Welcome to season 2 of our Menttium Matters Podcast, where we talk with our community of leaders and share lessons on life, leadership, and everything in between.

Join our conversation with Jaime Taets – a dynamic CEO, public speaker, author, podcast host, and thought leader who is focused on helping individuals and companies, identify and push past whatever is holding them back from achieving all they are capable of. Jaime’s ability to reframe perspective is inspiring, and energizing and will have you rethinking where you are, and where you want to go.

Jaime Taets

Keystone Group

The ballroom dancer Ginger Rogers is said to have done everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in heels. Which is an excellent illustration of the additional challenges and hurdles that women, professionals of color, and other groups of difference can face in the corporate world. And how different the view may be, depending on who and where you are.

In this episode Kimberly Grey, Vice President of Global Talent Management for Leggett and Platt, shares with us her perspective and insight as a Black Woman who has successfully navigated her career as an executive leader. Kim offers tips around the skills she largely credits with her success including: networking, setting expectations and being effective in holding others accountable. Her authenticity, and wisdom around intentionality, make for a great conversation – while also reinforcing how much we can learn when we choose to broaden our view!

Kimberly Grey

Vice President of Global Talent Management

Leggett and Platt

In this episode, communication expert Karen Laos, reveals a proven four-step process for asking for what you want. Karen offers strategies for getting clear on what you want, overcoming self-doubt, building a case for your idea, and asking in a way that makes it hard to say no. Listeners will learn to ask for what they want with greater confidence and ease.

Karen Laos

Motivational Speaker, Author, Podcast Host, Trainer, and Executive Coach

Karen Laos Consulting LLC

In this episode, we connect with Vera Michelle Lewis, who is the Vice President of Development and Communications for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. We focus on the topic of mental health – which is increasingly being recognized not as a stigma, but as a human issue that we will all deal with at some point in our lives. In fact, with global unhappiness currently at an all time high, many of us are seeking a way to increase our own sense of well-being right now. Vera shares openly and authentically what she has learned (both professionally and personally), through the lens of a female professional of color. And her message of reaching out to others, not surprisingly, echoes the essence of mentoring.

Vera Lewis

Vice President of Development and Communications

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

In this episode, Craig Warren talks about inclusive leadership and leading an organization so that DEI is reflected in the policies, processes, and culture. He discusses the difference between individual bias and systemic bias and encourages leaders to use data to measure DEI outcomes. He notes that inclusive leaders must do their own self-reflection and should follow the Platinum Rule.

Craig Warren

CEO

Washburn Center for Children

In this episode, global HR leader Gerardo Soula shares his expertise on: leading global teams; mentoring people from other cultures; effective cross-cultural communication; influencing people around the globe; change management; and successful M&As. You will learn his best practices for global leadership in this changing business landscape.

Gerardo Soula

Strategic Partner

CrearContextos

In this episode, Menttium’s CEO Missy Chicre, and inQUEST’s CEO Scott Hoesman come together for a conversation about the intersection of DEI and mentoring. Through the lens of their rich backgrounds, they share powerful examples of how mentoring and DEI enable an organization to achieve impact and drive outcomes. They also discuss innovative leadership practices for expressing, modeling, and reinforcing a high-performing organizational culture where everyone feels valued, respected, welcomed, and heard.

Missy Chicre – CEO, Menttium

Scott Hoesman – CEO, inQUEST

In this episode, Ha-Keem Abdel-Khaliq, a Global HR leader and executive coach, offers excellent advice for career planning based on his book, You’re Worth it! Navigating Your Career in Corporate America. This episode will help listeners think about career planning in a new way. Coach Ha-Keem also offers best practices for taking your career to the next level.

Ha-Keem Abdel-Khaliq

Vice President of Human Resources

Molex

In this episode, we take a look at the intersection of focus and resilience. We hear from Maria Kauffman, a women’s leadership expert who transformed her corporate engineer experience into a life coach practice (as well as creating the podcast “The Everyday Heroine”). Maria discusses the common misconception that resilience is a personal trait, when in fact it is a skill we can all develop. She shares a 5-step process that provides the structure to focus on who we are, how we may choose to face our challenges, and how we can take ownership of our careers. Join us for an inspiring and joyful conversation.

