Pathfinders Podcast: Navigating Your Career Map with a Personal Board of Advisors

Building Careers That Matter: The Role of Mentors, Maps, and Grit with Anthony Wallace

This episode of the Pathfinders Podcast features Anthony Wallace, Vice President and General Manager of North America at Shalom, who brings nearly three decades of experience across leading pharmaceutical and healthcare organizations, including Merck, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sandoz. Wallace shares a career journey shaped by resilience, lifelong learning, and an unwavering commitment to creating impact through leadership. Originally aspiring to be a professional hockey player, Wallace shifted gears early in life, driven by a desire to build a better future after losing his father at a young age. With a degree in accounting from Penn State and an MBA in marketing from Indiana Wesleyan, he began his career in auditing before making a pivotal move into healthcare. That transition, fueled by curiosity and the encouragement of mentors, led to a career where purpose and impact have taken center stage. In this conversation, Wallace discusses the importance of creating a Career Map—one that evolves over time and aligns functional experiences with long-term goals. He highlights the role of a Personal Board of Advisors in providing honest feedback, identifying blind spots, and helping navigate major career decisions. Wallace also shares how mentorship has influenced his own development and why he is intentional about mentoring others, emphasizing that effective mentorship requires structure, mutual commitment, and clear expectations. The episode also explores Wallace’s philosophy on work-life integration, including a personal story that reshaped how he balances professional responsibilities with being present for his family. His approach to leadership centers on developing businesses, building people, and making a measurable difference—whether inside the organization or across the healthcare industry. For organizations looking to engage and retain top talent, Wallace emphasizes the strategic value of investing in employee development through mentorship and structured growth pathways. His message is clear: when employees see a future within the company, they are more likely to stay and thrive. This episode offers actionable insights for HR leaders, executives, and professionals focused on long-term growth, leadership development, and building purpose-driven careers.

Coal Mines to Career Maps: Resilience, Mentorship, and Mapping a Career with Rob Thomas

In this powerful episode of Pathfinders, host Pete Schramm talks with Rob Thomas, a Marine Corps veteran and HR leader whose career has spanned an extraordinary range of experiences—from underground coal mines to boardroom strategy. Rob’s professional journey didn’t follow a straight line. After growing up in a challenging environment with no clear blueprint for success, he pursued college, then shifted course to serve in the Marines. It was there, by the needs of the Corps, that he first stepped into a personnel administration role, unwittingly launching a career in HR that would later define his civilian life. When he left the military, Rob faced the same uncertainty many veterans experience in transitioning to the civilian workforce. He took on several retail and HR roles before making a bold move: working as an underground coal miner to support his family. That decision, while unconventional, led to an unexpected breakthrough: a hiring manager saw HR experience on his résumé and called him in for a corporate HR interview instead. That single conversation became a turning point, opening the door to a new chapter of professional development and leadership in the HR space. Throughout the episode, Rob reflects on the importance of self-awareness, mentorship, and strategic growth. He shares how informal mentors from his time in the military helped shape his thinking, and how having a long-term goal, becoming a senior HR leader by 2027, has guided his choices ever since. He encourages younger professionals to embrace discomfort, stay flexible, and use a “career map” to track their development. Rob also emphasizes the importance of regularly reviewing and adjusting that map, both as individuals and alongside trusted mentors or a personal board of advisors. Rob’s story is not just about upward mobility; it’s about resilience, transformation, and paying it forward. Now working on career navigation strategies inside his organization, he’s helping others build their own maps, showing that meaningful progress is possible, no matter how unexpected the path may be. His journey is a reminder that success is not always linear, and that leadership often comes from those who’ve learned to lead themselves through the hardest of transitions.

Redefining Leadership: Why Titles Don’t Matter with Divya Divaakaran

In this inspiring episode of Pathfinders, host Pete Schramm sits down with Divya Divakaran—award-winning HR strategist, author, fashion designer, and unapologetic champion of people-first leadership. Together, they explore how mapping your career journey and building a personal board of advisors can transform your professional path. Divya shares her unconventional leap from aspiring finance professional to HR trailblazer, reflecting on the power of curiosity, lateral learning, and strategic mentorship. She breaks down her approach to building high-performing teams, scaling impact in both startups and enterprises, and helping organizations design career pathways that actually retain talent. You’ll also hear the story behind her book From Paper Pushers to Strategic Partners, her take on why HR belongs in the boardroom, and why she believes leadership has nothing to do with titles—and everything to do with action. Whether you’re an HR leader, business executive, or curious career climber, this episode is packed with insights that will challenge how you think about growth, culture, and people strategy. Tune in to learn how to turn talent into traction—and HR into a strategic superpower.

The People Path: Talent into Transformation with Colleen Capel

On this episode of the Pathfinders Podcast, Pete sits down with Colleen Capel, founder of Leap Leadership Solutions, and a true people-first leader. Colleen’s career didn’t start with a plan to land in HR. In fact, she wanted to be an actress named Tess. But life had other plans, and her first role in talent acquisition changed everything. Colleen shares how she built a career focused on culture, talent, and leadership, and how along the way, she began forming her Personal Board of Advisors (PBA). It didn’t happen overnight or through formal asks, but through intentional relationships and mutual trust. She breaks down the difference between mentors and sponsors, how to approach mentorship with clarity, and why the right relationships can change the course of your career. We also dive into the power of a Career Map, where your roles, skills, achievements, education, and yes, the fun stuff, all connect to tell your story. Colleen explains how she mapped her own journey and why every professional, no matter their level, should be doing the same. And of course, we talk about her leap into entrepreneurship. On March 16, 2024, a leap year, Colleen launched Leap Leadership Solutions to help companies develop leaders, build cohesive teams, and engage employees in meaningful ways. It’s the culmination of everything she’s learned about leadership that lasts. This episode is filled with practical takeaways for HR leaders, career climbers, and anyone building a more intentional professional path.

Our Deepest Fear Is Playing Small: Lessons from the HR Frontlines with Zane Zumbahlen

On this episode of Pathfinders, Pete talks with Zane Zumbahlen, a former IBM executive, current CPO, and lifelong space enthusiast whose career path is anything but ordinary. Zane dreamed of becoming an astronaut but pivoted from physics to people. That path led him to roles at IBM, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and beyond, each shaped by moments of reflection, feedback, and mentorship. Pete and Zane explore the Career Matrix, a powerful way Zane mapped his growth across business functions and leadership styles. He also shares how an early tough performance review became a turning point, helping him shift from reactive to strategic leadership. A big theme in this episode: the Personal Board of Advisors (PBA). Zane still leans on his IBM brain trust and emphasizes that trusted voices are critical for navigating transitions. He’s also passionate about helping people see their future clearly. Because when employees understand where they’re going, engagement and performance follow. Zane gets real about speaking up, owning your story, and turning vulnerability into strength. Whether you’re leading change or managing your own growth, this episode is a playbook for building trust, clarity, and confidence at every level of your career.