ChoinqueCast

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick sits down with Connie Kwan , Author of STORYHabits and Product - MVP Builder at Product Maestro . Connie shares her journey from Hong Kong to Canada and Silicon Valley, her passion for building products, and why she believes the key to lasting habit change starts with identity and personal stories instead of willpower. The conversation also explore...

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick sits down with Jessica Brittain , Captain of the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office . With nearly two decades in law enforcement, Jessica shares her journey from working in a county jail to leading one of the largest training operations in North Texas. The conversation explores leadership in law enforcement, the realities of human trafficking investig...

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick sits down with Brandon Lark , Group Vice President at MYR Group and President of Great Southwestern Construction, Inc . Brandon shares his journey from growing up on a ranch in northern New Mexico to leading one of the largest electrical infrastructure organizations in North America. The conversation explores leadership development, safety culture,...

In this episode, host Jim Emerick sits down with Brooke Brittain , Athletic Coordinator & Head Basketball Coach at Mansfield High School. Brooke shares her remarkable journey from serving as a military police officer during the Iraq War at just 20 years old to becoming a successful head basketball coach and athletic coordinator in Texas. The conversation explores leadership, resilience, optimi...

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick speaks with Krista Phillips , President at PMI Pikes Peak Regional, Colorado Chapter . Krista shares her journey from criminal justice and SAP programming into project management leadership and explains how the Project Management Institute helps professionals grow through certifications, leadership development, networking, and volunteer opportuniti...

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick speaks with Dr. Maria Bell , CEO and Founder of Digital Twin Imaging . Dr. Maria Bell shares her journey from growing up in rural South Dakota to becoming a leading cancer surgeon, robotics pioneer, and tech entrepreneur. The conversation explores how her experience in medicine and robotic surgery led her to launch a company focused on digital twin...

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick speaks with Roggen Frick , the young CEO of Bear Iron Works , about building a manufacturing business from the ground up while balancing college, construction work, and entrepreneurship. Roggen shares how a small side project making rock screens during high school grew into a nationwide company serving contractors, mining companies, farmers, and ev...

In this episode, host Jim Emerick speaks with Murphy John , Chief Growth Officer at StorX , about the early days of the internet in India, the rise of decentralized cloud storage, and the future of work in the AI era. Murphy shares his journey from helping businesses adopt internet infrastructure in the late 1990s to building secure decentralized storage solutions today. The conversation also expl...

In this episode, host Jim Emerick sits down with Kristen Lowers , Chief Information Officer at Saddle Creek Logistics Services . The conversation explores her unique career journey from marketing and sales into technology leadership, and how she built credibility in IT by starting over and learning from the ground up. The episode also dives into the evolving role of technology in logistics, the im...

In this episode, host Jim Emerick sits down with Melissa Moore , Director of Training and Development at Central Florida Health Care, Inc. She shares her unique journey from psychology and education to health care leadership. She discusses the importance of emotional intelligence, leadership development, and how she’s shaping the future of health care with her team. Join us as we explore how leade...

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick sits down with Jim Harter , Chief Scientist of Workplace Management and Wellbeing at Gallup , to discuss the evolving landscape of workplace engagement, leadership, and well-being. With over 40 years of research experience, Jim Harter shares insights from Gallup’s groundbreaking work on engagement, performance, and the impact of AI on organizations...

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick sits down with Amy Coppola to explore her journey from corporate leadership to building her own company, Alfa Zula Professionals Inc. The conversation focuses on leadership growth, navigating large-scale government projects, and the realities of starting a small business in the defense and federal space. Amy shares how her mindset shifted from task...

In this episode of The ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick sits down with Jessica Gronert , Senior Business Development Manager at Leidos , about her unique career journey across the Air Force, intelligence, education, and business development. The conversation focuses on her leadership role as President of Women in Defence Greater Tampa Bay and how the organization supports professional growth, commun...

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick sits down with Jed Dairy , the Director of Open Autonomy at Wenco International Mining Systems . With a background in both the construction and mining industries, Jed shares his journey from project management to leading innovative autonomous systems in mining. They discuss the transformative role of autonomy in mining, the importance of an abundan...

Disclaimer: All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of the US Government. Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying US Government authentication of information or endorsement of the author’s views. In this relaunch of the ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick sits down with Juliane Gallina...

In this episode of ChoinqueCast , host Jim Emerick sits down with Christopher Mattila , Director of Construction Project Management at American Transmission Company (ATC) , to discuss what it takes to deliver large-scale transmission and infrastructure projects in today’s high-demand environment. With 17 years at Minnesota Power , where he built and led a Project Management Office, Chris shares ho...

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick sits down with JL Bielon , Chief Executive Officer at Champions for Children , to explore her journey through the nonprofit sector and her transition into her first CEO role. JL shares how a career rooted in philanthropy, from a historic theatre to an ocular research centre, a zoo, and now a child abuse prevention nonprofit, prepared her for execut...

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick sits down with Kevin Kerrigan , the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Fulton County Government . Kevin shares his journey from research to public service and leadership in local government. With a background in technology and environmental data research, Kevin has led IT teams through transformative changes and significant challenges, including a...

It has been a privilege getting to know a Christian-based organization following an open-enrollment Leadership Excellence Course this summer at the USAF Academy. We may ask ourselves, what does a Christian-based organization have to do with leadership? Good question. Let’s consider the scope of our follow on engagement, an Energize2Lead Workshop. Energy has a great deal to do with leadership. How...

One of the attendees at our most recent Academy Leadership Excellence Courses hosted at the USAF Academy shared a realization both on the first day to our group of eleven, and afterward during our one-on-one follow-on executive coaching sessions. Here’s what happened. Much of the first day of a Leadership Excellence Course is focused on learning about ourselves, in particular, what energizes us so...

In Episode 25, we meet a next-generation business leader, who focuses as much on people as results, Brandon Lark . Starting out “in the field” as a Superintendent and Project Manager, Brandon was appointed President of Great Southwestern Construction in May of 2014. While a Vice President, Brandon launched a broad-based leadership development initiative, which has included working with Academy Lea...

At a recent Leadership Excellence Course hosted at the United States Air Force Academy, one of the attendees both had and shared a significant realization and growth experience. With Roger’s permission, it’s worth sharing with you: Team, I was going to share the following with you tomorrow at our all hands.  Unfortunately, that schedule did not hold up.  Given that all of us have so many...

After binge-watching the powerful HBO miniseries Chernobyl: https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl my thoughts turned to our country and the ongoing issue with Boeing’s 737 MAX. What’s common to both events? A single word: Transparency. Or, the lack of it. The first episode of Chernobyl highlights — at the individual and at the organizational level — consequences of not sharing information, or the truth, e...

At an in-house Leadership Excellence Course last week multiple attendees realized, that from their position in the corporate hierarchy, the mission of the company was not as clear as it should be. This affects the teams they are responsible for, and may be addressed in multiple ways, which were discussed in several of our nine leadership workshops. Here are three examples. First, the corporate mis...

In Episode 24, we meet a most interesting couple, Andrea Kramer and Alton Harris . Andie is a partner in the international law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP, which was just listed as one of the “10 Best BigLaw Firms for Female Attorneys.” Despite her successful and demanding legal career, Andie has helped thousands of women navigate both the obvious and subtle gender biases they encounter...