Podcasts about strategy officer

Send me a messageUPDATE: Since recording this episode JF has informed me he's no longer working with Pendulum.AI is everywhere right now, but is it actually helping supply chain leaders make smarter, more sustainable decisions?In this episode of the Sustainable Supply Chain podcast, I'm joined by JF Gagné, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Pendulum, who's spent over two decades building AI systems that do more than just spit out forecasts. JF shares how generative AI can integrate data across the enterprise to drive contextual, collaborative decisions - helping businesses manage risk, cut waste, and improve sustainability outcomes.We dig into:Why traditional supply chain planning systems are too rigid for today's volatile environmentHow AI can move from giving “perfect outputs” to helping teams reach consensus and make informed trade-offsPractical examples of using AI to reduce carbon emissions, track forced labour risk, and optimise inventoryWhat most companies get wrong when implementing AI in supply chainsWhy continuous risk assessment, not just better forecasting, is key to agility and resilienceJF also offers a blunt reality check: the world we built our supply chains in no longer exists. If we keep treating today's disruptions as isolated events, we're planning for a past that's not coming back.Whether you're piloting AI projects or just trying to get a handle on growing ESG requirements, this episode will help you think more critically about what real innovation in supply chains should look like.

Terry Brooks is joined by Larry Craig, Executive Committee member of the Kosair for Kids Board of Directors and owner of Craig & Landreth Cars; Dr. Jerry Rabalais, member of the Kosair for Kids Advisory Council and Emeritus Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Louisville; and Dr. Shannon Moody, Chief Policy & Strategy Officer at Kentucky Youth Advocates and lead of the Kosair for Kids Face It Movement.They discuss the state of state on child maltreatment and fatalities, a continued focus on going upstream in prevention efforts, and Face It's efforts to encourage everyone to play a role in ending child abuse in the Commonwealth. Get involved with the Kosair for Kids Face It Movement at faceitabuse.org. Thank you to Aetna Better Health of Kentucky for supporting the Making Kids Count Podcast. Visit AetnaMedicaidKY.com/choose to learn more about their health care benefits and programs designed with your family's wellbeing in mind.

Paul Archer is the Chief Commercial Strategy Officer at Envision Pharma Group and a seasoned commercial strategist with more than 20 years of experience transforming pharma communications and driving revenue growth. With a strong background in healthcare communications and a flair for innovative service development, Paul has consistently guided companies to embrace integrated, data-driven commercial strategies that bridge scientific excellence with tangible market impact.In this episode, host Matt Milligan and Paul dive into building scalable commercial strategies for today's ever-evolving pharma landscape. They explore how digital innovations, cost optimisation, and behavioral insights can fuel success amid industry shifts. Paul shares his firsthand experiences in overcoming market cycles, merging operational efficiency with strategic growth investments, and aligning commercial strategy with real-time market data. His clear vision and hands-on approach position him as a transformative leader in both commercial strategy and pharma sales.00:00 – Introduction & Theme00:01:10 – Paul Archer's Background & Early Career Insights00:02:30 – Evolving Commercial Strategy in Pharma00:03:15 – Transforming Client Engagement and Market Cycles00:04:00 – Leveraging Digital Innovation & AI in Pharma Marketing00:05:00 – Integrating Cost-Cutting with Growth Strategies00:06:15 – Building Resilient Commercial Teams through Data-Driven Coaching00:07:00 – Aligning Sales Strategy with Real-Time Market Data00:08:15 – Managing Change for Enhanced Productivity00:09:00 – Final Thoughts & Contact

Welcome to The BrandBuilders Podcast! Today, we're excited to have Megan S. King, Chief Development & Strategy Officer at Camp Southern Ground, joining us. Megan brings a wealth of experience in strategic planning, sponsorship activation, and new business development to her role at this unique organization. If you don't know about Camp Southern Ground, this remarkable organization was founded by Grammy Award-winning artist Zac Brown. And, we've got Megan here in the studio to tell us all about it! 

On this episode of The Modern Practice Podcast, host Gary Tiratsuyan is joined by Rectangle Health's Chief Product and Strategy Officer, Michael Peluso to unveil the organizations latest advancement, Payer Sync™.Built to eliminate friction at the most critical point of the revenue cycle, between Payer and Provider, PayerSync™ delivers unprecedented efficiency in the insurance reimbursement process.During the discussion, Michael shares how PayerSync™ delivers the fastest payments in healthcare by integrating existing payer and provider systems, automating both payer payments and Explanation of Payments (EOPs) into a single, one-click posting directly to the Practice Management System (PMS) or Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepeluso/Learn more about PayerSync: https://www.rectanglehealth.com/resources/press/rectangle-health-launches-payersync-automating-payer-provider-reimbursements/

Nimesh Mehta on how to lead people through large scale transformations When Tammy first met Nimesh Mehta they felt like kindred spirits. Nimesh is the Chief Information and Strategy Officer at National Life Group and is passionate about creating human experiences with AI. This week on Catalyst, Tammy and Nimesh discuss how to implement digital transformations with empathy and with purpose. Nimesh also shares his thoughts on why psychological safety is so important at organizations that are working at the forefront of technological change, because disruption can't happen on the boundary of fear. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.Links: The Trusted Advisor This podcast is presented by Catalyst, the opinions and views expressed are those of the host and participants and do not necessarily reflect National Life Group's views on the topics discussed. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security in any state where such offer or solicitation would be illegal. Any unauthorized use is prohibited. National Life Group is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company (NLIC), Montpelier, VT and its affiliates. This podcast was recorded on 2/21/2025. TC7784363(0325)3Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

E395 – "Inner Voice: A Heartfelt Chat with Dr. Foojan Zeine." In this episode, Dr. Foojan Zeine chats with Erin Williamson, the Chief Programs & Strategy Officer at Love146, where she leads efforts to prevent child trafficking and exploitation. With over 20 years of experience in social services and child protection, Erin has developed trauma-informed programs that have reached thousands of vulnerable youth across the U.S. She is also a parent, advocate, and expert in human trafficking prevention and survivor care. In 2014, Erin was hired by Love146 to build a Survivor Care program in Connecticut. Starting as a single staff member, the program has over 20 staff and serves 125-150 youth annually. Erin oversees all US-based programs, including a prevention education initiative implemented in over 30 states. Her leadership has expanded Love146's reach, focusing on trauma-informed care and addressing the complex needs of youth through the healing power of relationships and community support. Committed to bringing her on-the-ground knowledge to impact systems change, Erin has served on several state and national policy advocacy committees, including the Connecticut Trafficking in Persons Council and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children & Youth. Locally, she contributes as a Board of Education member in Woodbridge, CT. For more information, go to www.love146.org # 1 on the 20 Best California Mental Health Podcasts list by FeedSpot. https://podcasts.feedspot.com/california_mental_health_podcasts/  Check out my website: www.FoojanZeine.com, www.AwarenessIntegration.com, www.Foojan.com. Summary Dr. and Erin discussed the issue of human trafficking, mainly focusing on the prevention aspect. Erin shared her background as a social worker and her work with Love146, an organization that works with children and youth who have experienced human trafficking. She emphasized the importance of prevention and the need for a multi-tiered approach, including addressing the systems and structures that make children vulnerable to trafficking. Erin also highlighted the role of schools in identifying and intervening in potential trafficking situations. Dr. and Erin discussed the challenges of working with children who have been abused or neglected and the need for long-term support and trust-building. Erin encouraged the public to support organizations like Love146 through donations and raising awareness about the issue. Erin and Dr. discussed the importance of creating a safe space for children and fostering healthy relationships. Erin emphasized the need for open communication, trust, and the importance of showing up for children even when things are difficult. She also highlighted the need for caregivers to be aware of the impact of early life experiences on children's development. Dr. added that healthy relationships involve communication and working through difficulties, and caregivers should be trained to support children in these situations. They also encouraged parents to sign up for their email series for practical guidance on conversing with their children about social media and other issues.

In this empowering episode of the Soul Inspiring Business Podcast, host Kara welcomes Shay Prosser, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer at North12 Partners. Shay shares her deep expertise in helping small to mid-sized businesses—and especially solopreneurs—move past the plateau and unlock the next phase of growth. From mindset shifts and team building to creating operational efficiencies and leveraging AI, this conversation is packed with actionable strategies that are both soul-aligned and business-savvy.Episode Topics:The most common mindset blocks that hold entrepreneurs backWhy perfectionism stalls growth—and how to overcome itHow to make your first (or next) hire strategicallyUsing simple quadrant mapping to identify your strengthsOperational strategies to unlock growth without burnoutHow to use AI to deepen client relationships, not replace themThe importance of getting client feedback (and how to ask for it)Creating recurring touchpoints for clients post-transactionThe power of aligned energy in business relationshipsInsights:You don't need to reinvent the wheel to grow—simplify, start, and iterate.Hiring your opposite (instead of cloning yourself) can exponentially expand your capacity.The best growth strategy often starts by looking at what's already working.Weekly check-ins and clear task ownership are key to successful onboarding.AI can be a powerful tool for saving time while enhancing personalization.Your current clients often have the best insights into how to grow your business.Energy matters—working with grateful, aligned clients creates sustainable success.Highlights:00:00 Welcome and Intro00:30 Growth Strategies for Solopreneurs02:46 Supporting Small Business Growth05:30 Overcoming Perfectionism in Entrepreneurship07:58 Entrepreneurial Challenges and Growth Strategies10:22 Operational Efficiency in Client Management13:09 Self-Awareness and Skill Assessment in Business15:54 Task Delegation and Efficiency18:32 Weekly Meeting Structure and Responsibilities21:11 Enhancing Communication and Operational Efficiency23:13 Enhancing Customer Engagement through Efficiency25:58 Leveraging AI for Efficient Summarization29:01 Client Feedback Mechanisms31:00 Client Feedback and Growth Support33:49 Referral Business Strategies36:17 Networking and Referrals in Business38:60 Exploring Additional Services for Business Growth41:39 Building a Business Network44:00 Entrepreneurial Growth and Centering Practices47:05 Celebrating Small Wins and Self-Care49:24 Identifying Soul-Aligned Clients51:26 Closing Remarks and Contact Information52:18 Podcast episode endedShay Prosser is a seasoned Fractional Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, empowering small to mid-sized companies to achieve sustainable growth. With over 20 years of experience, she's the visionary founder of North 12 Partners, dedicated to transforming complex challenges into actionable solutions. Shay's goal is clear: to help leaders turn big ideas into tangible outcomes, building the infrastructure for long-term success.Known for her resourcefulness, dependability, and a results-driven approach, Shay offers clarity and strategic partnership to leadership teams navigating critical stages of business evolution. She excels at aligning strategy with execution, driving measurable results for B2B service companies.Shay's talent for building trust and fostering collaboration empowers leadership teams to define their unique value proposition and execute winning strategies. Her approach is rooted in authenticity and a no-nonsense style that delivers impactful...

This episode, recorded live at the Becker's Healthcare 12th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, features Anisha Sood, Chief Financial and Strategy Officer at First Choice Health. She shares insights on cybersecurity, AI-driven efficiencies in prior authorizations, and the evolving role of provider partnerships in healthcare administration. Anisha also discusses regulatory changes, employer needs, and the future of data-driven healthcare collaboration.In collaboration with R1.

