High Performers HQ

This weeks guest, Michelle Finneran Dennedy, literally wrote the book on Privacy Engineering ("The Privacy Engineers Manifesto: Getting from Policy to Code to QA to Value") Michelle held Chief Privacy Officer roles at Cisco, McAfee/Intel, and Sun Microsystems where she led security and privacy initiatives, before serving as the CEO of Drumwave. “For decades, companies have been missing the means to apply, plan, track, and measure privacy requirements. As the CEO of Privacy Code, Michelle made it possible for organization's to now prove and measure the volume and quality of privacy engineering with meaningful metrics, reports, and a bill of materials (BOM). Additionally, Michelle is a partner at Privatus where she offers strategic and data consulting. In this episode we discuss Michelle's journey with multiple sclerosis and how her lifestyle changes literally saved her cognitive functioning and life, knowing your stakeholders, what privacy actually looks like and how diversity in context impacts our view of it, how to "lead with your chin but not break your heart", and much more.

If you're a current or aspiring founder, you will not want to miss this episode. This week we have Kwame Boler, Founder and CEO of Spritz (Formally neu), a SaaS startup focused on disrupting the residential cleaning industry by building software to support home cleaners. Kwame has been featured in several publications, including Forbes and GeekWire. Before pivoting, neu generated over $750k in revenue, and as the CEO, Kwame raised over 7 figure's in prior funding round's to scale the venture. Now focused on what's to come with Spritz, hear his story of growth, balance with marriage, and his high performance rituals. You don't want to miss this episode!

In this week's episode we discuss, having non-negotiables when it comes to your health and wellness, the difference between attainability and sustainability, how Rho Pharmaceuticals was ahead of the curve when it came to working remotely, how tea and fruit at her family's dining table became a model for workplace etiquette and much more. This week's guest, Hitha Palepu, is the founder of Hitha On The Go. She grew up all over the world, but claims Philadelphia as her hometown (and her sports allegiance). Additionally, Hitha is the CEO of Rho Pharmaceuticals, which aims to deliver highly effective, affordable treatment for the leading causes of death in the United States. Hitha is the author of How To Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip, which was published by Clarkson Potter in 2017. The book has sold over 30,000 copies to date and has been translated in Italian and German. Her latest book “We're Speaking: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris: How to Use Your Voice, Be Assertive, and Own Your Story” is nothing short of amazing. She's a sought after speaker on lifestyle, philanthropy, and healthcare, and has spoken at Comcast's Social Media Lounge, General Assembly, and the UN's Commission on the Status of Women. Hitha is an active angel investor and advisor. Additionally, serves on the board of Sundara, a nonprofit that combines sustainability and hygiene while empowering women in India.

This week's guest, Patty Azzarello, is an executive, best-selling author, speaker and CEO/Business Advisor. Patty has more than 25+ years of experience working in high tech and business. She has held leadership roles in General Management, Marketing, Software Product Development and Sales. She has been successful in running and transforming large and small businesses, and has significant international management experience. Adding to her list of amazing accomplishments, Patty became the youngest general manager at HP at the age of 33. Additionally, She ran a $1B software business at the age of 35 and became a CEO for the first time at the age of 38 (“without turning into a self-centered, miserable jerk”). In this episode we discuss why you should learn to solve problems without having to be directed to do so, the difference between adding value and staying busy, why it's important to “Just Start,” and much more.

This weeks guest, Hugh Evans, is the CEO of Global Citizen. At 14, Australian-born Evans spent the night in a Manila slum. The harsh realities of his hosts' lives motivated Evans to challenge the status quo of extreme poverty. Following a trip to South Africa in 2002 as World Vision's inaugural Youth Ambassador, Evans worked on the Make Poverty History campaign and helped stage the Make Poverty History Concert (fronted by Pearl Jam and Bono). In 2011, under the mantle of the Global Poverty Project (launched 2008), Evans co-founded Global Citizen, and with it, the Global Citizen Festival -- a free, ticketed event requiring fans to perform anti-poverty actions in exchange for entry, recruiting millions into the war against global poverty. In 2015 alone, Global Citizens took 2.3 million actions, helping to secure commitments from governments around the world that are set to affect more than 210 million lives. In this episode we discuss the birth of Global Citizens, the power of education to change people's lives, How a night in the slums changed Hugh's perspective on life in addition to getting a Masterclass in Fundraising.

