You Gotta NO!

Burnout. Trust at work. A breast cancer diagnosis two days after a promotion. What happens when the leader responsible for 15,000 employees' experience has to navigate the hardest experience of her own life? Alison Stephen is the Vice President of Change Management at Hallmark, where she has spent seven years shaping culture and employee experience at one of America's most iconic companies...

People analytics. AI. Identity at work. Is data analytics actually dying or are people just scared? Bill Yost has been inside Google and Netflix long enough to know the difference. 🏴‍☠️ Bill Yost is a People Analytics Partner at Netflix and former Google analyst with nearly eight years of experience using data to understand how people actually experience work. He is also a two-time thyroid cancer...

AI. Identity. The human problem behind every work problem. What if the biggest threat to your career is not a machine, it is not knowing what only you can do? Shelby Mathews is the SVP of Marketing at Native Digital and a BONDE member based in Kansas City. She has spent her career navigating marketing strategy, organizational growth, and what it means to lead authentically in an industry that move...

Burnout. External validation. The cost of building a life that was never really yours. What happens when you spend a decade producing for everyone else — and then your body finally says no? Kasim Hardaway is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker based in Kansas City whose work is rooted in mental health and the human condition. After more than a decade in digital marketing as a strategic conten...

Burnout. Emotional dysregulation. Nervous system health for leaders. Most leaders are running on empty — reactive, scattered, and pushing through, calling it leadership. Dr. Holly Battrum is a Doctor of Eastern Medicine and holistic health practitioner who works with leaders and organizations to reconnect with the one system nobody talks about: the nervous system. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham S...

Management failures. Burnout in leaders. Teams that feel broken. We promoted the wrong people — not because they weren't capable, but because we never taught them how to lead. Dr. Katie Gaebel is a [her credentials/role] who works with organizations to [what she does]. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Dr. Katie Gaebel get into what's really happening inside organizations today — o...

Psychological safety. Creative leadership. The one phrase that changes everything. What if a single shift in language could transform how your team thinks, communicates, and makes decisions? Mary Messner is a keynote speaker and former executive who has spent her career at the intersection of leadership, communication, and organizational culture. She works with leaders and teams to build environme...

Burnout. Leadership under pressure. A stroke at 44. What happens when your body forces you to stop — and what great leadership actually looks like on the other side. Merideth Rose is a leader, speaker, and executive coach who experienced a stroke at the height of her career. What looked like success on the outside was hiding years of pressure, chronic stress, and unaddressed burnout. Her journey t...

Workplace honesty. Emotional labor. The weight leaders carry but never say out loud. What if the biggest obstacle to great leadership is the story we tell ourselves about what work is supposed to look like? In this special roundtable conversation recorded live at the You Gotta NO! event, leaders came together to say what doesn't usually get said on stage — what leadership actually feels like b...

Sustainable leadership. The 4C Framework. Knowing what to say no to. Season 2 of You Gotta NO! isn't just a new chapter — it's a completely different approach to what leadership can look like. This trailer marks a rebrand — not because the mission changed, but because it became clearer. You Gotta NO! is no longer just a podcast. It's a full leadership ecosystem built around one core be...

Leadership development, executive coaching, and building resilient teams — with Paul Kempinski, former President & CEO of Children's Mercy. Paul Kempinski spent 42 years in healthcare leadership, serving as President & CEO of Children's Mercy and leading one of the most complex organizations in the country. Today, through Kempinski Consulting, LLC, he provides executive coaching, g...

RSVP Today for Heliona Live: ⁠Workplace Unfiltered: A Heliona Experience Retention isn’t just about paychecks or perks—it’s about creating cultures where people feel supported, inspired, and connected to purpose. In this episode of Heliona Insight, I sit down with Tarnu Mulbah , founder of Dwell Real Estate, seasoned sales leader, and passionate advocate for “making purpose popular.” With over 14...

RSVP Today for Heliona Live: ⁠Workplace Unfiltered: A Heliona Experience In this candid conversation, entrepreneur and operator Chris Jones breaks down the real work of scaling: set a clear vision, communicate it relentlessly, and build capacity at every step. We dig into the “stair‑step” model of growth, hiring and letting go in fast-moving seasons, and why retention depends less on perks and mor...

