Ask the tough questions that the audience wants to hear. Take the audience for a ride and create an experience like no other. Let me explain. It’s not enough to provide value. I want the audience to have fun. I take pride in doing a ton of homework because I’m a big believer that preparation breeds success. Lastly, it is so important and imperative that I’m able to build a rapport with my guest so that the interaction flows smoothly and seems natural and effortless. …

Be Teachable — No matter what level you are in your career, there’s always more room to grow. Always make yourself open to learn. Being the smartest person in the room isn’t always an advantage.

For my series on strong female leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Judith Jacques.

Judith began her career in hospitality at a boutique firm as an Event Producer. Shortly thereafter, she launched her own company, specializing in weddings and other social events. After receiving a dual Bachelors degrees from St. …

More than anything, I want readers to feel hopeful again. We need that desperately. I want readers to remember that the simplest things — as we’ve been reminded this past year — are the most important: Our family, our health and our friends. I hope readers understand the importance of our elders in our lives. The main characters in my novels are all women much like my mother and grandmothers: Good people trying to do the best they can in this world, working hard and sacrificing to give their families better lives, kind, honorable souls who are the foundations of our families and society but are too often overlooked in life and literature. I hope readers reconnect with friends. …

Leaders lead, but great leaders also listen. If you’re in a position of power, listening to those around you goes a long way. Having them feel they’re heard and contributing to the advancement of the team is important. When I think about the early stages of my career, I almost always worked harder for the bosses that I felt I had a voice with.

As a part of our series about “How To Give Honest Feedback without Being Hurtful”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Joe Hargraves, co-founder of Spouzal.

Working with customers to create a premium experience is Joe’s passion. A senior software sales executive with over 20 years of experience at Salesforce, Unisys Corporation and BMC Software in consultative solution sales, Joe brings solid expertise in the sales process from prospecting to close. He drives Spouzal’s mission of providing an exceptional customer experience. …

The best leaders are inclusive, assume risks with judgment, provide certainty in an uncertain world, and inspire deep motivation with a lived-in, authentic grasp of the challenges ahead and the people involved.

For my series on Giving Feedback; How To Be Honest Without Being Hurtful, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mark Atkinson.

Mursion CEO Mark Atkinson is responsible for Mursion’s long-term strategic plan, capital requirements and key leadership positions. Mark has spent the last twenty years building technology ventures that support human capital development in K-12 education and corporate learning. Mark founded TeachForward, LLC a full service educational consulting firm with a proprietary web platform that delivers custom-developed, performance assessments to K-12 educators. Before working in education, Mark served as Senior Producer and Manager of New Markets for CBS News Productions, and was an Emmy award winning Producer for Peter Jennings Reporting, ABC News, where he produced a series of network specials on U.S. foreign policy. Mr. …

Being a change agent is the best lifestyle. If you have a vision of community where everyone can thrive, let it guide your actions and do not wait for others to address challenges.

As part of our series about 5 Steps That Each Of Us Can Take To Proactively Help Heal Our Country, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dominic Cappello.

Dominic Cappello is a New York Times bestselling author, public health strategist and TEDx curator with decades of experience advocating for health, safety and education. He has a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Language and Communication from Regis University. Cappello is the creator of the Ten Talks book series on family safety that gained a national audience when he discussed his work on The Oprah Winfrey Show. He is also the co-author, with Dr. Ortega Courtney, of Anna, Age Eight: The data-driven prevention of childhood trauma and maltreatment, which served as a catalyst for the development of the Anna, Age Eight Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he serves as co-director. Cappello and Dr. Ortega Courtney wrote the follow-up book 100% Community: Ensuring 10 vital services for surviving and thriving to guide local leadership in every county in their work designing trauma-free and truly family-friendly cities and towns. His illustrations grace the graphic novel Attack of the Three-Headed Hydras: Confronting Apathy, Envy and Fear on the road to saving the humans and future, which he also-co-authored with Ortega Courtney. …

When we’re able to be direct, to provide examples, and to let someone know if they’re on the right track, you can make sure everyone’s making the best use of their time.

As a part of our series about “How To Give Honest Feedback without Being Hurtful”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nachie Marsham.

Nachie Marsham is the Publisher at IDW Publishing (IDWP), where he oversees the company’s strategic business units, integrating product cross-platform programs, establishing product growth initiatives with partners, broadening customer experiences to new platforms and expanding the company’s extensive IP portfolio.

Before joining IDW, Marsham was the Executive Editor at Disney Publishing Worldwide where he oversaw editorial teams working with various creative divisions of The Walt Disney Company, working on books including original and extension content for a variety of franchises, and working on new IP development for best-selling series from Disney. Starting in 2018, he led the Marvel Press imprint of Disney Publishing Worldwide, editing and providing creative direction for prose and picture books, in addition to asset creation for both the vertical publishing division and the licensed business. Prior to his time at Disney Publishing, he spent more than eight years in editorial at DC Comics across a wide variety of titles and age ranges. Preceding his time at DC, Marsham spent years at Wizard Entertainment holding various positions within the company. …

We can achieve so much if we put our minds to it and commit ourselves to making change. You are far more powerful than you imagine. Be the change. Be the progress.

For my series 5 Steps that Each of Us Can Take to Proactively Help Heal Our Country, I had the pleasure of interviewing Christy Pichichero.

Dr. Christy Pichichero is an author, activist, and professor of History and French Studies at George Mason University with more than twenty years of experience in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and anti-racism work. She is a thought leader and influencer in higher education through her diversity consulting, her internationally-recognized publications, and her work as the President of the Western Society for French History — the first African-American woman to occupy this role. An alumna of Princeton University (A.B.), the Eastman School of Music (B.M.), and Stanford University (Ph.D.), she serves on several editorial and scholarly boards including the Oxford Studies in the Enlightenment. …