THE BEST LEADERS ARE FORGED IN FIRE.
Alex’s story of being an outsider - son of a peasant, an immigrant in the segregated south, a rugby player often tackled by guys twice his size, often underestimated … to studying at Yale and Harvard, joining iconic consulting firm Kearney and later serving as their Chairman and CEO for 6 years, is nothing short of astounding ‼️
He thrives on doing the impossible‼️ You will walk away inspired, I certainly did‼️
No wonder he is a Global Diversity List CEO winner and previously named a global Top 25 consultant by Consulting magazine. He was selected in 2023 as the #1 consulting firm CEO by Consulting Report. He served on the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and is often featured in Harvard Business Review, CNBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times. He is the author of Joy Works. Phew‼️
In this episode, we dig into value based leadership, purpose, ikigai, and so much more.
✅ How his father’s journey inspired and forged the kind of leader he chooses to be
✅ What he learnt from going after high stakes - high risk assignments
✅ What it took to lead Kearney and support global clients through Covid, global socio-political unrest and wars, and economic chaos
✅ Why he is such an avid advocate for Joy@Work
✅ How he has found his own Ikigai, and why he is asking you to settle for nothing less
✅ How he makes purpose and value based decisions at crossroads and crises, and empowers his people to do the same
✅ A VERY fun rapid fire with a surprising revelation‼️
You won’t want to miss this‼️
About Alex Liu:
Alex Liu is chairman emeritus and partner at Kearney, the global management consultancy.
Alex is a Global Diversity List CEO winner and previously named a global Top 25 consultant by Consulting magazine. He was selected in 2023 as the #1 consulting firm CEO by Consulting Report. He served on the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and is often featured in Harvard Business Review, CNBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times. He speaks regularly on the importance of Culture and Purpose, hosting a popular podcast, Joy@Work and authoring Joy Works: Empowering Teams in the New Era of Work.
An expert in the technology and communications sector and a graduate of Yale and Harvard Business School, he has previously been CEO of a technology start-up and board member of various public and private entities.
About Shahana Banerjee:
Shahana is a Certified Executive Coach and part of the elite Forbes Coaches Council.She helps leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with her at https://justhuman.io
Learn more about our executive coaching services at https://justhuman.io/coaching/
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
We are deconstructing IMPACTFUL COMMUNICATION ‼️
✅ When it works …
🤔 When it doesn’t …
😱 When we think it works, but it actually doesn’t …
😰 When we don’t say anything, but communicate too much…, and
🚫 When it breaks down completely …
We all want to show up, speak up, be authentic, share our ideas, but too often we don’t know how. Thankfully, Molly is here to help‼️
About Molly Tschang:
Molly Tschang is the founder and CEO of Abella Consulting and Say It Skillfully®Inc. She empowers senior leadership teams to Win as One—committing to each other’s success and building the chemistry needed to lead powerfully together. With deep experience in over 80 mergers and acquisitions, Molly has guided executives through the complex human side of transformational change and growth.
Through her platform, Say It Skillfully, she equips individuals at all levels with the skills to communicate confidently, foster trust, and create cultures where people feel valued and perform at their best.
She is also the coauthor—with legendary CEO coach Marshall Goldsmith—of the bestselling new release: Say It Skillfully – Speak Up. Make Your Words Matter. Win Together. While most communication and personal development books preach playing the game so you win, Say It Skillfully shows you how to change the game—so performance improves and everyone wins.
🔗 Learn more: sayitskillfully.com
About Shahana Banerjee:
Shahana is a Certified Executive Coach and part of the elite Forbes Coaches Council.She helps leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with her at https://justhuman.io
Learn more about our executive coaching services at https://justhuman.io/coaching/
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
Launching Season 3 of the Mindful Leadership Podcast featuring stories of inspirational leaders who do different things differently!
Our inaugural guest on Season 3 is Dr Paul Peter Tak, who is dramatically changing the life of CANCER patients through transformative NEW medicines‼️
He is the CEO of Candel Therapeutics. He is a visionary, a physician, a scientist, an academic, a F500 pharma leader, AND a serial biotech entrepreneur. He has published >600 papers and been cited 100,000+ times‼️ Phew‼️😰
In this episode, we dig into:
✅ His story and what has shaped him
✅ The moment that changed his life forever, and inspired him to be a doctor
✅ The mentor whose advice changed the trajectory of his career
✅ What made him move from being in celebrity in academia to GSK
✅ Why he chose to take a chance on Candel
✅ What drives him. A glimpse into his Purpose
✅ How Candel almost got delisted from NASDAQ‼️
✅ Candel’s turnaround story (truly remarkable!)
✅ The impact - through the lens of patient stories
✅ Biases in medicine (❗️)
✅ A leadership lesson he learnt the hard way
✅ A failure he is proud of and many more great Rapid Fire questions ‼️
✅ His Mindful Leadership Challenge of the month for YOU
So many meaningful stories, so much wisdom, so many great lessons and insights‼️ You won’t want to miss this‼️
About Paul Peter Tak:
Paul Peter Tak, MD PhD FMedSci is President, CEO, Candel Therapeutics (Needham, MA).
He served as Professor of Medicine and founding Chair of the Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology at the Academic Medical Centre/University of Amsterdam (AMC) for 12 years.
He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals (>600 publications, H-index 151 [Google Scholar], ~100,000 citations), received numerous awards, has been elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, was recognized as 2021 PharmaVOICE100 honoree (100 most inspiring people in life sciences), and included in 'The Medicine Maker Power List’ in 2023 and 2024 (30 influential and inspirational leaders across small molecule, biopharmaceutical, and cell and gene therapy development and manufacture).
