Building Leadership Community

Send us Fan Mail What do we lose when a career ends unexpectedly? Former CBS television executive and grief coach Laverne McKinnon joins Coach Dora Mendez to discuss career grief, professional heartbreak, the unseen loss of identity and belonging, and why setbacks deserve honest conversation. Laverne introduces her RISE Framework: recognize a loss, investigate the meaning, signal the shift, and em...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the career you worked so hard to build no longer fits the life you want? In this encore conversation, Coach Dora Mendez welcomes Priscilla Guasso, founder of Latinas Rising Up in HR, to explore career ambition, personal well-being, and the difficult decision to leave an employer you love. Priscilla shares how moving into executive HR led her to reconsider what su...

What does meaningful mentorship look like when you do not yet see yourself as a leader? Charley Burton joins Coach Dora Mendez on Building Leadership Community Podcast to share how recovery, mentors, and community shaped his leadership. A Black trans elder and author of The Boy Beneath My Skin, Charley recalls an invitation from Zakia McKensey that helped him feel seen—and describes how he tries t...

What happens when leaders tell their teams to rest but never truly disconnect themselves? Coach Dora Mendez welcomes Tiffany Gibbs Jackson, HR strategist, consultant, speaker, and founder of The Place to Be Consulting, for a conversation about workplace culture, community, and the responsibility to model healthy boundaries. Tiffany explains how delegating responsibilities while on vacation helped...

Burnout is often framed as an individual problem. But what happens when the conditions around people keep producing stress without enough opportunity to recover? Coach Dora Mendez talks with Sue McKinley, systems health strategist and founder of Wellness System Roadmap, about workplace expectations, trusted communities, sustainable performance, and the systems that influence well-being. Sue shares...

Leadership can be deeply rewarding and deeply isolating. In this episode of Building Leadership Community Podcast, Coach Dora Mendez talks with strategist, advocate, coalition builder, and leadership expert Na'ilah Amaru about how her understanding of impact, leadership, and community has evolved throughout her career. Na'ilah shares why she learned to look for leverage, why leadership e...

Coach Dora Mendez sits down with author, mentor, and retired educator Dr. Angela Arias for a deeply personal conversation about leadership, family, education, resilience, and community. Their connection began long before either of them became educators. Their families lived next door to one another in the Dominican Republic and remained so close after coming to New York that Dora grew up believing...

What does it take to make people feel genuinely heard at work? Leadership strategist, keynote speaker, and author Nancy Marmolejo joins host Coach Dora Mendez on Building Leadership Community Podcast to explore how intentional listening, emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and effective communication can transform the way leaders build trust and strengthen their teams. Nancy introduces h...

Building Leadership Community Podcast Episode Show Notes How do you lead by example when your family is watching? As the new school year begins, classrooms open, and routines shift, we are presented with a unique moment to model human-centered values for those closest to us. This conversation explores the intersection of personal growth and guidance, offering practical perspectives for anyone navi...

Leadership isn't just about titles, processes, or corporate metrics—it's a deeply biological and human experience. In this episode of Building Leadership Community , host Dora Mendez speaks with Dr. Christopher Eaddy and Lisa OBorne about the "biology of business." They examine how early life experiences condition us to shrink back, why our central nervous system assesses workp...

 Navigating executive presence and career advancement often presents unique pressure points, especially for professionals of color. In this opening episode of the Building Leadership Community Podcast , host Dora Mendez hosts guest Zenaida Mendez for a grounded, intimate discussion on what it truly takes to build sustainable leadership. From winning landmark urban planning battles in NYC to direct...

It can be lonely at the top, but it doesn't have to be. In this episode of the Building Leadership Community Podcast , host Dora Mendez speaks with Dr. Eunice Gwanmesia—founder and CEO of Eunity Solutions, registered nurse, educator, and author of The Power of Your Identity . Together, they explore what it means to lead authentically, overcome professional isolation, and protect your well-bei...

An Encore Presentation | Building Leadership Community Podcast Workplace wellness is often treated as something optional until burnout forces people and organizations to respond. In this special Encore Presentation , Coach Dora Mendez revisits one of her favorite conversations from Season 3 with nonprofit leader Stephan Spilkowitz . Together, they explore why caring for people begins with caring f...

