Take Command: A Leadership Podcast

Meet Anne Mahlum—entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and advocate for living life on your own terms. In 2007, she founded Back on My Feet, a nonprofit that uses running to help individuals experiencing homelessness regain confidence, employment, and independence. A few years later, she launched [solidcore], a pilates-inspired fitness brand that she scaled to 100 locations nationwide, attracting clients like Michelle Obama. After raising $210M in private equity and exiting the company in 2023, Anne now invests, writes, and advocates for causes close to her heart, including addiction recovery and wrongful convictions. She believes in taking control of your story—“You are always one decision away from a totally different life.”What You Will Learn:How Anne turned a simple idea into a national movement with Back on My FeetThe mindset shifts that helped her scale [solidcore] and exit successfullyWhy she believes in sharing wealth and lifting others upHow to embrace risk, reinvention, and a bold approach to leadershipJoin us for this powerful and personal conversation, where Anne shares not just her successes but the mindset that got her there. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to create the life you want—on your terms.  Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share. 

About the Guest:Meet Dr. Bruce Stillman, president and CEO of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, one of the oldest and most distinguished scientific and research facilities on the planet. Growing up, Bruce knew that medicine and science were in his future—he was already volunteering in hospitals at the age of fifteen. But little did he suspect that his first gig out of medical school would prove to be his entire career. “I was thirty-eight at the time,” he says. “And I got plucked out of the faculty here to become assistant director and, ultimately, director…I had no experience in running anything. But I knew the culture of the lab, the organization, and I think that was the most important thing that I've carried forward.” This knowledge informed his leadership approach, which ultimately led both the organization and its faculty and staff to flourish under his direction. Learn more about Bruce and his amazing career in this episode of the Take Command podcast.What You Will Learn:Lessons in conflict resolution and negotiationsStories of the ups and downs of being a Nobel laureateStrategies for bringing workers together under a single missionInsights into why having a big question to answer still requires flexibility in how you approach itJoin us for this incredible episode, where you’ll learn everything you want to know about fostering an environment that supports mentorship and risk-taking. Bruce is here to share his knowledge. Don’t hesitate to dive into his wisdom to make your own organization even better. Listen to the Take Command podcast today!  Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share. 

Ginni Rometty, former chairman, president, and CEO of IBM, shares her inspiring journey shaped by resilient women in her family. She discusses the Olympic learner mindset, emphasizing continuous learning and adaptability for growth. Ginni explores authentic leadership, highlighting the power of vulnerability and genuine relationships. She advocates for skills over degrees in hiring practices, promoting inclusivity. Lastly, she addresses tech's limitations in business, urging leaders to prioritize sound judgment over mere tools.

Remember how people used to ask when you were younger what you wanted to be when you grew up? Well, no one asked Guy Fieri that question because by nine years old, he already was what he wanted to be. After a funny incident with his mother, Guy’s love for cooking took off. From his first childhood business of selling soft pretzels to his more than ninety award-winning restaurants now open around the world, Guy has built himself a cooking empire.But he wouldn’t have gotten half as far if it weren’t for Dale Carnegie. “At twenty-two years old, I was very smart about what I knew. I was very expectant of people. And I just couldn't understand why people wouldn't work their ass off and be great,” Guy says. “So now I'm working with a hundred and fifty team members that don't all give a hundred and fifty percent, and I don't know how to really manage it. So I just did it with aggression . . . So anyhow, it doesn't really go well . . .”Listen in to the podcast to hear more of Guy’s origin story as a chef and as a true leader who maintains his authentic self by recognizing and celebrating the authentic self in everyone.What You Will Learn:Strategies in practicing what you preachInsights into being your true self over becoming sensational for attentionWhy you should come into any business wanting to “protect their castle”Lessons in why you can’t base your success off someone else’s failuresGuy has some pretty fantastic advice packed into this episode, and he couldn’t be more excited to share it with you. He genuinely wants you to succeed as your authentic self. “I'd always been the guy that was always telling everybody to go for it. Ask her out. Start the business. Get the loan. Buy the truck . . . I'm always the guy that's pushing everybody to go live their best self.”You can learn how to maintain your true self in business and in life when you listen to this episode of the Take Command Podcast. Join Joe and Guy for an episode filled with stories, advice, and passion. Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share. 

