Women of the Bluegrass

Let's hear it: What critical life event has shaped your approach to your craft, your leadership, your life?

In today's episode, host Dr. Jordyne Carmack collects answers to this important authentic leadership question from artists, award winners, musicians, friends, and community leaders as they walk the red carpet at the Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Awards in March 2023 in Prestonsburg, Kentucky.

If you're enjoying the inspirational and practical authentic leadership content from this podcast, you do not want to miss Authenticity Advantage, a new e-newsletter from Jordyne with more of the practical communication and leadership strategies you love to implement in your organization and your workplace. It's free, it's only once a week - and oh yeah, it'll also include the link to the most recent episode of Women of the Bluegrass, so you'll always know when to look for a new episode.

Sign up now and take the next step in your leadership development journey today.

Interviewees, in order of appearance:

Krista Ghens

Brett Higgins

Brooke Pennington

John Ryster

Renee Collins Cobb & Warren Cobb

Karen Combs

Les Stapleton

JC Phelps

John Rosenberg

Tiffini Scherbing

Courdroy Brown

Dan & Mindy Click

Donnie Bowling

Hailey Newman

Lacey Roberts

Randalene Sergent

Desiree Valdez

Taylor Hughes

In today's episode, we welcome Hannah Whitaker, owner and founder of Rediscover - Central and Eastern Kentucky's first eating disorder outpatient clinic to the show. Driven by her personal experience of recovering from anorexia, Hannah founded Rediscover to provide a necessary resource to the communities in her region. In this episode, she shares her story and we chat about early warning signs of disordered eating, strategies for building a healthier relationship with eating, and how getting OFFLINE can impact your relationship with food for the better.

Oh - and just for podcast listeners, I've got a new free resource for you! If you’ve been inspired by the women of this show who are taking confident steps to make a positive impact in their community but feel stuck in your current position, I’ve got a super-charged resource for you available through my website. Six weeks from now, you could be the one starting a business, championing that new program, or finding courage stand up and get noticed in your current position.

Download now: 

Get Unstuck and Accelerate Your Early Career: 3 Proven Strategies to Kickstart Your Professional Development

If you're enjoying the inspirational and practical authentic leadership content from this podcast, you do not want to miss Authenticity Advantage, a new e-newsletter from Jordyne with more of the practical communication and leadership strategies you love to implement in your organization and your workplace. It's free, it's only once a week - and oh yeah, it'll also include the link to the most recent episode of Women of the Bluegrass, so you'll always know when to look for a new episode.

⁠Sign up now and take the next step in your leadership development journey today.

We’re all still learning something new about ourselves each day – but sometimes those discoveries can put your life and your career on a different trajectory. I’m your host, Jordyne Carmack, a leadership development and communication skill coach in London, Kentucky - and you’re listening to Women of the Bluegrass, a leadership development podcast for and about women leading the way in Kentucky industries.

My guest today is Carole Jean Whittington, the Founder of Mind Your Autistic Brain. Her company is one of the largest and only 100% Autistic ADHD owned and staffed Accessibility and Neurodiversity consulting firms in the world. She hosts a weekly talk show discussing the hottest topics in Neurodistinct life from accommodations, work, relationships, burnout, masking and more with some of the biggest names in the Autistic online space. (The Mind Your Autistic Brain Talk Show is heard and downloaded in over 89 countries by over 300,000 listeners and watchers each week. Spotify ranks our show in the top 5% of podcasts in the Self-Help category in 2022.) Carole Jean uses her unique solutions The UnVeiling Method and The Neurodiverse Communication Ecosystem to help companies, teams and individuals, with minds of all kinds, authentically connect and thrive.

If you're enjoying the inspirational and practical authentic leadership content from this podcast, you do not want to miss Authenticity Advantage, a new e-newsletter from Jordyne with more of the practical communication and leadership strategies you love to implement in your organization and your workplace. It's free, it's only once a week - and oh yeah, it'll also include the link to the most recent episode of Women of the Bluegrass, so you'll always know when to look for a new episode.

⁠Sign up now and take the next step in your leadership development journey today.

Hear it from someone who is doing it - training the next generation of employees is rewarding, but takes empathy to do well. A mom of teenage boys (and a little girl!) and owner of Sauced: Pizza, Pasta, and Salad in Bell and Laurel counties alongside her husband Mike, today's guest chats with Jordyne about motherhood, entrepreneurship, working with (and raising) teenagers, and her own journey into entrepreneurship. Grab a slice of pizza and press play!