Maria Kauffman

Engineer and Podcast Host

The Everyday Heroine

In the past year, the technology landscape has witnessed remarkable progress, particularly in breakthroughs related to artificial intelligence. In this episode of the Menttium Matters Podcast, Dr. Leanne Ward shares her perspective on where AI is elevating the way we connect, collaborate, and communicate and explores the important question of how businesses can adopt AI in an ethical and responsible way.

Dr. Leanne Ward

Partner of Federal Gov’t. and Defense

Kearney

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we sat down with Craig Warren, who is the CEO of Washburn Center for Children, Minnesota’s leading mental health center. Children’s mental health has been declared a national health emergency, and a recent PEW survey shows that it tops the list of things parents worry about. Craig walks us through the signs parents should look for that a child might be experiencing anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges, and highlights resources parents can use to support their children’s wellbeing. He provides best practices for what parents and caregivers can do to empower kids and teens to be more resilient. He also offers his number one suggestion for how parents and caregivers can prioritize their own mental health.  

Craig Warren

CEO

Washburn Center for Children

In this episode, we continue the conversation initiated during our Business Education Webinar that focused on the topic “Quest for Balance – Reclaiming Wellness in all Aspects of Life”.

Amy Brandli returns to provide a wealth of tangible and time-tested practices proven to increase our sense of well being. Centered around the ‘Four Pillars of Well Being’, Amy shares daily best practices and practical tips for all aspects of well being – Physical, Mental, Social and Emotional. Come prepared to take notes!

Amy Brandli

Head of Operations

Visana Health

On this episode of Menttium Matters Podcast, Adam Dill broke down a common leadership challenge and provided a holistic perspective on what Executive Presence is and tips on how to lead with authenticity, decisiveness, and most importantly influence and inspire the people around us. Click to listen to practical tips on being an effective leader and influencing change, even if you are a self proclaimed introvert.

Adam Dill

Chief Customer Officer

Wicked Foods

On this episode of the Menttium Matters Podcast, Menttium’s Megan Cummings-Krueger sat down with 15-time Menttium Mentor, Tom O’Brien, for an authentic and insightful conversation about life-changing events, how they alter our perspective, and how to open ourselves up to what is possible. He also shares how his own personal and professional experiences led him to find his passion for mentoring.

Tom O’Brien

Vice President, Human Resources

Trinchero Family Estates

In this episode, Dr. Leon Zeng reveals a newly developed interview technique to find the best talent for a position. He shares what it felt like to come to the US as an immigrant and describes the positive impact his Menttium mentor had on his career trajectory. We discuss why it can be difficult to change behavior, and he suggests two simple steps that help people make positive changes. As an expert influencer, Dr. Zeng also shares his #1 strategy for influencing.

Leon Zeng

Senior Director of Behavioral Marketing and Analytics

Morningstar

Heather Whelpley follows up her imposter syndrome webinar by giving a brief overview of imposter syndrome and then answering webinar participants’ questions.  Heather offers actionable advice on shifting from over-work to setting healthy boundaries.  She talks us through how to protect yourself from feeling “not good enough” when you work with perfectionists or are treated as an outsider.  She also offers some best practices for responding to feedback.

Heather Whelply

Speaker, author of An Overachiever’s Guide to Breaking the Rules, and host of the Podcast, Create Your Own Rules for Life

In this episode, we hear from a grief and loss expert, whose path of purpose took a sudden turn when her CEO husband was killed at work. Jody LaVoie shares the life lessons she’s learned as she navigated through this abrupt, painful change that impacted her personally, professionally, and as a parent. Her story of resilience is inspiring and offers a unique perspective on managing the reality of constant change.

Jody LaVoie

CEO and Coach

Widows in The Workplace

We celebrate Women’s History Month with Sarah Blomquist, who is a passionate advocate for empowering women in the workforce. Sarah offers timely advice for navigating the contradictions we all face, like “fit in” and “be authentic.” She shares what she wishes she would have known 10 years ago and reveals lessons she’s learned from being a working mom.  Sarah draws on her extensive HR experience to suggest structural changes and best practices that will support women to reach executive levels.

