A toxic workplace culture can result in decreased happiness and satisfaction, and performance at work, particularly with startups. In this episode, guest Sophie Theen shares her tried and true advice on how founders and leaders can improve workplace culture.

Sophie Theen is an award-winning Human Resources and Diversity and Inclusion professional. She has been featured on the “Women in FinTech Power List” since 2017 and is the first HR professional to win the “Standout” spot. Theen is also widely recognized for her innovative influence on how Human Resources works in technology companies and startups. She now works with companies around the world as an advisor.

Listen in and learn more about the importance of workplace culture.

Turn Your Passion Into a Business with Miriam Schulman: Lead to Succeed 109

Culture Course Correction with Sophie Theen: Lead to Succeed 108

School leaders are facing huge challenges. Increased demands, resulting in record levels of mental and physical stress, has led a huge number of school leaders to quit their jobs. We need a solution! 

In this episode, Lead to Succeed guest Dr. Elvis Epps discusses many of the problems that school leaders are facing and shares helpful solutions.

Elvis is a retired high school principal from Palm Beach, Florida. He holds state certification in school leadership and administration and is the author of a new book, “New Principal, No Problem: How to Lead a Winning Culture Without Losing Your Mind.”

Dr. Epps has been featured on Oprah’s XM Radio Network, where he discussed topics such as Bully Prevention and Maintaining a Happy Home. He is also a Certified John Maxwell Trainer, Coach, and Speaker. Dr. Epps is a proud military veteran of the US Navy.

Listen in and learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing school leaders.

Surviving School Leadership With Elvis Epps: Lead to Succeed 107

Living in a hustle culture, everybody needs you to stay on the hamster wheel. Only those who have learned the value of Pausing and Reflecting will encourage you to do the same. 

And this is exactly what Lead to Succeed’s guest, Jennie Blumenthal will inspire us to do.

Jennie spent 20 years as an executive in Corporate America counseling Fortune 500 companies on growth strategy and digital transformation and left during the pandemic pivot. She now coaches executive women to do their own Corporate Rehab and grow in their existing career or in a new opportunity.

Her new book CORPORATE REHAB: Ditch The Hustle Culture and Thrive Again came out on October 1, 2022.

Listen in and learn more about the value of pausing,

Listen to Yourself with Jennie Blumenthal: Lead to Succeed 106

Around 4 million Americans are quitting their jobs each month in 2022 because of gender inequality, toxic workplace culture, and burnout. Can The Great Resignation really be the solution? This is what we discuss with Lead to Succeed’s guest Sara McElroy.

Sara is a former hustle culture devotee, ex-chief marketing officer, the Wall Street Journal’s poster girl for pandemic career burnout, and a two-time member of the Great Resignation: class of 2021 and 2022. 

She returned to her journalism roots to uplift the voices of women from the Great Resignation by founding Raze to Rise, a journalism project sharing heartfelt personal stories from the women of the Great Resignation.

Listen in and learn more about the importance of putting your employees first.

From Resignation to Reinvention with Sara McElroy: Lead to Succeed 105

Want to why certain companies produce the best products and have the happiest customers? 

Their secret is that they invest in their people and put them first. 

And this is exactly the philosophy of Lead to Succeed guest Matt Blumberg.

Matt is the founder and CEO of Bolster, a new talent marketplace for on-demand executives and board members launched in 2020. Matt was previously Chairman & CEO of Return Path, the market leader in email optimization. Under Matt’s leadership, Return Path won numerous “employer of choice” awards including #2 on Fortune Magazine’s “Best Companies to Work for” list.

Matt is also Founder and Chairman of Path Forward, a non-profit whose mission is to empower people to restart their careers after time spent focused on caregiving. He is also the author of Startup CEO: A field guide to scaling up your business, and Startup CXO: A Field Guide to Scaling Your Company’s Critical Teams.

Listen in and learn more about the importance of putting your employees first.

