Career Startups Podcast

Connect with Tom Vranas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomvranas/ Connect with Meighan Newhouse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meighannewhouse/ Connect with Carrie Missele: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-missele-26a0162/ Timestamps: 00:52 - Introduction of Tom Vranas and his role at Everywhere Wireless 03:07 - Initial conversations and partnership between Inspirant and Everywhere Wireless 05:52 - Emerging Leaders Program and the thought process behind it 07:57 - COVID’s impact on onboarding 10:25 - Intentionality in culture building 12:29 - Carrie on Garfield comic and learning by osmosis 13:27 - Pre-conceived notions of people and culture 14:48 - Putting in the work to learn and grow 16:12 - Re-imagining culture in the micro and macro 21:30 - Most popular team-building events during pandemic 23:15 - Empathy and how to manage COVID fatigue 25:57 - Big audacious goals for 2021 28:09 - Being intentional about hiring and making an impact in the community Show Notes: Everywhere Wireless: https://ewfiber.com/ Learn more about Immersity: https://inspirantgrp.com/services/immersity/ Daily Mood Tracker: https://www.teammood.com/en/ JazzHR: https://www.jazzhr.com/ Chris Turner (British Improv Rapper): http://www.christurnercomedy.com/

Connect with Meighan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meighannewhouse/ Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laidaniel/ Watch the Video of this Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7sYrSpOShU&t=1370s Summary: In this episode, Daniel chats with our CEO, Meighan Newhouse. They do a high-level retrospective of 2020 and then discuss the pillars that will guide Inspirant Group in 2021. This is a great episode to learn more about Inspirant's culture and get some insight on Daniel and Meg's personalities. TIMESTAMPS: 01:50 - How do you pronounce “Inspirant” 02:12 - Retrospective of 2020 and how Inspirant approached a difficult year 08:43 - Recap of our 2021 Pillars in a year of stabilization 09:29 - Experiment (approaching the year as an experiment) 14:20 - Embody (live out our values and practice what we preach) 22:05 - Empower (be our best selves and own our careers) 25:28 - Meg’s words of encouragement for the new year Show Notes: Learn more about Immersity: https://inspirantgrp.com/services/immersity/ Connect with Inspirant on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspirant-group-inc./

Connect with Carrie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-missele-26a0162/ Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laidaniel/ Immersity is a culture immersion program brought to you by Inspirant Group. Take our survey and get a personalized report on how your onboarding efforts compare to your peers. Learn more at https://inspirantgrp.com/services/immersity/ Timestamps: 00:58 – Carrie Missele and her role at Inpsirant Group 01:35 – Company culture and what a people-first organization looks like 03:15 – Micro cultures 06:02 – Perception vs. Intent and getting feedback from your people 08:20 – Psychological safety and internalizing feedback 09:30 – Employee engagement and the typical onboarding experience 12:13 – Collateral damage of a negative onboarding experience 14:35 – Putting people and culture at the center of onboarding 16:40 – Immersity's origin story and Carrie's inspiration 19:58 – Building a product and the talented team behind Immersity 23:15 – Modules, customizations, and tools from our culture immersion program 27:43 – What clients have experienced and benefited from our pilot programs 31:17 – Inspirant Group's takeaways from going through the program 33:08 – Kudos to Carrie and the team for building Immersity Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspirant-group-inc. Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Inspirantgrp Learn more about Inspirant Group: https://inspirantgrp.com/

Summary: Our new COO, Daniel Lai, kicks off our first podcast episode and talks about his motivation and drivers behind joining Inspirant Group. Timestamps: 00:39 - Overview and motivation behind the Project Violet acquisition 06:19 - New direction of the podcast 08:28 - How Daniel is approaching his transformation to COO 17:48 – What's coming up next Show Notes: Inspirant Group Website: https://inspirantgrp.com/ Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/laidaniel/ Connect with Meg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meighannewhouse/ Connect with Amir: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amir-azarbad-14a6142/ Connect with Chris V: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-vanavermaete/ Claire Hughes Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIHKzRub7ts&t=1464s Keith Rabois: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fQHLK1aIBs&t=2s The First 90 Days: https://www.amazon.com/First-90-Days-Strategies-Expanded/dp/1422188612/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3QW8H00WIC2FI&dchild=1&keywords=the+first+90+days+by+michael+watkins&qid=1605554177&sprefix=the+first+90+days%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-2