In the latest episode of Remarkable Retail, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis kick off with a roundup of the week's most impactful retail news. They dive into the potential liquidation of Hudson's Bay Company, examining the challenges the iconic retailer faces amid financial turbulence. With speculation swirling around the sale of HBC's heritage Stripes brand and the struggle to find buyers for prime real estate, the hosts analyze the ripple effects on Canadian retail.They also discuss Forever 21's second bankruptcy filing and probable liquidation, attributing the fast-fashion giant's downfall to a combination of fierce competition from digital disruptors like Shein and Temu, as well as a reliance on traditional mall-based retailing. Another key story involves Wayfair's decision to expand its physical retail presence despite years of online focus. Opening its second large-format store in Atlanta, Wayfair seems to be testing the waters of omnichannel retail, blending digital convenience with tangible customer experiences. The episode also touches on earnings updates from Nike, Williams-Sonoma, and Five Below.After covering the latest retail news, the hosts continue their engaging conversation with Jason “Retail Geek” Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis. Goldberg dives into Amazon's ongoing challenges in breaking into the grocery market despite the tech giant's e-commerce dominance. Amazon Fresh stores, while improved, still lack a clear competitive differentiator against industry leaders like Walmart. Goldberg notes that despite Amazon's long-term strategy and willingness to experiment, their grocery ventures remain more experimental than groundbreaking.Goldberg also explores the evolution of social commerce, with a particular focus on TikTok Shops. Unlike past social selling failures on platforms like Facebook, TikTok Shops have managed to build momentum, but only for specific product categories. Goldberg argues that social commerce's real value lies not in direct sales but in product discovery. Brands need to adapt by creating content that fosters discovery rather than pushing for immediate transactions.The conversation also covers the rise of retail media networks, with Goldberg emphasizing Amazon's transformation into a high-margin ad powerhouse. By monetizing third-party seller ads, Amazon has outpaced traditional retail models in profitability. While Walmart and others are catching up, Amazon's ability to leverage its marketplace for advertising revenue puts it in a unique position. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

The latest Remarkable Retail podcast delivers a compelling mix of current market news and expert analysis from returning guest Jason "Retail Geek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis.Hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis kick off with the week's headlines, spotlighting the chaos caused by shifting tariff policies. They note that consumer confidence has plummeted amid economic uncertainty, creating leadership challenges across the retail landscape. Steve reflects that while the COVID crisis taught resilience, today's volatility requires leaders to embrace agility as "the New Black" while avoiding recklessness.The retail news segment highlights several struggling players, most notably Kohl's with its disastrous twelfth consecutive quarter of sales decline. The hosts detail how new CEO Ashley Buchanan is pivoting back to private labels after previous leadership had emphasized national brands, while also apparently abandoning the once-touted Amazon returns program. Steve recounts visiting Kohl's stores filled with heavily discounted merchandise, describing them as "a train wreck" requiring both strategic and executional overhauls.The hosts continue with Ulta Beauty posting modest growth, signaling a slowdown in a category that had performed exceptionally well post-pandemic. Dick's Sporting Goods delivered strong quarterly results but projected significantly slower future growth, reflecting a broader trend of caution across retail.In what the hosts call the "wobbly unicorn corner," they examine former high-flyers facing existential challenges. Allbirds has lost nearly all its market value since IPO, with declining revenue despite shifting from direct-to-consumer to wholesale. Meanwhile, Stitch Fix shows modest signs of recovery under CEO Matt Baer's strategy of focusing on core customers rather than casting too wide a net.When Jason Goldberg joins the conversation, he identifies three dominant client concerns: retail media networks (which he views skeptically), artificial intelligence (both transformative and overhyped), and economic uncertainty creating both challenges and opportunities.Goldberg then provides illuminating analysis of retail market data, revealing that a small handful of giants—primarily Walmart, Amazon, Costco, and Chinese newcomers like Temu and  Shein—capture the vast majority of all growth. While e-commerce growth has slowed from pandemic highs, it still significantly outpaces brick-and-mortar retail.Most significantly, Goldberg explains retail's "bifurcation" between digital winners and losers, and between two successful business models: massive "everything stores" and highly curated specialty retailers. The traditional wholesale model caught in between—particularly department stores—is struggling regardless of execution quality or market position.The episode ends with a teaser for part two, promising Goldberg's insights on the future of wholesale, Amazon's grocery ambitions, social commerce, and TikTok Shops—compelling reasons for listeners to return for the continuation of this insightful conversation.Links:https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevendennis/2017/12/04/retail-reality-its-death-in-the-middle/ About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

How do you stand out in a sea of competitors when margins are thin and trends shift overnight? For Jaci Volles, the answer is: serve your customer's customer – and innovate when the budget is tight.Jaci Volles, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at Jelmar [https://www.clrbrands.com/] shared the lessons and stories from her career journey in this episode of How I Made It In Marketing.Jelmar is a 50-year-old, third-generation family-owned business that is best known for its CLR and Tarn-X cleaning product brands. Volles leads the sales, marketing, strategy, and product development teams, a total group of 100 internal and external professionals.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingWhen innovation meets tight budgets, be creative where you look for inspirationStand out in a crowded market by serving your customer's customerFind your brand's competitive advantageRespect the brand, history, and people when going through an acquisitionFocus on what you can control to lead through transitionsBe open to new possibilities while leveraging your core skills to break industry boundariesConcentrate resources to make the biggest impactDiscussed in this episodeAI Guild [https://join.meclabsai.com/]Marketing Pragmatism: Embrace ‘hand-grenade math' over false precision (podcast episode #101) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-pragmatism]Marketing 101: What are decoy marketing and price anchoring? [https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/consumer-marketing/marketing-101-decoy-marketing-price-anchoring/]B2B Marketing Infographic: How are B2B marketers optimizing their funnel? [https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/b2b-marketing/infographic/]Value Focus: Which aspect(s) of your product should your marketing emphasize? [https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/value-focus-aspects-of-product-marketing]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you'd like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Mardi 25 février, la chute des cryptos, la fin de l'enquête de la SEC contre Robinhood, l'adoption des cryptos par les entreprises, les avantages d'investir avec la société, et le fonctionnement de la comptabilité des cryptos, ont été abordés par Maxime Heuzé, journaliste à la Tribune, Loic Centelles, chief Revenu officer chez ComptaCrypto, et Alexandre Stachtchenko, chief Strategy Officer chez Paymium, reçus par Sandra Gandoin dans l'émission BFM Crypto, le Club sur BFM Business. Retrouvez l'émission du lundi au jeudi et réécoutez la en podcast.

Jason Cummins, President of the National Tuberculosis Coalition of America, gives an update on a TB outbreak in Kansas; Dr. Charles Chima, Washington Department of Health Chief Healthcare Innovation and Strategy Officer, tells us about the “clarion call” for public health regarding telehealth; on ASTHO PROFILE resource focuses on the transition from Healthy People 2020 to Healthy People 2030; and ASTHO has several resources for “Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain.” The Topeka Capital-Journal News Article: Kansas tuberculosis outbreak is now America's largest in recorded history National Tuberculosis Coalition of America ASTHO Telehealth Project Initiation and Scoping Assessment Web Page Washington State Department of Health Web Page: Telehealth ASTHO PROFILE Web Page: Making the Transition to Healthy People 2030 ASTHO Web Page: Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain  

Discover how Philips is helping healthcare IT teams simplify operations and improve efficiency in this interview with Shez Partovi, Chief Business Leader for Enterprise Informatics and Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer at Philips. Learn about how they incorporated the needs of IT leaders when designing their cloud-based imaging solution. Hear who they designed their systems to reduce network strain, optimize data flow, and ensure clinicians can access critical images when they need them most. Partovi also discusses how Philips is working to make large imaging data easier to manage while aligning with IT decision-makers' goals. Learn more about Philips athttps://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/aboutFind more great health IT content athttps://www.healthcareittoday.com/

In this episode of Our Classroom, we're diving into a topic of utmost importance: safeguarding our children in today's digital age. In this episode, we're joined by Erin Williamson, the Chief Program and Strategy Officer at Love146, an organization dedicated to preventing child trafficking and exploitation. With over two decades of experience in child protection and social services, Erin brings a wealth of knowledge about online safety, trafficking prevention, and trauma-informed care. Together, we'll explore the realities of child trafficking, debunk common myths influenced by Hollywood's portrayal, and provide practical steps educators, parents, and communities can take to cultivate safe environments both online and offline. Whether it's navigating the complexities of healthy online relationships or fostering trauma-informed classrooms, this episode is packed with essential insights to help us protect and empower our youth. So, join us as we embark on this crucial dialogue aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of our children. Social Media: IG - @love146 / www.love146.org

Neglected customers. Disconnected executives. And a limited budget. What if the remedy to all of the issues plaguing our marketing strategy was… simple? What if the key to staying relevant allowed marketers to do more with less?Adriana Gil Miner, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at Iterable, shares her modern marketing playbook — and there's a lot to learn. Adriana, who has a rich background in digital marketing and brand building, is giving away the keys to leveraging AI, building community, and integrating SMS in B2B marketing strategies for 2025. She highlights the importance of collaboration among executive leaders, and provides practical tips on inviting your customers to the conversation. Tune in for truly valuable lessons for marketers aiming to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape.  Key Moments: 00:00: Meet Iterable's CMO, Adriana Gil Miner01:25 Adriana's Career Journey07:41 The Future of Marketing: AI and Community Building14:10 Collaborating with Cross-Functional Leaders25:12 Navigating a Noisy Digital World26:26 Activating Community-Led Marketing27:20 Cultivating an Engaged Customer Community29:01 The Power of User Conferences29:43 Memorable Tableau Conference Experiences31:36 Handling Tragedy with Community Support35:37 Invite Your Customers to the Conversation39:07 The Future of SMS in B2B Marketing Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

Are you still struggling to get it right? Are you struggling to make that transition from Excel sheets, align your data effectively, or executing your plans in a way that drives real impact? In this episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, host David Green sits down with David Wilkins, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at TalentNeuron, to uncover what it really takes to master SWP. Drawing on years of experience and TalentNeuron's extensive research, David shares actionable insights and forward-thinking strategies to help organisations transform their workforce planning efforts. So, hit play to learn more about: Why the question of ownership is central to the success of SWP—and who should take the lead How to align internal and external data for smarter, more impactful decision-making Why getting the right data architecture in place is just the first step—and what comes next The tools, strategies and skills organisations need to move beyond traditional methods and drive real workforce transformation Whether you're leading SWP efforts, navigating workforce transformation, or just trying to keep up with the rapid pace of change, this episode, sponsored by Talent Neuron, is an absolute must-listen. About TalentNeuron: TalentNeuron is shaping the future of workforce transformation. From Strategic Workforce Planning to skill gap analysis, TalentNeuron seamlessly combines external talent intelligence with internal data into one powerful platform. Join leading global enterprises already using actionable insights to boost organisational readiness and performance. Visit talentneuron.com today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Healthcare costs continue to be the most unpredictable expense for businesses, creating a challenging dilemma for CFOs. While healthcare benefits serve as a powerful tool for recruiting and retaining employees, the escalating costs are forcing many finance leaders to seek innovative ways to reduce expenses without compromising the quality of care or the attractiveness of their benefits packages.Anisha Sood is the Chief Financial and Strategy Officer at First Choice Health, with more than 20 years of experience across the healthcare industry. Since joining First Choice Health in 2019, she has overseen finance and strategy, focusing on offering more cost-effective solutions to employers. In this episode, Anisha talks to host Melissa Howatson about why healthcare costs are rising and how providers like First Choice Health are bringing them down without sacrificing quality care.Discover how CFOs can adopt innovative approaches to manage both healthcare costs and employee benefits expenditures effectively during challenging economic times.Discussed in This Episode:Recent trends and changes in healthcare benefits, and factors contributing to rising costsHow First Choice Health is disrupting the traditional healthcare benefits model through expanded partnerships and reduced administrative costsStrategies to mitigate healthcare costs, including how insurers can tailor benefits to an employer's unique needs, considering factors such as geography and remote workforceBalancing the CFO's need to control costs with the CHRO's goal of recruiting and retaining employeesThe growing importance of mental and behavioral health benefits in comprehensive healthcare packages

