FOCUS on Leadership

In this episode of FOCUS on Leadership, Amy Shaw, President and CEO of Nine PBS and past Board Chair for FOCUS, explores an often-overlooked leadership principle: joy. From stepping into the CEO role during a time of crisis to navigating personal health battles and industry-wide uncertainty, she explains how leading with joy has helped her and her organization stay grounded, resilient, and forward...

How do we lead with clarity and compassion through times of crisis or uncertainty? In this episode, we had the privilege to talk with Dr. Alexander Garza, Chief Community Health Office for SSM Health and past Commander of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force. Drawing from his unique experiences in emergency medicine, military service, and public health, Dr. Garza reflects on the lessons...

In this episode, we sit down with FOCUS Leadership St. Louis grad Dr. Yusef Scoggin, Executive Director of Delmar DivINe, to explore his career evolution and vision for our region. From his early experiences in medicine to leading a regional nonprofit hub, Dr. Scoggin reflects on the importance of cultural competence, collaboration, and courage in creating real community change. He shares how Delm...

Whose story are we telling and why does it matter? In this episode of the FOCUS on Leadership podcast, we had the privilege to sit down with historian and author (and former FOCUS board member) Dr. Frances Levine. We explore the roots of her early interest in history, as well as her distinguished career in museum administration, including her work as past President of the Missouri Historical Socie...

As President of Marian Middle School since 2013, Mary Elizabeth Grimes is responsible for stewarding over 200 students from 5th grade through post-secondary education and beyond. In this episode of the FOCUS on Leadership podcast, she shares her thoughts on the power of education and the joy she finds in supporting and leading her students. Reflecting back on a long and extensive career, ranging f...

Recently retired after a 25-year career with Mastercard, FOCUS Leadership St. Louis alum Wendy Richardson is reflecting back on the lessons she's learned, the advice she would share with others, and how she finds joy in every day. In this episode, FOCUS Director of Leadership Programs Shalia Ford sits down with Wendy to explore the difference between mentors and sponsors, how her Leadership St. Lo...

Too often, we hold ourselves back with feelings that we don't belong or don't measure up. In this episode of the FOCUS on Leadership podcast, we sit down with Ruth Kim, General Counsel, SVP and Senior Partner for FleishmanHillard, to explore her strategies for tackling imposter syndrome and the lessons she's learned throughout her successful career. In it, she also discusses the importance of givi...

Few people have made their mark in the St. Louis region like our next podcast guest. In this episode of FOCUS on Leadership, we had the privilege of sitting down to talk with FOCUS Leadership St. Louis alum and current Executive-In-Residence Anna Crosslin, who led the International Institute of St. Louis for 42 years. She reflects back on the principles and values that guided her career, offers th...

Networking doesn't have to be boring or transactional. In this episode of the FOCUS on Leadership podcast, we talk with FOCUS Emerging Leaders alum Keisha Mabry Haymore, speaker, author, coach and founder of Heydays Creative & Collaborative Workspace, about her unique approach to building a powerful and meaningful network. She shares what inspired her to write her book, how she balances entrep...

As leaders, how do we create and cultivate a spirit of curiosity in all we do? In this episode of the FOCUS on Leadership podcast, we talk with FOCUS Leadership St. Louis alum Andwele Jolly, President & CEO of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network. He discusses the importance of bringing curiosity into collaboration, how he's working to break down inequities in our region, the biggest challe...

Sometimes the first step to leadership is seeing yourself as one. In this episode of the FOCUS on Leadership podcast, we talk with FOCUS Leadership St. Louis and Women In Leadership alum Jennifer Bardot, bestselling publisher, author, and founder of the G.R.I.T. Community. She shares how her FOCUS program experience helped her chart a new leadership path for herself, and how she's using her role a...

How do we as leaders continue to learn, grow and evolve? In this episode, we talk with Women In Leadership alum Marcy Bursac about her unique leadership journey from nonprofit professional to software developer to author, podcaster and pageant queen. She shares how her experience as an adoptive mom shaped her path - and how she's using what she learned along the way to help others in her new book,...

When the problems of the world seem too big and overwhelming, where is a leader to start? In our first episode, we talk with Rebeccah Bennett, Founder & Principal of Emerging Wisdom LLC and InPower Institute, about her unique leadership journey from public policy to community healing. Along the way, Rebeccah shares what drew her to St. Louis, why we're uniquely positioned as a region to drive...