Impact Makers Podcast With Jennifer Mcclure

This episode of the Impact Makers Podcast is sponsored by Workplace from Meta. Everybody’s talking about the metaverse these days, but Workplace from Meta is different – I mean, the clue’s in the name, right? Workplace is a business communication tool that uses features like instant messaging and video calls to help people share information. Think Facebook, but for your company. It's part of Meta’s vision for the future of work - a future in which your job isn’t just something you do, but something you EXPERIENCE. A future in which we’ll all feel more present, connected, and productive. Start your journey into the future of work at workplace.com/future. — Well, hey there Impact Makers! The future of work is going to happen, whether you’re engaging with the idea of it or not. But I believe that you can truly make a difference as a leader in your workplace, and in the lives of those that you lead and serve as we navigate the future together, by being intentional about how you approach your work, and your life.

I’m excited to share my conversation with Dr. Todd Dewett in Episode 57 of the Impact Makers Podcast. I met Dr. Dewett several years ago, when I was just getting my start as a professional speaker, and we both shared the stage at a regional conference.    At that time, he was a successful university professor teaching leadership and innovation to MBA students - but he didn’t look or sound like most of the professors that I’d come across in my academic career. Big, tall, bald, and covered in tattoos had never greeted me when I walked into a classroom in school.    So, of course I was intrigued to hear what this guy had to say about leadership, and I was not disappointed. With a fresh perspective, an authentic message, and some great stories, he captivated the audience, and inspired people to be bold, and think differently.    Since that time, we’ve become friends, and I’ve continued to learn from him over the years as he wrote books, left the academic world to pursue a career as a full-time speaker, and became

When I think about people in my life who have truly had an impact on me, and have changed my life for the better, it’s a relatively small list. And my guest on Episode 56 of the Impact Makers Podcast - Mike Sipple, Jr. - is most definitely on that list, along with his father, Mike Sipple, Sr.   After leaving my last corporate job as an HR executive in late 2005, I knew I wanted to pursue a different path - and maybe even start my own business.   Thankfully, with the help of a great coach (who also happened to work in the firm owned by the Sipples), I was able to get some great advice by networking with a whole bunch of people who were much smarter than me.   Pretty much all of them didn’t feel that I was ready to start my own business, and many of them suggested that I find an organization where I could learn from someone who’d be willing to teach me how to develop the relationships necessary to grow my own business some day.   I’ll alway believe that there was a bit of divine intervention in my situation at

Since it’s a new year, I’m already hard at work on achieving the goals that I set for myself, and my businesses in 2021. And one of my goals this year is to read 24 books.   Thankfully, I’ve got some good friends who are helping to fill my reading list with books that they’ve written, which were set for January 2021 release dates.   I spoke with my best friend Laurie Ruettimann about her new book, Betting On You, which released a couple of weeks ago in Episode 53 of the podcast, and today, I’m chatting with my friend Lars Schmidt about his new book - Redefining HR - which releases worldwide on January 26, 2021.   I really enjoyed my conversation with Lars, and he has a great grasp on how leaders in all areas - not just human resources - should approach building strong and capable organizations through implementing modern people practices.   Lars Schmidt is the Founder and Principal of Amplify - a firm that helps progressive people leaders and companies navigate the future of work.   Long interested in emergi

One of the best things about the work that I do is that I have the opportunity to connect with so many talented people doing great things to make the world of work - and the world - better for us all in the future.   Early last year, while looking to expand my network of leaders with diversity and inclusion expertise, I reached out to my network and asked a simple question - “Who should I know that does great work in this area?”   What followed were over 90 recommendations, and I was able to make some great new connections, have some great conversations, and add to my list of potential referral partners in the future.   The first person who responded to my question was Daniel Chait, the CEO & co-founder of Greenhouse, an HR tech company that helps organizations become great at hiring.   Daniel was quick to recommend that I connect with one of his mentees - Ariel Lopez.   Ariel followed up with me shortly thereafter, and suggested that we connect briefly to get to know each other better. I enjoyed chatting