Connect with Trina on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/trinawellendorf/ Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/laidaniel/ Join our Community of Health IT Professionals: https://community.projectviolet.com/ Timestamps: 00:42 - University of Iowa and figuring out possible career paths 02:39 - Starting her career with Perot Systems and the Health Care Academy 04:38 - Learning through early career transitions in Chicago, Rhode Island, and Dallas 07:05 - Managing doubt and finding the right fit in your career 08:38 - The power of having mentors and sponsors 10:00 - Consulting and discovering Change Management 12:16 - Finding purpose and Trina’s transition to becoming an 8th grade science teacher 14:30 - Learning to become a teacher and building resiliency in a tough environment 16:21 - Trina’s transition back to consulting and joining Accenture 18:32 - How to view career transitions and the journey to get to where you need to be 20:45 - Consulting, getting an Master’s degree, and making Manager 22:32 - Do good work and the rest will follow 23:34 - Insights to Accenture's people development and performance management 27:02 - How Trina has created unique roles for herself in her career. Being an “intrapreneur" 30:42 - Tips for working and managing teams in a global/virtual environment 36:15 - Trina’s definition of success 37:28 - Rapid fire questions (a day in the life, daily habits for success, managing stress) 42:22 - Final thoughts and advice for emerging professionals and early careerists Show Notes: Caffein by Michael Pollan (audible)- https://www.amazon.com/Caffeine-How-Created-Modern-World/dp/B083MYJXZT/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=caffeine+michael+pollan&qid=1596664265&s=audible&sr=1-1 Learn more about Accenture's pivot on performance reviews - https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2015/07/21/in-big-move-accenture-will-get-rid-of-annual-performance-reviews-and-rankings/

Connect with Drew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewnkwocha/ Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laidaniel/ Timestamps: 00:43 - Role and responsibilities at Signify Health 02:23 - University studies and early career aspirations 04:40 - Getting that first job and moving into health IT 08:17 - Managing career transitions with your manager 10:36 - Taking on roles in project management, business analysis, and product management 13:55 - The value of mentors and learning to become a manager 18:05 - Product management and Agile methodology 20:11 - Certifications in CSM, SAFe, and POPM (he also has an MBA) 23:36 - Servant leadership 26:04 - A Day in the Life (daily habits for success pre and post COVID) 32:46 - Daniel finds out Drew is also a DJ 33:18 - Final advice for new entrants and early careerists in health IT Join our Community of Health IT Professionals: https://community.projectviolet.com/

In this episode, we discuss the journey to become an independent consultant in health IT. Connect with Joanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-wh... Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laidaniel/ Register for our Accelerator Program and Community: https://www.community.projectviolet.com/ Timestamps: 00:33 - Joanne's college experience and transition to accounting and information systems 03:24 - Launching a consulting career at Deloitte 05:36 - Decision and transition to independent consulting 10:00 - Building her company as an independent consultant 13:33 - Definition of success in projects and career 15:54 - Conceptual diagrams 20:00 - A day in the life (routines and daily habits for success) 27:34 - Driving to decisions on projects and what makes a good consultant 31:33 - Biggest challenges as a consultant 33:17 - Greatest reward in being an independent consultant Learn more about Project Violet at https://www.projectviolet.com

Connect with Kate on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/katevein/ Connect with Daniel on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/laidaniel/ Join our Online Community: www.community.projectviolet.com/ Timestamps: 00:31 - Kate’s college experience and transition to marketing 04:09 - Building project management skills in marketing 05:49 - Initial roles in the early stages of her career 08:54 - Versatility of project management and leading with that skillset 11:15 - Deciding to become an independent consultant and joining Inspirant Group 20:26 - Definition of success and challenging yourself 24:11 - A day in the life with Kate Vein 32:10 - Being confident and not comparing yourself to others 37:24 - What to learn from an online community of independent consultants Learn more about Project Violet at www.projectviolet.com