In this week's Episode we go global to discuss the need for Black representation in medical text books and illustrations, the power of using words to create your future, the proof of success, and the value of self-awareness. Our guest, Chidiebere Ibe, BSc is the Chief Medical Illustrator at Journal of Global Neurosurgery and a Forbes Featured Medical Illustrator. He is also the Creative Director at the Association of Future African Neurosurgeons (AFAN), Young Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (YCAANS) and a Junior Committee Member-World Federation of Neurosurgeons - Global Neurosurgery. Chidiebere Ibe is passionate about contemporary illustrations of black patients. He has worked assiduously to promote the use of black skin medical illustration in medical textbooks and public health materials. He has been acclaimed globally for creating the viral black fetus. Ibe, who earned a chemistry degree in Nigeria and is now studying medicine in Ukraine, only began his medical illustrations in 2020. He has already created images depicting anatomy and a range of conditions, such as the skin disorder vitiligo, cold sores, a chest infection and spinal injuries, all in Black people.

In this episode we discuss how maternal health is a bellwether for societal health, why black women are 3x more likely to experience maternal mortality, the power in simplifying your vision for your life and much more. Our guest, Dr. Neel Shah, MD, MPP, FACOG, is Chief Medical Officer of Maven Clinic, the world's largest virtual clinic for women's and family health, and Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School. He is a globally recognized expert in designing solutions that improve health care, and is listed among the "40 smartest people in health care" by the Becker's Hospital Review. Dr. Shah's work to build equitable, trustworthy systems of care has been profiled by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America other outlets. He is featured in the films Aftershock, which won the Special Jury Prize for Impact at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and The Color of Care, released in 2022 by Executive Producer Oprah Winfrey and the Smithsonian Channel. Prior to joining the Harvard faculty, Dr. Shah founded Costs of Care, an NGO that curates insights from clinicians and patients to help delivery systems provide better care. In 2017, he co-founded the March for Moms Association, a coalition of more than 20 leading organizations, to increase public and private investment in the wellbeing of mothers. Dr. Shah serves on the advisory board of the National Institutes of Health, Office of Women's Health Research.

In this episode we discuss building a global brand, conditioning your mind with affirmations, taking inventory of your life, prioritizing family and much more. This weeks guest, Danyel Surrency Jones, serves as the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of POWERHANDZ Inc. POWERHANDZ is a global designer, manufacturer and distributor of innovative athletic training products that address specific skill development gaps with athletes at all levels. These products have been sold to consumers in >76 countries and successfully built brand awareness with thousands of youth and professional athletes, skills trainers and professional sports organizations including the NBA, NFL, MLB, WNBA and WBO. Previously, Danyel spent nine years with Medtronic, a $29 billion medical technology company. She has received many awards during her career, however being elected as the first women President of Medtronic's sales employee resource group called EXCEL was a major highlight. In addition to her role as CEO with POWERHANDZ Inc., Danyel has a passion for giving back to youth and entrepreneurs. She currently serves as President of the Board for The Power To Give Foundation (501c3). Its mission is to build legacies of service with a commitment to athletic excellence.

Alexis Pokorny Kahlow, Founder of Open Deltas, works with Fortune 500 companies to develop mindfulness programs in addition to providing professional training through the Open Deltas community. Being a 12-year Cisco veteran recognized as a Top 1% sales performer, Alexis most recently ran Cisco's NYC Financial Services Sales and Engineering business. As a highly functioning corporate sales leader in NYC, she saw employees who felt stuck in high-income, cutthroat jobs. Through her own results, she knew that "non-traditional" modalities were an asset. So she introduced corporate-based mindfulness to her team which led to decreased turnover, improved culture and increased performance. After successfully presenting mindfulness to Cisco's 70,000 employees she was inspired to touch more lives and set out to do so. In this episode we discuss the science of the brain, the principles of mindfulness, as well as Alexis's mission to prepare and advocate for a new professional: one embodying ancient wisdom and modern technology to create a regenerative world where we thrive instead of just survive.

Chinwe is an award-winning lawyer, trailblazing corporate executive as Chief Anti-Bribery Officer at Citi, writer, and speaker who is passionate about inspiring generations of #womenleaders. She is the author of the book, Brilliance Beyond Borders: Remarkable Women Leaders Share the Power of Immigrace and host of the Brilliance Beyond Borders #Podcast. Chinwe is an award-winning lawyer, trailblazing corporate executive as Chief Anti-Bribery Officer at Citi, writer, and speaker who is passionate about inspiring generations of #womenleaders. She is the author of the book, Brilliance Beyond Borders: Remarkable Women Leaders Share the Power of Immigrace and host of the Brilliance Beyond Borders #Podcast. In this episode we discuss Chinwe's journey to becoming the first to hold the title Chief Anti-Bribery Officer in Citi bank's history. Additionally, we discuss how to optimize your lifestyle to produce the best results both professionally and personally.