Uncharted Journey
por Cathy McKnight
Life is an adventure filled with great stories. This podcast captures and shares the adventures of amazing women, their careers, their success, and the secrets they learned along the way.
Episodios del podcast
Temporada 4
Episode 74 – Melissa Moody, Positive Amplifier
Melissa Moody is a full-stack marketing executive and entrepreneur extraordinaire. With an unwavering passion for user-first products and a remarkable talent for creating clarity amidst chaos, she is the go-to for best practices on finding focus and going big. At the helm as General Manager for Matcha, a platform that empowers professionals, communities, and teams to grow their networks in a focused and meaningful way, she is continuing to connect people and positively amplify voices and knowledge. With a mission to make the web a seamless and delightful place for all, before joining Matcha, Melissa blazed a trail as the CMO & Founder of SaaS start-up Gated. Before that, she spent almost 15 years at Google, working closely with Fortune 500 Travel companies, championing fast, frictionless user experiences and crafting effective cross-channel marketing strategies. As if running a company wasn’t enough, Melissa also co-hosts a weekly marketing-focused podcast – 2 pizza marketing. And last year, tired of seeing the same faces in her LinkedIn feed, that were/are so often predominantly male, she co-founded Wednesday Women – a LinkedIn Group with the mission to increase the visibility of executive women leaders we should know, learn from, and be inspired by. When she is not in the throes of work-hustle, she is fanatically family-centric, an adventure enthusiast, an avid reader, and a passionate traveler. She is also a fan of Modern Stoicism and has amazing taste in music as a big fan of The Killers. Being based in Alaska and surrounded by nature, she gets a daily reminder just looking out the window to heed her own best advice to slow down, pause before delving in too deep, reacting to outside pressures/points of view. In the words of The Killers, Melissa wishes for everyone that “Your limits be unknown, and your efforts be your own.”. Melissa Moody on LinkedIn
Episode 73 – Nikki Carvalho, Barrier-breaking Leader
Nikki Carvalho's ascent to the presidency of State Window Corporation is a testament to her exceptional leadership qualities and unwavering dedication. As President, she not only holds the title but also leads by example, setting a high standard for excellence and encouraging her team to reach their fullest potential. But Nikki's journey to success did not start overnight. She honed her business acumen and gained invaluable experience during her tenure as the Chief Financial Officer of the Peel Financial Group of Companies. Before that, she spent a decade at Deloitte, building a solid foundation of knowledge and skills across disciplines and industries. As a female and visible minority leader in her male-dominated industry what notable sets Nikki apart is her refusal to be confined by preconceived notions and her unwavering belief in the power of diversity, kindness, and compassion. She is a showcase for what is achievable to underrepresented individuals who often face barriers in their careers. Through her unwavering passion for pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo, she inspires those around her to strive for excellence. And through her leadership, she aims to redefine the industry's perception of leaders by showcasing qualities of kindness, compassion, and rationality, while also championing the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations. She walks the walk in terms of advice to not let imposter syndrome stand in the way of success. If you believe that you have earned a seat at the table – take it, by advocating for, and believing in yourself. Nikki Carvalho on LinkedIn State Window Corporation
Episode 72 – Janna Kimel, Empowering Empath
Janna Kimel knows how to unlock potential at the intersection of UX Research, design, and accessibility. For more than 15 years, she has been a driving force in the world of UX Research, design, and accessibility. With an unwavering commitment to championing inclusive design and research, she has transformed countless ideas into reality, igniting new team dynamics and supercharging existing ones with her approachable and positive leadership style. Her journey as a researcher has given a voice to products and experiences, while her expertise in building collaborative and inclusive environments has paved the way for seamless project alignment. With creativity and empathy as driving forces, today’s guest thrives on mentoring team members and brings a unique blend of curiosity, integrity, and openness to every endeavor Janna has faced and continues to fight chronic pain for much of her life. And rather than let it slow her down, she has combined her worlds in launching the Chronic Pain Project. This passion project is a coming together of her love of art, empathy building, and her experience as a researcher. She