Healthcare costs continue to be the most unpredictable expense for businesses, creating a challenging dilemma for CFOs. While healthcare benefits serve as a powerful tool for recruiting and retaining employees, the escalating costs are forcing many finance leaders to seek innovative ways to reduce expenses without compromising the quality of care or the attractiveness of their benefits packages.Anisha Sood is the Chief Financial and Strategy Officer at First Choice Health, and has more than 20 years of experience across the healthcare industry. Anisha joined First Choice Health in 2019, where she oversees finance and strategy, including on the company's goal to offer more cost-effective solutions to employers. In this episode, Anisha talks to host Melissa Howatson about why healthcare costs are rising, and how providers like First Choice are bringing them down without sacrificing quality care.Discover how CFOs can seek innovative approaches to effectively manage both healthcare costs and employee benefits expenditures during challenging economic times.Discussed in This EpisodeRecent trends and changes in healthcare benefits, and factors contributing to rising costsHow First Choice Health is disrupting the traditional healthcare benefits model through expanded partnerships and reduced administrative costsStrategies to mitigate healthcare costs, including how insurers can tailor benefits to an employer's unique needs, considering factors such as geography and remote workforceBalancing the CFO's need to control costs with the CHRO's goal of recruiting and retaining employeesThe growing importance of mental and behavioral health benefits in comprehensive healthcare packages

How do we prepare our children to navigate a world filled with hidden dangers and opportunities to thrive? January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and there's no better time to dive into this crucial conversation. In this episode of the Pumped Up Parenting Podcast, I sit down with Erin Williamson, Chief Programs and Strategy Officer at Love 146, to uncover what every parent needs to know about human trafficking and keeping kids safe. Erin shares her expert insights into what makes children vulnerable, how traffickers exploit those vulnerabilities, and—most importantly—what parents can do to empower their kids. From teaching children to trust their instincts to moving beyond outdated “stranger danger” talks, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you build trust, resilience, and open communication within your family. This isn't about fear—it's about empowerment. Together, let's create a safer, more informed world for our kids. Visit love146.org for free resources to continue this vital conversation during Human Trafficking Awareness Month. ******************************************************** Are you ready to STOP YELLING AT YOUR CHILD in just 21 Days? Join my newest program at low introductory pricing... go to ⁠QUITYELLING.COM ⁠1. Need more help? Let's grab some coffee or tea and talk. Go to TalkWithCelia.com and choose the time that works for you. 2. Looking for a manual for parenting your child (now in English & Spanish)? It's finally here and you can grab your copy of my latest parenting & children's books today! 3. Become a Member of my TRANQUILITY TRIBE and STOP YELLING Once & For All. 4. Read my latest article to find out how to stop yelling... https://celiaArticle.com 5. Looking to be part of a fun free and informative FB community (without all the bitching)?... join us in Pumped Up Parenting 6. Love YouTube? Do you know there are lots of parenting videos, story time videos for you and your kids, as well as some great family workout videos? All on Pumped Up Parenting with Celia Kibler 7. Follow me on Instagram and TikTok 8. Join me on my newest platform PEANUT: Connecting women across fertility & motherhood 9. Get my parenting worksheet and other resources at PumpedUpParenting.Etsy.com 10. Join us on ⁠THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CALM⁠, watch the full replay on our YouTube Channel @DayofCalm Take the Pledge, Support our Mission of the Day of Calm Foundation to SOOTHE THE ANGER & RAGE AT THE HUMAN CORE as we work to end senseless violence against our kids. Support our school in Uganda, Share the Day, Attend a Calm Class or Parenting Class and feel great!

What does it take to build a personal brand that truly stands out?   In this episode, Karen dives into the world of personal branding with two inspiring guests, each offering unique perspectives and strategies:  Robin Sutara, Chief Data and Strategy Officer at Databricks, who shares her journey from being behind the scenes to building her personal brand and being a visible thought leader. Robin emphasises the importance of consistency and overcoming imposter syndrome when sharing expertise online, especially on platforms like LinkedIn. She also shares how she makes time for content creation and advocating for opportunities to present work.  Olivia Arnold, Communications Director for Women in Data, who provides actionable strategies and advice for building your personal brand online. Livi stresses the importance of understanding your motivations and goals before sharing content. She breaks down how to engage your audience effectively, structure compelling content, and align your online persona with your offline presence. From writing in your authentic voice to analyzing what resonates with your audience, she offers practical advice to help you build connections and grow your visibility.  Listen to this episode for actionable tips to help grow your visibility and excel in the data community! 

This episode features a brief check-in with Ochuko Ogra, Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer at Backbone Connectivity Network (BCN), sketching Nigeria's digital infrastructure landscape. Episode overview: BCN has over 1,000 km of wholly-owned fibre infrastructure, primarily in the North-Central and North Eastern parts of Nigeria. Citing its stronghold in Northern Nigeria to its expanding national footprint, Ogra shares how BCN is leveraging its two decades of experience in Nigerian telecommunications to drive the country's digital transformation agenda. Key insights: - Nigeria currently has 8 subsea cables landing in the country - The country's 200+ million population presents significant opportunities across retail and enterprise segments in country and to its West African neighbours - A young, digitally-native population is driving content creation and digital service adoption - BCN's approach emphasises customer value creation across both enterprise and end-user segments - The company's strong presence in Northern Nigeria positions it well for national expansion - Strategic focus encompasses education, healthcare and public sector digitalisation - Government commitment to digital transformation includes a 92,000km fibre network initiative - Emphasis on business collaboration over competition in emerging technology integration Editorial Note: This podcast conversation was recorded at the fringes of NOVACOM Africa 1-to-1 Telco Summit 2024 in Franschhoek, South Africa, where African Tech Roundup's executive producer Andile Masuku attended as an independent media guest. African Tech Roundup maintains complete editorial oversight and is not affiliated with the event organisers. Image credit: Nova Summits Limited

Consumers' shopping behaviors are ever changing and they are rewriting the rules. Brands who understand their consumer preferences and desires, what channels they prefer and how they want to receive their products will be a step ahead. This is an audio rebroadcast of a webinar focused on just that, led by Lauren Livak Gilbert, with guest expert Jeriad Zoghby, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Interpublic Group (IPG).

You may think shopping online for a car (especially a used car) is overwhelming, even frustrating. But Jim Lyski is trying to change that. As EVP and Chief Growth & Strategy Officer for CarMax, Jim has helped drive the company's AI efforts, which span various touch points and all stages of the buying journey. Listen to get details into how CarMax is: Evolving its value proposition to align with the new needs and expectations of consumers; Investing in chat agents that provide proactive and reactive support to shoppers;Creating opportunities for virtual, high-touch discovery and customization; and Embedding personalization into the entire journey.RELATED LINKSLearn more about CarMaxSee CarMax coverage on Retail TouchPointsDownload the ultimate guide to Gen AI

AI is revolutionizing software development, but where do you start? Ashley Kramer, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer and Interim Chief Revenue Officer at GitLab, joins CXOTalk to discuss how to integrate AI strategically into your DevSecOps process. Learn how to measure AI's ROI, increase developer productivity and happiness, and navigate the hype around AI-powered coding. Discover practical strategies for leveraging AI to build better software faster, improve security, and drive innovation.

Dr. Michael Sherling, Co-Founder, Chief Medical Officer, and Strategy Officer at ModMed, aims to save time for physicians and patients by reducing administrative burden through technology. Their AI-based solutions focus on automating mundane tasks like fax routing and documentation and can passively transcribe doctor-patient conversations to generate structured notes. The interface is designed to be simple and unobtrusive, minimizing extra clicks or steps for the doctors to review and accept the AI's recommendations. Michael explains, "Our approach to AI is focused on curing the drudgery of healthcare. What I mean by that is using any kind of tool to reduce the burden of documentation for staff, providers, and people in the back office. That's really what we're focused on. We're not so focused on how to improve diagnoses or any of the clinical aspects of healthcare but more on the administrative burden." "We're still in the development phase of our AI strategy, but there are two products that we're pretty far along on. One is around AI fax routing. It's how we can basically recognize faxes that come in and then route them to the correct patients and the correct category in the chart. It's amazing today that medical practices in 2024 rely on faxes as much as they do, but they do." "The truth of the matter is there's just so much burden on doctors. If they have a 15-minute visit, they may be spending half the time or more just trying to capture all the information. Some of it has to do with the patient's complaint in front of them, but some is just administrative stuff. We're trying to reduce that so that doctor-patient relationship can be center stage. How is it different? Well, our solution is on an iPad, which I think is great because it's unobtrusive. It's a great form factor that brings the patient and the doctor together. The model itself is specialty-specific."   #ModMed #Healthcare #HealthTech #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #EHR #ElectronicHealthRecords #Physicians #PatientExperience modmed.com  Download the transcript here

Dr. Michael Sherling, Co-Founder, Chief Medical Officer, and Strategy Officer at ModMed, aims to save time for physicians and patients by reducing administrative burden through technology. Their AI-based solutions focus on automating mundane tasks like fax routing and documentation and can passively transcribe doctor-patient conversations to generate structured notes. The interface is designed to be simple and unobtrusive, minimizing extra clicks or steps for the doctors to review and accept the AI's recommendations. Michael explains, "Our approach to AI is focused on curing the drudgery of healthcare. What I mean by that is using any kind of tool to reduce the burden of documentation for staff, providers, and people in the back office. That's really what we're focused on. We're not so focused on how to improve diagnoses or any of the clinical aspects of healthcare but more on the administrative burden." "We're still in the development phase of our AI strategy, but there are two products that we're pretty far along on. One is around AI fax routing. It's how we can basically recognize faxes that come in and then route them to the correct patients and the correct category in the chart. It's amazing today that medical practices in 2024 rely on faxes as much as they do, but they do." "The truth of the matter is there's just so much burden on doctors. If they have a 15-minute visit, they may be spending half the time or more just trying to capture all the information. Some of it has to do with the patient's complaint in front of them, but some is just administrative stuff. We're trying to reduce that so that doctor-patient relationship can be center stage. How is it different? Well, our solution is on an iPad, which I think is great because it's unobtrusive. It's a great form factor that brings the patient and the doctor together. The model itself is specialty-specific."   #ModMed #Healthcare #HealthTech #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #EHR #ElectronicHealthRecords #Physicians #PatientExperience modmed.com  Listen to the podcast here

