The Executive hosted by Dr. Benjamin Ritter

Emily Buckley is a COO at Cliff’s Climbing + Fitness, a CrossFit Games Athlete, and an outdoor enthusiast. She has over a decade of multi-unit experience across a broad spectrum of fitness modalities. From Kickboxing, to CrossFit, to Rock Climbing, she's done it all: mopping floors, instructing classes, managing teams across multiple units, and currently running the operations of a multi-million dollar company.

As a true believer in having a growth mindset, Emily is currently enrolled in Harvard Business School's Executive Education for High Potential Leaders. Her unique path to the executive suite is not for the faint of heart, and her relentless determination is what she credits for making it there.

In this conversation, Emily and I discuss how to bushwhack a path to leadership in the fitness industry, how to earn trust as a leader when you are brand new to a space, and so much more.

Learn more about Emily on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybuckley2/

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Jason Scharf is an experienced strategy executive and active angel investor in the life science and digital health sectors. For the past 15 years, he has built and led teams in strategic planning, market intelligence, and innovation. Today he is the Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships for Kean Health a direct to consumer at home genomic and microbiome testing company.

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn and make sure to check out Kean Health.

In this conversation, Jason and I discuss the importance of being data driven, finding and setting your north star, and how the best idea wins.

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Prior to his role at Kean, he has worked across the healthcare sector at biopharma, genomics, and medtech companies including Illumina, Becton Dickinson, and Amgen. In addition to his roles within the corporate environment, Jason has served as a co-fund manager of the San Diego Angel Conference, an investor with Tech Coast Angels, and a mentor with the NexCubed Digital Health Accelerator. He has invested in ~40 emerging companies from Seed stage to Series B focusing on the convergence of technology and biology. He is also the creator and co-host of the Austin Next Podcast. An exploration of Austin’s transformation into the next great innovation powerhouse, what it takes to accelerate the growth of an ecosystem, and what comes next. Jason Scharf earned his BA from University of California, San Diego and his MBA from the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego.

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Tanu Grewal is a global brand builder and strategic marketer with over 15 years of experience working in mature and emerging markets like US, EMEA and India with companies in the CPG, durables, luxury and hospitality industries. She is passionate about using brand purpose to help drive innovation and marketing that creates real value and emotional engagement with consumers.

In this conversation, Tanu and I discuss how leadership truly comes down to trust, and that provides the power to motivate and influence others toward their success as well as the organizations.

Connect with Tanu on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanugrewal

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Tanu is currently the Vice President Marketing & Innovation at AlEn USA, a growth stage division of the global ALEN Group. Some of her top achievements at ALEN have been the launch of a natural, green cleaning brand called ‘Art of Green’, building a world-class marketing team and enterprise wide organization capabilities. Prior to this, Tanu has worked on iconic brands like Kohler, Maytag and Whirlpool where she elevated commodity categories to lifestyle brands through a combination of award-winning product design, disruptive innovation and experiential marketing.

Starting her career with Whirlpool North America, Tanu held a variety of marketing and product development positions over 8 years including an expat stint in Italy. Tanu holds a MBA degree from Rice University in Houston.

Outside of work, Tanu is passionate about creating communities that enable people to thrive. Currently, she serves on the International Student Advisory Board at Rice University and as a board member for the South Asian Women's Professional Network.

As a public speaker, Tanu’s topics include launching and scaling a challenger brand and standing out in a crowded market through creative marketing. As an Indian woman, living in the US and working for a Mexican company (AlEn), she also speaks on navigating multicultural work and market landscapes. Tanu has been been interviewed by Forbes and delivered the keynote address for Coke FEMSA's Annual D&I conference in Mexico City, Women’s Masters Network’s Annual Meetup 2020 and the Houston AMA's Quarterly Luncheon.

An avid traveler and consummate foodie, Tanu lives in Houston with her husband and son.

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Jake Dunlap, CEO and Founder of Skaled Consulting, is an industry influencer and C-Level Sales leader with more than a decade of experience. Jake has developed and led high-performing sales and operational functions for Fortune 500, Global 2000, and start-up organizations. Jake and the team at Skaled specialize in building out repeatable, sustainable processes.

As a thought-leader with more than 22,000 followers across his platforms, Jake's audience gains valuable insights into scaling an organization, sales best practices, and general career motivation.

Prior to Skaled, Jake was the first sales hire and VP of Sales at Glassdoor which was acquired by Recruit Holdings for $1.2Billion in 2018.

In this conversation, Jake and I discuss how to become a dangerous leader and the balance between micro-managing, coaching, and throwing associates into the deep end.

