On this episode of The Powerful Brand Podcast, I am joined by another phenomenal person that I am truly inspired by — the wonderful Kim Alexis Newton.

Kim is a former Hallmark Cards Inc. corporate executive, quilt artist, board member, and also my fellow Vanderbilt Business School alumni!

During this episode, Kim and I chat about her 20-plus years experience working for Hallmark Cards – which was her dream job coming out of business school. And also why and how she decided to leave corporate after many years to pursue her dreams of creating magic and meaningful impact with her art.

During her time at Hallmark, Kim directly influenced global corporate strategy and led transformation across a $4B diversified portfolio of top brands.

However Kim has always left space for creation of her own art, a modern approach to quilting. Kim’s quilts have been called “unique and inspiring contemporary fiber art that tells a story and ignites the spirit.”

And in 2019 after leaving Hallmark, Kim sold her first piece to the one-and-only… Oprah Winfrey!

As the founder of Alexis Enterprises, LLC, Kim brings to life all of her passions: An art studio focused on her one-of-a-kind art quilts, The Intentional Pause™ Project, which is a product and experience platform helping women to embrace pausing as a powerful way forward to achieve their dreams, and her line of handcrafted specialty gift quilts positioned as extraordinary keepsakes for self or others.    

Kim was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, received her BA in Accounting from Fisk University and her MBA from Vanderbilt University.

She is a proud member of the Executive Leadership Council, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Jack and Jill of America, The Links, Inc., and the 2017 Class of Henry Crown Fellows within the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute.

Her mentorship, community work and 20+ years of non-profit board experience are focused on issues that advance women, girls, and the arts.  

Kim lives in Kansas City with her husband, Nikki, and their daughter Piper.

• “Nonstop” by Drake
• “Bigger” by Beyonce

On this episode of The Powerful Brand Podcast, I have a great conversation with Michelle Wimes, a thought leader, social justice advocate, and speaker – who currently serves as the Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Children’s Mercy Kansas City.

During our chat, Michelle and I discuss her impressive personal and professional story – which includes many years successfully practicing law. And how she pivoted into utilizing her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in a new role leading diversity efforts for multiple firms, up to her current role at Children’s Mercy.

Michelle is a nationally renowned presenter on professional development, diversity and inclusion issues in the workplace and has been widely recognized for her many professional accomplishments. In 2007, Michelle received The Daily Record’s Legal Leader of the Year Award.

In 2009, Kansas City’s Call newspaper recognized Michelle as one of the top 25 most influential African-American Kansas Citians, and in 2012 Michelle was awarded the Distinguished Arts and Science Alumni Award from UMKC and was featured in the inaugural edition of Who’s Who in Black Kansas City. 

In 2014, the Societas Docta, Inc. presented Michelle with the “Nefertiti” award for her demonstrated leadership in the Kansas City community. Michelle has also been featured in SAVOY magazine, MultiCultural Law magazine, and The Kansas City Business Journal.

• “My Shot” From the Cast of “Hamilton”
• “Electric Lady” by Janelle Monáe
• “Miss Independent” by Ne-Yo

On this episode of The Powerful Brand Podcast, I am joined by Claire Wasserman, who is the founder of Ladies Get Paid, a global community that champions the professional and financial advancement of women.

Claire and I spend time discussing her professional journey, and why she launched Ladies Get Paid. We also unpack her bestselling book Ladies Get Paid, which is also the namesake to the organization, and available wherever books are sold.

Claire is also the host of John Hancock’s podcast, Friends Who Talk About Money. Claire has traveled the country teaching thousands of women how to negotiate millions of dollars in raises, start businesses, and advocate for themselves in the workplace.

A highly-sought-after expert for Fortune 500 companies working to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, Claire was named one Marquis Who’s Who 75 Most Influential Financial Leaders of 2021, as well as Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

Claire has spoken at places such as Harvard Business School, Facebook, NASA, and the United Nations, and has appeared on Good Morning America and in the New York Times, among others.

• “9 To 5″ by Dolly Parton

On this awesome episode of The Powerful Brand Podcast, I am honored to have a great chat with a quintessential brand builder and entrepreneur… the one and only John Henry.

John and I talk about his journey as an entrepreneur, and spend quality time unpacking his latest venture, Loop, which is a B-Corp auto insurance managing general agent (MGA), that leverages AI, big data, and telematics to create fair insurance for all. 

John’s personal and professional story is a phenomenal one. He is serial entrepreneur, investor, and more importantly – the proud son of immigrants. At the age of 18, John dropped out at of college, then started a job as a doorman. He went on to then start and sell his first business for a million dollars by 21.

John later cofounded the Venture Capital firm Harlem Capital, raising $40M and making 20 investments in Women and Minority entrepreneurs before stepping down in 2020 to launch Loop.

John also hosted the TV show Hustle on VICELAND, which was executive produced by Alicia Keys and Marcus Samuelsson. He also produced and hosted branded podcasts for brands like The Washington Post, Gimlet Media, WeWork, eBay, and Samsung.

John has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc 30 Under 30, Adweek Creative 100, The Root 100, and Ebony Power 100 lists.

• “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash
• “I Can See Clearly Now” by Jimmy Cliff

On this episode of The Powerful Brand Podcast, I have an awesomely and fantastic conversation with someone who has definitely built a very powerful brand… the one and only Luvvie Ajayi Jones.

