People Business w/ O'Brien McMahon

On paper, Sonny Garg and Samir Wagle had achieved the American Dream. They were corporate executives, making lots of money, with great families and nice homes. The problem was, they were both miserable. This led each man on a journey of self-discovery that changed their lives. After meeting, the two decided to partner together to help others define their own lives in more meaningful ways.In 2015, Sonny launched the Energy division of Uptake Technologies, an enterprise software company named the #3 most promising AI company by Fortune in 2019. Prior to Uptake, Sonny was a member of the Executive Committee at Exelon Corporation, a Fortune 100 company, and served in a variety of senior executive roles including as the Chief Information Officer and the company’s first Chief Innovation Officer and the President of Exelon Power. He sits on the boards of the Invisible Institute, the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, and the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, as well as the Advisory Board of the Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship. Samir Wagle is currently the CEO & Founder of the 11:eleven Partners, a strategic talent mapping firm focused on helping organizations build conscious cultures. Prior to 11:eleven, he spent over twenty years developing and growing brands in the retail food sector. This includes being President & CEO of The Protein Bar & Kitchen, COO of Andre Boudin Bakeries, expansion leader of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the Eastern Great Lakes region and as the Head of Operations for McDonald’s, India. Mentioned In the Episode: The Big Leap by Gay HendricksRustandy Center for Social Sector InnovationIkigai

Bobby Powers is the head of HR and Learning & Development for Gravity Payments in Seattle. Gravity became famous several years ago when founder Dan Price decided to take a 90% pay cut and raise the minimum wage at his company to $70,000 per year. That, along with several other "radical" business principles, has led to tremendous growth. It was this unique culture that led Bobby into HR in the first place. He is now responsible for perpetuating that culture as the company continues to expand. In addition to his day job, Bobby is a prolific reader (reading over 70 books each year) and writer (he is a top writer on Medium and has a personal blog at www.BobbyPowers.net). Books Referenced:Crucial Conversations - Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, SwitzlerMake to Stick - Chip Heath & Dan HeathWooden on Leadership - John Wooden & Steve JamisonEquip: The Gravity Leadership Playbook - Bobby PowersStart with Why - Simon SinekBlink - Malcolm GladwellHow to Read a Book - Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Von DorenDrive - Daniel Pink

Carolyn Sellers is a practicing psychotherapist with her own private practice where she works with individuals to heal and grow, resolve fears and doubts, and address old patterns and behaviors. Her specialties include, among other things, depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, issues with self-esteem as well as leadership development, workplace stress, and career transitions. Carolyn is unique in that she’s also the former head of Human Resources for a high growth healthcare company that went from nothing to 20+ locations and over a thousand people in just three years. She is an expert in the thought and emotional patterns that hold us back as individuals and how that translates into our work as teams. Additional Content:Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)Internal Family Systems

Daniel Vallejos is the founder of 360HRE, an employee experience design studio based in Chicago, IL. His work includes 360-videos for recruitment and education as well as experiential training for Human Resources professionals. His core mission: elevate the workforce through experience.   In this episode, we talk about the future of Human Resources and how to level up to be ready when it gets here. We also talk about the power of our experiences and how to design purposeful experiences for your employees. Daniel holds a Master’s in Conflict Resolution and Negotiation from Columbia University (New York) and a Bachelor’s in Spanish and International Relations from the University of Kansas. He sits on the DisruptHR Chicago Chapter Board and is a member of the Chicago-based start-up incubator 1871.  You can find him and his company on Instagram, and Twitter @360HRE.Episode References:The Medici Effecthttps://lawsofux.com/

Loran Nordgren is an Associate Professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. His research considers the basic psychological processes that guide how we think and act. The overarching goal of his work is to advance psychological theory and to use theory-driven insights to develop decision strategies, structured interventions, and policy recommendations that improve decision-making and well-being. Professor Nordgren's research has been published in leading journals such as Science and has been widely discussed in prominent forums such as the New York Times, The Economist, and the Harvard Business Review. In recognition of his work, Professor Nordgren has received the Theoretical Innovation Award in experimental psychology. In this episode, he shares many of the ideas he's currently working on as part of his upcoming book on influence.

Mike Sarraille is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL officer, a graduate of the University of Texas McCombs Business School, and now a leadership instructor, speaker, and strategic advisor for Echelon Front as well as the CEO of Echelon Front Overwatch. EF Overwatch specializes in the recruiting, training, and placement of U.S special operations forces veterans with companies seeking leaders with an Extreme Ownership mindset to build their ranks and dominate on their battlefields. Mike has a book coming out in the fall of 2020 titled, "The Talent War: How Special Operations & Great Organizations Win On Talent".Mike served fifteen years as an officer in the SEAL Teams after five years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an enlisted Recon Marine and Scout-Sniper. Mike served in SEAL Team THREE, Task Unit Bruiser alongside "Extreme Ownership" authors Jocko Willink and Leif Babin where he led major combat operations that played a pivotal role in the Battle of Ramadi in 2006. Mike later assumed duties as the primary leadership instructor for all officers graduating from the SEAL training pipeline before being selected for assignment to the Joint Special Operations Command where he completed multiple combat deployments.Mike is a recipient of the Silver Star, six Bronze Stars, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, and a Purple Heart.

Jennifer Fondrevay is the Founder of Day1 Ready, a consulting firm that advises forward-thinking business leaders, owners, and executives on how to prepare for the human capital challenges of M&A transactions. As a Fortune 500 C-Suite “survivor”of three multi-billion-dollar acquisitions, Jennifer has been on all sides of the deal equation. She saw countless growth strategies fail due to a workforce that couldn’t pivot and adapt as quickly as leadership anticipated. That prompted her to write the book, "Now What? A Survivor’s Guide for Thriving Through Mergers & Acquisitions". 

Chrisanne Christ currently serves as a Senior Partner at Centier Bank, a 125-year-old, private, family-owned bank headquartered in Merrillville, IN. She has worked at Centier for the past 24 years overseeing HR, Talent Development, Risk, Audit, Financial Intelligence, and Information Security. Chrisanne’s position allows her to work closely with Centier’s CEO and Senior Management team to help shape the bank’s strategic future. Centier has over 900 associates and 60+ branches within the state of Indiana, but with clients across the United States.

Dr. Victoria Mattingly is an organizational psychologist passionate about improving the human experience at work. She is CEO and Founder of Mattingly Solutions, an HR/management consulting firm that measures workplace inclusion and trains majority group members to create a better workplace culture where everyone can thrive. Dr. Mattingly is offering People Business listeners 25% off her new virtual course on Allyship, which you can get by contacting her through this special link. 

Rusty Bland is the Senior Vice President of Engagement & Serving at KeHE. As one of their longest-tenured leaders, Rusty has led KeHE’s effort to institutionalize and perpetuate its unique culture and embed the company’s mission, vision, and values into all talent processes. As a B-Corp, KeHE is focused on doing good in the world by doing well in business (and vice versa).