Follow Jake on LinkedIn and make sure to listen to his podcast, The Jake Dunlap Show

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

Pete Maldonado, CEO and co-founder of CHOMPS is a natural entrepreneur. Prior to CHOMPS Maldonado spent the majority of his twenties, during and after college, as a Personal Trainer carefully studying product labels, nutrition facts and ingredients lists to build custom meal plans for his clients.

Busy with work and always on-the-go, Maldonado was on the hunt for healthy snacks that were truly “clean”, high in protein, low in calories, and didn’t sacrifice quality for taste. Upon realizing that options were limited and identifying a market need, Maldonado was determined to develop his own better-for-you meat snack alternative.

Having met his business partner and fellow Co-founder, Rashid Ali, at a poker game in Chicago, Maldonado knew immediately that Ali’s critical thinking coupled with his knowledge in finance and operations would perfectly compliment his own creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. Together, their two-man team kicked off selling meat sticks direct-to-consumer through Facebook ads out of Pete’s spare apartment bedroom. Chomps was profitable within the first 30 days and today, nearly 9 years later, Chomps is one of the fastest growing snack brands in the country, and the fastest growing natural meat stick brand on the market.

In this conversation, Pete and I discuss the path to learning how to be a leader, “on the go",” and the power of transparency, asking for feedback, delegation, and proactive learning.

Learn more about CHOMPs at chomps.com and follow Pete and CHOMPs on LinkedIn

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Tony Ambrozie currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Information Officer for Baptist Health South Florida, where he is responsible for technologies and digital transformation efforts. In this role, he has line responsibility for the Technology and Digital Division and oversees all technology and digital products supporting Baptist Health.

In this conversation Tony and I discuss how to become a great leader, the intricacies of delegation, the power of reading, and the mindset and strategies that help you as an executive leader.

Books mentioned during the episode:

• Leadership in Turbulent Times by Kearns Goodwin

• The Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Igers

• Website for reading list: https://www.librarything.com/profile/tambrozie

Make sure to connect with Tony on LinkedIn

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Before joining Baptist, Tony served as Senior Vice President, Technology and Digital at The Walt Disney Company. In this role, he was responsible for a number of digital and core systems and technologies, engineering, data analytics and machine learning for Disney Parks, Consumer Products, Games and Publishing.

Prior to joining Disney in 2013, Tony was Vice President for Digital Platform Technologies at American Express where he was responsible for platform engineering, shared services development and application security, with previous roles focused on application architecture, development, engineering and performance.

He is a proven leader in the technology and digital space with a keen focus on using technology and data to enhance the consumer experience. Prior to spending the past two decades focused on large business operations, he launched his technology career as the cofounder of a software development startup, specializing in building unique, small business applications.

He holds a dual MBA and Master’s Degree in Information Management from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

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

Elly Perets, joined as CEO of Asterra, a technology by Utilis in 2015. Previously, he founded Progressive Labs and served as the CEO, providing an innovative SAAS-based software solution for retailers worldwide.

In this conversation, Elly, and I discuss how to build a culture of innovation and prioritization, the gift of boredom, and the importance of saying no in order to say yes.

Find out more about Asterra at https://asterra.io/ and connect with Elly on LinkedIn.

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Elly also previously served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Pageflex Inc., a US-based company, operating from Marlborough MA, providing web-based branding, documenting compassion engines, and campaign management solutions.

He has a vast knowledge in the Theory of Constraints having served as a consultant at the Goldratt Group. Prior to that, Elly served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Press-sense Ltd., a web-based software management systems provider.

Elly holds a Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, The Wharton School and the School of Engineering & Applied Science as well as a Law degree (L.L.B) and a Business degree from the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzlia, Israel.

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

Cordell Bennigson, is an experienced leader with a diverse background spanning public and private companies, large and small businesses, for profit and not-for-profit organizations, and military and private sector careers. He is currently a leadership instructor with Echelon Front and an independent coach and advisor for executives and teams.

In this conversation, Cordell and I discuss how change is a constant, and leadership is more about building trust and empowering others through the unknown than it is about doing or specific technical expertise.

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Prior to Echelon front Cordell was the CEO of Capco, LLC., a privately held middle-market engineering, design, and manufacturing company serving the Department of Defense, Law Enforcement, and Aerospace customers, and the President and CEO of Durcon Inc. - the world’s largest manufacturer of epoxy-resin work surfaces for use in laboratories. The business was acquired by Wilsonart International in 2013.

Prior to his work in the private sector, Cordell served for nine years as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He flew AV-8B Harrier jets and achieved the rank of Major. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his work as a Forward-Air Controller planning, coordinating, and conducting the air campaign for the Marine Corps as a member of General Mattis’s staff with the First Marine Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Out of high school, Cordell was recruited for crew to the University of California at Berkeley where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School and completed the Developing a Leading-Edge Operations Strategy Executive Program at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Business. He was born and raised in Boston, lived and studied in Europe, and has traveled extensively throughout Asia, Central America, and Russia.

