Podcasts about Culture code

In this episode of Lennox ON AIR, Joe and Dave sit down with Jonathan Saunders, Manager of Dealer Training for Lennox Learning Solutions, to talk about the next generation of dealer training. From the introduction of the CLEAR sales process to new role-based assessments and the upcoming Culture Code course, Jonathan shares how Lennox Learning Solutions is helping dealers turn training into measurable business growth.Together, they unpack what it means to invest in people, how to create a sales process that builds trust and transparency, and why understanding your company's identity is key to building a strong culture. Whether you're a comfort advisor, technician, or dealer principal, this conversation offers a roadmap for developing your team, your business, and ultimately, your success.ON AIR is a Lennox Learning Solutions Production.

Episode Overview In this inspiring episode of The John Kitchens Coach Podcast, John Kitchens sits down with Connie Alexander, a powerhouse real estate leader who built a luxury brand from humble beginnings. From growing up in Section 8 housing to closing multimillion-dollar homes, Connie's journey is a masterclass in perseverance, mindset, and standards. Connie opens up about her early struggles, how she turned survival into success, and why luxury isn't about price—it's about process, presentation, and service. Together, she and John explore what it means to lead with integrity, build a lasting brand, and hold yourself to an elite standard, no matter your market. Whether you're breaking into luxury, rebuilding your confidence, or striving to elevate your business, this conversation will leave you inspired and ready to redefine your standards of success. What You'll Learn in This Episode From Humble Beginnings to High Standards How growing up with limited resources shaped Connie's work ethic and drive. The shift from proving yourself to making your family proud. Why your story—not your starting point—defines your brand. Breaking into Luxury Real Estate The "aha" moment that led Connie to launch her luxury brand. How to market luxury by decision, not by price point. The mindset difference between chasing status and living by standards. Luxury Starts with Service Training agents to think, act, and communicate at a luxury level—first. Why "luxury" is a mindset of excellence and precision, not just listings. How process, consistency, and attention to detail create a Ritz-Carlton experience in every transaction. Mindset, Faith, and Resilience How survival moments built the confidence to thrive in any market. Turning fear into fuel—and using adversity as a platform for growth. Why faith and gratitude are Connie's daily business practices. Creating a Culture of Excellence The book that shapes Connie's leadership philosophy: The Nordstrom Way. How Gandhi's quote on belief, values, and destiny became her team's mantra. Why consistency and clarity are the ultimate luxury brand builders. Luxury Market Trends The rise of wellness-focused, lifestyle-driven luxury homes. How affluent buyers are prioritizing health, technology, and entertainment spaces. Why marketing luxury now means showcasing lifestyle, not just square footage.   Resources & Mentions JohnKitchens.coach – Executive coaching and leadership resources for agents. The Nordstrom Way by Robert Spector – Lessons on world-class customer service. The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle – Creating connected, high-performing teams. The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale – On mindset and personal transformation. Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni – Identifying your leadership strengths.   Final Takeaway Luxury isn't about status—it's about standards.  It's about serving with excellence, living with gratitude, and creating experiences that elevate everyone involved. "We train luxury first, because excellence should be the standard for every client, not just the elite few." - Connie Alexander Connect with Us: Instagram: @johnkitchenscoach LinkedIn: @johnkitchenscoach Facebook: @johnkitchenscoach   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review. Stay tuned for more insights and strategies from the top minds. See you next time!

The Agency Team is the #1 real estate team in Hawaii. They recently achieved their first 100-unit month. They recently expanded beyond the islands to the mainland. They've grown to 150 agents.And they've done it all with zero recruiting.How? Attraction.On day one, team leader Dylan Nonaka created a “culture code” that focuses on family and relationships and emphasizes the abundance mindset and pay-it-forward practice.Two channels that help attract agents and clients to them: video and social media.Two concepts you'll hear in this episode: “your vibe attracts your tribe” and “who not how.”Watch or listen to this conversation with Dylan for insights into:The main elements of a strong team foundationHow he developed his culture code and how it's benefitted the team since day oneHow a few friends came together to create what's become a 150-agent teamA key expense that grows as the business growsThe two cultural characteristics and two sources of agents that prevent him from having to do any outbound recruiting at allWhy he'll always do his social media himselfWhen, why, and how he committed to consistently creating videosWhy his videos aren't about entertainment or even lead generationWhy he looks at attribution, conversion rate, and ROI in a global wayHow team members get involved in the YouTube channel“Who Not How” as the philosophy for market expansionHow he found the person who started in a role he didn't know he needed and who's become COOAt the end, learn about Javelin Squad with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, about never paying for a haircut, about being forced to be fully present, and why “the devil lives in the white space.”Mentioned in this episode:→ https://whonothow.com/→ https://unlockconference.comConnect with Dylan Nonaka:→ https://www.instagram.com/konabroker/→ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNtK6ItXmpLIPB7FWUSsyywConnect with Real Estate Team OS:→ https://www.realestateteamos.com → https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos → https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Episode Overview In this episode of The John Kitchens Coach Podcast, John Kitchens sits down with Ryan Smith for an honest and powerful conversation on leadership, mindset, and faith in real estate. From navigating a tough market and having hard client conversations, to leading with integrity, core values, and purpose, Ryan shares the timeless principles that help his team thrive—no matter the conditions. This is more than a real estate conversation; it's a masterclass in faith-based leadership, culture building, and personal alignment. If you've been feeling the tension between growth and gratitude, business and balance, this episode will remind you what really matters and how to lead from the inside out. What You'll Learn in This Episode Mindset in a Shifting Market Why your mindset determines your altitude, not the market conditions. How to stay proactive when transactions slow and uncertainty rises. Why fundamentals and skill mastery always win over hype and panic. Having Hard Conversations with Clients How to bring clients back into what Ryan calls the “Circle of Reality.” Why early expectation-setting prevents frustration later in the process. When to walk away from clients—and how honesty always builds trust long-term. Leadership, Team Culture & Core Values The power of hiring based on values, not production alone. Why culture is just a collection of your people—and how one wrong fit can shift everything. The “gardener” analogy: pruning your team for health and growth. Faith, Family & Focus How Ryan structures his business around his faith and family priorities. Why excellence in business flows from spiritual and personal alignment. Balancing ambition with purpose: redefining success beyond production numbers. Mindset, Storytelling & Self-Leadership The “Story Model” for self-awareness: how your internal narrative shapes your results. Why agents must master mindset before strategy. How to create a culture where team members can call each other out with truth and trust. Opportunities in Today's Market Why honesty and excellence set you apart when others take shortcuts. The shrinking competition and growing chance to win listings and market share. The power of attraction through doing the right thing—consistently. Resources & Mentions JohnKitchens.coach – Executive coaching for growth-minded agents The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits! by Greg Crabtree The Bible, Matthew 7:24–27 – Building your foundation on the rock Final Takeaway True leadership isn't about selling more homes—it's about building your business on character, consistency, and conviction. As Ryan puts it: “All I can do is the next right thing. Do it over and over, and that's what leads to your breakthrough.” Connect with Us: Instagram:  LinkedIn:  Facebook:    If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review. Stay tuned for more insights and strategies from the top minds. See you next time!

In this episode, Erika sits down with Chris Baumann, Executive Vice President of Socotra Capital, to talk about what makes their company stand out as a “hard money lender with a heart.” Chris shares how he got started in the industry, the importance of company culture, and how Socotra Capital has built long-term trust with both investors and borrowers through fast, reliable lending.   Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind:  Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply   Investor Machine Marketing Partnership:  Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true ‘white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com   Coaching with Mike Hambright:  Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike   Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a “mini-mastermind” with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming “Retreat”, either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas “Big H Ranch”? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat   Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform!  Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/   New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club   —--------------------

In this episode of the Managing with Mind and Heart Podcast, host Ethan Nash breaks down the beginning of the book, The Culture Code, where author Daniel Coyle explores why psychological safety, rather than talent, is the foundation of great teams. By diving into some of Nash Consulting's favorite excerpts, we unpack the signals that say “you belong here” and explore best practices for leaders.  In this episode we mentioned the following episodes:  Awareness of and Moderating your Power Differential Healthy Conflict, parts one, two, three, and four  Creating Psychological Safety Best practice listening skills (episode 53 and episode 71) Mindsets for Receiving Feedback Tell Your Employees You Appreciate Them (Categories & Strategies Of Recognition) Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting's monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

Episode Overview In this episode of The John Kitchens Coach Podcast, we break down the biggest lessons, takeaways, and leadership insights from the Agent to CEO 2025 event in Cleveland. From mindset and systems to vision, strategy, and people, they unpack what it truly means to lead like a CEO in today's evolving real estate landscape. The conversation dives deep into clarity, culture, and leadership—exploring why vulnerability, storytelling, and alignment matter more than ever. With takeaways from powerful sessions featuring Blake Sloan, Tina Caul, Veronica Figueroa, and Jay Kinder, this episode is a masterclass in building scalable businesses that thrive through clarity and connection. Whether you're running a solo operation or leading a growing team, this is your blueprint for thinking, acting, and executing like a CEO. What You'll Learn in This Episode Mindset & Vision Why every breakthrough starts with clarity—and how to find yours. The power of vision: how to cast it, communicate it, and get your team aligned. Why leaders fail when they accomplish a goal and forget to reset it. Leadership & Team Culture Blake Sloan's framework for leading with vulnerability and transparency. The Culture vs. Productivity Matrix—how to identify and remove “terrorists” in your organization. How “Working Genius” reveals what drives people and how to communicate with your team effectively. Systems & Strategy The “half-built bridges” problem: why unfinished projects drain momentum. How to identify your biggest bottleneck (“Herbie”) and build strategy around it. Why focusing on the right three priorities each quarter drives consistent growth. Vision, Model, Strategy, People The four pillars of the Agent to CEO framework—and how they work together. How to design a business model that serves your lifestyle and goals. The difference between a business hire and a life hire—and how both create freedom. Event Highlights How Blake Sloan set the tone with raw honesty and next-level leadership. Why storytelling builds trust in an age of skepticism. Key takeaways from Jay Kinder, Tina Caul, and Veronica Figueroa's sessions. Resources & Mentions The Agent to CEO Framework – Learn more at Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni – Discover your unique leadership type The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle Atomic Habits by James Clear Vivid Vision by Cameron Herold No B.S. Trust-Based Marketing by Dan Kennedy Final Takeaway The agents and leaders who win in this market aren't just better at selling—they're better at leading. Vision, systems, and culture are the real multipliers. Connect with Us: Instagram:  LinkedIn:  Facebook:    If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review. Stay tuned for more insights and strategies from the top minds. See you next time!

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 1831: Karl Staib offers five practical strategies to transform dull, unproductive meetings into engaging, high-value experiences. By incorporating intentional structure, fun elements, and moments for connection, he shows how leaders can boost collaboration, morale, and creativity, without sacrificing outcomes. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://digtofly.com/5-ways-to-make-meetings-more-fun-and-useful/ Quotes to ponder: "People show up more engaged when they know the meeting will be productive and even a little fun." "A short team-building game can create laughter and connection, which leads to better collaboration." "When people understand the purpose, they bring better ideas and focus to the discussion." Episode references: Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine: https://www.amazon.com/Positive-Intelligence-Fit-Your-Potential/dp/1608322785 The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle: https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Code-Secrets-Highly-Successful/dp/0804176981 Drive by Daniel Pink: https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 1831: Karl Staib offers five practical strategies to transform dull, unproductive meetings into engaging, high-value experiences. By incorporating intentional structure, fun elements, and moments for connection, he shows how leaders can boost collaboration, morale, and creativity, without sacrificing outcomes. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://digtofly.com/5-ways-to-make-meetings-more-fun-and-useful/ Quotes to ponder: "People show up more engaged when they know the meeting will be productive and even a little fun." "A short team-building game can create laughter and connection, which leads to better collaboration." "When people understand the purpose, they bring better ideas and focus to the discussion." Episode references: Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine: https://www.amazon.com/Positive-Intelligence-Fit-Your-Potential/dp/1608322785 The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle: https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Code-Secrets-Highly-Successful/dp/0804176981 Drive by Daniel Pink: https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BONUS: Jochen Issing on Building High-Performing Engineering Teams In this BONUS episode, we explore the fascinating journey of Jochen Issing, an engineering leader who brings unique insights from his background as a handball player and band member to building exceptional software development teams. From sports courts and music stages to engineering leadership, Jochen shares practical wisdom on psychological safety, team dynamics, and creating cultures where the best ideas win. From Sports and Music to Software Leadership "As soon as you complain about each other, you are starting to lose." Jochen's unconventional background as a handball player and band member has profoundly shaped his approach to engineering leadership. Drawing from team sports, he discovered that frustration leads to losing in both athletics and technology work. Great players in great teams optimize for the team's results, not individual glory. This translates directly to software development where great engineers slow down to make the team faster, recognizing that collective success trumps individual achievement. The lesson from the handball court is clear: when team members start blaming each other, they create a losing mindset that becomes self-fulfilling. Breaking the 10X Engineer Myth "It's not your success that makes our success, it's our success that makes your success." The mythology of the 10X engineer remains pervasive in software development, but Jochen challenges this with insights from team dynamics. The "hero culture" in companies often emerges when systems are already broken, requiring someone to step in and save the day. While we celebrate these heroes, we forget to ask the crucial question: how did we end up needing a hero in the first place? True high-performing teams don't require heroic individual efforts because they've built sustainable systems and shared knowledge. The goal isn't to eliminate talented individuals but to ensure that even the most skilled engineers can take time off without the organization grinding to a halt. Creating Psychological Safety Through Vulnerability "When psychological safety is missing, I try to ask ignorant questions - expose myself as being the least experienced person in the room." Building psychological safety requires intentional strategies that go beyond good intentions. Jochen employs a counterintuitive approach: when he senses team members hesitating to speak up, he deliberately asks "ignorant" questions to position himself as the least knowledgeable person in the room. This modeling behavior demonstrates that it's safe to admit uncertainty and ask questions. He also builds a culture of "challenging ourselves" by implementing ritualized dissent - assigning someone the specific job of finding flaws in proposed solutions. This prevents the dangerous harmony that can emerge when teams agree too quickly without proper scrutiny. The Power of the Expectation Sheet "I want people to share with me what might even drive them away from the company." Trust forms the foundation of effective team relationships, but building it requires explicit frameworks. Jochen uses an "expectation sheet" (See a prototype here Google Doc)- a document that formalizes mutual expectations between him and his team members. This tool establishes that he wants open, honest communication about everything, including situations that might drive someone to leave the company. The key principle is that he will never share confidential information or use personal disclosures against team members. This creates a relationship where he serves as both a representative of the company when necessary and a personal advocate for his team members when they need support navigating organizational challenges. Team-Centric Productivity and Collaboration "The team is the unit of productivity and delivery, not the individual." Effective engineering leadership requires balancing individual desires with team outcomes. Jochen emphasizes that while people naturally want to say "I did this," the focus must remain on team impact. This involves creating shared understanding of collective goals while still addressing individual needs and growth aspirations. Practical strategies include using on-call rotations to identify knowledge silos, implementing pair programming and mob programming to reinforce collaborative work patterns, and designing tasks that allow individuals to take ownership while remaining embedded in team efforts. The analogy to band dynamics is apt - when someone brings a song idea to the band, it evolves through collaboration into something different and usually better than the original vision. Building Sustainable High Performance "Great engineers slow down to make the team faster - which is how we get better teams." Sustainable high performance emerges when senior engineers invest in lifting the entire team rather than maximizing their individual output. This means senior staff level engineers focus less on their personal contributions and more on forming "tribes" across teams, coaching junior engineers, and building organizational capability. The measure of success shifts from individual heroics to collective achievement - if problems consistently require the same person to fix them, the team hasn't truly succeeded in building sustainable systems and shared knowledge. Recommended Resources for Further Reading Jochen recommends several foundational books for understanding team dynamics and engineering leadership. "The Culture Code" by Daniel Coyle explores the structure of high-performing teams and debunks myths about command-and-control leadership. "Product Development Flow" by Reinertsen provides the scientific foundation behind agile methodologies and explains what teams are really trying to solve. "The Culture Map" by Erin Meyer offers insights on working with diverse cultures and backgrounds to bring out the best in each team member. "Coaching Agile Teams" by Lyssa Adkins serves as a practical guide for developing coaching skills in technical environments. And our very own Scrum Master Toolbox podcast provides ongoing insights and real-world experiences from practitioners in the field. About Jochen Issing Jochen is an engineering leader who's all about building great teams and better developer experiences. From audio tech and cloud platforms to monorepos and feedback culture, he's done it all. A former bandmate and handball player, Jochen brings heart, trust, and collaboration into everything he builds with his teams. You can connect with Jochen Issing on LinkedIn and connect with Jochen Issing on Twitter.

Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In this episode, I am speaking with Ben Joffe, a French native who's lived and worked across Japan, Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, United States, Germany, and currently Portugal. Ben also speaks fluent French, English, Japanese, pretty bad Korean and Chinese, and average Portuguese (thanks to high school Spanish classes).Talk about being a global citizen. This lived experience means Ben has developed a great understanding of how much our default cultural programming defines how we see and interact with the world. Having your default cultural programming turned on is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it's important we recognize that we all have these underlying prompts which influence our language structure, our views on material success, personal relationships, and more. Especially when we move to a new country.In this conversation, Ben and I explore why some cultures lead with “what do you do?” while others consider that question rude. We also chat about:* Local comedy and why it's a great way to understand cultural nuances and codes* Why he's more focused on teaching his kid curiosity than nationality* The phone call that changed his understanding of Korean culture* Why he doesn't identify as an immigrant or expat despite living in 7+ countriesDozie's NotesA few things that stuck with me as I listened through this week's conversation:* The same word can mean different things depending on where you are from. A major barrier to cross-cultural understanding isn't a lack of shared language but the hidden cultural codes behind words. A term like “friendship” or “car” has a completely different meaning in Korea, the U.S, or France. Learn to ask “What do you mean?” whenever possible.* Cultural fluency which then leads to proper integration is an everyday activity. To truly understand a new country or society requires deliberate effort. Learn the language, watch local stand-up comedy, volunteer, engage in local activities. Being a passive observer rarely helps.* Your multicultural identity is additive. A multicultural identity is not about losing a piece of one culture to gain another. Instead, it's you adding new layers to your identity that end up creating a human that's more than the sum of their parts.Official Links✅ Connect with Ben Joffe on LinkedIn✅ Check out Ben's vibe coding course✅ Consider reading The Culture Code by Clotaire RapailleOne AskIf you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

#BeAGoodFriend and check out episode #147 of #FeeneyTalksWithFriends featuring  Jamie Arber.It was great to talk with my #friend, Jamie! Jamie is the Executive Director of The Supported Living Group.  We talked about:Explain “Supported Living Group” to a Third Grader (minute 1)Type of supports provided (minute 2)Jamie's inspiration for getting into the field (minute 3.30)Christos and The Three Kings of Pizza (minute 7)What makes Jonah Francis (#112) a good #friend? (minute 8)What is C.B.I.S., L.P.C. & E.M.D.R.? (minute 10)Hypnosis (minute 14)Inspire Arts CT (minute 15.30)Healing by Growing Gardens (minute 18)3 Keys (Sponsored by New England Door & Security) for being the Executive Director (minute 19.30)The mission of The Supported Living Group (SLG) (minute 23)The Culture Code (minute 24)Programs: First, Last, Best, Worst (minute 26)SLG donated art to The Avon Police Department (minute 32)The spectrum of the brain injury community (minute 35)The Notebook (minute 38)Jamie's head injury (minute 41)How Chris Brisson got involved (minute 44)LaRey's story of success (minute 46)The Acquired Brain Injury Waiver Program (minute 49)Where will SLG be in 5 years? (minute 52)Jamie's accent and slang (minute 53.30)Jamie's favorite restaurant and 4 dinner guests (minute 55)Newbrook Kitchen (minute 57)Upcoming events (minute 59)Closing remarks (minute 1.01)Podcast Sponsors: DirectLine Media - www.directlinemediaproductions.com/The Fix IV - www.thefixivtherapy.comWest Hartford Lock - www.westhartfordlock.comKeating Agency Insurance - www.keatingagency.comGoff Law Group - www.gofflawgroup.netParkville Management - www.parkvillemanagement.comLuna Pizza - www.lunapizzawh.com/lunas-menuPeoplesBank - www.bankatpeoples.comFloat 41 - www.float41.comMaximum Beverage - www.maximumbev.comSally and Bob's - www.sallyandbobs.com

Are you ready to bring energy, engagement, and excellence to your leadership? In this lively conversation, we unpack practical tools for coaching, mentoring, and managing that create a truly vibrant culture. You'll discover how to ignite your team's motivation, implement systems that actually work, and show up as the kind of leader others love to follow.We'll dive into real-world stories, share a few laughs, and explore the mindset shifts that turn ordinary workplaces into thriving communities. Expect actionable strategies you can put into practice the moment you finish listening—everything from improving communication to inspiring accountability. This episode will leave you fired up, focused, and ready to transform your team culture into one that shines with purpose, passion, and performance.Vibrant Highlights:03:15 — Nicole breaks down the difference between a boss and a leader (and why it matters).09:42 — The power of storytelling to shift culture and inspire action.16:58 — A simple coaching question that gets people thinking (and moving).22:30 — How to create systems that support—not stifle—your team's creativity.28:55 — The “next step” every leader should take to keep their team energized.Connect with Mary:Website: https://www.constantcontact.com/LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryrusterholz/LinkedIn Corporate: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constant-contact/Also mentioned in this episode:The Culture Code: https://a.co/d/e18GrIsGood to Great: https://a.co/d/jhVCqDDListen at vibrantculture.com/podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts!Learn more about Nicole Greer, The Vibrant Coach, at vibrantculture.com.

Eva Yazhari — Managing Partner of Beyond Capital Ventures, early-stage investor, author of The Good Your Money Can Do, and advocate for conscious capitalism. Her funds have backed 50+ equity and 9 debt investments, reaching over 100 million customers across Africa and India. First and most recent dollar: First job: Working at a Staten Island bread shop. Today: Managing partner of a venture + private credit fund investing in emerging markets with LP capital. Family background & mindset: Father grew up in Tanzania; grandfather a medical doctor working with Catholic missions — early exposure shaped her view of Africa as opportunity, not risk. Parents were artists — exposure to art trained her in pattern recognition, now one of her investor superpowers. Education & mindset pivots: Started pre-med at Columbia → realized it was toxic competition. Pivoted to math, discovering both aptitude and love of problem solving. Training in mathematics = fluency in patterns, language of money, and risk analysis. Early career: VP at Entrust Capital (fund of hedge funds). Employee #2 → helped scale from $200M → $4.8B AUM. Managed relationships with activist hedge fund giants like Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn. Learned portfolio building, risk management, and fundraising skills that later became core to her VC work. Why venture capital in Africa & India? By 2050, 1 in 4 humans will be African; India today has the world's largest working-age population. 53% of the next decade's growth will come from these regions. Saw contrarian “alpha” opportunity most Western investors still dismiss. Sectors of focus: Healthcare Fintech Mobility Agtech (selectively) All are tech-enabled, solving essential problems for fast-growing middle classes. Conscious capitalism lens: Portfolio companies think beyond profits → align incentives with customers, governments, communities. Example: Rwanda's first licensed online pharmacy; startup scaling e-motorbikes after gas bikes banned. Beyond Capital gives founders a share of fund profits — equitable ownership model. Fundraising lessons: Fundraising is sales math: Eva raised her second fund after 550+ investor meetings → ~30–40 LPs. Funnel has to be very wide. Mindset matters: Rejections happen, but abundance mindset drives momentum. Referrals are gold: “Every dud knows a stud” — rejections often connect you to your best investors. Exude confidence from a clear strategy — investors back comfort + conviction. Personal insights: Considers herself an entrepreneur, not just an allocator. Believes leadership skills are as critical as financial acumen. Thinks of her fund as her “third child.” Alternate career: Pop star. Dream chat: Emma Grede (helped Kardashian brands scale). Learning style: Podcasts, audiobooks, physical books. Reading now: The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle. Her book: The Good Your Money Can Do. Pump-up song: The Rapture Pt. 3 by Black Coffee. Weakness: Moving slowly — always in motion. https://www.instagram.com/consciousinvestor/?hl=en