I’m coming in hot into 2021 with Episode number 53 of the Impact Makers podcast!   Seriously.    I’m ready to emerge from my 2020 coronavirus induced cocoon, and to make great things happen in my world, and for you in this shiny and promising new year. And I can think of no better way to kick off the year, than with my BFF, Laurie Ruettimann.    Laurie is back as a guest on the podcast to chat about her first traditionally published book - Betting On You - which will be released on January 12, 2021.    And that’s truly a big deal.    In Episode 2 of the Impact Makers podcast, I shared a little bit about how I originally found Laurie online through one of her early blogs - Teambuilding Is For Suckers. She wrote every day about work, life and cats - among other things - and even though I didn’t always agree with her, or share some of her views, her writing style was totally engaging, and she always had an informed point of view that made me think.    Over the last 15+ years, she’s evolved online from the anonym

My guest today is a senior executive at Workhuman®, a company that helps forward-thinking organizations energize their cultures, unlock their employees’ passion and potential, and unite around a shared purpose. I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Workhuman® team for over 5 years now, both attending and speaking at their amazing and unique Workhuman Live annual Conference. Each year, the conference is kicked off by the colorfully and impeccably dressed Derek Irvine, who is Workhuman’s Senior Vice President of Client Strategy and Consulting.   Derek is one of the world’s foremost experts on social recognition, continuous performance management, engagement, and the future of work, and he’s passionate about helping business leaders to elevate their vision and ambitions for their company culture.   Derek is also a renowned speaker and co-author of three books, including “Winning with a Culture of Recognition”, “The Power of Thanks”, and the latest - Making Work Human: How Human-Centered Companies are Changin

My guest on Episode 51 of the Impact Makers podcast is Jennifer Ingram. Jennifer is the Founder and CEO of Calibrated Lens LLC, where she specializes in helping organizations enhance their performance, productivity, and brand presence by centering equity and inclusion. Through her work at Calibrated Lens, she helps clients facilitate sustainable change to optimize performance, presence, and productivity. Jennifer has previously served as the first Vice President of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, which is the sixth largest United Way in the nation, and has also led DE&I  strategies at two nationally ranked academic medical centers - The Mayo Clinic and Henry Ford Health System. She’s passionate about her work, and describes herself as an Equity & Inclusion Evangelist. I think you’ll learn a lot from the fresh perspectives she shares in this episode   Topics Discussed In This Episode:​​   What Jennifer learned by being a member of a Diversity and Inclusion comm

If you’re a regular listener of the podcast, you’ve heard me talk with several previous guests that I first connected with back in the somewhat golden days of blogging, and the beginnings of social networks like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Although I’m not sure how I originally came across today’s guest, I know that I was a regular reader of her very popular blog called Brass Tack Thinking during that time frame. Through great writing and a relatable voice, she shared experiences, practical advice, and marketing expertise, that was extremely helpful to me, and thousands of others, in building a personal brand, and in building a business that connected with those that I wanted to serve. Then, one day in January 2010, she wrote a blog post that was titled - “The Equestrian’s Guide to Reaching Your Goals” - and as a fellow adult amateur equestrian, I loved how she linked lessons she had learned from horseback riding to setting foundational goals for the next year. That was it. We were destined to be the bes

On Episode 49 of the Impact Makers Podcast, I’m speaking with someone that I admire and respect, and whom I’ve learned a great deal from over the past 10 years through his podcast, his books, and also by sometimes sharing stages with him speaking at conferences and events around the world. Todd Henry positions himself as an “arms dealer for the creative revolution”, and he teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He’s the author of five books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, and the latest - The Motivation Code), and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work. Todd is also the host of The Accidental Creative podcast, where he offers weekly tips for how to stay prolific, brilliant, and healthy, and it’s been downloaded over 10 million times. When I saw that he was releasing his latest book - his fifth - in early October, I immediately bought a copy to keep my stre

