Mark shares candidly about his initial foray into the finance sector, where he navigated the complexities of loan workouts and gleaned invaluable lessons from corporate failures. 

His experiences in the banking world set the stage for a career characterized by rapid growth, innovative thinking, and a relentless pursuit of efficiency within organizations.

Mark's narrative is one of constant evolution and the pursuit of innovation. 

He recounts his transition from traditional roles into entrepreneurship, driven by a desire to challenge the status quo and implement meaningful changes. 

His ventures into technology and software development were fueled by a passion for enhancing organizational effectiveness, leading to the creation of 90. 

The platform epitomizes Mark's dedication to fostering structured business practices and disciplines, drawing on his extensive insights into business operations and strategy.

As two people deeply invested in the intricacies of business and leadership, we found Mark's experiences and the development of 90 incredibly enlightening, underscoring the significance of structured systems in achieving business excellence.

In this episode of the Leadership Backstory, Jordan shares his journey of building and growing EV Connect, which was ultimately acquired by Schneider Electric. 

With a focus on giving back and supporting climate entrepreneurs, Jordan looks to leverage his experiences and knowledge to positively impact the fight against climate change.

We learned a lot, and we know you will, too, so let’s get started!

During our conversation, Erica discussed:

• the concept of personal branding and the importance of approaching it as "powering your platform." She emphasizes the need to lead with authenticity and creating an online persona that reflects one's true self rather than conforming to a specific brand or image.
• building relationships and connecting with others on a personal level, as well as shifting the focus from transactions to meaningful connections. She also talks about the balance between sharing personal stories and providing value to the audience, promoting the idea of being true to oneself while still delivering valuable content.
• And much more…

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will, too.

So let's get started!

Connect with Erica Schneider:

https://poweryourplatform.carrd.co/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-schneider66/

https://twitter.com/ericasmyname

Subscribe to the Leadership Backstory!

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From the halls of Duke to the corridors of the Clinton administration and steering Paul Quinn College through its toughest times, President Michael Sorrell embodies transformative leadership. Drawing from invaluable family lessons, he's not just redefining success — he's gearing up to change the future of higher education. Listen to a journey that's only just begun.

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will, too.

So let's get started!

Connect with Michael Sorrell:

https://paulquinn.edu/

https://twitter.com/michaelsorrell

Subscribe to the Leadership Backstory!

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Excited to solve the college admission puzzle as a teen, Luke pursued his passion as a student at Carnegie Mellon University before founding Niche, a leading school and college resource for students and parents.

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will, too.

So, let's get started!

Connect with Luke Skurman:

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

https://www.niche.com/

Subscribe to the Leadership Backstory!

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My good friend Christine Chapman had me on her pod, The Zero Hour Podcast, which she co-hosts with Marc Fierz, to share the catalyst moment that sent me on my path.

It was a ton of fun reflecting and connecting dots, and I hope you enjoy the story. 

It should offer insight into why we host the Leadership Backstory and why I’ve dedicated my career to serving schools.

Before we get started, please visit Christine’s site to subscribe to The Zero Hour. 

You’ll find it at thezerohourpodcast.com.

Enjoy the episode!

Subscribe to the Leadership Backstory!

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Passionate about teams, talent, and culture, as well as the redefinition of brands in categories, Doug shares leadership lessons learned from his father all the way to his recent 11-year tenure as the VP & Chief Marketing Officer at Pearle Vision.

Doug’s list of accomplishments is long and impressive. 

- Brandweek’s Marketer of The Next Generation

- Entrepreneur Gamechanger Franchise CMO 2023

- Crain’s NY Notables in Marketing & Advertising 

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started!

Connect with Doug Zarkin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougzarkin/

Andy walks us down his leadership path from selling t-shirts in college to a career in the pharmaceutical industry to founding three successful start-ups, including the vegan meal kit company Purple Carrot and his new company, Brightly Ventures, which creates value at the intersection of food recovery and climate change.

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started!

Visit Brightly: https://www.justbrightly.com/

Cay shares her journey in sports management. From climbing the ranks for the LA Spark to her current role as VP, Head of Revenue for the Washington Spirit. There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started!

Shripriya's traveled a fascinating path from management consulting to graduate school to a distinguished career in tech that included a time at eBay (where today she sits on their board) to a career in film. 

Today she's the General Partner at Spero Ventures, where they "invest in technology companies that are driven to deliver value to shareholders and society."

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started!

