Professionally Offensive

Jason McCann, CEO of Vari, had a rally call during COVID that galvanized the Team and help them pivot- "Keep Rowing". Despite their initial plans to take the market by storm and transform the workplace, COVID required them to think very differently about their offering. Jason shares something a friend of his said to him once as they were going through the H1N1 situation, "We just ha...

A flashback from EP. 61, with Graham Weston, CEO/Chairman of Rackspace (NYST: RXT), Texas Billionaire and multi-time entrepreneur. Graham shares the importance of developing tactics and not strategies. The "Big Thinker" gets a lot of credit for the ideas, but it is the executions that makes something come to life. Finding something simple that works is what allows you to deeply seed into...

We're headed into the holiday season and it's a time we get to spend with the folks who are in our corner. The folks, that regardless of the outcome, will always be there to pick you up or celebrate. As professionals we spend a lot of time thinking about the folks that impact our career, but do we remember that it's the folks that support our life, with no expectation, that should get...

Ian Villa, Co-Founder, COO and CPO of Whisper Aero is changing the way we fly.  As we think about the sky above us, as a more viable option to travel, we have to think about the impacts. Noise and efficiency are one of the things that can stop the democratization of the everyday human utilizing flight.  Ian and the Whisper Aero Team are on a mission to make propulsion quieter, faster and more effi...

Hope MacGregor, Country Music Artist has been on a long road back to where it all started... behind a guitar and microphone sharing what’s on her heart. This former Army Aviator and classically trained attorney has already lived several chapters of life and thanks to a conversation with her Dad, is back to her calling. Serving in the military and enduring personal hardship helped inspire her music...

Lots of things that we could be troubled with, especially with the recent world events. War, market turmoil, interest rates.... you name it. Maybe we haven't achieved what we wanted in our businesses or reached our potential as a professional. Fortunately for us, this turbulence is not a new human condition, but something our history is full of. So if that's consistent, then how do we find...

Evan Seale, Co-Founder of VRB Labs, is on a mission to help folks find deeper rest and get better sleep. How well we sleep, is one of the things we have control over and if we stay disciplined about it, we can fully access our potential. Stigmas and a hustle culture can cast the importance of sleep away, but Evan believes that if we prioritize good sleep, we can extract more out of the hours we&#3...

Throwback to a conversation with Megan Thornton, Chief People Officer extraordinaire. On this episode we talk about the bad reputation HR can get and how they often deserve it. A true "People Partner" in business is focused on understanding the needs of People and the Business first, then figuring out how a path can be created that also adheres to policy. Often HR personnel can get caugh...

Throwback to an episode with John Merris, CEO of Solo Brands (Solo Stove, Chubbies, Oru Kayak and Isle), talking talent, skills and culture. When you are looking for the right folks to bring onto a Team, don't get mired by the skills that are or are not on their resume- They can learn those later. Focus on their natural talent and what their upbringing put into them- You can't teach that....

Alex Harstrick, Founder and Managing Partner at J2 Ventures, leans into his experience from the Iraq/Afghanistan war to inform and fuel the next generation of technology and capabilities. Although he graduated from Columbia and Harvard, he shares that his time as an NYC EMT taught him a lot of how to be a Leader and ultimately run a VC. Spending time in the back of an ambulance teaches you extreme...

Transparency... A buzz word that has found itself in every boardroom meeting and corporate call across America. The spirit of transparency is meaningful, but it's how we apply it that matters. Transparency is authentically communicating to you Team what's going on, but if you don't have an effective Leadership structure, this will be for nothing. Transparency comes down to communicatin...

Dr. Ernestine Fu, Stanford PhD and Venture Capitalist (Alsop Louie & Brave Capital) joins forces with Dr. Tom Ehrlich, Fmr. Stanford Law School Dean, Provost of UPenn and lifetime public Servant- To talk about the importance of civic duty. Whether you are advising the President on public policy, nurturing new ventures that will support front-line troops or working at your local community kitch...

