FUEL Podcast

Looking for guests (senior leaders in tech, professional services and small business)

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Latest Episodes

Transforming How Underserved Communities Access Jobs in Tech — with William A. Adams, Technical Advisor to CTO at Microsoft

Brief Summary:

Our podcast guest for this episode is William A. Adams, Technical Advisor to CTO at Microsoft. William shared a story of the impact of being the only black person at Microsoft for at least 15 years, and the moment he realized there was something specific he was called to do and how that vision took conviction and perseverance to see it through.

Key insights from this episode:

(04:07) William tells us who he is and what he cares about
(06:13) William explains how he began to tackle the diversity pipeline and hiring issue at Microsoft
(08:03) What is the Microsoft LEAD program, and how was it imagined and developed?
(12:14) William explains a few of the challenges he faced while implementing an increase in diversity to Microsoft's workforce, and what he learned from these obstacles.
(15:16) How he made sure his diversity program get financial longevity.
(17:55) William shares one of the primary factors at play that helped him influence others in his role as a change-agent at Microsoft.
(18:56) William shares his process wrestling through the question, "why do I have to be the one to lead and pay the price for this big change project?", and how that drove his personal motivation to persevere, despite arrows in his back.
(22:09) William shares more of his back story and why his 'fuel' is meaningful to him.
(26:00) William crystalizes the impact he wants to make through his work.
(28:24) William explains a term he coined, 'tequity.’
(35:36) William shares his mindset in going into a big change and how it may reflect on him afterwards.
(37:57) William shares the most rewarding part of the programs he's built and their impact in the world.
(39:17) William shares where you can learn more about his work.
(40:03) William shares how he likes to unwind after work.

Links mentioned on this episode:

Website - William-A-Adams.com

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Read the full transcript of this episode.

Changing the Perception of Success: You CAN do good for the world and make money at it. --with Dr. AnnMaria De Mars

Brief Summary:

Our podcast guest for this episode is Dr. AnnMaria De Mars. She's currently president of 7 Generation Games, making educational games and the tools to make them. Also she's a seventh degree black belt in Judo and the first American to win the world championship, giving her more right than anyone else on earth to call herself a ‘coding ninja’.

In our conversation today, Dr. De Mars and I discuss being a minority in tech; the little known benefits of working with family members; and this idea of being financially successful in your business while doing good in the world.

Key insights from this episode:

(at 3:56) Dr. De Mars shares how she went from Judo to a completely different world in gaming.
(at 8:35) Leila and Dr. De Mars discuss about finding a career path and getting derailed.
(at 12:16) Dr. Ann Maria shares what fuels her in pursuing her business.
(at 15:42) Leila asks, “What do you think has been most surprising to you in terms of this perception about doing good and being paid fairly to do so?”
(at 20:44) Dr. AnnMaria tells us what it’s like working with family members, its highs and lows.

Links mentioned on this episode:

Website - 7GenerationGames.com
IG -@annmaria7gen
Twitter- @annmariastat

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* Checklist for Holding Engaging Team Meeting
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Read the full transcript of this episode.

Staying True to Your Core Values in Business —with Scott Levine

Brief Summary:

Our podcast guest for this episode is Scott Levine, Founder of AEGIS Law, a non-traditional corporate M&A and ventured law firm based in St. Louis, Missouri. Scott shares the story about realizing his legal business model needed to change beyond the traditional one and how his personal evolution spurred on a decision that would translate into the 10x growth of AEGIS Law. A strikingly unique story in an industry, not known for innovation.

Key insights from this episode:

(at 4:07) Scott explains what he means by “I had a nice business, but a really crappy job.”
(at 8:19) How Scott’s shift in strategy led to more growth and a better bottom line.
(at 15:00) Scott’s view on core values and what they have to do with business.
(at 18:48) Biggest lesson Scott learned during the Covid epidemic.
(at 20:41) Scott shares his source of motivation.
(at 34:05) Where to learn more about Scott Levine.

Links mentioned on this episode:

AEGIS LAW Website - AegisLaw.com
Scott’s entrepreneur organization - eonetwork.org

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* Checklist for Holding Engaging Team Meeting
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Read the full transcript of this episode.