Spero Ventures: https://spero.vc/

Shripriya Mahesh’s personal site: https://shripriya.com/

From the Peace Corps to Microsoft to business school to Adidas, Kathy's career journey fed a passion for helping leaders harness business as a force for good. Today she leads Kathy Varol Consulting, focusing on working with organizations to embed “purpose into their company in order to transform their culture, their business, and the world.”

She also hosts the popular Purpose and Profit Podcast, “sharing the stories of business visionaries who are intentionally establishing a purpose beyond profit.” 

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started!

More about Kathy Varol:

Purpose and Profit Podcast: https://kathyvarol.com/podcasts/

Kathy Varol Consulting: https://kathyvarol.com/

We learn about his journey from music, to teaching and administrating, to founding a consultancy that’s partnered with over 500 organizations across numerous sectors to deepen D&I capacity; enhance inclusion and engagement; attract, hire, and retain the best talent; and design strategy to maximize business and education goals.

Many leadership lessons are packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

Learn more about Dr. Derrick Gay.

Growing up in Buffalo, embracing leadership roles in high school and college set the foundation for a career that took him to Deloitte Consulting, Uber, Atomic, and Harvard Business School, where he and his co-founders started Tango – a Chrome extension that takes the pain out of documenting processes by automatically generating how-to guides while you work. Ken is Tango's CEO.

Many leadership lessons are packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

Growing up in Connecticut, attending an independent school, and moving to new parts of the country for college and law school all shaped her career and leadership philosophy and led her to a distinguished career working with thousands of schools as an association executive. Now she's been named President-elect for the National Association of Independent Schools.

Many leadership lessons are packed into this episode (including the importance of a personal board of directors!).

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

Christine retraces her journey from the fashion world to executive marketing roles at leading health-related brands like Fitbit and Headspace Health.

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too!

Visit Headspace Health to learn how they’re transforming mental healthcare: https://www.headspacehealth.com/

And please subscribe to the Leadership Backstory from your favorite podcast app!

Website

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Learn about Jason's career in education and how it propelled him to found Harkness.ai as a platform to empower everyone to meaningfully contribute their voice at work, in school, or in any other group.

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

Visit https://harkness.ai/ to learn more about how Harkness.ai empowers people to make data-driven decisions that fuel individual & team growth.

And please subscribe to the Leadership Backstory from your favorite podcast app!

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Seth shares his career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

We learn how a career start in broadcast news set him on a path to working for some of the biggest brands in higher education. 

From UCLA to SNHU to Helix Marketing to National University— each made him a better leader and prepared him to found and lead Kanahoma. 

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

Ernest shares his career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

We learn what it was like to immigrate to the United States as a teen and how his career started in teaching, then pivoted to software development before landing him as the CEO of a software consulting company.

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

We learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

Vanessa shares her career journey on this episode of the Leadership Backstory.

Her story is fascinating, from building a successful business out of college to acquisition to starting a subsidiary to the top spot at ZeeMee. 

There are lots of leadership lessons packed into this episode.

Brendan & I learned a lot, and we know you will too.

So let's get started.

Ahad's the CEO of Kajabi, a platform that helps creators build knowledge into income.

"Linearity is boring."

Ahad Khan's non-linear career path energized his leadership philosophy, guiding him to become CEO of Kajabi, a platform that helps creators build knowledge into income.

Listen to episode one of the Leadership Backstory to hear how each stop on Ahad's winding career path shaped how he leads today.

Why taking a non-linear path matters:

Varied experiences and roles. Success and failure. Small startups, large companies. Each played a part in Ahad's career, stitching together a fascinating career tapestry. Take these two:

• Ahad experienced the highs of a fast-rising mobile gaming startup that lost momentum, ultimately teaching him the importance of creating a product-forward business.
• Ahad joined another startup that solved a distinct challenge that resonated with his mid-western roots. This one ended differently with an acquisition by one of the largest companies in the world! There he learned the power of communicating with clarity and simplicity.

Many more lessons to absorb from his career, some of which may help you on your journey.

Your hosts, Peter Baron and Brendan Schneider, have long been fascinated by how executives rise to the top and why they become successful at their jobs.

• Did a defining moment in their career put them on a path to the top office?
• How did they cultivate and nurture a leadership philosophy that delivered success?
• Would they take the same career path if they could do it all over again?

These questions and many more offer a peek into the amazing stories of great leaders.

And, most importantly, offer inspiration for your leadership journey!