With the Impact Makers Podcast, my goal is to inspire you to identify ways that you can make a difference at work and in life — either through providing education on a topic to increase your influence, clarify your message, or lead with greater impact, or to bring you conversations with interesting guests who are doing just that. In Episode 48, I’m chatting with someone who not only inspires me, but who often pushes me to think bigger, and to think differently, and to take action.   My friend Kate Bischoff is a mom, a former US Foreign Service worker, an employment lawyer, a social justice warrior, and an avid adventurer. Whether she’s working with clients, doing a free webinar on the latest rules and regulations affecting the workplace, or providing manager training, she brings an educated, experienced, and often witty perspective towards bringing about her goal of making both the workplace, and the world, better for all. Kate has an incredibly positive outlook about life, accompanied by a thirst for adventu

How many times have you heard the phrase - “Well, it’s not exactly rocket science” when someone is referring to something as easy?  I guess that means that we associate those who actually ARE rocket scientists with being exceptionally smart.  And while that’s probably true - actually it IS true - the reality is that you and I can think like a rocket scientist, without actually having to send anything into space.  So, just how do rocket scientists think? And how can you and I apply that thinking to our work and our lives in order to increase our impact?    My guest on Episode 47 of the Impact Makers Podcast has an idea. In fact, he’s been there, done that, and has written the book on it.  Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned award-winning professor and #1 bestselling author. He’s also one of the world’s foremost experts in creativity, innovation, and critical thinking.   Ozan grew up in Istanbul, Turkey, learned English as his second language, and moved to the United States by himself at the age of 17 to at

I’ve had the best job in the world for over 10 years now - where I have the privilege of speaking on stages and in training rooms to groups of leaders around the world about how to increase their influence, focus strategically, and make a positive impact at work and in life. When I stepped out on my own in 2010 to start my business, I had a little bit of experience, a healthy dose of confidence, and a whole lot of hope that I could build the relationships, and create impactful presentations that would result in a successful speaking business. But like a lot of things in my life where I tend to jump off the cliff first, and then think about my parachute later, I wasn’t fully prepared for what it would take to find my lane, to determine how to set my speaking fees, or how to become a recognized expert. So, queue admission into the school of hard knocks, where I’ve gained quite an education along the way, and as a result, have ultimately managed to build a business and life that I truly love. Last year, my frien

Whether you work for a corporate brand - or you’re a personal brand - we all have something in common. In order to persuade people to buy from us, work with us, or tell others about us, we have to be able to create powerful messages and stories that connect with our intended audience, and position us for success. So, wouldn’t it be nice if there was some type of framework that could help us to choose a focus and format to tell our story, so we could create content that serves our mission in the best possible way? Well, thankfully, there is a framework, and my guest today literally wrote the book on it. Melanie Deziel is a keynote speaker, award-winning branded content creator, and a lifelong storyteller on a mission to share the power of creating compelling and credible content with others. Melanie is the Founder and Chief Content Officer of StoryFuel, a company that teaches marketers, creators and organizations how to tell better brand stories, and she’s the author of the best-selling book - The Content Fuel

The reason that the Impact Makers Podcast exists is to bring you tools, tips and resources to help you build a career that you love, and to live a life that matters. I love introducing you to people that I believe are truly making a difference out there in the world, who can inspire you to take action in your own life, or help you to discover paths to impact that you may not have considered possible for yourself before. Julie Turney is one of those inspiring people, and I hope that you’ll listen closely as she shares how she’s taken intentional steps to grow her career and her network, and also to increase her impact. And she’s just getting started. Julie describes herself as a People Champion, and she’s also a woman of many talents, who wears many different hats. She’s a mom, a Human Resources Manager, an HR Performance Coach, an HR Disrupter, a Public Speaker, and she’s the host of the HR Sound Off Podcast Show. She’s also currently writing her first book - in her spare time, of course - so she’ll soon be a