About the Guest:You may know him as the illustrious host of the Take Command podcast and the CEO of Dale Carnegie & Associates, but today, you can meet the “Average Joe” behind his story. Joe says, “My ambition as a high school and college person was to go to law school, become a lawyer, join a large firm, become very successful, and do that for 40 years. And I was on that track.” But Dale Carnegie would come to pull him repeatedly in a new direction throughout his life.From lawyer to real estate mogul to owner of an eLearning company to CEO of Dale Carnegie, Joe’s life path has been anything but straightforward. The throughline? Joe is wholly passionate about everything he does—including maximizing the value of everything he spends money on. He says, “Six months after I took the course, I was thinking about all these Dale Carnegie principles that I was not applying. So I said, ‘You know, I spent $890 on this program. I want to maximize my value. So I developed a calendar, and every day I started to practice Dale Carnegie principles.”Learn how the practice of these principles has led Joe to where he is today.What You Will Learn:A plea in why AI is a technology to be engaged with, not threatened byLessons in how to make real connections, not the pseudo-connections of social mediaStories on why it’s better to be the “man with ideas” than the “man with the plan”Reasons behind the changes in the ways employees see leadershipJoe Hart has truly embraced a life of purpose, and he teaches you how to do the same in this episode of the Take Command podcast, featuring host Dr. Greg Story from the podcast Japan's Top Business Interviews. Tune in if you want to hear about how agility leads to resilience, why being happy is better than rotely following a plan, and where trust really comes from (hint: it’s based in one-to-one relationships!). Your future is awaiting. Listen in today. Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share. 

About the Guest:While he never would have imagined being where he is today, Jason Buechel was truly made for his current position as CEO of Whole Foods. Jason’s parents grew up on dairy farms, sowing in him a strong connection to the land and food. Combine that with Jason’s thirteen years of retail consulting work, and you have a man with a unique intersection of perspectives that continue to bring Whole Foods to the front of their industry. There are many things that make Jason a strong leader, but it’s his passion for his people, the company, and its mission that shines brightest. He says, “I'm privileged to be leading a company that not only I love, but ultimately I'm so honored to be able to help support our next iteration of what we're gonna do in helping nourish people on the planet, which is our higher purpose.” Hear more about Jason’s life and leadership in this episode of the Take Command podcast. What You Will Learn:Lessons in the importance of being a servant leader Tips on how to find your own best way of solving tough business problemsDiscussion of why you always need to lead by exampleStrategies for taking a panoramic view when it comes to customers, team members, and other stakeholdersJason says it’s difficult to be a leader who both drives short-term results and can fully connect with and motivate an organization—something he’s done remarkably well. His view is that a leader is there to “help support the organization and bridge it to the next opportunity, and ultimately help work through [challenges].” Listen in to hear all of Jason’s great advice so you can b Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share. 

About the Guest:You’ll always find this guest asking new questions because that’s just who Penny Zenker is. Penny says her career path has been a “crazy old maze,” taking her from accounting and finance to building and selling a multi-million-dollar company, to becoming a keynote speaker and executive coach. But she couldn’t have done any of it without her “focusology” practice. “The name of the game is how to be more intentional in a time where everybody is vying for our attention,” she says. After her dad’s accidental death when she was nineteen, Penny started asking “Why me?” but quickly changed her tune to ask: “What does this mean?” She says this mindset helped her “be more conscious of my words, the questions that I ask myself, and what I really want.” And Penny has made all of it happen. Listen in to hear Penny’s story.What You Will Learn:Strategies to bring together “attention and intention and give it direction”How to work through insecurities to perform at the highest levelLessons in why following fear won’t get you anywhereDirections for dynamically reassessing your direction in favor of the futureThis episode has it all—insightful questions, fun moments, and many, many pearls of wisdom. Penny encourages listeners to learn to step back, gain perspective, and take those lessons to realign for the future. She’ll tell you all about how when you listen to this episode of the Take Command podcast.  Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share. 

