The Executive hosted by Dr. Benjamin Ritter

Michael Bungay Stanier is best known for The Coaching Habit, the best-selling coaching book of the century and recognized as a classic. His most recent book, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone, shows how to build the Best Possible Relationship with the key people at work. Michael was a Rhodes Scholar, and was recently awarded the coaching prize by Thinkers50, “the Oscars of management”.

Learn more at www.MBS.works.

Melissa is an award winning marketing executive and currently the Chief Marketing Officer of Insight Timer, focused on creating a more mindful and balanced world through best in class marketing!

Previously she was the CCO of ClickUp and CRO & EVP at Cheddar. For her brand work, she was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30, Business Insider’s 30 Most Creative People Under 30 and as one of Digiday's "Changemakers."

Prior to Cheddar, she led BuzzFeed's Global Creative Team. Joining the staff in 2010, Rosenthal was a key contributor to the creation and early success of BuzzFeed's branded content native advertising model.

Find out more about Insight Timer and connect with Melissa on LinkedIn

Chris Meroff is a founder, author and serial entrepreneur with a passion for helping business professionals find fulfillment in their work through sustainable success. In 2011, he started his first company, MSB Consulting, and sold it in 2023 to fund his venture capital firm, Dirigo Capital Partners. Dirigo owns a variety of startups in various industries throughout Austin and along the coast of Maine, ranging from hospitality, farming and community development. One of these ventures is  DCX Community which was born out of his passion to help develop leaders both personally, professionally, spirituality, and relationally, connect them to authentic community, and then experience transformation in their work, home, and cities. DCX does this by hosting an annual leadership conference and monthly networking event, The Table Network. He and his colleagues also host The Table Network Podcast, where they have intentional conversations with successful business owners and authors in order to build deeper relationships and better businesses. Chris blends his two worlds by hosting leadership retreats at his farm –  West Branch Farms in Maine. He purchased the farm in 2020 to boost the economy by bringing jobs and resources to the local community. This heartbeat prompted him to open Coffee + Crisp Cafe and Foss Point Wedding Venue to provide locals various opportunities to engage.

Chris is also a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of his first book,  Align: Four Simple Steps for Leaders to Create Employee Fulfillment. He wrote this book in 2019 to share with leaders the four simple steps that will transform the way you lead, renew your self-confidence and spark change. Align offers leaders to develop the courage to connect with their team in a meaningful way and start winning together. This led him to write his second book The Empathy Revolution: Practical Wisdom to Combat Organizational and Social Loneliness, where Chris shares his philosophy in a practical guide on why the current model of leadership isn’t working. He addresses that in order to retain employee talent and engagement, employees must grasp the vision and align with the values laid out from the top down. 

With over 25 years of experience owning and operating businesses, Chris has dealt with a diverse group of clients to employees to competition. He grew up in the Northeast and has always been passionate about employing his community. Currently, he resides in Austin, Texas with his wife and has four adult children. 

Find out more:

chrismeroff.com

dcxcommunity.com

Dean Carter has been an innovative and industry-recognized leader of People and Culture for over two decades across Fortune 50, hot growth, and culture-driven organizations. He currently serves as the Chief People and Purpose Officer at GUILD Education, a career opportunity platform that enables forward-thinking employers to invest in their employees, unlocking life-changing opportunities for personal and professional growth through learning programs, career development, and one-on-one coaching; and also serves as an Independent Director for Griffith Foods, a high-growth sustainable food company.

A former CHRO of Patagonia, Sears Holdings and Fossil Inc., Dean has also previously served in HR and management roles at Pier 1 Imports, Pearle Vision and Procter & Gamble. Dean's innovative perspectives on HR, go-big cultures, and employee experiences have been featured in leading media including The Economist, Harvard Business Review, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, and various other books and national publications.

Connect with Dean Carter on LinkedIn

Learn more about Guild’s CHRO Compass

Arthur Gallego is a recognized, award-winning CPG executive with a focus on emerging food & beverage brands. Recently, he was the CEO/co-founder of SunDaze Fermented Cocktails.