Connect with Larry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrybriski West Monroe Partners (WMP): https://www.westmonroepartners.com WMP Careers: https://www.acceptthechallenge.com Timestamps: 00:40 - Indiana University and choosing a major 02:11 - Joining Deloitte out of college and initial career growth 04:42 - Getting an MBA and transition to independent consulting 06:22 - How Larry met his business partners and built their consulting firm, Invoyent 09:39 - The strength of the business partners at Invoyent 11:30 - Hiring, training, and culture at Invoyent 16:03 - Challenges of building a company at age 28 and evolving as a leader 20:00 - Rapid growth and Invoyent being acquired by West Monroe Partners (WMP) 24:41 - Larry’s role at WMP and what they do in healthcare 27:20 - Culture at WMP and its alignment with Invoyent 28:57 - People development and career growth at WMP 32:13 - Advice for young professionals looking to grow their career rapidly 33:46 - Mentorship and how Larry invests in people 38:48 - Owning your career in consulting 40:25 - Advice for college students and how to approach their education 42:54 - Connecting with Larry and West Monroe Partners Learn more about Project Violet at https://www.projectviolet.com

Connect with Ellen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-mcinerney-563bb2b/ Project Violet: https://www.projectviolet.com TIMESTAMPS 01:00 - Ellen’s college experience and career goals at the time 04:00 - College recruiting experience and prepping for interviews 05:50 - Interviewing and working at Optum United Healthcare 10:07 - First-year struggles, lessons learned, and mentoring 12:58 - How to accelerate your learning and succeed on new projects 14:47 - Taking a year off to travel the world 20:39 - Coming back into the work world and finding the right company 21:38 - Advice on accelerating your career and getting promoted 27:21 - What it’s like to be a manager 29:53 - How to deal with stress and finding balance 31:10 - Thoughts on joining Career Startups and Project Violet 33:44 - General advice for young professionals 35:13 - What makes someone unmistakeable?

Connect with Meighan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meighannewhouse/ Inspirant Group: https://inspirantgrp.com/ TIMESTAMPS 02:03 - Meighan’s background and story of meeting the founding partner at Inspirant Group. 04:03 - Experience getting hired and working for a large consulting firm. 04:49 - Transition from office life to being 100% virtual. 05:39 - Figuring out her interests in learning and development and starting her own company. 07:14 - Launching her own consultancy, Colette Allen Consulting. 08:57 - Aspirations of building a great place to work and partnering with Amir and Inspirant Group. 12:08 - Meighan’s role as Chief People Officer, Head of L&D Practice, and Managing Partner. 17:20 - The core values of Inspirant Group and how it influences the company culture. 19:40 - Hiring at Inspirant Group for culture and the contract-to-hire approach. 22:43 - Creating great teams while integrating contractors and employees. 28:33 - Meighan’s decision process and personal experience becoming an independent consultant. 29:25 - The importance of not burning bridges in your career. 30:49 - Naming her consultancy Colette Allen 31:28 - Tactical advice on becoming an independent consultant 41:55 - Concerns and preparation before taking the leap. 44:33 - The trend of side-gigs and how to approach employees with those ambitions. 47:10 - Advice for college graduates wanting to become an independent consultant. 49:29 - Take the time to get to know yourself. Check out the video podcast on our other platforms: Facebook: www.facebook.com/careerstartups/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/careerstartups/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/careerstartups

Connect with Lee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-gunter/ Timestamps 01:45 - Experience and initial political aspirations at Texas A&M 03:00 - Senior year internship and deciding to change career paths 04:15 - Lee’s first job and moving eventually into the leadership development program at Perot Systems 06:23 - Experience supporting executives and obtaining the role of Chief of Staff at Dell 13:35 - Advice for fast-tracking your career 16:20 - Career progression from working on a turnaround to being AVP at a health IT startup 22:16 - Lessons learned from Lee’s corporate roles prior to his transition 28:07 - How the transition started, family discussions, and confiding in mentors 34:25 - Advice for people contemplating a transition before they make the shift 37:24 - What is a Financial Advisor? 41:17 - Financial advice for young professionals 45:23 - Juggling a life of work, family obligations, and leadership positions in the community 46:50 - Discussion on happiness, faith, and purpose 48:22 - Final advice for young professionals 50:15 - One piece of advice for those planning to have kids in the future Follow Career Startups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/CareerStartups Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/careerstartups LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/careerstartups

