Development Episodes

Rita Rai on Business Strategy and Operational Excellence | 1,582 Rita Rai has spent her career solving the complex challenges that keep organizations from reaching their full potential. A senior executive and strategic advisor, Rita has led high impact transformation initiatives for Fortune 500 companies, helping executive teams navigate growth, operational complexity, and organizational change. Her expertise spans strategic planning, operational excellence, process optimization, technology strategy, program leadership, and change management. Known for her ability to connect big picture vision with practical execution, Rita helps organizations improve performance, streamline operations, reduce costs, and create better experiences for both customers and teams. At the heart of her work is a simple belief: sustainable success comes from aligning strategy, people, and execution. Through thoughtful leadership and a talent for solving complex problems, Rita helps organizations m…

Lonna Gibson on Turning Vision Into Lasting Impact | 1,555 Lonna Gibson knows what it means to carry a mission forward when everything is on the line. At just 26 years old, she became the first employee of Challenge Air, a groundbreaking nonprofit founded by a Vietnam veteran determined to show children with disabilities that their limitations did not define them. When the organization's founder passed away only months later, Lonna was faced with a decision that would shape the rest of her career: step away or step up. She stepped up. Over the following years, she transformed Challenge Air from a small regional effort into a nationally recognized organization operating in 38 states, building partnerships with major brands including Southwest Airlines, Boeing, Xerox, and Pillsbury. Along the way, she learned firsthand how to lead through uncertainty, scale a vision, build sustainable systems, and honor a mission larger than herself. Today, as the founder of Seven & Assoc…

Kristopher Grey on Simplifying Business Complexity | 1,495 Kristopher Grey is a project management expert and the founder of Creatapult, where he helps companies bring structure, clarity, and consistency to how work gets done. With more than 20 years of experience, Kris focuses on solving a common problem inside growing businesses. Too much reliance on individual effort and not enough systemized execution. His approach simplifies complexity into a clear framework of who is responsible, what needs to be done, and when it needs to happen. By building repeatable systems, he helps organizations protect their margins, reduce risk, and operate with greater predictability. The result is a business that no longer depends on last minute heroics, but runs on structure that can scale. Kris works with teams that are ready to move from reactive to intentional, creating a foundation that supports sustainable growth and long term performance. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎧 Love our show? S…

1,481 | Lee Bakewell on Building Resilient Athletes for Life Lee Bakewell is the founder of Penn Prospects Soccer Schools and RAISE Mindset and Performance, where sport becomes a vehicle for building something deeper than skill alone. With more than two decades of experience across youth development, collegiate programs, and the U.S. Soccer landscape, Lee has shaped an approach that goes beyond traditional coaching. His work focuses on developing individuals who can adapt, think, and grow in environments that are constantly changing. At the center of his philosophy is Adaptive Intelligence, a practical framework that strengthens resilience, awareness, and decision making over time. Through soccer, education, and storytelling, he helps athletes and families build confidence that lasts beyond the field. Lee is the author of Recipes for Resilience, a book that explores how everyday experiences quietly shape strength and character. He also hosts the podcast Embracing the Journ…

1,376 | Dr. Shelley Holt on Courageous Leadership Across Home and Work Dr. Shelley Holt is an educator, author, and leadership consultant who helps leaders bridge home and work through courageous, values-driven leadership so families, teams, and communities can flourish together. Her book Speaking of Race Where We Live, Learn, and Earn is an insightful workbook that guides readers through honest reflection and meaningful exercises to better understand race, identity, and connection. Drawing on more than twenty-five years of experience in education across multiple leadership roles, Dr. Holt equips individuals and organizations to build cultural proficiency, foster belonging, and lead with empathy. Focusing on the spaces that shape who we are—home, school, community, and workplace—her work offers practical tools and restorative practices that spark growth, courage, and authentic dialogue. Whether you are beginning your journey or deepening your understanding, Dr. Holt’s miss…

1,367 | Jennifer Zach Shares the 3N Model for Leading Under Pressure Jennifer Zach is a catalyst for embodied leadership and workplace well-being. She integrates somatic awareness, nervous system regulation, and applied neuroscience to help leaders connect body and mind, navigate stress effectively, and build trust that drives regenerative growth, stronger team performance, and lasting engagement. She is the author of Somatic Awareness: Leading with Body Intelligence and the creator of the 3N Model™ (Notice, Name, Navigate). Jennifer’s thought leadership has been featured in leading coaching and learning publications, and she is a sought-after speaker at the intersection of executive leadership, presence, and body intelligence. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Berrett-Koehler Publishers and on the Advisory Board for the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Hawkeye Chapter. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎧 Love our show? Show some love! 👉 Check out today’s gue…

1,312 | Blake Baumann Talks About Empowering Neurodivergent Young Adults Blake Baumann is an internationally recognized autism coach, speaker, and author dedicated to helping neurodivergent young adults and their families build real independence. As an autistic adult and parent of four neurodivergent young adults, Blake brings both personal understanding and professional expertise to his work. With over a decade of coaching experience and thousands of hours supporting families, he developed the Autism Launch Plan and the I.D.E.A.L. Launch System for Independence—practical frameworks that turn challenges into growth and confidence. He is also the founder of the Autism Independence Academy, where he empowers families to navigate Autism, ADHD, and Executive Functioning with clarity and hope. Blake’s mission is simple: inspire independence, empower families, and transform futures. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎧 Love our show? Show some love! 👉 Check out today’s guest: https:…

Chris’ background in leisure operations stands him in good stead as he drives the company forward in today’s exciting and competitive market. He is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the company’s global development strategy and ensuring that key markets and geographical areas are fully realized. He is involved in every major project and ensures that every aspect of the project is controlled in relation to cost, delivery and client expectation. Chris has two beautiful daughters whom he spends all his time with when not working. They quite often find themselves hiking, bike riding and horse riding in the back country of British Columbia during the summer months and skiing in the winters. Support our podcast show by: https://www.positivetalkradio.net/support/ https://kmmedia.pro/our-store Patreon - patreon.com/positivetalkradio Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/positivetalkradio Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/positivetalkradio/ TikTok - https://www.tik…