Today’s guest on the podcast is my friend Kendra Ramirez.   Kendra is a well-respected entrepreneur who is a Women of Influence Award Winner, and a recipient of the John Barrett Entrepreneur Vision Award. She’s also been honored as the Cincy Chic Woman of the Year, an American Marketing Association Marketing Legend, and was a finalist for the Social Media Innovator of the Year.   Since 2005, Kendra and her team at the Kendra Ramirez Digital Agency have helped hundreds of organizations to leverage digital technologies to build relationships, brand themselves, generate sales leads, and attract talent. In 2018, Kendra also founded Reset, a mindset community that helps people to move from fear and anxiety to joy and gratitude.   Kendra and I both live in Cincinnati, and we started our entrepreneurial journeys at about the same time - around 2006 - and would see each other periodically at conferences and events, where we were both speaking about using LinkedIn, social media, networking, and a whole lot of topics t

Sometimes, I have the honor of being a guest on other podcasts or webinars, where I’m typically asked to share about one or more of the topics that I’m passionate about, including leadership, speaking, and personal branding. And today, I’m sharing one of those recent conversations with you. Shortly after the world changed for us all as a result of a global pandemic, my friend,  Erich Kurschat - who is the owner of Harmony Insights LLC, as well as the founder of an inclusive mastermind community called HRHotSeat - started scheduling half hour conversations over the lunch hour with people in his network to be intentional about connecting, and also to stay inspired in order to do his best work. Back in June of 2020, I joined Erich for one of these lunch date conversations, where we chatted about the importance of personal branding for leaders at all levels, why introverts do not get a pass when it comes to personal branding, and how you can grow and develop your personal brand without having to be a speaker, a b

My guest today is Katie Augsberger, who is an employee experience strategist that’s disrupting how we think about employee experience, and helping organizations to rethink their policies and practices to create a more healing and inclusive workplace for all of their employees. I was first introduced to Katie through my friend Laurie Ruettimann’s podcast in early 2019, and then shortly thereafter Laurie introduced the two of us so we could connect, and get to know each other better. You’ll hear more about that phone call in this conversation today, but let’s just say that I felt that I made a less than positive impression during our chat, and I was grateful then - and even more grateful now - for Katie’s grace, support, and forgiveness. I hope that you will find this conversation today helpful to you in your learning journey, and take action, along with me, to create a network of authentic relationships with a diverse group of people, a more equitable workplace, and a better world where all people feel welcome

Are HR leaders the only leaders in an organization who can (or should) lead with a people first approach?   My guest in today's episode - Steve Browne - doesn't think so! Steve has been my friend and mentor for over 20 years now, and he's also a constant source of encouragement, wise counsel, connections and smiles for leaders around the world through his work as an HR executive, a board member of the largest HR association in the world, his popular blog (Everyday People), and his best-selling books (HR on Purpose !! and HR Rising !!).   Steve is well-known for his high-energy and positive approach to people leadership, and in this episode, we chat about: What it's been like to be an HR leader at an organization during a global pandemic, and the key approach all leaders must take in times of crisis. The importance of building meaningful relationships to be able to lead effectively. The shifts that are still to come in the workplace, and what leaders should be doing now to prepare themselves and their organiz

Do you want to make an impact? Are you hoping to influence change? Well, today I am speaking about how you can make the most impact at work. You'll hear numerous stories from my career in HR, learn four key points to help you meet business challenges in the future, and also obtain some takeaways you can apply to your career immediately. While the stories in this episode are HR related, the advice can be applied to any leader who wants to make a difference.  In addition to learning how to meet business challenges and deliver maximum impact, you’ll also hear what makes an effective keynote. Today’s episode features audio from my 2016 mega-session, The Future of Work, which I shared at the SHRM Annual Conference. This particular session has received countless positive testimonials, has something for audience members at all levels of an organization, and has been a major source of income for me too. There is a lot to glean from this episode. Listen, learn, and enjoy!   Show Highlights: Why August 1988 was a pivo