Working On Purpose

If you are at all intrigued with the TV mini-series Making a Murderer, you’ll have to catch this episode. Imagine being arrested, then imprisoned, for a murder you did not commit and spending 13 years behind bars. During that time, you are forced to leave the care and raising of your two young children in someone else’s hands and adapt to the harsh reality of life behind bars. With many other twists and turns, including the confession by a fellow prison mate to the very crime for which he was serving time, Christopher Scott has a worst-nightmare story to tell. Remarkably, he now spends his freedom investigating innocence claims, fighting for release of wrongly convicted people who are still incarcerated, and advocating for legislative changes.

Pregnant and alone at 18, her life should have turned out much differently than it has. But she made a promise to God that she would care for her son with the help of His guidance. With few options after high school graduation, she worked minimum-wage jobs and lived on Medicaid and food stamps. And recently while completing her doctorate, she navigated through significant healthcare challenges that tested her resolve. Today, at age 41, Dr. Cortney Baker has a very full and happy life. She is the CEO of a state-wide, multi-million-dollar healthcare agency with over 300 employees. Now in the process of developing her new consulting and executive leadership coaching business and on the speaking circuit, she continues striving to meet her potential and takes great satisfaction in her various activities to give back to the world. In this episode, Dr. Baker gets real about her journey and shares how she navigated this successful path despite her adversity.

With purportedly 90 percent of all established businesses failing within five years, it’s a wonder many companies ever make it in today’s ultra-competitive marketplace. Ever wonder how these entrepreneurs get their ideas? What keeps them going along the way? What did they actually have to go through to succeed? And how in the world did they keep themselves motivated and performing through all the ups and downs? In this episode, we get to know one very successful Dallas entrepreneur who shares his story of building his business from a one-man shop into a thriving multi-million-dollar company only 10 years later.

Women and girls are surging forward at an unprecedented rate in many parts of the world. Girls outnumber boys in university enrollment, and women are increasingly seen in leadership roles at work in North America. Yet, much work still needs to be done to create a unified, supportive fabric that facilitates expression of the unique needs and talents of the female gender. As our social world evolves to open more opportunities for women, its own members need guidance and vision for what a vibrant and sustainable future looks like. Women and girls can in fact be their own worst enemy, which is why Plaid for Women began its NoMeanGirls campaign, among its many other initiatives to support healthy connection among women and girls. In this episode, Co-Founder and CEO of Plaid for Women shares how and why this dynamic organization was born, the specific kinds of programming they’ve developed to support women of all ages, and its future plans to improve the lives of women across the globe.

Work. It touches so many parts of our lives – our ability to achieve important goals, whether the impact we hope to have on others is registered, our ability to enjoy the lifestyle we want, and even how we interact with our partner and children. As we near the end of 2015, I can’t help but muse a bit on three key trends I see that affect how people experience their work and what they might mean to their fulfillment, engagement, and productivity. In this episode, we discuss entrepreneurship, the shift toward more androgynous work and domestic roles, and the “soft areas” of leadership, development, and engagement from the vantage point of self-actualization and human capital optimization.

What childhood memories does Christmas conjure for you? Is it making cookies with Grandma, singing Christmas carols with neighbors, or fighting with your sibling over who gets to open the first present? Just a few days before Christmas, let’s celebrate some of the magic of the season together. We’ll revisit childhood memories, embrace family Christmas traditions, and of course listen in as children’s book author Brandi Dougherty reads from some of her most celebrated works. Brandi will also share how and why she became a children’s book author and what she hopes her books will inspire in her readers. Along the way, both of us share fond memories from the holidays and our connection to family. Intended to be holiday- and family-affirming, this episode has something for everyone and will inspire you to reminisce about your own favorite holiday stories.

A chance encounter. A room full of interesting people. A serendipitously assigned dinner seat. All culminated at the Dallas Opera opening night in October to allow my meeting with Edo Popken. Immediately noticing his distinguished looks and outstanding stylish dress, and realizing he was a sponsor to the event, I was intrigued and so inquired about his line of work. I soon learned he was the proud descendant of four generations of clothiers but had his own story to tell, one I was eager to hear. In this interview, we hear Edo Popken describe his early yearning to design automobiles only to harken back to clothing, why he so fervently believes in the work he does designing upscale men’s clothing, how he positions international travel to stimulate his creativity, and what he hopes to lend to the clothing industry in his own entrepreneurial quest. Edo Popken is approachably real while living a zestful life, purposeful yet playful, and completely driven by his own values as a businessman.

