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TLD Podcast
The Leadership Drives (TLD) podcast hits the road to meet leaders from all walks of life & industry to hear the story of their leadership journey. We explore the complexities of leadership with leaders who have found alignment between their personal values & professional goals. TLD invites leaders to share their perspectives insights into how they build great teams & deal with challenges and conflict. Our goal is to learn how leaders develop the confidence and work/life alignment that solidifies their effectiveness & leadership style.
The Leadership Drives Podcast
If you were blindfolded and eavesdropping on a conversation among a jail warden, a social worker, and a chaplain, do you think you could tell which speaker was the jail warden? If Warden Karen Taylor was one of the speakers, I don’t think you could. Warden Taylor is a career corrections professional with more than 26 years of experience, and she is focused on corrections rather than punishment. Her efforts to address the root causes of recidivism has set her on a path to figuring out how to make sure that people who are jailed in her county get what they need so that they don’t come back. As you listen to this leadership drive, you’ll hear why leaders from the Biden Administration and White House wanted to know so badly what she’s doing and how she’s doing it that they paid her a visit.
If you were blindfolded and eavesdropping on a conversation among a jail warden, a social worker, and a chaplain, do you think you could tell which speaker was the jail warden? If Warden Karen Taylor was one of the speakers, I don’t think you could. Warden Taylor is a career corrections professional with more than 26 years of experience, and she is focused on corrections rather than punishment. Her efforts to address the root causes of recidivism has set her on a path to figuring out how to make sure that people who are jailed in her county get what they need so that they don’t come back. As you listen to this leadership drive, you’ll hear why leaders from the Biden Administration and White House wanted to know so badly what she’s doing and how that they paid her a visit.
When you think about the people who are leaders in law enforcement and correctional institutions, is love the first thing that comes to mind? If you answered no, you would not be alone! Nevertheless, it is through the lens of love and compassion that Cyn Link viewed her work. Over the course of a career spanning more than 25 years, going from corrections officer to superintendent, she came to believe the human connection with their people is a leader’s core obligation and perhaps the foundation of their legacy. As you listen to this leadership drive, consider whether you think it is possible to effectively lead people without love.
Would churches be better managed if pastors saw themselves as CEOs running businesses? How would churches be different if the members debated and chose specific values instead of simply agreeing to the broad language of their doctrine or denomination? Well, Rev. Dr. Hunt does see himself as a CEO of a medium-sized business and he has pushed his Baltimore congregation to adopt specific values. As you listen to how he leads his church and the results that he’s gotten, consider whether you think such structure is appropriate for a religious institution.
When you think about urban centers and images of violence that are often used to describe those communities, do you ever wonder, “Why are they harming each other? Why do those communities struggle so much?” Frankly, if you’ve never asked the question, you are odd person out!
Dr. Nadine Finigan Carr has taken questions like these to heart and has dedicated her career to understanding the causes of and remedies for violence in urban communities.
She is lending her expertise to the City of Baltimore as the University of Maryland at B’more’s inaugural director of the Center for Violence Prevention.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/finigancarr/
https://www.umaryland.edu/violence-prevention/executive-director.php
How many people begin their careers set on a particular direction and ultimately pivot because their soul finds its sweet spot? How many people do you know who accept that moving across the country, multiple times, is the only way they’re going to get to do the work that they really want to do? Mark has crisscrossed the country in pursuit of personal and professional happiness and has landed in the role that he’s spent the last decade positioning himself for. As you reflect on your career and other weighty decisions you’ve made, are you clear about what you want and what is driving you? Are you willing to pivot to get to your sweet spot?
https://www.markanthonythomas.com/
The Greater Baltimore Committee
Marcus Allen, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Independence Region located in Center City Philadelphia shared his journey with us! As he has grown, so has the organization. Could it be that the more self-aware a leader is, the more successful their team is? Moreover, Marcus’ transparency about how he manages his board and internal operations gives valuable insights into how a leader must balance charisma, strategy, and authority so that their teams actually gets to do the work of advancing the mission of their organization.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-allen-a4860231/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/independencebigs/
Is the internalized oppression that leaves many African Americans seeing themselves as small greater than societal and systemic oppression? Do Black people who come to the US from other countries have different experiences because they come from cultures and countries where their Blackness is centered? JerriAnne Boggis, shares her experiences of owning her place in the world, as a Jamaican who has lived in New Hampshire for the last 30-plus years, and as the Executive Director of the Black Heritage Trail. Her team works to raise awareness of the historical contributions of Blacks in New Hampshire so that we might learn the answer to, “How would our world and our individual perspectives be different if each of us felt that we belonged?”