About the Guest:Say hello to Bob Chapman, CEO of the internationally renowned Barry-Wehmiller, a machinery industry company with over 12,000 employees in over 100 countries. Bob’s first title at the company was “Somebody He Could Trust”—meaning he was tasked with helping his father (the owner) make business decisions. But all did not go as planned. “I worked with my dad for six years, was put in the position of VP of finance, and I think it was October of ’75, he had a severe heart attack and died. The next day I was president of the company at age thirty, and the first people I met were the bankers, who immediately pulled our loans.”Bob goes on to detail the many ups and downs of the company after his sudden rise to the top. He says he went from “phenomenal success to traumatic decline and then a phenomenal recovery.” And phenomenal it is. Today, Barry-Wehmiller is a $3.6 billion company. Bob attributes that to many factors, including his creative approaches, his tenacity in the face of crisis, and his focus on people as the main drivers of success. What You Will Learn:Strategies into how common sense, creativity, and a positive attitude can replace book smarts and accoladesInsights into why we need “leaders, coaches, and mentors,” not “managers, bosses, and supervisors.”Lessons in why it isn’t enough to get people on the same bus; the bus needs to be able to support the people getting on itStories of the quick rise, epic fall, and monumental comeback of the Barry-Wehmiller CompanyJoin Joe Hart and Bob Chapman as they discuss weathering the ups and downs of business while always keeping people front and center. More than anything, Bob wants leaders to understand the importance and responsibility they have as business leaders to give employees a “grounded sense of hope,” meaning “they can decide to raise a child, buy a home, educate their kids, or save for their retirement. That is your fundamental responsibility.” Learn more about how to fulfill your responsibilities as a leader when you tune in to this insightful episode. Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share. 

About the Guest:Meet Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Bill carries a deep appreciation for art, but despite his mother being an artist, he didn’t see it as a viable career path. So, he earned a BA in actuarial sciences and went to work supporting creatives behind the scenes. After stints at Columbia University and the Sundance Institute, he joined the Academy and has helped to take it to new heights ever since, starting with coordinating the building of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Bill knows a lot about leadership and how to inspire a team with a greater purpose. Listen in to hear more about Bill’s journey to being a leader.What You Will Learn:How to balance the competing needs and desires of employees and clientsWhy “everyone's role should feel purpose-driven and connected to a greater vision”How to enter with humility, especially when there are more aspects of the job to learnWhy you have to be intentional about nurturing yourself outside the officeBill drops some major knowledge in this episode—so it’s not to be missed. You’ll discover more about the Academy and its mission, see how Bill is helping fulfill that mission by being a good leader, and absorb new leadership tips for your own work. Press play and be ready to be transported into a masterclass of leadership. Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share. 

About the Guest:Meet Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association. For the last 35 years, he’s been responsible for over 4,000 vendors and 130,000 guests each year at CES, the largest consumer electronics tradeshow on the planet. He’s a lawyer, a runner, a leader, and he was also awarded the Légion d'Honneur (Legion of Honor) by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2021. Not only that, Gary is already a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with a new book, Pivot or Die, releasing October 2024. “We're all humans fundamentally,” Gary says. “I think, in a way, Covid inspired me to write Pivot or Die because Covid was something we in the world shared as humans.” Despite admitting it’s one of the leadership areas he’s always working on, Gary writes about the importance of empathy and strong human relationships to allow businesses to pivot on a dime when the time comes.Hear all about Gary’s new book and the leadership lessons he’s learned along the way that will make you a stronger leader in turn. What You Will Learn:Strategies for making sure everyone’s opinion is expressed, not just yoursInsights into why people are more than the sum of their business resultsLessons in how everything that goes wrong can become a learning opportunityThe importance of surrounding yourself with people who fill your weaknessesGary has certainly learned a thing or two in his time in the technology world. And he’ll tell you all about how leadership needs a clear vision, why not to berate yourself for your mistakes, and why being curious is the most important part of growth. After all—“If you ask a question, you're a fool for a second. If you don't ask, you're a fool for a lifetime.” Hear this and other amazing tidbits from Gary and Joe’s episode. Tune in today! Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share.