Our guest is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Antonio Garcia, a Chicago-based designer, Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer at TXI, and Founder of Dadwell. In this episode, Antonio speaks with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ about the intersection of business, strategy, and design and their value in creating outcomes rooted in intellectual curiosity and reason.   Antonio speaks about his love for Chicago and his trajectory as a designer for over two decades. He shares with us how hope and his lived experience come across through his work and how that has translated into his involvement in Chicago's design community through initiatives such as mentorship, programming, and giving back. Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode of Awkward Conversations, Jodie Sweetin and Amy McCarthy explore the powerful role of youth activism in substance misuse prevention. Joined by Sean Fearns from the DEA, Dr. Shannon Moody, Bill Bryan, and youth advocate Bella Cornett, they discuss how young people are leading efforts to prevent drug use in their communities. Key Takeaways: Open conversations with kids about drugs are vital for prevention. Programs like the DEA's outreach and the Elks Drug Awareness Program offer key resources for substance misuse prevention. Youth advocacy and peer support play a significant role in creating substance-free environments. Initiatives like Friday Night Done Right help young people stay engaged in safe, drug-free activities. Youth activism is a powerful force in shaping healthier communities, and this episode showcases how young leaders are making a real impact in the fight against substance misuse.   BIOS: Jodie Sweetin is an actress, author, and advocate, best known for her role as Stephanie Tanner on the iconic sitcom "Full House" and its sequel "Fuller House". In 2009 she penned her memoir, "unSweetined", which chronicles her journey through addiction and into recovery. With her frank and open approach, Jodie has emerged as a compelling speaker and advocate who now seeks to use her platform and experiences to educate others and reduce the stigma associated with addiction and recovery. @jodiesweetin   Amy McCarthy, LICSW, is a Director of Clinical Social Work at Boston Children's Hospital's Division of Addiction Medicine. She has been working in the Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Program since 2019 @amymccarthylicsw   Shannon Moody, PhD, MSSW, CSW Chief Policy and Strategy Officer at Kentucky Youth Advocates, Shannon has over a decade of experience in child policy, working with advocates, lawmakers, and professionals to support kids and families, particularly in the child welfare system. She engages kinship caregivers, youth in foster care, and professionals to create equitable policy solutions. @kentuckyyouthadvocates Sean Fearns Chief of Community Outreach and Prevention Support at the DEA since 2015, Sean leads national drug education efforts, collaborates with federal and local organizations, and supports the DEA's Operation Engage, promoting prevention and reducing drug demand. He has been with the DEA since 1998, previously directing the DEA Museum. @deaHQ Issabella Cornett A senior at Graves County High School in Kentucky, Issabella draws from her personal experiences with substance misuse and mental health to advocate for change. She uses her voice to amplify youth voices, striving to break stigmas and empower others to grow.   Bill Bryan Director of the Elks DAP Elks: As a 150-year-old organization, they are 100% inclusive with a membership of close to 1 million diverse men and women in over 2,000 Lodges nationally, and while they consider themselves faith based, they are nondenominational and open to all creeds. The Elks have always prided themselves on civic duty, and the Elks Drug and Alcohol Prevention (DAP) program is the nation's largest all volunteer Kids Drug & Alcohol Use Prevention program. The Elks are also strong supporters of our brave men and women in the military, having built and donated the nation's first VA Hospital to the U.S. government. The Elks have donated more than $3.6 billion in cash, goods, and services to enrich the lives of millions of people!    DEA: The United States Drug Enforcement Administration was created in 1973 by President Nixon after the government noticed an alarming rise in recreational drug use and drug-related crime. A division of the Department of Justice, DEA enforces controlled substances laws by apprehending offenders to be prosecuted for criminal and civil crimes. DEA is the largest and most effective antidrug organization in the world, with 241 domestic locations in 23 field divisions and 93 international field divisions in 69  countries.   Resources/Links SAMHSA | Help and Treatment: https://bit.ly/3DJcvJC Get Smart About Drugs: https://bit.ly/45dm8vY Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Substance Use Prevention: https://bit.ly/48nxwYw One Pill Could Kill: https://bit.ly/3ELxfBa Red Ribbon: https://bit.ly/460RztQ   DEA Website: https://bit.ly/44ed9K9 DEA on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3KqL7Uj DEA on Twitter: https://bit.ly/44VvEUt DEA on Facebook: https://bit.ly/440b6ZY DEA YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3s1KQB6   Elks Kid Zone Website: https://bit.ly/3s79Zdt Elks Drug Awareness Program Website: https://bit.ly/44SunO6 Elks DAP on Twitter: https://bit.ly/45CfpvR Elks DAP on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Qw8RKL Elks DAP on YouTube: https://bit.ly/444vMQq   Jodie Sweetin's Links Jodie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodiesweetin/ Jodie's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jodiesweetin?lang=en   Amy McCarthy's Links Amy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amymccarthylicsw/ Boston Children's Hospital Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bostonchildrens/?hl=en Boston Children's Hospital Addiction Medicine: https://www.childrenshospital.org/departments/addiction-medicine   Shannon Moody's Links https://www.facebook.com/KentuckyYouthAdvocates/ https://www.instagram.com/kentuckyyouthadvocates/ https://twitter.com/kyyouth https://www.youtube.com/user/KYYouthAdvocates https://kyyouth.org/https://kyyouth.org/kentucky-youth-speak-out-against-substance-use/ https://kyyouth.org/bloomky-youth-engage-ag-substance-use-prevention/   Sean Fearn's Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-fearns-0969526/ https://www.dea.gov Bill Bryan's Links https://www.elks.org/dap/   Isabella Cornette's Links https://www.instagram.com/issabell1606/locale=en-US https://www.instagram.com/issabellacornett_/locale=en-US https://www.instagram.com/mgcyouthcouncil/locale=en-US https://www.facebook.com/profile.phpid=100087461809408   Resources:  

Monique Ruff-Bell is the Chief Program & Strategy Officer for TED, where she oversees TED's flagship global events and conferences, TEDx programs and initiatives, global partnership sales and key marketing verticals. But before she was helping to run one of the most well-known conferences in the world, she was just a humble intern who decided to commit herself to the industry after meeting rapper LL Cool J. Learn more about Monique's journey in the industry!

In this episode of Remarkable People, join Guy Kawasaki for an inspiring conversation with Monique Ruff-Bell, Chief Program and Strategy Officer at TED. From her early days 'running away with the circus' at Ringling Brothers to orchestrating TED's world-renowned conferences, Monique shares insights on curating ideas that change the world. Discover how TED evolved from a single conference to a global movement and learn what makes a talk truly remarkable. Her infectious energy and strategic vision for platforming transformative ideas will leave you inspired to share your own story.Guy Kawasaki is on a mission to make you remarkable. His Remarkable People podcast features interviews with remarkable people such as Jane Goodall, Marc Benioff, Woz, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Bob Cialdini. Every episode will make you more remarkable. With his decades of experience in Silicon Valley as a Venture Capitalist and advisor to the top entrepreneurs in the world, Guy's questions come from a place of curiosity and passion for technology, start-ups, entrepreneurship, and marketing. If you love society and culture, documentaries, and business podcasts, take a second to follow Remarkable People. ---Listeners of the Remarkable People podcast will learn from some of the most successful people in the world with practical tips and inspiring stories that will help you be more remarkable.Episodes of Remarkable People organized by topic: https://bit.ly/rptopologyListen to Remarkable People here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guy-kawasakis-remarkable-people/id1483081827Like this show? Please leave us a review -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!Thank you for your support; it helps the show!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Send us a textIn this Episode: Angela Gardner and Christi Powell interview Kerri Smith from Baker Construction, the nation's leading concrete contractor. Kerri shares her 20-year journey within the company and discusses her current role as Chief People and Strategy Officer. The conversation covers innovative leadership strategies, the importance of mentorship, and the unique challenges and rewards of being a mother in the construction industry. They also explore the critical role of early education and sports in developing careers in construction. The episode emphasizes fostering a supportive culture for women in male-dominated fields and encourages listeners to connect with Kerri and explore opportunities at Baker Construction.Support the show

True to Steve Jobs' prediction, the iPhone really did change everything. But was it the device itself...or apps that made the digital world easier to access for non-tech experts? This episode explores a tech breakthrough that happened 15 years after Jobs' famous consumer product release, when Siemens launched a digital business platform with a different purpose: to help innovators transform industry, infrastructure and transportation. She's joined by Marshall Van Alstyne, who wrote all about the rise of platforms in the consumer world (the book's called "Platform Revolution," and it's a bestseller) to show you how the app principles letting us put data into action with the click of a button now apply to managing machines, grids, and trains. Plus, Peter Koerte, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer at Siemens, joins to highlight how merging the real with the digital could be our secret weapon in the fight against climate change. Turns out, the next big tech revolution isn't coming to your devices, but to the physical world all around you.  Show notes:  Siemens Xcelerator Press Release: https://xcelerator.siemens.com/global/en.html Platform Revolution: https://www.amazon.com/Platform-Revolution-Networked-Markets-Transforming/dp/0393249131  Peter's article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/digitalization-decarbonization-two-megatrends-each-other-peter-koerte/?trackingId=Sg8Tf%2BSWT0%2B%2BRNFwc0fwMg%3D%3D&linkId=300000002456347 

Is the future of nonprofit healthcare on the brink of transformation? Join us as we hear from Rich Church, Parkview Health's Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, who shares his fascinating journey from the halls of a prestigious legal firm to a leading role in healthcare. Rich opens up about the challenges nonprofit healthcare systems face, such as escalating costs and shrinking reimbursements, and the innovative strategies needed to ensure high-quality care remains accessible. Discover the potential of partnerships between healthcare systems and hospice providers as we explore new ways to lighten the financial load on communities without sacrificing the mission of compassionate care.Imagine a world where nonprofit healthcare systems act like savvy investors, strategically using their assets to foster innovation. Rich Church and our hosts discuss how healthcare systems can emulate universities by investing in promising startups and supporting them with invaluable expertise. Through a blend of internal and external innovation, these systems can forge impactful collaborations that drive regional healthcare improvements. Guest:  Richard Church, Chief Growth & Strategy Officer, Parkview Health Host: Chris Comeaux, President / CEO of TeleiosTeleios Collaborative Network / https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast

I've got a special conversation for you this week: Toni Godwin Sells is the Chief Business and Strategy Officer at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. MoPOP is about to open a new exhibit dedicated to the works of Keith Haring and Toni and I spoke about Keith's work to bring art to unlikely places — and how Toni found connection with other queer nerds through pop culture touchstones from a love of Dr. Who to designing outfits for drag shows.We'll have that conversation in just a moment. First, if you're enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you'll consider supporting the show on Patreon. Patrons get access to an exclusive Discord server, stickers and books in the mail, bonus videos, and more. You can join the Patreon at patreon.com/mattbaume.And you may also enjoy my other projects, like my YouTube videos! I have a brand new video about the show My So-Called Life, and how the character Rickie Vasquez changed television forever. Plus, join me for weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I'm Homo!, and my email newsletter. There's links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

This week on Just Two Dads. Maria Perrin & Jessica Mercado from People First visit Shawn & Brian. Maria Perrin, is the Chief Growth & Strategy Officer, @ PPL (https://pplfirst.com/). Maria is a champion for healthcare access and a disability rights advocate. For 20 years, she has worked with Medicaid and Medicare populations focused on developing whole-person care solutions. She has implemented and managed hundreds of initiatives across 45 Medicaid programs, Medicare, and state departments of developmental disabilities.Jessica Mercado blends her understanding of California's developmental disability community and her passion for cultural diversity to support the Self-Determination Program and Regional Centers. Jessica has extensive knowledge of the Self-Determination Program and has worked directly with regional centers for over three years. She takes pride in empowering participants to have a meaningful impact in their communities and over their services

Special Agent in Charge Justin King had an amazing career that took him all over the world. From the US Southern border to fire fights along side special forces in the Middle East. Justin is now the Chief Product and Strategy Officer at the National Command and Staff College along with being Chief Strategy Officer at MAGNUSWorx. Connect with him below! LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincking/   Contact Steve - steve@thingspolicesee.com Support the show by joining the Patreon community today! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=27353055           -Video of the interviews           -Vinyl TPS logo sticker           -Patron Shoutout            -Exclusive posts and direct messaging to Steve Please rate and review on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/things-police-see-first-hand-accounts/id1384355891?mt=2 Shop Merch / Subscribe / be a guest / Contact  www.thingspolicesee.com Join the FB community!  https://www.facebook.com/thingspolicesee/ Background consultation - Ken@policebackground.net  

In this episode of The Tech Talks Daily Podcast, I explore the rapidly evolving role of AI in global employment with Nat Natarajan, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Globalization Partners (GP). With GP operating in over 180 countries, Nat shares his perspective on how AI is reshaping the workforce and the future of global business. Through GP's AI tool ‘Gia,' the company is revolutionizing HR and compliance tasks, enhancing productivity while complementing human expertise. Nat emphasizes that AI will augment, not replace, human work, using the mantra “Humans are wise, AI is intelligent” to explain the partnership between technology and human insight. He discusses how GP leverages AI to manage the complexities of international employment and compliance laws, significantly improving efficiency across their operations. In just six months, GP's 'Gia' has answered over 30,000 questions with 95% accuracy, becoming a vital resource for the sales team in addressing intricate compliance questions instantly. We also dive into broader AI adoption trends, particularly how younger generations, like Nat's son, are naturally integrating AI into their work processes. AI is no longer confined to technical roles; it's being adopted across sales, operations, and marketing. Nat shares his view on how businesses must embrace AI to stay relevant, warning that future companies will either be "out of business or AI-enabled." The conversation also highlights the importance of continuous learning and adapting to an AI-driven world. Nat explains how businesses need to evaluate which tasks can be enhanced by AI, while emphasizing the need for critical thinking and data preparation. He shares his personal approach to learning from young professionals, believing in the power of cross-generational knowledge and continuous self-improvement. Tune in to learn how AI is shaping global employment, the essential role of continuous learning, and why being "better today than yesterday, better tomorrow than today" is key to thriving in the future workforce.