It can be lonely at the top, but it doesn't have to be. In this behind-the-scenes episode of Building Leadership Community , Coach Dora Mendez and podcast producer Dylan Rogers break down the practical steps to taking your leadership story and turning it into a high-impact podcast. From defining your show’s core mission to selecting beginner-friendly gear, leveraging AI workflows, and decidin...

Leadership can sometimes feel isolating, but it doesn't have to be. In this opening episode of the season, Coach Dora Mendez welcomes author, activist, and leader Zenaida Mendez for an enriching conversation on teamwork, global perspectives, and community building. Drawing parallels between world-class sportsmanship and grassroots organizing, Zenaida shares how honoring individual talents and...

How do you build a high-performing team when everyone brings different strengths, backgrounds, and lived experiences? ⚽✨ In this special bonus mini-episode of the Building Leadership Community podcast, Coach Dora Mendez sits down with her sister, fight and intimacy director Rocío Mendez, to unpack the ultimate leadership lessons from the FIFA World Cup. Using the global stage of the World Cup as...

As we reach the midpoint of the year, Coach Dora Mendez and producer Dylan K. Rogers pause to reflect on the conversations, leadership lessons, and shared experiences that shaped Season 3 of the Building Leadership Community Podcast. This special live episode celebrates a season of meaningful dialogue with nonprofit executives, educators, entrepreneurs, HR professionals, community advocates, autho...

Championships are rarely won by talent alone—they require communication, trust, and shared vision. In this encore archive episode from Season 2, Coach Dora Mendez revisits an essential conversation with Angela R. Lewis, former pro basketball player, coach, author, and Head of Operations at Speaker Hub. This episode unpacks what it truly means to navigate professional transitions, manage cross-bord...

Leadership Lessons from the FIFA World Cup | Hope, Teamwork, Resilience & Human Connection Welcome back to the Building Leadership Community Podcast. I'm your host, Coach Dora Mendez. This is Part Two of our special World Cup-inspired series exploring how global events bring people together across cultures, generations, and communities. In this episode, we reconnect with two returning Bui...

When the biggest sporting event on Earth comes to our backyard, it cracks open new perspectives on how we connect and lead. In this special episode of the Building Leadership Community Podcast, Coach Dora Mendez gathers her family to explore the beautiful, complicated diversity of the World Cup. Featuring a heartfelt interview between her children , practical advice on collaboration and self-care...

When we discuss leadership, corporate environments tend to direct our attention entirely toward bottom-line outcomes, execution, and performance matrices. But what happens when the standards for how a professional is "supposed" to look and communicate end up fracturing their identity? In this encore presentation, Coach Dora Mendez welcomes public speaking coach Sammie Walker Herrera to l...

Why Stephen Colbert's Final Episode Matters to Leaders Everywhere On Thursday, May 21st, 2026, Stephen Colbert hosted his final episode of The Late Show , marking the end of an 11-year tenure characterized by unmistakable moral clarity, sharp humor, and public resilience. In this special, reflective episode of Building Leadership Community , host Coach Dora Mendez brings her husband and co-pr...

What does leadership look like when it’s rooted in service, community, and lived experience? In this special encore episode honoring AAPI Heritage Month, Coach Dora Mendez welcomes Bora Lee, Chief of Staff at the Fifth Avenue Committee in Brooklyn, New York. Bora reflects on growing up as the child of Korean immigrants, discovering community organizing through public service, and building a leader...

Some conversations cannot fit neatly inside a traditional interview format. In this special episode of Building Leadership Community Podcast , Coach Dora Mendez speaks directly to the community about leadership, accountability, and the workplace conversations too many organizations still avoid. As she prepares for her upcoming DisruptHR DC presentation, Dora reflects on her experience investigatin...

n this special encore presentation of Building Leadership Community Podcast, Coach Dora Mendez welcomes back activist, advocate, and author Zenaida Mendez for a deeply personal conversation about migration, leadership, identity, and community. Zenaida reflects on arriving in New York as a teenager, the political realities that shaped her family’s migration journey, and the years she spent organizi...