When a Seizure Gets Your Attention with Dr. Bonnie Wilson, President and Founder of Xceeding the Mark Executive Coaching and Consulting

Brief Summary:

Our podcast guest for this episode is Dr. Bonnie Wilson, President & Founder of Xceeding the Mark Executive Coaching and Consulting. Bonnie shared how a seizure got her attention and how every professional can learn to align their daily choices with their own values. Listen in to our conversation.

Key insights from this episode:

(at 2:27) Bonnie shares her professional background and how she started as ER nurse to owning her own executive coaching company.
(at 7:38) Bonnie tells the story of when she had a seizure and multiple surgeries and how those experiences became a wake up call for her.
(at 10:23) Bonnie talks about her ‘fuel’ that had helped her overcome the challenges in her career.
(at 11:36) Leila and Bonnie discuss how high achieving individuals tend to overwork to the point of exhaustion and burnout, and ways to take a few steps back and recover.

Links mentioned on this episode:

Xceeding the Mark Website - xceedingthemark.com
Dr. Bonnie on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-bonnie-wilson-38472232/

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* Discover your unique Leadership Style with our free quiz
* Checklist for Holding Engaging Team Meeting
* Build Your Influence Checklist

Watch live video interview.
Read the full transcript of this episode.

Surviving a StartUp Amidst the Pandemic Through Effective Leadership with Tanya Vucetic, CEO of Blockforms

Brief Summary:

Our podcast guest for this episode is Tanya Vucetic, CEO of Blockforms. Listen in as Tanya shares her startup journey, and how her company began from zero traction to now gaining national traction in the midst of global pandemic.

Key insights from this episode:

(at 2:57) Tanya shares her love for travel and why she decided to move to Hong Kong.
(at 6:52) Tanya tells the story of how her company Blockforms started and how the pandemic had changed their narrative.
(at 12:58) Tanya talks about her ‘fuel’ is getting through the obstacles of running a startup amidst the pandemic.
(at 13:41) Leila and Tanya discuss how less women pursue math and science careers and Tanya’s viewpoint of math being feminine. Tanya also shares her style of leadership and it’s implications.

Links mentioned on this episode:
Blockforms Website - https://blockforms.co/
Fundraising- https://invest.microventures.com/offerings/blockforms
Tanya on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-vucetic/

DOWNLOAD THESE FREE RESOURCES ⬇️

* Discover your unique Leadership Style with our free quiz
* Checklist for Holding Engaging Team Meeting
* Build Your Influence Checklist

Watch live video interview.
Read the full transcript of this episode.

Being a Champion for Diversity and Inclusion — with Amy Huang, Director of Onsite Technical Support at Marsh McLennan

Brief Summary:

Our podcast guest for this episode is Amy Huang who serves as Director of Onsite Technical Support at Marsh McLennan. Listen in as Amy, who is a champion for diversity and inclusion, discussed on this episode how someone can be supportive and lean into creating an inclusive environment at work, specifically around the LGBTQ community.

Key insights from this episode:

(at 3:28) Amy shares her fuel
(at 7:28) Amy talks about how intersectionality plays out in her life
(at 14:07) Amy offers advice on how we can create a sense of belonging with someone who seems so different than us
(at 20:16) Leila and Amy discuss how someone can be supportive and lean into creating an inclusive environment at work, specifically around the LGBTQ community
(at 23:26) How a genuine apology can take you far when you put your foot in your mouth unknowingly

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*Leadership Quiz
*Checklist for Holding Engaging Team Meeting
*Build Your Influence Checklist

Watch live video interview.
Read the full transcript of this episode.

Recovering from Burnout —with Jen Leech, President, COO and Co Founder at Truss

Brief summary:

On this episode, I get to speak with the COO of Truss. Jen leech, a software engineer with experience at nearly every level of the stack. During this interview, Jen gives us a behind the scenes look at how burnout showed up for her a few years ago, and what she's discovered that allows her to be strategic about managing it since then.

Key insights from this episode:

(at 09:10) Jen notices the first signs of burnout
(at 13:11) Jen and Leila discuss the challenges of identifying burnout symptoms in yourself, especially if you’re driven by data
(at 15:06) Jen’s strategy in looking for solutions to the burnout she identified
(at 18:09) Jen explains the surprising result she experienced when facilitating her body to focus on parasympathetic functions
(at 21:35) Jen explains how she managed to get at least one of these activities in her schedule daily
(at 23:37) The contrast between types of activities that help when you are burned out vs managing a normal stress load
(at 24:32) How long it took Jen to feel ‘recovered’ from burnout
(at 25:56) Jen turns the idea of “drive” on its head as she relates it to what she experienced as a founder and successful leader in business
(at 32:12) Signs that you might be experiencing burnout
(at 38:48) A perspective change that can come with your morning coffee

RESOURCES & SOCIAL MEDIA:
Personal:
Jen on LinkedIn
Jen on Twitter
Business:
Truss.works

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE RESOURCES:
*Leadership Quiz
*Checklist for Holding Engaging Team Meeting
*Build Your Influence Checklist

Watch live video interview.
Read the full transcript of this episode.

