Pull Up Your Chair

Sophie Beren takes a seat this week. Sophie is the founder and CEO of The Conversationalist, a non-partisan educational platform empowering the next generation to break out of their echo chambers, have difficult conversations, and unify. Her community of over 70,000 young people is committed to coming together, across differences, through multiple platforms. In part one, Sophie shares why she desc...

In the conclusion of Cicely's talk with restaurateur and author of Unreasonable Hospitality, Will Guidara, Will shares why every business can CHOOSE to be a hospitality business and why leaders shouldn’t be afraid of criticizing team members.

What does it take to build the BEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD? Unreasonable hospitality. This week, Cicely is joined by New York City restaurateur and author of Unreasonable Hospitality, Will Guidara. In part one, Will talks about growing up in the restaurant business, the important lessons he learned from his father, and how he helped transform Eleven Madison Park into a global fine dining destinat...

In the conclusion of Cicely's talk with Joe Pardavila, the author of Good Listen, Joe shares why preparing too many questions is not a good idea and what he learned from his legendary run-in with US Soccer star, Brandi Chastain.

This week, Cicely is joined by author and podcaster, Joe Pardavila. In the new book, Good Listen: Creating Memorable Conversations in Business and Life, Joe shares his insights and knowledge for creating a podcast that will appeal to listeners and leave them clamoring for more. But you don’t need to have a podcast to benefit from Joe’s wisdom because his tips for connecting with others also apply...

In the conclusion of Cicely's talk with Chuck Garcia, the founder of Climb Leadership International, Chuck shares how he learned the power of the pause from Mark Twain and what inspired him to climb some of the world’s tallest peaks.

Pulling up a chair this week is Chuck Garcia, the founder of Climb Leadership International and the best-selling author of A Climb To The Top: Communication & Leadership Tactics to Take Your Career to New Heights. In part one, Chuck talks about the importance of leaders seeking feedback, and Chuck also shares when he discovered his passion to help others become better leaders.

In the conclusion of Cicely's conversation with journalist and entrepreneur, Cristina Mendonsa, Cristina shares how she started her own production company and provides some tangible advice for the next generation of broadcasters.

Cicely welcomes Cristina Mendonsa to Pull Up Your Chair. Christina anchors 4 hours of radio news daily while also producing documentaries, winning awards, and mentoring upcoming journalists on career strategy and mid-career pivots. In part one, Cristina talks about her first job in journalism, the evolution of electronic media, and what inspired her to shift from television to radio.

In the conclusion of Cicely's conversation with Tara Jaye Frank, the author of The Waymakers: Clearing the Path to Workplace Equity with Competence and Confidence, Tara talks about the words of advice she gives companies that are beginning their journey to creating an equitable workplace.

Cicely welcomes Tara Jaye Frank to Pull Up Your Chair. Tara is an Equity Strategist who has advised and educated thousands of executives across industries on how to create an equitable workplace. She’s also the author of the new book, The Waymakers: Clearing the Path to Workplace Equity with Competence and Confidence. In part one, Tara talks about why she thinks culture is the soil in which strate...

In the conclusion of Cicely's conversation with Barry Nalebuff, the author of Split the Pie, Barry shares what it was like to negotiate with Coca-Cola and why empathy is the key to negotiating.

Cicely welcomes Barry Nalebuff to the podcast. Barry is an entrepreneur, a professor at Yale School of Management, and an expert in negotiating. He’s the best-selling author of several books, including “Thinking Strategically” and “The Art of Strategy.” His latest, “Split the Pie: A Radical New Way to Negotiate” is out now. In part one, Barry talks about why negotiating is so hard, and he explains...

In the conclusion of Cicely's conversation with Steve Palmer, the founder of The Indigo Road, Steve talks about the culture he’s built and why he was inspired to build a community of hospitality workers committed to helping others battling addiction.

Cicely's guest this week is Steve Palmer, the founder of The Indigo Road Hospitality Group and the author of “Say Grace: How the Restaurant Business Saved My Life.” Steve founded the company in 2009 with one restaurant and expanded to more than twenty restaurants throughout the southeastern United States. In part one, Steve talks about how he started working at a restaurant when he was 13, the imp...

In the conclusion of Cicely's conversation with change navigator, April Rinne, April runs down the 8 superpowers needed for thriving in constant change and talks about the concept of how getting lost is how you get found.

We’re living in a world of change…and some of us are better equipped than others, but if you don’t have that skill set, how can you embrace change? This week, Cicely welcomes April Rinne to the podcast. April has made a living out of helping people rethink and reshape their relationship with change, and has been named one of the “50 Leading Female Futurists.” She’s also the author of the new book,...

In the conclusion of Cicely's chat with social psychologist & award-winning researcher, Vanessa Bohns, Vanessa shares why she thinks power is a responsibility and what inspired her to write her new book, You Have More Influence Than You Think.

Cicely welcomes Vanessa Bohns to the podcast. Vanessa is a social psychologist, an award-winning researcher, and a professor at Cornell. She’s also the author of the new book, You Have More Influence Than You Think. In part one, Vanessa shares how growing up on a bird farm prepared her to become a researcher, why she isn't surprised by the rise of social media influencers, and why it's easier to s...

Cicely wraps up her chat with entrepreneur, motivational speaker and author, Micheal Burt. In part two, Coach Burt shares why he thinks everybody needs a coach, the importance of emotional resilience in children, and why he is inspired to build Greatness Factories around the world.

The Business lexicon is littered with sports metaphors like “The Ball’s In Their Court”, “Full Court Press”, and “Slam Dunk.” But Cicely's guest this week literally combines his experience as a basketball coach to help people take their careers to the next level. His name is Michael Burt. Coach Burt has been called “America’s Coach,” and offers the unique blend of a former championship basketball...

Cicely concludes her chat with Ilene Rein, the founder of Pounding Pavement 101, where she shares the deep secrets from the view of the Recruiter. In part two, Ilene discusses how her daughter became another one of her successful clients, how she coaches people to make a great first impression, and how job seekers can market themselves to prospective recruiters.

This week, Cicely welcomes Ilene Rein. Ilene runs an executive search firm focused on the placement of marketing, sales, and engineers and is the founder of Pounding Pavement 101, where she shares the deep secrets from the view of the Recruiter. In part one, Ilene talks about the inspiration for creating Pounding Pavement 101, her thoughts on the 'great resignation', the long-term effects of the p...

Cicely wraps up her conversation with Scotty Alpaugh, the author of the book “Have no fear, there’s always F-ing next year: (a COVID-19 tale)”. In part two, Scotty shares the importance of perspective, if he reads the reviews of his book on Amazon, and why everyone should watch Ted Lasso.

Scotty Alpaugh pulls up a chair this week. Scotty works at one of the world’s largest wealth management companies, he served in the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division before being injured in combat in Baghdad, and he is a cancer survivor. He’s also the author of the book “Have no fear, there’s always F-ing next year: (a COVID-19 tale)”. In part one, Scotty talks about the conversation with his father th...