6 Degrees of Associations: Presented by Big Red M

Building a Remarkable Association Career Without Losing Your Balance

We are joined by the incredibly inspiring Nathan Victoria, CAE, on this week's episode of the Six Degrees of Associations as presented by Big Red M.Nathan is Vice President of NextGen Association Management Company, the inaugural Executive Director and CEO for the Society for Personality Assessment and a doctoral candidate at the George Washington University. He discusses how he makes time for all of these responsibilities while balancing his first calling – being a loving partner and father of three. He is also an ASAE DELP scholar and active in ASAE’s AAPI Advisory Group.We also want to give a shout out to past Six Degrees of Associations guests Wendy-Jo Toyama, Joanna Pineda, and Donald Dea who are also key contributors to this Advisory Group, promoting the inclusion of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the association sector.Learn more about NextGen: https://nextgenamc.com/ [https://nextgenamc.com/ ]Follow along Nathan’s Journey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-victoria/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-victoria/]About Big Red M: https://bigredm.com/ [https://bigredm.com/]

When an Iconic Association Leader Steps Down

It’s all about strategic succession planning for association leadership this week on the Six Degrees of Associations Podcast. Greg Heidrich, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Society of Actuaries (SOA), takes us on a journey through what must be considered when stepping down from a CEO position. We discuss how that process becomes even more nuanced when you’ve been in the role for nearly twenty years with unprecedented success.Under his leadership, SOA has seen incredible membership growth. How does a leader who has meant so much to one organization step aside? The reality is that everyone is replaceable, and the time must come for succession planning eventually. Even the most iconic leaders have to step aside and let new leadership take the reins.Greg joins us on the Six Degrees of Associations Podcast, presented by Big Red M, to walk us through that journey. After announcing his retirement in September 2025, he will welcome incoming SOA CEO Clar Rosso officially in early May 2026.More about Big Red M: https://bigredm.com/ [ https://bigredm.com/ ]More about SOA: https://www.soa.org/ [ https://www.soa.org/ ]Follow Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-heidrich-5439317/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-heidrich-5439317/]

Why Toxic Positivity is Kryptonite for Association Leadership

Courtney Clark, an incredible human who is a world-renowned speaker, author, and researcher on resilience and change, is our guest this week on Six Degrees of Associations, presented by Big Red M.As someone who has spent extensive time working in the association space and has keynoted countless industry events, Courtney is on a mission to end toxic positivity in the workplace.Going beyond pure grit, she discusses how there may come a time in your life, career, or at the inflection point of your association where you actually need to pivot. Sometimes, grit alone won’t get the job done. That is why knowing what to eliminate or stop doing is often more important than knowing what to optimize, because you can never build success while optimizing for all the wrong things.We also touch on the following themes:- Addressing the Gap: Navigating the space between what people want and what they are willing to do.- True Adaptability: What it actually looks like to be adaptable in real-time.- Goals vs. Plans: Understanding the fundamental difference between the two.- Kindness vs. Niceness: Why being nice and being kind are not the same thing.- The Ultimate Choice: Deciding when to pivot and when to persevere.Learn MoreShortCutBook.com: https://courtneyclark.com/theshortcut/ [ https://courtneyclark.com/theshortcut/ ]Learn more about Courtney: https://courtneyclark.com/ [https://courtneyclark.com/ ]Watch our episode with Randy Pennington: https://youtu.be/qxroqax1ea4 [https://youtu.be/qxroqax1ea4 ]BigRedM.com: https://bigredm.com/ [https://bigredm.com/]

A CEO’s Playbook for Managing Member-Driven Culture at Associations

With an extensive background in associations and leadership since 1993, Christie Tarantino-Dean, FASAE, CAE, the CEO of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), is our guest this week on the Six Degrees of Associations Podcast, presented by Big Red M. Christie sits down with host Lucas McCann to examine what she's uncovered in a career spanning multiple decades, including serving as CEO of IFT — one of the leading food science associations in the world — since 2014.As we learn in this chat, associations take on the personality of their membership, and association managers and leaders need to stay nimble to embrace that. Before embarking on her role at IFT, Christie also served as: President and CEO of Association Forum of Chicagoland; Executive Director of the Academy of General Dentistry; and Associate Vice President of Member Relations with the Professional Convention Management Association.You can follow Christie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christietarantinodean/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christietarantinodean/ ]And learn more about IFT: https://www.ift.org/ [https://www.ift.org/]

How Associations Can Reach the Holy Grail of Retention

Everyone wants everything faster. It's a recurring theme in our culture, and if associations are going to keep up, responsiveness and speed will be the coin of the realm.We're joined this week on Six Degrees of Associations, presented by Big Red M, by prolific author, speaker, branding and marketing thought leader, business-growth expert, and world‑renowned tequila influencer Jay Baer, who brings his passion and wisdom to the show alongside host Lucas McCann, Big Red M CEO and serial entrepreneur.As Jay points out, consumers are telling us that speed is as important as price — but are you running your association that way? It's obvious many associations are either unaware of this or have grown complacent about their standing in the marketplace. We also learn from Jay that responsiveness is the key to unlocking what so many associations are seeking: member retention and loyalty.In the age of AI, the human touch will be what stands out. Once efficiency gains become a red‑ocean commodity through AI, Jay predicts, those who return to the human touch will gain the lasting competitive advantage.Jay’s Website: https://www.jaybaer.com/ [https://www.jaybaer.com/ ] “The Time to Win: How to Exceed Your Customers’ Need for Speed”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9NYKWK9?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9NYKWK9?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420 ]About the Tequila Report: https://www.tequilareport.com/ [https://www.tequilareport.com/ ]Follow Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaybaer/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaybaer/ ]Jay on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JayBaer [https://www.youtube.com/c/JayBaer]