A lot has changed since the late 19th century, so why are we still using the same leadership model? 70-80% of employees hate their boss, which means something needs to change in how we view and develop leaders. And, since disengaged employees only give about 15% in productivity, image how your organization could change and even make more money if the leadership style we use instead involved more appreciation and recognition for the entire team? In this episode I talk with Chris Mefford, author of "Leadership is Overrated: How the Navy SEALs (and Successful Businesses) Create Self-Leading Teams That Win." We discuss some practical ways leaders can define, develop, and sustain a more sustainable leadership model in today's environment. It's a Mefford & Mefford episode (and no, it's not a law firm), but two distant relatives talking about something they are both passionate about: leadership. Chris Mefford is a seasoned marketing professional and leadership expert. He is the author of the book Leadership is Overrated, which he co-authored with retired Navy SEAL Kyle Buckett. He is currently the Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for TCWGlobal, overseeing the company's global marketing and branding initiatives. Prior to his current role, Chris served as the Chief Marketing Officer at Rock Church, at the time the 15th largest church in America. During his time there, he developed marketing strategies that helped increase the church's visibility and impact in the community. Before joining Rock Church, Chris spent a decade as the Director of Marketing and VP of Ramsey Event Productions, working alongside radio host and New York Times #1 best-selling author and Radio Hall of Fame inductee Dave Ramsey. He was instrumental in creating two highly successful podcasts, Dave Ramsey's Entreleadership, and Leadership University with Dr. Henry Cloud. Both podcasts achieved remarkable success, with millions of downloads and listeners. Beyond his corporate commitments, Chris's involvement with philanthropic organizations such as The Honor Foundation and The Salvation Army underscores his profound dedication to fostering positive social change. Chris Mefford holds an MBA from the prestigious Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor. And two leadership certificates from Harvard University testaments to his dedication to continued personal and professional development. Chris is married with two kids and lives in San Diego. To learn more visit: leadershipisoverrated.com FOR FULL SHOW NOTES AND LINKS VISIT: https://www.jasonmefford.com/jammingwithjason388/ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO WATCH THE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/hSTew8KaDHc MEET WITH ME MONTHLY: Join me each month for live group calls in The Spiritual Campfire™ at: https://jasonmefford.mykajabi.com/the-spiritual-campfire CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA: My YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/c/jasonleemefford] and make sure to subscribe My Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/jammingwithjasonmefford] My LinkedIn page [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmefford/] My website [https://jasonmefford.com] LIKED THE PODCAST? If you're the kind of person who likes to help others, then share this with your friends and family. If you found value, the will too. Please leave a review [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jamming-with-jason-mefford/id1456660699] on Apple Podcasts so we can reach more people. STAY UP TO DATE WITH NEW CONTENT: It can be difficult to find information on social media and the internet, but you get treated like a VIP and have one convenient list of new content delivered to you inbox each week when you subscribe to Jason's VIP Lounge at: https://jasonmefford.com/vip/ plus that way you can communicate with me through email. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jammingwithjason/support

Myra Sack joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about losing her very young daughter Havi to Tay-Sachs, a fatal neurodegenerative disease, maternal and parental intuition, compassionate bereavement, how her new memoir is as much a story of extraordinary love as it is immense grief, when writing is cellular, the language of loss, generating work vs. revising it, the balm of rituals, inviting readers into her grief's most intimate spaces, and her memoir Fifty-Seven Fridays.   Also in this episode:  -unconditional love -writing fresh grief -taking care of ourselves   Books mentioned in this episode: Bearing the Unbearable by Joanne Cacciatore To Bless the Space Between Us by John O'Donohue Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi Books by Rachel Naomi Remen   Myra Sack graduated with a B.A in government and All-American Honors in 2010 from Dartmouth College, where she captained the women's varsity soccer team. She earned a post-graduate Lombard Fellowship in Granada, Nicaragua with Soccer Without Borders. Following her lifelong passion for sports and social justice, Myra joined SquashBusters, Inc., in Boston in 2013, serving as their Chief Program and Strategy Officer. Myra has an MBA in Social Impact from Boston University and is trained as a Certified Compassionate Bereavement Care provider by Dr. Joanne Cacciatore. She serves on the Board of the Courageous Parents Network and is the Founder of E-Motion, Inc., a non-profit organization with a mission to ensure community is a right for all grieving people. Her first memoir, Fifty-Seven Fridays, was released in April 2024. A writer, coach, and activist, Myra and her husband Matt, live in Boston, MA with their second daughter, Kaia, and son Ezra. Myra's oldest daughter, Havi, passed away on January 20, 2021 of Tay-Sachs disease. E-Motion, Inc.: www.emotion-mc.org Get Myra's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-seven-Fridays-Losing-Daughter-Finding-ebook/dp/B0CRD4W7NV LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myra-sack/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myrasack Twitter: https://x.com/myrasack — Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories. She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and lives in Seattle with her family where she teaches memoir workshops and is working on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com   Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Newsletter sign-up: https://ronitplank.com/#signup   Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://twitter.com/RonitPlank https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers

Send us a Text Message.Can effective leadership transform law enforcement agencies from within? Join us as we sit down with Justin King, a retired DEA Special Agent now serving as the Chief Product and Strategy Officer for the National Command and Staff College. From his military origins to his impactful career with the DEA, Justin shares his riveting journey, emphasizing the personal and professional sacrifices that come with a law enforcement career. Learn about the invaluable role his family, especially his wife, played in supporting him through frequent relocations and high-stress situations. This episode provides a candid look at the complexities and rewards of a life dedicated to public service.Explore the future of leadership in law enforcement as we tackle the critical issue of follow-up and accountability in training programs. Justin introduces us to the innovative methodologies employed at command colleges that ensure leaders remain engaged long after the initial training. Discover how a blend of online coursework, interactive sessions, and capstone projects fosters a culture of continuous learning and development. We delve into the lasting impact these programs have on building a legacy of effective leadership within law enforcement agencies, addressing gaps that traditional programs often overlook.Witness how genuine leadership and open communication revolutionize organizational culture. We discuss the importance of honest feedback and the necessity of training every member, regardless of rank, to foster accountability and improve performance. Get insights into the MagnusWorks app, a game-changing tool that enhances self-improvement, anonymous feedback, and communication within agencies. As we wrap up, we highlight Justin's transformative leadership methods and the profound impact they have on creating enduring organizational culture. Don't miss this inspiring conversation designed to ignite the leader within you.Join Our Tribe of Courageous Leaders: Get The BookGet Weekly Articles by Travis YatesJoin Us At Our WebsiteGet Our 'Courageous Leadership' TrainingJoin The Courageous Police Leadership Alliance

Authenticity in your marketing and sales conversations How you can excel when the bar is set so low Episode 220 (John is based in California) In this conversation with John Golden we explore: How to start an authentic relationship with your prospects How to research before the first contact How to create intellectual curiosity How much research do you need - not much How to leverage your customer success stories Present your vulnerability to build trust Staying in touch with your customers How to establish your communication cadence Where does automation ad AI fit into relationships The critical role of active listening Why lean on your CRM ----- About our guest, John Golden: John is Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Pipeliner CRM. He is an author, speaker and host of Sales POP! podcast, You can learn more about Pipeliner CRM and take the free trial at: https://www.pipelinersales.com/ ----- Excerpts from this conversation with John Golden: I think there's a few things, George, and one of them, I think, is, is authenticity. I think that is one of the biggest areas that you can focus on now. ----- Oh, customer success stories, 100% and I think this is where sometimes we forget. It seems so obvious, right? But when I engage personally, when. I engage with another salesperson, right? Or somebody selling something to me? Yes, you know, I'm interested in what they can do for me, what I'm really interested in what they've done for other people, because that's where it is. Because, let's face it, we all know that anybody who's brought a product or service to market, you always know that customers end up using it in ways that you could never imagine, right? And they do things differently, not how you see and therefore learning about what you have done with other people, that is great information for for somebody, for prospect you're engaging with, and that's what I love. I want to hear the things that they've done with other people, how they helped other companies, how they helped other individuals.  And those stories and and we all come from, I mean, culturally, we all kind of come from storytelling traditions, you know, certainly I did, you know, in Ireland, and that's what resonates with people, is stories. And now you take yourself out of the equation a little bit, and you put, you put your customer, and you say, You know what their issue, what their solution? And then, and here's the nice thing, is, like, you should be enthusiastic and say, and then they did this, or they asked us to do this, right? They said, hey, if your product could just do this one other thing, and, you know, something, we went back and we discovered, yeah, that's something that would benefit everybody. And then we immediately, you know, implemented it in a way. So this, there's so much richness in talking about your customer success story. ----- ----more----   Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We'll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self. In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.   Your host is George Torok George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He's fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

