What CEOs Talk About

Liz’s workshops and book are for people wrestling with the big questions of life. They may be on a healing journey already, or maybe they’re feeling lost and yearning for something more. They might have anxiety or depression - or perhaps they’re just thinking, “There’s GOTTA be more to life.”

Her core message is that our childhood coping mechanisms are not meant to be permanent.

Liz wrote this book because it took her fifty-eight years to figure out most of her shit. And that’s okay. She definitely doesn't have everything sorted out. But, Liz learned a few things that she wanted to share. Things that will help other people figure out their own stuff sooner.

When Liz was six years old, her favorite aunt, Linda White, disappeared at the age of nineteen. As Liz’s mother moved into the role of crisis management, she completely checked out of parenting. They moved into her grandparents’ house, and Liz grew up in Linda’s bedroom. They all endured five very long years of not knowing if she was even alive. And today, more than fifty years later, Linda’s case remains unsolved.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• A tale from Liz’s childhood
• What Liz terms “Victimtown” and the places within
• Martin’s implementation of “fear-setting” as a CEO
• Use of our “heart-voice” to talk back and calm fear
• Conversation techniques to destigmatize talking about mental health
• Tools to dealing with stressors and struggles
• How visiting “Victimtown” can be beneficial
• Identify root causes to recognize and fix problems

Sponsors for this episode

This episode is sponsored by STS Capital Partners and Altruvest Charitable Services.

In this episode….

Liz Long is about to turn 60 and is in the beginning of her third career, where she feels she is finally meant to be. She started out in accounting with other entrepreneurial experiences over the years. Liz then moved to her second career of managing a team of agents in the residential industry. Now she is a mental health advocate by sharing her story through writing and publishing a book about her mental health journey.

Liz shares an excerpt from her book Victimtown, an Unavoidable Destination, and the Gifts it Offers, prompting the overall discussion of what “Victimtown” is and the places within. Through this Liz, and Martin are able to hit on key tools CEOs can use to discuss and deal with mental health in both the workplace and personally.

In this episode of What CEOs Talk About, host Martin Hunter and guest Liz Long discuss mental health and how, through her analogy of “Victimtown” talking about mental health in the workplace can be less daunting. Liz highlights how childhood development can greatly affect coping mechanisms and tools to deal with stressors. Liz and Martin discuss how therapy can help in recognizing and fixing negative coping mechanisms.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• URGEO
• Contact email: [email protected]
• Martin Hunter on LinkedIn
• Liz Long Writes
• Liz Long on LinkedIn
• Liz Long Writes on Facebook
• Liz Long Writes on Instagram
• Melody Beattie - Boundaries
• STS Capital Partners
• Altruvest Charitable Services

Sponsor for this podcast...

This podcast is brought to you by URGEO, Operational excellence in action through the Are you Ready Program!

https://www.urgeo.com/

Are you READY to free up your time?

Optimize your Organization?

Grow revenue and reduce costs?

Build your leadership team?

Partnering with organizations like yours, we work with you to implement our proven methodology designed to transform your operations, while providing accurate advice and support for real success.

Translating strategy into frontline operations, URGEO helps leaders and the people within their organization excel at safe, on-time, on-budget and on-spec delivery. Let’s touch base so we can learn how we can level up your business. Contact us today: https://www.urgeo.com/contact

Hailing from London, UK, and having lived across Slovakia, Russia, Italy, Spain, Brazil, the UAE, and now living in Vancouver, Canada, Katarina Polonsky has a Masters in Gender Studies from the University of Oxford. An experienced Diversity, Equity and Inclusion professional, her specialism is bringing DE&I  to corporations to foster better working environments, happier employees, and more efficient teams.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• Katarina Polonsky explains the difference between inclusion and diversity
• How when you only focus on diversity in day to day operations can isolate employees and breed resentment
• Why inclusion produces happier and more productive employees
• How to drive behavioral change
• Understanding and celebrating where people come from and how to apply it to business
• How to build your awareness of yourself and recognize the different things in life that have given you a leg up
• What are you giving up by helping others?
• Why entitlement breeds resentment and anger

Sponsors for this episode

This episode is sponsored by STS Capital Partners and Altruvest Charitable Services.

In this episode….

Katarina Polonsky brings a worldly viewpoint to her work with businesses and organizations looking to bring a breath of fresh air to their companies. Following the me too movement, the events surrounding the death of George Floyd, and a worldwide pandemic.  Businesses and organizations are having to look at how to move forward in this rapidly changing world.