In addition to serving on the boards of Capco and Durcon, Cordell was a member of the board of Dulce Vida Spirits, was a founding board member of the Austin Regional Manufactures Association, served two terms on the board for the Taylor Economic Development Corporation, and was a member of the Young Presidents Organization.

Cordell and his wife Jennifer have been married for twenty-six years. They live in Austin, Texas and have three children, Rylan (21), Cavan (19), and Taya (15). Cavan and Rylan both currently attend the University of Texas at Austin.

His top hobby is personal fitness which often takes the form of running, cycling, weight training, yoga, and hiking. He has an interest in the arts and entertainment and is an Associate Producer of an independent film currently in production in Houston, Texas. In the summers, he and his family enjoy escaping the Texas heat to spend time on the lake at their family home in Damariscotta, Maine.

Reach out and connect to Cordell at cordellbennigson@gmail.com

Find out more at http://www.cordellbennigson.com/

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Doug Bouton is the cofounder of Halo Top, the iconic low-calorie ice cream brand that grew to more than $300 million in sales and became the #1 selling ice cream in the United States, outselling the likes of Ben & Jerry’s, Haagen-Dazs, and Breyers.

Halo Top sold its business in September 2019, after which Doug spun out Halo Top’s international operations into Halo Top International where he currently serves as CEO. Halo Top is sold in more than 30 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Chile, Russia, Korea, and China.

In 2021, Doug launched Gatsby Chocolate, the first-ever and only low-calorie chocolate brand that’s positioned to disrupt the chocolate and confectionery category much like Halo Top disrupted the ice cream category. Doug studied mathematics and theology in college and, after graduating, he attended law school where he received his law degree.

In this conversation, Doug and I discuss how to embed values within an organization, and how continuous learning and self-awareness is the foundation of success.

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

Nirit Harel, A veteran of the Israeli start-up environment with 20+ years of turnaround, marketing, and management experience positioning ventures for growth, public offering, and acquisition, including MRV Communications which subsequently reached a valuation of $5B+ (NASDAQ MRVC).

Nirit has extensive experience negotiating partnerships with world leaders in the European Framework Program/ Horizon 2020, winning and managing multi-year European Commission technology development bids for the world's most established and promising innovators.

Nirit serves as Chair of Intergam Communications Ltd, one of Israel's most respected tech innovation and EC development consultancies. She serves as global Chair of the YPO Entrepreneurship & Innovation Network, was most recently selected as a regional honoree of the prestigious YPO Hickok Distinguished Service Award, and is the recipient of the organization’s most innovative event award.

Ms. Harel is a frequent speaker on women's leadership and entrepreneurship, Israeli innovation and triple bottom line.

In this conversation, Nirit and I discuss the balance of being kind over being right, and the importance of learning in regards to leadership.

To learn more about Nirit Harel with Impact Manhattan, connect, or support Nirit's journey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niritharel/

Tinia Pina began her career in sustainability as a former student pursuing a Masters of Science degree at Columbia University prior to becoming the CEO and Founder of Re-Nuble, Inc., an agricultural technology company headquartered in New York City. As a strong advocate for sustainable waste management and regenerative agriculture, she has been involved in management and business development roles within the sustainability industry for at least ten years.

In this conversation, Tinia and I discuss how emotional intelligence is the driver and key to impactful leadership.

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

Paul Smith is the founder of Twelve Rivers and Rise Title. He grew up in New England and made a 4-year pit stop at Fort Hood before making his way down to Austin. The Army instilled in Paul many of the core values that he lives by today including honesty, integrity, and an unparalleled work ethic. Austin afforded him the opportunity to turn his passion into a career and he co-founded Twelve Rivers Realty in 2011. This year he was a Platinum Top 50 centurion and ABJ Top 25 winner.

Paul is also involved with a variety of organizations throughout Austin. He’s an ambassador for local charities including LifeWorks, Habitat for Humanity, Hope Gallery and Explore Austin. He utilizes his relationships to champion the success of such organizations. In 2019 alone, the combined efforts of himself and both his companies, Twelve Rivers and Rise Title, donated over $50,000 of charitable contributions.

Paul is a proud father and devoted husband. He enjoys spending quality time with his family exploring the endless offerings of life in Austin, TX.

In this conversation, Paul and I discuss how to engage and retain talent while also cultivating excellence throughout an organization.

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

Daniel Nicholson is the CEO of NadaMoo!, a plant-based ice cream brand based in Austin, Texas.

Daniel discovered NadaMoo!, for himself, in 2008 after an introduction he received to the founder and her CFO business partner. Since immediately falling in love with the product and brand, NadaMoo! has become his sole focus for the past 13+ years.

