Real Leaders With Roshini

Justin Sutherland is opening a new chicken restaurant...Side Chick. learn more when he talks about the opening June 14. #baddestbirdontheblock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Explorer. James Beard Award Winner. Restaurant owner. Chef Gavin Kaysen's list of accolades keeps growing. A very real global pandemic hit his industry hard, and he wasn't afraid to put his neck out to fight for it. He compares his restaurants to kids but admits the best part of his day is always getting home to his very real two sons. Chef Kaysen calls cooking his therapy and had a distinct vision for each of his three restaurants: Spoon and Stable, Bellecour, and Demi. His favorite mistake? Losing his passport in Switzerland at the age of 21. That also meant a memorable and long date with his now wife. As for downtime, he loves long walks by the river for date night and grabbing a meal at a great restaurant--something he hopes to do sooner than later.

Growing up in Worthington, Minnesota, Liz Collin found inspiration from how much her grandparents loved watching the news. She became a news junkie at a young age and got her broadcast debut covering a tornado in Southwest Minnesota while working at a small radio station. Eventually, she went on to report for TV stations around the US before landing at WCCO TV in Minneapolis. An Emmy-winning reporter, her investigative journalism has led to policy changes in the daycare industry as well as for Minneapolis 911 operators. You might not guess this hard-hitting newshound also plays the organ and the violin. In fact if she weren't a journalist, she'd be a fiddler in a country band. Her son Anthony makes her melt and focus on what's truly important. Liz cherishes every day she gets to watch him become the person he was meant to be.

A special conversation for Season 2 of Real Leaders with Roshini as Dean Sri Zaheer is the first leader from whom we asked for reaction to the COVID-19 global pandemic. You'll find inspiration in the speed at which she and her team were able to mobilize the students, staff, and faculty at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management to go virtual. Not surprising for a leader who says "the only thing that's predictable is unpredictability." Her story starts in the town of Dargapur in the state of West Bengal in India. Zaheer still marvels that a young girl who decided to follow business instead of physics would end up in such a big position on the other side of the world. Her blue chip education is backed by a global mindset and a habit of listening to others. In January 2020, she started her term as Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. To blow off steam and stay in shape, she took up boxing more than a decade ago. A sport she says can teach lessons in "focus, living in the moment, a

Colle McVoy chief creative officer Mike Caguin thanks his wife of more than two decades for putting up with his sometimes inability to focus. He says "laughter drives the success of their relationship" along with strong communication and acknowledges, "Much like work, I will never master marriage. But I'm in the pursuit of mastery." Credited with leading culture-shifting campaigns, he admits his early days as a manager came with a command and control model. One that he didn't like much nor did his employees. Over time, Mike learned "being among the people" was his strength. He regularly walks the halls and invites people to mini brainstorming sessions. He calls advertising the "intersection of art and commerce." When those "moments of magic happen," he basks in the purpose-driven results he can bring to clients. His favorite part of fatherhood is how he gets to rediscover his inner child when he interacts with his teenagers.

Katie Harms takes her role as health advocate seriously. She didn't ask for the title but landed there through her own health odyssey. After struggling on and off with major headaches, a car accident in 2017 caused a series of events that led to a spinal fluid leak. She tried all sorts of treatment until surgery at Mayo Clinic gave her some relief. Though after-effects will never completely leave her, she finds joy in teaching and advocating, hoping to "short-circuit some of the tough stuff" for others. Her role on the board of the Spinal CSF Leak Foundation has taken her to Washington, DC, to lobby members of Congress for legislation toward relief. Katie says there are 300 different designations for headaches. Those known as migraines are the number two cause of disability in the United States. Always an optimist, her journey has helped her find the positives in life. Katie ponders: perhaps this is the "path I'm supposed to be on so I can find ways to help others with it."

No stranger to big challenges, Laura Brod Hameed has flexed her muscles as University of Minnesota Regent, a state legislator, and tech startup CEO. As executive director of Columbus Children's Foundation, her advocacy and fundraising strives to make life better for people with ultra-rare diseases, specifically children. 320 million people globally have an ultra-rare disease. Half of which are children; three of ten of those kids will not live to their fifth birthdays. She embraces the task ahead of her and treasures each win along the way. When Laura is able to see a gene therapy treatment fix a child's genetic mutation, she calls it "humanity at its best." This multi-tasker is also a big family person. She and her husband have six children between them. That's why their downtime includes lots of good meals, conversation, and wine.

The term deviant often brings negative connotations. But health journalist and co-host of The Living Experiment podcast, Pilar Gerasimo, wants you to try the deviant lifestyle to fully handle modern life. Whether dealing with a pandemic or everyday challenges, she reminds people that "A high-vitality, high-energy, high-resiliency person always stands a better chance of getting through periods of high stress." Her past life as founding editor of Experience Life Magazine and now author of The Healthy Deviant, all make her especially committed to the adage, "If you're not breaking the rules, you're probably breaking yourself." She shares the Morning Minutes Ritual that can help you take control of your autonomy each morning and urges you to adopt a lifestyle that observes your own ultradian rhythms. Why is she so passionate? Her research found that 50 percent of US adults are living with chronic illness and only 3 percent of America is healthy, happy, and on track to stay that way.

Justin Sutherland never planned to go into cooking professionally. His childhood was filled with watching his Japanese and Mississippi native grandmothers cook and garden so food was always a big part of his life. He credits Chef David Fhima and Meritage owner Russell Klein for many lessons through hard work and his Iron Chef  TV experience as giving him a wonderful springboard for national exposure. Chef Sutherland calls cooking an action and doesn't buy it when someone says they can't cook. For now, he welcomes you into his restaurants, which he calls judgment-free zones. His legacy will be one of taking chances and owning his own path.

