Remotely One - A remote work podcast

Send us a textA politician, a startup CEO, and a rowdy crewmember were all on a boat in the middle of a storm. Suddenly, the engine died and the boat started to drift towards a rocky shore. The startup CEO suggested hotwiring the boat, but the rowdy crewmember objected, saying they should check the engine first. The politician, meanwhile, just stood there looking for a camera crew.As the storm grew worse, the startup CEO grew more insistent, shouting "I know how to hotwire this thing!" The rowdy crewmember replied, "I'm telling you, let's just check the engine first!" The politician chimed in, "I've got an idea, why don't we all just pretend the storm doesn't exist?"In no time at all, the boat crashed onto the rocky shore and the three were forced to swim to safety. As they clambered onto the beach, the startup CEO turned to the politician and said, "Guess you'd rather sink the boat than make waves."The joke above was based entirely upon a true story, and you can hear it in this installment of Remotely One! In this episode, Kaleem and guest host Josh Morse (who suggested there was a joke somewhere in that story) have an insightful chat with Sondre Rasch, co-founder and CEO of SafetyWing – a fully remote team building a global social safety net. Their mission is to remove the role of geographical borders as a barrier to equal opportunities and freedom for everyone by creating a home country on the internet.Born in Bergen, Norway, Sondre studied economics and computer science, before starting work as a policy advisor for the government of Norway advising on social policies. After getting frustrated with the slow pace of government change, Sondre first founded SuperSide (YC W16), a platform for freelance designers. It was where he discovered the lack of a safety net for online remote workers. SafetyWing was born in 2018 (YC W18), has raised $43M in investments, and has grown its community of 100k+ customers. More about us: Remotely One’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotelyone Remotely One’s Webpage: https://www.remotelyone.com/

Send us a textRick and Kaleem had the pleasure of conversing with Skye Osunde, CEO of CBS Creative & Consulting. Skye works with organizational leaders and entry to mid-level managers with large corporate brands such as Nike and Metlife, on how to enrich their leadership capacity while creating impactful, authentic, and psychologically safe spaces for their teams. There are a thousand ways to describe Skye's expertise, but we think she explains it best in her own words:“If I’m investing my time, my energy, and my talent in a company...I need to know they are also fully invested in my total employee experience from recruitment until I exit”What more can we say? If you're searching for ways to invigorate your team, Skye is the professional you must talk to first! You can find Skye at www.skyeosunde.com  More about us: Remotely One’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotelyone Remotely One’s Webpage: https://www.remotelyone.com/

Send us a textIn today's episode, Rick and Kaleem chat with Colin Dowdle, Co-Founder and CEO of Lillipad, the world's most versatile workstation that reimagines work flexibility for better living. A Chicago native, Colin began his entrepreneurial journey in high school and college. In the summer he built surfboards, and he spent his winters building backyard hockey rinks in the suburbs. He was the first student to graduate with an Entrepreneur Degree from Marquette University, an honor that, given his creativity and work ethic, is well deserved.The story of Lillipad is as interesting as it is inspiring. He was working remotely, living with three roommates and limited for space to get his work done. This was the triple crown of issues facing any young professional trying to make their way, and Colin saw the need for a versatile, no-assembly required, single box workstation. Fully integrated and storable beneath the bed, in a closet, or similarly small spaces, his creation could not have arrived at a better time, as the pandemic landed and the world was forced to work from home. Our hats off to you, Colin! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your wonderful story and creation with Remotely One! More about us: Remotely One’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotelyone Remotely One’s Webpage: https://www.remotelyone.com/

Send us a textWe had the pleasure of chatting face to face with Tammy Bjelland, Founder and CEO of Workplaceless, a global leader in building more effective and more sustainable remote and hybrid companies.Through virtual leadership training, and digital-first skill development programs, Tammy's biggest challenge is executive engagement, and their commitment to changing their own behaviors, as well as investing in the resources to support employees' behavior change. As if these weren't enough to tackle, she also helps them weigh the risks of not adopting more asynchronous practices. Tammy's real and honest approach to growth and improvement is both inspiring and insightful. Thanks for spending some time with us, Tammy! More about us: Remotely One’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotelyone Remotely One’s Webpage: https://www.remotelyone.com/

