Finding Brave

“There’s cash to be made, but don’t go in it just to make the money. You need to figure out why you’re wanting to serve on a corporate board. I always say that our members are life learnings, because they have no desire to one day just retire and do full-time gardening.” - Sheila Ronning Are you an executive woman who believes strongly that she has something important to offer an outside organization? Maybe you’ve considered pursuing a corporate board role, but you just weren’t sure how to do this, or where to even begin? Today’s Finding Brave guest walks us through everything we need to know about sitting on a corporate board, and why this is something all women executives should consider. A leadership and networking expert and board strategist, Sheila Ronning is a trailblazer in working toward gender equality in the boardroom. In 2002 she founded Women in the Boardroom with a revolutionary vision to create an environment where women could assist other women in achieving their leadership and corporate board service goals. In a little more than 15 years, she has scaled Women in the Boardroom from concept to membership organization with global reach across multiple industries, and influence in private and public boardrooms, including Fortune 100 companies. Not only does Sheila provide a realistic and helpful framework for pursuing corporate board opportunities in this episode, but she reveals how to determine which ones we should be focusing on, the common mistakes made in pursuing board roles, how this process differs from a job search, and much more. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://womenintheboardroom.com 

“It was actually a friend of mine that pointed out the juxtaposition of these two independent wake-up calls that put it all together. The juxtaposition here that was so powerful was that in that moment, I realized I have to live my potential not for me only, but for the next generation.” - Darren Virassammy Sometime in life it takes a wake-up call, or multiple ones, to help someone realize who it is they should be in life and how they are called to help others. Today’s Finding Brave guest is no exception, as his wake-up calls placed him on a path to help others realize that everyone deserves a great place to work and that any workplace can be great. Darren Virassammy is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of 34 Strong, comprised of a team that believes everyone deserves a great place to work and that any workplace can be great. A leading expert in the global employee engagement community, the 34 Strong team leverages the strengths-based approach to human development to create massive shifts within organizations, both culturally and on the bottom line. He and his team have created sustainable change in microbusinesses, all the way up to large organizational teams at the FDA, Bank of America, and The California Department of Public Health. Recently, Darren has keynoted for Hitachi Global Women’s Conference, The Rotary World Peace Conference, The Professional Grounds Management Society, and author Mike Michalowicz’s Profit Con. As Darren reveals, in order to sustain excellence we must play to our strengths and manage around our weaknesses. In this episode, he provides the tools to help identify what he calls your areas of “Grind, Greatness and Genius” that will help you truly live your own message. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://34strong.com/ 

“So part of it is being really clear on what your goal is, and then think about who you need to help you get there, and then where do those people hang out?” - Judy Robinett A major challenge today for entrepreneurs with startups is the issue of funding. My guest on this episode of Finding Brave shares her deep expertise on what the funding ecosystem really looks like, how you can get funded faster, the key issues you’ll need to have a grasp on regarding your venture to get funded and more. Judy Robinett is the author of the new book Crack the Funding Code: How Investors Think and What They Need to Hear to Fund Your Startup, and her previous book How to Be a Power Connector: The 5-50-150 Rule, #1 of The Top Ten Business Books of 2014 by Inc.com. Judy is a business thought leader who is known as “the woman with the titanium digital Rolodex.” She has been profiled in Inc., Forbes, Venture Beat, Huffington Post, and Bloomberg Businessweek as a sterling example of the new breed of “super connectors” who use their experience and networks to accelerate growth and enhance profitability. In her more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur and corporate leader, Judy has served as the CEO of both public and private companies and in management positions at Fortune 500 companies. She has been on the advisory boards of Illuminate Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California; Pereg Ventures, a venture capital firm based in New York; and Springboard Enterprises based in Washington, DC. She was a managing director of Golden Seeds Angel Network (the third most active angel investment group and one of the largest in the U.S.); the CEO of publicly traded Medical Discoveries; and she served on the faculty of Goldman Sachs’s 10,000 Small Businesses program. She consults internationally with businesses looking for U.S. investors. Today, Judy offers a proven framework for taking action to get funding for your vision. As you’ll hear, there is no lack of funding available, but you must in the right room, connect with the right people, and know the rules in order to play the game. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://www.judyrobinett.com/ 