Would you believe that of the world's developed nations, the United States has the fastest death rates for moms in childbirth? Melissa Hanna co-founded Mahmee with her own mother, who's a nurse, because the healthcare system was letting moms and babies down. The Mahmee healthcare app provides personalized, ongoing postpartum care to new moms and infants. So far, Mahmee has more than 1000 providers in Los Angeles and is working on scaling nationally. Anyone can access Mahmee online. Melissa says Finland, Norway, and Denmark lead the world in how their models of care prevent many of the gaps the US and other countries face. Those "gaps in care are rooted in gaps in data," she says. Find out what she said when Roshini asked her if moms get shafted by US laws. Melissa remains committed to helping more parts of the system see the big picture so the crisis of maternal and infant mortality disappears.

Explaining that he grew up as a "fat kid," Paul McGuire Grimes says a big awakening after a beer and pizza binge in 2011 made him want to take control. Eighty-two pounds of weight loss in eleven months with the help of Weight Watchers, inspired him to become a wellness coach for the weight loss giant in 2015. You can see and hear his movie reviews on KSTP-TV and FM 107 FM or catch his detailed analysis on Paul's Trip to the Movies on YouTube. When he's on the red carpet interviewing icons like Jane Fonda and Whoopi Goldberg or sharing his reviews of the latest movies, he knows it's a daily choice to live healthy. 

If Jennifer Grant were a cocktail, she'd be a fancy gin and tonic. But that's where the glossy exterior ends as Jennifer is committed to a zero-waste lifestyle and bringing grace and compassion to her clients and the world. This speaker, author, and enviro activist wants you to lead with love. Her activism led her to train with former Vice President Al Gore's Climate Leadership Program. She chairs the St. Paul, Minnesota, chapter of Climate Reality. 

When Elizabeth Ries didn't get the same high from breaking news as her TV colleagues, she knew she was ready to leave news reporting and take on a daily talk show. Co-host of Twin Cities Live on ABC Minneapolis since 2009, she hasn't looked back. She added podcast host to her repertoire with Best to the Nest, which has earned number 1 status on Apple Podcasts in the home and garden category. She loves growing her own food and getting eggs from her backyard chickens. In fact, she'd grow squash and make jam for a living if she weren't a TV host. Her Dirt Alerts on MyTalk FM help fill her daily dirt quotient.

When former WCCO TV anchor Don Shelby walks into most rooms in Minnesota, people feel they know him. Since retiring from a 55-year career in daily journalism, he raises money for the Smithsonian's "Bias Inside Us" traveling exhibit, teaches his grandkids primitive survival skills, and lends his time to the Climate Science Rapid Response Team. In his downtime, you might find him embodying Mark Twain on stage or climbing icefalls in the Boundary Waters. This George Foster Peabody winner takes passion for causes to new levels. He gives a lot of credit to his wife of more than 45 years for letting Don be Don.

Steele Smiley is a serial entrepreneur and franchisor. He sold Steele Fitness to Snap Fitness in 2013 and had a partnership with Under Armour. As co-founder and CEO of Crisp & Green, he ventures from the fitness industry into healthy eating. He says, "Revolution is part of my style and a part of good business." This dad also enjoys as much time as he can spend adventuring with is kids.

Tom Wiese is a world-class dealmaker who thrives in multiplying the value of people's talents. Nate Garvis is a community innovator whose thought leadership drives results in ways you wouldn't imagine. Together, they've been best friends since 7th grade and decided to put their Wonder Twin status into launching and growing a learning community that challenges people to improve culture. Started in 2010, Studio/E has more than 2000 alumni from diverse industries who have gone on to become major changemakers and explorers.

A serendipitous internship at National Geographic put Taylors Falls, Minnesota, native J.J. Kelley on his path to destiny. Since then, he's traveled to all seven continents, led the first expedition to open the tomb of Christ in 800 years, and helped increase elephant numbers in Africa. The University of Minnesota Duluth grad says cross-country skiing is how he unwinds. With a new show debut Dec 29, 2019, on Travel Channel and a genuine love for the planet, J.J. says he is in continual shock that he lives his dream job.

She became CEO of Minneapolis Heart Institute to change lives. Now, she's pushing a legacy of equality. On a quest to challenge the media, backward medical notions, and the public to move women's heart research up 35 years to equal men's heart research, Fortman is overseeing a movement she hopes goes viral- #ResearchHer. Her world routinely mixes business, healthcare, and philanthropy. She keeps her own heart healthy by hiking new terrain with her husband and three sons.   

St. Paul native Matt Birk was a 3-sport athlete in high school and went on to play football for Harvard. Drafted by the Vikings in 1998, he went on to win a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013. Shortly afterward, he announced he'd donate his brain to Boston University's Medical School for concussion research. Throughout his career, his Catholic faith was a guiding force. He and his wife have eight children. In 2019, they started a Catholic high school in Burnsville, Minnesota. 

When Mike Felmlee became a grandpa, his worldview changed. Now, he cares even more about the planet his three grandkids will inherit. To further educate himself about Earth and to stretch his understanding of the unknown, he traveled to the North Pole. What he found was beyond his wildest imagination. Overseeing a company that cares about leadership, the CEO of Prouty Project has some tips for staying grounded and pushing beyond your limits.