Story Time with Mack!

If you're an HR department of one, you know the stress and loneliness that can overwhelm you.  Fortunately, you're NOT alone. Our guest on this episode is Aidan Farrish.  Aidan is an HR Writer and Marketing Strategist at BerniePortal, a company dedicated to providing HR solutions for employers and individuals. The marketing team at Bernard Health develops premier human resources materials, like the BerniePortal blog posts, HR Party of One YouTube series, and BernieU continuing education courses.  Aidan talks us through some of the common challenges and shares important resources with us.

Join us on this episode as Shane Bone, a skilled professional organizer, and Owner of Simple Steps Consulting as she shares her expertise in transforming chaotic spaces into efficient and harmonious environments. In this episode, she delves into the art of decluttering, providing practical tips and step-by-step guidance to help you regain control of your homes and workplaces. Discover the secrets to maximizing productivity, reducing stress, and achieving a sense of tranquility through organization. 

Language access is a civil right about which there is little understanding.  Fortunately, our guest today, Diana Sanchez-Vega is a leading voice in improving access.

Diana is a twice nationally certified Spanish medical interpreter. She holds a Master of Arts in Psychological Studies, and a Bachelor’s of Science in International Business.

As the Owner of Sanchez-Vega Communications, Diana’s skillset has developed over the last 30+ years to include training of bilingual individuals

Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast, where we delve into the fascinating world of instructional design with the incredible Stacie Randle. In this episode, Stacie takes us on an enlightening journey, sharing her expertise and insights on how to become an instructional designer.

Tune in to this captivating discussion with Stacie Randle and discover the secrets to becoming a skilled instructional designer, the essence of the role, and the key ingredients for a fruitful collaboration between instructional designers and subject matter experts.

We try to celebrate HR every day, but international HR professionals have a dedicated day too.  Since it's in May, we decided to interview an international HR professional.

I've known Helen Peng since the the mid-2000s.  Her international HR journey currently has her as CHRO and Communications Officer at Sun Life in Hong Kong.  Helen tells us about her journey and how she overcame challenges of learning new languages and cultures.  We discuss the "Bamboo Ceiling" and she gives us advice on how to navigate international travel as well.  It was great reconnecting with Helen and I know you'll enjoy this episode.

When we started this podcast, we wanted a blend between the informational and the inspirational.  Today's episode fits both.  Dorothy Enriquez is a member of the Ellevate Collective where her team provides leadership development.  She is also the author of Be Accountable & Be Fabulous.  Dorothy's journey is the inspirational part and this is the perfect episode for a Monday morning when you don't feel like dragging your ass out of bed.  Enjoy!

Don't you wish there was a book you could give managers that contains all the information they need to be successful?  Well, the closest book I can find to that is The Decisive Manager by Barbara Mitchell and Cornelia Gamlem.  This is the third book we've reviewed by these two wonderful authors and it's a winner!  In this interview, we go through the six sections addressing the most common challenges managers face when hiring, developing, and letting go of employees.  Great information in the interview and the book is a must-read.  

In my opinion, if you want to implement an organizational change and make it stick, don't start at the top.  Start instead with the administrative professionals.  They are the most business-savvy individuals I know, with a knack for getting things done and the ability to push forward your initiatives to exactly where they need to go.  And that's all while doing their job of helping keep executives organized and successful.   In honor of Administrative Professionals Day, I am interviewing Betsy Fantle, Executive Assistant to the CEO of Total Wine & More.  I met Betsy years ago and reconnected with her again recently.  She was a lot of fun to chat with and I know you'll enjoy hearing about her journey. 

For most of us, we walk through life on a path we may or may not have chosen for ourselves.  In some instances though, something happens that changes the complete trajectory of our lives.  Our guest today, Dr. Gary Crotaz, calls these the "unlock moments."  Dr. Gary is a coach, author, and the host of The Unlock Moment podcast.  He talks to us about what an unlock moment is and how we can set ourselves up to experience it.  This was one of my favorite episodes to record and I personally took a lot from it.  I know you will too!

The post-COVID era begins with lots of uncertainty about the future and ways of work.  On top of that, organizations are doing their best to develop inclusive cultures and attract the best talent.  Our guest today, Marcus Sawyerr, works at providing the required access to empower capable & diverse talent to thrive as Founder & CEO of EQ.Community, a private members community for multicultural professionals interested in tech. This was a fun, wide-ranging interview that will give you new considerations as you develop and staff your organization.