At GlaxoSmithKline he served as Senior Vice President, Chief Immunology Officer, and Global Development Leader. He was the Chair of the Scientific Review Board, the governing body accountable for the scientific assessment of GSK’s R&D portfolio. He is also the founder of GSK’s Immunology Network, a collaboration between GSK and leading academics, which provides the latter with cognitive diversity and privileged access to the latest research and facilities GSK has to offer.
After he became CEO of Candel Therapeutics, he led the company to an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq. In addition, he has been Board Director, President and CEO of Tempero Pharmaceuticals (acquired by GSK) and Board Director of Galvani Bioelectronics and ViiV Healthcare. He is currently on the Board of Sitryx Therapeutics (Co-founder), Levicept, and Citryll (Chair) as well as on the Board of Trustees of the Lorna & Yuti Chernajovsky Biomedical Research Foundation and the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research.
About Shahana Banerjee:
Shahana is a Certified Executive Coach and part of the elite Forbes Coaches Council.She helps leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with her at https://justhuman.io
Learn more about our executive coaching services at https://justhuman.io/coaching/
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
Bonus Episode of COACHING AHAs & Final Episode of Season 2‼️
“Do I really deserve this promotion?”
“What if I’m not ready?”
“What if they realize they hired the wrong person?”
“Am I good enough? What if I fail?”
You know what the voice of self doubt / imposter syndrome sounds like…
We dig into this and more, with Janet Harvey, Former President of International Coaching Federation, and Master Certified Coach, and author of bestsellers Invite Change, and From Tension to Transformation.
In this special bonus episode of COACHING AHAS, we dig into:
✅ Case study of a newly promoted CXO who was struggling with impostor syndrome, her breakthrough and how she overcame it
✅ What drew Janet to coaching and her WHY
✅ Common tensions/ conflicts at work that often that pull leaders in opposing directions creating stress (Janet shares some great stories here!)
✅ Her favorite coaching question
This episode is packed with phenomenal insights, lessons, and real stories of leaders and their breakthroughs. You won’t want to miss this!
About Janet M. Harvey:
anet M. Harvey is a pioneering author, speaker, and CEO of inviteCHANGE, a global leader in human development and performance services. With nearly 30 years of experience and over 12,000 coaching hours, Janet has guided individuals, teams, and organizations to unlock their full potential through Generative Wholeness™. Under her leadership, inviteCHANGE has partnered with global brands like Amazon, Microsoft, and Boeing, fostering authentic leadership and sustainable growth. Janet, an ICF Master Certified Coach, former ICF Global President, and thought leader, empowers leaders worldwide to create workplaces where people thrive. For more, visit inviteCHANGE.com.
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am an ICF Certified Executive Coach and a member of the exclusive Forbes Coaches Council. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. My clients consistently achieve C-suite promotions, lead successful turnarounds, rebuild struggling businesses, and launch innovative business units, delivering breakthrough results. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
Final Episode of COACHING AHAs‼️
This one WEIRD tendency of F500 senior executives has Tina and I quite puzzled‼️ We explore this and a whole lot more in this final episode of Coaching Ahas.
Tina Dao, MBA is a fellow coach and successful business executive with senior roles in Walmart, Amazon, Oracle and Fitbit. She is inspired by the courage of founders to build something from scratch, persevere through unfathomable hardships to get to their goals, and is on a mission to make the journey just a bit simpler.
In this episode, we dig into:
✅ Case study of a CEO who is trying to figure out how to bring 2 teams together post acquisition, to forge one unified team rowing in the same direction
✅ Tina’s career trajectory and what drew her to coaching
✅ Her WHY
✅ How she has challenged herself, taken a chance on and invested in herself
✅ The unique way in which she defines her ROI
✅ Her favorite coaching question
We started COACHING AHAs on a whim, as a bonus series. Idea to execution … <1 week‼️
It was only possible because a bunch of wonderful coaches jumped into the deep end with me, many of whom hadn’t ever done a podcast before‼️
Thank you for your trust Jane Mohr, CNHP, CEC,ACC Rahana Gittens Teresa Duke Kelly Klein, ACC, BCC Abhijit Bhaduri Andrew Neitlich Supriti Bhandary Tina Dao, MBA. Could not have done this without YOU‼️ Wouldn’t have been as much fun either‼️😁
About Tina Dao:
As a Success Architect and Fractional Chief Operating Officer at Liberated Leaders, Tina Dao brings more than 25 years of leadership experience at companies like Amazon, Fitbit, and Walmart to the growth stories of North Carolina businesses—helping entrepreneurs, business owners, and decision-makers scale entrepreneurship, define technology strategies, and ultimately architect a business exit.
When she began her career, it was more hard hats than technologies, but the principles of rallying resources around a profit-focused goal remain central to building an operational backbone that efficiently scales companies through growth.
Recognized as a “force of nature” in her work across Europe, Asia and North America, she began her career in the U.S. Navy, where the men-to-women ratio was greater than 10:1. That experience made her a lifelong advocate for gender equality in technology.
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am an Executive Coach. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
NEW EPISODE‼️ SPARKING REBELLION … REIMAGINING HEALTHCARE with Dr Sachin Jain, President and CEO of SCAN.