Connect with Amir on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amir-azarbad-14a6142/ Timestamps 01:25 - Amir’s career startup after graduating from the University of Waterloo (Canada) 03:10 - Creating your own job oppportunities and dealing with initial challenges in your career. 08:40 - Shifting to consulting and working with Deloitte as an Analyst 10:25 - Initial consulting bootcamp and adjusting to the consulting lifestyle 12:25 - Mentorship, networking, and controlling your own career in consulting 14:30 - Choosing to move to a small consulting startup (Invoyent) 17:20 - Decision making and advice around work transitions and career moves 22:50 - Differences between a career in industry vs. one in consulting 30:50 - Stepping away from industry and starting a consulting firm 35:00 - Advice on finding mentors to help navigate your career and industry 36:55 - Disrupting the consulting industry and what Inspirant Group is all about 43:09 - The Inspirant Group leadership team, culture, and more about the company 46:45 - Final advice from Amir on your career Episode Notes Inspiring Group, Inc: https://inspirantgrp.com University of Waterloo: https://uwaterloo.ca/ Follow Career Startups Facebook: www.facebook.com/careerstartups/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/careerstartups/

Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidashleyk/ Timestamps 02:23 - Working at Deloitte as a Business Technology Analyst 03:24 - Deloitte University (DU) 06:28 - Ashley's experience studying biomedical engineering at Duke University 08:50 - Girls Engineering Change (check out the episode notes for more info!) 12:31 - Graduating early and working with Engineering World Health 14:17 - The interview process with Deloitte 16:00 - Work expectations as a consultant and internal company projects 18:10 - Accelerated learning in a new job and industry 19:46 - How to run meetings 20:51 - Getting feedback and improving email communications over time 22:42 - The 6-8 month trajectory of increasing confidence and skill level 26:09 - Irish dancing, dealing with nervousness, and building confidence 31:10 - How to build trust with clients and co-workers 32:58 - Career counselors at Deloitte 33:58 - Getting feedback from direct managers and Ashley's own professional development 36:00 - Advice on building and leveraging your professional network 39:12 - Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, and 20 years from now? 41:23 - Learning and being inspired by Melinda Gates Episode Notes Deloitte Digital: https://www.linkedin.com/company/deloitte-digital/ Girls Engineering Change: https://www.girlsengineeringchange.org/ Engineering World Health: http://www.ewh.org/ Follow Career Startups Facebook: www.facebook.com/careerstartups/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/careerstartups/

A short and personal episode today on how I’m building up Career Startups. I hope you enjoy this behind the scenes look of my journey on this entrepreneurial path. Timestamps: 01:28 The beginning of my entrepreneurial aspirations 02:38 My reasons for starting Career Startups 04:04 Breakdown of my 5-year plan 04:45 The original concept and pilot of Career Startups 05:27 Shifting focus and building out the media side of the company 08:00 Building a consulting arm and why 09:03 What it’s like to start a company on your own 11:05 How my brain matches the folder structure on my computer 12:08 The idea of expanding soon 12:23 A quick thank you 12:55 Let me know your thoughts... Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn: www.facebook.com/careerstartups/ www.linkedin.com/company/careerstartups/

Connect with Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-gregorio-3a88412/ Learn more about ImpowerQ Associates: https://www.impowerqassociates.com/ Timestamps: 01:33 - Dave’s influence in mentoring young talent and veterans across the healthcare industry 02:57 - Taking a holistic and loving approach to building up young associates and employees 04:32 - The global network, culture, and bond created from the healthcare academy 08:23 - ImpowerQ's Purpose Quotient and building employee engagement 12:00 - The foundation of the strong culture and success of the healthcare academy 13:07 - Purpose-driven companies and the reality of how many CEOs run their organizations 15:54 - Ramifications of a bad culture and the impact on millennials 17:48 - Interviewing with consulting firms and the opportunity for boutique consultancies 20:28 - Wealth and happiness 24:38 - The evolution of Dave’s point of view and approach to recruitment and selection 35:12 - HR and the chasm between business and people 37:17 - What makes managers successful in managing young talent 40:50 - Reverse mentoring and Dave’s personal experience with it 43:55 - Topics for a follow-up podcast with both Dave and his co-founder Samina Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn: www.facebook.com/careerstartups/ www.linkedin.com/company/careerstartups/

