The Step UP - Where Leaders, Talent Managers and Leadership Development pros find expert tips for Leadership excellence

Morganne August is a former English teacher who found herself in digital marketing and account management by way of a few local startups. Driven by curiosity and the value of lifelong learning, Morganne enjoyed the fast-paced startup environment, but always found herself more interested in the company-employee relationship than in driving leads. She now leads Geear’s hiring efforts, supports manag...

Dr. Benjamin Ritter, is a certified leadership and career coach, and author of the Amazon best-seller Becoming Fearless. He is the founder of Live for Yourself (LFY) Consulting and is passionate about creating a world where people live and work fearlessly. Ben has coached over 500 leaders with a strong focus on senior-level executives across multiple industries and geographic region...

Randi Roberts built a remarkable 30-year career in Pharmaceuticals, rising from Sales Representative to Vice President and Business Unit Head at one of the world's largest pharma companies before serving as Chief Commercial Officer for a start-up. Along the way, she started and ran two businesses. Her journey through four companies (large and small) and multiple career moves taught her to embrace...

Guest Bio: As the Director of Global Talent Management, Kristofer O’Brien is an executive coach, management consultant, talent partner, sits on the Enterprise Learning Council and seasoned team leader with over 20 years of experience. He leverages his expertise in creating environments that foster superior performance to empower leaders to believe that everyone can make a difference in both their...

Judy’s mission is to catalyze leaders of all backgrounds to be their very best and to help organizations build a workplace ecosystem that allows all individuals to thrive. Judy is passionate to help “culture-crossers” (women, persons of color, first gen and global professionals) express their Best Self to achieve their highest potential. She also engages with organizations to develop workplace eco...

Marc founded the Talent Strategy Group and advises the world’s premier companies, governments, foundations, NGOs and not-for-profit organizations.  He is regarded as a trusted counselor to organizations on their most sensitive talent issues. He co-founded the  Talent Management Institute , now the world’s most popular executive education program on talent with 7,000+ graduates. He c...

Capping a 25-year career as a chief marketing officer and executive vice president of business development, Scott Jeffrey Miller currently serves as FranklinCovey's senior advisor on thought leadership. As a senior advisor, Scott leads the strategy and development of the firm's Speakers Bureau and the production of podcasts, webcasts, and best-selling books. Scott also hosts  On Leadership wi...

Jurgen Bank is a consultant and coach with over 20 years experience. Originally trained in Germany, for a very long time in the USA, he has consulted with dozens of the Global Fortune 1000 companies, in the US, India, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and all over Europe. He and I met over 15 years ago when we were colleagues at what became Korn Ferry. Always working with leaders, understandi...

Kyle Courtaway has over 25 years of experience working in all areas of strategic talent management including succession planning, high potential identification, competency alignment, performance management systems, executive coaching, 360° instrumentation, intact leadership team development, and key talent development. Kyle’s previous roles have included Learning and Development Consultant, Senior...

Geoffrey M. Roche, MPA, is the son of a nurse, healthcare expert, diversity advocate, and education enthusiast, presently serving as the inaugural North America Director of Workforce Development at Siemens Healthineers. In this role, he leads all national workforce development strategy and partnerships to advance a sustainable future-ready healthcare workforce. Roche speaks often on healthcare wor...

Lorelei Whitney, CEO of Wave Leader Consulting, partners with business leaders to propel successful strategies and high performance through culture, change leadership, strategic talent management, and diverse, equitable and inclusive teams. Her balanced focus on people and drive for results, moves others to action. Her influential approach is business relevant and insightful, bringing a partnershi...

Andy Storch is an author, consultant, coach, speaker and facilitator on a mission to get the most out of life and inspire others to do the same. He is the author of the book,  Own Your Career Own Your Life , which is designed to help professionals stop drifting and take control of their futures. Andy is also the host of three podcasts, including The Talent Development Hot Seat;&nbsp...