As the founder of G&Co., which he founded in 2007 and still runs today, he has served as a start-up CMO for many F&B brands. Over the course of his career, he has worked with some of the leading better for you CPG brands, including: Chia Smash, CHOMPS, Bulletproof, FLOW Spring Water, Health-Ade Kombucha, LIFEAID Beverage Co., MUSH, OLIPOP, Vita Coco amongst others.

Gallego has additional expertise in beauty & fragrance, restaurant hospitality, and residential real estate marketing, granting him exceptional consumer insights across spending and brand adoption. Gallego's perspective is global and he has worked in both Europe and Asia.

He is a marketing and pop culture authority who has been interviewed by media and trend forecasters, globally. And he has worked with a diverse range of talent including Rihanna, Elle Macpherson, Iman, Chrissy Teigen, Isabella Rossellini, Vivienne Westwood, and foodie icons including Julia Child.

Find out more at https://www.gallegoandco.com/

In 2011, Aaron Hinde left his lucrative sports chiropractic practice to push the chips “all in” with business partner and fellow Santa Cruz native Orion Melehan to enter an industry with a failure rate of 99%...the beverage industry. With zero beverage experience and high hopes of creating the next Billion dollar beverage brand, he moved his family off the grid…literally. With two kids he downsized his life to live in a 400 sq. foot home with no power and no income.

Obsessed with producing high quality, efficacious, and niche functional lifestyle drinks to replace the high sugar, synthetically caffeinated and artificially laden energy and “sports” drinks, LIFEAID garnered tremendous traction with CrossFitters and Spartan Racers concerned about clean recovery with their FITAID sku. Today, the entire LIFEAID line of FITAID, FOCUSAID, PARTYAID, LIFEAID, IMMUNITYAID, GOLFERAID, FITAID Clean Energy, and powder sticks continue to dominate niche markets as well as garnering significant traction in conventional channels such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, Safeway, Kroger, Publix, Walmart, HEB, and Vitamin Shoppe among many others. LIFEAID products are currently sold in tens of thousands of accounts, have 550,000+ active engaged followers on social media, sponsor professional athletes in most major sports, and was ranked in the Inc 500 fastest growing companies in the US three years in a row.

Aaron obtained his BA in Economics from Saint Vincent College with a minor in international business and his Doctor of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic. He practiced in Santa Cruz, CA for 10 years. In 2008, Aaron was elected to serve as a trustee on the Santa Cruz County Board of Education. He was re-elected in 2010. He has since sold his practice and given up politics to focus on making LIFEAID a household name. Aaron is married to his beautiful wife Ramah of 20 years and has two children, 19 y.o. Trinity and 17 y.o. Bronson who are the company’s biggest advocates.

Find out more at:

https://www.lifeaidbevco.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronhinde/

https://soundcloud.com/aaron-hinde

Anna Casey is a servant leader, communicator, and true social entrepreneur. Currently she is serving as an Executive Advisor to CEOs, leaders and policymakers around the world and has previously served leaders across various sectors, including: education tech, law, local & national government, public policy, green energy, and finance. She has trained teams across the UK, EU, Ukraine, Australia, and the U.S.

Anna started her career as a local government press officer and since then has sat on various poverty alleviation-related boards and committees as well as worked on the ground on a number of economic literacy and empowerment programs.

Previously, she has served both in-house and as a management consultant, specializing in strategic communications, leadership, as well as in innovative culture change and team practices.

British and Texan by heritage, Anna has spoken — in her trademark irreverent style — alongside philanthropists, nonprofit leaders, a secretary of state, and private sector CEOs, always problem solving with a restorative practices lens, and always thinking big-picture with an uncanny eye for simplifying complexity. She believes that authenticity and heart have a place in every solution, and in every team.

Learn more:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annacaseywilliams/

In this episode we interview Bob Miglani, bestselling Author, Speaker, founder of Hoot Health Inc, and Management Advisor.