Shawn Tierney meets up with Aaron Moncur of Pipeline Design and Engineering to discuss “The Most Underrated Skill in Automation,” as well as the upcoming Product Design Expo, and the “Being An Engineer” podcast, all in this episode of The Automation Podcast. For any links related to this episode, check out the “Show Notes” located below the video. Watch The Automation Podcast from The Automation Blog: Listen to The Automation Podcast from The Automation Blog: The Automation Podcast, Episode 243 Show Notes: Special thanks to Pipeline for sponsoring this episode so we could release it ad free on all platforms! To learn more about Pipeline, the PDExpo, and Aaron’s Podcast, see the below links: PDX: Product Design Expo, Registration Link (use coupon IIA50 to save $50!) Being An Engineer podcast The Wave (engineering community website) Aaron’s LinkedIn profile Pipeline company website Read the transcript on The Automation Blog: (automatically generated) Shawn Tierney (Host): Hey, everybody. Thank you for tuning back in to the automation podcast. This week, I meet up with Aaron Moncur from Pipeline Design and Engineering to talk about what he thinks is the most important skill to have in industrial automation. And we also talk about his upcoming event, PDX, which is, coming up just in a few weeks, and we even have a coupon if you wanna go to save you $50 off the admission price. And we also talk about his podcast. He has over 300 interviews with engineers from all kinds of backgrounds, and, I think you guys will find that interesting as well. And, we just had a great time just talking and chatting about different strategies and different challenges we’ve had over the years in the automation world. So with that said, let’s go ahead and jump right into our interview with Aaron Moncur of Pipeline Design and Engineering. I wanna welcome to the show for the first time, Aaron. And, we have a very exciting topic to talk about today. Should be very interesting to all you controls engineers and you high end electricians and technicians out there do automation. But, before we jump into the discussion, Aaron, please, tell the people a little bit about yourself. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Alright. Well, Shawn, thank you so much for the introduction and having me on the podcast. I’ve been excited to talk with you. I have my own podcast as well, actually. I’ll I’ll touch on that a little bit, but, I love talking about engineering and, business and automation. My company, Pipeline Design and Engineering, we’ve been around for about fifteen years now, and our focus is, industrial automation. We’re integrators. We also do a lot of, just test fixtures, you know, smaller, not necessarily automated, but manual fixtures, things like that, machine building. We even do we actually started fifteen years ago in in general, product design. And so we did a lot of medical device design, consumer products, things like that. And then about three, four years in, one of our customers asked us if we could design a test fixture for them. And we said, what’s a test fixture? Yes. And so, we figured out, you know, what that was all about and delivered it and they really liked it. And they said, this is great. We need more of this kind of thing. And so ever since then, slowly but surely, we we’ve, been moving more and more into that area of, like, fixtures. And then at some point, we started adding a little bit of motion, a motor, and a pneumatic actuator. And then at some point, we started doing full automation. And and at this point, that’s that’s kind of our focus is automation machine building, and we still do test fixtures and, a little bit of of product design as well. But I I have a degree in mechanical engineering, and I’ve been doing this, for a little over twenty years. Interesting story of getting laid off and then starting my company and, just living the dream here with a wonderful, wonderful group of people doing engineering and automation work. Shawn Tierney (Host): You know, I’ve worked with a lot of custom machine builders over the years, and a lot of what they do is test stands. And a lot of them are automated, and some of the most interesting ones I’ve seen were a lot for medical devices and whatnot. A lot of them are for things that we use every day, like the pieces that go in your door, like the door switch and the windows, you know, that send them up and down. Those things need to be not only assembled, a lot of time, pick and place type of, systems, but they have to be tested. And they’re gonna be tested a lot, like, millions of times. A lot of times, if the prototypes, they gotta go through some very rigorous testing, and there’s a lot sometimes lots of data collection that goes along with that. So I got an idea for for what you’re saying and some, you know, test stands and actually, you know, manual assemblies. Sometimes you just need a bunch of jigs and different layouts so you can put something together quickly and, you know, in manufacturing, some of that has to be done by hand as well. So very interesting stuff. And so, with that said, I know we wanted to jump into a go a couple different ways here, but I do know I before we get too far in, you do have a upcoming event. So I wanted to make sure we get the talk about that a little bit before we jump into the topic of what would, you know, the meat of what we’re gonna discuss today. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Yeah. Thank you. Something that’s really big for me, important for me is, building community around engineering. And, we have a few ways that we’ve done this. We have our podcast, Being an Engineer. We also have an online community called The Wave. It’s thewave. Engineer, free resources and tools, education for for engineers. And then we also have an event called PDX, and PDX stands for the Product Development Expo. It is, inclusive of all things hardware. So that includes, you know, product designers. It includes metrology folks. It includes automation experts. Basically, anyone who touches hardware developing, hard goods products would be a good fit for for this event. The, the PDX event is happening this October. That’s a Tuesday and a Wednesday just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. And, kind of the unique innovative format of this event is that it’s it’s not just like a trade show where you show up and and, you know, you get a flyer or a brochure from a vendor. The focus of this event is is training and education. It’s kind of like a two day boot camp for hardware professionals, whether they’re mechanical engineers, automation engineers, manufacturing engineers. And so we have about about 35 experts in the industry who are are gonna be there as instructors training on different topics. These include AI tools for engineering workflows, GD and T, tolerance stack, modular extrusion for machine frames, robot programming, linear motor, motion control, precision fluid dispensing, CAD data management, FEA, engineering documentation, simulation, DIY, PCB design and prototyping, three d scanning, reverse engineering. So it’s pretty extensive. There’s something for everyone there. Again, it’s a two day e event, a training boot camp, October, just outside, Phoenix, Arizona. You can go to pdexpo.engineer to learn more about the event and sign up. The cost is $295 and that’s inclusive of all the different training topics that you can choose to sign up for at the event. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. That sounds like a pretty good deal too. If you have somebody junior on your staff or if you’re changed roles in your company and you’re getting more into this kind of type of product design and engineering, then, definitely check that out. You typically can’t go anywhere for two ninety five. Right? So Right. Just a walk in the door for a day is typically it’s not and and I know that the people out there, they’re probably gonna have some services that they can offer as well that some of you guys may wanna take, take advantage of. But for you folks, especially if you’re in the area or if you have a need at work for one of these things, please check it out. And, if I get it correct, it’s pdexpo.engineer? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): That’s right. P d e x p o dot engineer. Shawn Tierney (Host): Excellent. And speaking about engineering, of course, you’re a mechanical engineer. We see a lot of mechanical engineers in automation as automation engineers when especially when it comes to, systems that have servos on them, systems that are very, you know, a lot of acceleration, a lot of mass, systems that require more than just, you know, very sequential type of logic that, you know, we have lots of parts moving around that have to be in certain places at certain times. And so, can you tell us a little bit about, you know, your journey as, the owner of a company? And I know how you came came to this conclusion about the most valuable resource in automation. We’re not gonna give the answer away yet, because then we would never show. But, in any case, can you talk a little bit about that, your journey and what you’ve gone through and the different things you ran into and learned? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Yeah. I I think there is a a very underrated skill in automation, and it’s not something that people talk about very often. But over twenty years in the industry, I’ve definitely seen this over and over and over. And so we’re we’re gonna talk about that today. In terms of my journey, how I got here, I worked at an engineering company twenty years ago and great company, very smart people. And in the beginning, I loved it. I got to do all the things that I enjoyed, right? CAD design and prototyping and, you know, working on a mill and a lathe to to make some parts and assembly is wonderful. Then the economy slowed down. Right? This is back in 02/1989. Mhmm. And the I’ll just call it the the fun work, the quote, unquote fun work, kind of dried up. And what our company had left was kind of a lot of documentation and and paperwork, not fun work, at least by most engineers’ standards. And, I was young and and probably, immature, and I kind of checked out mentally. You know, I’d show up every day and I’d put in the the hours, but, my heart wasn’t in it and and my mind wasn’t really in it. And the owners of the company, they were, you know, intelligent people. They could tell that my heart wasn’t really in it. And they pulled me in one day and said, hey, Aaron. Unfortunately, we we need to let some people go. And, we can tell that you’re just not very engaged right now. So you are one of the people that we’re gonna let go. And it was a a shock. It shouldn’t have been. Right? Like, looking back, hindsight is twenty twenty. I should have seen it coming, but, again, young, naive, immature, I didn’t. So it was a shock. My wife and I had, just bought our first home. We had a new child. Right? Our first kid had just been born, and so it was it was a gut punch for me, and I remember feeling physically ill for several days after that. But eventually, I I got my feet back underneath me and decided, okay. I need to figure out what’s next. You know, what am I gonna do? And the the the first thought was, well, I’ll just go out and find another engineering job. But I started thinking, and, it was true. What the statement that the owners of this company had made saying you weren’t very engaged. And I thought, you know what? They’re they’re right. I I wasn’t very engaged. Why is that? What what happened to make me disengaged? And I I thought that maybe I had fallen out of love with engineering. And so I was I had actually been doing some side hustles, but I was still employed at the company. I had started a photography company with a buddy of mine. I’d started a little web design company on my own. I was even exploring commercial real estate. So kind of very different things, right, than engineering and thinking to myself, I I I don’t know if I like engineering anymore. I think I I might just wanna do something completely different. Well, a few months into that, my father-in-law, he pulls me aside and he says, hey, what’s the plan here? Like, what what are you gonna do to he he didn’t come out and say it this way, but support my daughter and my grandchild. Right? And, he suggested that maybe I did still like engineering, and and maybe it was just the way I was doing engineering that had turned me off. And I thought, that’s that’s pretty sage advice. I’m I’m gonna take that. And so I jumped back into engineering only the way I did it differently this time was instead of going out and looking for another job, I just started doing it myself as a a freelance engineer. And I would just call companies up and say, hey. I’m I’m Aaron. I’ve got some good engineering skills. These are the things I can help with. And lo and behold, I I got a few jobs, you know, some small things. Didn’t pay well. I remember working sixty, seventy hour weeks and getting paid like $35 an hour back in the beginning. What was so interesting was that I loved it. It was so fun. You know, all of a sudden I loved engineering again. I was back in it and I, what I learned about myself back then was I really thrive on high level autonomy. When I’m given, responsibility over kind of the the entire machine as opposed to just being a cog in the machine, That’s what really lights me up and and gets me excited. So that was the start of my company, Pipeline Design and Engineering. We did, largely consumer product design back then, medical devices, things like that. And then we talked a little bit about the the test fixtures and that led into machine design and automation. And these days that is our focus. Everything from kind of desktop to standalone, you know, maybe five by five by seven, eight feet tall, something like that. That’s our sweet spot for automation and engineering. Along the way, I decided, the company where I worked before, great company, good people for sure. Right? Very grateful for the experiences I had there. Nevertheless, there were some things that I didn’t love about the culture at that company. And so I decided when I started Pipeline, I really wanted to focus on developing, a wonderful culture where people just they liked being here. They enjoyed, the camaraderie with the different team members. They enjoyed the work. They enjoyed the environment. And so, building a successful culture was really important to me. And, you might be thinking right now, okay, culture, that’s the underrated skill. Well, it is one of them, but it’s not the underrated skill that we’re going to arrive at. So so stay tuned. But but, that became a a big focus for me. And, it is to this day. And there have been a variety of things that we’ve done to to cultivate a culture where people really love being. Shawn Tierney (Host): You know, I was thinking about what you were just saying and and, you know, I was always surprised. I’m I’m thinking about it. I’m like, you know, as a parent, I was surprised how different the personalities of my children were. And I still I’m thinking as you’re talking, I’m like, man, they’re they’re they’re so different. And then when I started visiting customers after I got my college degree and got into this crazy industry and I was visiting helping customers with their PLCs and other products, I was amazed how different company cultures were. And and and some of them were definitely toxic. I mean, it came to the point where you’d be like, yeah. I’m not going there. I don’t care if they never buy anything from us again. You know? They’re just so toxic. Right? And the salesman, we used I’m the I was always a technical guy, so the salesman would have heartburn of that, but I’m like and then some places you just didn’t wanna leave. They had such camaraderie, such they worked so well together. They were they were just they you know, nobody was out trying to prove that they’re better than everybody else. They were just trying to make the customer, get them the machine or the service or, you know, make the product as good as possible. And it’s just such a a a range. And I you know, I’m sitting here. I’m thinking, why why are the cultures so vastly different than the cost leadership at each facility? You know, gen you know, promotes different types of cultures, and there’s such a age gap from boomers to, you know, now Gen z. Right? In the in in the, you know, in these facilities that you don’t even know what you’re gonna get. You could have something that feels like you’re out of the sixties or something that feels like you’re out of the twenty second century. You know? But, yes. So it it is amazing how many different cultures in, and I I guess not a lot you know, a lot of people maybe they have four or five different jobs. So they’ve probably been through four or five different cultures, and they can relate to what we’re saying there about how how how, you know, cultures can really affect not just the efficiency and the effectiveness, but also just the the the satisfaction of the employee. And I think I think in today’s world, especially in The US where people change jobs every three to five years, if you’re investing in a high-tech person, if you’re gonna invest in training, invest in education and mentoring, you you know, having a good coach is so important. Are you gonna you gonna keep having turn I and I’ve met a lot of people that are like, we just can’t keep somebody in this position. Well, it’s because you guys are a bunch of jerks. It’s not your pay. Absolutely. It’s not what they have to work on. It’s just that you guys are unpleasant to be around. I wouldn’t wanna work here. You know? And so just some random thoughts about culture as you were talking about that, but that’s that was what’s going through my head. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Yeah. People need a certain amount of money, right, to to Shawn Tierney (Host): pay their Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): bills and live. But but beyond that baseline, money isn’t much of a motivator. But good culture is enjoying where you work, enjoying the people with whom you work. Even though I didn’t I haven’t worked at a lot of places. I had a few internships and I had even after I started pipeline and it was just me, I worked at a a few places contract, right, for three months, six months, things like that. There’s this one place I work. It was an an automation, place here locally. I won’t say the name. Actually, I think they’re they’re gone at this point anyway. Anyway, the the owner, I think I think maybe he was bipolar is my guess. Sometimes he would be super nice. In fact, I remember, when my wife and I had our our second child, he gave me I was a contractor. Right? So I didn’t have any PTO or anything like that. He he gave me two days pay while I was, you know, just out at the hospital with my wife and son. I thought that was so kind and and generous. So he had these moments when he was just very thoughtful and then other moments where he was a tyrant. He would just he’d walk into the office, just start yelling at people, literally yelling at people. Shawn Tierney (Host): Mhmm. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): I had never been in an environment like that before, a work environment like that. And so it was it was a shock to me. And you could see the effect on culture. You know? People were scared of him. They were not performing at their best because they didn’t know what to expect when they showed up at work. So when I started Pipeline, I I decided that I wanted to have a strong purpose and and core values. Now people talk about purpose and core values, and and I think oftentimes they end up as as platitudes on a wall that don’t really mean much. You know, they’re they’re corporate marketing bullet points, basically. I like to think that our purpose and core values are are things that have actually meaningfully contributed to the culture that we have. And and that shows up in comments from team members. I’ve been approached by team members. We do one on ones where we just, you know, create an open forum for people to talk and and share. If they have questions or concerns, they can talk to me directly. And in these one on ones, I can’t tell you the number of times where an engineer has said to me, I didn’t know it could be this way at a company. This is the best place I have ever worked. I’m not afraid to tell you what I actually think. You know? And these these comments go on and on. So the purpose that we have at Pipeline is to promote joy in the lives of our team members. Now be before you, stop listening because you’re thinking this is way too woo woo for me and and hippie dippie, I I’m telling you that a happy employee, a happy engineer is a productive and effective engineer. This this leads directly to productivity and taught in fact, one of our core values is focused on productivity. But if you ask why enough times, you know, you look at what you’re doing day to day and ask why am I doing this? Well, here’s the reason. Okay. What’s the reason for that? Why? Keep asking why. In my opinion, you ultimately end up at joy. You know? The that’s really why we do anything because we want to experience joy in our lives. I won’t get too philosophical about that, but in the doctrine of Aaron, that’s why we do pretty much everything we do to experience joy. So, that’s our purpose is to promote joy in the lives of our team members. And then we have our our four core values. We have, number one is treat the customer well, but treat your team members better. Number two is governed by productivity, not bureaucracy. Number three is suffocate chaos, promote order. And number four is prevent surprises. And we use these core values to to make decisions and to manage and govern the company. There was one example. We moved into a new building years ago. And, in this building, we had a warehouse where we’d build, you know, machines and and, automation and and things like that. And one day, an an engineer had, I can’t remember what, a drink or or maybe it was even, you know, some food or something like that in in the build area. And our our director of engineering walks in and he says, hey. You can’t have food in here. Like, we’re we’re building machines. Right? Totally reasonable statement to make. Like, it’s it’s not safe for you to have food in here. Either you’re gonna contaminate the machines or the machines are gonna contaminate your food. Either way, it’s not good for anyone. And, so we had a conversation as a team about this because while the the sentiment I agreed with wholeheartedly, it it creating a policy and just flat out saying no food in the warehouse didn’t feel like the pipeline way to me. It didn’t quite sit right with me. And I I asked myself, why is that? It’s a very reasonable request. Right? No food where you’re building machines. And, it just just the idea of adding, like, layers of policy doesn’t sit well with me. So we sat down as a team and said, hey. Core value number one is treat our customers well, but treat our team members better. How how how do we treat our team members better, in this particular situation? And what we came up with was instead of just adding a policy, we’re gonna we we do we do something called governing principles and supporting behaviors. And so the the, the governing principle is the high level, like, why. Right? Why are we doing this? Why does it matter? And then some people do like having actual rules to follow, and that’s fine. So the supporting behaviors are are kind of those rules. And we empower our team members to circumvent those supporting behaviors if it’s in support of the governing principles, which is ultimately all we care about. So for this particular situation, our governing principles are we wanna keep the human safe. We wanna keep the machines clean. We want an area that we can be proud of when our customers walk in. Right? And they’re not seeing, you know, food wrappers or things. These are the things that we actually care about. And then we have some supporting behaviors that are things like don’t keep, open beverages in the you know, that we have a perimeter where the this is the designated build area. Clean up clean up after yourself after you’re finished working in an area, things like that. And, we found that the the team really appreciated the fact that management didn’t just layer on another policy. Right? We had an open conversation about this core value number one, how can we treat the team better, and, that’s that’s worked out really well. And we use that same philosophy, the governing principles and supporting behaviors in other areas of the company as well. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. You know, I yeah. As you’re as you were saying that I think back to I think it was the seven habits, by Stephen Covey. And and one of the things that he he through his research, he found was that, you know, you can’t be efficient with the people. You can only be effective with the people. And what brought my mind to that was the fact that, like you said, some people want a bunch of rigid rules, some people don’t. And in fact, every person is different. And so, you know, there are some people who you need to have meetings with often to touch base with them. And there’s other people who you don’t have to have meetings with as much because they’re much more in tune with your what you’re thinking, the way you’re doing things, and it’s kinda like you end up just having the same conversation over and over again. But there are other people who maybe not know as much as, may maybe don’t feel as in tune to this to the, to the to the system. Maybe they’re a new employee, and it can be very helpful. I it’s amazing the misunderstandings as both as a father and it being in this business that I’ve seen other people have. You know, you try to choose your language, your words, the extra words you use. I’m trying to be aware of the connotations you to attach those words with different age groups even in different areas of the country, and still people can get. And a lot of times, it’s not because of what you’re saying. It was because of something else they were thinking about when you started talking to them. And so it’s it’s very easy for people to misunderstand, and that’s why I have an open communications. You You know, those companies that have open communications like your company, I think, do very well as far as employee satisfaction because then then, you know, somebody’s not going around with a ruler in a in a pad trying to get people in trouble. People are talking to each other. They’re sharing with their ideas. They’re sharing the thoughts and and the things they’re running into. And, they get to talk through, like, you just gave in this example. They get to talk through different situations. The other thing I you know, when you as you were talking, I was thinking about too is, you know, it it’s it’s, you know, what do people want? And and a lot of people have said this a lot of different ways. You you say people want joy. I think people want to feel like they’re part of a team. That that that team and that team has a purpose, a good purpose, a purpose that they can sign up for, they can believe in. So I wanna create test stands that help my customer test their products quickly and efficiently so they’re selling products that work to their customers. And they can’t build a test stand themselves, so we build it for them. We wanna do the best job we can for them, but we don’t wanna we don’t wanna become slaves to them. We wanna we wanna be able to enjoy, you know, a a good pay, a clean work environment, you know, a happy work environment as we do this very valuable and important thing. And I think most people and I think a lot of times and, again, I you know, with my my youngest son is still in his, late twenties, but some of the jobs he’s worked at and the stories he’s told me, it’s like he’s definitely not feeling like part of a team. You know? You get a college degree. You go work as an engineer somewhere. And when you don’t feel like a part of the team, there’s really something wrong. Like, he’s had peace jobs during the summer, you know, during college where he he just worked either at a UPS facility or at a at a injection molding place just doing piece work. Right? And you really weren’t there wasn’t a big team. It was like you had to move so many boxes from here to there. Right? So it was very goal orientated and but, when you’re in an engineering role or a higher level role, management role, you’re working with the sales team or whatever it is, something above just, you know, digging a ditch or moving boxes, something where you’re doing a lot of self work. That team, they feel like you’re all pulling together on the same row. I think for most people is very important, and and that’s what I thought of when you’re talking about joy. Right? The the joy of work. Right? Is that you guys you’re all pulling for the common for a common goal, and you wanna achieve it, but you also don’t there’s no slavery involved. There’s no, we’re just gonna have to work eighty hours a week, and we’re gonna just gonna have to pay ourselves half as much as the other guy so our customer would be happy. Of course, that would be ridiculous. But in any case, so that I guess that’s kinda my reaction to what you’re saying. Do you see any of that in, in your facility, in in your business? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Every single day. Yeah. In fact, we had a customer walked in. This is a few years ago. Right in in the front of our office, as soon as you walk in, there’s a large mural with our core values. Right? Treat the customer well, treat the team members better, governed by productivity, not bureaucracy, etcetera, etcetera. Mhmm. And as this customer walks in and and he looks at core value number one, treat your customers well, treat your team members better. Mhmm. And he kind of cocks his head and looks at me and he says, I think you had that backwards. Shouldn’t you be treating your customers the best and then your employees? And I thought it was such an an interesting, statement to make, you know, and I explained my reasoning, which was, ultimately, we of course, we have to treat our customers exceptionally well. We need to bring, profound value to them or or they’re not gonna come back, and we understand that. The best way to accomplish that goal of of treating our customers well and getting them what they want is to treat our team members so well that they are overjoyed to be here doing this work. I mean, would you if you’re paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to have this custom machine developed, who do you want working on it? The guy who’s just showing up for a paycheck or the guy who loves being there, who who enjoys working with his team members, who feels fulfilled by the work that he does. So it it might sound backwards to some people, but, I mean, if if you flip it and think about who’s gonna be the most effective at at producing value for the end customer, it’s it’s the team members who are being treated really well and are happy there. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. And I think a lot of times, we we they we’d people do think that that’s backwards because they think that, you know, this is your job, so you should be, miserable doing it. And and you should wait on your customer like they are the second coming. And it’s like, no. A better situation is the customer is overjoyed to do work with you because they know you’re gonna give them a great product, and they know your staff is exceptional and top top of the top of the industry. And so they would expect that if you wanna keep your highly talented staff that produces these phenomenal machines, then you’re gonna have to treat them extremely well. You’re gonna have to treat them more than just a customer who’s you know, buy something every once in a while. You gotta treat them like the true members of your team, your family, and that they are the they are the they’re the golden they’re the golden, they’re the goose that lays the golden egg. Right? You can have customers can come and go, but if you don’t have these people producing these awesome pieces of equipment, then what’s left for the company? And I think we I’ve seen a lot of companies over the years kinda really go down in the tubes because they were treating their people so horribly. They couldn’t get anybody good to stay with them. And that in the in the short run, the the lower price you may be charging may help business. But I think in the long run, you know, if you have just so many different issues with your production, eventually, you’re just not gonna get any more orders. And, yeah, that that’s just what I’ve seen from my experience. So we’ve talked a lot about these different topics. Right? How how does this or or does this segue us into what you think the most important thing in in in automation is? Like, what is like, if if people are looking at, like, whether you’re an OEM, an integrator, or an end user, I mean, when as we’re focusing on, you know, trying to trying to answer the question we put in the title of the podcast, Have we gotten close to that? Are we ready to talk about what you what you and your company say that is? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): I think so. Yeah. We’re ready for the grand reveal. This is not gonna be a shock to anyone after we’ve danced around the the topic of culture. The the most underrated skill in automation, in my opinion, is is people, is making people happy and, the the soft skills. Right? It’s a lot of people you can learn the technical skills at college, but there’s there’s not really or on the job. There are not many places where you can learn the people skills. Right? How to communicate, how to get along, the soft skills of engineering, I like to call them. There’s a book called Culture Code by Daniel Coyle. And, he cites three pillars of building great culture that ultimately the purpose of culture, right? If we go back to our governing principles and supporting behavior, why do we care about culture? Who cares, right, good culture, bad culture? Well, the reason, the why is because culture leads to good people. And and that’s ultimately the objective here is is to build wonderful people who are happy about what they do and and understand, you know, how to communicate, how to get along with others. And, in in this book Culture Code, he he talks about three principles that are are most effective for establishing environments, cultures in which people can thrive. And the first one is is build safety. The second one is share vulnerability. And then the third one is establish person purpose. We’ve talked about, pipelines purpose already. By the way, on the topic of purpose, you know, again, companies some companies will have these just kind of generic, like, platitudes that don’t really mean much. Right? I think the purpose needs to be it needs to be like a just cause, I think is what Simon Sinek calls it. He’s got a couple wonderful books, The Infinite Game and and Start With Why, but he refers to purpose as as a just cause. It needs to be something that is, transcends just, you know, the the the technical side of work. And so ours promote joy in the lives of our team members. People hear that, and they’re motivated by it. I I’ve I’ve received so many applicants for jobs here who say, hey. I I read about your culture, and I I love it. I love what you’re doing there. I would love to work there. Like, it means something to people on a deep human level. It’s not just let’s go out and make money. Of course, making money is important too, but, there has to be purpose behind it. Anyway, I I had a, an example of that first principle, build safety. Right? People need to feel safe in in order to develop their their skills. And unfortunately, there was a time in the past at Pipeline, our company, where, we weren’t doing so hot. You know, there were a few reasons for this, but work was pretty slow. And, I could see the writing on the wall that, unfortunately, we’re gonna have to let some people go. And, I, this was another another kind of pivotal moment for me as, as a business owner as a because I hadn’t had to do this ever before. Right? And I thought, okay, How how do I do this? How do we do this in a a humane way for our team? And so the first thing I did was I I told the team what was happening. I said, hey. Everyone was probably aware that we’ve been slow for a while. Here are our financials. Like, I actually show them the the full p and l. Right? Like, here’s what’s going on. Unfortunately, we’re we’re we’re gonna have to we started with a few furloughs, and I said, we’re gonna have to furlough some people if this doesn’t change in the next thirty days. Mhmm. And I was really reluctant to say that because I didn’t wanna scare people. Right? I didn’t want people to think, oh, shoot. I’m gonna lose my job. I better just bail right now and go look for something new. I was really worried that that would happen. I I certainly didn’t wanna lose any of our, like, our our best core team members. But I thought, you know, core value number one, I think the right thing to do is to tell people where we are and what might happen. And, and and sure enough, things did not turn around. And we did have to furlough some people and eventually let some people go. But not a single person was upset with me when they were furloughed or or let go. In fact, I had so many people on the team contact me and say, hey. I’ve never been at a company where they were this upfront and, like, told us what’s going on. Thank you. None of the core team members left, and, you know, it it sucked that we had to lose some people. But in the end, we were we were stronger for it, and, everyone just really appreciated that that openness. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. Yeah. And I I can think back to some of the great people I worked with who, you know, went through at our monthly meetings and talked about earnings before interest and taxes and, you know, revenues and, you know, really helps you I think it’s easy for somebody to just assume that this is a big company. They just make lots of money, and I just come show up eight to five, and everything’s gonna be great. And and in most cases, that’s not the case. Now the bigger the company, the less visibility you’ll have into that. But, you know, the smaller company, the more visibility you have into that. And I think that’s important. And, you know, a lot of times, you know, this this cycles to the economy. Things go up and those goes down, and people have you know? Most companies I’ve worked with, they’ve been layoffs over time. So it’s not it’s never pleasant, but it’s part of it’s part of the cyclic economy that, we’re we’re we’ve been through this this last last many decades. That said, I feel like we’ve left something out. Is there anything else you wanted to bring up before we wrap up and talk about I wanna talk about your podcast again. I wanna talk about the expo again. But, what are the things as far as, you know, people? And that that really it’s people and culture that are the most important things in in our industry today. Do you wanna Yeah. Can you expand on that at at all? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Yeah. Yeah. There are a couple of specific, topics or or principles that I’ve noticed, a pattern over the years with with engineers, when it comes to their nontechnical skills, right, their communication skills. One is that engineers generally don’t love asking for help. And it’s not because they’re prideful. It’s because as technical professionals, what we love doing is solving problems. Shawn Tierney (Host): Mhmm. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): So it’s fun for us to sit and, like, work through a problem and just, you know, spend whatever time we need to solving that problem. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work so well on the commercial side of things. Right? So a skill that I try to cultivate here at Pipeline and with engineering groups that I I I speak at is, the skill of asking for help early. There there’s a a non engineering example I have. I have engineering examples as well, but, I don’t wanna throw anyone under the bus. So I’ll share a non engineering example. My team and myself, we were at a a large trade show a couple years ago, And, I had recently purchased a, a Rivian R1T truck, and I I love the Rivian. I won’t I’m not afraid to admit it. I’m a fanboy. I love the company. I love the product. I love everything about it. But it was my first EV. And, I I wasn’t super familiar with it yet. So here we are at, the hotel in the morning getting ready to leave to go to the trade show, and I could not get the charger out of the port. We’re, you know, we didn’t wanna pull too hard, of course. Yeah. And, you know, we’re engineers who are like, okay. There’s a latch in there and the mechanism’s not disengaging. How do we get it off? And, I mean, we we were starting to get to the point where, like, we’re getting flashlights and tools out. We’re about to take things apart. Right? And we probably spent, like, ten minutes trying to figure this out and and didn’t figure it out. And when I saw the toolbox come out and I was like, alright. Hold hold on, guys. Let’s let’s not do that. We just called Rivian support and we said, this is what’s happening. How do we get it out? And in five seconds, they told us how to get that charge charger out of the port. It was so simple. It was just something that I had neglected to do because I wasn’t super familiar with it. But the point is spend some time trying to figure it out on your own. Build that muscle because that is important, but don’t spend an obscene amount of time trying to figure it out yourself. Ask someone who knows how to do it. Try for whatever a reasonable period of time is, and that depends on the scope of the task. Right? Might be thirty minutes. It might be a few hours. May might be a few days, but but ask for help soon. It’s it’s okay to do that. And it it will be so much better for you and your business if you can learn to do that. Another one of these soft skills is apologizing when you’re wrong. You know, we all make mistakes. It’s understandable. It’s expected. We’re human. We make mistakes. That’s fine. Just apologize when you’ve made a mistake. Another non engineering example of this long time ago, probably twenty years ago, I was driving down the road, came to a stoplight, and it was turning red. And so I I, I I changed lanes probably kind of abruptly. I can’t remember why I didn’t change lanes, but I did. And then I stopped at the light. And all of a sudden, I see this motorcyclist come up on the side of me. And he’s yelling and he’s gesticulating and and I realize he’s he’s looking at me. Right? He’s this big dude tattooed up, like, not the kind of guy I would wanna mess with. I’m not a a big guy myself. I was like, oh, crap. What have I done? And I rolled my window down. He said, you cut me off. You almost, you know, side swiped me out of my motorcycle. You could have caused an accident here. And I realized that he was right. I I I didn’t, like, check before, not well enough. And I just said first thing I said was, I’m so sorry. You’re totally right. It’s my fault. I’m in the bad. Are are you okay? And it was amazing how this guy went from a level 10 of of anger and fury down to zero just like that. He said, I’m okay. Don’t worry about it. And that was it. Right? A simple apology. These things, they seem small, but the soft skills, they matter so so much. The last one I wanna talk about is being a a principle that that, I teach here at Pipeline called being respectfully aggressive. Now time is a big deal in our industry. We need to get things done fast. And it seems like the the the more the years march by, the the faster, our customers’ expectations are that that we can get things done. And this partially goes back to asking for help. Right? There there there’s a way to ask for things to be done more quickly and a way to to not I’m gonna go back to Rivian here, my my fanboy. So they have, mobile servicing that they’ll do for your vehicle if something’s wrong. There was something wrong with my vehicle, and I called up and said, hey. I’d love for your mobile, servicing to come out. And they said, great. We’re about a month out right now. I was like, ugh, a month. I don’t It wasn’t a critical item, so I said, okay. Fine. I’ll I’ll wait for a month. But then I thought, you know, I’d really love to get this taken care of sooner than a month. And I I called them back the next day, and I said, hey. I’m scheduled for a month from now, but is there any way we could do it, like, next week? And I was super nice about this. Right? Respectfully aggressive. And, they said, you know what? Not the mobile, but I think we might be able to get you in, like, in the shop if if you could do that. I said, that’s not ideal, but sure. I’ll do that so I can get in earlier. And, then I thought, you know, we scheduled it for, like, the the following Thursday or something. They said, next Thursday is a lot better than a a month from now, but, yeah, I sure would like to get it taken care of even earlier than that. So I I I think this time I may have texted them or something. I was like, hey. I’m scheduled for next Thursday. There’s probably no way you can do this, and I totally understand. You’ve got, you know, plenty of customers that you’re supporting. Is there any way that I could maybe get in Monday instead? And they said, you know what? We’re not sure if we can get you in Monday, but give us a few hours to look into it, and and we’ll get back to you. So this was on a, a, a Thursday that I had sent this last message. The next morning, Friday, a mobile tech shows up at my house. And he says, we had a cancellation. We saw your notes, and I’m here. So it went from a month out to next Thursday to requesting next Monday to the very next day, Friday. And so this this principle of re being respectfully aggressive, it can dramatically move the needle in your projects. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had vendors say, it’s gonna take us three weeks to get this part to you. And I’ll be like, guys, respectfully aggressive. Call them up. Be nice about it, but let them know what we want, what we need, and and ask them not can this be done, but how can we get this part by, you know, two days from now or or or whatever it is. And it it has moved mountains, that principle being respectfully aggressive. So those are a few of the common themes that I’ve seen when it comes to, like, the soft skills of engineering and and people development. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. You know, and I I would add to that too. A lot of times, it’s it’s so easy to assume the other person knows your state of mind or knows your urgency, but that’s not always true. And I’ve I’ve I know in just in my history of people upset they needed a PLC quickly, but when they called and they said, do you have that PLC? It’s like, no. They’re back ordered for a month. They just said, oh, okay. And they hung up, and then they get all mad with their with their staff. And it was like, woah. If you told me this is emergency, I mean, there’s several different things we can do. If you just want a plain Jane one off the shelf, you don’t wanna pay any special shipping or yeah. Then, yeah, they’re backed up a month. But if you have an emergency, let’s say you have to you have to bill it this week or you have to install it this weekend or, you know, you’re in a down situation. There’s like, look. You have to tell us if you’re down. If you’re down, we do anything. We’ll take it out of our out of the showroom. We’ll we’ll go to another customer who has spears and buy one back. I mean, don’t assume that the the person you talked to knows again, maybe they just get off the phone with a a family member. Maybe there’s some hardship going on in the family. Maybe somebody got hurt. Maybe somebody’s in an accident. Don’t assume that they’re a 100% dialed in. You know, if you have an urgent need, you know, be respectful like you said, but be aggressive too. Don’t settle for no right away. And, and and, you know, sometimes, no matter how how forceful you are, it doesn’t change it doesn’t change the situation. But, in any case, I agree with that. The you know, another thing too is, asking for help and then sharing sharing what you learn. Right? I think these are very important things. So I used to love going to the factory, talking to the product managers, and then coming back and sharing that with the engineers, saying, oh, there’s this new thing you could do here. You like, you’re Arabian. You may not this isn’t obvious, but you’re gonna love it because it’s gonna save you tons of time. So you go here, you do this, and then look at what that gives you. Right? And so you can always have insight into why the software is designed a certain way. But if you know of a trick or a feature or something that you can do to to make lives easier, then share it. And I know there were so many cultures that I got the experience where sharing information you know, The people always thought that I can’t share any of my secrets because when it comes time for the layoffs, you know, I gotta be show that I have value and that I know things other people don’t. And, you know, god bless you if that’s what you think, but that’s not I’ve never been that way. Share everything. Save people pain. Save people agony. Help them be more efficient. You know? Be be a true team member. Nobody wants a ball hog. I played basketball as a kid. Nobody wants a ball hog. They want people who are gonna pass it to whoever’s open. Right? That’s right. Absolutely. Attitude. But, also, you know, I have this, issue with my car. I have a I’m a Dodge Charger owner, and the damper wasn’t closing. So in the summer, it’s only 95 here in the summer, not a hundred hundred and ten. But in any case, the dampers weren’t closing, and it’s been this way for a while. And I’m like, ugh. I don’t wanna take apart all the different now I’m thinking that one of the the the the ducks is stuck and there’s maybe some leaves or something in there. And I’m like, this is gonna be nightmarish. You know, should I get one of those telescock telescoping, cameras to go through all the ducks if I could find it? And so I was really just dreading it. And then I said, I’m gonna research this. Maybe I’ll get lucky. Right? Maybe it’s in in in this in researching, I found it was a $30 part. It was actually a humidity sensor that’s mounted right on the side of my my mirror on my dashboard that stops that from closing. And I’m like, really? In literally ten minutes, I had it off and back on, And now I have cool air conditioning again. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Beautiful. Shawn Tierney (Host): And it’s like, if I hadn’t if I hadn’t I just imagine I could dismantle all the ducks, taking apart the dashboard. I could have done so many things. You know, wasted so much time just to find out, you know, just with the you know, hey. I and then a lot of times, you don’t have luck when you search on these things. You don’t find the answer you’re looking for. I know it’s frustrating, but, you know, if you know somebody, you can call them and ask them. I think that’s when humans are best is when we’re working with each other, helping each other, and and also educating each other on these type of things. So just a couple stories to add to what you are talking about. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): I love it. Thank you for adding, though, Shawn. Yeah. Shawn Tierney (Host): Now I wanna make sure as we come to the end of the show, I do wanna make sure we cover, the expo again. So let’s go through that, and then we’ll talk a little bit about your podcast before we close out. So, give us all the details again. If somebody just tuned in or maybe didn’t have a pen when we talked about it earlier, now they’re they’re ready to text themselves, so they got a pen to write this down on. Tell us the details about the expo one more time. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Yeah. The the innovative format that we’re doing here is, again, you’re not showing up and just getting a a brochure or, a flyer from a vendor. You’re receiving meaningful training on technical topics. Right? So I talked a little bit about there’s like FEA and, PCB design and programming robots and motion control, linear motors, GD and T, all these different things. We we have we have, I think, 35 instructors, and some of these instructors are actually teaching two topics. So there are, call it, I don’t know, 35 plus, maybe 40 ish different, training topics that you can sign up for. There’s a event website. And once you register for the event, you have access to the event website where you can see all of the different training sessions. You can see the training sessions even before you register, of course, but you can see the time slots where all those different training sessions are scheduled. You sign up for as many as you want. Conceivably, you could do up to a dozen. It’s a two day event, six hours per day, and each of these training sessions is thirty to sixty minutes. So it’s kind of a crash course. Some of them are are more basic one zero one type courses. Others are more advanced, you know, graduate level, call it, courses for the, academic analogy. And and and that’s it. So, just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, October, that’s a Tuesday and a Wednesday, show up, and and we’re gonna have a good time in person. It’s all about learning and education, connecting with other like minded engineers. The focus is really on on really truly practical information and knowledge that that you can go back to work and start using right away and sharing with with your team members. Many of the, exhibitors are are gonna be giving away, tools or materials that you can take back and and share with your team so that you’re not the only one who benefits from this training. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. And so, give us the website again. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Pdexpo.engineer. So pdexp0.engineer. Shawn Tierney (Host): And, guys, I will try to get that in the show notes. So wherever you’re watching or listening, whether it be YouTube or Spotify, iTunes, the automation blog, you’ll have access to those links so you don’t have to write all that down. But I did want you to go through it. A lot of people do listen or they’re walking the dog or mowing the grass or whatever. And so I wanted to make sure we gave that out. Very easy to remember, folks. But please check that out. So valuable training. I think you said it was, $2.95. It’s very difficult to find at that price point. And check out the website and see if there’s something either for yourself or maybe for one of your junior people that would make sense, especially if you’re in driving distance. But even for that price, it’s, and, typically, the hotels in that area are fairly reasonable because of where it’s located. It sound like you’re, you know, New York City. Right? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Or Right. Shawn Tierney (Host): You know, downtown. Right? So in any case, check it out and, let if you do attend or you have somebody attend, let us know. We want your feedback. I know we got a several weeks here before it actually takes, takes off, but I will remember that we had this podcast. So please feel free to come back to the show on any platform and leave your comments. Let me know what you think. And, you know, if I was in the area, I’d definitely be checking it out. With that said, let’s talk a little bit about your podcast before we end here. So you you mentioned it earlier. What is it’s an engineering podcast. So tell us a little bit about what is the podcast, what’s it called, what do you cover, and where can people tune in? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): It’s called being an engineer, and you can find it on all the major podcast platforms, Apple, Spotify, etcetera, etcetera. And this this whole thing started, over five years ago. So we’re in season six right now. We have over 300 episodes that are out there. We release a new episode every week, and we just interview engineers, largely senior level engineers, but sometimes we’ll have newer engineers in there as well. And we ask them about how they do their work. You know, what are some pro tips, some insights that you can share with us to help us work better, to help us become better at, this this profession of engineering. And, there’s some some really cool episodes out there. There’s, we have the the founder of SolidWorks, John Hirschdick. He was a guest. We had, the, the flight director for the Mars Curiosity Mission, David Oh, from, JPL, the Jet Propulsion Lab. He had some really cool stories about, you know, being the first person to see this, rover land on on Mars and living on Martian time for, like, six weeks as as the, rocket flew up there. Yeah. So, anyway, lots of episodes out there. We don’t we don’t get super technical. Occasionally, we will go into a a technical topic and talk about it a little bit, but it’s it’s it’s more along the lines of, how do you do your work and and what are some pro tips that you can share with the rest of us. Shawn Tierney (Host): That’s awesome. That’s great. So, guys, check that out. I know I only do a podcast. We we don’t we don’t do one every day of the week. So, I love having other podcasters on to talk about what they have because I know most of us have 10 commutes per week we need to fill up with a podcast or 10 you know, five days or seven days a week we had to walk the dog or whatever you do when you do your podcast. But in any case, Aaron, I wanna thank you so much for coming on, and I wanna wish you a lot of, success with the event. And I would love to have you back on in the future to talk about, you know, what you’ve learned over the coming months and what happened at the event and also, talk more about your podcast and maybe start go over some of your favorite episodes with other different engineers. But for now, I think we’re gonna wrap it up. I’m looking at the time. Aaron, thank you again for coming on the automation podcast. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Thank you so much, Shawn. I appreciate you having me on. Shawn Tierney (Host): Well, I hope you guys enjoyed our conversation. I know I enjoyed talking to Aaron about all those different topics. And I also wanna thank Pipeline for sponsoring this episode so we could release it to you completely ad free. Thank you, Pipeline. We really appreciate your support. Also, don’t forget there’s a $50 off coupon on your screen now. If you wanna go to the PDXpo, check it out. You don’t find many, two day training sessions that cost just $295. Also, don’t forget to check out Aaron’s podcast and tell him we sent you. He has a lot of great guests that have been on. He has over 300 episodes. And, it may be something you guys enjoy watching or listening to. And with that, I just wanna thank you guys again for tuning in. I wanna wish you all good health and happiness. And until next time, my friends, peace. Until next time, Peace ✌️  If you enjoyed this content, please give it a Like, and consider Sharing a link to it as that is the best way for us to grow our audience, which in turn allows us to produce more content