Companies that are using logic, reason, compassion and empathy to create psychological safety workspaces to guide people are finding that their productivity and worker retention is higher. People are happier where everyone wins and a community is strong. There is now hope in a once bleak looking world.

In this episode of What CEOs Talk About, host Martin Hunter and guest Katarina Polonsky talk about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Katarina explains why business and organizations need to be working more on inclusion and less on diversity. Keep your employees sane, happy and more productive. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• URGEO
• Contact email: [email protected]
• Martin Hunter on LinkedIn
• Katarina Polonsky on LinkedIn
• MindGym
• Previous  Episode: It Takes Intentional Solutions For Intentional Problems with Jason Mercer
• Dolly Chugh
• STS Capital Partners
• Altruvest Charitable Services

Sponsor for this podcast...

This podcast is brought to you by URGEO, Operational excellence in action through the Are you Ready Program!

https://www.urgeo.com/

Are you READY to free up your time?

Optimize your Organization?

Grow revenue and reduce costs?

Build your leadership team?

Partnering with organizations like yours, we work with you to implement our proven methodology designed to transform your operations, while providing accurate advice and support for real success.

Translating strategy into frontline operations, URGEO helps leaders and the people within their organization excel at safe, on-time, on-budget and on-spec delivery. Let’s touch base so we can learn how we can level up your business. Contact us today: https://www.urgeo.com/contact

In 1996, Jay and his team launched a website design division which eventually landed the Backstreet Boys band as a client. They knew from that point on, they'd always "Want it That Way"​ and in 2001, spun-off the division as a separate company.

Today, Firespring has thousands of clients in all 50 states and all over the world. It became Nebraska's first Certified B Corp in 2014 and was named by Inc. Magazine in 2016 as one of America's "50 Best Workplaces."​ Jay has invested in more than 50 startups and is a passionate advocate for the Silicon Prairie having served on the Nebraska Angels BOD since its inception.

Jay and his wife, Tawnya, have a goal to "have a meaningful experience together in 100 countries." He sits on several nonprofit boards and is an avid supporter of programs that embolden our youth to become servant leaders. Jay has appeared on CNN and other news outlets discussing the evolution of purpose-driven companies and is considered a leading authority on social entrepreneurship, modern marketing practices and the nonprofit sector.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• Jay Wilkinson’s youth surrounded by entrepreneurs in Nebraska
• How he came to found Firespring, and the name transition it went through
• Why Jay believes capitalism doesn’t have to be an evil influence
• How Firespring is structured to be an evergreen company
• What the Power of 3 means
• How Firespring will transition towards an ESOP model (and what that is)
• The purpose of the 11 minute Firestarter meeting
• How The Do More Good Movement came about
• The accountability and beauty of being a B Corp
• The one quote that inspired everything behind Do More Good

Sponsors for this episode

This episode is sponsored by STS Capital Partners and Altruvest Charitable Services.

In this episode….

Jay Wilkinson grew up in Nebraska, in a family of entrepreneurs that stretches back to his great grandparents. His first business mentor was his grandmother who lived to be 103 and was friends with Buffalo Bill. Jay took the hard work rooted upbringing to heart and worked it into his entrepreneurial wiring, starting several businesses in college, many of which failed, all of which taught him a lot. Today he is the Founder and CEO of Firespring, a marketing agency that is a certified B Corporation known for the good work they do in their communities.

Jay has structured Firespring to be an evergreen company that is transitioning to ESOP, an employee stock ownership program. He is passionate about doing good, doing right by employees and stakeholders, and about serving people more than simply lining pockets with profit. To that end he has also founded the Do More Good movement: a movement whose purpose is to help companies “evolve on their path to purpose and become Benefit Corporations”. 

In this episode of What CEOs Talk About, host Martin Hunter and Jay Wilkinson discuss how corporations can redirect focus towards people to upend the “evils of capitalism” belief permeating today’s culture. Jay discusses key strategies Firespring employs to engage with communities and ensure all employees are not only valued but active in giving back alongside the company. Jay and Martin share visions for the future and Jay’s “focused, powerful, positive energy”, as described by Martin, is both inspiring and encouraging. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• URGEO
• Contact email: [email protected]
• Martin Hunter on LinkedIn
• Jay Wilkinson on LinkedIn
• Firespring
• Do More Good Movement
• ROI of Why podcast
• ‘Firms of Endearment’ by Raj Sisodia
• Stephen Grellet quote
• STS Capital Partners
• Altruvest Charitable Services

Sponsor for this podcast...