In this episode, we dive into:
✅ Sachin’s story - An unexpected underdog story, from growing up ‘different’ to going to Harvard for both his medical education and MBA
✅ His career trajectory and the twists, turns and seemingly unusual choices that defined it. He is one of exceptionally rare CEOs in Healthcare with a career that weaves across Academia, Government, For Profit, and Not for Profit
✅ How he defined who he wanted to be as a leader, and his leadership lessons from becoming a CEO at 34
✅ SCAN’s origin story and the spirit of rebellion that leads to pioneering innovation in healthcare insurance
✅ Remarkable stories of the impact of SCAN’s innovative approach
✅ The importance of purpose-driven leadership
✅ The role of empathy and vulnerability in leadership
✅ The challenges of navigating complex healthcare systems
✅ The remarkable story of one of the best leader he’s ever worked with
✅ His Purpose and what has shaped his purpose
✅ Rapid fire - as fun as it is profound ‼️
Phenomenal stories. Meaningful impact. Fantastic insights. Timeless lessons - all packed into one episode‼️
🎁 If you believe that we need better leaders to build better organizations for a better world, then share this podcast with 1-2 friends you care about.
🎁 Help us get to our target of 100 ratings so that more leaders can find us 🙏
About Dr. Sachin Jain:
Sachin H. Jain, MD, MBA is CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans, which serves more than 300,000 members across California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico.
Previously, Dr. Jain was President and CEO of CareMore and Aspire Health, which served 200,000 Medicare and Medicaid patients in 32 states. He also served as Chief Medical Information & Innovation Officer at Merck & Co., was Senior Advisor to the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and was the first Deputy Director for policy and programs at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).
Dr. Jain graduated from Harvard College and earned his MD from Harvard Medical School and MBA from Harvard Business School. He is Adjunct Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and is a member of the boards of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Omada Health, Advantage Healthcare Services, and The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans.
https://www.scanhealthplan.com/about-scan
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am a Certified Executive Coach. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
Learn more about our executive coaching services at https://justhuman.io/coaching/
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
What happens when a NEW leader brings in ‘THEIR PEOPLE’ from their previous organization? That’s the case we are digging into this week on COACHING AHAS with Supriti.
Supriti Bhandary is a fellow coach and successful business executive. She’s fascinated by people’s stories and draws inspiration from their journeys and unlocking breakthroughs that help them.
In this episode, we dig into:
✅ The case study is a highly successful leader who was starting to be perceived as not very inclusive in his new organization… and his breakthrough
✅ Supriti’s journey of becoming a coach, and her WHY
✅ A point of inflection in her own career, when she received some tough feedback (her insight here is priceless!)
✅ What she’s learnt about herself on this journey
✅ Her favorite coaching question
This episode is packed to the brim with great stories, amazing insights and powerful lessons‼️ You won’t want to miss this‼️
About Supriti Bhandary:
Combining 25+ years in global HR leadership roles and serving on the Boards of two public companies (Meritor HVSIL and Automotive Axles Ltd), Supriti draws on a deep understanding of organizational context, personality and motivation, to have powerful, solution focused coaching conversations with clients.
She has coached leaders at the CXO/CXO-1level, across a wide range of industries including Retail, Healthcare, Technology, Media, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Private equity and Start ups.
Prior to becoming an Executive Coach, she led global HR teams at Wipro Limited, helping its leaders scale the company to a multi-billion dollar, global organization of 150,000 employees. As VP- HR, she had responsibility for overall talent management, assessment, organization effectiveness, performance management and M&A/ People transitions. Before this, she headed HR for Wipro’s Asia –Pacific and Americas regions.
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am an Executive Coach. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
Is the problem we think we have, the problem we REALLY have⁉️ is the theme of the case study we are diving into this week, with Andrew.
Andrew Neitlich is the Founder of Center for Executive Coaching that serves members across 30+ countries, now a part of Keystone Partners.
In this episode of Coaching Ahas, we dive into:
✅ The case study of a CXO in a VC Portfolio company and his breakthrough
✅ Andrew’s story - from Harvard Business School grad, to consulting to building a world class coach training organization
✅ His WHY
✅ How he leveraged his introversion to build a thriving community of thousands of coaches (wait, what⁉️)
✅ His impact
✅ His favorite coaching question (I had a wager on this one‼️)
This episode is packed with so much wisdom, phenomenal stories and deep insights - a must listen‼️
About Andrew Neitlich:
A Harvard Business School graduate and former consultant, Andrew transitioned to coaching after realizing the value of trusted advisory relationships over traditional consulting methods. This career change inspired him to create the Center for Executive Coaching, which distinguishes itself by focusing on practical, results-driven coaching strategies. Since launching, CEC has grown to serve members in 32 countries.
Drawing from his own successful coaching practice and extensive experience, Andrew has authored several books on leadership and coaching, emphasizing the importance of practical results and significant value for clients. Today, he leads the Center, ensuring it remains a premier, intimate community for coaches committed to making a real impact.
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am an Executive Coach. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
Sohee Jun, bestselling author of Mommytracked and Aligned Mindset, and a fellow coach and business executive, is our guest this month‼️
Sohee came to the US when she was 6 years old. She didn’t speak any English. She was mercilessly teased at school, felt like she didn’t belong, and struggled to fit in. A teacher offered her help to learn the language, and it changed her life. She shares the impact of this teacher’s generosity on her. Teachers can truly change the world, one student at a time.
So can you. Everytime we step up to help someone overcome a hurdle, the impact of our action reverberates…on…and on…
In this episode, we dive into:
✅ Sohee’s story - From coming to the US at 6, struggling to fit in, to succeeding in business and then walking away to follow her passion
✅ Her WHY - Sohee shares why helping women leaders lean into finding their authentic success is so important to her
✅ How she overcame her limiting beliefs (her stories are packed with learning and inspiration!)