Ready to Build a Private Practice People Actually Want to Work In? If you've ever wondered what it really takes to build a group practice with heart, soul, and systems that don't make your team want to scream into a pillow, this episode is for you. Gordon sits down with the brilliant (and refreshingly honest) Tara Vossenkemper, founder, leadership nerd, and culture whisperer, to talk about the magic behind creating a practice culture where therapists actually feel seen, supported, and inspired. They're diving into everything from core values that aren't just fluff, to EOS (aka the operating system your practice didn't know it needed), to why fart jokes and quarterly meetings both matter when you're leading a team. Whether you're just starting to build your group or looking to breathe new life into a burnt-out culture, this episode is packed with wisdom, wit, and seriously helpful takeaways. Resources Mentioned In This Episode  Read the show notes here Watch on YouTube  Use the promo code “GORDON” to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free Consulting with Gordon The PsychCraft Network Meet Tara Vossenkemper Tara Vossenkemper, PhD, LPC, is a group practice consultant, owner, and speaker who helps owners and leadership build thriving teams and cultures (without losing their minds in the process). Known for blending humor with actionable insights, Tara leverages her own experience running a successful mid-size group practice to help other leaders tackle hiring challenges, streamline their systems using EOS, and create workplaces people genuinely love. When she's not podcasting about practice ownership or facilitating masterminds, you'll find her traveling the country in an RV, homeschooling her kids, and dreaming of one day planting a chestnut orchard and getting back into homesteading. Website Podcast