Happy Workers Happy Customers with Matt Blumberg: Lead to Succeed 104

 





 

Episode Summary:Starting a new venture is hard. But to do so annually? Now that sounds really tough. But that’s exactly what Lead to Succeed’s guest Sean Castrina has done for each of the past twenty years!And he’s in no rush to stop.Sean is the founder of The Weekend MBA. He’s a serial entrepreneur, having started more than 20 companies over the last 20 years, and still seeks to launch a new venture annually. Sean is the author of 4 bestselling business books and hosts one of the most popular business podcasts on the planet – The 10 Minute Entrepreneur Podcast.Listen in and learn more about serial entrepreneurship.Key Talking Points of the Episode:[01:31] What’s the Weekend MBA & what does it serve.[03:35] Castrina’s objectives on starting a new venture annually.[06:25] Did Castrina start from entrepreneurship on out or was it his core to build off.[07:28] What drove Castrina’s core.[09:29] Castrina’s thoughts about “business success or failure is in the planning”.[11:51] The method of Castrina’s superpower: Identifying, Recruiting, and Retaining world-class talents.[13:28] How to find the right people to recruit.[15:30] Castrina’s process of retention.[17:51] What gave Castrina the idea for the 10-Minute Entrepreneur & what can he accomplish from it.[20:00] Castrina’s addiction and the process of getting to where he is today.[26:28] Castrina’s biggest mistake.[27:39] Rapid-fire.[30:23] Castrina’s final lesson.Standout Quotes from the Episode:“Never stop looking.”“Don’t start the day until it’s been planned.”“I’d rather make 50% of a lot, than a 100% of a little.” Connect with Sean Castrina:



































  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
                
                  
                
            
          
        
          
        

        
          
          
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Website LinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTube  Connect with / follow Naphtali Hoff:Facebook TwitterLinkedInInstagramYouTubePlease subscribe to, rate and review the show. Your feedback gives social proof and encourages more folks to listen.Find Lead to Succeed on:iTunesStitcherGoogle PodcastsSpotifyiHeart

Serial Entrepreneurship with Sean Castrina: Lead to Succeed 103

Most people seek happiness in money, success, power, and shiny objects. But that is NOT where happiness lies. Instead, turn your attention to yourself. It’s in loving, leading and respecting yourself that you’ll find what you’re asking for. This is what we learned from our guest Tommy Breedlove.

Tommy is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the book, "Legendary" and the founder of the Legendary Life Movement, a movement that empowers driven people to be pros in leadership, business, mindset, and their relationships. 

Tommy started his 20-year corporate career at one of the largest financial consulting firms in the world, and eventually became a shareholder, the international practice leader, and a member of the board of directors.

At the top of his career, Tommy experienced a transformational moment inspiring him to walk away from the corporate world to change his life and follow his true calling.

Listen in and learn more about how to move your life in a new direction.

Become Legendary with Tommy Breedlove: Lead to Succeed 102

Never let a teacher’s opinion about your ability or your performance in school determine your future. This is what JR Rivera's story taught us. JR’s teachers said he would never amount to anything. But in the years since, this straight "D" student who barely graduated high school has become a businessman living an extraordinary life of limitless possibilities. Listen in and learn more about the way to success.

From “D” to “A+” With JR Rivera: Lead to Succeed 101

We all want a strong brand. 

And we want to market and sell effectively.  

Easier said than done, right?

Which is what made this conversation with Derek Champagne so exciting! 

Cause he’s got the answers… and they’re simpler to apply than you might think!

Derek is CEO of The Artist Evolution—a marketing, design, and practice management firm. He helps businesses of all budgets design and implement marketing strategies that yield tangible results.

Derek has developed and managed brands and marketing campaigns in multiple industries, from start-ups to household names. He is a guest lecturer at business conventions and college business marketing classes covering marketing and social media subject matter.

Derek is also a nationally published musician who has made musical contributions to the soundtracks of television shows on ABC, MTV, Bravo, Oxygen, and the E! Channel. 

Listen in and learn how to use effectively marketing to grow your brand. 

Targeting Your Market with Derek Champagne: Lead To Succeed 100

It’s never too late to dive into your purpose, even if this means changing your career after three decades. This is what our guest, Johnny Sirprilla, did. 

In his early 50s, he left the lucrative world of RVs and camping and started focusing on driving meaningful change in the workplace to allow employees to return home empowered.

Johnny, founder of Encourage, LLC., is an entrepreneur, passionate leader, and the author of Life Is Hard But I’ll Be OK: The Power of Hope, Emerging through Pain and Learning to Live with Gratitude.

Listen in to learn more about living your purpose!

Encouraging Hope With Johnny Sirpilla: Lead to Succeed 99

We all want to become high performers, people who achieve at levels well above the average. In this episode, Jeremy Slate tells us how to do just that!Jeremy is the founder of the Create Your Own Life Podcast, which studies the highest performers in the world. He was ranked #1 in iTunes New and #78 in the iTunes top 100. Jeremy’s podcast was named the #1 to listen to by INC Magazine in 2019, as well as being named a Top Influencer by Forbes. After his success in podcasting, Jeremy and his wife Brielle founded Command Your Brand to help entrepreneurs get their message out by appearing as guests on podcasts.

