Impact Makers Podcast With Jennifer Mcclure

Today Steve Arntz, Products Director at Instructure, joins me for an insightful conversation about Career Drivers. We discuss what they are, how to identify them, and how to take action. If you're a leader, you'll also be able to apply what we'll be talking about to coaching conversations so you can help your team to grow and to create more impact in the workplace.  Last year I attended Infrastructure's BridgeCon in lovely Park City, Utah. It was there I first met Steve Arntz. Our first encounter was when he walked me through a Career Drivers Deck Assessment which you’ll hear more about in this episode. Later during the conference, I attended one of Steve’s sessions.  I found Steve to be motivating, insightful, and inspiring. In fact, he has a passion for helping people find their why and bridge the gap between connection and personal growth. So, I invited him to join me on the podcast to help us better understand what drives us in our careers and in life. In this episode, Steve also shares what he learned th

Over the holidays, I was traveling to Tennessee to spend the week with my extended family. It's a 5 ½-hour drive, which allowed me with a lot of time for thinking. I brought with me some materials to start my goal setting process. In preparation, I began contemplating my goals for 2020 and what I needed to do to make this the best year ever. I came up with a list of 10 items while driving the country roads in Tennessee. Today, I am going to talk about these 10 actions which you can use as inspiration for making this your best year ever, too! You may have already completed your annual goal setting process or be mid-stride in these processes, either way, you’ll find these suggestions and tips helpful. Who’s ready to prepare to create more impact at work and in life in 2020 and beyond?    Show Highlights: Change your thinking around New Year’s resolutions—rather than a resolution be very specific about what the goal is and why you are setting the goal in the first place. Why I want you to do that thing you say

When my BFF, Laurie Ruettimann, called me up and told me about her unplanned, open afternoon and a need for a last-minute podcast guest, I suggested we do a recording together to fill the gap. Inspired by the recurring random show theme heard on The Tim Ferriss podcast, I suggested we do something similar. Thus, this week I am bringing you a conversation with Laurie Ruettimann. Laurie is a writer, speaker, and podcaster as a result of the heartbreak and outrage she experienced throughout her corporate career. She helps executives and HR leaders prioritize the employee experience to avoid the collateral damage of a toxic work environment. She is also my mentor and travel companion.  Today’s episode is a great representation of what happens when Laurie and I get together to chat. We typically start off on one topic, in this case it was her book writing and publishing journey, and move on to the next topic, in a somewhat rapid-fire succession. You’ll hear us chat about work, including our outlook for the new yea

I really enjoy reading blog posts and listening to podcasts from leaders who share some of their favorite tools and resources for productivity, running their business, or just cool apps that they use. I'm always on the hunt for better ways of doing things. Really, it's a great way to discover new tools that I want to check out or to learn to use a tool differently. Well, with that in mind, I’ve got a special treat for you. In this episode, I share fifteen of my favorite apps and tools.  I’ll cover tools for productivity and efficiency, communication and community, financial tools and data storage, plus everything in between. Some of the tools and apps I mention in this episode may not be new to you. But some of them are just so good, I had to share them with you.  And hey, maybe I'm using them in a different way than you are or maybe you've heard of them before, but you haven't tried them out yet. Either way, I think you'll find something new in this list that can make your life better or easier. Enjoy!   Sho

I am excited to share something with you that is near and dear to my heart. It's very much like my baby, and just like a baby, sometimes it's a joy and other times it can be challenging. But no matter what happens, I'll always love it. Well, what exactly is it? It is DisruptHR. You may already be familiar with DisruptHR. But I'm sure there are some who have never heard of it, or if you have, you haven't been interested in learning more about it. Whether you're a huge fan of DisruptHR or not, I think you'll get some great takeaways from this episode. Today, I'm going to share how DisruptHR has grown from an idea shared over lunch, to a global community that has helped people around the world to get their ideas heard and how it challenges the community to grow and connect with other like-minded people who can help them in their careers. Plus, I’m going to share what I've learned about starting and growing a movement without losing my mind.  DisruptHR was created out of a need to encourage leaders to take risks,

Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, you should always be networking. In this week’s episode, I’ll talk about how you can network like a pro. I’ll also be sharing ten awesome questions that you can ask to start great conversations at networking events. You will also hear how I learned how to network the right way, after doing it the hard way for a very long time. I’ll dive into why you should network and who you should focus your networking efforts on in order to get and give the most benefit.  Lastly, I’ll show you how you should network.  My goal with this episode is to provide you with some strategies and networking tips for you to use to grow your network.    Show Highlights: Why you need to view your networking strategy just like you do anything else that is important and adds value.  Why your mantra when you go to an event should be, “I am going to be interested and not worry about being interesting.” How to be intentional about networking Ten awesome questions you can ask to start great conver

Self-care isn’t selfish. It is necessary. We truly can’t pour from an empty cup and we can’t help others if we’re emotionally worn, completely stressed out, or too sick to help.  In this episode I’m talking about self-care and the five areas I’ve been trying to improve for the sake of myself, my family and my business.   I’ll talk about the importance of sleep, rest and exercise, for our physical and mental well-being. Then I’ll dive into the effects of gratitude on our happiness. I’ll also discuss how caring for others can be a form of self-care. Lastly, I’ll cover caring for your time.  Finding balance and reclaiming your time can have a lasting impact on your life and I’m going to share how it changed mine. My goal is to help you understand the importance of self-care and how to practice it, proactively, without feeling guilty. I hope you enjoy today’s show.   Show Highlights: What is self-care? I’ll give you my favorite definition and share a great quote to help you remember why it’s so important. I’m go

Bruce Waller is VP of Corporate Relocation for Armstrong Relocation and Companies. He is the author of the books, Find Your Lane and Milemarkers, and he is a good friend of mine. He recently reached out to me to get coaching advice about how to choose speaking topics and ideas for creating great presentations and slide decks. I asked him if he'd be willing to allow me to record our conversation to share on this podcast. He graciously agreed.  The most frequently asked question that I get is, “How do I become a speaker?” While I've written blog posts on the subject, been interviewed on other peoples’ podcasts and shared about the beginnings of my own journey as a professional speaker in this podcast, there's always more to learn. Everyone is at a different place in their speaking career. And no matter where you are in your career, questions are bound to come up. Such was the case for Bruce.  My hope is that by listening to our coaching session, you will garner some takeaways of your own.  We explore ideas lik

New phone, who dis? Well, it's your old friend, or in some cases, your new friend Jennifer McClure. After a hiatus, I'm back with new episodes of The Impact Makers podcast. As always, my goal is to help you create maximum impact at work and in life through building a career that you love and living a life that matters.  In this episode, I share what I’ve been up to while we’ve been apart. Life as a human in 2019 started off with a “Bang!” I’ve experienced some amazing things and some challenges too. For example, I landed my largest client to date, after almost 10 years of running my own business. I’ve continued my work at DisruptHR and also continued to check off states on my “Speak in Every State,” bucket list. All good things.   Of course, with the good there is a bit of bad; I suffered a horseback riding accident in July. I’m doing much better now but it took a lot longer than anticipated to heal. Overall, Team McClure is stronger than ever, and we have some great things in store for the rest of this year.

What you feed will live and what you starve will die - the same principle applies to leadership. If you want to be a great leader, you have to feed your fire to serve and inspire. Today, Jennifer and Eric to talk about success, leadership, and coaching - and how it led Eric to his calling as a man of faith.   Eric Peoples is a public speaker, certified leadership coach, and founding pastor of Legacy Church in Farmington, CT. Eric has led over 1,000 people on 45 international trips to pioneer social change and humanitarian relief efforts in nearly 27 countries.   He attributes his penchant for helping to his family’s strong support of philanthropic endeavors. Helping others, working hard, and doing your best - these were the family's core values.   How did Eric enter ministry work? His journey actually started in the corporate world. He had done work in sales for Xerox, where he moved up the corporate ladder pretty quickly. He enjoyed the job, earned and learned a lot. But after meeting his pastor, Peter Brun

