Summary:

From burnout and back-to-back family crises to a panic attack that changed everything—Kelly Kuecker’s story is one of survival, surrender, and stepping into her power. In this raw and revealing conversation, Kelly opens up about the cost of perfectionism, the pressure to “do it all,” and the surprising shift that led her to the biggest role of her career.

Chapters:

00:00 The Dilemma: Taking the Harder Job

01:01 A New Role and Self-Doubt

02:50 Introduction to Kelly Kuecker

04:02 Kelly's Early Career Challenges

04:18 Family Health Crises

05:54 Coping with Loss and Anxiety

09:17 The Impact of Resilience

15:33 Panic Attack and Seeking Help

18:19 Embracing Authenticity and Leadership

21:32 Deciding on the Next Career Move

23:24 Advice from the Biker Guy

24:22 Taking the Leap

24:38 Starting the New Position

25:04 Learning and Asking for Help

27:40 Being Authentic in Leadership

38:38 The Importance of Networking

42:49 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Host Alexa Beavers: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Guest Kelly Kuecker: linkedin.com/in/kellykuecker

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka

Summary:

Ever screamed at your kid on vacation and thought, "How did I get here?" Kim Gacso did and that moment cracked something open. In this episode, Kim shares how she went from breakdown to boundaries after her dream job nearly broke her. We talk about guilt, shame, healing, and what it really means to choose yourself without burning it all down. If you've ever been the "reliable one," this one hits home.

Chapters:

00:00 – When the reliable one breaks down

03:15 – Meet Kim: Executive titles and tennis shoes

05:58 – The vacation meltdown that changed everything

10:22 – Shame, guilt, and a moment of reckoning

14:40 – From boardrooms to boundaries: Kim’s clarity journey

20:00 – Why choosing family cost her professionally—and why it was worth it

26:05 – What healing looks like in real life

30:40 – Advice for the over-functioning achievers

34:20 – Kim today: How she defines success now

Host Alexa Beavers: linkedin.com/in/alexabeaverspmp

Guest Kim Gacso: linkedin.com/in/kim-gacso-90a84a4

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka

Summary:

From accidentally lighting a lab bench on fire to championing Virginia’s bioscience community, Caron Trumbo’s journey is a masterclass in calm under pressure, empathy, and saying yes to growth. She shares the early-career mistake that rewired her response to crisis, how it made her a better leader, and why scientists and women in STEM in particular win when we ask more questions, make room for mistakes, and keep showing up.

Chapters:

00:00 – When the lab literally caught fire

03:30 – From freak-out to fix: building crisis composure

06:30 – Early mistakes that shaped an empathetic lab leader

09:45 – From bench science to ecosystem builder at Virginia Bio

13:15 – Standards, empathy, and leading diverse stakeholders

16:30 – “Say yes” and learn: stepping into policy & partnerships

19:30 – Career pivots for scientists: transfer your skills

22:00 – Don’t give up: reframing research and funding pivots

24:00 – Give back: mentoring, visibility, and women in science

Host Alexa Beavers: linkedin.com/in/alexabeaverspmp

Guest Caron Trumbo: linkedin.com/in/ctrumbo

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka

Summary:

What happens when your drive to “do it all” pushes you past the point of depletion? In this episode, Yasmeen Duncan shares how survival-mode leadership nearly broke her and how she rebuilt her career, her health, and her life through grace, boundaries, and systems of support. From 16-hour days in hospitality HR to creating her own executive coaching practice, Yasmeen reveals what it takes to move from surviving to thriving.

Chapters:

00:00 – Taking off the Superwoman cape

03:00 – Yasmeen’s HR career in hospitality

06:00 – Long hours, union battles, and survival mode

09:00 – The executive meeting misstep and lessons learned

13:00 – From disappointment to self-grace

17:00 – Checklists, burnout, and shifting to systems

20:00 – Building rituals and a self-care team

26:00 – Resilience through rest, boundaries, and balance

30:00 – Emotional intelligence and political fluency in leadership

35:00 – From survive to thrive: Yasmeen’s system for living well

Host Alexa Beavers: linkedin.com/in/alexabeaverspmp

Guest Yasmeen Duncan: linkedin.com/in/yasmeenduncan

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka

Summary:

We’ve all heard the myth: your first 90 days in a new leadership role are about proving yourself with quick wins. But what if that’s the worst advice you could follow? In this episode, D’Mar Phillips tells the story of how trying to impress fast nearly backfired and what it taught him about slowing down, listening deeply, and letting trust set the pace for impact.

Chapters:

00:00 – Why quick wins can backfire

03:10 – Meet D’Mar: 20+ years in people leadership

06:00 – The employee handbook story gone sideways

10:15 – Handling feedback and managing emotions

14:30 – The ‘Listen, Look, Learn’ framework

18:40 – Why relationships are a contact sport

22:10 – Speed of change = speed of trust

26:20 – Lessons for new leaders entering big roles

30:00 – Don’t rush your destiny: playing the long game

Host Dr. Jim: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Guest D'Mar Phillips: linkedin.com/in/dmarphillips

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka

Summary:

What do you do when your hospitals flood, 160 employees go missing, and you realize there’s no playbook? You rewrite the rules. Austin Maggard shares how Appalachian Regional turned two back-to-back disasters into a culture-defining transformation and why HR became the backbone of resilience.