He is the author of the Washington Post Bestseller, Embrace the Chaos, which is about his journey of learning to embrace change and move forward in his job, career, business and in life.

Bob grew up helping his family run their Dairy Queen family business for 20 + years which was the subject of his first book, Treat Your Customers. Afterwards he worked in corporate America for Pfizer Inc. for 23 years in numerous successful roles and did business in over 30 countries. After leaving Pfizer, he joined a startup as Chief of Business Development, helping to bring a Big Idea to Market.

Today he advises companies and CEOs, speaks to audiences everywhere and advances the idea that in order to GROW in times of change, we must think and act differently. We must embrace change. Find out more at https://bobmiglani.com/

A pioneer in the cannabis and psychedelics industry, Ronan Levy has inspired millions of people to find healing and inspiration through elevated states of consciousness.

His work and entrepreneurial endeavors have been featured in The New York Times, CNBC, Nature, Bloomberg, Forbes, Fast Company, The Economist, Report on Business, Robb Report and more. His work includes co-founding The Non-Ordinary Therapy Company Ltd., Canadian Cannabis Clinics, Field Trip Health Ltd. and Reunion Neuroscience Inc.. He is co-author of The Trip Journal (Libra Publishing) and The Ketamine Breakthrough (Hay House) and is host of the podcast How We Evolve.

Find out more at:

How We Evolve - A Non-Ordinary Podcast

Greg McDonough is a managing partner at Blackburn Capital. He works with businesses and organizations ranging from early-stage startups to $100 million enterprises.

He has led companies through turnarounds, mergers, acquisitions, and other significant financial events. Whether a business is struggling to survive, or striving to grow effectively and efficiently, Greg has the tools and expertise to assure the process goes smoothly. He meticulously examines and assesses a company’s financials and operations to help pave the way for success.

As a seasoned entrepreneur himself, Greg has an extensive understanding of the challenges inherent in owning a business. He knows what it takes to guide a company through a tough turnaround.

Greg is a certified insolvency and restructuring advisor (CRA), president of the Washington, DC chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), and the author of The Turnaround (2017).

Shelli Copelan Taylor is the CEO of Alamo Drafthouse. She joined Alamo in May 2020. She has rebuilt the executive team, bringing in leaders who are passionate and committed to Alamo’s iconic brand, coupled with the required professional experience to grow and scale the brand. Today the company’s culture is healthier than ever and – despite Covid and the industry headwinds – Alamo Drafthouse is outperforming the industry by 12% and in growth mode, adding six new franchisees and five corporate locations.

Her 30-year global career spans the US, China, Taiwan, Starbucks Coffee Company, The Walt Disney Company, and Planet Fitness. Shelli is well known for leading high performance teams through rapid growth and transformation to achieve outsized results.

Shelli joined Starbucks Coffee in 1992, when the pre-IPO company had fewer than 125 stores. As a store manager, Shelli quickly proved her capacity to drive sales through culture and leadership development. As a result, she was regularly called upon to take progressive roles of leadership in the organization in operations, real estate, human resource roles, food and beverage R&D, bakery and business development.

Known for leading from the front to drive outsized results through culture and people, Shelli was relocated to Starbucks in Taiwan, where she successfully joined Starbucks joint venture partner to reimagine the customer journey and real estate strategy, resulting in an 11-point profit improvement. She then relocated to China to join the China Starbucks executive team. There she was part of the executive team that flipped the customer value proposition to meet the China market needs and thus solved the unit economic model that enabled rapid growth. In 2015 she was promoted to SVP, head of China Retail. She led the multi-billion China business, opened 500 stores (a store every 15 hours), and grew the market from 1200 stores to more than 3000 stores. At The Walt Disney C

ompany in China Shelli scaled the newly formed business from five to 20 locations throughout China. In 2017, Shelli relocated back to the United States to repeat her success in Texas, scaling the largest Planet Fitness franchisee from 48 locations to 170 locations in two and half years through unit economic improvement, organic growth and M&A, resulting in sale of the company.