“I began to realize I couldn’t make a difference by myself, and that if I was going to make a difference, I had to shift the light off of me and onto the people. Leadership was not about me, leadership was about the people.” - John C. Maxwell What makes someone a truly great leader, and is great leadership something that anybody can engage in? Today’s inspiring Finding Brave expert guest answers these important questions, and unpacks the essential shifts every leader must undergo if they’re to thrive and lead effectively in our new world. Each one requires leaders to change the way they think, act, and lead, so they can succeed in a world that never remains the same. Our guest today is internationally recognized leadership author, coach and speaker John C. Maxwell. A New York Time’s best-selling author with over 30 million books sold, John has trained over six million leaders from every country in the world. He’s the founder of The John Maxwell Company, The John Maxwell Team, EQUIP, and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation and he’s a recipient of the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership. Every year, he speaks to the world’s top leaders from presidents to Fortune 500 executives. He’s been recognized as the #1 leader in business by the American Management Association and his latest book, Leadershift: 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace, is not to be missed. In this episode, John shares his strategies for key shifts such as the Relational Shift, Influence Shift, and Impact Shift, helping leaders stay nimble and ready to adapt, so they can survive and thrive. John also shares fascinating personal information about how he got started many years ago in the work of leadership (it’s not what you would expect!), how we develops his many teaching frameworks, and the one most compelling reason he began sharing his leadership insights. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://www.johnmaxwell.com/ 

“Now that I’m older, I truly think about it differently. Every single rejection you get, I have learned, if you listen and observe carefully without all the defensiveness and the ego getting hysterical, it can unlock amazing doors for you.” - Kathy Caprino Rejection, both from others and from inner selves, is a common issue faced by the many thousands of women I have heard from and worked with. This is why in this episode of Finding Brave, I talk about the different aspects of rejection and how we can handle it in a way that fuels and expands our success. How you handle rejection will directly determine the degree to which you can reach your goals. I recently posted a image with this quote on LinkedIn, and it’s resonated with many folks, with over 55,000 views and 1,100 likes in just a few days. It may be hard to believe sometimes, but rejection can and will lead to amazing success if you approach it the right way. Today I share my own personal, and often painful, experiences around being rejected, and I share 5 positive lessons that rejection can offer that can fuel your success, rather than demoralize you. As always I would love to hear how this episode has resonated with you, and I welcome your suggestions for any future topics or interviewees that you’re interested in. Please reach out to me by email, or on social media via LinkedIn, or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest to say hello and share your ideas!

“When we internalize these negative assumptions about ourselves as aging women, and start to believe them, we belittle ourselves. We diminish ourselves, we hold ourselves back, and we become invisible.” - Bonnie Marcus There are many challenges that people over 50 face in today’s society, but women of this age can especially feel diminished and dismissed in the workplace. Today’s guest shines a light on the ageist and sexist assumptions that do exist, and what happens when we internalize these assumptions and play small in our careers and in our lives. Bonnie Marcus empowers professional women to own their talent and ambition and step into their full potential. Through her book, The Politics of Promotion (Wiley 2015), speaking, coaching and Forbes column, Bonnie helps women navigate the complexities of the workplace today to get ahead. She has done extensive research on women and ambition and co-authored a white paper on the topic. A former CEO, Bonnie’s business experience started at the entry level. She learned the business skills and political savvy on the job that contributed to her success. Her latest project focuses on helping women over 50 keep their jobs. This book will expose the double whammy of ageism and sexism for women in the workplace and help women reject the ageist assumptions that keep them small and take away their power. She guides them to reconnect with their badass energy and write a new empowering story for themselves. A certified executive coach, Forbes columnist, and popular keynote speaker, Bonnie has earned the recognition of being a Global Gurus Top 30 coach in the world 4 years in a row. Bonnie offers not only valuable insight for women as they age on how to stay marketable and employed, but this conversation is also focused on empowering yourself by highlighting what you have already achieved and contributed in your career. Ultimately it’s up to you to define who you are, write a new story for yourself and most importantly, find brave each day while believing in it. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://womenssuccesscoaching.com/ 

“Generally speaking, I think it’s at one level no different for men and women. If you’re in a comfortable place, sometimes it’s hard to be willing to become uncomfortable, but if you want to do great things, it’s going to take doing that through life.” - Jean Case When setting out to investigate the core qualities of great entrepreneurs and changemakers, today’s Finding Brave guest discovered traits that they all had in common. You’ll hear how it isn’t wealth, privilege or even genius, but rather how they choose to make a “big bet,” take bold risks, learn from their failures, reach beyond their bubbles, and let urgency conquer fear. Jean Case, the Chairman of the National Geographic Society and CEO of the Case Foundation, is a philanthropist, investor and internet and impact investing pioneer who advocates for the importance of embracing a more fearless approach to innovate and bring about transformational breakthroughs. She is the author of the new book, Be Fearless: 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose. Her career in the private sector, including as a senior executive at AOL, spanned nearly two decades before co-founding the Case Foundation in 1997. Under her leadership, the Case Foundation has been recognized for its innovative efforts to address significant social challenges, harnessing the best impulses of entrepreneurship, innovation, technology and collaboration to drive exponential impact. In addition, Jean currently serves on the boards of National Geographic Partners, Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2), the White House Historical Association and BrainScope Company, Inc. as well as on the advisory boards of the Brain Trust Accelerator Fund, Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation. What Jean shares today demonstrates that all of us can do extraordinary things. It really just takes understanding that action and commitment is key as is starting where you are and taking the small, empowering steps that will lead you towards the realization of your big idea. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://casefoundation.org/ 