Dr. Sarah Bridges, PhD, is the founder and leader of Bridges, with 25 years’ experience as a psychologist, executive coach, speaker, writer and leadership advisor. Dr. Bridges is known for offering challenging, yet practical, solutions to help people break through their own assumptions, discover their potential and build cohesive teams. One of the key takeaways from our chat today is that it’s not...

Authenticity is the name of the game, and if you want to bring something to life, you can't go half idiot—you gotta commit 100%. In this episode, we dive into the art of going "all in" with our ideas, inspired by the worlds of improv and comedy. Our guest, Rick Lozano, shares his journey of merging music with leadership and talent development, illustrating how embracing our quirks can lead to genu...

Authenticity is the name of the game in leadership, and today we’re diving deep into what that really means. We're chatting with Kristine Engman, a total rockstar in building high-performing teams, and trust me, she’s got some solid gold nuggets of wisdom to share. We tackle the idea that being vulnerable as a leader can actually pack a punch in building trust and connection within your team—defin...

Michael Stewart, for the past 25 years, has consulted to hundreds of organizations ranging from the Fortune 50 to small non-profits. He has partnered with numerous thought leaders and organizations including David Campbell, Marshall Goldsmith, Blanchard, CCL, Covey, Lominger, Korn/Ferry and others. He is known for data driven solutions that appeal to the strategic CEO, the strategic Human Resource...

JD Slaughter is a People and Talent Leader based in Arlington, VA. He is currently building a high performing organization at Huge. Previously he worked as a Consultant at Korn Ferry and CEB in Washington, DC. JD is all about driving growth through a strong culture and smart people strategies. He has a solid track record in every aspect of the People function and knows how to build, roll out and s...

Speaker Teresa Sande is CEO and Founder of Mirror Mirror Strategies, and author of  Find Your Fierce: Interrupt Imposter Syndrome and Own your Success . Before publishing her book and launching her firm, she had a successful 25-year career with global corporate experience as an executive at companies like Intel, Capital One, Cargill, and UnitedHealth Group. She has dedicated her career to sup...

Al Dea is a speaker, entrepreneur, consultant, and podcast host. He advises leaders across industries to help them understand how the workplace is changing, and the implications for leading and growing people and organizations. Drawing on his work advising the next generation of managers and leaders across diverse companies and industries ranging from Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organiz...

Corey Criswell is the Chief Leadership Officer at Adeption. She brings 25+ years of experience in the field of adult development honed by consulting with companies around the globe and in a $100B, Fortune 30 company. Today we're talking about harnessing AI for Leadership Development. Change is the predominant theme of today's discourse, as we delve into the intricate dynamics of leadership amidst...

Steve is a story-shaping strategist and simulation architect—equal parts executive coach, instructional design expert, fantasy world-builder, and MMO tactician. By day, he coaches overworked tech leaders, design high-impact L&D systems, and architect enterprise learning tech stacks with surgical precision. By night, he authors things like superhero bars, criminal masterminds, and werewolf bart...

Guest, Cecilia Stanton Adams, CEO, Organization and Leadership Development consultant at the Diversity Institute and Stanton Adams consulting deep dive today into the shift from "culture fit" to "culture contribution," and let me tell you, it's a game-changer! Instead of just asking how folks fit into the existing mold, we're all about figuring out how every individual can help propel the organiza...

Nick Tasler is an organizational psychologist and a #1 best-selling author.  Nick has helped hundreds of thousands of leaders around the world transform seasons of change into periods of unprecedented growth at the world’s most respected organizations. Change is like the wild card in our lives, and if you’re looking to turn that chaos into a stepping stone for success, you’re in the right pla...

Bri Flynn is an experienced HR and Talent executive with broad experience in human capital management, executive coaching, and operational leadership. With more than two decades of experience leading Human Resources teams and Talent Development programs in both privately held and Fortune 500 companies, her strengths lie in designing workplace solutions that balance strategy, empathy, and impact to...

Today’s guest is someone who’s made a career out of helping leaders not just level up—but stay coachable while they do it. Kevin Wilde is an executive leadership fellow at the University of Minnesota and a lifelong student of what makes leadership stick. He brings over three decades of experience from the front lines of leadership development, including senior roles at General Electric and as the...