Today she serves on the board for Fitness Connection, a regional high-value, low-priced fitness chain backed by Roark Capital. As a board director she provides thought leadership and guidance in the areas of company culture, strategy, member journey, capital investment and real estate for the CEO.

Shelli also serves as an advisor for FestivalPass, a Texas based start-up. She has helped the founder with network and community connections to complete a successful capital raise.

Shelli is the proud mother of Rory who is attending Syracuse University. She is committed to affordable housing, serving on the Austin Habitat for Humanity Board.

Find out more at /in/shellitaylor/

Kerry Siggins, CEO of StoneAge, Inc. a fast growing manufacturing and technology company based in Colorado. Under Kerry’s leadership, StoneAge has experienced double digit growth, year over year. In 2015, she successfully transitioned the company’s ownership structure to an ESOP, ensuring that all employees share in the success of the company through employee ownership. Kerry is a helpful and impactful board member and business advisor due to her success and experience in scaling companies and building world-class cultures.

Kerry is a dynamic, sought-after speaker who presents worldwide at corporations, universities, seminars, and conferences. She hosts several podcasts, including the wildly popular podcast Reflect Forward. She is an author, blogger, and contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur, Authority Magazine, and BIC Magazine, and her blog is visited by thousands of readers each month.

Find out more at kerrysiggins.com and /in/kerry-siggins/

In this interview we spoke to Mick Spiers, the CEO and Founder of The Leadership Project and the bestselling and award winning author of the book "You're a leader, now what?"

His purpose is to empower leaders with all of the knowledge and skills they need to create amazing teams and amazing workspaces so that people fall in love with their jobs again" After a long and successful career as an executive in the Urban Mobility sector he has now shifted his focus from de-stressing the commute to de-stressing the workplace.

Find out more at https://www.mickspiers.com/

Maryam Taheri is an advisor, business + executive coach, VC-backed founder, YC alum, leadership expert, and dog mom. She specializes in a people-centric and data driven approach to business and startups. You can connect with her and access all of her podcasts, articles, and resources here.

Daniel Lamarre is the executive vice chairman of Cirque du Soleil, a position he took after serving for nearly two decades as the circus and entertainment company’s president and CEO. He is the author of, Balancing Acts: Unleashing the Power of Creativity in Your Life and Work, which describes how others can unleash Cirque’s creative management techniques, even if they’re not in the business of clowns and acrobats.

Get in touch with Daniel on LinkedIn and Daniel.Lamarre [at] CirqueduSoleil.com

Craig Dowden (Ph.D.), a Certified Positive Psychology Coach, has a Doctorate in Psychology, with a concentration in Business. An engaging and inspiring coach, Craig partners with leaders and executives from diverse industries and sectors to work on their most important challenges. In his role as a trusted advisor, Craig integrates the latest findings in the science of leadership, team, and organizational excellence into his coaching and consulting work.

Craig has been asked to share his thought leadership in leading HR and business publications, including the Huffington Post (U.S.), the Financial Post, the Financial Times, as well as Psychology Today.

In 2009, Craig was recognized as one of Ottawa’s Forty under 40 business leaders by the Ottawa Business Journal. Individuals under the age of 40 who “exemplify leadership, entrepreneurship and community building” are selected using three criteria: career accomplishments, professional expertise and community and charitable involvement.

Find out more at https://craigdowden.com/

Discover more:

Interested in leadership and career coaching services, check out Live for Yourself Consulting and Dr. Benjamin Ritter

Devin Schain is a serial entrepreneur who has successfully started and sold four companies and has invested in more than 40 start-ups and early stage businesses. Currently, Devin is Founder and CEO of Student Playbook.

Devin has more than 30 years in numerous entrepreneurial ventures. As a sophomore at The University of Pennsylvania, Devin launched On Campus Marketing (OCM.) He sold OCM after building it to the point where it was working with almost 1,000 colleges and universities and sold to a public company. Another company Devin founded, Educational Direct became the leading consolidator of student loans on the internet before being sold in 2006 to the private equity firm Providence Equity Partners valued at $375,000,000.