Are you one of the many people who would like to pursue another line of work but feel you’ve either invested too much time in your current role, or are maybe just too old to change course? Well, think again. In this inspiring conversation, Malka Drucker shares why she diverted her career from full-time and prolific author to rabbi at age 53 and explains why you too might consider pursuing your own career dreams that come later in life. She also discusses her pioneering work teaching Ageing to Sageing and the profound richness and societal impact this latter stage in life can have for everyone of all ages. Join us for an all-faith embracing celebration of life and work – and consider the possibilities that may be lying dormant and waiting to be activated for your own future.

Jim Rohn once said: Don't let your learning lead to knowledge - let your learning lead to action. Entrepreneurs are sponges when it comes to learning, but the ones who succeed are the ones who take intentional action on their learnings and embrace the discomfort of accountability. And they are humble enough to know that they needn't and shouldn't go it alone. In this episode, learn how to fast-track your business success by engaging in a structured approach to mentorship, accountability, progress tracking and success – or MAPS, and find the booster shot you and your business need by engaging in growth accelerators such as CEO Space. We chat with a long-time entrepreneur and co-founder of a platform designed to put the afterburners on your rocket ship. What a wonderful way to work -- by helping others realize their dreams, this entrepreneur has found her own true calling.

Knowing who we are as a person and being able to express ourselves in life and at work is a profoundly important part of the human experience. But what if something seemingly as given as your gender at birth does not fit who you know yourself to be? There are approximately 700,000 transgender people living in the United States today, so the experience is more common than we may imagine. In this episode, we’ll meet Dr. Jillian Weiss who knew at a very young age she was meant to be a woman, made the transition from male to female years ago, and today enjoys a very satisfying and productive life as a professor and a lawyer representing the transgender community. She will describe the gender transition process and the important planning and resources that best accompany it, explain what employers can do to support their transgender employees, and talk about her own experience of transitioning and career choice. An important discussion for changing times.

What motivates people to give their very best each day at work? What best practices guide human capital to ensure employees are empowered, motivated, and growing? And what can we learn about how to lead and manage an organization’s talent by listening in our interviews with well-recognized CEOs across the United States? These topics and others, shared in a completely digestible, down to earth manner, comprise the pearls shared in this episode by an entrepreneurial CEO successful with his own company who also hosts his own radio show on talent. Listen in and join the dialogue.

On this Veteran’s Day, almost a century after President Wilson began the tradition to commemorate those who had served their country, this special episode features a 25-year Air Force veteran who colorfully shares her story with humor and wit. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the millions of service men and women who have dedicated themselves to securing world peace and allowed us to live as proud and free Americans. And in their service, military personnel learn unique skills that are incredibly valuable for the employers who put them back to work in the civilian world. This episode is dedicated to the millions of veterans who have heroically given their time and even their lives – to talk about what it means to serve and what we as a collective society can do to support them when they come back home.

Captured live at the Behind Her Brand book launch at Noah’s Event Center in Plano, Texas, this episode celebrates the 11 contributing authors and provides a sneak peek at some of their most fervently held beliefs and most significant experiences as discussed in the book. Behind Her Brand: Expert Edition, literally hot off the press, has dual purposes. First, this book is designed to help readers understand the journey, the lessons, obstacles, thought processes, disappointments, and victories that entrepreneurs go through when building their businesses. Second, this diverse group of experts provides readers with applicable tools that they have used to help them build sustainable and enriching businesses. Readers of the book and listeners to the program will be inspired, encouraged, challenged, and better equipped to pursue their own dreams, whether in life or business.

Serendipitous interventions in our chosen career path can yield surprisingly satisfying results. Dr. Kathleen Kuehnast set out for an academic career in anthropology but found herself in the middle of a crisis situation while working on her dissertation in the post-Soviet country of Kyrgyzstan. Setting aside her academic aspirations, she accepted the call to action from the World Bank to help Muslim women adapt to the complex social and economic changes during the post-Soviet transition in the 1990s. This single act would set in motion a full and ongoing career in international development, unification of gender interests, and helping people in conflict work toward peace. Dr. Kuehnast’s work reminds us all to be open to unplanned opportunities in our career paths along the way – and to recognize that each and every one of us can be every day peacemakers, if only we choose to be.

