Up Your Creative Genius

Leigh Anne Taylor Knight is a resourceful, future-focused leader who currently serves The DeBruce Foundation in Kansas City as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. The Foundation’s mission is to expand pathways to economic growth and opportunity. It seeks to help people discover what they want to do and what they’re good at doing, to open more career possibilities for the future of work.

Dr. Taylor Knight is driven to lead the leveraging of resources across sectors for innovative learning, rigorous research, and community collaboration in order to improve economic development and the quality of life. A teacher at heart, Leigh Anne has also served as a K-12 assistant superintendent, advised learning institutions across the nation, and led a bi-state consortium providing powerful tools for data-driven educational research to inform practice and policy.

Bringing together stakeholders to activate synergistic solutions is a favorite expertise. She values identifying talents and strengths in others, coaching them to improve their capabilities, and finding roles in which each can maximize one’s potential to result in optimal team success. Advocating for and executing programs where the voices of young people resonate to make a difference are her true passion.

“Make plans. Just be willing for those plans to actually change”

“We think that people are not accessible. And the reality is, many, many people are much more accessible than you think they are. But you do have to take the initiative.”

Timestamp

1:59 Leigh Anne Taylor journey in gaining interest in teaching

4:16 Her change from architecture to education

6:09 Challenges Leigh Anne Taylor face while following her heart

8:29 Her journey into DeBruce Foundation

13:11 Leigh Anne Taylor shares her experience in promoting changes to people

16:21 The importance of networking with diverse people

18:22 Leigh Anne Taylor’s mindset of juggling with all her different roles

23:25 Sneak peek into her daily routine and shares tips about completing goals

Social Media

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/latknight/

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Up Your Creative Genius

https://www.upyourcreativegenius.com/

Pete works with teams and large groups to tackle corporate challenges, raise social awareness and build capability for the future. Connecting with others through his background in psychology, communication, music, business and technology to lead and marshal people from different functions, disciplines, organisations and sectors to work together on projects with a common purpose.

Pete's client base ranges from big banks and telecommunication companies to emerging ventures in the digital product and renewable energy industries. He assembled and led cross-functional software development teams using agile and other methods to maintain focus on customer value and deliver impactful business outcomes.

Pete is also a musician, he performed in 13 countries over 20 years, releasing 5 albums co-written with my collaborator to critical acclaim. He has a deep understanding in how to create a sense of emotional safety that helps people move beyond what divides them to find common ground. Work, too, is a creative act, and he believes each of us has a valuable part to play in creating a more equitable shared future.

Timestamp

1:20 How Patti and Pete become friends

2:09 Pete’s background and his life journey

7:23 Pete’s 30 days kickstart challenge programme

10:52 Pete’s clubhouse podcast

13:36 MI365 coaching practice

15:54 Pete’s tip on how to connect with the future you

17:44 How Pete starts his day and his daily routine

23:31 How Pete’s parents influenced his mindset

26:08 Inspirational idols that Pete has in his life

29:52 Trust yourself and have faith

Joseph Rosenfeld was born to be a personal style strategist. He had an epiphany in high school that remains the crux of his work for over thirty years. He theorized that personal style could transcend physical attraction. Joseph developed a strategy that saved and transformed his life. And he has gone on to transform the lives of an esteemed clientele.

Clients know Joseph as a "style savant," and he is most called to serve those on a quest for transformation. His hallmark style strategy encourages clients to sync their inner and outer energy. He guides top business leaders with empathy, creativity, and precision. He shares their focus to ensure that they look on message.

Quoted in The New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post, and NBC, Joseph loves sharing encouraging messages about style. He was once recognized by the San Jose Business Journal as one of its "40 Under 40." And the Silicon Valley Magazine named him best personal stylist in its It List in 2020 and 2021.

In his spare time Joseph nurtures his interests in art, fashion, design, good food, and traveling.

“I may never be handsome, I may never be hot, I may never be sexy. I mean, I feel good. So I mean, I got it going on. But what is true is that I could have style. And that style people would know and get to know me from the inside out, because style is about revealing who you are from deep within. It's not a surface game.”

Time Stamp

1:27 How did Joseph start getting into styles at an early age?

5:02 Joseph’s fashion and style design journey

7:13 Styling is not a surface game

10:26 Discovering his life’s purpose from his favourite track

12:17 Joining the retail

13:29 Sharing his transformation projects experience

20:45 Joseph’s workshops and fashion tips

30:34 How Joseph starts his day and his daily routine

34:01 Joseph’s favourite fashion designer and how he gets inspiration from him

35:55 Joseph shares his vision and mission

Fashion industry veteran and expert Robin Fisher is one of the leading image consultants in the Washington DC Metro area.

In 2008 Robin left the corporate fashion world and put her passion behind a new

labor of love: Polished, a full service personal styling and corporate image consulting agency.

Robin's experience in the fashion industry spans over twenty five years and has included positions

ranging from Executive Department Store Buyer, Magazine Creative Director, International Production Manager, and more.

A certified image consultant who received intensive training in London, her personal clients include high achieving female executives,

diplomats, judges, attorneys, doctors, authors, news anchors and any woman that is ready to get her style back on track!

