Building Leadership Community

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...

Show Notes This episode is different in the best way. In honor of Take Your Children to Work Day, Coach Dora invites her children to step into the role of co-hosts. What unfolds is a conversation that moves beyond leadership theory and into something more grounded, personal, and real. They ask about how the podcast is built, how leadership is practiced in teaching and business, and what advice she...

Show Notes: This encore presentation of one of our most requested episodes takes you behind the scenes of how Building Leadership Community is created. Coach Dora Mendez is joined by producer Dylan Rogers to walk through the real systems behind launching a podcast—from defining your purpose to choosing the right tools and scaling your content across platforms. This conversation is designed for ent...

In this episode of Building Leadership Community , Coach Dora Mendez welcomes Dr. Lori Marie Huertas—an organizational leader, educator, and advocate for workplace cultures where belonging and innovation thrive. Together, they explore people-centered leadership as both a philosophy and a practical approach to career advancement. This conversation highlights the importance of mentorship, community,...

In this episode of Building Leadership Community, Coach Dora Mendez sits down with Jonathan Meagher-Zayas, founder of Equity Warrior Strategies, LLC, to explore what it truly means to lead with purpose in today’s complex systems. Jonathan shares his journey from nonprofit fundraising to systems-level leadership, including raising over $14 million, coaching nonprofit leaders, and building capacity...

In this episode of Building Leadership Community, Coach Dora Mendez sits down with Nikki Groom, CEO and founder of Raised Voices, a personal brand strategy firm dedicated to helping leaders articulate their expertise and amplify their impact. Nikki shares her journey from growing up in a working-class town in England to building a business that helps speakers, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders st...

What does it take to rebuild your life, career, and leadership identity from scratch? In this episode of the Building Leadership Community Podcast, Coach Dora Mendez sits down with Anisha Jennings, a systems administrator, entrepreneur, and founder of Jennings Tech Corner, to explore what it means to lead through transition and uncertainty. After moving from India to the United States to pursue he...

In this episode of Building Leadership Community , Coach Dora Mendez speaks with Jean Westrick, CEO of the Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG), about leading at the intersection of technology and equity. Jean shares her journey in philanthropy, her approach to mission-driven leadership, and why community is essential for navigating uncertainty. Together, they explore how leaders can build...

In this episode of Building Leadership Community Podcast , Coach Dora Mendez welcomes Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez, founder and CEO of the International Leadership Charter High School in the Bronx. Dr. Ruiz Lopez shares the deeply personal experiences that shaped her leadership journey—from growing up in the South Bronx during a time of social unrest to witnessing systemic inequities in education and hea...

If you missed the International Women’s Day livestream , you can now listen to the full replay of this special episode of the Building Leadership Community Podcast . In this reflective International Women’s Day conversation, Coach Dora Mendez explores how storytelling, literature, and lived experience shape the way leaders understand equity, representation, and community. Leadership is often shape...

Building Leadership Community Podcast Transforming Your Money Story with Financial Wellness Coach Erika Dox-Martinez In this episode of Building Leadership Community , financial wellness coach Erika Dox-Martinez shares how leaders can transform their relationship with money, build financial confidence, and create long-term wealth aligned with their values. Professional Context For many professiona...

Show Notes In this episode of Building Leadership Community, Coach Dora Mendez talks with Yulkendy Valdez — social entrepreneur, consultant, and founder of Phenomenal Talent . Yulkendy shares how her leadership journey began in the Dominican Republic, teaching neighborhood children to read , and evolved into building ventures that empower underrepresented creators . Together, they explore: The cou...

In Season 3, Episode 8 of Building Leadership Community , Coach Dora Mendez sits down with Arias WebsterBerry, entrepreneur, Certified Scrum Master, and founder of WebsterBerry Marketing and Ignite Funnels . Arias has generated over $112 million in client revenue and mentored more than 400 professionals. In this conversation, he shares what entrepreneurial leadership truly requires: disciplined ri...

Overview In Season 3, Coach Dora explores leadership through the lens of neuroscience with Dr. Christopher Eaddy and Lisa Oborne. Drawing from psychology, biology, and organizational systems, they examine how emotional reactivity affects logic, how accountability and authenticity intersect, and why the central nervous system may be the first culture of every organization. Key Themes Leadership as...

In this episode of Building Leadership Community, Coach Dora Mendez is joined by educator and national equity leader Dr. Danielle R. Moss Cox for a deep conversation on leadership, mentorship, and community. Dr. Cox reflects on her journey, the power of integrity, and how relationships shape lasting impact. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 03:20 Leadership origins 09:12 The TED Talk story 15:18 Integrity...

What does it take to go from corporate stability to building something entirely new? In this Season 3 episode of Building Leadership Community , Coach Dora Mendez sits down with entrepreneur and inventor Todd Hanson, founder of Compass Carts, to explore innovation, perseverance, and purpose-driven leadership. Todd shares how a hunting trip sparked the idea that became a patented product, why hones...

In this episode of Building Leadership Community, Coach Dora Mendez speaks with Dr. Falguni Shah—physician, organizational psychologist, and author—about Truth Lighting, a leadership framework designed to counter gaslighting and foster dignity, clarity, and trust at work. Key Themes Leadership and cultural humility Career advancement for women of color Community, wellness, and mentorship Systemic...