“I’m grateful for those hard challenges, because I probably wouldn’t have been brave enough to have thought big without them. If my life had been good, and perfect, and wonderful, and there was nothing that I needed to alter, then I wouldn’t have done any of the things that I am so happy to have had the chance to accomplish.” - Ann Louden If you’re a listener of this podcast, there’s a good chance you have big dreams for your life. Today’s Finding Brave expert guest is a walking example of someone who is bringing her own BIG dreams to life, and thinking “when,” not “if,” they will happen. Ann Louden is CEO and Founder of the Ann Louden Company, and consults for non-profits in higher education, the arts, social services, and healthcare. With thirty years in higher education administration, Ann is recognized in the world of philanthropy as a seasoned fundraising expert, a strategic and innovative thinker, an engaging teacher, and a passionate representative for the causes she serves. A new resident of New York City in the last year, Ann relocated from Texas to claim her second chapter of life. Even before her move, two CEO’s in the fields of higher education and adoption retained her to help them “think big” as their full-time consultant. Among Ann’s proudest achievements is the creation of a national cancer advocacy program for which she built the brand and was the spokesperson for twelve years. The stories she shares reveal her extremely innovative approach to dreaming up a brand that has the power to raise visibility, funds, and support, and at the same time, offers a unique way to honor the courage of cancer survivors and their families. As you’ll hear, Ann’s life hasn’t been without its share of struggles on her journey, but these challenges are what she feels have brought her to the new exciting place where she finds herself today. Her story will be an inspiration to others by showing that dreams don’t just “come” to us. We have to actually do the work and attend to all the details along the way to will -- and birth -- them into existence. To learn more about today's guest, visit: http://www.annlouden.com/ 

“There’s no reason for you to work 18 hours a day. You can work 5 and still create a great company, still change the world and still be able to grow yourself in the process and live a great life.” - Ajit Nawalkha Do you ever feel that you need to sacrifice your life, and experience extreme burnout in the process, all just to have success as an entrepreneur? If so you’re not alone, but today’s guest is going to challenge this myth and show you avoid this and how not have to work around the clock to realize your dreams. Ajit Nawalkha, is a serial entrepreneur, global educator and consultant. He is the co-founder of Mindvalley Teach, Evercoach and Global GRIT Institute, author of The Book of Coaching and Live Big. Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan living in a home with 23 other people, he has always pursued the dream of Living Big. Over the past decade, Ajit has helped build training and coaching companies to inspire the coming generation, transform entrepreneurs to live on purpose, while enjoying their lives and increasing profits. Ajit reveals powerful insights that provide valuable clues on how to live a bigger life, and as you’ll hear, it really all begins reframing your mindset and perspective on what it really takes to be successful. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://www.ajitnawalkha.com/ 

“What I’m seeing here is this absolutely amazing paradox. We live in a world of men’s power, where just by the virtue of birth, half of us have certain privileges, but at the same time, the ways that we have traditionally defined men’s lives comes with a huge cost.” - Michael Kaufman At work and home, the gender equality revolution is critical for the advancement of women. However, today’s Finding Brave guest makes the case that this movement is also a great gift for men. There’s a paradox of men’s power that exists in this male-dominated world, but significant changes are being made to address the challenges it presents. Michael Kaufman, PhD, is a renowned writer, advisor, and speaker focused on engaging men to promote gender equality, end violence against women, and transform the lives of men. He has worked in 50 countries with the United Nations, governments, NGOs, women’s organizations, and businesses. He is the co-founder of White Ribbon Campaign, a Senior Fellow with Promundo based in Washington DC, and last year was the only male member of Justin Trudeau’s G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council The author of eight books, including two novels, Michael’s newest book is The Time Has Come: Why Men Must Join the Gender Equality Revolution. You’ll learn why having an having an open dialogue around gender equality is critical, but we must find positive ways to reach out to men to be part of the gender equality movement. As our expert guest shares, changes are happening that will positively affect not only this generation of men and women, but our children and future generations to come. To learn more about today's guest, visit: http://michaelkaufman.com/