Whether you’re thrilled or terrified to talk about your story, it’s important to remember that everyone has something unique to share with the world - one that’s meaningful and inspiring. But how do you tell your story without compromising your authenticity? Today’s guest is Jennifer’s good friend and host of Camera Ready, Val Brown. Their conversation unravels the effect our voice and story play in business and the people around us, and why it takes more than talking in front of a camera to get your story across. Val Brown is an Emmy Award winner and the founder of Visual Bridge Communication. VBC helps leaders and businesses tell their stories and become more fluid in front of the camera. Val’s passion and excellence in journalism and communication has led her to an award-winning career. What are some expert tips when it comes to being an effective host/communicator? Read and practice your material. Take care of your voice: drink water and get enough sleep. Own your voice and don’t forget to breathe. Val

What if we were all given an unlimited amount of grace despite our shortcomings? Adam Martin is the Founder of F5 Project, an organization that provides job and housing opportunities to felons leaving the prison system so they can have a sense of purpose and the confidence to re-enter their communities. Today, Jennifer and Adam dive deep into how the social stigma that surrounds felons effects their successful reentry into society and how we can do better in providing equal job opportunities to this untapped yet promising workforce. Adam Martin is dedicated to helping others overcome the things he has in his life: alcoholism, drug abuse, and a criminal background that includes 5 felonies. His work on the F5 Project has been a game-changer for many lives. Most felons are left with jobs that barely get their bills paid. They are given lower wages, higher expectations, and not enough room to succeed. With social stigmas holding back several socio-demographics, especially the vulnerable ones, Adam has one questi

Joe Gerstandt isn’t just a straight white dad with tons of tattoos. He’s also an expert on diversity and inclusion who has trained leaders at Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, the government, and more. He also speaks on how each of us can become conscious champions for diversity and inclusion in our work and in our lives. Jennifer and Joe talk about his journey from small-town America to where he is today, and what he teaches that changes so many people. Joe grew up on a farm in a small town in a class of 26 kids. From there he went into the Marine Corps for four years, a transformational experience in terms of diversity. Then Joe went from sales to working in a non-profit, and finally into corporate life before becoming the thought leader he is today. But when Joe talks about how he got from there to here, his guiding principle was that he was a person who made mistakes and LEARNED from them. As a young adult, Joe didn’t believe things like racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination really existed.

Communicating your personal brand doesn’t have to be complicated. Your next step is often right under your nose! This episode concludes Jennifer’s three-part series on personal branding, and she shares 6 ways that you can do to begin sharing your personal brand and how to get the opportunities that you’re looking for. Over the last three weeks, Jennifer and her guests have dissected what a personal brand is, how you can define it, as well as how you can continue to develop your brand throughout your career and your life. Although your personal brand is always evolving, there are guidelines that will help in effectively communicating who you are, who you help, the solutions you deliver, and how it impacts the people involved. Your personal brand helps people determine whether you’re a good fit for their needs. “Are you authentic enough? Are you expert enough? Are relatable enough?” Your personal brand is what defines you, whether you like it or not and whether you’re aware of it or not - so make it work FOR y

In the words of Sally Hogshead, “Different is better than better.” In the second part of a 3-part series on personal branding, Jennifer shares some tools, strategies and exercises from her Personal Brand Worksheet that you can use to discover where you’re at and help to get to where you want to be. In next week’s episode, we’ll be taking what you’ll learn today out in the world. In today’s episode, Jennifer will talk through some of the steps of her Personal Brand Worksheet. This week’s episode is the second part of a 3-part series on personal branding. If you missed last week’s episode, please listen here before continuing with episode 24! What is a personal brand? Jennifer defines the personal brand as “the perception that people have of you compared to others in similar positions”. So in order to secure those opportunities that you want, you’ll have to stand out from a crowd in a big way. So where does one start? One of the best personal brand assessments that Jennifer has found was created by Sally Hogs