In this episode of Building Texas Business, I sit down with serial entrepreneur Steve Reynolds for his perspectives on innovation in corporate travel tech. As CSO of Embers Inc., Steve shares his journey developing TripBam, an early pioneer utilizing algorithms and robotics to optimize hotel rates. He explains TripBam's strategic transformation from consumer to enterprise software, strengthening the company and positioning it for seamless integration under Embers. Steve offers valuable lessons on championing passion within high-performing teams. The importance of actively engaging customers and development staff to creativity solve problems is emphasized. We discuss the challenges of maintaining innovation at scale versus smaller startups. Steve's experiences navigating acquisitions and a turbulent industry offer cautionary advice. A theme emerges—embracing flexibility positions leaders to overcome challenges and achieve lasting impact. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS In this episode, I spoke with Steve Reynolds, Chief Strategy Officer at Emburse Inc., about his journey in corporate travel technology and entrepreneurship. Steve discussed the origins and evolution of TripBam, a platform he founded that uses algorithms and robotics for hotel rate monitoring, which eventually pivoted from a consumer-focused to a B2B model. Steve shared insights on navigating the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the strategic decisions that helped TripBam emerge stronger, including cost optimizations and product enhancements. We explored the importance of fostering a passionate and innovative team, highlighting the value of listening to customers and involving development teams directly in problem-solving. Steve explained the critical difference between passionate programmers and those who are merely formally trained, and how assembling a team that shares the company's vision and offering equity can drive success. The episode delved into strategies for managing company growth and financial stability, such as quick decision-making in right-sizing staff and optimizing operational costs through cloud environments. We discussed the benefits of subscription-based pricing models over transaction-based ones, particularly during economic downturns, and how this approach helped maintain cash flow during the pandemic. Steve reflected on the evolution of workplace environments and leadership styles, noting the shift from rigid, traditional settings to more flexible, results-oriented cultures. We talked about the challenges of maintaining innovation in large companies, contrasting startup environments with big company mindsets, and the importance of hiring the right people for each setting. Finally, Steve shared his thoughts on the future of the travel industry and the innovative approaches that have set new standards in modern practices. LINKSShow Notes Previous Episodes About BoyarMiller About Emburse GUESTS Steve ReynoldsAbout Steve TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Chris: In this episode you will meet Steve Reynolds, chief Strategy Officer for Emburse Inc. Steve has built his career in corporate travel technology and in starting various companies over the four-decade career. Steve looks for opportunities to be disruptive. Steve, thanks for coming on the podcast. It's a pleasure to meet you and appreciate you taking the time. Steve: You bet Chris Glad to be here. Chris: So you know there's a lot that I'd love to get into with you. I know that you know currently you're with a company called M-Burst Travel, but that you started a company before that called TripBam. Tell us a little bit about, I guess, those companies and what they do. What is the business they're known for? Steve: Okay, and just to back up a little bit further, I guess what you could call a serial entrepreneur. Tripbam was my third or fourth venture kind of lost count, but I've been in the corporate travel tech space for 40 some odd years. And TripBam when we started 10 years ago, we recognized that hotel rates change a lot more often than people actually realize. If you were to create some robotics that went out and grabbed the rate at a particular hotel for a certain date in the future, you'd see that rate changes just about every hour and what we found is if you just keep watching it, eventually it's going to drop, especially as you get closer to check-in. So we created some algorithms, robotics, whatever you want to call it that said okay, I've got a rate of $2.99 at the Grand Hyatt in New York. I'm arriving on the first and departing on the third. I want you to just let me know when it drops and if it does, I want you to rebook it for me If everything is the same room, same bed, same cancel policy, blah, blah, blah. So that's what we did. We originally invented it for the consumer market. We put out a website and we got mentions in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today and so on. But sort of my corporate travel buddies called up and said, hey, Steve, we really need you to apply this to corporate travel. And they started writing some pretty significant checks. We followed the money, we pivoted and went all B2B at that point. And so the company grew 40% year over year for the first six years, cashflow positive within just a couple of months. I mean it was great. It was great. And then COVID came along and kind of took our knees out from under us for a bit. Chris: COVID kind of wiped out the fundamental business model for at least a little bit. Steve: At least for a little bit. But fortunately a lot of our customers were paying us subscription fees rather than transaction fees, so we were to stay afloat. We got through COVID and we actually came out on the backside of COVID in a much stronger position, both financially and you name it, because we were able to do a lot of just cost improvements, right-sizing the organization. We kind of got a little bit ahead of our skis, I think, in some areas and created some new products, just all kinds of things, pushed everything out to the cloud and such that dramatically reduced our costs and just were firing all cylinders. Chris: And then we worked out a deal with Emburse in July last year to buy the company. Okay, how does I guess what TripBand does fit within the Emburse excuse me, overall, maybe suite of products or company strategy. Steve: Yeah. So Emburse provides travel and expense to the largest of companies, to the smallest of companies, and what I mean by that? Everybody. When you go, you have kind of a booking tool to start with. Most folks are familiar with Concur. We have our own. The reservation gets created. It then needs to be watched, monitored, audited, improved upon. That's kind of where we fit in. So before the money is spent we actually see if we can actually do better than what the traveler did on their own. Travelers are not going to check the hotel rate every day. They're not going to check their airfare every hour. They're not potentially going to book the preferred property within a particular city. We fix all that before the money's actually spent. We then push all that to mobile. So you've got a companion app in your pocket where the traveler gets a ton of destination content specific to that company. So I'm going to New York, I'm staying at headquarters, what hotel should I stay in? I need to go take a client to dinner, what restaurants do you recommend? All kinds of other stuff, including safety and security perspective and so on. Then the data is all captured and fed into an expense report so that your expense report if the traveler is compliant. It's kind of pre-created and pre-approved, so the traveler in a lot of cases doesn't have to do anything and if they're compliant all the way throughout, they could actually kind of be paid as soon as their plane hits the ground. Then it all feeds into reporting and analytics so that we can improve your travel program, identify additional savings opportunities, find some fraud issues, detect all kinds of other stuff that might be a problem. We also offer a card product if you don't have one, and that's kind of the travel plus expense ecosystem that we provide. Chris: That's fascinating. I obviously wasn't aware that something like that existed, but I can see how large companies with a lot of employees traveling could see the benefit and realize a lot of savings from those services. Steve: Yeah, when you combine travel with expense, some kind of magic happens in that we have enough data and insight to be able to start pre-filling out that expense report. Otherwise, all we're counting on is card transactions and receipts, and that's really not going to do the trick. But if we can get that card information augmented with the receipt scanning and everything else that we do now, we can really do a nice job of pre-filling out that expense report. So really all you have to do is add mileage, hit, click and you're submitted. Chris: So you mentioned that you've been in this industry for 40 plus years. I'm curious how did you first get started in the corporate travel tech space 40 years ago? Steve: It was just by happenstance, I guess you could say. I was originally started as a programmer for Texas Instruments, got accepted into their executive program, which meant I could go off and get an MBA and then come back to TI, but quickly realized that the consulting firms were paying a lot more. So I ended up with Ernst Winnie, at the time with Ernst Young and my first assignment was with a travel agency in Houston, Texas, called LifeGo Travel, which doesn't exist anymore. The owner of that company hired us to come in and build some technology. It really put him on the map and he got tired of paying the bills and seeing the hourly checks that we were charging. And so he approached and said, hey, you know, do you want to come work for us? And I'm like, well, that never thought about working for a travel agency. That doesn't sound all that exciting. But he said look what if we created a company, We'll spin it off and we'll give you some equity. And I'm like, okay, now you're talking. So we left, we started up a company called Competitive Technologies and all of it was bought by American Express Travel two years later. Chris: Oh, wow. So unquestionably you had a little bit of an entrepreneurial spirit going way back then to see an opportunity. Put you in it. Steve: And a lot of it is just kind of, I guess, my personal. I don't do well at big companies. I really struggle because I get so frustrated at just the lack of progress or the lack of innovation or the speed at which things happen, so I tend to sort of find an excuse to hit the exit button, usually within a year or two. Chris: Right. So you said something in that response that I want to talk to you about, and that's innovation. I think that's there's such a common theme, I think, with entrepreneurs about. You know, and innovation can mean so many things. What do you think that you've done, as you've built several companies, as you mentioned, to create or foster and nurture a spirit and environment of innovation? Steve: You know a lot of it is just becoming a really good listener to the buyer, to whoever the customer is. And then when they say things, there are certain kernels that are aspects of what they say that you just go oh, wait a minute, okay, can we go back to that? That sounds important. You know this level of frustration. Why does that frustrate you? And if you have engineering and development in the room when those things are said, oftentimes some real magic starts to happen and we just the creativity, the innovation just comes out naturally as wow, we can solve that problem. That's not that hard, you know, let's go do that. So that's on the B2B side. That's kind of the formula, that conversation. Something falls out as far as a new feature, product, something like that, that we can start working on the B2C side. Chris: Go ahead. Well, it sounds like there's a function there of asking the right questions and really listening. Steve: Well, and just most big companies or companies they try to protect the dev engineering. They're like oh, we're not going to let you talk to customers. You guys sit over here in the back room and we'll come to you with sort of a priority or roadmap of what we think is needed. And I feel like that's just the wrong way to do it. You've got to get the dev and the engineers and the programmers in the room to hear the story, otherwise you get this telephone tag of what actually gets built isn't quite what the customer wants or was even asking for. And for most companies that's really hard. I don't know why, but they just. It's like we can't allow that to happen, but that's just not the way I operate. Chris: Well, I mean, it makes sense that people you're asking to solve the problem probably need to hear what the problem is firsthand, right? Steve: Exactly. And then it's oftentimes the dev guys are like they're coming up with much more creative solutions. If you just hand them a requirement sheet or spec sheet, they're like, oh okay, this is going to take a month. But when they're involved with the client and they actually hear what the true problem is, oftentimes they're like, oh, I can knock this out overnight, I'll have a solution to you by tomorrow. It's just a night and day sort of sense of urgency or sort of the emotion around creating the solution. They're bought in. At that point, when they hear it directly from the client, they can be the hero. Chris: Well, when you think about kind of that and getting the right developers and the right kind of team together, what have you found to be successful as far as what to look for in building the right team and then keeping the team together? Steve: Yeah. So fortunately for me I mean through all of these different companies that I've started I've been able to kind of get the band back together multiple times. A because I, you know, I'm a big believer in sharing the equity. You know, let's get everybody, if not equity, at least options, so that when there is an exit, everybody benefits, and they've all seen that so far today, knock on wood, I haven't had an unsuccessful exit where we've had to, you know, turn out the lights or whatever. My shareholders have all made money, you know, typically around 5x to 10x on their investment, which has been great. So it's easy to get the bad back together. But what I also have found out is there are certain programmers that are passionate about programming and others that are just taught programming, and there's a night and day difference on the result. If they're passionate about it, the results come out quick. I get creative solutions that nobody would think of. They're usually extremely low cost and it's just so much better than if I have someone that's college taught. I'm doing this because it's a paycheck and I took this degree because that's what somebody told me to and I was good enough to get a B in college on all my programming courses, but at the end of the day, if their heart's not in it and they're spending their time, you know, just on the side weekends and nights learning new stuff, they're not going to be very good. So give me one or two of those that are passionate and I'll put them against 10 to 20 of those that are school taught and will kick their ass every time. Chris: So yeah, well again, I think that transcends all industries and disciplines, the key being passion. Right, I think you, as the leader, are the one that has to start with the passion and then find people that share that passion to get to where you're talking about, where there's that flow within the organization. Steve: Yeah, I think development's a little bit different. I mean, you're not going to find anybody super excited about accounting or I don't know the other aspects of it, but with development there's guys that just get so into it. You know they're programming on the side. They get into hackathons, they want to prove that you know they're smarter than the guy next to them and just constantly looking for the next challenge and just coming up with those creative solutions. I don't know of any other discipline that really has that level of it, but there might be. I mean, I could be wrong. Chris: So, just going back and maybe not the first venture where you and the travel agency in Houston started, but maybe I'm just curious to know as you began some of these startups, maybe sharing some of the lessons learned through some of the challenges you found in starting that venture, whether it be raising capital as an example, or any other challenges that may come about, but I think that capital raise can be one in the startup that some entrepreneurs find daunting and maybe can't solve and never get anything off the ground. Steve: Yeah Well, I think, first off, just wait as long as possible to raise capital. You know most of them kind of build an MVP which just kind of barely works and then go out and try to raise money on it. And whenever you go down that path you just end up way undervaluing what you have. And I know people get in certain situations where they just need to have a check, you know, or it's you know, lights out. But if you can wait until you actually have a client actually generating revenue, actually having positive cash flow, whatever, and then you can show someone, look, we just need to add fuel to the fire here. This is not about keeping the lights on, this is about generating growth You're going to have a dramatically better outcome. The other thing I found out is when you take the big check too early, you start making really stupid decisions. You start hiring attorneys that are expensive, you hire a CFO before you need it, you have a head of HR, all kinds of stuff and overhead that's just not necessary and over time it makes you less and less nimble because you're so worried about payroll, you know, and less focused on just delivering a product that has a you know, a bunch of value. Keep your day job, keep working nights and weekends, wait as long as possible. I mean, I always said, look, cash is like oxygen. If you run out you're going to die. So hang on to it with both hands first. I mean beg, borrow and steal from friends and family and whatever to just get stuff. If you need a contract, go out on the web and search for a capolar plate contract. It'll be good enough to get you started. Or find someone that's a buddy, that's a lawyer, that's willing to do some pro bono work in return, maybe for a little bit of equity stuff like that. Just hang on to that cash as much as you can, for as long as you can. Chris: Well, I think there's a lot there that someone can learn from. Obviously, speaking as a chairman of a law firm, I can't endorse legal Zoom for the startup, but I understand your point. We talk to clients a lot about especially know, especially in the startup phase. Maybe you know helping them get going, but you know and being smart about how they spend their money. But make it an investment in getting at least a sound structure and they may not need right the full-blown set of legal documents, but I can promise you I've seen people start on legal Zoom and wish they hadn't, you know, a couple of years later when things were getting a little tight. But I understand your point there. But conserving cash is important to get off the ground. Steve: Yeah, I mean you don't need to come right out of the gate being in an Inc. You know and incorporated in Delaware and pay all the fees, whatever to make that happen. I mean, just start out as a low-cost LLC and then, when you're ready to sort of raise capital and become a real company, you know you use part of that capital to convert at that time. Chris: So you had mentioned earlier, you know just, I guess, going back to kind of trip BAM COVID having, at least initially, a pretty profound impact but then turning it into a positive, and I'm kind of want to take you back to that time and you maybe dig in a little bit deeper. I think it's a beautiful lesson of something where you know a lot of people just throwing up their hands because travel stopped, et cetera, which decimates your business specifically to you. But then you said we actually learned from that and became a better, stronger company because of it. And you've mentioned right-sizing, the organization stuff. But could you share a little more detail and some stories from that our listeners can learn from if and when their business faces something similar? Steve: Yeah, I think, first off, being fairly quick. You know you can always hire people back, you know. But if you keep them on the payroll and you start burning up cash just way too fast or you're starting to trend towards in the red, you just got to pull the trigger. Nobody wants to, nobody likes to do it, but it's really nobody's fault. It's just something as an executive or CEO you have to do, or a founder. So that's one. Second is, as companies grow, you kind of make stupid mistakes along the way. You get kind of inefficient. You don't anticipate the level of growth that might have been reality. So going back and saying, all right, take a step back, let's catch our breath. You know, what should we have done to kind of handle the scale better? And so, for example, just moving everything to a cloud environment, you know, putting it out to bid, switching from one cloud provider to another, whatever it is, you know you can just generate or reduce your costs dramatically. You know, rather quickly, if you just focus the time on it. Everybody gets so white hot, focused on growth and the next client and the revenue they forget to look at the rear view mirror about. You know there was a lot of costs we could have taken out, you know, which could generate even more cash going forward. Advert: Hello friends. This is Chris Hanslick, your Building Texas business host. Did you know that Boyer Miller, the producer of this podcast, is a business law firm that works with entrepreneurs, corporations, and business leaders. Our team of attorneys serve as strategic partners to businesses by providing legal guidance to organizations of all sizes. Get to know the firm at BoyerMiller. com and thanks for listening to