RSVP Today for Heliona Live: Workplace Unfiltered: A Heliona Experience Scott Havens, Partner at HUB International, brings a unique vantage point from decades of working with companies of 100+ employees on their healthcare benefits, technology integration, and executive strategy. As someone who runs nine executive peer groups, sits on multiple boards, and works directly with CEOs, CFOs, and HR lea...

What if the real cause of quiet quitting isn’t disengaged employees but disconnected leadership? In this episode of Heliona Insight , I sit down with Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight , a respected executive leader, education advocate, and culture strategist, to unpack the ripple effects of leadership behavior on workplace culture. We explore how employee disengagement often mirrors the clarity, care,...

In this episode of Heliona Insight , I sit down with Amber Miller Manning , CEO of The Miller Group , to talk about what it really takes to retain great people in one of the hardest industries: insurance. Amber shares how she and her team have built a culture that holds a remarkable 90% employee retention rate—by centering communication, care, and consistency at every level of leadership. We talk...

In the final episode of our special series, The Manager Crisis , I sit down with Ashley Kera, a workplace strategist, leadership coach, and former manager of 100+ early-career professionals to unpack what the data misses and what real managers are facing on the ground. With a background in clinical psychology and a decade leading talent operations, Ashley brings clarity to the messy middle: the te...

How do you put people first when you’re responsible for the bottom line?  In this episode of Heliona Insight , we sat down with Ryan Martin , CFO and senior executive, to tackle the uncomfortable truth many C-suite leaders face: managers are burning out at record rates and that burnout is quietly costing companies more than they realize.  Ryan shares his perspective on why people strategy and fina...

If managers are the bridge between strategy and execution, what happens when the bridge starts to crumble?  In this special second episode with returning guest Dr. Katie Gaebel, we kick off a new 3-part Heliona Insight series called The Manager Crisis . Katie, researcher, speaker, and culture strategist, joins me to unpack Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report, with a focused lens on...

How do you build a workplace people don’t want to leave? In this episode of Heliona Insight , we sat down with Jon Hile , Executive Director of the Kansas City Public Schools Education Foundation , to explore what mission-driven organizations can teach the private sector about engagement, retention, and trust. With a background spanning public education, social impact, and systems leadership, Jon...

If we’re going to build healthier workplaces, we have to treat culture as more than just a buzzword. In this episode of Heliona Insight , I sit down with Dr. Katie Gaebel , Vice President of People & Culture & Co-founder at Iconoclast Advisors, and a leadership strategist with deep roots in higher ed, executive development, and organizational transformation. Katie brings clarity to what wo...

What does it take to lead with purpose after life throws its biggest curveballs? In this episode of Heliona Insight , we sit down with James Estes , a military veteran and former corporate leader who once managed a team of 750 at Verizon. Now the owner of a successful franchise with The Brothers That Just Do Gutters , James opens up about his journey—from military service to surviving a heart atta...

What does it take to rise through the ranks and lead with purpose? In this episode of Heliona Insight , host Ebrima "Abraham" Sisay sits down with Matt Linski , Kansas City Market President for Bank of America, to unpack his journey from intern to executive. With over 21 years at the company, Matt shares how internal growth, talent development, and authentic leadership have shaped not only his own...

Massage therapy isn’t just about relaxation, it’s about healing, trust, and human connection. But what if I told you that the same principles that make a great massage therapist also make a great leader? My guest today, Celeste Aguirre , has built a thriving career in massage therapy over the last 17 years, working in spas, franchises, and chiropractic offices before launching My Massage Studios,...

In this powerful return to Heliona Insight, Dr. Michael Maclin—Superintendent of the Special School District of St. Louis County—joins us once again to dive deeper into the conversation that started it all: Inclusion. Last time, Dr. Maclin left us with a message that resonated across industries: “DEI is not a department; it’s a mindset.” In this follow-up conversation, we explore what that mindset...