Today’s guest helps people re-discover their own greatness by asking tough questions and sharing powerful truths. She works with busy leaders to leverage the exponential power of recognition to retain top talent.

She is the author of “Forever Recognize Others’ Greatness: Solution-Focused Strategies for Satisfied Staff, High-Performing Teams, and Healthy Bottom Lines.” Her book provides processes and insights needed to take action and make a positive difference. She believes when we find our potential again, our enthusiasm for what we do, we can begin to implement effective growth strategies for ourselves, our employees, and our workplace.

To share this message she runs Greatness Magnified, a six-figure coaching, speaking, and training business based on her brand – FROG – Forever Recognize Others’ Greatness.

Please join me in welcoming Sarah McVanel.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is leading from a place where you try to help people really tap into who they are at their best. I have always wanted people to feel empowered about their lives.”
• how her mom and her 9th-grade teacher, Mr. Zito, had a huge impact on the course of her life and the greatness she appreciates in others.
• how she moved from doing jobs she felt obligated to do into her true calling as a coach and leader.
• her process for learning about the importance of self-recognition in businesses and how that plays a role in her career today.
• how she networks with others through social media but also prioritizes family first.
• the Facebook group she started to stay connected to people, and how that group has grown and changed the lives of many others.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 119

Today’s guest figured out how to take her struggling low 6-figure speaking & training business to a 7-figure speaking and mentoring business in just 14 months. Now, as an author, personal brand strategist, and speaker, she teaches individuals how to build personal brands that help them get ahead.

She is the founder of the Superstar Business Breakthrough program and host of Awaken Your Inner Superstar, the podcast for leaders, game-changers, and entrepreneurs.

Her programs have been delivered to over 200,000 people worldwide and she prides herself on delivering A-ha moments one audience at a time.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “First and foremost, I see leadership as self-mastery first. If I can influence myself to do things then that sets me up to be able to influence others to step into their power and use their gifts to change the world.”
• how one of the best aspects of her work is witnessing other people’s awakenings.
• her journey to enlightenment which included learning who to reach out to for support and mentorship.
• how she learned to be intentional in what she needed from each of her different support systems.
• her experience of being a digital nomad and how she manages self-care without a home base.
• her strength in being able to help inspire people to activate their enlightenment journey.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 118

Today’s guest is one of the world’s top authorities on growing a consulting business. He has authored five books on consulting and business growth and his most recent book, “The Elite Consulting Mind,” is an Amazon bestseller.

He has helped over 300 consultants all over the world, and in over 50 industries, add six and seven figures to their annual revenues.

In his role, as the CEO of Consulting Success, he has advised organizations like Financial Times and Dow Jones, and helped Panasonic launch new products into the global markets.

Please join me in welcoming Michael Zipursky.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is all about leading yourself first. A lot of people think of leadership in terms of leading others. I’m a big believer you need to lead yourself first before you can lead others.”
• how spending some of his childhood in Israel, and then joining sports helped him develop his leadership styles.
• how helping others gives him his drive for success.
• his journey of consulting that began right after high school and led him to Japan and eventually online.
• his thoughts on the importance of hiring people to help your business grow.
• his methods for staying in contact with people and his appreciation for networking by building genuine relationships with others.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 117

Today’s guest is passionate about helping people reach their highest potential. She is an award-winning diversity expert, a proven thought leader, an author, and a trending businesswoman who is dedicated to increasing diversity in the technology industry.

By teaching candidates to think more strategically about their careers, she helps them accelerate their personal and professional development. She is the President and CEO of The Tech Connection, a premier marketplace for purpose-driven, diverse, technical talent.

Recognized as a leader and mentor, at the root of her work is a passion for community service. On top of running her business, she is the founder of the first ever Black Tech Boston Meetup, a platform to celebrate and introduce the impact of technology within African American communities. She regularly engages in speaking opportunities to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in minorities and received the U.S. Presidential Service Award for her relentless commitment to the community.

Please join me in welcoming Melissa James.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is knowing the difference between when to be a cheerleader and when to deliver really hard messages and it requires you to take time to understand what message needs to be heard every day.”
• what diversity and inclusion look like to her.
• how her friend’s encouragement caused her to take a job that ended up being one of the best experiences of her life.
• what she finds most rewarding in her work today, using a strengths-based approach to helping people see their grit, perseverance, and endurance.
• how leading has helped her learn patience, coaching, and helping.
• how she connects with others in the tech world.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 116

Today’s guest is a social entrepreneur committed to guiding leaders and organizations to create healthier workplace cultures that resonate with current and incoming leaders.

She is an award-winning entrepreneur, dynamic speaker, and diversity and inclusion expert. She founded a strategic leadership and diversity consulting firm that coaches business leaders worldwide on the critical issues surrounding talent and workplace strategy.

She is a passionate advocate for social equality and works to help businesses foster healthier and more productive workplace cultures. Her book “Inclusion: Diversity, the New Workplace & the Will to Change” inspires leadership to embrace the opportunities that diversity represents and to empower advocates to drive changes that resonate in today’s world.

You’ll find her sharing more on this topic on her podcast, The Will to Change: True Stories of Diversity and Inclusion.

Please join me in welcoming Jennifer Brown.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is environmental. Sometimes you have to be the charismatic leader and sometimes you need to step back and support others and their voices.”
• how growing up with a theatre mom shaped her comfort with leading others.
• her understanding of privilege and how everyone has some sort of privilege and it is important to understand and work around.
• how it bothers her to not remember every person and their story and the methods she uses to overcome that.
• what she is learning about finding the balance between self-care and being an empathic leader who wants to change the world.
• how she has learned to utilize the art of powerful questions for relationship building.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 115

Today’s guest’s mission is to gently eradicate small talk from the planet.  He is the co-founder and Chief Experience Officer of We!, an organization whose mission is to create conversations that matter.

Leaders call him when they want to amplify connection, belonging, and trust within their organizations. He created We! Connect Cards, a tool being used in 50+ countries to build stronger connections.

He has spoken at TEDx, is the author of the Pocket Guide to Facilitating Human Connections, and with his business partner wrote Ask Powerful Questions: Create Conversations that Matter.

He has led workshops, trainings, and interactive keynotes for a wide array of companies including JetBlue, Starbucks, Johnson & Johnson, Penn State, and Goodwill.

Please join me in welcoming Chad Littlefield.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “My most simple perspective of leadership is being able to create some possibility that otherwise would not have happened without you.”
• how he transformed into a leader when he learned the powerful art of asking questions.
• his experience giving a unique TEDx talk about positive social interactions.
• how he learned the importance of recognizing that no one else is an object on the stage of his life, and how he uses that mindset to truly value others.
• how he uses an app to create video conversations to connect with people he has just met.
• his mindset shift away from apologizing for bugging others to offering himself as a service to them.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 114