This podcast is brought to you by URGEO, Operational excellence in action through the Are you Ready Program!

https://www.urgeo.com/

Are you READY to free up your time?

Optimize your Organization?

Grow revenue and reduce costs?

Build your leadership team?

Partnering with organizations like yours, we work with you to implement our proven methodology designed to transform your operations, while providing accurate advice and support for real success.

Translating strategy into frontline operations, URGEO helps leaders and the people within their organization excel at safe, on-time, on-budget and on-spec delivery. Let’s touch base so we can learn how we can level up your business. Contact us today: https://www.urgeo.com/contact

Matthew Newman is a driven, results orientated individual that embodies, passion, determination and pride in every aspect of life. He excels at creating/capitalizing on networks, liaisons and business connections, while negotiating/managing joint ventures and strategic partnerships with customers. He is an expert at partnering with all core business operations to significantly increase the company’s footprint, while expanding market share and generating sustainable revenue gains. With an M.A. in Organizational Leadership, he is a team builder with strong strategic ability and management skills.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• What servant leadership means
• The value of culture in a corporate environment
• How Matthew builds culture within his team during COVID times and remote work
• Why Matthew values empowering people through his leadership
• How Alpha Foods has thrived despite the challenges of COVID
• What leadership course Matthew went through and recommends
• Why it’s important to encourage people not to be afraid of decisions and mistakes
• Some of the authors Matthew has learned from

In this episode….

Matthew Newman is the Senior Vice President at Good Foods Group LLC. His 22+ year career has taken him through a wide array of management and sales roles and given him great experience with and insight into effectively leading people. From his early days of earning a Masters Degree while working and parenting three young children, Matthew has learned that empowering people is the key to success.

Matthew follows a model called servant leadership in his management career. The philosophy behind it is simple: to put others first and empower others to succeed. There is a cascade effect that comes with a servant leadership mentality, one that resonates from leaders out into teams: it brings everyone together and into greater unified interaction. Part of building culture is empowerment and connection, especially in the disconnect of COVID times when much of our interaction becomes focused on a screen instead of person to person.

In this episode of What CEOs Talk About, host Martin Hunter and Matthew Newman discuss the benefits of a servant leadership philosophy on a company’s success and how it can translate into greater fiscal return. Matthew stresses the importance of empowering your people, of building a culture based on who people are and not just what work they do, and how coaching and mentorship encourage greater success than simply delegating or handing out solutions.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• URGEO
• Contact email: [email protected]
• Martin Hunter on LinkedIn
• Good Foods Group
• Mathew Newman on LinkedIn
• Simon Sinek - ‘Circles of Safety’
• Franklin Covey - ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’
• Green Monday
• John Maxwell

Sponsor for this podcast...

This podcast is brought to you by URGEO, Operational excellence in action through the Are you Ready Program!

https://www.urgeo.com/

Are you READY to free up your time?

Optimize your Organization?

Grow revenue and reduce costs?

Build your leadership team?

Partnering with organizations like yours, we work with you to implement our proven methodology designed to transform your operations, while providing accurate advice and support for real success.

Translating strategy into frontline operations, URGEO helps leaders and the people within their organization excel at safe, on-time, on-budget and on-spec delivery. Let’s touch base so we can learn how we can level up your business. Contact us today: https://www.urgeo.com/contact

Styron Powers’ favorite earned title is Dad. He is the proud father of a beautiful, intelligent black woman!  

Styron Powers, a former Vice President, Environmental, Health, Safety, and Sustainability Global executive (BP, ExxonMobil, Lockheed Martin, etc),has led teams in ~30 countries. He took his parent's mentoring on the power of education to heart and graduated from Harvard University Advanced Management; Rutgers University – MBA; and North Carolina State University BS in Chemical Engineering and Biological Science. 

In 2017, Styron retired from industry and today dedicates his time and investment expertise to assisting his blog readers in achieving financial freedom. He manages his family's multi-million-dollar rental property business and stock investment portfolio with his wife and daughter and authors the financial literacy blog WealthBuildingPowers.com.

