Becoming You (after Winning Wednesday)

What does the next generation of sales actually look like — and who gets to be in it? Max Altschuler, founder of Sales Hacker, built one of the most influential sales communities in the world by asking exactly that question. In this conversation, Max breaks down why sales is the ultimate level playing field, why diversity isn’t just a moral imperative but a business one, and why every salesp...

What happens when you take a SaaS product into a brand new market, in a different currency, with partners who may also work with your competitors? Claire Gunter, CMAA has navigated exactly that — and built a career at the intersection of revenue operations, partner sales, and global go-to-market strategy. A Dallas native who speaks five languages and once planned to pursue a PhD in 19th century Sp...

In Part 2 of this powerful conversation, Kala Garner goes deeper — into the weight that Black people carry every single day in America, the racial reckoning of 2020, and the very real risk that allies who woke up briefly simply went back to sleep. With honesty, grace, and the kind of courage it takes to say the hard things on camera, Kala challenges all of us to do more than order a book — and to...

As 2020 came to a close — a year that brought more anomalies than anyone could have predicted — Kala Garner sat down to share something we all needed to hear: slow down, dig your feet into the sand of reality, and get intentional about where you’re headed next. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Kala brings her engineer’s mind and deeply human heart to the art of the life audit —...

What if chasing LinkedIn Top Voice status is actually the wrong goal? Sarah Johnston built a thriving career coaching business not by chasing accolades but by showing up consistently, staying in her lane, and always starting with a story. A former recruiter turned entrepreneur, Sarah made the leap to self-employment as a trailing spouse navigating FMLA timelines and family moves — and turned those...

Markell Blount grew up bused from Boston to an affluent Massachusetts suburb — and didn’t realize until his 30s just how much that experience had privileged him with connections, perspective, and a bridge to opportunity that not everyone gets. Now he’s going back to his community to share what he learned: that your network is everything, adding value is the strategy, and optimism isn&#...

Winning Wednesday: 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 Another VTeamer on the show! My heart is so full of gratitude, wonder, and awe. Today’s Guest: Allison Wright organizational effectiveness social impact founder Top 25 LWE Intrapreneur/Entrepreneur “Less than 7% of people that grow up in underserved communities ever leave.” It’s only fitting that Allison & I met a year ago after an Empl...

What if the best sales training you ever received happened before you turned five? Mikeal Morgan dropped out of school at 13 in seventh grade — and has spent the last 20 years self-educating his way to a senior leadership role at Verizon, four published books, and a sales philosophy rooted in the one thing most professionals have forgotten: how to sell like a child. In this conversation, Mikeal br...

What if the most powerful conversation you could have was with your future self? Danny Shannon spent 17 years in addiction, and the 11 years since have been defined by one transformative truth: the opposite of addiction is connection. From working at the same rehab where he got clean, to building Encapsulator — a digital time capsule platform — Danny’s story is one of radical honesty, courag...

What do Serbian, Czech, German, and an interrobang hat all have in common? They’re all part of Kevin Carroll’s extraordinary story of curiosity, connection, and catalytic leadership. From learning rare languages in the military to becoming an internal entrepreneur at Nike, Kevin has spent his career doing one thing remarkably well: shortening the degrees of separation between people. H...

What if the secret to closing a deal isn’t asking the right questions — it’s finding the right problems before anyone asks you to? Josh Braun, sales coach and former Jellyvision sales leader, landed Verizon as a client by identifying a problem on their website that they didn’t even know they had. His wife Jenna brings the retail perspective — selling sofas at West Elm by genuinel...

What if nearly dying three times before the age of 10 became the fuel for a life’s mission? Claude-Reynald Christian Lecorps grew up in Haiti where electricity came on for just a few hours a day — if at all. Those childhood experiences of blackouts, sporadic water, and makeshift community didn’t break him. They built him. Now he’s an electrical engineer and startup founder on a m...

