Laura Gassner Otting is a professional motivational keynote speaker and Washington Post best-selling author who helps innovators, idealists, and iconoclasts get "unstuck" in their thinking and achieve extraordinary results. She inspires others to push past the doubt and indecision that consign great ideas to limbo. Laura encourages others to think bigger and accept greater challenges beyond their current limited scope of belief. She delivers strategic thinking, well-honed wisdom, and catalytic perspective informed by decades of navigating change across the start-up, nonprofit, political, and philanthropic landscapes. Laura dares listeners to identify their voice, and generate the confidence necessary to tackle bigger-than-life challenges while exploring innovative ways of leading, managing, and mentoring others. She is an instigator, a motivator, and a provocateur, and she has never met a revolution she didn't like. Laura's 25-year resume is defined by her entrepreneurial edge. She served as a Presidential Appointee in Bill Clinton's White House, helping shape AmeriCorps; left a leadership role at Isaacson Miller, to expand the startup ExecSearches.com. She founded and ran the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, which partnered with the full gamut of mission-driven nonprofit executives, from start-up dreamers to scaling social entrepreneurs to global philanthropists. She is the author of Mission-Driven, a book for those moving from profit to purpose. She is also the author of Limitless. Read the show notes here: https://bwmissions.com/one-away-podcast/

Hulet has been a light in my life. I met him in 2015, and I could tell right away that he had a free spirit in the sense that he would do what he wanted and nobody could stand in his way. At the same time, he cares so deeply about the people around him; his family, his wife, and his kids. He's a man really pushing the edge, especially for a town like Athens, GA where there aren't many people like Hulet around. Back then, we connected over coffee and stayed in touch because we mutually found each other very interesting. Hulet is a stand-out guy, and I can't say enough good things about him. I hope listeners can see what I see in him as well. Read the show notes here: https://bwmissions.com/one-away-podcast/

Hulet Smith is the Co-Founder and CEO of Rehabmart, a company that serves patients, families, and caregivers by offering a wide selection of innovative rehabilitation products, superb customer service, and value-oriented discount pricing. As Occupational Therapists, married family guys, and fathers to special needs children; Hulet and his co-founder Mike Price understand the challenges of raising special needs children. Hulet is a father to a daughter who was born with Cerebral Palsy. As such, Hulet considers it a fortunate privilege to be able to give back and occasionally consult as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, serving children and families living with Cerebral Palsy and brain injury. Hulet spends the majority of my time securing new opportunities, promoting efficiencies, and exploring business alignments for Rehab. Read the show notes here: https://bwmissions.com/one-away-podcast/

Kate was such a dynamic and interesting guest. She's full of energy and light and has such a unique personality. I could talk to her for hours. I resonated with what she said about growing up in an environment that was not intellectually stimulating. It's been really neat to watch her develop intellectually and see where she puts her energy, focus, and effort to find the people that encourage her to grow and develop. It's easy to stay in your shell and avoid the scary world out there, but when you step out of your shell it's so rewarding. Kate has done that time and again in her career. Her work at Netflix, especially the development of personalization on the streaming giant, was fascinating to hear about. When companies can get it right and give their customers an experience that's been customized for them, it really stands out. Seeing the inner early workings of Netflix was fascinating, as is what Kate is doing now to help humanity see the future of tech. Kate's a really cool person, and I hope we get the chance to have many more conversations. Read the show notes here: https://bwmissions.com/one-away-podcast/

Kate O'Neill is the author of "A Future So Bright," a book that argues that the best way to confront challenges and build a better tomorrow is to allow ourselves to envision the brightest future possible, while at the same time acknowledging the ways the future could go dark and working to prevent them from happening. Widely known as the "Tech Humanist," Kate is helping humanity prepare for an increasingly tech-driven future with her signature strategic optimism. Kate is also the founder and CEO of KO Insights, a strategic advisory firm committed to improving human experience at scale. As a professional global keynote speaker, Kate regularly speaks with leadership audiences around the world, exploring how data and emerging technologies like AI are shaping the future of human experiences, and advocating with her signature strategic optimism for humanity's future in an increasingly tech-driven and exponentially-changing world. Her clients and audiences include many Fortune 500 and World's Most Admired companies and brands, including tech giants like Google and IBM, household-name brands like Coca Cola and Colgate, future-forward cities like Amsterdam and Austin, top universities like Cambridge and Yale, and even the United Nations. Read the show notes here: https://bwmissions.com/one-away-podcast/

