The Inspiring Leader

Inspiring Leader Podcast Ep 5

Welcome to the inspiring leader podcast this is episode 5 and today’s guest is Lara McDermott. She is with Wana Brands, where their mission is to help people enhance their lives physically, creatively and emotionally through the responsible use of cannabis. They are Colorado’s #1 Infused Products company with operations in Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. Annette and Lara discuss why Lara wanted to get certified as an Everything DiSC facilitator and why she wanted to bring the program into her company.

Inspiring Leader Podcast Ep 4

Welcome to the inspiring leader podcast this is episode 4 and today’s guests are Kandy Biesterfeld and Laurie Gerdes. They are from Alliant Insurance Services in Colorado. With a history dating back to 1925, Alliant Insurance Services is one of the nation’s leading distributors of diversified insurance products and services. Operating through a national network of offices, Alliant offers a comprehensive portfolio of services to clients, including: Risk Solutions, Employee Benefits, Industry Solutions. Let’s listen to our host Annette Mathies and her guests What We Talked About • Kandy has been on the insurance brokerage business for 19 years and before that she had a 14-year career in human resources. • Laurie has been in the employee benefit consulting arena for over 30 years. • Alliant is a national company with just over 4000 employees. It is 50 + % employee owned. • Some of the tasks for an insurance broker include understanding and consulting on benefits technology, and the legal side of healthcare reform. The job responsibilities have changed considerably compared to 10 years ago. • Company resources, level of trust and experience are things to look for when shopping for insurance brokers. • Insurance Market trends: o Specialty Rx pharmacy arena o Wellness programs o Student loan repayment programs o Pet benefits are very popular now • Employer best practices: o Bring offerings that will appeal to 5 generations o Listening to your employees and transfer that into your benefits program • Kandy has an inspiring book recommendation: “Greater Than Yourself” • Laurie recommends a Mark Sanborn book titled “You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader” Guest Links • Laurie’s email - laurie.gerdes@alliant.com • Kandy’s email - kandy.biesterfeld@alliant.com • Alliant Insurance Services website - http://www.alliant.com/pages/default.aspx

Ep 3 Tansley Stearns with Canvas CU

Welcome to the inspiring leader podcast this is episode 3 and today’s guest is Tansley Stearns. She is the Chief People & Strategy Officer at Canvas Credit Union where they have 26 branch locations in Colorado. She is a passionate credit union professional that believes in the power of cooperative finance and in helping people live their dreams. Annette and Tansley talk about the rebranding process of a credit union and it's leadership takeaways.

#2 Soul Happy

Wish you had a bit more "happy" in your life? With our lives as busy as they are, I doubt many would say no to this. Today's guests on the Inspiring Leader podcast are Tracy Zboril and Cara Hewitt ffrroSoul Happy. In this podcast we learn about a new tool they've designed called the Soul Happy technique. It's based on breakthroughs that have happened in the last couple of decades with neuroscience and it helps people reach their full potential and bring more joy in. If you have emotional baggage (and who among us doesn't) this new tool can help you reduce insecurities, stress, anxieties, and really start performing at you peak.

#1: Ensuring #MeToo is not #YouToo with Regan Freed

Welcome to the Inspiring Leader Podcast. Today’s guest is Reagan Freed, CEO of Solvere HR. Reagan works with businesses to augment their Human Resources and provides expert guidance to non-profits and small businesses In this episode, we will learn from Reagan what some of the top HR trends of today are and how that has changed with the recent #metoo movement that has been grabbing attention in the media. We’ll learn about what the best employers are doing and how inspiring leaders are stepping up and changing the conversation to become inclusive and prevent their companies from becoming tonight’s news headlines.