This Friday, November 11th is Veterans Day in the United States. This national holiday honors those who have served in our country's armed forces, and was originally recognized in 1918 to mark the armistice that ended World War I. This year, we have Colonel Angela Reber joining us to discuss ways that organizations can support veterans who are transitioning into the civilian workforce, or who are currently part of the workforce. This episode also discusses the topic of suicide prevention and awareness and may be upsetting for some listeners.

If you, or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help. There is a new textable number available for support:

"Today, “988” is the three-digit, nationwide phone number to connect directly to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. By calling or texting 988, you’ll connect with mental health professionals with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline which serves our nation’s Veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and those who support them. For texts, Veterans should continue to text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255." 

Lastly, the views expressed in this episode are those of, the host, Erica D'Eramo, and our guest, Colonel Angela Reber, and they do not necessarily represent the official policy of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense or the US Government. 

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15th to October 15th. This episode, we're joined by fellow Two Piers coach, Dr. Anthony Luevanos, to discuss the history and significance of Hispanic Heritage Month and answer some common questions.

In this episode, host Erica D'Eramo, a self-proclaimed introvert, is joined by guests Maryellen Roberson and Melissa Olivadoti, an extrovert and ambivert, respectively.  We discuss the definitions of these concepts, as well as what they mean to us in our daily lived experiences. We also touch on the value of self-awareness and the benefits and costs of flexing beyond your comfort zone, particularly for leaders with a diversity of energy types on their teams. We close the episode by busting some myths and providing some recommendations. 

Books that we mention in this episode are "The Introvert Advantage: How Quiet People Can Thrive in an Extrovert World" by Marti Olsen Laney Psy.D., and "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain. 

This week, we're joined by two of our summer associates, who discuss their experiences searching and applying for internships, as well as some of the pitfalls and challenges they've faced along the way. If you haven't applied for an internship lately, rest assured that the world has changed. Along with their personal experiences, we also discuss some of the common red flags to look out for when searching for summer work experience, as well as the broader implications for companies that require extensive experience of their internship applicants. This is a great episode for anyone who will be applying for internships, or whose college-aged children will be. It's also an informative discussion for anyone looking to offer college students summer experience. 

This episode, we're joined by guest Jason Gray, an HR professional with a nontraditional career path. Not only is Jason the Director of HR at his company, he's also an avid poultry and bee keeper, and a fellow member of the LGBTQIA community, (not to mention a fellow Nittany Lion). In this episode, we discuss the importance of diversifying our sources of fulfillment and pursuing a variety of life experiences. We also explore the value in recruiting candidates with nontraditional career paths who bring additional perspectives and talent beyond the status quo, and how we can access these talent pools. This is an extra long episode with loads of great insights and lots of humor to boot!

In this episode, we're joined by Jada Harris, MBA, MS, experienced business consultant, and certified SCORE mentor, to discuss the various sources of support available throughout your career. We explore and compare the different roles that we can engage with, from mentors and sponsors, to coaches, consultants and advocates. We also discuss which roles might be more appropriate for different phases of our careers and how we can foster and maintain productive, mutually supportive relationships with the individuals serving in these roles.

To find more information on support from Jada, visit her website at www.hc-bc.com and for more information about SCORE mentorship through the Small Business Administration, visit www.score.org.

In this episode, we're joined by DEI thought leader and author Martine Kalaw. We dig deep into the work of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and explore the criticality of this work for business sustainability. We also discuss what's worked and what hasn't in terms of diversity efforts, and how to equip managers with the key skills needed to embed sustainable strategy and process when pursuing DEI efforts. Join us for this engaging and explorative conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion.

To learn more about Martine's work or how to find her book, "The ABC's of Diversity : A Manager's Guide To Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In The New Workplace," visit her website at www.martinekalaw.com.

Since 1992, April has been recognized as Stress Awareness Month. Chronic stress has been shown to negatively impact health in a multitude of ways, and enduring high levels of stress can decrease performance at both an individual and organizational level. Research also indicates that stress can impact historically marginalized communities in more extreme ways. In this podcast episode, we explore ways to recognize and address stress in both yourself and your team, and the importance of understanding how it  manifests uniquely for each of us. 

International Women's Day can be a drag. Each year, we watch as the corporate world floods social media with supportive statements and images of women, while in the real world, we continue to see systemic disparity for women in the workplace, particularly when we look at the intersection of race and gender. This year, however, we were treated to a glorious Twitter bot - one that retweeted companies' IWD posts along with the median gender pay gap within their organizations. We got to speak with Francesca Lawson, freelance copywriter, social media manager, and co-creator of the Pay Gap Bot. Together we discuss corporate gender parity theater and the data that can help us see the current state of things (as well as what's still missing). Don't miss this fantastic episode! To learn more about Francesca's work, visit www.francescalawson.com. 

In our first episode of Season 3, we're joined by fellow Two Piers coach Dr. Anthony Luevanos. In this episode, we explore how to go about selecting a coach - what to look for, what matters, and what might matter less than you'd think! We answer some of the common questions we encounter and share our own insights and lived experiences. This is also a great opportunity to get to know Anthony a bit better and understand his coaching style and who he works with as clients.