Robin has also been featured on CNN, FOX, NBC, Redbook, The Epoch Times, Washingtonian, Capital Files Magazine, Modern Luxury, and more.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Instagram - @polishedimage

Twitter - @polishedimage

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PolishedImage/

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/polished/

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Up Your Creative Genius

https://www.upyourcreativegenius.com/

Timestamp

2:02 Meeting Robin Fisher and understand how she gets into fashion

5:37 Her leap into fashion industry after internship

5:51 Confidence lies in what you wear

9:24 Composing her own business process

15:20 How Robin started Polished as a working mom

21:16 Robin has always been into fashion since she was a kid

23:05 Robin’s shares about her first client and her business startup

26:23 Make a business out of your interest - you will never feel like work

28:59 Fashion tips from Robin

31:26 Polished - six week program

33:47 Future vision of Robin and Polished

37:46 Robin’s way of starting her daily routine

Ram Castillo is a Design Director, two-time Author, Speaker, CreativeLive Instructor, Decision-making Business Coach and Approved Advisor based in Sydney. His focus is to help business owners, entrepreneurs and leaders get unstuck through human centred design methodologies, creative strategy, digital marketing and branding. For 16 years Ram has been working for global agencies including Ogilvy & Mather, DDB, JWT, McCann. He was most recently the Head of Digital Design for Saatchi & Saatchi and has serviced clients including Audi, McDonald’s, Qantas, Google, AMEX, Toyota and The Louis Vuitton Group. He's been featured in Apple, GE, Communication Arts, HOW magazine, CreativeLive, Herman Miller, VIVID festival and The American Institute of Design.

For more visit RamCastillo.com https://ramcastillo.com/

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Linkedin

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Up Your Creative Genius

https://www.upyourcreativegenius.com/

Timestamps

2:02 Why Ram Castillo is a big deal, and how he came to be this way

4:40 On leveraging a tool like Clubhouse

7:31 The most important step of the design thinking process

8:02 You already have the most important marketing tool: your brand

12:13 Finding your competitive advantage

15:27 Defining your version of success

18:03 The true definition of wealth

20:13 Overcoming obstacles on the way to success

23:28 The value of planting many seeds

25:16 The alchemy of creativity and transformation

33:36 The secret formula to success

37:15 How to design a purpose

38:46 Ram’s current fascination with convenience vs. delayed gratification

41:18 The opportunity right in front of us all

43:22 Ram’s decision-making framework

Lani Phillips is the Vice President, US Channel Sales Organization in Microsoft. Lani has spent her 20 over years working in transforming others and in charge of the digital transformation and all the co-selling with partners.

Lani was the 2020 Executive from linkage. Then she also got the global minded inclusive leader award, and she was on CRN the 2020 women in channel leading fearlessly in times of crisis. Furthermore, she started a live digital program, which is all about inspiring people with modern mentoring where she shares her wisdom globally to help people thrive in corporate spaces. She is always creating opportunities for women in the technology space.

Lani graduated from Naveen Jindal School of Management, UT Dallas and is the founder and board member at Women Executives Channel Advisory Board (WECAB) and a board member of Advisors (Diversity & Inclusion) at International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners (IAMCP).

Sherlaender's LinkedIn

Sherlaender Phillips (Lani) | LinkedIn

Sherlaender's Twitter

Sherlaender "Lani" Phillips (@mslaniphillips) / Twitter

Sherlaender's Instagram

Lani Phillips (@mslaniphillips) • Instagram photos and videos

Dan Hilbert has lived in Connecticut for 30+ years and worked in New York City for 18 of those. Dan made a move to Texas about 6 years ago to be closer to his job. Dan spent his career in Marketing and Events with executive level positions at Fortune 100 companies. But when the pandemic hit - and like many others - Dan found himself with less working hours and pay. It was then that he started to fill his time making bagels - the NY Style bagels he had missed from the East Coast. With hours spent honing his craft and passion - he and his wife Jennifer reinvented themselves - leaving corporate America and opening a thriving bagel shop - and becoming small business owners.

Follow Dan Hilber:

Dan’s Bagel https://www.dansbagels.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dansbagels

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansbagels/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dans-bagels/about/

Linkedin Dan Hilbert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-hilbert-8610051/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dansbagels

Deena Pierott is also a Social Impact Entrepreneur and the Founder of the award winning and nationally recognized STEM+Arts program for youth of color called iUrban Teen which has chapters in four states, and most recently launched Black Women in STEM 2.0.

Ms. Pierott is also a diversity strategist and international public speaker. She has served on several boards and commissions including a Gubernatorial appointment to the Commission on African American Affairs in the State of Washington.

She has been featured on the following publications: Government Technology, Essence Magazine, Working Mother Magazine, Black Enterprise, Ebony Magazine, Deliver magazine, Portland Business Journal, Geekwire, Colors of Influence, Neurology Now, the Chicago Tribune and on NPR.

“We are standing on the shoulders of our ancestors who are slaves. It’s a responsibility in this life to walk through it with dignity, grace and integrity.”