Luvvie and I spend time talking about her personal and professional story, and also her latest New York Times Bestselling book: Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual.

As Luvvie defines it: A professional troublemaker is someone who critiques the world, the shoddy systems, and the people who refuse to do better – all for the greater good. And the overall goal is to embrace courage in order to create the most impact on the world.

During our conversation, Luvvie unpacks many gems from the book and her insights on what it means to truly have a strong and powerful brand.

Luvvie has been a prominent voice, speaker, and activist for many years. Her blog (awesomelyluvvie.com), her first book I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual (also a New York Times Bestseller), and her popular TED talk on “Getting Comfortable by Being Uncomfortable“, truly catapulted her to prominence.

And she hasn’t stopped changing the world since.

• “Electric Lady” by Janelle Monáe
• “Conqueror” by Estelle

On this episode of The Powerful Brand Podcast, I have a great conversation with one of Silicon Valley’s first female African American CEOs, the phenomenal Shellye Archambeau.

Shellye joins the podcast to discuss not only her lesson-filled journey, but also her latest and greatest book, Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Own Terms, which was written to help professionals achieve their aspirations and create the life they want.

Shellye is definitely considered to be a powerful trailblazer in the world of work, and has a story that is a blueprint for being intentional in your career and accomplishing your goals.

Formerly an executive at IBM and CMO at two public companies, Shellye was recruited to become the CEO of a then-struggling Silicon Valley startup, which is now MetricStream, a recognized global leader in governance, risk, and compliance software solutions.

Shellye was also the first President of Blockbuster.com and launched the entertainment retailer’s first online presence.

A sought-after speaker on governance, risk and compliance as well as marketing and entrepreneurship, Shellye has guest lectured at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and The Wharton School of Business.

She is also a Forbes contributor and has been featured or referenced in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Financial Times.

In her spare time Shellye enjoys exercising, the performing arts, entertaining and cooking.

• “When You Believe” by Whitney Houston (with Mariah Carey)

On this episode of The Powerful Brand Podcast, I am joined by my good friend, career expert and fellow speaker, Lindsey Pollak to discuss her latest and very timely book, Recalculating: Navigate Your Career Through the Changing World of Work (HarperCollins), which is a response to the COVID-19 crisis.

As Lindsey states, Recalculating is an inspirational, practical and forward-looking career playbook for recent grads, career changers and transitioning professionals looking to survive and thrive in today’s rapidly evolving employment and work landscape.

And what is fascinating is that Lindsey actually wrote and published this entire book during the pandemic!

Lindsey is a New York Times bestselling author, and her previous book, The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace (HarperCollins, 2019) was named a Book of the Month by both the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times.

She is also the author of two career advice books for young professionals: Becoming the Boss: New Rules for the Next Generation of Leaders and Getting from College to Career: Your Essential Guide to Succeeding in the Real World.

Lindsey’s speaking audiences and consulting clients have included more than 250 corporations, law firms, conferences and universities, including Aetna, Citi, Estée Lauder Companies, GE, Goldman Sachs, Google, Pfizer, Verizon, Yale, Harvard, Wharton and Stanford.

And her advice and opinions have appeared in such media outlets as The TODAY Show, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and NPR.

Lindsey is a graduate of Yale University, and is also a Cappfinity VEE Brand Ambassador and has served as an official ambassador for LinkedIn.

• “Brave” by Sara Bareilles

On this episode of The Powerful Brand Podcast, I have the pleasure of being joined by Dennis Williams, who is the SVP of Corporate Affairs & Corporate Social Responsibility at WarnerMedia.

During this episode, Dennis not only unpacks his very storied and inspiring career in the media industry, but also his guiding lessons and principles on building a strong and powerful reputation.

Which is a significant attribute of having a powerful brand.

By leading Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts for WarnerMedia, Dennis is responsible for the company’s philanthropic strategies, community & external partnerships, volunteer engagement, governance, board placement and managing key WarnerMedia CSR initiatives. 

Prior to WarnerMedia, Dennis was head of CSR at HBO. He joined the company in 1997 in Human Resources and later worked in Affiliate Sales and Marketing. Dennis is also an advocate for equality in education and LGBT rights and serves on the board for The Fund for Public Schools, Horizons National, and NYC’s LGBTQ Community Center. 

• “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire

Erica is a workplace strategist who has worked for the past twenty years with some of the most iconic brands in the world as a consultant, speaker, author, and professional dot-connector.

Her bestselling Book, Rituals Roadmap: The Human Way to Transform Everyday Routines into Workplace Magic by McGrawHill was published in January 2021. Her previous book, Bring Your Human to Work: Ten Sure-Fire Ways to Design a Workplace That’s Good for People, Great for Business, and Just Might Change the World came out in 2018.

To find out more about The Powerful Brand Podcast and movement, go to: thepowerfulbrand.com or adrionporter.com.

Melissa McGhie Proctor is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena. In this role, Proctor oversees the day-to-day operations of the club’s marketing, Hawks Studios, live experience and production, brand merchandising, creative services, corporate social responsibility, brand communications and basketball development teams. She also works closely with executive leadership to provide strategy for the organization.

To find out more about The Powerful Brand Podcast and movement, go to: thepowerfulbrand.com or adrionporter.com.