Send us a textIn this fun-filled episode, Kaleem and a temporarily audio-challenged Rick have a chat with Reed Switzer, Founder and CEO of Hopscotch.  Hopscotch all in one payments platform that enables freelancers & small businesses to pay and get paid in real-time with zero fees. Think CashApp or Venmo for B2B payments. Reed's story is nothing short of inspiring. As someone who battled Dyslexia at an early age, his refusal to define it as a disability was paramount to a successful mindset. That mindset led him to the Wharton School, where he studied economics. Now a successful CEO, he still refers to his enrollment there as "on leave to build something special." This was a fun one, with lots of great insight from a guy who just knows how to make it happen. Well done, Reed! Come back anytime for a few laughs! More about us: Remotely One’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotelyone Remotely One’s Webpage: https://www.remotelyone.com/

Send us a textRick and Kaleem met one on one with Hampton Clarkson, Education Services Consultant at Dell Technologies. In his role, Hampton faces a sizable challenge: What will new hires experience in their first 90 days? How will the flow of information improve their ramp to productivity? In this fun conversation, we discuss the priorities new hires need to learn and experience. Equally as important is determining how leadership can promote onsite gatherings as networking and culture building opportunities for remote employees. What are the benefits to gathering them for purposes other than work?We thoroughly enjoyed this thought-provoking discussion. Thanks for chatting, Hampton! More about us: Remotely One’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotelyone Remotely One’s Webpage: https://www.remotelyone.com/

Send us a textIn this episode, Kaleem and Rick have a lively chat with Libryia Jones, Founder of Quit Commuting and Client Director at Amplifi.  Despite Kaleem's struggle recalling the details of their initial meeting, the three of us got along like old friends.Libryia has worked remotely in every way possible - as a W2 Employee, as a Freelancer, as a Digital Business Owner, and she even convinced her employer to let her work remotely! She even took her daughter and a group of people around the world for an ENTIRE YEAR in 2016!Libryia hosted the BIGGEST remote work conference and job fair for job seekers for 2 years running. She has an MBA in Finance from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and she has worked on enterprise software implementations for SharePoint Design, Microsoft Office, Sales Force, PeopleSoft, JIRA, and Zendesk.She's the real deal. But don't take our word for it. Tune in and hear for yourself! Thanks Libryia!  More about us: Remotely One’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotelyone Remotely One’s Webpage: https://www.remotelyone.com/

Send us a textWe had an engaging, face to face conversation with International Keynote Speaker, DEI Specialist, and Remote Work Advocate Dethra Giles. To say this discussion was enlightening would be an understatement. Dethra takes us in-depth on the subject of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In particular, historically marginalized communities don't get the same about of "face-time" with key leaders. In a remote work environment, that time is even more limited. More specifically, how does remote work positively impact minority and women candidates?Thank you, Dethra, for your insightful and very important work!  More about us: Remotely One’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotelyone Remotely One’s Webpage: https://www.remotelyone.com/

Send us a textWe had a fun and informative conversation with Danielle Farage, a Work Futurist who leverages technology to bridge the gap between leaders and talent to create more inclusive, equitable and dynamic cultures.We were fascinated not only with Danielle's perspectives on work culture, but also her unique experiences which lead to her core belief that everyone should feel valued, supported and fulfilled in the workplace and beyond. As an older member of Gen Z, Danielle brings people together to talk about fostering an elevated consciousness around the intersection of identity, culture, and workplace. And she was licensed to operate a boat at twelve years old, long before she could drive a car. Talk about making waves at an early age! Sorry about the Dad joke, Danielle.  We're Dads, and we just can't help it.  Nonetheless, we are so glad you joined us on the show. Thanks, Danielle! More about us: Remotely One’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotelyone Remotely One’s Webpage: https://www.remotelyone.com/

Send us a textIn this live interview, we chat with Laurel Farrer, Founder and Owner of Distribute, the world's foremost thought leader and consulting firm specializing exclusively in remote work and virtual organizational development.Laurel's biggest challenge is setting consistent metrics for company culture. Further, she encourages companies to ask, "How can we calculate our ROI for adopting remote work?"Laurel's team of telework experts help businesses start, strengthen, and leverage virtual workforces to solve corporate and socioeconomic concerns, a major feat in and of itself. We are grateful for her expertise, and taking the time to share some of it with us! More about us: Remotely One’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotelyone Remotely One’s Webpage: https://www.remotelyone.com/