Also, Schain has invested in over 40 start up and early stage companies primarily in education, direct marketing and specialty finance. Schain is active in Young Presidents' Organization (YPO)

In addition to being a serial entrepreneur, Devin is a dedicated philanthropist: he founded ShalomLearning an on-line Hebrew School with over 14,000 students and 1800 teachers. In addition, he cofounded, The Social Sector of Scaling Up which helps not for profits operate more like For Profits.

He is married with three children and lives in the Washington DC area.

Interested in getting in touch, reach out to devin [at] thestudentplaybook.com

Discover more:

Interested in leadership or career coaching services, check out Live for Yourself Consulting and Dr. Benjamin Ritter

Jules Lambries helps companies and leadership teams align and thrive. As a Professional EOS Implementer, former executive and board member for several companies, YPO Global Event Champion, Regional Board member, International Leadership Trainer for YPO, Chapter Chair, and member of the YPO’s International Membership Council, Jules has over twenty-five years of experience developing and guiding fast-growth ventures, scaling family businesses, and leading nationally recognized consumer brands..

Previously he served as President of PROBAR, creating plant-based food products for 14 years. Also concurrently he operates SiMPLURAL, an advisory service for high-growth CPG brands and services. http://www.saltpodcast.com/episodes/probar

Connect with Jules on LinkedIn

Discover more:

Interested in coaching services, check out Live for Yourself Consulting and Dr. Benjamin Ritter

An experienced Corporate Director and CEO, Doug Drysdale has chaired the Board of a NASDAQ-listed company and, as CEO for the past 14 years, has built and turned around 4 pharmaceutical companies. During Doug’s 30+ years of experience in the healthcare sector, he has formed cohesive management teams, recruited board members, completed 16 corporate acquisitions across three continents and has raised around $4 billion of both public and private capital.

Find out more about Cybin here and follow Doug on LinkedIn.

In 2008, Doug led the turnaround of Norwich Pharmaceuticals and became the Founding CEO of Alvogen. During his 5.5-year tenure as CEO, Doug transformed Norwich’s manufacturing, adding extensive R&D capabilities. At the same time, Alvogen grew from inception to $450 million in revenues across 35 countries, building an R&D facility in NJ, a Contract Research Organization in India, and creating a product development pipeline of over 50 products for the US market.

In early 2014, Doug led the recapitalization of NASDAQ-listed Pernix Therapeutics, raising $65 million. Within the first year of taking the helm as Chairman and CEO, Doug rebuilt the management team and BOD, combined several operating locations, divested loss-making manufacturing, built a 220-person sales team, with supporting functions (sales training, sales operations, marketing) growing the company’s enterprise value from $80 million to around $800 million. Under Doug’s leadership, Pernix raised $465 million of capital.

From late 2017 to mid-2020, Doug was Director and CEO of Tedor Pharma, a contract manufacturing business. Doug’s efforts to turnaround the business resulted in 60% revenue growth in 2019, leading to Tedor being recognized as one of America’s fastest-growing companies, making it to the 2020 Inc 5000 list.

Previously, Doug was Head of M&A at Actavis Group, leading 15 corporate acquisitions across three continents, between 2004 and 2008, including a high-profile public hostile takeover attempt in Central Eastern Europe. Over this period, Doug raised approximately $3 billion of capital and managed lending syndicates including over 25 banks, to fund the company’s growth. Actavis was sold to Watson Pharmaceuticals in 2012 for EUR4.25 billion.

Doug holds a bachelor’s degree in Microbial and Molecular Biology from the University of East Anglia in the U.K. and was recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young, in 2012. Doug is an enthusiastic traveler, having traveled to over 70 countries, is an avid reader, and enjoys cooking and boating.

Discover more:

Interested in coaching services, check out Live for Yourself Consulting and Dr. Benjamin Ritter