While happy to share his finance and investment lessons, he is NOT a licensed financial advisor or planner. Please do not construe suggestions in his blog or today's talk as recommendations for your situation. For individual financial advice, please seek your licensed CPA or financial advisors or, even better, improve your financial literacy. 

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• How Styron educated himself on financial matters
• Why he started his blog
• The importance of delayed gratification and how it helps save money
• What a Roth IRA is
• How planning for the future is a necessary consideration
• How COVID exposed America’s collective lack of savings
• Who Styron sees coming to him for financial help
• Alternate post secondary institutions to consider that don’t incur Ivy League expenses
• That it’s not too late to learn to manage your money

In this episode….

Styron Powers worked in health and safety for some very large corporations. His job, as he put it, was to protect life: the health, wellness, and physical safety of employees. Throughout his career he was able to work in 30 different countries and he met a lot of wonderful people. He also made a lot of friends who would tell him that they’d be working for the rest of their lives and when he asked why, they said they couldn’t afford to retire. That’s when he started reading about US financial management and how poorly many American manage their finances. 

Styron discovered that about 60% of Americans cannot afford a $400 emergency bill - be it car, heating, medical, or any other sudden cost. So he started writing a blog to help Americans understand how he had personally chosen financial freedom and how to achieve it for themselves. He also does coaching and mentorship - though he’s careful to tell folks he’s not a replacement for a licensed financial advisor - and passes forward the insights that financially helped him.

In this episode of What CEOs Talk About, host Martin Hunter and Styron Powers talk about a fundamental path to financial freedom; that of not spending more than you earn. Styron shares how he was raised to value money and instructed to always save a portion of it. He and Martin discuss delayed gratification, really thinking through purchases, and the vital necessity of planning for your future. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• URGEO
• Contact email: [email protected]
• Martin Hunter on LinkedIn
• Powers Investments Management, LLC
• Styron Powers on LinkedIn
• Wealth Building Powers on Instagram
• 'The Millionaire Next Door' by Thomas J. Stanley Ph.D. and William D. Danko Ph.D
• Roth IRA
• Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services in BC
• Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services in Canada
• 'The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life' by Alice Schroeder

Sponsor for this episode...

This podcast is brought to you by URGEO, Operational excellence in action through the Are you Ready Program!

https://www.urgeo.com/

Are you READY to free up your time?

Optimize your Organization?

Grow revenue and reduce costs?

Build your leadership team?

Partnering with organizations like yours, we work with you to implement our proven methodology designed to transform your operations, while providing accurate advice and support for real success.

Translating strategy into frontline operations, URGEO helps leaders and the people within their organization excel at safe, on-time, on-budget and on-spec delivery. Let’s touch base so we can learn how we can level up your business. Contact us today: https://www.urgeo.com/contact

Known as the CISO Whisperer, Yael Nagler is trusted by CISOs because of her ability to ‘read the room’ and to navigate corporate culture. She leads Yass Partners which delivers tools used by Security Leaders to amplify their impact. 

Over the course of her 20+ year career, Yael architected a framework for understanding the management operating system of organizations and explains it in ways security professionals understand and can operationalize.

Yael begrudgingly admits that she has over 20 years of experience that spans startup and enterprise tech companies (Priceline, SAP-Ariba), as well as Financial Services (JP Morgan, BlackRock) and recently Health Tech. She has played leadership roles through corporate crises, acquisitions and divestitures as well as business growth and transformations. Over the course of her career, her roles continually increased in scope and responsibility.  She’s built and led teams across Information Security, Tech Risk, Procurement, Financial Planning and Analysis and Consulting. She attributes her success to having quickly figured out how to navigate each management operating system and understanding what was necessary to be successful. 

Yass Partners has quickly become the trusted partner for many enterprise and high impact CISOs and Security Programs. Yael is a contributor to the World Economic Forum’s 2022 Global Cyber Outlook and is a frequent guest speaker to leadership circles and various industry roundtables. She is actively engages in various Security & Women Executive Networks and is an investor and advisor to a variety of technology and cybersecurity start-up companies.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• Yael Nagler’s career trajectory
• What Yael learned from early supportive bosses
• What the acronym DEAL stands for
• How Enron taught Yael how to handle crises effectively
• What situational awareness is and how it plays into hiring
• Key components of cybersecurity
• How important cybersecurity is in 2022
• How to assess your risk threshold and what to expect from your board

In this episode….