Chapters:

00:00 – Generational workforce shifts at ARH

03:23 – What rural healthcare really looks like

06:52 – Why documenting culture became mission-critical

10:14 – Chick-fil-A vs. McDonald’s: A service consistency lesson

13:42 – How Disney influenced ARH’s culture strategy

17:00 – The 2022 flood: 160 employees unaccounted for

20:28 – Helicopters, horseback, and healthcare chaos

24:05 – The emotional toll and operational breakdown

27:32 – What the second flood exposed: A trust gap

31:03 – “This wasn’t a logistics failure. It was a leadership one.”

34:40 – Building a distribution system for disaster relief

37:56 – How HR became the heart of recovery

41:22 – Turning pain into process: Making resilience portable

45:00 – Aligning every decision to the culture statement

48:14 – Final reflections on leadership, humility, and legacy

Host Alexa Beavers: linkedin.com/in/alexabeaverspmp

Guest Austin Maggard: linkedin.com/in/amaggard

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka

Summary:

What do you do when your first leadership role comes with a nightmare boss, a team looking to you for protection, and zero playbook for managing up? Elda shares how she learned to “zoom out” instead of “head down” her way through the storm and why finding allies, mentors, and perspective is the real career insurance policy.

Chapters:

00:00 – When your first leadership role comes with a nightmare boss

03:10 – The pressure of managing peers and managing up

06:45 – Why her old strategy stopped working as a manager

09:30 – The turning point: realizing she needed allies

12:15 – Building relationships beyond your department

15:40 – The mentor she wishes she’d had

18:20 – How “zooming out” changes your career trajectory

21:00 – Staying power in one organization for 20+ years

Host Dr. Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Guest Elda De La Pena: linkedin.com/in/elda-de-la-pena-86ab7416

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka

Summary:

What would you do if a direct report brought a hidden diary of grievances to your boss? Julie Deane lived it. In this episode, she opens up about a moment that could have derailed her career but instead reshaped it. With help from a wise boss and a lot of humility, Julie transformed a tough confrontation into the cornerstone of her leadership style.

Chapters:

00:00 - The Diary That Changed Everything

04:15 - An HR Wake-Up Call

07:30 - The Power of a Supportive Boss

12:05 - Ambition vs. Burnout

18:45 - Making Things Right with Travis

22:15 - Building Unity, Not Division

25:10 - Final Lessons: Tone, Trust, and Time

Host Alexa Beavers: linkedin.com/in/alexabeaverspmp

Guest Julie Deane: linkedin.com/in/jdeanekc

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka

Summary:

Discover how Matthew Anderson, HR Director at Rio Grande, transformed his approach to leadership by embracing criticism and incorporating his artistic creativity. From launching a performance management system to achieving a 90% engagement survey response rate, learn how Matthew's unique perspective and open-minded approach have led to significant success in his career. In this episode, Matthew shares valuable insights on how to involve skeptics, build trust, and leverage diverse opinions to enhance business outcomes. Tune in to hear how his journey from art school critiques to HR leadership has shaped his innovative and inclusive leadership style.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: The Role of Criticism in Art and Business

02:50 Matthew Anderson's Career Journey

03:46 The Big Project: Performance Management System Rollout

04:44 Facing the Silence: Initial Reactions and Self-Reflection

05:40 Learning from Mistakes: Engaging Skeptics and Critics

15:47 Building Trust and Engagement

27:01 Personal Insights: Art and Leadership

30:06 Conclusion: Embracing Differences and Letting Go of Ego

Host Alex Beavers: linkedin.com/in/alexabeaverspmp

Guest Matthew Anderson: linkedin.com/in/matthew-anderson-9828392b

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka

Summary:

Join Alexa Beavers as she welcomes Amanda Smith, Chief Human Resources Officer at Vision Innovation Partners. Amanda shares her journey of overcoming career struggles and the importance of self-advocacy, especially after moving across the country for a job opportunity that didn’t materialize. Discover how Amanda learned to give herself permission to aspire to more and the lessons she gathered from navigating career challenges. This conversation explores themes of ownership, authenticity, and courage in professional growth, offering insights into finding the right path and embracing one's unique journey.

Chapters:

0:00

Advocating for Yourself: Lessons from Amanda Smith's Career

3:14

Career Setbacks and Personal Growth in a Cross-Country Move

9:05

Balancing Single Motherhood and Career with Resilience

11:23

The Costs of Not Advocating for Yourself at Work

13:23

Advocating for Yourself in Career Development and Growth

19:38

Finding the Right Shade of Green in Your Career

21:38

Authenticity, Passion, and Self-Advocacy in Career Development

24:04

Embracing Opportunities and Growth in Unexpected Career Paths

27:07

Embrace Authenticity and Self-Advocacy in Your Career Journey

30:14

Amanda Smith Shares Unfiltered Advice on Transformation Unfiltered

Host Alexa Beavers: linkedin.com/in/alexabeaverspmp

Guest Amanda Smith: linkedin.com/in/amandatatesmith

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka