Learning and understanding cultural norms outside our own can be an effective and meaningful way to evolve our business and lives. 

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In life and business, learning and understanding cultural norms outside our own can be an effective and meaningful way to expand upon your evolving company culture. The Pandemic has taught us some of this. 

For example, we will be discussing with cultural enthusiast Clara Matonhodze Strode the Concept of Ubuntu. Clara grew up in Ubuntu culture and had the lived experience of what Ubuntu systems and culture look like in society. Ubuntu principles operate from our human core, acknowledging and appreciating the dignity in each of us and how it makes us wiser and more robust. In Ubuntu culture, Justice is restorative, and contrary to popular belief, women are exalted as Mothers of humankind. Relationships are on the continuum of humanity, and society is on a journey of constant improvement, love, support, and encouragement.

Listeners will take away: 

• The Principles of Ubuntu/hunhu in African Culture
• How Ubuntu/hunhu can be applied in everyday life and business
• Understand the African origins of Ubuntu/hunhu within public and private intellectual discussions and whether or not Hunhu/Ubuntu can compete with other philosophical world views.  

THIS WEEK'S GUEST: 

Clara Matonhodze Strode has been a Member of Together Digital for the past three years, Most recently serving as an Advisory Board Member. 

When she's not active in our community, she is the Founder of The MCS Agency, a digital marketing communications agency that helps clients clearly and effectively communicate their messages to the right audiences by using an integrated mix of tactics, strategies, and SAAS products. Clara proudly employs the principles of Ubuntu in her business. 

Before starting her own business, Clara worked at multiple organizations, including The Cincinnati Museum Center, where she directed Adult and Cultural lectures and large-scale festivals. Her roots run deep within the African Immigrant Community, where for years, she convened the Africa Foundation-USA Annual Symposium with Xavier University, bringing together leaders within the African Community. Clara is also a Co-Founder and ex-officio of the Pan-African group - APNET (African Professionals Network). Recently she received a leadership award from Global Diaspora One Voice Consortium. 

In true ubuntu fashion, Clara can be found assisting not only African causes but the Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Sister Cities International, where she serves as Secretary and was a key community partner for Cincinnati Compass. 

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How to lead and build culture while the world is becoming increasingly virtual.

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Join us for a fun and insightful conversation with the Founder and CEO of Bold Orange Company, Margaret Murphy. Bold Orange is a customer experience company. Modern CRM, loyalty and digital experiences are their medium. 

They believe authentic human connections are the single most important driver of business and societal progress. 

Learn how this philosophy has carried their company, clients, and culture through the last two years as work has become increasingly remote. 

You'll also takeaway: 

• Why leadership is an 'art'.
• And, why management is a 'job'. 
• Understand why you learn the most when life gets hard. 
• Why the little things matter, a lot. 

THIS WEEK'S GUEST: 

Margaret Murphy believes fostering authentic human connections is the single most important driver of business and societal progress. She is the founder and CEO of Bold Orange Company (BOCO), a leading customer experience agency focused on modernizing the way brands connect with their customers. 

In 2021 Bold Orange was named a "Best Place To Work" both nationally by Inc. Magazine and locally by MPLS ST PAUL Business Journal. Forrester has also named BOCO an agency to watch due to the measurable impact they are delivering for their clients. 

Prior to Bold Orange, Margaret was president and COO of Olson, Minneapolis’ largest marketing agency. There, she quadrupled the company’s revenue, greatly expanded its capabilities, and significantly diversified its employee base.

Named a “Woman to Watch” and a winner of the “Top 40 Under Forty,” by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, her strength is in building cultures that foster empowerment, inspiration, growth, and scale.

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Make a career change and not lose your mind?! Join us along with Job Joy author and speaker Kristen Zavo.

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Join us along with the delightful and uplifting, Kristen Zavo, Executive Coach, Keynote Speaker, Best-Selling Author of Job Joy as we discuss:

Why:

• It's never too late to change directions in your career.
• Your story is your superpower.
• When you're in an aligned job, the whole world benefits

THIS WEEK'S GUEST:

Kristen Zavo is a Career Coach, Keynote Speaker, and the Best-Selling author of "Job Joy: Your Guide to Success, Meaning, and Happiness in Your Career."

Before launching her coaching practice, Kristen spent nearly two decades in traditional corporate jobs (including time in investment banking, consulting, and industry), working for some of the top Fortune 500 companies such as Lehman Brothers, NBC, and Luxottica whose well-known brands include Oakley and RayBan.

She is on a mission to help unfulfilled high achievers land jobs, launch businesses, and build careers (and lives!) they absolutely love, and on their own terms.

Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Insider, Yahoo News, Real Simple, CBS News, and on WGN9 Chicago's Back to Work TV segment – as well as on radio, podcasts, and stages covering career, success, and finding life’s purpose

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How to unlearn social and professional conditioning to unlock your one true self.

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In order for us to be powerful and live powerfully, we must first understand who we are - and who we are not. That will guide us towards who we are meant to be, who we want to become, what we can let go of, and what we need to heal. Only then can we truly thrive.

You'll also takeaway:

• That we are products of our conditioning--which we have to unlearn.
• That our true self has been conditioned out of us--and we have to recover it.
• That they are powerful--and claiming that power will make us whole.