the show. So we pulled the trigger pretty quick. We right-sized the staff. We had a pretty good and, fortunately for us, this is the other. We kind of lucked into this. Our customers, for whatever reason, decided they wanted to pay a subscription fee rather than maybe a percentage of the savings or a transaction fee, to where what they were going to spend would fluctuate month over month. By paying a subscription fee, they could budget it and they were going to get a better return on investment. So we did most of our deals that way and thank God we did, because when COVID and everything went into toilet in April of 2020, we still had cash coming in the door. So we were actually stayed cashflow positive because we kind of right-sized the staff fairly quickly. And then, coming out of COVID, as the revenue started to ramp back up and our sales started to continue, we were just on a much better platform that would scale after it because it was just all right-sized and efficient and whatever, and at the same time we added new products. So we had a two-year kind of all right, just keep the lights on, market will come back around. We added an air reshopping solution. We added a bunch of analytics to audit contracts and to benchmark performance, so that we had a whole bunch more to sell coming out of COVID than going in, and so that caused another year of kind of explosive growth as a result. Chris: That's great. So, yeah, obviously part of that is give some deep thought to how you price what your product right. So that subscription-based versus transaction for you sounds like a very. Maybe it didn't seem as meaningful at the time you made it, but it turned out to be. Steve: You know that's a tough one If the ROI of your product is pretty clear, like reshopping. If you've got a rate of $2.99, I drop it to $ to $250. I've got $49 per night in savings If you pay me a couple of bucks. Okay, here's the ROI. And we could run some pilots and all kinds of stuff to prove that out. So that makes it really simple and we try to hit look, I need a ROI that when they take it to their boss the guy that's doing the budgets, you know, won't cause all kinds of frustration and concern. So four to one is usually the minimum. A lot of our customers, the larger ones, are getting eight to one, 10 to one, you know. So you could say like you've probably underpriced it. But that's okay, you know we'll claw back some of that. You know, over time when it's a product that's the ROI is a bit fuzzier. You just got to somehow convince the client that this is the potential savings. They're going to guesstimate and then from there work backwards to a price which kind of gets you back to that four to one ROI. So if I think I'm going to save you five bucks a transaction, I'm probably going to charge you a dollar to $1.50 is what I'm going to aim for. Again, to get to that four to one kind of savings estimate for Relagate. Again to get to that four to one kind of savings estimate. Chris: So part of that goes, I think, in building that customer base, really focusing on strong relationships. Talk a little bit about that and what you've done, because it sounds like over the course of the various businesses, you've done a good job of creating some very good partnerships and alliances. What are some of the things you think that have helped you foster that and keep those for so many years? Steve: I think one is you know you got to under promise and over deliver. So if they're going to sign up, you know, don't make them look bad or stupid to their boss. The other one is identifying the influencers in the market. So I'm sure every industry has some individuals that are kind of on the bleeding edge, willing to try new things. And if they do and it works, they've got the microphone or the megaphone to tell a whole bunch of others. So fortunately for me, I've been able to identify who those influencers are. I've got a reputation for just delivering as promised. So when they sign up they have confidence and then they tell their peers and a lot of our sales in the large enterprise market are peer-to-peer networking. It's not from email campaigns or other stuff that we do. Chris: The kind of part of that, the old adage of just do what you say you committed to do when you said you committed to do it right. Steve: It's just delivering as promised. Don't sell me a can of goods and all this great wonderful thing. And then when the reality is just not there, you know, don't make them look stupid. You know that's the key one. I mean, these are after 40 years they become. We have some pretty tight relationships with these folks and I want them to keep their job and we want them all promoted and moving on to the next big role, because when that happens they just take us with them and we just keep getting bigger and bigger. Chris: So you mentioned that about kind of keeping this, your words, the band back together. You've been able to do that, hiring some of the right people and incentivizing the right way. Any insights into. You know what people could think about when they're looking at their team one, trying to, I guess, evaluate whether they have the right people and then finding the right ways to incentivize them to kind of keep that core group together. Steve: To me it's if they feel like they're a part of a team and they understand the value they're providing to the customer and they see that customer's appreciation. You know they're in the conversation with the client, you know, and that's easy to do at a small company, because who else are they going to talk to? Right, you got to bring the dev and engineering. But when you start layering and bifurcating and have people you know in engineering back there in the back room, kind of stuff that don't talk to clients, that's when it gets a lot harder. But when you get them into the conversation and that sense of this is my company, this is my reputation. I'm a part of something here, you know, that's growing and doing well and whatever. It's not that hard, it's really not that difficult at all. It's just everybody wants to be appreciated and feel like they're, you know, part of a team. So that's the formula, right, I mean I could throw money at them. But I ask my employees I mean I am not the guy that's writing big checks to hire people right? I'm like look, we're going to pay a reasonable salary. You know this is not, you're not going to be broke, but you know we're in it for the long term game, and so we want to keep the cash in the company so that we don't have to go do another capital raise which is going to dilute all of us, and so your equity just keeps getting smaller, you know, over time, and the guys that actually make the money, or the investors this needs to be a collaborative team effort so they get that. Chris: I think that transparent communications is key right. So they again they understand their role on the team, they understand what the goal of the organization is and how they can help further that. Steve: You know it's always been kind of fire slow, fire quick as well. You know the people, everybody makes hiring mistakes. It happens all the time. And you know when you hire someone within like a couple of days you're like this is not feeling right. You know, don't let it just sit, don't let it be two years later when you actually kind of work them out. You have to kind of pull the trigger fairly quick because it messes up the whole culture of the company. Oftentimes, especially at a small company, it can create some real problems. Chris: Yeah, I mean that may be the most sage advice and, I think, maybe the most consistent that I hear from entrepreneurs and business owners. It's been my own experience too, that that kind of fire, you know, don't be slow to fire when you know you made a mistake and it's the hardest, maybe one of the hardest ones to do because you're dealing with people. I spoke to someone yesterday and they were like hired, someone had some uncertainty and literally what I learned was to trust my gut because on day one that they started in a conversation went oh my God, this is a huge mistake. Tried to play it out, tried to make it work and guess what? It didn't. Steve: Yeah, the thing is I don't believe resumes anymore and I don't believe LinkedIn pages at all, especially when it comes to higher dev and engineering. It's just anybody can put whatever language they want and say they've got a ton of experience. You've got to figure out a way to validate Most of our hires. There's kind of referrals and peer-to-peer sort of networking. If I find someone, I can usually find someone they know, especially in the Dallas market where we are, that's worked with them at a prior company. That sort of thing and do some back-channel checking is what really pays off for us. And we know the rock stars. We know the rock stars. We know the rock stars, but they're not that hard to kind of pick out. It's the ones that are kind of questionable. That you know. You just got to do your homework and don't count on the resume. Chris: That's a really good point. It's a hard thing to do, though, and it may be easier in programmers. But, to you know, I totally agree with resumes, and profiles can be, you know, massaged, but it's sifting through and kind of through the smoke to really get to what's behind the curtain. Steve: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean. And Zoom calls, I mean people hire on Zoom calls or whatever. Like dude, you got to get them in the office face to face, go to lunch, have a couple of face to face interactions before you actually bring this person on board. You know, make them pass a coding test or something. You know something tangible. Don't just look, they're very nice people. You know they all have a. You know look great on a phone call or Zoom call, whatever, but that doesn't cut it. Chris: Yeah, I mean no substitute for personal interaction and seeing how people show up. Right. Steve: Yeah, the other thing is, since we're, you know, on a startup mode where everybody's looking at kind of the potential for equity, I'm like, look, if you're as great as you are, why don't you come on board for a month on a contract basis? Let's see how it works out, you know, and we'll go from there All right, and you really get a feel for someone and how well they're going to. We try it, we like to try it, before we buy. Let's put it that way. That's one way to do it. Chris: just talk about you know specific kind of leadership styles and and how you would describe your leadership style, and maybe how you would describe it today versus maybe 20 years ago as you you were emerging as a leader, and how you think it's changed oh, my god, it's night and day. Steve: so first company way back when. Maybe it comes as a surprise or not, but it was a coat and tie environment. Okay, guys, we've got to put on the ties and whatever. That was just so stupid. Checking office hours and all that crap and tracking vacation time just seems so silly. Now, if you can get the job done, I don't care what you wear, I don't care what you look like, I don't care what you wear, I don't care what you look like, I don't care where you do the work, I don't care if you have to take vacation on a pretty regular basis for whatever reason. I don't care if you're going off and disappearing to watch your kid play soccer, I do not care anymore. Just here's the job. Here's kind of an expectation. You know, as long as I understand, you're trying hard to get it done as quick as possible. We are good. You know, it's kind of a thing. So all that other stuff was just noise. That was just stupid, anyway it's. I mean back when I started in this, I mean programming and development and all that and the whole tech world was fairly new, so nobody knew what they were doing or how to manage these folks and it evolved over time, but fairly quickly. I mean, by company two, ties were gone. By company three, office was gone. I mean I've been virtual for 25 years. Unfortunately, we had offices but we just I think they were a waste of money but we did it for optics more than anything. Chris: Yeah, so it sounds like more kind of a traditional and somewhat of a command and control, starting out to now a little more, much more flexible and providing autonomy as long as people deliver on the expectations that they're communicated with. Steve: Which comes down to you just hire the right people, right, if you can get kind of get that sense for what the kind of folks that are going to do well. So, for example, if I see, if you can get kind of get that sense for what are the kind of folks that are going to do well. So, for example, if I see that you've got you spent 20 years at a really big company, you are not going to do well at a startup. I could guarantee you You're used to other people doing work for you. You know you're just kind of the sit back in your office and sort of you know, tell folks what to do. That ain't going to happen. You need to get your hands dirty. You might have to write code. You got to do PowerPoints, you got to do Word docs all that stuff yourself. Big company folks just tend to lose that ability, let's say, or it's beneath them and that's not going to work. Chris: Yeah, I mean it's almost. Yeah, that's not in my role. Mentality versus everything is in everyone's role. Mentality, right, it's almost. Yeah, that's not in my role. Mentality versus everything is in everyone's role. Mentality right, it's about getting a job done, no matter what it takes. Steve: And I think that drives me crazy at a big company because, you know, unfortunately for others, I tend to poke my nose into others' lanes and I get told a lot Steve, stay in your lane. Nothing bugs me more, you know, than to hear that. But that's the big company way. Chris: So you've gone through a few companies and you're now, I guess, inside of a larger company. Now Are you finding it easy to kind of have that mentality of flexible leadership and innovative environment? Steve: In the new company? Yes, I would have to say no, it's kind of as I expected. You know, with other acquisitions you start. You know, this kind of here's how it happens. However, embers, I believe, is trying hard to carve out a role where I can exist, let's put it that way. So my title right now is Chief Strategy Officer, and it's a bit nebulous, kind of by design. I can sort of make it what I want and as a result of being chief strategy officer, I can get outside of my lane and people can question it. I'm like everybody needs strategy. That's my title, I'm going to get in your lane, kind of stuff you know. So I tend to kind of bounce around to lots of different projects, objectives so on. I kind of help make sure that it's cohesive, you know, across this travel and expense story, you know. But at the same time I don't have a lot of direct reports, which is great. That usually doesn't go too well either. So so far, so good. Chris: Fingers crossed, that's great, yeah, we we kind of covered kind of the challenges of COVID If you think back prior to that, any other challenges along the way with the first two or three companies, everybody, yeah, yeah, I think people some of those are the best lessons we learned or some of the challenges we go through. I'm just curious to know any kind of lessons from a challenge that you could share with the listeners that might help them when they face something similar. Steve: Oh my God. I mean everybody's made mistakes and if they got lucky along the way and if they don't admit that they're lying, I mean some of the bigger ones. 9-11, we had a solution that was processing about 80% of all corporate travel reservations made in the US. 9-11 hit and we went to zero within about 24 hours, so that was kind of a gut check. Fortunately, travel bounced back fairly quickly, but it made us take a step back and realize how nimble we were If something like that were going to happen again. So that's one, and you know, and there's all the kind of day-to-day stuff. I mean there's fraud, there's employee HR issues that happen. You know there's. I'm not going to get into details on that, but you know you just kind of all right, let's deal with this. You know, don't just look the other way and take care of it. I think the latest I mean the big one right now is just, you know, the whole third party hacking and getting into your network and holding you hostage, stuff like that. You know that's made everybody just super anxious and nervous and to the point where companies are kind of shutting down their network so much that individuals can't do the job. You know, which is causing concern and it's what else are you going to do? I mean, if some employee can click on a link and bring down your network, do? Chris: you just turn off email. You're right, it's creating such a challenge. Everybody, all companies, are being attacked every day from all kinds of angles, and it just takes one and but you also? You can't operate out of fear and you can't let it stop you from doing your business. Steve: Well, they say there's two kinds of companies out there. There's those that have been hacked and those that don't know they've been hacked. So just kind of keep that in mind and I think it's fairly true. I think, you know, it's just almost too easy to get into someone's network and poke around and kind of see what's going on these days. Chris: It's so scary, but I thought you were going to say those who have been hacked and those that will be hacked, but I guess already have you, just don't know it. Well, see, I really loved hearing your story. It's a fascinating industry, and one that you don't really hear much about, but you definitely. It sounds like for 40 years you've been crushing it at it, so congratulations to that. Well, thanks for that. Steve: But also the one thing people don't know about corporate travel is that it sits on a backbone of legacy technology that's probably 40 years old. That has not changed. The GDSs are antiquated, the travel agency systems are antiquated. It's not that hard to come up with something innovative and new in this environment. So I just got lucky to where I got into it and I'm like this thing is so bad. I mean anything you do is going to be innovative. And so we just started coming up with new stuff solving clients' problems and it just kept evolving from there. Like this thing is so bad. I mean anything you do is going to be innovative. And so we just started coming up with new stuff solving clients' problems, and it just kept evolving from there. Chris: Yeah, that's really. You know so many entrepreneurs I've talked to. It's what you just said solving the customer or client's problem. Because what I said earlier, it goes back to asking the questions and listening and then trying to solve that problem. Steve: So many great ideas that come from that across so many industries. Yeah, and just to set up a little process to where you talk with your customers on a regular basis or a group of clients or people you trust and it just happens naturally, it's really not that difficult. Chris: Well, let's turn to a little bit on the lighter side before we wrap this up. I always like to ask people like yourself what was your first job? Steve: oh, my first job, let's see. Uh, I worked at a pet store at junior high. Well, actually first job was mowing yards, right? So everybody every kid did that just to get my allowance money. Then I worked at a pet store in junior high for a short period but fairly quickly realized waiting tables made a lot more money. So I told a guy I was 18, when actually I was 16, and they never really checked. They hired me as a waiter. I was actually kind of a part-time bartender, so I was serving liquor in Houston the strawberry patch I'll probably get them in trouble back when I was 16 years old and just made a ton of money as a, you know, a high schooler. So that was kind of the first. And then, you know, got into computers and writing code at a very early age. I was part of a program at Shell where they gave us mainframe time to go in and kind of play around and then went off to Baylor for computer science and then went to TI and then went to A&M for grad school. Very good, very good. Chris: So okay. So, being a native Texan, do you prefer Tex-Mex or barbecue? Steve: That is not a fair question, because both are pretty dang awesome, but, being in Texas, I think we've got some of the best barbecue on the planet. So Pecan Lodge here in Dallas is, I think, kind of the best, and there's a lot of Tex-Mex, though that's really good as well, yeah, I agree on all points. Chris: I haven't heard of Pecan Lodge before, so I'll have to check that one out. Steve: Yeah, it's in Deep Ellum, so next time you fly in, go in out of Love Field, and it's not too far, it's a 10-minute drive from there. Chris: Deal Noted. And then last thing is you know you've made early in the career, probably never did this and maybe have done since. But if you could take a 30 day sabbatical, where would you go and what would you do? Steve: I actually got a 30 day sabbatical. So a guy hired me or not hired me, but when he brought me on board to run a company he said hey, you know, I threw in there. Just, I read it in a magazine that it was the hot thing for techies to ask for, so I threw it in there and they accepted it. I guess they thought I'd never make it to my five-year anniversary. Anyway, I did and I took the kids and family, went all the way throughout through Europe. So we went to Italy, paris, france, austria, switzerland, whatever you know, just really unplugged for that 30 days. Actually it was a 90 day sabbatical. That's what I took. Wow, so I got a little bit more time. Yeah, it was great, it was great. So if that were to happen today, I'd probably look to do something similar, but nowadays if I want to take 90 days, I probably could just got to ask for it. Chris: Very good, very good. Well, steve, thanks again for taking the time to come on and love hearing your story and all the innovation you brought to the travel industry. Steve: All right. Well, thanks for having me, chris, I really enjoyed it. Good conversation. Chris: Thanks, well, we'll talk soon. Steve: Okay, you bet. Special Guest: Steve Reynolds.