What’s the difference between a good networking event and a bad one? Garrett Halsell — serial entrepreneur with three businesses — has a clear answer, and it starts with intention. In this wide-ranging conversation, Garrett breaks down the real value of building a professional network before you need it, the art of working a room without overstaying your welcome, and why finding your dopamin...

What if collecting different perspectives was the ultimate life skill? Jeremy Gartner grew up in France, moved to Israel at 13, and eventually built a career helping people land their dream jobs — all by learning one foundational lesson: to connect with people, you have to meet them on their terms, not your own. From multilingual mindset shifts to job search strategy, Jeremy brings a refreshingly...

When COVID wiped out six paid speaking engagements overnight, Allan Langer didn’t hit pause — he hit play. He went from 207 LinkedIn followers to over 5,000 in less than six months, built a networking group called Play Don’t Pause, and developed one of the most practical and human-centered sales philosophies you’ll hear anywhere. If you think sales is a numbers game, Allan is her...

What if your daycare job taught you more about sales than any training program ever could? Seth Thompson — a sales pro with a refreshingly unconventional LinkedIn strategy — opens this conversation with exactly that story. From teaching toddlers to teaching prospects, Seth has built a career around one core skill: translating complex things into language that actually lands. Add in a daily posting...

What does Frodo Baggins have in common with your brand video? More than you’d think. Jason Ellinger — video producer, storyteller, and self-described quarantine dad — breaks down the seven elements of story that every successful Hollywood film follows and shows how they apply directly to the content you’re creating right now. Whether it’s a nonprofit fundraising video, a brand st...

What’s the difference between being broke and being poor — and why does that distinction change everything? Dominic Rufran, financial mindset coach and self-investment advocate, makes the case that your money problems aren’t really money problems at all. They’re mindset problems. In this energetic and surprisingly personal conversation, Dominic breaks down why you are your greate...

What do you do when you’re 17 months without a paycheck, burning through savings, and still showing up every day to network, help others, and keep the faith? Cary Noel did exactly that — and came out the other side with a new role at Verizon, a LinkedIn content series called Friday Footnotes, and a philosophy about giving that has never stopped guiding him. A military veteran, telecom execut...

What does it take to go from athlete to entrepreneur to executive coach? Cornell Thomas built his career on one powerful idea: it’s cool if you get up the mountain, but who are you bringing with you? From coaching kids on the court to coaching CEOs in the boardroom, Cornell reveals why the most successful leaders lead horizontally — not vertically. What You’ll Learn: The transferable s...

What if the way you’re speaking is quietly undermining everything you’re trying to say? Daya Ottley — broadcaster, voice over actor, and voice communication coach from Trinidad and Tobago — has spent 15+ years helping people understand that your voice isn’t just a delivery mechanism. It’s a direct reflection of your self-perception, your confidence, and your brand. In this...

What if everything you’ve been told about posture, pain, and muscle strength is actually making things worse? Joseph Gonzalez is a movement specialist who thinks about the body completely differently — starting with the brain. In this uniquely hands-on episode, Joe walks Katrina through a live floor exercise, teaches her how to sense her own body more accurately, and explains why most pain i...

What does it take to go from government assistance and lima beans in Baltimore to receiving a second honorary doctorate — and inspiring thousands of women along the way? Dr. Cheryl Wood didn’t wait for permission. She interrupted her norm, said yes to a speaking gig that paid her in a ham sandwich, and never looked back. A powerhouse speaker, women’s empowerment advocate, and mindset c...

What if the platform you’ve been avoiding is actually your most powerful marketing tool? Maayan Gordon — marketer, glass blower, TikTok strategist, and self-described human interrobang — brings an electrifying mix of neuroscience, social media strategy, and radical authenticity to this conversation. From why your brain has no machine for negativity to why professionals are showing up to TikT...

What does it look like to strategically build a global LinkedIn network from India — before you’ve ever left the country? Ish Sachdeva had a LinkedIn account since 2003 but didn’t unlock its real power until he stopped using it as a job board and started using it as a relationship platform. Nine hours ahead of the US, Ish brings a uniquely global perspective on authentic content, cross...