Connect with Joel Whitworth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelwhitworth/ Timestamps: 01:40 - Being a Director at HCSC and the responsibilities of a product owner 03:30 - Joel’s first job as an Educational Leadership Consultant for Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity 05:34 - How to approach networking conversations and connecting with people quickly 10:10 - Transitioning to the corporate world and his initial roles at Perot Systems 13:30 - Getting the opportunity to work overseas in China 14:50 - Making the decision to accept the opportunity to move to China 16:15 - Implications and logistics of moving overseas 17:57 - The experience of moving, life as an expat, working in China, and building services in a new market 24:08 - General advice on working in China as an expat 25:41 - Building a professional network 28:45 - Running events for K-State Alumni Association 30:27 - Book recommendations, podcasts, and other career influences 33:30 - Opportunities in other industries 34:58 - Final thoughts and advice for young professionals Healthcare Terms and Acronyms: UM - Utilization Management HCSC - Health Care Service Corporation Books, Podcasts, and Other Recommendations: Never Eat Alone - https://www.amazon.com/Never-Eat-Alone-Expanded-Updated-ebook/dp/B00H6JBFOS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517856676&sr=8-1&keywords=never+eat+alone Harvard Business Review - https://hbr.org/ How I Built This - podcast This Week in Tech - podcast Hardcore History - podcast Curious City - podcast Companies and Organizations: Lambda Chi Alpha - https://www.lambdachi.org/ Health Care Service Corporation (Blue Cross Blue Shield of TX, NM, OK, MT) - http://www.hcsc.com/ Perot Systems (now NTT Data) - https://us.nttdata.com/en/industries/healthcare-and-life-sciences

Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn: www.facebook.com/careerstartups/ www.linkedin.com/company/careerstartups/ Connect with Tabitha on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tabitha-king-1393a231/ Timestamps: 01:13 - Global Healthcare Alliance and being the Director of Client Management 02:10 - Tabitha’s educational path and finding a career in healthcare 03:40 - Management consulting experience and her initial projects in EMR implementations 06:30 - Deciding to change companies to pursue more growth opportunities 08:36 - MedSynergies, learning about revenue cycle, and shadowing 12:35 - Career progression, preparation for performance reviews, and career management advice 19:20 - Transitioning to management/leadership and growing as a leader 27:45 - Evolution of career/life goals, mentorship, and finding your strengths 33:48 - Dealing with stress, daily routines, and general health 38:20 - Closing thoughts and advice for young professionals (listen to this if not anything else in the podcast) Healthcare Terms and Acronyms: ACO - Accountable Care Organization EMR - Electronic Medical Records Meaningful Use - https://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/meaningful-use-definition-objectives Revenue Cycle - https://www.ohsu.edu/xd/about/services/patient-business-services/revenue-cycle/ Value-Based Care - https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15938-value-based-care Books and Other Recommendations: 2600 Phrases for Effective Performance Reviews The Five Dysfunctions of a Team The Advantage What Exceptional Leaders Know Strengths Finder 2.0 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Companies: Dell Healthcare (now NTT Data)- http://www.nttdata.com/global/en/industries/healthcare-and-life-sciences/index.html MedSynergies (now Optum)- https://www.medsynergies.com/ Global Healthcare Alliance - https://globalhca.com/

Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/careerstartups/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/careerstartups/ Summary: Will and I started our professional careers together. He's since become one of my closest friends and confidant over the years. He has over a decade of experience in IT and has become a successful sales executive in the industry. In this episode, you'll learn about the sales process in IT, building professional relationships, career management, advice on how to prepare for interviews, and much more! Time Stamps: 02:28 - Enterprise Sales at NetApp 04:30 - Will’s Irish roots, educational path, and advice on how to view your education 10:30 - Getting his first job out of college 15:35 - Interviewing for his first job and advice on interview preparation 20:30 - Onboarding and initial training in the corporate world 24:15 - Getting into sales and what makes a good sales executive 29:00 - Breaking down the sales process (for complex, enterprise sales) 35:00 - The importance of building relationships in sales 38:00 - Recommendations for learning more about the industry and sales 41:00 - Connecting with William Kent and networking in general Links: Book Recommendation: https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Get-Real-Not-Play/dp/1596592060 William Kent LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamgkent/ William Kent Website: http://www.wgkent.com/