He started as the Controller, and after 3 years of this accounting, operations related work, the founder of the company was ready to step out to pursue other opportunities. In that moment, after much thought and reflection, Daniel decided to step into the role of President & CEO, and he never looked back.

Since 2011, the company has grown its revenue over 50x, from being distributed in just a few hundred stores to now when it is in over 10,000 stores nationwide, and it is beginning to be distributed more widely in Canada. NadaMoo! has been the driving force, for Daniel, to help build awareness around health, wellness, and sustainability. These are the problems he and the NadaMoo! team want to continue to solve.

In this conversation, Daniel and I discuss the key to growing as an authentic leader, the meaning of success, and how to create balance throughout the demands of being an executive.

Connect on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

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

Christine Mei is the CEO of Gathered Foods, makers of Good Catch®, a chef-driven revolutionary food company developing flavorful, 100% plant-based seafood alternatives.

She is a global leader with extensive consumer goods experience - based in the US, China, and Hong Kong - with roles in general management, marketing, strategy, sales, and operations. Christine has held various leadership positions at the global, regional, and local levels across Beiersdorf, Royal Philips, The Coca-Cola Company, The Dow Chemical Company, Nike and Procter & Gamble.

Most recently, Christine has been an investor and mentor for SKU, a CPG accelerator based in Austin TX, and also serves on the Board of Directors for Naturally Austin. She holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas and an MBA from Rice University.

In this conversation, Christine and I discuss the critical importance of developing a leadership legacy, how true leadership develops through difficult times, and how we need to find opportunities to think outside of the day to day.

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

Rodney Northern is a Managing Partner at the Nucleus Group, CTO at the Behavioral Science Lab, and faculty member at the University of Texas, McCombs School of Business where he lectures and coaches in the curriculum of Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

He has been a corporate executive for over two decades specializing in brand marketing, business/product innovation and human centered design for many of today’s leading CPG organizations.

Through his innovative business approach, market insights and organizational leadership he has led to the development of over $15 billion in sustainable retail sales and services that continue to grow today. As a consultant, he has partnered to helped clients in over 50 different industries including but not limited to; mass market retailers, telecommunications, fast food, automotive, education, the airline industry, banking, adult beverages, consumer packaged goods, retail, cosmetics, nonprofits, health care, wellness beverages and many others. He has also led turnaround work for both profit and not for profit businesses.

In this conversation, Rodney and I discuss the critical importance of leading like an entrepreneur, being authentic and creating an environment for others to be authentic, believing that it will work out, and trusting yourself when making career decisions..

Resources [Books] mentioned:

• Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness

• Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works

• Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services Customers Want

• The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World

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

Shermin Kruse is an executive, attorney, consultant, author, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law adjunct professor, TED talk producer garnering millions of views, and thought leader with a long history of civic engagement.

Shermin is the founder and CEO of My Reality Cubed, providing organizational and management consulting; leadership, diversity, and inclusion training; stoic tactical empathy training; as well as executive coaching services to top level executives. She is also the interim CEO of Innovation80, a new Donor Advised Fund distributing over a dozen five figure grants to, and coalition building between, arts organizations in Chicago’s under-served communities.

Ms. Kruse was recently named as the 2018 Woman Extraordinaire by the International Women Associates, featured by various global publications for her humanitarian work. She was named one of the nation’s top 100 “Women to Watch” by BizWomen Magazine, one of Chicago’s most influential women by Chicago Business Journal, and one of Chicago’s Women of Inspiration by Today’s Chicago Magazine.

In this conversation, Shermin and I discuss the importance of building lasting relationships, continuous learning and growth, tactical empathy and negotiation, leading with curiosity, and the meaning of success. Make sure to connect with her on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

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

Charlotte A. Lee is the Managing Consultant, SVP and ICEO Advisor in the New York office of Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH), the world’s largest outplacement firm, with 300 offices in 67 countries, and has been awarded the Firm’s Global Coach of the Year Award for “Exceptional Consulting/Coaching Performance.,” the Firm’s Superstar award for the number one coach in the Northeast, and was selected to join the Northeast Leadership Council.

Ms. Lee is also the author of “Bring a Dead Mouse: The Secret to Finding Your Perfect Job,” which has garnered five stars on Amazon as well as a children’s book, “Where Are You Moon?”

In this conversation, Charlotte and I discuss the critical importance of remembering names, authentic leadership, role models, and the power of community and your network.

Resources [Books] mentioned:

• Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence

• What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful

• Never Eat Alone

• Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships in a Hyper-Connected World

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

What does it mean to be a leader? The Executive podcast highlights the career journeys, struggles, successes, and day to day experiences of leaders. Your host Dr. Benjamin Ritter brings over 10 years of experience as a leadership and career coach, L&D consultant, healthcare executive, and international speaker focused on guiding others in finding, creating, and sustaining a career they love.