Take Command: A Leadership Podcast

Admiral Mullen is a retired United States Navy Admiral, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was appointed by President Bush and reappointed by President Obama. He advanced rapidly in the field of innovative technologies, championed emerging and enduring global partnerships, and promoted new methods for countering terrorism. Additionally, he taught at the Woodrow Wilson School o...

Dave Winfield is a “true unicorn in sports” as the only athlete in history to be drafted by four professional sports leagues. Today, he is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, CEO of Winfield & Winfield, a NY Times best-selling author, speaker, business advisor, and philanthropist.  Before best-selling books, Dave built confidence through reading, traveling, and winning new friends. Bui...

At the age of 19, Daniela Fernandez founded Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) while being a student at Georgetown University. Today, Daniela is the CEO of SOA which has become the world’s largest network of young ocean leaders. SOA features the world’s first Ocean Solutions Accelerator – cultivating and accelerating innovative solutions to prevent the greatest threats to our planet and to protect a...

Ginny Clark is the Executive Director of The Sands Family Foundation and a retired Executive of Constellation Brands. What helped Ginny grow in her career is understanding the importance of building connections, asking for help when needed, and not being afraid of taking risks. She defines trust, respect, and communication as the main requirements for having a team that is centered around success...

Dr. Ali Parsa holds a Ph. D. in Engineering Physics and is the founder & CEO of Babylon Health, one of the world’s fastest-growing digital healthcare companies. Babylon reached “Unicorn Status” in 2019 and served over 24 million people in over 15 languages by 2021. Ali shares his incredible journey from childhood, to being an Iranian refugee living in the UK, to achieving success in academia and i...

Rachel Olney is the Founder & CEO of  GEOSITE, a business intelligence software for spatial data.  As a Stanford University Mechanical Engineering Ph. D. candidate and a Forbes 30 under 30, she believes that the twists and turns you experience in life and how you respond to them is what defines your success. Rachel focuses on constantly challenging herself to live and work courageously, without th...

Artis Stevens, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS), lives with a relentless belief in finding and following our own purpose and leading with integrity personally and professionally.  During his tenure at National 4-H Council and as Vice President of Marketing, Strategy & Operations at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Artis has contributed to over $100 million in funding f...

Ryan Chen lives with a relentless focus on the present to maintain a positive, regret-free leadership style. Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur and the CFO/Co-Founder of Neuro, Ryan’s entrepreneurial success was carved from lessons learned on his journey to rising after a life-changing experience that left him paraplegic. He shares insight to the hands-on journey that has led to year-over-year growth...

A former stage writer and journalist turned editor-and-chief and business leader, Simon & Schuster’s President and CEO, Jonathan Karp, honed his belief in open and transparent leadership from years of experience with institutions designed to educate and inform others. An avid reader with a firm belief that books can change the world, Jon shares lessons he’s learned from formative experiences along...

“The key between somebody who builds confidence through adversity and through failure and somebody who doesn’t is all in the decision they make in their mind when [failure] happens.” – Lea Gabrielle Lea Gabrielle is committed to the kind of personal and professional growth that is born from the courage of taking on the unknown, leading through adversity, and being intentional about how we expand o...

A creative troublemaker and growth-hacking guru, Josh Linkner first learned the art of creating something from nothing from his history as a jazz musician. Today, he is a celebrated entrepreneur, New York Times Bestselling Author, engaging keynote speaker, and an expert in unlocking the power of human creativity. In this episode, Josh shares real life examples from his experience on how to fail fo...

A doctor gone healthcare executive with an entrepreneurial flare, Stephen Klasko, CEO of Jefferson Health and President of Thomas Jefferson University, is a transformative leader who believes in a “no limits approach” to innovation. Noted by Fast Company as one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business and the leader behind Jefferson Health’s exponential growth, Dr. Klasko shares his insight on...

