VEST Her Podcast

At many organizations there is a gap between the existing culture and the “desired” culture — the culture needed to support and advance the company’s goals and strategies.

In the past, organizational culture was for the most part, an initiative led by the CEO and Human Resources. HR would design a campaign to tout a mission statement and the core values the CEO and senior management developed.

This top down approach no longer works for several reasons. For one, Covid-19 has upended how leaders interact with employees and how coworkers connect with each other. The need to adapt quickly and remain flexible during the pandemic has also revealed the ineffectiveness of top-down leadership. The intensified demand for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, and the continuing battle for talent, have led to culture becoming a strategic priority with impact on the bottom line. But how do we build a shared-value culture?

To talk about this topic we invited Christina Cassotis CEO of the Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and one of the highest paid chief executives in her field. Under her leadership, Pittsburgh International Airport has been transformed into a world-leading origin-and-destination airport where she has not only reshaped the culture and long-term strategy for the region’s airports, she is redefining what it means to be an airport.

Join us as we talk to her about how organizations can remain competitive by creating a culture based on shared-responsibility where everyone in the organization has a clear, consistent, common understanding of it — and everyone works together in a deliberate and coordinated effort to cultivate it.

For the transcript and full notes on the show, visit: https://www.vesther.co/podcast

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If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co 

More than 50 million people now consider themselves creators, fostering a “creator economy” which is now valued at more than $100 billion. — The surge has been especially pronounced over the last year, with a growing cohort of women pursuing opportunities in the creator economy. But What are the opportunities for women? What are the challenges? Particularly as it relates to mental health.

Join us as we talk to Suany Garcia, author of "The New Latina: 100 Millennials Shaping Our World.” and editor in chief at mitú. For Suanny’s full bio and show notes, go to www.vesther.co/podcast

About Suanny Garcia
Suanny Garcia is the author of "The New Latina: 100 Millennials Shaping Our World.” She is also the editor in chief at mitú. She was born in Cuba, and bred in Miami, where she is currently based. Suanny is known for her ability to connect with women through her writing.  Her work has been featured across media platforms like Popsugar, Byrdie and Refinery29. Suanny was previously a public relations manager. She studied at Hampshire College, in Massachusetts, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Support the show

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co 

In this episode we talk to Stephanie LeBlanc-Godfrey, Global Head of Inclusion Programs for Women of Color at Google about different ways we can support, promote, and invest in women of color not just in the workplace but at home and in our communities. For Stephanie’s full bio, show notes and resources mentioned on this episode go to www.VESTHer.co/podcast 

Special thanks to VEST Member Dr. Mautra Jones, President of Oklahoma City Community College for moderating this session. 

This recording was part of a more intimate coaching session with VEST Members and has been repurposed to accommodate this episode.

About VEST
VEST is a private network of women working together to expedite the pipeline of more women in positions of power and influence. 

Support the show

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co 

It's that time again. When we welcome the new year, enthusiastic about setting new goals and developing new habits. The problem is, we don’t always follow through. So to gain perspective, we invited Ahniwake Rose, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute, to talk about her approach to goal settings and to keeping herself accountable. We also talk about the barriers affecting women in the workplace today and how she has maneuvered some of these same challenges in order to get to where she is today.

Ahniwake Rose is a VEST Founding Member and the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute where she works to advance equitable and fiscally responsible policies in her home state. Prior to this role, Ahniwake served as the Deputy Director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), a national organization serving the broad interests of tribal governments and communities, where she worked with a diverse coalition of civil and human rights organizations to address economic inequality and systemic injustice. Ahniwake is a Rockwood Leadership Institute Fellow and currently she serves on multiple education and youth related boards. Ahniwake is a mother of two daughters, Waleah and Tahna, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and is of Muscogee (Creek) descent.

Support the show

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co 

Leslie Osborn was elected as Oklahoma's twentieth Labor Commissioner in 2018 and is currently serving a four year term. Prior to being elected Labor Commissioner Leslie served ten years in the Oklahoma House of Representatives representing District 47. During her tenure she was appointed chair the Judiciary committee, the first female in state history to do so and as chair the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, first Republican female to do so. Leslie currently serves as the chair of the Oklahoma Occupational Licensing Advisory Commission and the Department of Commerce’s Automotive Steering Committee. In addition, she serves on the advisory board of Oklahoma Small Business Development Centers, the Oklahoma Academy and the foundation board for the Canadian Valley Technology Center. 

Join us as we talk to Leslie about imposter syndrome and the systems that help manifest self-doubt in women. Whether or not it is true that having more women in office will help us achieve progress more quickly and what it is like for her to advocate for sound middle of the road policies in one of the most conservative states in the nation.

Follow Leslie on
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VEST is a private network of women building power collectively. 

Support the show

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co 

Seventy percent of Healthcare workers are women, including ninety percent of nurses, and ninety three percent of midwives, yet only twenty five percent of healthcare leadership roles are held by women. Why is that?

In this episode we talk to Robyn Sunday-Allen, Chief Executive Officer of the Oklahoma City Indian Health Clinic about how the lack of women in leadership positions affect women's health and overall policy. We also discuss Native American relations in Oklahoma and why it’s important for women to continue to speak up despite the risk of being penalized for doing so.

VEST is a private network of women building power collectively. 

Support the show

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co 

Sevetri Wilson is the Founder and CEO of Resilia, a technology company enabling nonprofits to increase capacity. She is also the Author of Resilient: How to overcome anything and build a million dollar business with or without capital. Prior to founding Resilia, at age 22, Sevetri bootstrapped her first company, Solid Ground Innovations, to seven figures without raising any outside funding. Since launching Resilia, Sevetri has raised more than $11M, making her one of only 50 Black women in the U.S. to have raised more than $10M in venture funding. 