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrianne-boggis-7b88a613/ https://blackheritagetrailnh.org/about-us/our-team/
Have you ever wondered, “What would our organizations be like if leaders lived their values even when they knew their perspective was unpopular and might come at a cost?” In a world where many people are worried about cancel culture, the Rt Rev Dr. Shannon-MacVean Brown is a remarkable in her boldness about how she sees herself, what God has called her to do and what it means for her to lead the Episcopal Church of Vermont as a Black woman. As you listen, can you imagine what our organizations would be like if there were more leaders like the Rt Rev Dr. Bishop? https://diovermont.org/the-rt-rev-shannon-macvean-brown-bishop-of-vermont/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-macvean-brown-d-min-3817622b/
Have you ever thought, “I don’t know what it means to build an inclusive team”? On the other hand, have you ever been at work and said to yourself, “I’m just going to play it safe and get through this?” If these sound familiar, Audra Bohannon is here to tell you that you do know how to build that team and that you might get by playing it safe, but you are also playing it small. Audra’s years of experience as a leader, strategist and DEI expert, along with her comfortably elegant vibe, have made her precisely the kind of coach and facilitator whose expertise is highly sought after. Her leadership calling card is her ability to help her clients envision and go after higher and better versions of themselves. What is your leadership hallmark? https://www.linkedin.com/in/audra-bohannon/
What does the leader of the organization do when feelings of overwhelm begin setting in? If you don’t know, you might want to ask Christine Lloyd-Newberry. When many leaders are sheepishly asking, “How many pieces are in the box?”, Christine is excited about the puzzle-making of being executive director. She is passionate about the work and honest about the challenges she faces. Her story is a gift to the leader who feels like they are expected to promise the world and build Rome in a day. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-lloyd-newberry-92687427/ https://www.saraholbrookcc.org/
How do you balance being inclusive and also believing everything isn’t for everybody? Can you be part of an organization that focuses on the needs on a particular group and be a part of a group that aims to meet the needs of everybody without betraying either group or hypocrisy? LaNeshe Miller-White shares with us how she does just that as she leads Theater in the X, a Philadelphia Theater Company, that centers the Black experience while she also leads Theater Philadelphia, a regional organization whose mission is to support all theater groups. Can you own your values as clearly as LaNeshe has owned hers? https://www.linkedin.com/in/laneshem/https://theatrephiladelphia.org/http://www.theatreinthex.com/
Please note that we used the term “hearing impaired” during this conversation. We realize that “deaf” or “hard of hearing” would have been more affirming language. We ask for grace as you listen.
Thank you.
Can you have a healthy relationship (whether as a family member, romantic partnership, a coworker, or just a friendship), with someone who uses drugs? I used to answer this question with my personal/family experiences front and center in my mind. After my interview with Carla, I still do; however, my perspective has changed.
Can Carla change your mind?
Carla Sofronski, Co-founder, Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Network –
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-sofronski-1a2b74203/ Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Network –
https://www.pahrn.org/
What happens when you find yourself on a career path that you know you don’t want to be on, but you don’t know what’s next either?
Instead of fretting, Jason took a risk on a job that offered him an opportunity to do work he never dreamed of doing. That decision changed the trajectory of his life and has led him to a career and business that allows him to help people live better lives by helping them to save their homes.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonzavala56/
What makes a professional woman who is a wife, mother, and career social worker walk away from every aspect of her life, except her children, to start over? What makes such a woman a highly sought after therapist for men?
Dr. Alonda Alloway did just and is just that!
She gives us a glimpse into the work she put in to take her life and career off the path that everybody else thought she should be on in order to be true to who she is and always has been.
Do you have the courage to be who you are and accept the challenges and risks that come along with you?
Is the work toward peace of mind worth disrupting the ease of monotony?
https://therapyforblackmen.org/therapists/alonda-alloway/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/alonda-alloway-sterling-va/355633 https://www.linkedin.com/in/alonda-alloway-phd-lcsw-4696632/
How much longer will you walk down the path that isn’t making you happy before you decide to do something different and take control of your life? Michelle and Kenya give us a taste of the labor and emotional work it takes to reorient their lives so that they can spend more and more of their time on what matters to them. Are you willing to devise a plan to get to peace and happiness, even if it requires work? https://www.outdoorjournaltour.com/about/ https://www.instagram.com/outdoorjournaltour/ https://www.facebook.com/outdoorjournaltour/ https://www.bomaxranchandretreat.com/home
Where’s the beef? Robert Burns, the leader of one of the largest foundations in the US shares the connection between his work and growing up on a cattle farm in the south. Whether we realize it or not, what we believe about people and life in general shows up in how we live and live. If you look back over your life, can you clearly see how you became who you are? https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertbburns/ https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/about-us/staff/robert-burns
Is perpetual resistance a sign that your vision won’t come to pass or a test of your commitment? In the face of a daunting task, this soul easily answers the question, “Is it worth saving?”
https://twitter.com/joymd76 https://www.instagram.com/joycelyndvs/ https://dignityjustified.com/joycelyn
Do you have what it takes to lead in the face of hostility, rejection, and limited resources? Do you know when to keep fighting and when to throw in the towel? One woman’s conviction to do the work she’s called to do, no matter what. https://montgomeryselmadistrict.org/presiding-elder
Just because you love what you do, it doesn’t mean that work is a breeze: how one leader follows her passion, takes on its challenges, and avoids burnout. Ashley Rogers – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-rogers-6955007a/ Whitney Plantation – https://twitter.com/WhitPlantation
The journey to powerful leadership begins with insisting on personal authenticity, even when there’s tremendous pressure to do it like everybody else does it. https://www.ninthamechurch.org/supervisor-seawright
Mylena’s colleague and friend asks what everybody wants to know: why did you create The Leadership Drives podcast? https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindasdonio/
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