Sarah Blomquist

HR Consultant and Owner

SB Resources, LLC

In this episode, Tricia Price, SVP of Customer Experience Operations for GM Financial discusses her experiences with imposter syndrome, being authentic, and thriving in a male-dominated industry. She highlights how hard work, continuous learning, and adopting a servant-leadership mindset have been key elements in her success. She reminds us that confidence is a skill that can be developed, oftentimes with the help of a mentor. Tricia also reveals her strategies for creating best-in-class customer service.

Tricia Price

Senior Vice President Customer Experience Operations

GM Financial

In this week’s episode, James Prince draws on his 30 years of leadership in the Human Capital Management Space for iconic Fortune 500 brands to share best practices for developing a strong executive presence.  In celebration of Black History Month, James also discusses barriers African American employees continue to face in the workplace and offers strategies that leaders can implement to address these challenges.  James outlines how organizations can move beyond DEI fatigue to create impactful practices to prioritize DEI throughout the year.

James Prince

Director, Client Success & Strategic Client Experience

ADP

We kick off Women’s History Month by featuring this inspiring episode with Lynn Sontag and Missy Chicre. Lynn and Missy will share their powerful stories of how they came to Menttium. They will discuss how Menttium has thrived for over 32 years and why mentoring is needed more than ever in this current environment. They will also reflect on what it means to lead a woman-owned business and share their vision for the future of Menttium.

Missy Chicre – CEO and Lynn Sontag – Chairwoman and Owner

Menttium

In this episode, Gloria Cotton, Senior Partner at inQUEST, offers a powerful strategy to address the fear or discomfort that often makes people resist having a courageous conversation. Gloria highlights how to move from having a courageous conversation to getting input from stakeholders to implement meaningful action that will make a positive difference. She also shares her best advice for leaders.

Gloria Cotton

Senior Partner, inQUEST

In this special episode, we focus on the power of mentoring to develop and empower women throughout the world. We will hear from Dr. Damaris Matoke-Muhia, who is an entomologist and a leader in the fight against malaria and other vector control diseases. Dr. Matoke-Muhia is passionate about identifying and mitigating gaps women face culturally in implementing community-based solutions to reduce malaria and in going into vector control research. Her story illustrates how one woman’s courage to challenge a system has positively impacted the lives of women and children throughout Africa.

Dr. Damaris Matoke-Muhia

Principal Research Scientist at Kenya Medical Research Institute

Director of Capacity Building, gender mainstreaming, and career progression for Pan-African Mosquito Control Association

On this episode, listen as Emily Koski, Senior Vice President | Diversity & Inclusion Manager talks about the importance of having crucial conversations and challenging corporate politics at work. Emily also talks about how her organization’s leaders have authentic conversations on hard topics, and the role employee resource and focus groups have played to build a stronger corporate culture.

Emily Koski

SVP, Diversity & Inclusion Manager

In this episode, Fabio Miranda, Operations Director at Martin Brower – Brazil, talks about career planning and how to navigate various life changes. Fabio also talks about how he helped build and launch the DEI program at Martin Brower and how imperative his emotional intelligence skillset has been in leading his teams to success.

Fabio Miranda

Operations Director, Martin Brower

In this episode, transition strategist Sue Ryan offers advice on how to intentionally navigate change and make transitions in your life with confidence. Sue uses the phrase massive acceptance and radical presence as a reminder of what is needed during times of change.  She highlights ways people can raise their emotional intelligence by raising their awareness. She also talks about The Caregiver’s Journey program which she has developed for non-professional caregivers, and leaders who have caregivers on their team.

Sue Ryan

Transition Strategist

In this Season 2 opening episode, Megan Cummings-Krueger and Solveig Brown reveal some of their favorite takeaways from Season 1. They highlight best practices that Season 1 guests shared related to Managing Up; change; communication; diversity, equity, and inclusion; holistic thinking; and wellness.

Megan Cummings-Krueger & Solveig Brown

Menttium Consultants