In his Fast Company article, Tom Peters wrote that this is ‘The Age of the Individual,’ and that everyone, from the receptionist to the CEO, must take charge of their own careers by becoming the CEO of The Brand Called You. That was back in 1987, and many people have already caught on, creating a very noisy space. But that means that it’s more important than ever to have your own personal brand as strong as possible. How do you determine your own personal brand? You answer the following questions: Who are you, who do you help, and how do you do it? This is the basis for people understanding if they’re interested in you, if they want to do business with you, or hire you. What is your brand telling them right now? There are a lot of people who don’t believe in personal branding. They believe that people shouldn’t be treated like ‘tubes of toothpaste,’ shouldn’t be packaged and neat and pretty, because it’s inauthentic. Yes, some people try to brand themselves in a way that isn’t authentic, but you might also c

Are you ready to meet the Oprah of HR? On today's episode of Impact Makers, Jennifer sits down with the infamous HR wizard, Kris Dunn. He is the founder of two popular blogs The HR Capitalist and Fistful of Talent and is also the CHRO of Kinetix, an Atlanta-based recruiting, RPO and HR consulting firm. Where does the story of Kris Dunn start? Kris talks about his rural Missouri roots, the value of his basketball coaching experience, and the general arc of his career that led him to the HR world. For Kris, working in HR was where everything finally clicked into place. Jennifer asks Kris about how and why he knew that HR was the place for him. He shares with the audience the importance of mentorship that helped him find his path, and provides some practical advice on how to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. At this point in his career, the Monday-to-Friday thoughts of Kris Dunn are read far and wide. But it wasn’t always so: Kris shares what spurred him to enter the world of bloggin

The old adage that preaches “to follow your dreams” might seem outdated in today’s precarious working world but get ready to meet a visionary that’s turning fantasy into reality. In this episode, Jennifer talks with Mary Miller, the CEO of a Cincinnati-based janitorial services company called Jancoa, and about their pioneering Dream Manager Program — and how to create a genuine culture of caring is a serious game changer for both employees and employers. First things first: Who is Mary Miller and what brought her to where she is today? The short answer? Herself! Tune in to hear more about how Mary went from being a bankrupt twice-divorced single mom with two kids to being the CEO and primary shareholder of Jancoa. When it comes to living a journey like Mary’s, there are lessons around every corner. Mary talks about what she learned from her past and how she applied it to her future. Here’s a taste of Mary’s philosophy of work: instead of keeping a laser focus on the task at hand and the money, making space f

We all need other people in order to help us grow! Whether you’re looking for a job, a contact, promoting a service or looking to collaborate, there are many ways to go about it. In today’s episode, Jennifer shares some thoughts and pointers on how to network by building and maintaining relationships with generosity and respect. Back in May, Jennifer tweeted about requests that she had received to work for free, which prompted her to synthesize some thoughts on the do’s and don’ts of networking. She talks about these communications and their underlying flawed assumptions about the value of one’s time and energy, and she lays out the following common situations that can benefit from her pointers: Job Hunting. Whether you’re a recent graduate or looking to make a change, tapping your network for opportunities means reaching out to key individuals. Jennifer talks about some of her early missteps on her journey to becoming a speaker and entrepreneur back in episode 7 of the Impact Makers Podcast as well some o

When it comes to changing hearts and minds in the workplace, nothing will bring people to your podium like a powerful personal story. Today, Jennifer talks with her good friend and old colleague Mary Faulkner, the author of the widely read blog Surviving Leadership. She is currently the Director of Human Resources, Talent and Total Rewards at Denver Water. Can you guess what Mary wanted to be as a young woman? Mary tells us a little bit about her educational and business history and how she found herself in the world of HR. The two met in 2013 while Jennifer was working a consulting contract at the company Mary was a part of. Mary talks about the details of her career since 2013, Jennifer’s influence on her development, and her blog HR-focused blog called Surviving Leadership. The focus of Mary’s blog isn’t just about the view from the top down; she also consistently approaches HR from an employee position and touches on a broad range of topics within the corporate landscape. One of the themes that Mary has