Did you as a child, or perhaps even today as an adult, absolutely love animals – and maybe even sometimes prefer their company over humans? Do you want to ensure they’re loved, rescued and well cared for, and understood? My guest in this episode loves her work as a zoologist and is specifically most focused on caring for birds of many plumages. Her passion is to ensure these beautiful creatures have the best life they can while in captivity and that she accurately understands and conveys their voice. An avid conservationist, she cares about our planet and all the creatures that dwell on it. Both on the clock and off, she’s engaged with various efforts to defend the beauty and pristine nature of this world we call home. This episode lets us in on a little of the life and times of Gwen Harris, who has trekked various parts of the world in her pursuit to learn about animals and how we can understand and preserve their livelihoods.

In this episode, we learn the story of how technology and convenience meet the personal touch of old-fashioned medical care delivered straight to the home. Taking a cue from Uber and Lyft, the idea was born by a young couple in Dallas who saw a need in the marketplace to serve patients requiring urgent medical care when their primary care physicians were otherwise not readily available. MEND, their newly created company, specializes in the treatment of common illnesses and injuries, which require prompt evaluation, but aren’t serious enough to require a visit to an emergency room. In today’s on-demand world, MEND seems to be just what the doctor called for.

After many successful ventures in his career, James Archer finally found his true calling at age 52. He’d had a strong inkling early in his life that languages and the humanities were the direction he should take for his career, but the conservative times in which he was reared dictated the tried and true, practical field of Engineering. He enjoyed a long career and much success in this technical field, only to discover that after a half century of life this insistent inner calling could no longer be silenced. It only took a brush learning Spanish to ignite the flame. In this episode, we explore the founding and initial development of The ShareLingo Project, a social enterprise that aims to make a lasting difference to the world by connecting cultures, breaking down stereotypes that separate people from different backgrounds and social levels, and better unify the people of the planet.

What can we learn about the human condition by working with people who exhibit impulsive behavior patterns and emotional dysregulation? And how do we know we’re the right person who can actually make a difference doing this kind of work? Choosing a field of study and career is easier when we learn early in life what’s suitable to our personality, interests, and talents. Such was the case with Penny Kruger, who realized in high school that friends sought her out to talk about things that bothered them. She was approachable, and friends seemed to trust her with the intimate details of their lives. That talent, so completely natural to her essence, along with her appreciation for the profound human connection the work provides, is the secret sauce in her practice today. Igniting new awareness and growth in her clients fuels her to continually polish her craft – knowing she gets to make a difference in the lives of her patients and fellow practitioners, while they also do so in hers.

Upon first hearing Dr. Rosenberg speak at a conference, I was struck by the extremely impressive career he has built combatting disease and violence across the world and the modest manner in which he spoke. As a meaning in work researcher, I immediately recognized that Dr. Rosenberg has been working at a level of achievement and impact many people hunger for in their lives but often don’t quite attain. I wanted to have Dr. Rosenberg on my show to gain a glimpse of what was behind this man who had given himself to public service and done so much for the world. In this interview, we talk on a personal level as Dr. Rosenberg shares why he chose the field of public health, the profound role his mentors have played in his life, and the sense of pride and connection he’s experienced serving side by side with his fellow committed professionals in their common quest to improve health for the world's most vulnerable people.

Becoming all we can be. Leaving a lasting legacy. Making a difference in our communities. Many of us yearn to experience our lives and the work we do within it on this profound level. We want to know we are constantly improving and developing our abilities to ever become the person we most want to be while making a difference along the way. But absent some strong guidance and support from those who’ve gone before us or who can encourage us on as accomplished peers and role models, we may not achieve these dreams. Everyone needs and benefits from mentors, or better yet, a whole community of them. In this episode, we talk with two leaders of Leadership Women who make it their business to help women across the nation develop their leadership capacity and connect them to other powerful examples of women who share the drive to matter and lead.