That was a really dynamic conversation with Chaz. I enjoyed learning about everything he is up to. The most revealing part of the conversation was when we talked about his background as an actor, and how it helped him overcome obstacles and fill new roles. I think we really processed a lot of different things and helped him reveal parts of himself that have never been discussed. His vulnerability and openness were incredible. What he's doing with OnePagePlans is so valuable for creatives. Chaz is the kind of person you want to surround yourself with, especially as someone whose goal is to help other people achieve their dreams. Read the show notes here: https://bwmissions.com/one-away-podcast/

Chaz Thone is a partner with OnePagePlans, a company that helps leaders and teams get their strategic plan on one page in just two days. Through OnePagePlans, Chaz has worked with non-profits like Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Right to Play, as well as corporations like Stantec, Weston Foods, Sun Life, and GFL Environmental. Before OnePagePlans, Chaz co-founded The Give Agency, an idea hackathon where top thinkers in advertising, marketing, PR, and strategy united to help nonprofits free of charge. He also founded and led Standing 8 Productions, where he produced films in the $2-$10M range starring A-list talents like Rose Byrne, Danny Glover, and Jay Baruchel to critical acclaim. Chaz is guided by the belief that organizations can and should make better decisions faster. While management research warns against "top-down" decision-making, you still need to get things done, and many leaders struggle with balancing collaboration and speed. He firmly believes that you can have both. Read the show notes here: https://bwmissions.com/one-away-podcast/

Sam's episode was really invigorating for me. What I took away was that he is the type of person who has so much resilience, and you can bet on him that he'll figure it out. The stories he shared with me spoke to his character and will. When his back is against the wall, he's gonna pull it off and pull through. A lot of people go on the entrepreneurial journey and think it'll be all sunshine and roses, but at the end of the day it's usually so much harder than that. This episode gives a look at his inner thoughts and times when he was wondering if he would make it. I was impressed by the way he pulled through and demonstrated his work ethic. His company, PicassoMD is so great because it's incredibly practical. Having been through some injuries myself, I know how difficult it can be to find the right healthcare specialists. I really admire people who innovate in the healthcare field because I firmly believe we are nothing without our health and that health should be our top priority. Hungry entrepreneurs in this space like Sam are worthy of our admiration. Read the show notes here: https://bwmissions.com/one-away-podcast/

Sam Pollaro is the Co-CEO of PicassoMD, a telehealth solution that instantly connects healthcare providers for clinical decision support, referrals and care coordination. Before PicassoMD, Sam was previously SVP of Strategic Initiatives at Kayak-OpenTable after that company acquired Venga, his last start-up. Sam's first venture was an online flower subscription business that was acquired by Battery Ventures portfolio company HBloom. Prior to taking the entrepreneurial leap, Sam was a Principal at Portfolio Logic, a healthcare-focused investment company. Sam holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon. Sam is passionate about entrepreneurship, technology, and improving our healthcare system. A 3x entrepreneur himself, Sam is always willing to help other founders because he has been in their shoes. Read the show notes here: https://bwmissions.com/one-away-podcast/

I love talking to Maureen because she comes from such an authentic place. From the first time I heard her speak, I knew it was all coming out naturally and straight from the heart. When you talk to someone as strong in their sense of being as Maureen is, you realize it reflects outward in all the ways they show up. Her near-death experience and rejection of her parents' model for her is an amazing coming of age story, and the way she's shown up as a parent and leader is truly remarkable. She has so much wisdom to share, and I can't say enough great things about who she is and how she's helping others. Read the show notes here: https://bwmissions.com/one-away-podcast/