THIS WEEK'S GUEST:

Dr. Margie Serrato is a cultural expert on gender and nonconformity. She is profoundly against submitting to cultural norms and expectations about who we are supposed to be as individuals. She is a trained and Certified Professional Coach who focuses on liberation and empowerment with clients. Why this approach? Because in order to be the magnificent beings we are meant to be, we must free ourselves from everything that we are not--and, in doing so, make space to design and create the lives that we actually want for ourselves.

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Is doing a Ted Talk your bucket list? Learn the ins and outs, dos and don'ts of creating a Ted or TedX talk.

Join for an animated convo about techniques that have helped Alison's clients earn millions of views and step into this larger arena.

We’ll cover such topics as:

• Elements of any great TED talk
• The importance of a through-line
• And, how to answer the question “why me”?

You'll also takeaway:

• Strategies to frame your expertise: the unique genius and POV that’s all your own
• Tips for building your narrative around a key idea
• How to use your talk as an activating agent: What do you want your audience to know, believe, and do?

THIS WEEK'S GUEST:

Alison Macondray is co-founder and resident “Midwife to Genius” at Alimat (alimat-inc.com), a boutique presentation studio. She helps speakers craft and communicates their big ideas, delivering presentations that move their audience from awareness to action. She’s created scores of TED and TEDx talks, collaborating with speakers from initial concept to the moment they step onstage. Her work has helped clients earn millions of views worldwide and solidify their expertise, grow their ventures, and attract their “right people.” A Bay Area native, Alison lives in Oakland, CA with her husband and creative partner, designer and artist Matthew Clark.

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Mindset doesn't have be big and scary, you are not alone, you can do things while being flow versus grit or grinding it out.

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Marketing is hard and no one has it all figured out. Learn to identify how our brains trip us up and can make our jobs harder. Learn some small mindset shifts to help you personally and professionally.

You'll also takeaway:

• Mindset doesn't have be big and scary
• That you are not alone
• That you can do things while being flow versus grit or grinding it out

THIS WEEK'S GUEST:

Kendra is CEO of Kendra Ramirez Digital Agency, globally recognized on the home page of LinkedIn.com, Women of Influence Award Winner, John Barrett Entrepreneur Vision Award recipient, Cincy Chic Woman of the Year, AMA Marketing Legend, best selling author of Marketing Fusion and Micro Shift books and a finalist for the Social Media Innovator of the Year. Since 2005, she has helped hundreds of organizations successfully leverage digital technologies. Kendra has spent more than 15 years in technology companies as a change agent in sales, marketing and recruiting leadership for B2B customers.

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Learn how understanding our differences can lead to better workplace cultures and better work with Kirsten Moorefield of Cloverleaf.me.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC:

What are some of the most common differences between co-workers that make us so complicated? How do our differences change the way we work, communicate, and listen? And, most importantly how can understnading that people are complicated create a better workplace with better outcomes.

Listen in to find out and also learn:

• When you notice tension in a conversation/relationship, it could be a signpost of different strengths.
• Everyone has value.
• Everyone can nudge culture towards openness and safety, allowing us to solve problems together more enjoyably and powerfully.

THIS WEEK'S GUEST:

Kirsten Moorefield believes that work can actually be a good thing. She’s spent countless hours with hundreds of teams from startups to Fortune 100s, observing a clear pattern behind the happiest and most effective people. That's what led Kirsten and her co-founder, Darrin Murriner to start Cloverleaf.me -- a SaaS platform that provides automated team coaching, empowering teams to do their best work together. After it's launch in October 2018, Cloverleaf has quickly grown to over 1 million users, serving some of the world’s most valuable organizations to engage their teams and improve performance. While building this new venture, Kirsten has also been building her young family in Cincinnati, Ohio where she lives with her husband and two young kids.

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Talking to people is hard. But, it doesn't have to be. Join us along with Megan Vogias, for ways to enjoy the art of conversation.

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As we navigate back and forth between virtual and in-person networking events let's harness the best types of questions to ask that will help spark interest, unlock shared interests, and discover how we can best fill each other's cups.

THIS WEEK'S GUEST:

With over two decades of experience in communication, engagement, and development, Megan Vogias is powered by coffee, community, and kindness. If you’ve met Megan, you’ll soon realize she leaves no stone unturned of discovering how she can help set you up for success. Megan has worked with solopreneurs, small businesses, and Fortune 50 companies as well as serving as adjunct faculty for Kent State University's School of Communication Studies.

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We're discussing the fascinating future and impact of spatial commerce use cases with Madona Wambua, Android Engineer III.

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Hear the fascinating future and impact of spatial commerce use cases from Madona Wambua, Android Engineer III. Hear about best-in-class use cases from Best Buy to Lowes and how brands are just beginning to use this new technology.

Also, learn more about Madona's experience as a woman in tech.

THIS WEEK'S GUEST:

Madona is an Android Engineer III at Streem Inc, the founder of Budgeting Buddy, a current student at Samuel Ginn, Women Who Code Mobile Lead, and a developer who enjoys sharing her Android knowledge and teaching women how to make Android applications.

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Tune in as Sarah Corley shares her career journey, leadership lessons, and the importance of advocating for yourself in the workplace.

What you'll learn:

1. Career growth doesn't need to be linear to be successful.
2. Advocate for yourself personally and professionally.
3. Seize Opportunities

Meet Sarah:
Sarah Corley is the Demand Generation Specialist at Sprout Social. When she isn’t rocking the marketing world you’ll find her A) cooking/baking up a storm, B) with her nose in a book, C) wine tasting, D) playing piano or E) all of the above. Sarah’s claim to fame is setting a Guinness World Record when she worked for Nestle Toll House.

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