Knowing your “true north” and proactively asking for feedback are two things that Kathleen Hogan, Chief People Officer and EVP of Human Resources for Microsoft, offers to others looking to Take Command of their leadership potential. Equipped with a mindset for opportunity and a passion for empowering dynamic teams, Kathleen shares insight on the steps Microsoft took (and continues to take every da...

Setting healthy boundaries, “pouring in” to personal and professional wellness, and making the conscious decision to Boss Up and Take Command of our mindset are just a few habits that Britney Turner, Founder and CEO of The Boss Up Inc., cultivates to achieve success. A media enthusiast and social media influencer with a knack for innovation and storytelling, Britney shares her journey from a 9-to-...

Understanding how great ideas come to fruition is the key to success for many leaders – something that Christian Ward, Chief Data Officer and EVP for Yext, knows a lot about. A serial entrepreneur with enthusiasm for leveraging data to tell compelling stories about the world around us, Christian shares insight on how to develop new ideas, listen to hear what people don’t say, and lead in a way tha...

Today’s guest is characterized for his authentic leadership style and unyielding curiosity for people, leadership, and business. Join us for a discussion with Ronan Dunne, Executive VP and CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, on how to create environments that “bring the light in” and welcome alternative ways of thinking to inspire innovation and confidence. Ronan shares practical insight on personal le...

Fueled by a passion for public service and helping others, today’s guest shares insight on what it means to be a business leader, philanthropist, and family man. In this episode we welcome David M. Rubenstein, the Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, author of several books including How to Lead , and the host of The David Rubenstein Show: Peer to Peer Conversations on Bloomberg .  Dav...

It was from his upbringing, close family ties and lessons learned from his mother that Carlos Cubia , the Global Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Vice President of Walgreens Boots Alliance, first discovered what it means to be a leader. The leadership lessons that were instilled in Carlos at a young age have been reinforced by his extensive leadership experience in Corporate America with compani...

With a longstanding history both researching and teaching entrepreneurialism as a Baker Foundation Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and a National Venture Capital Association American Spirit Award recipient, we’re excited to introduce Bill Sahlman to the show. Bill shares practical insight for how people can transform opportunities into businesses by leveraging a sim...

This week we welcome a guest who shares tangible insight on leading innovative and effective organizations with authenticity, humility and empathy. As the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Johnson and Johnson , Alex Gorsky attributes much of his leadership success to being open to a variety of experiences that taught him the value of continuous learning, stretching your comfort zone and committing...

Embrace servant leadership, have a coachable spirit and lean in to the gray. This is the philosophy that has guided the success our most recent guest, Camille Chang Gilmore ,  the Global Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Human Resources for Boston Scientific . With a background carved from people leadership with companies like IBM and Exxon, Camille shares insight on what it means to b...

As the Chief Revenue Officer of Indeed, Nolan Farris  touts a wealth of experience facilitating growth for companies by empowering their greatest asset: People. In this episode, Nolan offers advice on how to scale success through transparent coaching that motivates potential in others – even when it comes to the hard stuff. We explore the role of the manager as a “bridge builder” and how to earn t...

CEO and Managing Partner for Edward Jones and Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune , Penny Pennington shares her advice on unleashing greatness within ourselves and our companies. With the philosophy that failure only occurs from having never tried at all, Penny shares practical advice on how to leverage our inner purpose to inspire confidence, manage through change and unleash what’...

As a former Partner and the Global Head of Brand Marketing and Digital Strategy for Goldman Sachs from 2010 to 2014 in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Lisa Shalett possesses a breadth of experience leading through change and adversity. Currently founder of a dynamic community, Extraordinary Women on Boards, Lisa is known as a connector of people and ideas with a mindset for growth. In...

Dr. Kevin McDonald has dedicated his career to empowering young people to reach for success no matter who they are or where they come from. From his first job in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights division to his current role as University of Virginia’s Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, he’s felt a calling to this space throughout his career. Today a pivotal force in shapi...