Ready to discover how venture capital can drive real impact for emerging markets—and what true leadership looks like in the investment world? In this episode of Female VC Lab, host Barbara Bickham sits down with Eva Yazhari, Managing Partner at Beyond Capital Ventures, for an unfiltered conversation on building a mission-driven VC fund, why conscious leadership matters, and how investing in Africa and India’s rising middle classes creates incredible opportunities for transformation. Tune in to hear Eva share how she moved from finance into venture capital, her relational approach to due diligence, why formalizing informal markets like smallholder farming is a game-changing thesis, and how she’s fostering community and alignment by giving GP carry to all team members—and even founders. Whether you’re an aspiring investor, a founder in emerging markets, or simply passionate about sustainable growth, you’ll walk away inspired and equipped with fresh insights into where VC is headed next. Guest Information Guest Name: Eva Yazhari Bio: Eva Yazhari is the Managing Partner of Beyond Capital Ventures, a purpose-driven venture capital firm investing in seed to Series A rounds across Africa and India. With roots in institutional finance, Eva brings a wealth of experience in fund management, deep due diligence, and impact investing, focusing on technologies and services that uplift the “need to haves” through conscious leadership and stakeholder alignment. Links: Beyond Capital Ventures LinkedIn – Eva Yazhari Instagram – @consciousinvestor The Good Your Money Can Do (Book) Episode Outline How Eva Yazhari Entered VC & Built Beyond Capital Ventures Hear Eva’s unconventional journey from math major to fund-of-funds to founding her own emerging markets VC, and the unique skill set she carried into her new role. Resource: Beyond Capital Ventures Team Formalizing Informal Markets in Emerging Economies Explore “formalizing the informal,” and learn how Beyond Capital Ventures invests in businesses that empower smallholder farmers and aggregate resources for scalable, sustainable impact, featuring a spotlight on agritech company Cinch. Resource: Portfolio Companies Conscious Leadership & Redefining VC Alignment Gain insight into Eva’s approach to authentic, stakeholder-centered leadership, including her innovative decision to share GP carry with both her team and portfolio founders—creating alignment and community while driving results. Resource: The Good Your Money Can Do Related Episodes & Additional Resources Book Recommendation: The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle – Eva’s pick for building strong, collaborative cultures Host & Show Info Host Name: Barbara Bickham About the Host: Barbara Bickham is the founder and Managing Partner of Trailyn Ventures, technology executive, and passionate advocate for diversity and innovation in venture capital. Podcast Website: femalevclab.com Community & Calls to Action Primary CTA: Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts – This is the most impactful way to support the show. https://taplink.cc/femalevclab Follow us on social media: X (formerly Twitter): @FemaleVCLab Instagram: @femalevclab Comment on LinkedIn, send us a message at femalevclab@trailyn.com, or share your key takeaways using #FemaleVCLab. Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway.