Rewarding Failures -- with Jennifer Chang, CEO of Playform

Brief summary:

On today's podcast, I have the privilege of speaking with Jennifer Chang, the CEO of Playform, a Khosla-backed tech startup that is applying no code AI solutions to make it possible for all creative people to create original artworks and join the NFT art movement. Jennifer also talks about her view of failure, and why she finds fear of regret so much more powerful than fear of failure. In fact, she explains the how and why of how she rewards herself for failures.

Key insights from this episode:

(at 05:19) The role of AI in freeing us up from our ‘productive work’ so we can spend more time being creative, in our zones of genius.
(at 08:24) Jennifer shares her view of the role of artists in our world and culture right now.
(at 19:20) How Jennifer started her MBA with a list of things she needed to know
(at 25:43) Why being driven by a fear of regret rather than a fear of failure can be a great motivator
(at 29:34) Rewarding failure

RESOURCES & SOCIAL MEDIA:
Personal:
Jennifer on Twitter
Jennifer on Instagram
Jennifer on LinkedIn
Business:
Playform.io
Playform on Twitter
Playform on Instagram

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE RESOURCES:
*Leadership Quiz
*Checklist for Holding Engaging Team Meeting
*Build Your Influence Checklist

Watch live video interview.
Read the full transcript of this episode.

Celebrating Every Small Win —with James Brinkley II, Intellectual Property Attorney and Founder and CEO of IPGen

Brief summary:

In this episode, I'll be talking with James Brinkley II, an intellectual property attorney out of Washington, DC in the United States and the Founder and CEO of IPGen. James and I discuss making the patent process easily accessible for all, how he chooses to focus on small wins and his startup journey so far.

Key insights from this episode:

(at 02:06) James shares how the idea of IP Gen came about.
(at 06:07) James and Leila talk about ways of celebrating small wins.
(JB at 08:14) There might be 3, 5, 10 things that went wrong today, but the one thing that did go right, that's what keeps you going. That's what pushes you along. If you constantly celebrate those small things, you will make it to enough tomorrows that you will be great at some point doing something.
(at 26:05) James explains the traditional patent application process versus what IP Gen can offer.

RESOURCES & SOCIAL MEDIA:
*IPGen.io
*James’ LinkedIn profile
*The IPGen Docuseries

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE RESOURCES:
*Leadership Quiz
*Checklist for Holding Engaging Team Meeting
*Build Your Influence Checklist

Watch live video interview.
Read the full transcript of this episode.

Bio of FUEL Podcast

Welcome to FUEL Podcast. I’m your host, Leila Ansart.

I’m passionate about opening up conversations that help to spotlight the humans behind their leadership roles. So often we see titles and forget that a massively successful CEO achieved their success while managing all the same emotions, fears and triumphs that we all do in our journeys.

This podcast invites you to hear the stories behind these triumphs. When faced with bad luck, obstacles or challenges, what did these leaders do to find the internal strength to overcome? What was their ‘fuel’?

FUEL podcast offers a sneak peak into these insights from industry leaders. Our format is conversational and warm.

The topics listed below are ones that we are looking to discuss with our podcast guests.

FUEL Podcast's Preferences

Leadership, Executive Coaching, Women Executives, C-Suite Leaders, Leaders of Science and Technology, Entrepreneurs, Senior Leaders

Topics Discussed by FUEL Podcast

New in leadership: Your experience moving from an operational to a strategic mindset
Your professional journey: How an unfortunate situation you faced was resolved/accepted (and how you persevered in the midst of it)
The biggest lesson(s) you've learned rising the ranks of leadership
Energy sustainability: Balancing work demands in 2022 with a restful home life
Facing burnout --how did you identify it and take steps to recover?
Your organization's experience of COVID / the Great Resignation and how you are addressing it