Culture From the Heart

In this episode of the Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined John Sansoucie, Chairman and CEO of CogNet, shares what he has learned from growing the business from roughly 67 employees to around 670 while working across continents and cultures. For John, preserving culture through growth starts with communication. Leaders must over-communicate strategy, stay...

In this episode of the Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by RJ Kedziora, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Estenda Solutions and author of Productive Harmony: How to Optimize Productivity in the 21st Century . RJ works at the intersection of software, data analytics, AI, and healthcare, helping build technology designed to improve the health and...

In this episode of the Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Kelly Knight, Integrator and President of EOS Worldwide. Kelly helps lead an organization dedicated to helping entrepreneurial leadership teams gain clarity, strengthen alignment, build traction, and achieve more of what they want from their businesses. Kelly explains that a strong culture does...

In this episode of the Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Chris Sund, the President and COO of Uniti Med, GQR Healthcare, and Nebula, where he leads high-growth organizations at the intersection of healthcare staffing and AI-driven talent solutions. Under his leadership, Uniti Med grew 12x in revenue in just two years and earned the #3 ranking on the I...

Culture as the Competitive Advantage: High Standards, Accountability, and Winning In this episode of the Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Darrell Amy and Larry Levine sit down with Josh Mastel. Josh argues that in competitive markets, culture is the primary differentiator because employee performance sets a company apart.  Training and directives aren’t enough without an internal culture of h...

Who leads, what changes, where does culture show up, when does transformation begin, and why do employees stay when a 17,000-person company chooses servant leadership over selfish leadership? In this episode of the Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Darrell Amy and Larry Levine sit down with Mark Whitacer, Vice President of Culture and Care at Coca-Cola Consolidated and Executive Director of th...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Darrell Amy and Larry Levine are joined by Nick Damoulakis, CEO of Orases, about “culture from the heart” as shared passion, values, behaviors, and norms modeled from the top and lived daily. Nick describes his evolution from a toxic, whip-driven young leader to defining non-negotiables and company values through the DRIVE acronym: demonstra...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Darrell Amy and Larry Levine are joined by Omid Khalifeh, founder and CEO of Omni Legal Group — a premier patent, trademark, and copyright law firm in Los Angeles — to explore building a purpose-driven, heart-centered culture inside an industry known for the opposite. Khalifeh frames leading with purpose as coming in each day to leave the wo...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Brian Gottlieb, former CEO of several home improvement companies and author of Beyond the Hammer, about building high-performance, heart-centered business cultures. Gottlieb contrasts unconditional love at home with business as a team, where leaders must “prune the bush” because culture is shaped by...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Marina Ivanov, CEO and co-founder of Apex Transit and Logistics. Marina explains leading from the heart as leading from one’s true self, shaped by witnessing both good and bad leadership, and emphasizes empathy as understanding others’ complex situations through curiosity while maintaining boundarie...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Emily Schwartz, president and executive director of Operation Gratitude. Emily says leadership is a privilege focused on taking care of people, and that culture is what leaders practice and reward—values should be written as verbs like “tell the truth,” “do the right thing,” and “find a new way to s...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Hugo E. Gomez, founder and CEO of HispanicMarketing.com, about “culture from the heart” as leading with emotional intelligence. Hugo explains that in a mostly remote company this means being present digitally, reading tone and body language, and regularly checking alignment with the company mission...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Rob Levin, chairman and co-founder of Work Better Now, about building “culture from the heart” through values-led leadership in a fully remote company spanning two continents and 15+ countries. Rob explains that their culture reflects the shared values of the founders, including putting talent first...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Dr. Wayne Chappelle, founder and lead psychologist at PsyOPTIMAL and co-author of Healing Your Hurting Mind, to talk about building a culture aligned with core values. Dr. Wayne shares values like integrity, honesty, resilience, and a strong mindset, emphasizing getting comfortable being uncomfortab...

In this rewind episode of the Culture From The Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Joe Killinger, co-founder of Commercial Brokers International. Joe discusses the importance of company culture in the workplace, emphasizing the need for alignment with employee values and work ethics from the top down. He shares his insights into building a supportive and positive work e...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Tim Lupinacci, chairman and CEO of Baker Donelson, one of the nation's largest law firms. Tim elucidates his approach to leadership, focusing on influence, impact, and authenticity. He discusses the importance of investing in individuals and building trusted relationships within the organization. Th...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Ryan Hogan, founder and CEO of Talent Harbor, about “Culture From the Heart” as a people-first focus on developing those who solve the organization’s problems. Drawing from 24 years in the U.S. Navy, Ryan describes how observing leadership taught him that belief in mission and purpose drives perform...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Brian Dosal, CEO of Strety, about building culture through authentic leadership, core values, and transparency. Brian defines “culture from the heart” as leaders being their authentic selves so the organization’s culture reflects who they are, and shares his core values—humble, passionate, and good—...

In this episode of the Culture From The Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Steve Preston, the president of Performance Food Service, Fairfield, Ohio. Steve discusses his leadership philosophy focused on genuine engagement and care for employees. He emphasizes the importance of eye contact, listening, and leading by example. Steve explains the acronym 'CARE,' standing f...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Chris Polek, CEO of Polek & Polek, a distributor of copier and printer supplies to office equipment dealers across the U.S., about “culture from the heart.” Chris defines it as “caring with shared purpose,” describing caring as supporting team members personally and professionally by creating gr...

In this episode of the Culture From The Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Kip Miller, CEO of Eastern Industrial Supplies. Kip shares his journey from starting his career in the 1980s to leading a company that emphasizes caring for employees, customers, communities, and cultures. He introduces the 'four C's' strategy for building a heart-centered workplace culture, dis...

In this rewind episode of the Culture From The Heart Podcast, we revisit a thought-provoking conversation with Damon Lembi, CEO of LearnIt. The discussion centers around building a heart-centered culture within organizations, emphasizing the importance of leading with integrity, practicing transparency, and setting a clear vision. Damon shares his experiences and strategies for handling tough conv...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX. Claude discusses the principles of 'kind candor' and emotional intelligence, emphasizing the importance of creating a workplace culture rooted in empathy, authenticity, and human connection. She shares personal stories and practical strategies for how l...

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Justin Ricklefs, the founder and CEO of the Guild Collective. They discuss the importance of incorporating heart-centered leadership within organizations. Justin shares his personal journey of transitioning from a head-focused to a heart-focused leadership style. They explore practical strategies su...

Let’s revisit a powerful conversation on the Culture From the Heart Podcast with hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy, featuring Michael Harding, an owner-operator at Chick-fil-A. In this rewind episode, Michael shares the transformative power of heart-centered leadership, including his “51/49” philosophy of out-serving his team and why he encourages employees to bring their full selves—emotions and...