Best Next Step with Cass McCrory

In today’s episode, we talk to Daina Middleton. Daina has had an amazing career and she walks us through her dynamic journey from HP to Twitter to the new ventures she’s starting. We learn with and from somebody that has led an impactful life, not only through cultivating strong relationships but by learning and generating tools along the way. We begin this conversation by talking about all of the...

I am so excited to start 2020 with this amazing conversation with Kelly Cheatle, Artistic Director at Airigami! We talk about living a creative life, how we're all connected and responsible for our contributions and what that has to do with Stone Soup and my sense of wonder was reignited by the impermanence and beauty available to us within art. Be sure to follow Kelly and the work created by...

Friends, today we’re talking to Dolores Hirschmann, the Chief Clarity Officer at Masters in Clarity, a communications firm that specializes in growth-minded business strategy.  In this conversation, we talk about everything from tarot to intuition to discovering the correlation that exists in each of our lives that ties everything together, and then Dolores asks us this question that will change e...

Friends in this episode we're talking to the amazing Suzanne Piotrowski. I was so excited to speak with Suzanne ahead of our interview because I've been a long-time admirer of how she's cultivated the work she does.    In this conversation, we talk about being an entrepreneur as a consultant and being a TEDx organizer. Suzanne is an expert at helping people and companies change for...

Friends, today we’re talking to Ilise Benun. She’s the founder of Marketing Mentor, a firm that specializes in helping creative professionals take their work to the next level, as well as an author, speaker, and teacher.  I’m really excited to share this one -- Ilise taught us a lot in this episode. We talk about the creative life, doing creative work, and how we can position ourselves to keep doi...

Today we're talking to Paula Rizzo author of Listful Living and Listful Thinking and a media guru. In this podcast we dive deep into the writing of books, the backstory behind List Producer her blog that helped her secure her book deals and how her businesses is growing today.  We talk about the move from working full time at Fox News to branching out on her own and the space this has created...

The end of a decade brings up some things doesn't it? Am I living the life I want to live boldly? Am I taking care of what's most important? Do I feel like I'm being intentional and making a real difference? Am I listening to myself? In this podcast with Ariane Baer-Harper we talk about all of this. Ariane is inspiring on a level that I *knew* but couldn't really know until thi...

In this episode, we’re going to talk to Genie Gratto. She is a consultant that works in the non-profit space around storytelling and communication. We get into some tactical things about how you can look at the stories you’re telling yourself, and some stories that have impacted us.  I really love this conversation -- Genie shares a piece of advice in here that was such a good reminder for me and...

In this episode, we meet Caroline Carter. She is an author and home transition expert. There’s so much goodness in this episode -- we cover building a business, the lessons we learn along the way, how we work on our businesses, and how we work in them. If you own your own business, get your notebooks ready because Caroline provides us with some really actionable thoughts on how to show up in a bet...

Friends, in this episode we meet Rana Lee. Based in Chicago, she is a principal director of business development with the SmithGroup and is a self-described curious leader, mentor, and disruptor.  This is an amazing conversation -- don’t listen to this one while you’re driving because you’re going to need your pen and paper to take notes. We talk about developing yourself as a leader, doing so wit...

In this episode, we meet Lisa Woodruff, founder and CEO of Organize 365. Make sure you have your notebook ready – we talk about the root of what everybody wants and how you can get more of it by doing something pretty revolutionary and simple. Lisa shares with us a drop of knowledge that is so powerful it can change your perspective on motherhood: keeping a good house is not the same thing as bein...

In this episode, we meet Lauren Sweeney. Lauren, a single mother living in Brooklyn, is the co-founder and CEO of poptop land, a digital marketing firm geared towards comedians. We get into so much goodness about being a female founder, taking care of ourselves, and the importance of balance.   Grab your notebook -- Lauren gives us so many gems in this episode.   Where you can find Lauren:  Instag...

In this episode, we meet Tess Wicks, a wealth and mindset coach and founder of Wander Wealthy. We talk about our beliefs around money, how being of service should be our primary goal in business and what it means to live a multifaceted life. Tess shares with us what it’s like to transition to a new chapter of her life in Italy, while still maintaining some home bases in the US. We come away from t...

