Own Your Potential

Jim McCann, Founder & Chairman at 1-800 Flowers.com, tells us about how he transformed his organization's direct-2-comsumer strategy twice, about the importance of relationships in life and in business, and the power of humor.

Scott Stratten, Creator of UnMarketing, Professional Speaker (500+ paid conference keynotes) and 6x Best-Selling Co-Author, tells us about his path to professional speaking, how he has found success at the intersection of Luck, Timing, Skill, Effort and Other, and how never straying from his desire to help people treat each other better has served as a huge unlock across his career journey.

Ryan Slipakoff, Chief Transformation Officer at Klick, tells us about the importance of developing the ability to reshape your story throughout your career and tell it like a winner, how he has turned an obstacle into a superpower he calls mental agility, and how critical it is to recognize when you have hit your ceiling at an organization.

Jacqueline Grossman, Chief Marketing Officer of Just For Laughs, tells us about how being a value based leader has helped her build successful teams and communities, and how detaching her profession from her identity was a critical step along a self reflection journey that ultimately opened the door to her dream job.

George Psiharis, Chief Operating Officer at AlayaCare, tells us about the challenges of building your career while building a company, making the leap from senior leader to c-suite, and how genuine curiosity helped him stay at the fore front of industry developments throughout his career.

Pete Romano, Automotive Industry Lead at Tik Tok, tells us about how purposeful networking has consistently unlocked opportunities along his journey, how his passion for and expertise in the automotive industry has been a key differentiator in his career, as well as sharing some fantastic stories from his brief stint as a limo driver in his early years.

Jason English, Senior Vice President & Global Salesforce Practice Leader at Publicis Sapient, talks about how his early career as a journalist developed a critical ability to stay calm under extreme pressure, the power of being curious without judgment, and how believing in the rise of a young technology platform transformed his career.

Brittany Compton, President of Love Child Organics, tells us about the accelerative growth that comes from learning how to influence without authority, the importance of taking roles along your career journey that build towards your desired end state, and how she has unlocked happiness in her career through adoption of the principles of Ikigai.

Ray Velez, Global Chief Technology Officer at Publicis Sapient, tells us about how he channels his super power of endless optimism, the importance of finding balance by developing comfort living out of balance, and how is passion for technology as an enabler has stayed with him across his career.

Nicholas Mattone, President of Intelligent Leadership Online Academy (ILOA), Chief Relationship Officer at John Mattone Global & former Professional Basketball Player, tells us about scaling and diversifying a business through frameworks, and how the work ethic and relationship skills developed through professional sports unlocked performance in his corporate career.

Rishad Tobaccowala, Senior Advisor to Publicis Groupe , published author, educator and speaker takes us through his storied career holding numerous executive leadership roles, explains his transition to his post-career career and outlines the true components of organizational culture.

Abby Godee, Chief Experience Officer at Publicis Sapient, takes us through a deep dive of product design industry and tells us about the value of accruing a broad set of experiences before specializing, the importance of seeing a project through from inception to scaled rollout, and how her super powers of pattern recognition and triangulation have been unlocks across her career.

Erin Rothstein, Professional Artist and expert hyperrealism painter, takes us on a deep dive into the world of professional art while telling us how critical her upbringing was to giving her the foundation on which to pursue art as a career, how important it has been to shed long taught mindsets that have historically prevented professional painting from being lucrative, and how developing her abi...

Sridhar Solur, CEO of Kenmore and storied technology executive, tells us about how his 4 tenets of never taking more than you can give, being passionate, being authentic, and always taking the posture of a student have propelled him along his career journey as an executive for numerous technology, product and robotics companies including HP, Comcast, SharkNinja and Berkshire Grey.

Jason Rosenstein, Founder of Portion and Blockchain Pioneer, tells us about the evolution of the blockchain and crypto industry, navigating career growth through incredible ambiguity, and how his desire to enable transformational digital ownership drives him. 

Natalie Archibald, VP of People at Clio and former Counselling Psychologist, tells us about how cultural values inherited from her family laid the foundation for her success, how focusing on helping underserved communities has unlocked her career potential, and her firm belief that winning is more meaningful when we win collectively than when we win at the expense of others.

Alison Walden, former Exploration Geologist and current Global Accessibility Lead and Senior Director Technology at Publicis Sapient, tells us about how championing junior team members can transform their career trajectory, why a broad foundation of experiences enables an understanding of the bigger picture, and how relentless persistence in pursuing your vision is necessary to realize it. 

Pete Devenyi, former Executive at BlackBerry, Descartes Systems Group & Dematic, and recently published Author of Decoding Your STEM Career: How to Exceed Your Expectations, walks us through his storied career and tells us about the critical importance of developing your communication skills, how he was able to manage life and work seamlessly with just two lists, and how prioritizing being kin...

Ian Delves, Founder & President of start-ups Boozer and Super Anytime, and now Associate Director of Data Strategy at Publicis Sapient, tells us about the power of optics and caring when striving for accelerated growth in a corporate environment, how trying to build something with lasting value gave him purpose and meaning in his work, and how the key to success with a start-up is being stupid...

Brenda Izen, Architect and Founding Principal of Izen Architecture, an award-winning all female architecture and design studio, tells us about how her unwavering commitment to her creative vision catalyzed her desire to become an entrepreneur in architecture and has been critical to consistently delivering industry leading work, how her path to scaling her business success has been through di...

Leena Parmar, Founder of Citrus Connect Recruitment and f :Entrepreneur #ialso100 2022 awardee, tells us about her unique perspective on being an "Employee-prenuer", the importance of learning how to and actively managing your manager and how the power of referrals will always trump the power of social proof when it comes to growing your business.

Joseph Piteo, Senior Sales Executive of Digital Solutions at Accenture, tells us about the critical importance of being able to assemble a talented pitch team as a sales leader, the significance of never losing sight of the value you bring to an organization as you pursue career progression in sales, and always being curious and open to conversations with external organizations.

Kirk Fernandes, Founder of Merit and veteran of the product management industry, talks about his vision for democratizing professional networks, the ideal organization size and maturity to start a product management career in, and the significant impact that being honest with oneself about your motivators and leaning into them wholly can have on a career. 

Aliza Devenyi, Founder and Owner of Cured Catering and successful restauranteur, talks about how being an early adopter of food delivery apps, mastering social media and tapping into the power of network effects helped stand up a business in an incredibly competitive industry with no culinary background, and how her willingness to grind, pivot and re-invent her business inflight allowed Cured to n...

Michelle Wimes, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Children's Mercy Kansas City and veteran legal professional, talks about the down stream value of very intentionally building a strong network early in your career, the importance of understanding and leaning into your motivators, and how she helped blaze the trail to part time partnership and flexible work arrangements in the legal profession.