Yael Nagler was born internationally but grew up in the United States and graduated from Cornell University where she studied hotel management. After graduating she started working at Priceline and from that beginning, she entered a 20+ year career spanning startup and enterprise tech companies as well as financial services. The breadth of her experience and ability to understand what clients and employers alike need while navigating corporate culture have led her to wonderful success.

Currently head of Yass Partners, Yael is a cybersecurity leader with solid advice for all CEOs and corporate executives. She has a keen insight into what strengths led her through her career journey and how to develop situational awareness in every workplace. She and Martin discuss the experience and understanding that each company and challenge offered her as well as how she effectively communicates her knowledge to the benefit those working with her.

In this episode of What CEOs Talk About, host Martin Hunter and Yael Nagler link situational awareness to cybersecurity and explore how understanding the fears, needs, and motivators for employees and clients alike assists in defining risk and mitigating it. Yael explains three key components in developing effective cybersecurity strategy and breaks down the reasons behind the need in a simple but memorable analogy.

Sponsor for this episode...

This podcast is brought to you by URGEO, Operational excellence in action through the Are you Ready Program!

https://www.urgeo.com/

Are you READY to free up your time?

Optimize your Organization?

Grow revenue and reduce costs?

Build your leadership team?

Partnering with organizations like yours, we work with you to implement our proven methodology designed to transform your operations, while providing accurate advice and support for real success.

Translating strategy into frontline operations, URGEO helps leaders and the people within their organization excel at safe, on-time, on-budget and on-spec delivery. Let’s touch base so we can learn how we can level up your business. Contact us today: https://www.urgeo.com/contact

José Azpiri was born in the city of Puebla, Mexico and immigrated to Canada in 2002. During his very successful career with Canada’s top luxury tour operator, José noticed an opportunity to offer first class tours coupled with outstanding service in the Vancouver area. Evergreen Adventures was born! José established his own private sightseeing tour business focused on customer needs. “It was a natural fit, I knew I could bring something to the table that didn’t exist in the city; luxury vehicles, the best tour guides and drivers in the city, proper uniforms and outstanding food made by gourmet Chef Marianne”. José , who is fluent in English and Spanish, loves spending time with his beautiful family; Marianne, an exceptional wife and mother, and his two energetic boys Sebastian and Esteban.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• How José was first introduced to Canada as a boy growing up in Puebla, Mexico
• The first impressions José had of Vancouver, BC during Expo 86
• The process José and his wife Marianne went through to immigrate to Canada
• What companies José found work with and how they shaped his career
• How the luxury tourism industry became such a niche for José
• How simple everyday interactions, as with a neighbor, can shape your future
• Why Martin refers to the journey José took with his career as a flow more than a linear progression and how that is beneficial
• What philosophy José maintains in dealing with employees and clients
• Why “value in intentionality” matters
• What is the secret of the cookies?

In this episode….

José Azpiri grew up in Puebla, Mexico, but the seed of the dream of living in Canada was planted young. His family sent him to learn English by living with a family in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan for a summer. That exchange gave him friends and a place for his family to head back to together in 1986. From Prince Albert, Saskatchewan the family drove out to Vancouver, BC for Expo 86 and José told himself that one day he’d return. Years later, he and his wife Marianne started the process of immigrating to Canada, to Vancouver, and the dream came true. They started from nothing: they left family, friends, and work behind in Mexico and José immediately pushed to find a job in his new home.

Within a month after that momentous move, José had his first job interview with Kiwi Collection and that would start him on a long, sometimes winding career in the Vancouver-based tourism industry. José started building on what he learned of the luxury travel business as well as aspects of the other companies he worked for to put in motion what would ultimately become his own luxury tour company. Today, alongside his wife Marianne who is a chef, he owns and operates Evergreen Adventures. 

In this episode of What CEOs Talk About, host Martin Hunter and José Azpiri discuss what Martin terms the “flow” of how José built his company from the ground up. José explains how he treats his customers, how each one matters individually, and how he works to make a memorable experience for each customer through special details. He and Martin explore what it means to have a dream and how to put in the patient and steady work to achieve it. José understands how to capitalize on opportunity and lean into personal strengths as well as the value of generous interactions with insightful people.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• URGEO
• Contact email: [email protected]
• Martin Hunter on LinkedIn
• Evergreen Adventures
• José Azpiri on LinkedIn
• Evergreen Adventures on Instagram
• Evergreen Adventures on YouTube
• Kiwi Collection

Sponsor for this episode...