If you're enjoying the inspirational and practical authentic leadership content from this podcast, you do not want to miss Authenticity Advantage, a new e-newsletter from Jordyne with more of the practical communication and leadership strategies you love to implement in your organization and your workplace. It's free, it's only once a week - and oh yeah, it'll also include the link to the most recent episode of Women of the Bluegrass, so you'll always know when to look for a new episode.

⁠Sign up now and take the next step in your leadership development journey today.

In this episode, Women of the Bluegrass host Jordyne Carmack shares a quick introduction and explores the value of one of her favorite tools - the leadership assessment. Every few months, this podcast will take a brief pause to examine different leadership ideas and tools in a short, 15-minute episode. These "breaks" from the regularly scheduled interviews are an opportunity to introduce new ideas and freshen up familiar techniques in the areas of communication and leadership skills.

If you're enjoying the inspirational and practical authentic leadership content from this podcast, you do not want to miss Authenticity Advantage, a new e-newsletter from Jordyne with more of the practical communication and leadership strategies you love to implement in your organization and your workplace. It's free, it's only once a week - and oh yeah, it'll also include the link to the most recent episode of Women of the Bluegrass, so you'll always know when to look for a new episode.

⁠Sign up now and take the next step in your leadership development journey today.

If you can’t clap on beat or draw a stick figure, don’t worry – today’s guest is here to point us in the direction of those who can. You’re going to love the vibrant enthusiasm she brings to her storytelling and her advocacy on behalf of musicians and artists in Appalachia. My guest today is Jill Hamlin, the assistant director of Fine Arts for Big Sandy Community and Technical College in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. In conjunction with community partners, Jill spearheaded the creation of the Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Awards or The Appy’s in 2021, which seeks to showcase the entire 13-state Appalachian Region by highlighting established talent and emerging talent. In 2022, the Appy’s won the 2022 KCTC Innovation Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Jill is also an award-winning, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter with advanced degrees in Ethnomusicology. 

If you’d like to check out the Appys for yourself, you can buy tickets to the ceremony on March 18th, 2023 or find out more about the finalists at appalachianartsandentertainmentawards.com. 

While we all hope to make a profit with our business, many businesses begin with a mission in mind first. The product or service flows from that – the purpose, the heart of the entrepreneur behind it to make a positive impact on their community. But when challenges arise – whether it’s learning new skills or navigating a pandemic – it takes courage and wisdom to take the right steps forward. My guest today is Kendra Smallwood, owner and founder of Pearl Apparel, a custom embroidery and printing company in Laurel County. Formerly a stateside Christian missionary in Leslie County, Kentucky, she is passionate about Jesus and building community through local business. Today we talk about her business origin story and how she’s looking to grow personally and professionally in the coming year. 

You can check out Pearl Apparel online at PearlApparelKY.com

Whether you’re an experienced supervisor or brand new to leading others, the ability to nurture and bring out the best in those you lead is key to organizational success. In today’s episode, we’ll explore one strategy that can help you coach the individual contributors in your organization toward self-discovery and growth. Today’s guest is Dr. Sarah Adkins, department chair for the Health, Exercise, and Sport Science program at University of the Cumberlands. As a professor, she emphasizes leadership and pedagogy in her classroom and instills in her students the power of role modeling and the important impact that athletic coaches have on community health. A certified professional trainer, health education specialist, and former United States swim coach to all ages, her experience coaching students, athletes, and future coaches gives her insight into leadership wisdom applicable to many industries.

Interested in learning more about Cognitive Coaching? Find out more at the CognitiveCoaching(SM) website.

Sometimes difficult circumstances are precisely what launch us into life-changing opportunities, and, as my guest today shares, into new adventures and the possibility for transformation in our communities. My guest today is Meagan Brannon, the founder of Sprinkles of Hope, a non-profit bakery in Maysville in Mason County Kentucky. With a background in nursing, her true calling in life came after her oldest son, Ben, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder one month before his third birthday.  After realizing that her area did not provide many opportunities for Ben and others with disabilities after aging out of the school system, Sprinkles of Hope was born.  After four and half years, the bakery now also features a cafe and serves the community in more ways than one. Today we talk about the importance of self-reflection, community advocacy, and caring for those with disabilities and those that care for them.

Launching and running a small business is a bit like having and raising a child – and as today’s guest and mom of four shares, the key to success in raising a family and running a business is sometimes in holding it loosely, especially when it grows and changes. In this episode of Women of the Bluegrass, Sam Stovall, the owner of FTD Bakery and Community Room in Prestonsburg, shares her experience participating in eastern Kentucky business accelerator and pitch competition Invest606, launching and growing her family’s business, and how she and her husband connect in spite of busy schedules and the never-ending to-do list.