What's on the bookshelf of today's top legal leaders? In this special bonus episode, host Tyler Finn asks general counsels, founders, and legal innovators one simple question: What book would you recommend to our listeners?From legal thrillers to leadership classics, personal growth memoirs to spiritual texts — the answers are as wide-ranging as the roles these leaders play. Hear how books like Give and Take, The Culture Code, Ikigai, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, and 100 Saturdays have helped shape how these professionals think, lead, and live.Whether you're looking for your next business read or something more soul-stirring, this episode is your perfect reading list.Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-109 Topics Introduction: 00:00Rob Chesnut, Former GC and CEO at Airbnb, on writing a book that started as a dinner-table idea: 00:33Dana Rao, Former GC & CTO, Adobe, on falling for fiction through Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty: 05:52Shashank Bijapur, Co-Founder & CEO, SpotDraft, on how Zero to One and The Hard Thing About Hard Things guided his transition from lawyer to founder: Akshay Verma, COO at SpotDraft, on the leadership lessons from Getting Naked: 07:07Tim Hirsch, GC of Mars Science & Diagnostics, on the untold Holocaust history in 100 Saturdays: 08:48Manu Kanwar, Founder and CEO, LexSolutions, on trauma, ADHD, and human flourishing: 11:17Alex Herrity, Director of Global Legal Solutions, Adidas, on contract design and building a second brain: 14:52Keita de Souza, GC at Ryse, on Likable Badass and redefining influence: 17:00David Cowen, President at The Cowen Group, on how books shape leadership and connection: 19:33Joon Park, Chief Legal Officer at Extend Enterprises, Inc., on the spiritual depth of the Tao Te Ching and his wife's Pulitzer-winning biography: 21:14Tyler Finn, Head of Community & Growth at SpotDraft, on books that shaped his values, legal curiosity, and political awareness: 23:01 Connect with us: Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinnSpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraftSpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

If you're still relying on salary and sign-on bonuses to keep your clinic staffed, you're missing the bigger picture. In this episode, Brian Gallagher, PT unpacks the real secret to hiring and retention — and it's not about money or mechanics. It's about culture, leadership, and the energy you give off as a practice. People don't just want a job; they want a place they believe in. If you want a clinic that scales without burning out or breaking down, this episode is your reset.

This week on The Jigsaw, Josh and Bryan unpack Megan Thee Stallion's powerful response to ongoing harassment after the Tory Lanez shooting, key updates from Day 11 of Diddy's trial, and Jamal Roberts' inspiring American Idol win. Plus, WNBA tensions rise with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, TikTok's “Gingers Are Black” trend sparks real talk, the 2025 Met Gala celebrates Black fashion—and the Casanegros drop an announcement you don't want to miss.   Bless Up:     Jordan and Ayana Bell - Soul Grind Coffee Co   Check them out online at soulgrindcoffee.co or on IG @soulgrindcoffee   Song of the Week: Promises - Lisa Knowles-Smith & The Brown Singers     Tap in with your favorite Casanegros by writing them or following them on social media:   Email: askthejigsaw@gmail.com   Instagram: @thejigsawpodcast | @iamjoshrodgers | @iambryanhaire

Pulse Check: The Culture Code: Leading with Diversity — Part 5: Culturally Relevant Prospective Student Campus VisitsIn the final part of this Pulse Check Series, host Christian Ponce sits down with Dr. Ana Luz Williams to dive into the importance of cultural intelligence and authenticity in higher ed marketing. The conversation explores how universities can better connect with Hispanic families through intentional campus events, thoughtful messaging, and a deeper understanding of cultural nuances. Dr. Williams shares personal stories and actionable strategies for creating inclusive, welcoming environments for prospective students and their families. If your institution is serious about improving Latino student enrollment and retention, this is a must-listen.Guest Name: Ana Luz Williams, Associate Director of Enrollment, Old Dominion UniversityGuest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ana-luz-williams-aa9966236/Guest Bio: Dr. Ana Luz Williams is a seasoned, fully bilingual education professional with a background in communications, public relations, and educational leadership.  She is passionate about lifelong learning, equity, and building collaborative and inclusive communities.As Associate Director of Undergraduate Enrollment at Old Dominion University, she leads strategic communication and recruitment initiatives to support student success. Outside of her role, she is deeply involved in community leadership and advocacy, serving on several boards and speaking on topics such as education, cultural diversity, and social justice. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register

Pulse Check: The Culture Code: Leading with Diversity — Part 4: Enrollment Marketing and Technology Guest Name: Jennifer Lonchar Cofounder, AmbioEDUGuest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferloncharGuest Bio: Jennifer Lonchar brings almost two decades of expertise in higher education, having worked in various roles focused on strategic enrollment and marketing. For over 13 years, she worked for Carnegie, a premier marketing firm, and was instrumental in bringing digital marketing to higher education. Her deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the sector has made her a sought-after leader in developing innovative solutions for enrollment and student engagement. Driven by a passion for enhancing the student experience and optimizing recruitment strategies, Jennifer co-founded AmbioEdu. This venture reflects her commitment to transforming higher education marketing through advanced technologies, including Performance TV and integrated digital solutions. AmbioEdu, under her leadership, harnesses cutting-edge tools to help universities connect with prospective students more effectively and efficiently, setting new standards in the field. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register

Welcome to The Culture Code: Leading with Diversity — Part 3: Women Leadership in Empowering Future Generations in Higher Ed.Christian Ponce sits down with Ray Martinez, VP and CEO of Archer Education, to unpack how AI and emerging technologies are disrupting and improving higher education marketing. With over 14 years of experience helping institutions like Tulane University and LSU Online elevate their SEO and content strategies, Ray offers deep insights into the tools, trends, and human-AI collaborations shaping the future of student recruitment. Whether you're AI-curious or knee-deep in ed tech tools, this episode breaks it down with both technical know-how and cultural nuance.Guest Name: Raymond Martinez, SEO VP, Archer EducationGuest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/m-cristina-alcalde-ph-d-24b71b8b/Guest Bio: Raymond Martinez is the VP of SEO at Archer Education where he leads a team of analysts, specialists, and project managers to deliver SEO strategies for top higher education institutions. With over 14 years of experience, Ray has successfully managed campaigns for clients like California Western School of Law, LSU Online, Tulane University, and the University of San Diego. Raised in Queens, NY, by a family that instilled the value of hard work, Ray earned a B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations from The City College of New York and an M.S. in Media Management from The New School.  - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register

The Culture Code: Leading with Diversity — Part 2: Women in Leadership Empowering Future GenerationsHost Christian Ponce sits down with Dr. Cristina Alcalde, Vice President for Transformation and Inclusive Excellence at Miami University, to explore how Latina leadership is reshaping the future of higher education. They unpack the educational attainment gap facing Hispanic communities, the role of cultural identity in leadership, and the power of mentorship and inclusion. Dr. Alcalde brings her lived experience as an immigrant, scholar, and advocate to a timely conversation on equity and representation in academia.Guest Name: Dr. Cristina Alcalde, VP, Miami University Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/m-cristina-alcalde-ph-d-24b71b8b/Guest Bio: Dr. Alcalde is a gender and women's studies scholar and anthropologist whose research focuses on racialization, gender, migration, gender violence, and exclusion. As Vice President for Transformational and Inclusive Excellence at Miami University, she leads inclusion efforts, working closely with students, faculty, and staff. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register

Guggenheim Fellow, artist, producer, and educator Kokayi returns to unpack the layers of sound, storytelling, and being a vessel for cultural memory.Since our first conversation, Kokayi has pushed deeper into multidisciplinary work—blending sound design, improvisation, code, and community-building. This conversation tracks his reflections on legacy, experimentation, and why he's wary of institutions that try to own culture. We talk about what's next, how he stays rooted in practice, and what it means to be free in a creative economy that rewards conformity.Sound as both artform and archival practiceWhy joy is built into his live performance structureNavigating mentorship, freedom, and capitalist frameworksCreating from truth instead of chasing metricsThe importance of protecting your time and your IP

Welcome to this new Pulse Check series, The Culture Code: Leading with Diversity. On today's Part 1, we'll discuss the role of minority leadership in shaping higher education culture and messaging, how strategic leadership can drive positive outcomes, and how institutions can engage diverse communities through effective branding and outreach.Guest Name: Frank Tramble, VP Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs, Duke UniversityGuest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-tramble-mps-a7b81711/Guest Bio: Frank is a seasoned communications professional with extensive experience in executive communications, crisis management, marketing, and brand strategy, playing a key role in shaping Duke's reputation and strategic goals.As a strategic adviser to President Vincent Price, Frank oversees Duke's communications, marketing, media relations, and brand efforts, guiding professionals across the university to ensure a unified approach. Previously, Frank served as Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at Howard University, where he led innovative initiatives like the award-winning redesign of the university magazine and the creation of The Dig, a daily storytelling platform.His work has earned national recognition, including the historic feature of Howard's swim and dive team on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Frank has also worked with notable figures such as Pete Souza, Phylicia Rashad, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Ta-Nehisi Coates.In addition to his role at Duke, Frank is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, teaching brand strategy. He holds a master's degree in integrated marketing communications from Georgetown and a bachelor's in advertising management from Michigan State University. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register