This podcast is brought to you by URGEO, Operational excellence in action through the Are you Ready Program!

https://www.urgeo.com/

Are you READY to free up your time?

Optimize your Organization?

Grow revenue and reduce costs?

Build your leadership team?

Partnering with organizations like yours, we work with you to implement our proven methodology designed to transform your operations, while providing accurate advice and support for real success.

Translating strategy into frontline operations, URGEO helps leaders and the people within their organization excel at safe, on-time, on-budget and on-spec delivery. Let’s touch base so we can learn how we can level up your business. Contact us today: https://www.urgeo.com/contact

Danielle Putnam, recognized by The News as The Top 40 Under 40, and Service World Expo as the 2021 Woman of the Year, is President of The New Flat Rate, Advisory Board Member and Past President of Women in HVACR, and is the Executive Director of her non-profit, Family Frameworks. 

Danielle has a personal connection with the home service industry. Her first job was passing out flyers door-to-door for her father’s electrical business. She was 7 years old. In high school, she moved up to being an office dispatcher and parts runner. After college, she became the marketing director for an HVAC company in Oregon.

Danielle knows home service, but she is also no stranger to big business. Before co-founding TNFR, she was the director of business development for a large digital services firm, pitching to C-level executives for big name companies. As part of her job, she also stood before multi-million-dollar investors, seeking capital for the publicly-owned company that she worked for.

Danielle is dedicated to help grow the industry she grew up in and loves. As a public speaker, she promotes careers in the home service industry. When not in the office, she spends time with her husband and three children and enjoys hiking, snowboarding, reading and fine wines.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• How Danielle started The New Flat Rate in her father’s garage
• How entrepreneurial guilt at time off manifests in leaders and CEOs
• Why Danielle views not delegating certain things as enabling complacent behaviors
• Martin’s advice surround the four cardinal rules of leadership
• What Danielle’s parents instilled in her and what she hopes to instill in her children
• How to carve out and retain important family time
• What Martin’s immediate ‘no’ is
• What “stagecoach leadership” means and how it can be used in your business
• What Danielle hopes her immediate ‘no’ will be in 2022

In this episode….

Danielle Putnam is no stranger to the home service industry or big business and she puts all that earned knowledge to work as President of The New Flat Rate. She started TNFR quite literally in her father’s garage. She grew up in the family business of contracting before leaving for 11 years. She returned with solid training in business work environments and she credits that time with founding a solid peer aspect to her relationship with her father, respect that served both well in working together.

From a young age Danielle learned to hone her entrepreneurial spirit; she got a job cleaning for a neighbor at age 12 so she could buy her own clothes, a move encouraged by her mother. Now with her tech company, The New Flat Rate, she provides the sales platform needed to increase cash flow for small businesses in the heating, air, electrical and plumbing home services industries. TNFR is rolling out beta for chimneys and launched an indoor air quality app last year. But Danielle is looking to learn more about leadership and wants to lean in to saying no to distracting opportunities so she can focus on enabling employees with challenges and zeroing in on what her business truly needs to grow. 

In this episode of What CEOs Talk About, host Martin Hunter and Danielle Putnam explore all the ways in which saying yes to too many things, such a necessary attribute in the starting years of business, must evolve into saying no to more things once the business is stable. They discuss how they keep devoted family time in balance while leading busy work lives and Danielle shares her recent gains in the art of saying ‘no’ for the right reasons. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• URGEO
• Contact email: [email protected]
• Martin Hunter on LinkedIn
• Danielle Putnam on LinkedIn
• The New Flat Rate Website
• The New Flat Rate on LinkedIn
• John Maxwell
• ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen R. Covey
• ‘How To Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie
• Moneyball 
• Master and Commander

Sponsor for this episode...

This podcast is brought to you by URGEO, Operational excellence in action through the Are you Ready Program!

https://www.urgeo.com/

Are you READY to free up your time?

Optimize your Organization?

Grow revenue and reduce costs?

Build your leadership team?

Partnering with organizations like yours, we work with you to implement our proven methodology designed to transform your operations, while providing accurate advice and support for real success.