High Performance Secrets With Jeremy Slate: Lead to Succeed 98

You can dream about changing your country to the better, influence it and volunteer in it. OR you can make the decision to do it. That’s what Lead to Succeed guest Batsheva Moshe decided to do.Batsheva is the GM of Wix in Israel, the leading cloud-based website creation and development platform with 220 million users worldwide. She also serves as Chairman of Yozmot Atid - a leading NGO that empowers women from underserved communities to establish small businesses and to become economically independent. Prior, Batsheva managed Poalim HiTech – the banking arm of Bank Hapoalim for startups and high-tech companies. Batsheva was also CEO of Unistream, one of Israel's most influential and impactful NGOs that narrows the socio-economic gaps by empowering youth and young adults from underprivileged communities to establish startups and integrate into the Hitech industry.Listen in and learn more about the mindset that entrepreneurs must have.

Developing An Entrepreneurial Mindset With Batsheva Moshe: Lead to Succeed 97

Your age should never be an obstacle to your success. Nor should you ever be inauthentic in how you appear online. That’s what Lead to Succeed guest Cat Philp teaches. In this episode, Cat shares her young entrepreneurship journey accompanied with the power of authenticity in life – especially in work. Cat, Young Entrepreneur of 2022, is the founder of Pivot Marketing, a social media and personal branding agency. She has been building her personal brand around authenticity and humanized marketing, with over 2M monthly views on LinkedIn and a digital presence of 45k across platforms, she is now travelling the world helping others build their online brands and working to make an impact on the education sector for the better. Listen in and learn more about the success of young entrepreneurship.

Being Authentically You with Cat Philp: Lead to Succeed 96

Your biggest asset it not your money, or even your business. It’s your time! You can always get more money but your time here on earth is limited. How can you make the most of it? And how can your family business serve as an asset to achieving your financial and fulfillment goals, assuming you even know what they are?Good news! Lead to Succeed 95 guest Bruce Werner has the answers! Bruce is the Managing director of Kona Advisors LLC. Bruce provides strategic, governance, and owner advisory services to middle market businesses. His range of assignments has included governance, strategy, finance, M&A, workout, succession planning and all facets of family business consulting.Bruce has the capacity to lead businesses from where they are to where they want to go by helping the owners define what they really, really want.Listen in and learn more about governance and owner advisory services to middle market businesses.

Exploring Possibilities With Bruce Werner: Lead To Succeed 95

More women need to have a seat on the table of wealth management and investments. So says Lead to Succeed guest Holly Mazzocca. Holly shares how women offer unique perspective and special gifts to the field of wealth management and investment planning.Holly is the President, Wealth Advisor and Principal at Bartlett Wealth Management in Cincinnati, OH. As President, Holly builds upon Bartlett’s rich legacy to develop an innovative future. Recent initiatives include a program of services and events for women, called WEinvest™ (Women Empowered to Invest), as well as the launch of a podcast, ESG integration, and family office services.Listen in and learn more about women and service in wealth management.

Women Led Growth with Holly Mazzocca: Lead to Succeed 94

A mastermind group creates a safe environment for members. Peers will encourage you to see your superpowers and help you by pointing at your blind spots, all so you can evolve. This episode features Aaron Walker, businessman and life coach, founder of more than dozens of companies over the past 41 years. Aaron attributes much of his success to having surrounded himself with his mastermind counterparts.When he first went to a mastermind group, Aaron didn’t want to share his story, he didn’t want the others to know his life’s issues, but it turned out that others were more screwed up than he was!Listen in and learn how mastermind groups can help you.

Master Your Mind with Aaron Walker: Lead to Succeed 93

Follow your Passion with Brian Burke: Lead to Succeed 92If you had a passion for something and everyone around you was discouraging you against pursuing it, would you still follow it?Today I have Brian Burke joining me on the show. He is commonly known as the Mac Man. Brian started his entrepreneurship journey at the tender age of ten. He was selling jewelry, and he wasn’t worried about anything anyone said about him. Later in life, Brian started selling Apple products, which has been his business for years. Brian’s passion for Apple products is so great that he didn’t give attention to people who suggested that he should sell other products too.In this episode, Brian will take us through his entrepreneurship journey and help us understand the essence of pursuing our passion.Listen in to this episode and learn.Key Talking Points of the Episode:[3:28] Brian’s background in entrepreneurship[6:44] Brian’s primary customers[8:54] How Brian creates awareness of his business’ existence[12:12] How Brian converts leads into sales[14:20] Following your passion[20:13] Brian’s biggest challenge as a founder of a business[22:19] How to find the best people to hire in a crowded market[24:13] Brian’s advice to young emerging leaders[26:08] How Brian consumes books[29:27] Brian’s most significant failure and what he learned from it[32:50] Rapid fire questionsMagical Quotes from the Episode:“If you’re not ranking right away on Google, you can use Google ads.”“I think if you are working in a field you’re passionate about, you’re going to have a much better internal battery. You’re going to be able to persevere through those tough situations.”“Passion sometimes evolves from expertise.”“If they have the grit, they’ll be able to get through, anything that comes their way, if there’s a tough situation at home or at work, they’ll be able to fight through it.”Connect with Brian Burke:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianthemacman

Apple or Bust with Brian Burke: Lead to Succeed 92

Are you a leader who thinks speaking is the most challenging task to handle? This episode is for you!  Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Eddie Turner. Eddie is an in-demand leadership development expert. He’s a principal consultant and executive coach at linkage, a boutique international leadership development firm. He asserted he’s a certified speaking professional and is ranked number six on the top 30 list of motivational speakers by global gurus. Forbes recognized Eddie as the preeminent authority on emerging leaders. He is ranked number 18 on the top 25 thought leaders in leadership by thinkers 360 and ranked number 32 on the power list of the leading 200 biggest voices in leadership to watch in 2022.In this episode, Eddie will share his speaking journey, how we can become better speakers and leaders, and share nuggets of wisdom that we can all apply in our day to day lives.Listen in to this episode.Key Talking Points from the Episode:[02:20] Challenges that emerging leaders face and how does Eddie help them[04:23] Strategies to help emerging leaders emerge[o8:59] Eddie’s childhood and how he discovered his gift in speaking[09:51] What motivated Eddie to make Speaking his career path?[12:28] How can a leader transition from being afraid to speak to being confident[14:30] How Eddie helps leaders get over their fear to speak[18:08] Technical leadership versus visionary leadership[18:41] Understanding the purposeful leadership model[22:22] Eddie’s most significant failure and what he learnt from it[25:30] Rapid fire questionsMagical Quotes from the Episode:“Not every mentor is the same. You need to find somebody who is committed to you, who is willing to show you the ropes, and who is humble enough to not just sort of dictate the terms has a coaching element and how they operate.”“Often times, it’s not necessarily that an emerging leader doesn’t know things, it’s just they don’t necessarily have the confidence, the clarity, or the ability to put their knowledge into practice in the right way.”“Every time you have to speak, you are auditioning for leadership.” Reagan“Failure is part of success. And if you don’t fail, you can’t achieve really the pinnacle of your potential.”“Every successful person has failures that were stepping stones to success.”Connect with EddieLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkage-inc-/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LinkageInc/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LinkageInc 

Emerging as a Leader with Eddie Turner: Lead to Succeed 91

To become a better leader, you need to embrace your failures and learn from them.In this episode, I have the privilege of hosting Scott Shay on the show. Scott is the co-founder and Chairman of Signature Bank, a thought leader, and author of several widely read books on profound issues facing the Jewish and world communityIn our conversation, Scott openly shared his entrepreneurial successes as well as his mistakes and how he overcame them, his best investment and how we can become better investors. He also went deep on what inspired him to write his third book (“Conspiracy U”) and what t’s all about.Listen in to this episode to hear more from Scott Shay.Key Talking Points of the Episode:[02:13] Scott’s third book and what inspired him to write it[07:28] How to make the time and figure out the best way to pursue your daily work and simultaneously make a bigger impact in areas that are near and dear to your heart[13:26] Mistakes that business owners and investors make with their money and how they can avoid them\[17:58] How to invest better as an entrepreneur[20:29] The best investment that Scott has made[28:08] Scott’s advice to leaders to be more authentic in how they present themselves to others in their companies and the world at large[29:46] Rapid fire questionsMagical quotes from the episode:“People overestimate what they can accomplish in the short run, and underestimate what they can accomplish in the long run, if they keep doing the right things.”“The greatest miracle and the secret or power in the universe is compound interest.”“The first voice you listen to should be your internal voice, and then pause. If there are conflicts with what you’re hearing from the outside, then you need to think about that before you react.”“If you just keep taking smaller steps that are consistent and sustainable steps, then you can do a lot more than you might think.”Connect with Scott Shay:Website: https://www.scottshay.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottShayAuthorGrab Scott’s Book:Conspiracy U: https://www.scottshay.com/

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