https://teachhoops.com/ The Heart of Culture: Why Vulnerability and Belonging Are Non-Negotiable What truly makes a team or organization thrive? This podcast dives into two of the most potent, yet often overlooked, pillars of a powerful and positive culture: vulnerability and belonging. We explore how creating spaces where individuals feel safe enough to be vulnerable – to share ideas, admit mistakes, and show up authentically – is fundamental to building deep trust and connection. This foundation of vulnerability is inextricably linked to fostering a genuine sense of belonging, where every member feels valued, respected, and an integral part of the collective. Join us as we unpack the profound impact that cultures rich in vulnerability and belonging have on innovation, collaboration, employee well-being, and overall performance. We'll discuss practical strategies for leaders and team members alike to courageously cultivate these qualities, break down barriers to psychological safety, and build environments where everyone can contribute their best work because they truly feel they belong. Discover how embracing these core human needs can transform your culture from the inside out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Soul Inspiring Business Podcast, host Kara welcomes Carol Shen, founder of Start Culture Shift. Carol shares her expertise on how businesses of any size can create and improve their workplace culture through practical, actionable steps. With a background in industrial organizational psychology, Carol reveals her Culture Roadmap framework and explains why culture isn't just a set of beliefs—it's what people actually do in an organization.Episode Topics:Defining workplace culture and why it mattersThe three-step Culture Roadmap for embedding culture into strategyHow small businesses can implement culture initiatives without massive resourcesCreating feedback loops that build trust and improve performancePractical tools for setting clear cultural expectationsCarol's journey from corporate life to entrepreneurshipInsights:"Culture is not just a set of beliefs. It's what you do." This realization helps demystify culture and make it actionable.Small organizations can see cultural shifts in 3-6 months, while larger organizations may need more time and multi-level buy-in.Feedback is simply data that helps inform whether behaviors need to shift, removing the negative connotation.Quality trumps quantity when it comes to manager-employee check-ins; even 15 minutes can be effective with established trust.Cultural competencies can be developed using simple tools like AI prompts to generate starting points.The minimum cadence for one-on-one meetings should be every other week, with weekly being ideal.Highlights:00:00 Welcome and Intro 02:47 Understanding Work Culture 05:49 Defining Organizational Culture 08:17 Embedding Culture into Strategy 11:21 Performance Clarity and Competencies 12:44 Cultural Accountability and Leadership 14:29 Organizational Culture and Change Management 18:00 Feedback Mechanisms in Communication 21:03 Utilizing AI for Leadership Competencies 24:01 Translating Strategy into Operations 26:42 Building Trust in Remote Work Environments 29:38 Transitioning from Corporate to Entrepreneurship 30:10 Transition to Entrepreneurship 32:58 Entrepreneurship and Client Profiles 35:31 Improving Work Culture in Alternative Markets 38:12 Website Promotion and Cultural Improvement 39:19 Podcast episode ended Resources:FAST goal-setting framework: Frequently discussed, Ambitious, Specific, TransparentSMART goal-setting framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-boundAI tools like ChatGPT/Perplexity for generating competency frameworksSample culture statements and competency frameworks onlineCarol Shen, founder of Start Culture Shift, helps leaders build people-centered, high-performing cultures. She advises founders/CEOs, leadership teams and boards on how to embed culture into strategy, paving the way for improved work environments and scalable growth.Carol has spent over two decades in advisory and leadership roles including 6 years as ILPA Institute curriculum advisor and faculty, Arabella Advisors fractional Chief Learning Officer, Director of Learning & Development at CEB, now Gartner, and non-profit board and executive director roles. Both at CEB, and Mercer HR Consulting, where her career started, Carol developed her expertise in organizational effectiveness and leadership best practices.With extensive instructional design and teaching expertise, Carol also facilitates workshop experiences and leadership offsites that have a life-long impact on improving work (and personal) relationships and accelerating productivity. In her workshops, she brings a cross-functional lens that bridges private...

#94.In this powerful episode, we sit down with Josh Kopel, restaurateur, consultant, speaker, and former President of the California Restaurant Association, whose story is one of transformation, from building a multimillion-dollar restaurant empire in Los Angeles to rethinking the way hospitality businesses are built and run.Kopel is best known for founding a Hollywood bar that became a local legend, launching a Michelin-awarded fine dining restaurant, and building an award-winning fast-casual brand. But by early 2020, he was burned out. With the pandemic looming, Josh sold everything—not as an exit, but as an evolution.What came next was FULL COMP, a podcast born out of a commitment to rebuild the industry from the inside out. Paring his own experience with candid conversations with industry legends, Josh codified the systems, strategies, and stories that drive long-term success in hospitality. Those insights became the Restaurant Scaling System: a step-by-step framework helping restaurant owners regain control, increase profits, and build businesses that don't burn them out.In 2025, Josh launched the 5-Day Restaurant Profitability Masterclass—a free, high-impact crash course that distills decades of lessons into five focused sessions. It's not theory; it's a practical blueprint for restaurateurs ready to stabilize their operations, grow sustainably, and finally enjoy the freedom they've earned.During the episode, Josh shares valuable insights on understanding customer needs, the power of teaching over doing in consulting, and effective strategies to boost profitability through targeted marketing and customer engagement. He also discusses the concept of product-market fit and how restaurants can harness AI to streamline operations and enhance efficiency. Links and resources

Send us a textEvery company has a culture—whether you shape it or not.It can be intentional or accidental. It can fuel performance or quietly tear your business apart. And the difference between a thriving company and one stuck in survival mode? Often, it comes down to one thing: leadership.In this episode of The School of Hiring, I'm joined by Erik Pfannmöller, serial entrepreneur, former Canoe World Champion, and founder of The Culture Code Foundation. Erik has built and exited multiple high-growth companies and now helps organizations develop high-performance cultures that drive innovation, attract top talent, and create long-term, defensible success.We unpack the often invisible force that shapes businesses—company culture—and the role ego plays in either strengthening or sabotaging it.In this episode, we explore:Why culture is your ultimate competitive advantageHow ego silently kills team performance and decision-makingThe biggest myths leaders believe about company cultureWhat founders must let go of in order to scale successfullyWhether it's ever too late to fix a toxic cultureWhat business leaders can learn from elite-level sportWhether you're a founder building from scratch or a leader trying to fix what's broken, this episode is packed with insights on how to lead with humility, clarity, and purpose—and build a culture that lasts.

What if building a great company culture could actually double your business success? In this episode, Kris Krohn sits down with Joe Camberato of National Business Capital to uncover the game-changing power of workplace culture. Joe shares how fostering a “culture of good” has not only created a thriving work environment but also driven over $1 billion in funding for small businesses. If you're looking for the secret to happier employees, better customer experiences, and exponential growth, this conversation is for you.

Thomas Perry’s THE LITTLE BOOK OF IMPEDIMENTS: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Impediments-Thomas-Perry/dp/1523485507 Tom’s bio: https://hyperdriveagile.com/trainers/tom-perry Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlperry/ Mentioned in this episode: David Marquet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYXH2XUfhfo Books by David Marquet: https://www.amazon.com/stores/L.-David-Marquet/author/B008GHTFN2?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true Culture Code: https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Code-Secrets-Highly-Successful/dp/0804176981 The post 294 Performance Mangament & Agile first appeared on Agile Noir.

What would you do if you had to fight for your life and your country, while you were starting your life with your spouse? This isn't a movie plot. It's the real story of a marriage forged in the middle of a war. Hilla and Arik Nehamkin are a Miami couple who started their relationship just before the attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023. Both of them have spent years living in Israel.  Arik has served in the Israeli Defense Forces and voluntarily returned to duty in Israel when the war broke out.  In this powerful episode, he and his wife Hilla share with host Stephanie Muiña about their Jewish heritage, the impact of the war on their marriage, and their devotion to their homeland.  You'll see how a spirit of resilience can strengthen your marriage and family, even if it is tested in the most extreme circumstances. Send us a text at our Podience Textline: 302-542-0800 Want to get text alerts from the podcast? Click here to subscribe! Other ways to connectJoin our TFB Newsletter and get a free guide on setting up a Culture Code for your family! Click HERE to get your guide Message us on Instagram or Facebook Reply on our YouTube Community Leave a voicenote Buy Family Business Merch Listen to the Alessi girls' daily devotional podcast My Morning Devotional Join the Family Business Follow Us on Instagram and Facebook Subscribe on YouTube Leave a review Hear new music from our family in Metr...

Are you struggling to keep your marriage relationship fresh and healthy despite life's constant challenges?In this powerful episode, Steve and Mary Alessi share a conversation with long-time friends David and Mory Martinez. Drawing on over 70 years of combined experience as married couples, they tackle subjects like embracing change, aligning personal goals, and the delicate balance between career ambition and family unity.You'll gain insights into the power of covenant relationships and the importance of laying down personal desires for unified dreams. This episode challenges conventional ideas about individual growth and will show you  key elements of successful, long-lasting marriages, so that you're not just surviving, but genuinely thriving together. Send us a text at our Podience Textline: 302-542-0800 Want to get text alerts from the podcast? Click here to subscribe! Other ways to connectJoin our TFB Newsletter and get a free guide on setting up a Culture Code for your family! Click HERE to get your guide Message us on Instagram or Facebook Reply on our YouTube Community Leave a voicenote Buy Family Business Merch Listen to the Alessi girls' daily devotional podcast My Morning Devotional Join the Family Business Follow Us on Instagram and Facebook Subscribe on YouTube Leave a review Hear new music from our family in Metr...

Afraid of the prospect immigration challenges facing your community or loved ones?In this powerful and timely episode, we welcome Abe Cardenas, from the Cardenas Law Firm, as we dig into the realities and misconceptions about the raging debate over immigration laws and undocumented immigrants.  By shedding light on the rules and procedures often clouded by misinformation and fear-mongering, Abe demystifies the immigration process with insider insights.Listen as they unravel the complexities of asylum, work permits, and even the impact of political promises on immigration policies today. Abe shares heartfelt stories about helping people find peace and hope amidst uncertain situations.For anyone seeking sanctuary in a new land or simply wanting to understand the immigration landscape better, this conversation offers both valuable legal guidance and a compassionate touch.Discover how knowledge, lawful actions, and supportive counsel can be powerful antidotes to fear, creating room for optimism and rightful navigation through the immigration system.To connect with Cardenas Law Firm, reach out at: consultoriajuridica.com305-697-0990DISCLAIMER: While the information on this episode is about legal issues, it is not intended as legal advice or as a substitute for the particularized advice of your own counsel.  Anyone seeking specific legal advice or assistance should retain an attorney.Send us a text at our Podience Textline: 302-542-0800 Want to get text alerts from the podcast? Click here to subscribe! Other ways to connectJoin our TFB Newsletter and get a free guide on setting up a Culture Code for your family! Click HERE to get your guide Message us on Instagram or Facebook Reply on our YouTube Community Leave a voicenote Buy Family Business Merch Listen to the Alessi girls' daily devotional podcast My Morning Devotional Join the Family Business Follow Us on Instagram and Facebook Subscribe on YouTube Leave a review Hear new music from our family in Metr...

In this episode, Marc Schwarz, Director of Service at Thrive Hospitality, shares his experiences working with the legendary hotelier Ian Schrager and the unique culture at Morgan's Hotel Group.Also see: Service is a Privilege: The Mindset of Hospitality Success - Marc SchwarzCreating Alchemy with Ian Schrager (And How Hospitality Needs to Change) - Ben Pundole, PUBLIC HotelsWorking with Ian Schrager: The Iconic Studio 54 Founder's Approach to Hospitality Today - Adam WallaceA few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Шинэ оны эхний дугаараараа Тэгшээ, Дээгий хоёр 2018 оны шилдэг бүтээлүүдийн нэг "The Culture Code" номыг танилцуулж байна. Энэхүү бүтээл нь багийн ажиллагааг чухалчилж, байгууллагын уур амьсгал, соёлд ач холбогдол өгдөг хэн бүхэнд туслах бодит жишээгээр баялаг ном юм.

Episode Summary:  In this episode of the Building Better Cultures podcast, Scott McInnes interviews Eimear Marrinan, VP of People Experience at HubSpot, about how HubSpot has built and maintained a thriving corporate culture.   The conversation explores the challenges and opportunities of hybrid work, the role of feedback and transparency, and the importance of intentionality in fostering meaningful employee engagement. Eimear shares practical advice and insights into aligning company values with the needs of employees and customers alike.  Key Takeaways:  HubSpot's culture code acts as a guiding principle for hiring, management, and decision-making.  Constructive, candid feedback fosters personal and organisational growth.  Remote and hybrid work require intentional strategies for communication, engagement, and productivity.  Managers need upskilling and support to lead effectively in dynamic work environments.  Culture is an evolving product shaped by data, feedback, and leadership alignment.  Aligning leadership around core principles enhances company mission and employee connection.  Challenges faced by Big Tech reveal the need to balance employee well-being with business priorities.    Chapters:  00:00 Introduction to Building Better Cultures Podcast  07:01 HubSpot's Culture Code and Its Importance  12:05 Feedback and Transparency in Organisational Culture  20:04 Intentionality in Communication and Management  25:44 The Importance of Intentionality in Management  36:01 Balancing Family Culture with Business Needs   

Want to hear an honest conversation about what it really takes to build a creative career while staying true to your roots? Today's guest, Kieron Lewis, shares his remarkable journey from a kid in South London to becoming one of the most sought-after editorial designers in publishing. His story will inspire you to embrace change, trust your instincts, and build success on your own terms. You'll learn: Why listening to your gut (and your mom!) might lead to your true calling The REAL breakdown of freelance life: 85% business, 15% creativity How becoming a parent transformed Kieron's approach to work and success A powerful framework for handling client feedback with confidence The unexpected way Kieron uses humor to build stronger professional relationships During the pandemic, while planning a wedding AND buying a house, Kieron took the leap into freelancing. That same week, he landed two major opportunities: a publication with HarperCollins and a hosting role with Adobe. Sometimes the universe has your back when you trust your instincts! Think you need to have it all figured out? Kieron's story proves that embracing the unknown – whether in your career or as a new parent – can be surprisingly liberating. It's not about controlling everything; it's about being open to where life takes you. ✍️ The Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille - Game-changing insights on cross-cultural communication