✅ She shares stories of 3 leaders and their growth journeys - from how to prepare for a C Suite role, to how to ask for what you truly need (truly great stories!)
✅ She shares a story of a leader and how they overcame their limiting beliefs (one we can all relate to!)
✅ She shares what good leadership looks like and stories of leaders who have made a difference in her life
✅ A super fun rapid fire segment. Learn who Sohee wanted to be when she grew up‼️😄
An episode jam packed with phenomenal stories, amazing insights, lots of lessons and a ton of fun‼️
🎁 If you believe that we need better leaders to build better organizations for a better world, then share this podcast with 1-2 friends you care about.
🎁 Help us get to our target of 100 ratings so that more leaders can find us 🙏
About Dr. Sohee Jun:
Sohee Jun, Ph.D., is a renowned executive coach who works specifically with women leaders at all levels.
She's widely recognized for her expertise in addressing women's workplace challenges and as a leadership and mindset expert. And, Dr. Jun’s career has been marked by her commitment to transforming the landscape of leadership by empowering female leaders at all levels for authentic success.
With a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology and over 20 years in the field, Dr. Jun has dedicated her professional life to understanding the dynamics of workplaces for women and how to empower, enable and equip women with the mindset, strategies and behaviors to achieve aligned success. Her work has significantly contributed to leadership development and enabling women to go from good to great.
She has worked at world class organizations such as Warner Media (WB), Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), Washington Mutual (Chase), and Jacobs Engineering. Currently, she is CEO of her own consulting firm, S.J. Consulting where she specializes in leadership coaching for high potential women, Founders, athletes and creatives to help them achieve their professional goals.
Sohee is also an Amazon bestselling author who released her first book in 2020, “Mommytracked: How to Take Authentic Risks and Find Success on Your Terms” which delves into key strategies and insights high-performing women can integrate into their lives.
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am a Certified Executive Coach. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
Learn more about our executive coaching services at https://justhuman.io/coaching/
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
76% of respondents in the US said they CURRENTLY have or have recently had a TOXIC BOSS (Monster 2018)🤯‼️
This is even more alarming because managers drive 70% of the variance in employee engagement‼️
Toxic bosses often:
⛔️ Care only about themselves
⛔️ Undermine and sabotage
⛔️ Play politics
⛔️ Play favorites
⛔️ Make unreasonable demands
⛔️ Display abusive or destructive behaviors
Toxic bosses impact their people severely:
⛔️ They can destroy your self confidence
⛔️ They can affect your mental health, burnout, work life balance and even relationships outside work
⛔️ They can block your career progression and joy@ work
⛔️ They can break your trust and make you less trusting
In this episode, Kelly shares the story of her brave client who left a toxic situation and rebuilt her life. Her courage is inspiring. Kelly Klein is a fellow coach and business executive, and is passionate about helping people realize their true potential.
Have you ever had a toxic boss?
Remember,
👉 Life is too short to work with a toxic boss
👉 Life is too short to work with an egomaniac
👉 Life is too short to work for an unethical boss
👉 Life is too short to work for an untrustworthy boss
👉 Life is too short to work with someone who makes you miserable
✅ The only people who should ever become managers are those who derive joy and fulfillment from seeing their team shine, and grow.
✅ I have never met a great leader who wasn’t a good human first.
About Kelly Klein:
Kelly Klein, the principal coach and consultant at KKlein Partners, is an accomplished executive with decades of experience in manufacturing and technology. Through personalized coaching and strategic advisory services, she inspires professionals to achieve their leadership goals.
During her tenure of over two decades at Emerson Electric, Kelly revitalized operations, fostered innovation, integrated acquisitions, and led strategic transformations. Her clear vision, collaborative team-building, and disciplined execution consistently delivered revenue growth, profitability improvements, and operational excellence.
As a woman who ascended to executive leadership in traditionally male industries, Kelly gained first-hand experience and unique insights into navigating corporate dynamics and breaking barriers. She is dedicated to elevating high-potential leaders, with a special emphasis on empowering women to navigate the path to executive roles and beyond.
Kelly’s passion for developing female talent is exemplified by her work in founding the global 5,000+ member Women’s Impact Network at Emerson and speaking at Society of Women Engineers conferences. Her commitment to inspiring future STEM innovators is further demonstrated by her board roles with The Works Museum, dedicated to engaging children in engineering and problem solving.
With leadership experiences in both entrepreneurial family businesses and Fortune 500 companies, Kelly brings distinctive perspectives to her coaching, enriching her clients’ journey toward strategic and impactful leadership.
As an ICF ACC Certified Executive Coach, Kelly utilizes a competency-based methodology, active inquiry, and assessment tools to accelerate growth mindsets, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership presence.
She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am an Executive Coach. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
Bidding FAREWELL to your old life, and STARTING AFRESH is truly scary😰. The struggle to REINVENT yourself is one of the greatest challenges of work and life.
There are often 4 key drivers of the need to reinvent yourself:
🛑 You choose a field of study or work, and realize your heart is not in it
🛑 You face severe challenges at work or get laid off
🛑 You’ve had a successful career, but you aren’t content. You know you are capable of so much more…
🛑 The world around us is changing rapidly, creating the urgency for new competencies and mindsets. Adapting often requires reinvention
We dive into this and so much more in this very special episode of Coaching Ahas with Abhijit Bhaduri.
Abhijit is a good friend and fellow coach. He was the GM Global Learning and Development at Microsoft and Chief Learning Officer at Wipro. He is the prolific and highly regarded author of several best sellers including Career 3.0, Dreamers and Unicorns and Mediocre but Arrogant (😄). He is also a LinkedIn Top Voice and has almost 800,000 followers‼️🙌
In this episode, we dig into:
✅ A coaching case of a very successful CHRO reinventing themselves as an entrepreneur (fascinating story, and remarkable breakthroughs)‼️
✅ Abhijit’s story and his WHY
✅ How to reinvent yourself for the future of work
✅ Why Career 3.0 is something we need to prepare for
✅ His favorite coaching question
This episode is jam packed with stories, learnings and insights that will make you pause and think. You won’t want to miss this‼️
You can also see Abhijit turning the tables on me and peppering me with questions 😰 on his Tech and Talent Show using the link 👇
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UxzMw9H2UQ
About Abhijit Bhaduri:
Abhijit Bhaduri is an authoritative voice on talent and leadership development. Forbes described him as "the most interesting generalist from India." The San Francisco Examiner decribes him as the "foremost expert on talent and development."
Abhijit Bhaduri is the former GM Global Learning and Development for Microsoft. He is a LinkedIn Top Voice with more than a million followers on social media. Society for Human Resources Management has rated him as the No 1 HR influencer on social media. He is ranked among the top ten "most sought after brand evangelists.
Prior to leading learning and development globally for Microsoft, Abhijit led an advisory practice to help organizations develop their leadership, talent and culture strategy. He has been an executive coach to CXOs and senior experienced leaders helping them on-board into their new roles and prepare for future opportunities.
Abhijit has sharpened his insights through his hand-on experience at global organizations known for their excellence in talent management such as Microsoft, Colgate-Palmolive, PepsiCo, Tata Steel. He was the first Chief Learning Officer for Wipro. He teaches at the Doctoral Program for Chief Learning Officers at the University of Pennsylvania.
Abhijit Bhaduri has been a bestselling author with his book on hiring called Don't Hire the Best (Harper Collins) which explains why hiring for "match quality" is a better predictor of hiring success for executives. Career 3.0 (Penguin 2023) suggests six skills that everyone will need in a world getting shaped by AI.
He has been published by Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Dukes Corporate Magazine, The Economic Times, Business Line and SHRM.
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am an Executive Coach. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
There are 5 pivotal promotions in our careers. How we perform in them determines how far we go. These are:
They are characterized by:
✅ Increasing size and scope
✅ Increasing complexity
✅ Increasing volume and diversity of stakeholders
✅ Increasing team and location complexity
✅ Increasing challenges (ahem… problems!) and Increasing Impact
Each of these promotions is complex and needs:
😰 New knowledge, skills & competencies
😰 Effective transition planning that sets you up for success
😰 Greater self awareness
😰 Leadership growth
😰 Overcoming your own barriers and limiting beliefs
No wonder HALF of all leadership transitions fail‼️😱
These promotions should come with ‘how to’ manuals, but they don’t. We are left on our own, to figure out the growth journey we need to undertake to be effective in the new role.
In this episode of Coaching ahas, Rahana shares a story of one such leader and her journey.
About Rahana Gittens:
Rahana Gittens is a highly reputable talent advisor and consultant with over 25 years of hands-on experience. Rahana’s career spans several, well-known private and publicly traded organizations, to include Whole Foods Market, The Home Depot and Ashley Stewart - with a niche focus on founder-led, culturally rich organizations. She is currently AVP of HR at Victoria’s Secret & Co.
Rahana is also owner of RBG Enterprise Consultants, LLC a company she started 3 years ago offering HR Consulting and Executive Coaching services focusing on accelerating growth of start-up companies and women leaders.
Rahana is a proud immigrant from Grenada and a graduate of Brooklyn College. She lives in NYC with her daughter Kalei and their pup, Kai.
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am an Executive Coach. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
✅ Ranked among the 100 Most Influential Business Leaders in America
✅ Named the 2nd most influential African American in IT by Business Insider
✅ Serves on the Board of Directors of Verizon, Roper Technologies, Okta, Lineage, and non profits Catalyst and Braven (previously on the Boards on Nordstrom and Arbitron)
✅ Was the 1st African American woman to head IBM business unit, Became CEO at 40, Board Director at ~43, F500 Board Director by 55‼️
✅ Received the NCWIT Symons Innovator Award from The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT)
The list goes on… that’s Shellye Archambeau for you - THE iconic CEO credited with MetricStream’s transformation‼️
In this episode, we dive into…
✅ How she overcame bullying, being pushed down, taunted, beaten at a young age
✅ How she set the goal to be a CEO and made very intentional choices to get there.
Side note : This is the best ‘How to become a CEO’ I’ve ever heard‼️
✅ What it took to engineer MetricStream’s epic transformation - not once, but twice‼️ Phew‼️Goosebumps people‼️
✅ How to overcome the challenge of being the first - the 3 stories she shares are absolutely phenomenal‼️
✅ Her why
✅ The ONE quality that distinguishes the best leaders from the rest
✅ A RAPID FIRE that is as fun as it is profound‼️
If you are looking for your annual dose of inspiration, THIS IS IT‼️
About Shellye Archambeau:
Ms. Archambeau is an experienced CEO and Board Director with a track record of accomplishments building brands, high performance teams, and organizations. Ms. Archambeau currently serves on the boards of Verizon [NYSE:VZ] where she chairs the Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee, Roper Technologies [NYSE: ROP] where she chairs the Nominating and Governance Committee, Okta [NASDAQ: OKTA] and Lineage. She previously served on the boards of Nordstrom and Arbitron (acquired by Neilson). She is a senior executive mentor with the ExCo Group, and serves on the boards of two national non-profits, Catalyst and Braven.
She is the former CEO of MetricStream, a Silicon Valley-based, governance, risk, and compliance software company that enables corporations to improve their business operations through better risk management across the enterprise. Under her leadership MetricStream was recognized for growth and innovation over the years and was named in the top 10 of the “Deloitte Technology Fast 50” and named a global leader in GRC by leading independent analyst firms for 9 consecutive years.
Ms. Archambeau has over 30 years of experience in technology leading organizations. She is a recognized expert in marketing and co-authored, "Marketing That Works: How Entrepreneurial Marketing Can Add Sustainable Profits to Any Sized Company."
She is also the founder of Ignite Ambition, a community focused on the professional development of people in the early to mid-stage of their career.
Ms. Archambeau was named the second most influential African American in IT by Business Insider. She was ranked one of the “100 Most Influential Business Leaders in America” by Newsmax and that same year received the NCWIT Symons Innovator Award from The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT).
She is the author of Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers and Create Success on Your Own Terms.
Shellye is also a sought-after speaker on governance, risk and compliance as well as marketing and entrepreneurship. She has guest lectured at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and The Wharton School. She is a Forbes contributor and has been featured or referenced in major media such as MSNBC, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am an Executive Coach. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
COACHING AHA! - The Series
10 min episodes, every week, with talented coaches, sharing real stories of their clients’ growth journeys.
If you are interested to learn and grow, this is for you!
In this episode 👇
MEH - that indescribable feeling of LANGUISHING at work…
Feeling numb
Feeling disconnected
Feeling unfulfilled
Feeling disengaged
Going through the day on autopilot
That’s NOT what work should feel like.
When we are at our best, we feel…
Alive
Fulfilled
Have a sense of achievement
Feel the joy of discovery
Are excited about the day ahead
This week Teresa and I dig into how to go from MEH to JOY @ work.
Teresa is a fellow coach and business executive, and is passionate about accelerating leaders' growth, driving impactful business outcomes, and fostering motivated, fulfilled leadership
About COACHING AHA:
We face many points of inflection in our careers and our lives - from new jobs and promotions to difficult bosses and layoffs.
If we had all the time and resources possible, we could certainly figure it out eventually. But we don’t.
The challenge is that we are walking into roles where expectations are sky high, times lines are crunched and there isn’t much patience. So you need an accelerator - and that’s exactly where coaching can help.
Think of coaching as a catalyst for your success.
In Coaching Ahas, we share stories of leaders, their courage and vulnerability to lean into coaching, and the breakthroughs that change their lives forever.
Notes & Disclaimer:
Coaching is not advising. It is not about giving you answers but about helping you discover your own
Coaching is not therapy. It is primarily future focused, and outcome focused
It helps you …
gain clarity
overcome challenges and limiting beliefs
get unstuck and move forward
explore new possibilities
grow as a person and a leader
A coach cannot guarantee you a job or a promotion or a successful business transformation, but they can help you get out of your own way and prepare for it, to increase your probability of success.
About Teresa Duke:
Teresa Duke coaches high-performing leaders and executives at top tech companies (Netflix, Microsoft, Meta, etc.) and start-ups with a solid track record of multiple leadership promotions, guiding executives through pivotal career and business decisions, founder support, and more. With over 13 years of coaching experience and 15 years leading talent acquisition and management in both corporate and start-up environments in tech and entertainment (Vivendi, Blizzard Ent., EA, etc.), she is passionate about accelerating leaders' growth, driving impactful business outcomes, and fostering motivated, fulfilled leadership.
Website: www.teresaduke.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/teresaduke
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am an Executive Coach. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
LAUNCHING COACHING AHA! - The Series
10 min episodes, every week, with talented coaches, sharing real stories of their clients’ growth journeys.
If you are interested to learn and grow, this is for you!
In this episode 👇
———————————
Layoffs are hard. It can be a blow to your self esteem.
Sometimes we need a little help to get our swag back.
Join us as Jane Park Mohr shares the journey of a very talented leader who went through a difficult time. Jane is a fellow coach and business executive, and an avid advocate of a wellness powered life.
About COACHING AHA:
We face many points of inflection in our careers and our lives - from new jobs and promotions to difficult bosses and layoffs.
If we had all the time and resources possible, we could certainly figure it out eventually. But we don’t.
The challenge is that we are walking into roles where expectations are sky high, times lines are crunched and there isn’t much patience. So you need an accelerator - and that’s exactly where coaching can help.
Think of coaching as a catalyst for your success.
In Coaching Ahas, we share stories of leaders, their courage and vulnerability to lean into coaching, and the breakthroughs that change their lives forever.
Notes & Disclaimer:
Coaching is not advising. It is not about giving you answers but about helping you discover your own
Coaching is not therapy. It is primarily future focused, and outcome focused
It helps you …
A coach cannot guarantee you a job or a promotion or a successful business transformation, but they can help you get out of your own way and prepare for it, to increase your probability of success.
About Jane Park Mohr:
Jane uniquely blends 30 years of holistic healing expertise with an equal measure of corporate success to transform chaos into clarity. Her journey began at Syracuse University where she walked onto the women’s varsity rowing team — sharpening her skills in strategy, determination, and resilience. Following her graduation, Jane pursued further studies at Kyung Hee University in Seoul. Returning to the U.S. with health challenges, she discovered holistic healing which led her to a transformative wellness journey. Jane studied with renowned healers worldwide and earned certification as a Certified Natural Health Professional (CNHP) from the Trinity School of Natural Health. She has since guided a diverse clientele from local neighbors to elite athletes in their wellness pursuits.
Simultaneously, Jane accumulated extensive experience in the corporate world, contributing to global Fortune 100 and 500 companies in areas such as creative strategy, digital marketing, app and web development, research, production and training. Her expertise in brand elevation, integrated marketing, operational efficiency, creative content and workflow optimization further enriches the comprehensive services she offers.
About Shahana Banerjee:
I am an Executive Coach. I help leaders navigate through challenging points of inflection in their business, in their teams, their careers and their own leadership journey. Setup a 30 minute free intro call with me at https://justhuman.io
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
OMG‼️ It’s MICHAEL WATKINS‼️Author of 15 books including the life changing bestseller FIRST 90 DAYS and the much needed Six disciplines of Strategic Thinking. He is a Professor of Leadership and Organizational change at IMD Lausanne, and was inducted into the Thinkers 50 hall of fame. Engineer, martial artist, rebel, AI aficionado, he is an educator at heart, and is on a mission to help people realize their true potential.
😱 How can you ensure you succeed in a new role, where 1 in 2 likely don’t?
😱 How can you develop your strategic thinking when the world around you seems just TOO BUSY TO BE EFFECTIVE?
In this episode of The Mindful Leadership Podcast, we dive into this and a whole lot more with Michael.
✅ Michael shares his story and the people and experiences that shaped him (this fun clip is truly priceless‼️)
✅ His failure that paved the path for his amazing success
✅ The most common accelerators and derailers when transitioning to a new role, and case studies for each
✅ Fundamental shifts impacting the world, and consequently leadership transitions in the 21 years since First 90 Days was published
✅ What does Leadership of the future look like? And a story of an amazingly inspiring leader
✅ The biggest myth about strategy, and how poor strategic thinking creeps into strategy
✅ Cases of strong strategic thinking across the organization, as well as the lack of it
✅ Digging into 3 of the Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking- what great looks like and cases and examples of the same
✅ His impact and his why
✅ Rapid fire questions that turned out to be as fun as they are profound‼️
About Michael Watkins:
Michael D. Watkins is a globally recognized expert in his field and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at
the International School of Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland. Over his career, he has designed and led world class programs at IMD, INSEAD, The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and Harvard Business School. He is a Thinkers 50-ranked management influencer (2019 to present) and was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame in 2023, in recognition of his enduring contributions to the field of management thinking.
Watkins is also the author and co-author of many books on leadership, negotiation, and diplomacy. In January 2024, he released his latest book, The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking. He is best known for his global bestseller, The First 90 Days, the classic reference for leaders in transition, which has sold approaching 2 million copies and is translated in 27 languages. Originally published in 2003 and updated in 2013, it was hailed “The Onboarding Bible" by The Economist and is listed among the best 100 business books of all time by 1-800-CEO-Read. In 2022, The First 90 Days was included in The HBR Press ”Ideas With Impact” list of books that are truly changing the way organizations do business. His book, Predictable Surprises: The Disasters You Should Have Seen Coming and How to Prevent Them, won the 2006 Kulp-Wright Book Award and was named a Strategy + Business best business book of 2004. Two of his books on negotiation and diplomacy, Breakthrough International Negotiation: How Great Negotiators Transformed the World’s Toughest Post-Cold War Conflicts (2001) and Breakthrough Business Negotiation: A Toolbox for Managers (2002), won the CPR Institute Negotiation Book Prize in 2001 and 2002, respectively.
The journey to being the best leader you can possibly be starts with Becoming Coachable.
In this episode of The Mindful Leadership Podcast, we dive into a mega dose of inspiration on this life changing topic with Scott Osman, Founder and CEO, 100 coaches agency, and Jacquelyn Lane, President of the 100 coaches agency, and authors of the book Becoming Coachable along with Marshall Goldsmith.
The episode is so special because it is jam packed with their stories, epiphanies, learnings and phenomenal advice. It is as profound as it is fun‼️
Here are a few of the areas we cover:
✅ Coachable or Not (Yet)⁉️ - Jacquelyn and Scott join me in this fun game to share their insights to painful, yet unfortunately common workplace situations
✅ Their leadership journey, and the people and experiences that helped shape them into the leaders they are today
✅ How the 100 Coaches community was born, how they continue to nurture it and their priceless advice on how you can build your own community
✅ The coachability framework and their insights and stories that bring it to life
✅ The various stages of our growth as leaders and the powerful idea of human flourishing
✅ A very fun Rapid Fire segment, include the show stopping reveal of - Who their favorite coach ever is⁉️ Any guesses ⁉️😁
✅ “What is one failure you are proud of”, I love asking my guests. Scott’s answer is self reflective, vulnerable, and profound. If you have ever been laid off, or faced extreme difficulty or challenge at work, his story will give you hope.
🎁 If you believe that we need better leaders to build better organizations for a better world, then share this podcast with 1-2 friends you care about 🙏
Brian Elliott, Future of Work luminary, Co Founder of Future Forum, and Author, shares his leadership journey and what drives him.
We cover a lot of ground in this episode navigating through…
✅ How the people, influences and experiences have shaped him as a leader, and more importantly, as a human being
✅ How a quest for learning fueled his storied career from being a consultant with BCG, to start up CEO, to building businesses in Google and Slack
✅ How his career framework led him to take risks and make unconventional moves that were so much more meaningful
✅ How he co founded Future Forum. Spoiler alert - Sometimes you have to ask for what you want and the support you need to create the value you seek to‼️🙋🏻♀️
✅ His purpose and why it is so important to him to help us separate fact from clickbait on hybrid, remote, work from home and future of work
✅ His advice to leaders
You won’t want to miss this‼️
This episode is part 2 of our conversation. In part 1, we dove into all the questions you’ve ever had about remote, hybrid , flexible work, but didn’t know whom to ask, in a game of FACT or CLICKBAIT ‼️ Do check it out and play along with us to see if you get it right‼️
Brian Elliott is a seasoned executive turned leadership advisor and speaker. A former startup CEO and executive at Google and Slack, he's the co-founder of Future Forum, author of the bestseller How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to do the Best Work of Their Lives and one of Forbes’ Future of Work 50. Brian’s work enables leaders to build a future of work that’s better for people and organizations.
You can find Brian on LinkedIn.
FACT or CLICKBAIT ⁉️ Play along with Brian and I and find answers to every question on The Future of Work you’ve ever had and didn’t know whom to ask‼️😁
I dug up news headlines and CEO quotes (read: rant) and tossed them over to Brian for his insights. If you know Brian, you know that he tackles these with data, evidence, grace and a hearty dose of humor ‼️
Here are a few:
😱 “The work from anywhere era is over”
😱 “Remote work kills productivity”
😱 “They have no attachment, no passion, no creativity” a Fortune 500 CEO said.
😱 “As a CEO, I worry about the erosion of office culture with remote work”
😱 A KPMG study found that ~90% CEOs are likely to reward employees who make an effort to come into the office with favorable assignments, raises or promotions... Wait, isn’t that discrimination? 😱
We have way too much fun with these and get a little (or a lot) carried away‼️
Brian Elliott is a seasoned executive turned leadership advisor and speaker. A former startup CEO and executive at Google and Slack, he's the co-founder of Future Forum, author of the bestseller How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to do the Best Work of Their Lives and one of Forbes’ Future of Work 50. Brian’s work enables leaders to build a future of work that’s better for people and organizations.
You can find Brian on LinkedIn.
S2E02: Sarena Lin, Former Chief Transformation and Talent Officer at Bayer and Board Member at Siemens Healthineers is our guest‼️🥳
Sarena’s journey is a testament to her resilience. She moved to the US at 13, from Taiwan. She didn’t speak a word of English, yet she blossomed in her new environment with support from amazing teachers. Her storied career weaves through -
✅ 2 Ivy League institutions ‼️
✅ 5 Renowned Companies ‼️
✅ 5 Industries ‼️
✅ 7 Cities ‼️
✅ 3 Continents ‼️
✅ Multiple functions - consulting, transformation, P&L leadership…and HR‼️
Phew‼️😰
This is an episode you don’t want to miss.
About Serena Lin:
Sarena Lin is a global C-level executive with strong track record in driving transformational growth across global markets, leading successful global commercial, organizational, and people transformation programs in the life sciences and industrial sectors.
Sarena served as one of the six-member Board of Management of Bayer AG in Germany from 2021 to 2023 as the Chief Transformation and Talent Officer, where she led the development of a large-scale, people-centric global transformation program. She also restructured and redesigned the HR organization to be talent and leadership centric, technology enabled, and future ready.
Prior to Bayer, Sarena was with Elanco Animal Health (NYSE: ELAN) as President of Elanco’s $1.5B US business, as well as overseeing Corporate Strategy and Global Marketing. Sarena also led the strategy development as well as the subsequent transformation and integration with Bayer Animal Health, a $7.6B acquisition.
Prior to Elanco, Sarena was Corporate Vice President of Strategy and Business Development with Cargill. She then became President of Cargill’s $6B global compound animal feed and nutrition (Cargill Feed & Nutrition) business, where she led more than 11,000 employees, 250 manufacturing plants, across nearly 30 countries.
Prior to Cargill, Sarena was a partner with McKinsey & Company in New York and Taipei, leading strategy and operations projects with global companies in industrial, technology, consumer, and retail sectors. She served as the Managing Partner of McKinsey’s Taipei office, leading a group of 90+ consulting and support staff. She was also the co-leader of McKinsey’s China Sourcing Center.
Earlier in her career, she worked in sales and shelf technology management at Procter & Gamble in San Francisco.
She is a non-executive director on the Supervisory Board of Siemens Healthineers (DAX: SHL) and serves on the compensation and third-party transaction committees. Previously Sarena served on the Board of Patterson Companies, Inc., (NASDAQ: PDCO) and was a member of the audit and compensation committees. At Patterson, she oversaw a CEO transition, the $1.1B acquisition of Animal Health International, and the $750m divestiture of Patterson Medical.
Externally, she is recognized as a critical thought leader on topics of leadership, transformation, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, and future of talent.
Sarena holds an M.B.A. in Strategy from the Yale School of Management, an M.A. in International Relations from Yale University, and a B.A. in Computer Science from Harvard University. Sarena grew up in Taiwan and the US, is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English, and has basic knowledge of German. She and her husband have one teenage daughter and they currently reside in Germany.
About Just Human:
Just Human (a boutique people consulting firm) is a growth accelerator for our clients. With over 5 decades of global HR experience, we partner with clients to maximize business results through human centered, ecosystem based people solutions. Visit us at https://justhuman.io/
OR Schedule a 30 minute FREE call at https://justhuman.io/about/contact/