Translating strategy into frontline operations, URGEO helps leaders and the people within their organization excel at safe, on-time, on-budget and on-spec delivery. Let’s touch base so we can learn how we can level up your business. Contact us today: https://www.urgeo.com/contact

Melanie Pump is an accomplished CFO, Director and business leader. She is also the author of ‘Detox: Managing Insecurity in the Workplace’. In the book, she shares her learnings and experiences on the impacts of toxic work environments.  Melanie has appeared on CTV, FOX, ABC and Sirius XM. Her website, melaniepump.com, includes more helpful insight on how businesses and employees can reach their full potential.

In this episode….

Melanie Pump rose from receptionist to CFO, her current position with Brane Inc, but the journey that sets her apart is the one she traveled through and out of personal setbacks, childhood trauma, and grief. Throughout her struggles she experienced insecurity and doubt as well as the positive potential that a healthy workplace could inject into her situation. It is the combination of her life experiences and personal understanding of both healthy and toxic workplaces that led her to write her book, ‘Detox: Managing Insecurity in the Workplace’ during the pandemic.

Melanie understands the great impact a healthy workplace can have on employees from within the structure itself. While she followed the finance path in her career journey, she always had a keen interest in the people and HR side of things. She has experienced and observed how insecurity can be bred in the workplace through a variety of overt and subtle ways and, in contrast, how a workplace can instead uplift and support employees and bring them to a place where they feel safe both physically and psychologically.

In this episode of What CEOs Talk About, host Martin Hunter and Melanie Pump discuss the insights and lessons her book imparts. Melanie explains how low transparency in a job setting can lead to employees feeling insecure both in the role they play and in their overall job security. She advocates for clear and consistent communication as well as setting the “tone from the top” of positivity and inclusivity. She and Martin examine how C-Suite leaders can truly encourage staff and lead by creating healthy and productive workplaces.

This podcast is brought to you by URGEO, Operational excellence in action through the Are you Ready Program!

https://www.urgeo.com/

Are you READY to free up your time?

Optimize your Organization?

Grow revenue and reduce costs?

Build your leadership team?

Partnering with organizations like yours, we work with you to implement our proven methodology designed to transform your operations, while providing accurate advice and support for real success.

Translating strategy into frontline operations, URGEO helps leaders and the people within their organization excel at safe, on-time, on-budget and on-spec delivery. Let’s touch base so we can learn how we can level up your business. Contact us today: https://www.urgeo.com/contact

Shamil Hargovan is an entrepreneur, CEO, and brand leader who has built award-winning products and services, consumer devices, B2B platforms, and applications generating over $4B in direct revenues. As STS Managing Director, Shamil leads sell-side M&A deals, supporting business owners and founders on their journey to a strategic exit.

Shamil also co-chairs the STS Capital Success to Significance™ pillar focusing on social impact and legacy potential. He serves as CEO of Altruvest Charitable Services, an affiliated foundation of STS and a global not-for-profit organization that provides training and tools to improve the governance of community-based charities. Prior to STS, Shamil co-founded Wiivv Wearables, and as CEO, grew the company 68x in three years to become the largest supplier of custom 3D printed footwear worldwide.

In this episode….

Shamil Hargovan was born in Australia and spent his formative childhood years in Tanzania, before the family moved to Cupertino, California when he was a teenager. He laughs about what culture shock it was to go from sometimes not having reliable power supplies to the heart of Silicon Valley in a single move. Now a resident of Seattle, he has forged a successful career as an entrepreneur, CEO, and brand manager who currently works for STS Capital Partners and Altruvest Charitable Services. The idea of using his success and skills to give back to communities and those in need is one of his passions.

Shamil notes that 85% of charities are underserved, unknown, or working as pillars in communities but without necessary visibility and that during the pandemic 66% of these small charities either went under or entered financial difficulties. Altruvest started with having heavy hitter consultants and executives going into charities to help with governance to improve process and assist in the ability to run in a sustainable manner. He now works to bring entrepreneurs, corporations, and individuals into Altruvest to pair them with charities of their choice as board members to facilitate stable growth and sound practices.

In this episode of What CEOs Talk About, host Martin Hunter talks with Shamil Hargovan about their shared passion for investing in the business of nonprofits with time, energy, and support as well as money. They discuss how there is a perception that people don’t believe they have the skills to offer to a charity but that non-profit businesses are exactly that - businesses who still need finance experts, IT and marketing professionals, and leadership just as any other business does. 

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