In this episode, we meet Kellsie Moore, founder of Be Marvelous You. She is an actress, an on-camera expert that supports entrepreneurs, and a force of nature. There are so many mic-drop moments in this one. We talk about living our purpose as our responsibility, how we take action, what we believe in, how we get past our excuses, and the pain that comes with being indecisive. Settle in with a not...

In this episode, we meet Sarah Shewey, founder and CEO of happily.io. This conversation we have is one that’s going to linger with me for a long time. We talk about how important connectivity is with the people within our companies and within our families, and how we check in with those around us.  We cover Sarah’s journey starting a company in 2005, including the process of securing funding, what...

Friends, today we’re talking to Christine Egan. Christine is a breast cancer survivor, a mom of three, and a wife who is redefining how we think about the word “healthy” – and that’s where you’ll find her online. Everything that Christine does is in alignment with taking impeccable care of yourself and being fully immersed in the journey of life.   To that end, she asks some amazing questions of u...

In this episode, we sit down with Sharada Sullivan who is the Sr Director, Finance - GWS North Division at CBRE a global commercial real estate firm and a wife & mom. So frequently we think that in order to advance we need to change jobs and make radical shifts; Sharada shares her experience of advancement, exploring new roles and growing within an organization. I greatly appreciated Sharada&a...

In this episode we talk to Danielle Raymo. Founder & Owner of Rochester Brainery and Co-founder of Upstate Social which is taking place here in Rochester, NY October 3rd and 4th. We talk about how it feels to juggle and wear so many different hats and where the joy exists in all of it.  We get into the tactical business of how all the work gets done, tools and recommendations Danielle relies u...

In this episode, we meet Cyndi Weis, the owner of Breathe, a yoga studio, juice bar, and retail haven with locations across the upstate New York area. We talk about meditation practices, the hardest lessons we have to learn, and the quote that inspired her entire trajectory with her business.  Cyndi, a former dietician with a degree in mental health counseling, started her business in 2002. Since...

In this episode, we meet Jenn Folsom, the Chief of Corporate Development at Summit Consulting and author of an upcoming book titled “Ringmaster.” We talk about the marathon of motherhood, why the work-life balance simply doesn’t exist, and the importance of finding some element of passion in everything you do.  A self-defined ringmaster, corporate leader, and mother of three boys, Jenn shares how...

Executive Director within KPMG. Her rich background from the world of journalism & PR and how it led her down a path into consulting. In this episode we dive into the powerful questions Janice has posed herself throughout her career and of others as a mentor & leader. We dive into some really personally definitions of success and the phrase that infuses through all of Janice’s work: What d...

In today's episode, we meet Hazel Gale. Hazel is an author, speaker, cognitive hypnotherapist and ex-world champion in full-contact kickboxing. I love a good pun so I'll share this: While Hazel stepped out of the ring professionally she still can knock people out and this episode does this. We start our conversation with the work she's called to do today and the journey to getting t...

In this episode we meet Michelle Roberts, an entrepreneur who serves as the president of Novus – Be Known, Inc. We talk about finding our purpose, the first question young entrepreneurs should answer when they’re starting out, and what we can do to invest more time in ourselves.  Michelle is a brand expert who found her calling by trusting her intuition and chasing her full potential. She shares w...

In this episode, we meet Erin Lafferty, growth stage CFO. We talk about that buzz of energy that you feel when you find something that you’d really love to do with your life, the importance or risk-taking for the sake of moving forward, and what happens when we shift our perspective to mindfully responding, rather than instantly reacting.  Originally pursuing a career in psychiatry at UC Berkeley,...

In this episode, we meet Jenny Bjerken, a business owner who manages a team of over 500 leaders for Young Living Essential Oils. We talk about everything from running a multi-level marketing business to the power of trying and the importance of feeling, especially in the aftermath of divorce.  Jenny credits the blogosphere for kick-starting her career and introducing her to her current position. P...