The Farm Girl Who Became One Of America's Top CEOs | Ginger Graham | Ep. 9 (Part 1)

The Farm Girl Who Became One Of America's Top CEOs | Ginger Graham | Ep. 9 (Part 1)

What does it take to go from riding horses on an Arkansas cattle farm to leading some of the world's biggest healthcare companies? In this episode of Finding North, Nancy Girres sits down with Ginger Graham, a former CEO of Guidant, former interim CEO of Walgreens, accomplished corporate board member, and founder of Ginger and Baker. Growing up, Ginger's parents taught her one simple belief: You can do anything you want but you must do good. That mindset carried her through bias, rejection, leadership challenges, and some of the biggest executive roles in corporate America. But this conversation isn't just about success. It's about finding mentors, embracing difficult feedback, creating cultures built on honesty, and leading with humility instead of ego. This conversation explores: • Growing up on an Arkansas cattle farm • The parenting lesson that built lifelong confidence • Leaving veterinary medicine for economics • Becoming one of the first women in agricultural sales • Overcoming bias and earning respect • The manager who changed her career forever • Why great leaders ask for honest feedback • Creating fearless workplace cultures • Lessons from Wall Street, Eli Lilly, Guidant, and Walgreens • Why leadership is about removing obstacles and not having all the answers 📸 Follow behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/coachgirres/ 🌐 Nancy’s Website: https://nancygirres.com/ 💼 Connect with Nancy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancygirres Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, identity, healing, burnout, and personal transformation. #podcast #womenempowerment #leadership #motivation #womeninbusiness

How Losing My Brother To AIDS Changed Everything | Bridget Wenman | Ep. 8

What happens when tragedy shatters everything you thought you knew about the world? In this episode of Finding North, Nancy Girres sits down with executive coach, Vistage Master Chair, and founder of Perspectives Training and Consulting, Bridget Wenman. Raised as the youngest of 16 children in a Catholic family, Bridget shares the deeply personal story of losing her brother during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s - a season that forever changed the way she viewed people, faith, leadership, and compassion. But this conversation goes far beyond grief. Bridget reflects on marriage, motherhood, entrepreneurship, executive coaching, raising confident daughters, forgiveness, retirement, and the power of being fully present with the people you love. This conversation explores: • Growing up as the youngest of 16 children • Losing her brother during the AIDS epidemic • Faith, family, and overcoming judgment • The power of compassion and empathy • Building a 38-year marriage that still thrives • Raising daughters to believe they can do anything • Leadership, feedback, and helping others grow • Retirement, succession planning, and creating legacy • Why presence and forgiveness matter most 📸 Follow behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/coachgirres/ 🌐 Nancy’s Website: https://nancygirres.com/ 💼 Connect with Nancy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancygirres Connect with Whitney Walpole: 🌐 www.perspectivestraining.com Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, identity, healing, burnout, and personal transformation. #leadership #personalgrowth #mindset #selfawareness #aidsawareness

A $20,000 Loan Changed His Life Forever | Mark Burke | Ep. 7

What does it take to build a business from scratch, survive decades of change, and leave a legacy that impacts thousands of people? In this episode of Finding North, Nancy Girres sits down with entrepreneur, mentor, and former CEO Mark Burke, founder of Mister Neat's Formalwear. Starting with just a $20,000 loan while still in college, Mark built Mister Neat's Formalwear into one of Colorado's most successful formalwear companies, growing from a single location into a 20-store business that served generations of customers. But this conversation goes far beyond business. Mark shares the lessons he learned about leadership, risk-taking, mentorship, resilience, peer groups, family, entrepreneurship, retirement, and what truly matters after decades of success. This conversation explores: • Building Mister Neat's Formalwear from a college class project • Taking risks when everyone says it won't work • Growing from 1 store to 20 locations • The power of mentorship and believing in people • How peer groups shape better leaders • Navigating divorce, setbacks, and reinvention • Retirement, purpose, and legacy • What success really means after 38 years in business 📸 Follow behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/coachgirres/ 🌐 Nancy’s Website: https://nancygirres.com/ 💼 Connect with Nancy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancygirres Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, identity, healing, burnout, and personal transformation. #leadership #entrepreneur #businessowner #successmindset #motivation

She Quit the Life She Built at 70 | Janet Fogarty | Ep. 6

What happens when you achieve everything you were supposed to want but something inside still tells you there’s more? In this deeply moving episode of the Finding North Podcast, Nancy Girres sits down with legendary executive coach and Vistage Chair Emeritus Janet Fogarty for a conversation about reinvention, intuition, grief, courage, identity, and designing a life that actually feels aligned. After spending 27 years guiding CEOs through growth, crisis, and transformation, Janet made a shocking decision at age 70: she walked away from the career she loved most. This conversation explores: • Why success alone is never enough • The hidden cost of ignoring your intuition • How sabbaticals can completely change your life • The power of asking better questions • Why listening is more transformative than advice • The difference between kindness and honesty • How to stop following someone else’s compass • What it really means to flourish as a human being Janet shares wisdom from decades spent coaching leaders through pivotal moments and reveals the mindset shifts that helped her embrace an entirely new chapter of life with freedom, peace, and purpose. If you’ve been feeling stuck, burned out, disconnected, or quietly questioning your direction... this episode may change the way you see your life. 📸 Follow behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/coachgirres/ 🌐 Nancy’s Website: https://nancygirres.com/ 💼 Connect with Nancy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancygirres Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, identity, healing, burnout, and personal transformation. #findingnorthpodcast #janetfogarty #selfgrowth #leadership #personaldevelopment

Why Women Come Alive After 60 | Whitney Walpole | Ep. 5

What if the conversations you’re avoiding are the key to becoming fully alive? In this episode of Finding North, Nancy Girres sits down with executive team coach and communication expert Whitney Walpole to explore leadership, reinvention, motherhood, identity, and the conversations that change everything. After 30 years coaching leadership teams and helping organizations build healthier cultures, Whitney shares the powerful communication tools behind her upcoming book, Breakthrough Conversations: How Great Teams Talk and Win Together. This conversation goes deep into: • Why most people focus on what they DON’T want • The communication shift that transforms relationships • What successful women struggle with privately • Why “having it all” is more complicated than it sounds • The surprising freedom that comes with getting older • Why women often come alive later in life • The power of uncertainty, growth, and becoming If you’ve ever felt successful but disconnected from yourself… this conversation will stay with you. 📸 Follow behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/coachgirres/ 🌐 Nancy’s Website: https://nancygirres.com/ 💼 Connect with Nancy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancygirres Connect with Whitney Walpole: ✉️ whitney@culturecounts.biz 🌐 https://www.conversationscount.com Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, identity, healing, burnout, and personal transformation. #leadership #womenover50 #personalgrowth #communicationskills #executivecoaching #findingnorth #whitneywalpole #nancygirres #womeninleadership #selfdevelopment #emotionalintelligence #mindsetshift #breakthroughconversations #leadershippodcast #womenempowerment #midlifetransformation #purposedrivenlife #authenticleadership #teamculture #podcastforwomen