understands that chronic pain can be intense and isolating and wants to bring others together to visualize the experience and share their stories. She attributes her success and happiness, at least in part to finding balance in her life. Part of this came through great advice from a former colleague who told her to “drive your own bus” so that you get to control the destination, and through embracing others and welcoming them into her world including her husband, cat, and even herself, via a committed morning meditation practice. This self-awareness is also reflected in her advice of “pull your chair up to the (proverbial or literal) table, and share your voice. Your true voice.” Because everyone has value to add and should be able to do so in an authentic self manner. Janna Kimel Learn more about and maybe even join The Chronic Pain Project. Janna Kimel on LinkedIn
Episode 71 – Tamsen Webster, Story Builder
Tamsen Webster is part strategist, part storyteller, part English-to-English translator, and with an overlay of enthusiastic positivity. Take all those things to varying degrees depending on the day and tasks at hand, and there is no wonder her clients and followers learn and embrace the council on how to drive action with their ideas. The primary benefactors of Tamsen’s expertise are storytellers. She has spent the last two decades helping them find and build their best stories they tell themselves and others. As the founder and Chief Messaging Strategist at Find The Red Thread, she boasts an impressive and diverse client list that includes big guns like Johnson & Johnson, Harvard Medical School, and Intel, as well as start-ups leading the next wave of innovation. She is also a professional advisor at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and a mentor for the Harvard Innovation Labs. Additional accolades include being an in-demand speaker, being named to the Thinkers50 Radar Thinkers to Watch class of 2022, and publishing her first book – Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible. And most recently, she launched the accompanying Red Thread online course and is poised to publish her second book in the fall of 2024. Pattern-driven, bidirectional, and curious, Tamsen is Boston-based with her family, a reluctant marathoner and connoisseur of dark chocolate, and, in her mind at least, a champion ballroom dancer. In her impressive 20+ years in marketing, 13 years as a Weight Watchers leader, and ten years later still working with TEDx Cambridge/New England, Tamsen has learned the value of support in its giving and receiving. Being open to receiving, as well as giving support to those around you, creates a positive pattern that extends into and creates a positive community for growth and learning. TamsenWebster.com Tamsen Webster on LinkedIn Sign up for: The Red Thread Newsletter Book 1: Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible Book 2: Coming Fall 2024 – stay tuned!
Episode 70 – Cindy Gallop, Status Quo Challenger
Cindy Gallop is a woman to be reckoned with. With a background in brand-building, marketing, and advertising, she’s been a trailblazer since 1998, when she started up the US office of ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty in New York. Since then, she's only gotten more badass, earning accolades like Advertising Woman of the Year and being named one of the 15 Most Important Marketing Strategy Thinkers Today, alongside the likes Malcolm Gladwell and Seth Godin. What really makes Cindy exceptional, is her outspokenness and willingness to challenge the status quo. Not content with just doing things the way they've always been done – oh no, when she sees something that is not working or needs to be done/done differently she moves to make those changes. Case in point, in 2009 during her TED presentation, in reaction to and based on her own direct personal experience dating younger men, she launched to a live audience that included Robin Williams (who BTW was duly impressed) Make Love Not Porn, THE social sextech platform designed to promote positive sexual behavior and values. It is a frank, open, and positive place for all to learn about sex that is very much needed. The world has been engaged and supportive of her endeavour ever since. She also lends her badassery as a board advisor to a bunch of tech ventures, works as a personal brand/life/executive coach, and consults on brand and business innovation for companies around the world. Her consultancy approach “I like to blow shit up.”. You will never be at a loss for what she is thinking, particularly when it comes her fierce advocacy for diversity and inclusion in advertising, tech, and business. Her impact on those industries has been immeasurable. So it should come as no surprise that when asked for her best piece of advice Cindy says “Don’t give a damn what other people think, do what you believe.”. This has certainly served her well Cindy Gallop on LinkedIn Cindy Gallop on Instagram Make Love Not Porn website Donate to Make Love Not Porn Academy Crowd Funding