I have used stories in leadership for some time now and have found them to be such a powerful way to engage people as well as a means to appeal to people's heads and hearts. Years ago, I started studying how other speakers I followed used stories and I took notes.   As I've learned more about the power of storytelling from a theoretical perspective, so much has clicked for me in terms of how to use storytelling as a leadership tool and strategy. There is no doubt that stories drive authentic leadership, allowing you to humanize yourself and display vulnerability in front of those you lead. This can be pivotal in building trusting relationships. If you're looking to build trust, cultivate vulnerability, and build team relationships on a foundation of psychological safety, start telling stories.  Daniel Coyle, author of The Culture Code, reminds those leading others through change, “Stories are not just stories; they are the best invention ever created for delivering mental models that drive behavior.” In the vulnerable space of a story is an opportunity to create a connection. Connections pave the way for relationships. Relationships become the platform for which we can show our full range of humanity and hold space for other's full range of humanity. Stories can be used to inspire, motivate, build trust & rapport, model humanity, humility, vulnerability, imperfection, instruct, demonstrate, teach, mentor, celebrate, and advance organizational culture.  I often have the opportunity to teach leaders how to use stories during leadership training I facilitate. It is one of my favorite activities to facilitate and to observe. Most leaders walk away feeling a sense of lightness in their leadership they couldn't previously find. For many, this lightness is a gratitude for the permission to share parts of themselves that are imperfect, goofy, messy, soft, sensitive, joyful, and playful.   In this episode, we will talk through how to use stories, as well as tips for telling impactful stories.   Links mentioned: Book: The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle Check out my other podcast: The Shameless Mom Academy Learn about my speaking, training, and coaching: saradean.com Connect with me on LinkedIn: saradean.com/linkedin We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unlocking Team Success: Insights from 'Culture Code' by Daniel CoyleChapter 1:Summary of Culture Code"The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups" by Daniel Coyle explores the dynamics of successful group cultures and what makes them thrive. Coyle identifies three key skills that contribute to creating a strong culture:1. Build Safety: Successful groups foster a sense of belonging and psychological safety where members feel valued, secure, and free to share ideas without fear of judgment. This is cultivated through openness, support, and mutual respect, promoting trust and collaboration.2. Share Vulnerability: High-performing teams engage in sharing vulnerability to strengthen bonds among members. This involves being open about mistakes and weaknesses, which fosters a culture of honesty and encourages others to do the same, leading to increased creativity and problem-solving.3. Establish Purpose: Successful groups have a clear shared purpose that inspires and motivates members. This common goal creates alignment and a sense of direction, empowering individuals to contribute meaningfully to the group's objectives.Coyle illustrates these principles through various real-world examples from diverse settings, such as sports teams, businesses, and schools. He emphasizes that cultivating a strong culture is an ongoing process that requires continuous effort and engagement from all members. The book offers practical insights and actionable strategies for leaders and team members seeking to enhance their group's culture and effectiveness.Chapter 2:The Theme of Culture Code"Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups" by Daniel Coyle explores how group dynamics contribute to the success of organizations. While the book doesn't follow a traditional narrative structure with characters and plot points, it emphasizes key concepts through real-world examples and case studies across various fields, such as sports teams, businesses, and educational environments. Here's an overview of some key concepts and themes: Key Plot Points and Examples1. Safety: The first drive of a successful culture is creating a safe environment. Coyle discusses how groups that make members feel safe foster openness and psychological safety. Examples include the U.S. Navy SEALs, where trust is critical for operations.2. Vulnerability: Successful groups demonstrate a willingness to be vulnerable. Coyle illustrates this through case studies, such as the practices of Pixar, where sharing and discussing weaknesses leads to innovation and creativity.3. Purpose: Groups with a clear, compelling purpose are more cohesive. Coyle highlights organizations that align their mission with the personal values of their members, creating intrinsic motivation.4. Belonging: The sense of belonging is crucial for group cohesion. The author provides examples from the sports world, including how coaches create cultures where all team members feel they are valued contributors, regardless of their role.5. Storytelling: Coyle emphasizes storytelling as a tool for sharing culture. Successful groups often have a set of shared stories that reinforce their values and vision, which helps in stitching the fabric of the group. Character DevelopmentWhile "Culture Code" doesn't have characters in the traditional sense, it portrays leaders and organizations as central figures in developing culture. Key "characters" or archetypes include:- Leaders and Coaches: Individuals like John Wooden or Ed Catmull (of Pixar) serve as models for how effective leaders build a culture of safety, belonging, and vulnerability.- Team Members: The individuals within those groups are often depicted as learners and contributors who grow and evolve as part of the cultural framework established by their...

In 1982, Ari Weinzweig, along with his partner Paul Saginaw, founded Zingerman's Delicatessen in Ann Arbor with a $20,000 bank loan, a Russian History degree from the University of Michigan, four years of experience washing dishes, cooking and managing in restaurant kitchens and chutzpah from his hometown of Chicago. They opened the doors with 2 employees, a small selection of specialty foods, and exceptional sandwiches.rnrnToday, Zingerman's Delicatessen is a nationally renowned food icon and the Zingerman's Community of Businesses has grown to 11 businesses with over 750 employees and over $65 million in annual revenue. Ari Weinzweig is also a prolific writer. His most recent publications are the first four of his six book series Zingerman's Guide to Good Leading.rnrnThe conversation will be moderated by New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle. Coyle's book The Culture Code was named Best Business Book of the Year by Bloomberg, BookPal, and Business Insider. Coyle has served as an advisor to many high-performing organizations, including the Navy SEALs, Microsoft, Google, and the Cleveland Guardians.

This week, the Casanegros are talking all things Thanksgiving! From how they celebrate and their  traditions—like Thanksgiving services—to Friendsgiving vs. family gatherings, we've got it covered. We're sharing must-have dishes, tips for setting family boundaries, and closing with a fun round of Game of Culture Code. Tune in for laughs, love, and a little holiday seasoning!   Tap in with your favorite Casanegros by writing them or following them on social media using the information below:   askthejigsaw@gmail.com   IG: @thejigsawpodcast | @iamjoshrodgers | @iambryanhaire

In this episode of The Real ResQ Podcast, host Jason Quinn is joined by Danielle Snyder, a U.S. Forest Service Landscape Architect, volunteer firefighter, and member of the Search and Rescue (SAR) Team with the Sitka, Alaska Fire Department. Living in Sitka, Alaska, Snyder is a Coast Guard “Air Station Fan Girl”! She shares her experiences with search and rescue in Sitka, Alaska. She works with the local department, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.   She recalls her first rescue, searching for an overdue kayaker, and the challenges of searching in the dark. She also discusses a memorable rescue on Bear Mountain, where she rappelled down the steep slope to rescue stranded hunters. The rescue lasted nearly 24 hours and involved navigating through dense vegetation and rappelling into a waterfall.  Next, we discuss a plane crash in downtown Sitka where the plane crashed into a house, but miraculously, the owner of the house had left just half an hour earlier. There is also a second story of a plane crash on a nearby mountain where the Coast Guard flew the SAR team up to the scene.  Snyder also shares the story of a team member who passed away while hiking on Mount Verstovia. She emphasizes the importance of mental health support for rescue teams and recommends resources like the Responder Alliance. She also recommends the book The Culture Code. The conversation ends on a positive note, highlighting the joy of helping others, the camaraderie within the team, and the importance of teamwork. In addition, there is a need for individuals to show up and be willing to do the job, regardless of their perceived weaknesses. Enjoy!   This episode is powered by Vertical HeliCASTS. Thank you for sponsoring this episode of The Real ResQ: Breeze-Eastern, PAG, The Real ResQ Store. Follow The Real ResQ on Facebook and Instagram and listen on Vertical Helicasts. Plus, get your podcast gear at therealresqstore.com.

Nikki Lewallen Gregory, Founder and Chief Meaningful Work Officer at PeopleForward Network, joins Lead the People podcast host Matt Poepsel to discuss intentionality in leadership and the importance of a strong culture code. She emphasizes the need for leaders to live with intention and be rooted in their why. Nikki also shares insights on building an intentional culture and the challenges that can arise when there is a disconnect between stated values and actual behavior. Transparency, accountability, and creating a people-forward workplace factor into Nikki's authentic leadership style. Additional Resources (links for listeners to learn more or connect with host + guest) Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network Subscribe to Lead the People Podcast

Is your company culture holding you back? Learn how to revolutionize it in just three steps. Episode Summary: In this episode, we dive into the critical process of changing organizational culture. We explore the top three steps leaders can take to create meaningful and lasting cultural shifts within their companies. From assessing current culture to implementing new behaviors, we provide actionable insights to help you transform your workplace. Key Takeaways: [ • Step 1 Assess your current organizational culture • Step 2 Define the desired culture and create a plan • Step 3 Implement and reinforce new behaviors We discuss how to: - Identify the gaps between your current and desired culture - Develop a clear vision for your organization's future - Create strategies to embed new cultural norms - Overcome resistance to change - Measure the success of your cultural transformation efforts Resources Mentioned: • Link to the full article: https://www.breakfastleadership.com/blog/the-top-three-steps-for-changing-the-culture-of-your-organization • Book recommendation: "The Culture Code" by Daniel Coyle   If you found this episode valuable, please subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. For more leadership insights, visit our website at https://BreakfastLeadership.com   

Our guest on this classic episode of the Elevate Podcast is bestselling author, Daniel Coyle. Daniel has looked inside some of the world's highest performing groups, including U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six, Pixar and the San Antonio Spurs, and lays out what their success has in common in his newest book, The Culture Code. Daniel is also the New York Times bestselling author of The Talent Code, The Little Book of Talent and The Secret Race, a book he co-authored with former professional road bicycle racer, Tyler Hamilton. Coyle and Hamilton also won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Prize in 2012. When he's not churning out award-winning, best-selling books, he is a contributing editor for Outside Magazine and works as a special advisor to the Cleveland Indians. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Loved the episode? Wanna share your thoughts? Send me a message here!Buy Gear For IDF SoldiersPitch in for HELMETS:Donate Helmetshttps://my.israelgives.org/en/fundme/helpidfsoldiers?team=chanaleSponsor an IDF BBQhttps://my.israelgives.org/en/fundme/patriotsFollow Forest Rainwww.inspirationfromzion.com/www.x.com/frisraelJoin The Weekly Squeeze Whatsapp Chat:Join NowFollow My Beautiful Land Of Israel On Instagram:Instagram - My Beautiful Land Of IsraelAdvertisers: Grab a ONE MINUTE SPOT on the podcast:Email: Chanalesings@gmail.comWhatsApp for details: https://wa.link/efqjihIsrael is BURNING from wildfire terrorism!Help Equip The Civil  Squads With Fire Protective Gear

Dharmesh Shah is the co-founder and CTO of HubSpot (currently valued at $30 billion) and one of the most fascinating founders I've ever met. Dharmesh is the keeper of HubSpot's Culture Code, built ChatSpot (an AI chatbot built on top of HubSpot CRM) and a game called WordPlay (which grew to 16 million users), and also founded and writes for OnStartups, a top-ranking startup blog and community with more than 1M members. He's also invested in 100+ startups including OpenAI, AngelList, Coinbase, and Dropbox. In our conversation, we discuss:• The biggest lessons he has learned from building HubSpot• The importance of leaning into your strengths• Dharmesh's data-oriented approach to public speaking• How he developed HubSpot's culture code• The decision-making process at HubSpot• His contrarian approach to building products• Why founders and product teams are all fighting the second law of thermodynamics• How “flash tags” can save your teams time• How to decide what ideas are worth investing in—Brought to you by:• Explo—Embed customer-facing analytics in your product• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security• LinkedIn Ads—Reach professionals and drive results for your business—Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-30-years-of-building—Where to find Dharmesh Shah:• X: https://twitter.com/dharmesh• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dharmesh/• Website: https://dharmesh.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Dharmesh's background(04:20) Fun facts about Dharmesh(06:31) His data-oriented approach to public speaking(11:45) Advice for adding humor to your presentations(15:28) Why he has no direct reports(18:46) You can shape the universe to your liking(20:02) Lessons from building HubSpot(23:43) Contrarian ways of running a company(37:26) Fighting the second law of thermodynamics (40:29) The importance of simplicity in running a business(45:22) Succeeding in the SMB market(50:29) Zigging when others are zagging(54:17) When it makes sense to go “wide and deep”(57:33) Using flashtags to communicate opinions(01:02:44) HubSpot's decision-making process (01:09:41) Deciding what ideas to invest in(01:15:26) Defining and maintaining company culture(01:30:46) The potential of AI(01:37:03) Practical advice for learning AI(01:40:07) Where to find Dharmesh—Referenced:• WordPlay: https://wordplay.com/article/unlimited• ChatSpot: https://chatspot.ai/• Indian-origin entrepreneur buys ‘chat.com' for over $10 million, then sells, donates $250,000 to Khan Academy: https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/news/story/indian-origin-entrepreneur-buys-chatcom-for-over-10-million-then-sells-donates-250000-to-khan-academy-382907-2023-05-26• Kipp Bodnar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kippbodnar/• The surprising metric presenters should analyze: https://lars-sudmann.com/the-surprising-metric-presenters-should-analyze/• SoloWare: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dharmesh_for-3-decades-now-in-addition-to-my-day-activity-7166500611247583232-kZgb/• Brian Halligan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan/• First Principles: Elon Musk on the Power of Thinking for Yourself: https://jamesclear.com/first-principles• Peter Thiel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterthiel/• The second law of thermodynamics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_law_of_thermodynamics• What is an SMB?: https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/SMB-small-and-medium-sized-business-or-small-and-midsized-business• Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/• Relentless curiosity, radical accountability, and HubSpot's winning growth formula | Christopher Miller (VP of Product, Growth and AI): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/relentless-curiosity-radical-accountability-and-hubspots-winning-growth-formula-christopher-mil/• FlashTags: A Simple Hack for Conveying Context Without Confusion: https://www.onstartups.com/flashtags-a-simple-hack-for-conveying-context-without-confusion• What it means to “disagree and commit”: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16949021• A Simple Decision Framework: Debate, Decide and Unite: https://connectingdots.com/p/debate-decide-unite• Dharmesh Shah's Frameworks for Creating a $1 Billion Net Worth: https://hakune.co/dharmesh-shah-networth/• Zip: https://ziphq.com/• The HubSpot Culture Code: Creating a Company We Love: https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/34234/the-hubspot-culture-code-creating-a-company-we-love.aspx• How defining values and culture helped Airbnb achieve worldwide success: https://lattice.com/library/how-defining-values-and-culture-helped-airbnb-achie• What is SQL?: https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/sql/• GrowthBot: https://community.hubspot.com/t5/Releases-and-Updates/Meet-GrowthBot-from-HubSpot-Labs/ba-p/417985—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe