In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, Sara Sheehan has a conversation with Daniel Shulman, an Intellectual Property (IP) attorney at Vedder Price in Chicago, about fostering a culture of innovation. Daniel is a former chief IP counsel for a large manufacturing company and also serves as an adjunct law school professor of legal writing. In a world where the pace of change is relentless, fostering a culture of innovation is no longer optional; it's essential for survival and growth. Shulman reveals that innovation should not just be a buzzword but a core value that permeates every level of corporate culture.

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, we delve into talent development and change management with Alykhan Jetha (AJ), the CEO of Marketcircle and Daylite. Daylite is an innovative software solution thriving in the Apple ecosystem, and AJ shares how he's expanding its capabilities to improve productivity and employee empowerment through time tracking and invoicing features. He talks with Sara about leadership development, how he funded Marketcircle, adapting to growth and change, and the strategic approaches needed to thrive in a dynamic business environment. Discover how AJ's journey serves as a clarion call for transformational thinkers to embrace change and lead with confidence.

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, Sara Sheehan welcomes Balki Kodarapu, a fractional CTO, Gen AI advisor, and SaaS scale-up expert using leading practices in talent development. Balki shares how he helps startups grow from $100K to $40M ARR while avoiding the “feature factory” trap to build outcome-driven engineering teams. Balki shares his unique perspectives on effective change management, emphasizing the development of high-performing teams and the importance of clarity amidst chaos. Join us as we explore change strategies that empower individuals, teams, and organizations to thrive and achieve results.

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, Sara Sheehan welcomes Eduardo Briceño, a keynote speaker, behavior change partner, and co-founder and CEO of Mindset Works, to explore the intricacies of the performance paradox within talent development. Eduardo explains that becoming overly focused on performance can overshadow learning and critical questioning that drive effective results. He discusses transformative strategies from his book, “The Performance Paradox”, highlighting the essential differences between the learning zone and performance zone, a key aspect of executive coaching and leadership development in today’s business landscape. Tune in to discover how to empower your teams and navigate business change effectively.

Sara Sheehan welcomes guest Mark Gordon, Founder and CEO of Integrated Go-To-Market Solutions, to the show for a conversation about blending psychology into scaling companies and how he positively re-energizes relationships with clients. Through his company, IGTMS, Mark helps startups and mid-market companies align scattered sales into one revenue-generating machine. He talks with Sara about his career journey, the challenges of entrepreneurship, and how lessons learned from playing rugby have stayed with him.

Sara Sheehan welcomes guest Rashesh Doshi, Managing Director of Talent Corner, to the podcast to explore his HR business and the fantastic growth his business has experienced. Rashesh details the growth in numbers and explains how their franchise partners add to the growth and are supported. They also discuss how the Stanford Seed Transformation Program is positively impacting Talent Corner as a team and Rashesh personally. It’s due to this reinvigoration that Rashesh is looking to expand Talent Corner out of India into nine other markets with the assistance of Stanford. Sara finds out part of the scaling plan for such an aspirational goal and talks about many of Rashesh’s guiding principles.

Sara Sheehan welcomes guest Jim Carlough, a business strategist, author, and speaker with over 30 years of leadership experience, to the podcast for a conversation about how leaders are developed. Jim talks about his career journey and what makes for good leadership, highlighting insights from his book “The Six Pillars of Effective Leadership: A Roadmap to Success”. Sara and Jim focus on specifically discussing the two pillars of integrity and empathy as they relate to powerful leaders. Jim’s philosophy on empathy includes an obligation to lead employees and teams with compassion and camaraderie.

In this solo episode, Sara Sheehan offers a message on unlocking the power of customized change management training, a strategic investment for CEOs. Success hinges on the ability to effectively manage business change, so investing in a private, customized version of a Mastering Change Management course is a key step for leadership teams. Sara breaks down all the ways in which customized training is an essential part of a successful transformation and details exactly how a private course would work.

Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is R.T. Custer, co-founder and CEO of Vortic Watch Company and Colorado Watch Company. R.T. transforms antique American pocket watches into one-of-a-kind wrist watches through Vortic Watch Company, and with Colorado Watch Company, will be building the most American-made watches at scale available today. Sara talks with R.T. about how he identified his calling in converting pocket watches, surviving a crippling lawsuit early in his entrepreneurship, loyal customers, and where he’s headed next.

Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is Dr. Kerriann Greenhalgh, CEO and Chief Science Officer of KeriCure Medical. Kerriann shares the story of how she fell in love with chemistry and came to a place where she developed her own wound barrier and infection care skin spray, KeriCure. KeriCure is a revolutionary medical product and contains a nanopolymer technology that Kerriann worked to develop for topical wound care. Sara learns the history of its development and how Kerriann is using her knowledge and KeriCure to change the lives of children, adults, and pets everywhere.

Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is Laura Patterson, Co-Founder and President of VisionEdge Marketing and author of “Fast-Track Your Business”. Sara and Laura discuss what prompted her to write her latest book and the themes it addresses. Laura delves into what customer-centric means to her and why it’s key to growth strategies. From software that assists companies in finding individualized success measures to what she’s learned from mistakes in business, Laura provides an insightful look into how she built her success.

Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is Samuel Hale, the CEO and Co-Founder of Nurish’d. Sam discusses the evolution of Nurish’d, a digital health and nutrition platform that connects users with registered dietitians and personalized meal planning, assisted by AI. Sam tells Sara about his career journey and how he originally launched as a ready-to-eat meal prep company before transitioning into Nurish’d. Sam shares how his platform now optimizes meal plans that align with users’ health profiles, dietary preferences, and wellness goals.

Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is the president and founder of Frame of Mind Coaching and Journal Engine Software, Kim Ades. Kim uses journal-based coaching in her direct coaching style with clients; she tells Sara exactly what that is and how she came to develop it. Following a life-altering divorce, Kim’s focus became helping others build emotional resilience to thrive despite challenges. She and Sara discuss how introspection and writing can reframe experiences, and how that shift can impact client success.

Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is AI Strategist, Digital Transformation Leader, and founder of AIboration, Nicole Hilgenkamp. Nicole discusses AI and how it is more than just an IT function; it is a transformative force in business. The new role of Chief AI Officer reflects the cross-functional nature of AI and Nicole explains why dedicated leadership is required to integrate AI across entire organizations. Ensuring that it is embraced to ensure a future-ready company is essential.

Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is Chris Brown, Partner and CTO of Wow Remote Teams, a connection service for companies in need of virtual professional employees. Chris explains the benefits of staffing from Latin America and discusses his company’s vetting and recruitment processes with Sara. Chris believes in the positive impact nearshore staffing creates for businesses and explores how it impacts the local economy for the better.

Sara Sheehan’s guest this episode is Noah Healy, the founder of Coordisc, who joins Sara to discuss his work in market design and game theory. Noah, who has a background in nuclear engineering and software development, developed a new system called Coordinated Discovery Markets (CDMs). He explains what the technology aims to do in regards to creating efficient marketplaces. His system, inspired by mathematical problem-solving, allows markets to function with much less data processing compared to traditional financial markets, and he illustrates how this makes transactions more efficient and transparent.

Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is Dr. Rob Lion, professor of Human Resource Development at Idaho State University and a speaker and consultant. Dr. Lion has over 20 years of experience with leadership development and improving performance. Sara and Dr. Lion talk about what his method of professional development looks like and how he works with clients in actionable ways. Rob also explains his work with athletic identities and research into transitioning athletes into workplaces with greater ease.

Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is Tamara Myles, a professor, researcher, author, and speaker who specializes in helping people unlock the power of meaningful work. She combines research in Positive Psychology with understanding human organizational challenges to assist companies in creating a workplace full of connection and fulfilment. Tamara shares over two decades of expertise with Sara as they explore themes from her new book, “Meaningful Work”.

Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is Barry LaBov, a two-time Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner and the founder of LABOV Marketing Communications and Training. Barry LaBov shares his career journey with Sara, explaining how he learned through the jobs he held before coming to the position he’s in today. Barry’s book, The Power of Differentiation, speaks to the main focus of his company and Sara learns how Barry views every company as having a distinctiveness that sets them apart.