Have you ever been halted in your decision making or finding it difficult to gain clarity and move forward? Risk of an endeavor too overwhelming? It may be that your decision making ability that has been distorted and you need to look at risk differently. How we understand and weigh subjective vs objective risk is paramount. Subjective risk prevents many companies and Teams from finding forward mo...

Joe Wolfel, CEO and Co-Founder of Terradepth, has made his living being a student of the seas and is on a mission to uncover all we don't know about the largest portion of our planet - The Ocean. Joe talks about his time on the SEAL Teams and how that gave him a strong foundation, especially when running new and complex ventures. Being good and Leading small Teams through the "Suck",...

On this episode, Joseph is joined by guest Host, Kelsie Cabrera as they take a look back on a few years and a 100 episodes of the Professionally Offensive Podcast. Joseph talks about the origins of the show, its continued purpose, lessons learned and the incredible People that have shared their journey to help others. Although there are themes and patterns to achieving success, each person has the...

Many of us show up to work and don't really understand why? Sure there's bills to pay, project to tackle and promotions to get, but is that really what you would be doing if money wasn't a factor. Speaking with Travis McAshan, Founder & CEO of Glide, he talks about the importance of reflection and spending time contemplating who you want to be. Values are a critical piece for runni...

Sandeep Chennakeshu, COO of Uhnder and former CTO of Ericsson and President of Blackberry Technology Solutions, has lived a charmed life. His "Series 1" mindset has led him to always say yes and take on some of our world's greatest technical challenges. From bluetooth to 2g technology, Sandeep has been on the cutting edge of universal technology. He says that you only really solidify...

It's human nature to want to be right, but does that ultimately allow you to win in the long run? Whether it's an argument, pushing for a promotion, finally getting the resources you've been asking for or something at home- Winning should be front of mind. Winning means that both sides understand the situation, what there is to gain & lose and ultimately recognize the pain that may...

Do we have what it takes to take an idea, company and Team the distance? Many founder's enter the game of business without realizing what their objective is and if their intentions will sustain them through a tough journey. It's a hard reality, but many founders are not able to scale a business and the lack of self-awareness can prevent them from being fulfilled, achieving "their&quot...

Luke Fischer, CEO and Co-Founder of SkyFi, is changing the way we understand our world by opening our eyes wider to it.  Luke grew up flying helicopters for the Army and has used his experience working in VC and at tech titans like Uber to harness the power of satellite imagery and make it easier for the world to access.  The SkyFi Team is helping uncover issues that are not obvious.  For example,...

Sweat before you bleed- A concept that is foreign to most. Everyday in business is game day and unfortunately that can cause us to be blindsided, maintain instead of grow and be consumed with the chaos, instead of smiling through it. Elite Teams know that visualizing success and uncovering friction is the only way to build a championship organization. When was the last time you launched a new prod...

Jackie Cuyvers, Founder & CEO of Convosphere, has spent her life understanding People through what they say and how they say it.  Social Intelligence and Social Listening are what allow us to really understand what People want, what they really think about a brand or how much respect they have for their workplace.  Surveys and 360 assessments are not the answer, but it is the unprompted and un...

Christopher Cassibry, COL US Army (Ret), Callsign “Denali 6” has spent his entire professional life in the Service of his People.  During this conversation, Joseph talks with his former wartime commander about the making tough calls, remaining calm as a Leader and understanding what it means to “be good with the decisions, one makes”.  Chris has held many positions of command in his military caree...

Andrew Markoff, Founder & CEO of Pallas, leads a Team whose mission is to help People achieve their seemingly impossible dreams.  Whether it's making Team USA for the next Olympics or swimming the English Channel, this Marine and former special operator says that his experience as a “generalist” has helped him, help others.  The Marine Corps taught Andrew the importance of breadth and dept...

Building a brand is no easy feat, but if you can get it to matter to your customer, you'll build something that lasts forever. We flashback to last June (a year ago) on this segment, where we speak with Brent Looby, Co-Founder of Desert Door.  During this segment he dives into building a spirits company in a hyper-competitive environment and using brand to break through. Even though this drink...