Sevetri has been named a Rising Star on the Forbes Cloud 100 List and her company Resilia was named as one of Venture Beat’s top startups to watch out for in 2019. Sevetri is also a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Public Service, the Jefferson Award. 

Join us as we talk to Sevetri about how we can build resiliency and overcome bias to build a profitable and meaningful companies. 

This recording was part of a more intimate coaching session with VEST Members and has been repurposed to accommodate this episode.

Follow Sevetri on
Linkedin
Twitter

VEST is a private network of women building power collectively. 

Support the show

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co 

When it comes to law school, women outnumber men in both enrollment (54%) and graduation (51%) rates with women of color representing 20% of those numbers. Women also account for almost half, or 47% of all law associates, though that percentage drops to just 22% (three percent women of color) when looking at the number of equity partners at law firms. There is also a big discrepancy in earnings. Median weekly earnings for women lawyers are reported at $1,665USD while men reported earning $2,324 USD. 

In this episode, VEST Members Liz George, Founding Partner at the Law Office of Liz George and Danae Grace, Shareholder at McAfee & Taft talk about the challenges women still face in the industry and the differences between working for an established firm and running your own practice.

Follow Danae Grace
Danae Grace is a transactional lawyer known for her representation of her clients’ interests in areas such as mergers and acquisitions, contract negotiations, and general corporate matters.  Her primary focus is representing private and public companies in mergers and stock and asset acquisitions and sales of all sizes. Danae’s achievements have earned her inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch and Oklahoma Super Lawyers‘ list of “Oklahoma Rising Stars” for multiple years, which recognizes the state’s top up-and-coming attorney. Danae is the Chair of the Oklahoma Business and Corporate Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association.

Follow Liz George
Liz is the founder and managing attorney at Liz George & Associates law firm located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Liz received her Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University School of Law, where she received honors from the National Association of Women Lawyers and the Oklahoma Bar Association.  In addition, Liz holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal music from Cameron University School of Music in Lawton, Oklahoma. Active in both her local community and legal industry, Liz serves as a Board Member for Blanchard Public Schools.  Liz also sits on the Board of Directors for the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Oklahoma City.  In addition, she is an active member of the American, Federal, Oklahoma and McClain County Bar Associations. Liz was honored for her service to the community with the Oklahoma County Bar Association Pro Bono Award in June 2016. She was also named a Rising Star by Oklahoma Super Lawyers, 2015 – 2020 and as a Super Lawyer in 2021.  In 2018, Liz was listed in Oklahoma Magazine’s 2018 class of 40 Under 40 honorees. Liz also serves as an adjunct professor teaching Skills Courses in Civil Procedure to first year law students at Oklahoma City University School of Law.

About VEST
VEST is a network of influential women committed to supporting one another through our career journey and building power collectively by working together to expedite the pipeline of women in positions of power. 

We make it easy to gain proximity to other influential women so you can grow your network, be top of mind for opportunities, and learn from the experiences of other women. Our extended network use us as a talent bank and trusted pipeline to fill career opportunities, board appointments, investment and public speaking opportunities. 

Support the show

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co 

Claudia San Pedro is the first woman and first Latina to serve as President of SONIC Drive-In, one of the largest fast food restaurant chains in the U.S. She was recently recognized as HERoes Women Executive Role Model, and LATINA Executive of the Year by LATINA Style. 

Prior to SONIC, Claudia was appointed by Gov. Brad Henry, as the first female and first Hispanic to serve as director of state finance for the state of Oklahoma. It was in this role that she developed a love for understanding where the money comes from, how it's being used to make a difference in people's lives. 

Though Claudia has been the first of many to do things throughout her career, she is making sure she is not the last. As Founding Member of VEST, she now uses her influence to help other women achieve career and economic mobility. 

Join us as we talk to her about her career journey and lessons she had to learn and unlearn along the way. 

This recording was part of a more intimate coaching session with VEST Members and has been repurposed to accommodate this episode.

Follow Claudia San Pedro

About VEST
VEST is a network of influential women committed to supporting one another through our career journey and building power collectively by working together to expedite the pipeline of women in positions of power. 

We make it easy to gain proximity to other influential women so you can grow your network, be top of mind for opportunities, and learn from the experiences of other women. Our extended network use us as a talent bank and trusted pipeline to fill career opportunities, board appointments, investment and public speaking opportunities. 

Support the show

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co 

Jill Wesley is the Founder of the Science and Soul of Speaking where she works with accomplished professionals who are already doing incredible work and now need to speak about it on bigger stages.

Across her career, Jill has trained and coached over 80,000 executives and high-performing employees in some of the world's top companies and institutions like LinkedIn, Twitter, Square, Adobe, NetApp, Cisco, Stanford Law School, NFL Players Association, Johns Hopkins University, Panasonic, to name a few. Jill has used her method as Head of Speaker Coach for TEDxSanFrancisco to coach speakers for multiple TED and TEDx events. As a speaker, she has delivered more than 300 keynotes in all 50 states and in 25 countries. 

Join us as Jill talks to us about the power of using our voice and stories to ignite movements and seed lasting change in our communities. 

This coaching session was recorded in 2020 as part of a more intimate coaching session with VEST Members and has been repurposed to accommodate this episode.

Contact Jill
Follow Jill

About VEST

VEST is a network of influential women committed to supporting one another through our career journey and building power collectively by working together to expedite the pipeline of women in positions of power.

We make it easy to gain proximity to other influential women so you can grow your network, be top of mind for opportunities, and learn from the experiences of other women. Our extended network use us as a talent bank and trusted pipeline to fill career opportunities, board appointments, investment and public speaking opportunities. 

Support the show

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co