive bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop. In part one, Maxine shares why teddy bears mean so much to her, the inspiration for creating a teddy-bear-themed retail-entertainment experience, and the importance of creating a positive culture for customers and employees.