“Stand up for others and be fearless with it.”

“Raise your hand, ask questions, be engaged, even if you know the answer to it. Don’t be a wallflower.”

Timestamp

[3:56] Meeting Deena Pierott and fling into Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

[7:23] Working with innovative ways to change policy

[8:44] How being a gay person in Texas is similar to Deena’s experience

[10:21] You have to be yourself in corporate America

[10:55] How Deena started iUrbanTeen

[14:26] Growing iUrbanYouth, iUrbanUniversity and working with Microsoft

[15:57] Why Black Women in STEM was created

[17:19] Making change in the world where anything can be done

[19:20] It’s never too late. What’s your next thing?

[21:22] Who is an inspiration to Deena?

[22:56] How to tap into your creative genius? What’s your routine?

[24:35] You got to have skin in the game

[27:52] Trick is to get into motivation and keep in momentum

[28:20] Workaholic, selfcare, and dealing with trauma

[31:30] Hurdles of being a black women founder

[34:30] Sometimes its easier to stand up for others

[36:27] What is the book you are reading right now

[39:40] Biggest tip for someone making a change

Deena Pierott https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpierott

iUrbanTeen https://iurbanteen.org/

Do Better: Spiritual Activism

https://www.amazon.com/Do-Better-Spiritual-Activism-Supremacy/dp/1982151277

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Linkedin

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Up Your Creative Genius

https://www.upyourcreativegenius.com/

Sunni Brown is a social entrepreneur who has been named one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” and one of the “10 Most Creative People on Twitter” by Fast Company. She is the best-selling author of Gamestorming and The Doodle Revolution, a keynote speaker, expert meeting facilitator, book coach and dedicated Zen student. Her TED Talk has drawn more than 1.6 million views and her work has been featured in The New York Times, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and WIRED, as well as being featured twice on CBS Sunday Morning and on The TODAY Show. She is currently the Doodler-in-Residence at MURAL.

Time Stamp

[2:40] How Sunni would describe herself

[4:25] The importance of zen and how Sunni has applied it to her life

[5:54] Trauma history and how it affects creativity

[6:20] The art of the pivot

[8:41] Deep Self Design, and what happened

[12:13] The power of a true calling

[13:54] Women and finances, financial self-worth

[14:53] Sunni’s pivot to a book coach

[17:03] What Sunni does now, and the support around life changes

[18:30] Sunni’s qualified prediction of the future

[19:27] The secret of the pivot

[20:28] Energy fields and how to tap into them

[21:37] Testing things out, spinning the universe

[22:37] Cognitive rigidity, and how to overcome it

[25:19] Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett

[27:31] Resonance of the system

[29:50] Sunni’s dream life

Sunni Brown Website

https://www.sunnibrown.com/

Follow Sunni Brown on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/sunnibrown/

Follow Sunni Brown on Linkedin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnibrown/

Books written by Sunni:

Game Storming with Dave Gray and James Macafuno

Doodle Revolution

Books Sunni has read or attempts to read:

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

Brave New Work by Aaron Dignan

Heroine’s Journey Workbook by Maureen Murdock

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett

Kiss Me Like a Stranger by Gene Wilder

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Linkedin

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Up Your Creative Genius

https://www.upyourcreativegenius.com/

Pamela Austin is the Vice President, Global Head of Communications & Public Affairs at Woven Planet Holdings*. Pamela has spent her 25-year communications career working at the intersection of technology and social impact. She uniquely blends deep subject matter expertise with analysis, creativity, and surprise that drives strong communications and thought leadership strategies. She is known as the catalyst that can build and reshape corporate images and reputations.

Pamela has a long track record of successfully creating impactful communications teams and programs that help companies make meaningful connections between internal and external stakeholders and influencers. Prior to joining Woven Planet in 2021, she held a variety of roles including corporate and executive communications as well as diversity and inclusion communications at Facebook guiding their messaging through a time of significant change. Pamela has also held senior communications roles at the intersection of technology and social impact at Microsoft Corporation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Salesforce and Samsung Electronics.

Pamela graduated from Howard University and is a board member at Internews.org and former advisor to the American Advertising Federation Mosaic Council. She is a huge foodie and feeds her passion by igniting the home cook in everyone.

“It really matters to me to have inclusiveness”

“Where we are at inclusiveness is that we have to have a different language. ”

“I was part of the crew that helped communicate to the world, what the internet was and the promise of the internet.”

“You are going to contribute where you can.”

“In the black community, we say you can get in where you fit in.”

“Make impact where you can, and then you know what, something else might come”

“Realize just how good you really are!”

Follow Pamela Austin on Instagram and Linkedin

https://www.instagram.com/bigthinkr2/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelawaustin

Toyota Woven Planet

https://www.woven-planet.global/en

The Cruelty Is The Point by Adam Serwer

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/the-cruelty-is-the-point/572104/

Soul of America by Jon Meachem

https://www.amazon.com/Soul-America-Battle-Better-Angels/dp/0399589813

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Linkedin

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Up Your Creative Genius

https://www.upyourcreativegenius.com/