Transform patient financial management with compassionate, tech-driven solutions that empower both providers and patients to navigate healthcare costs with confidence. In this episode, Dr. Graham Taylor interviews Chris Wolfington. Chris is the Founder & Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer of FinPay, a patient financial management company that is committed to solving the affordability crisis in healthcare. Chris brings over 32 years of experience in payments, healthcare, technology, and financial services. With a keen sense of leadership, he has utilized his passion, energy, and capital to lead numerous businesses, including two public companies, within the payments and financial services sectors. Chris is dedicated to leveraging his expertise to drive innovation and positively impact these industries. We're excited to have Chris with us today to discuss Finpay and the work they're doing to enhance patient financial management through advanced technology and best practices.   For more information about FinPay, please visit: https://www.finpay.com/learn-more Schedule a demo of Finpay at: https://www.finpay.com/request-a-demo Call toll free at: 855-4FinPay (434-6729) Or get in contact by emailing: info@finpay.com Connect on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/financial-payment-network-llc/ Connect on X at: https://twitter.com/FinPayllc

Today's guest is German Soto-Sanchez, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Broadridge Financial Solutions. Broadridge is an S&P 500 global fintech leader with $6 billion in revenue and ranked #3 in the 2023 IDC FinTech Rankings Top 100. The firm manages trades, supporting communications reaching 75% of North American households and shareholder voting in 120 countries. German returns to the program today to offer advice for financial leaders on driving digital transformation at their organizations. His appearance emphasizes the importance of understanding AI technology before implementing it in an enterprise-wide program. He argues that experimenting with blockchain technology allows financial leaders to gain hands-on experience and constructive conversations within the ecosystem. If you've enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Driving growth while cutting costs - the gordian knot of commerce today. Our listeners know that achieving that over the longer term will require deep investments in systematic automation and data, and many of you have struggled with convincing the C-suite and Board of why these investments are key to survival. Jeriad Zoghby, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at IPG, joins the podcast with insights from years of 15 minute CEO conversations that ignite change as well as a new set of research on where some of those opportunities lie.

Today's guest is German Soto-Sanchez, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Broadridge Financial Solutions. Broadridge is an S&P 500 global fintech leader with $6 billion in revenue and ranked #3 in the 2023 IDC FinTech Rankings Top 100. The firm manages trades, supporting communications reaching 75% of North American households and shareholder voting in 120 countries. German joins us on the program today to discuss how AI can help drive strategy for financial services organizations in light of evolving customer expectations. Throughout the episode, German cites examples of untapped data and opportunities for efficiency gains, emphasizing the importance of documenting legacy systems and technologies to ensure continuity and modernization. If you've enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Alexis Rolloff, Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer at GEHA Health, discusses the importance of empowering individuals to access high-value care. She shares her experiences and insights as an innovator in the healthcare industry, highlighting the strategies and initiatives that drive her mission to improve healthcare access and quality.

Tricia Benn, the CEO of C-Suite Network, disrupts industries by building powerful communities. She's on a mission to empower C-level executives with "The Hero Factor" - success beyond just the numbers.  Her focus goes beyond financial success, emphasizing collaboration, integrity, and "The Hero Factor."Tricia served as an executive with experience in market research, telecom, media, and advertising. She drove double-digit growth as a Global Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer and Managing Director at a $3 billion holding company and is a sought-after speaker.Join us as Tricia shares her 20+ years of experience driving growth and creating a collaborative space for business leaders.Conquer Local is presented by Vendasta. We have proudly served 5.5+ million local businesses through 60,000+ channel partners, agencies, and enterprise-level organizations. Learn more about Vendasta, and we can help your organization or learn more about Vendasta's Affiliate Program and how our listeners (like yourself) make up to $10,000 off referrals.Are you an entrepreneur, salesperson, or marketer? Then, keep the learning going in the Conquer Local Academy.