Uncharted Journey
by 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.
Podcast episodes
Season 3
Episode 48 – Jill Jago, Committed Communicator
Jill Jago is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Vermouth, a premium, sustainable beauty company that aims to create a line of fully compostable beauty products made from natural ingredients and packaged using absolutely no plastics. She doesn’t believe in perfection and is a language fanatic – a very good combination. Her vast experience has shown her that the most exciting and world-changing ideas are born from a chaotic soup made up of clashing opinions, crazy notions, and stubborn dreams. There isn’t a messy situation she can’t handle by looking for patterns, making connections, and eventually finding then tugging on the end of the thread that will weave all the best bits together into one glorious opportunity. Positive doesn’t begin to describe her demeanor. She firmly believes as humans we have the power to create the future we want. Not one to stand by and see what happens – she actively seeks out people to partner with who are willing to challenge the status quo and who are as committed to making a positive impact as she it. Jill’s motivation to make more sustainable outcomes possible by challenging conventional wisdom has been built during a series of increasingly senior roles in a variety of industries. From starting her own water company to as CSO for an oil company she learned about resilience and climate change and the important role communications play in sustainability issues. She is committed to tackling the little-p political sustainability-related challenges with courage and a strong voice. The world is lucky to have her passion and loyalty to this commitment. She’s learned many lessons throughout her journey, and she wants people to know that “if anybody says you can have it all – be wary, because that is where madness lies”. Instead, lean into balance by finding what makes you happy and choosing what is important, rather than what you think is the right answer. Making that decision takes courage, but it’s an important decision to make.Check out Vermouth’s fabulous line up of lipsticks at Vermouth.co.
Episode 47 – Danielle Paige, Culture Maven
Danielle Paige spends her days as the chief marketing and growth officer at Nixon Peabody, an AM Law 100 firm. As a key leader, she focuses on brand strategy, digital business transformation, as well as client engagement and growth. A brand builder, storyteller, devoted client partner, collaborator, co-conspirator, and business driver, she has extensive experience in brand and reputation strategy and execution, operations, talent development, and culture building. She is a force to reckon with, and nothing can get in her way when she sets her sights on something. Danielle is outgoing and committed to success, both hers and others. A founding member of Chief, she sits on the executive board at Fast Company. Energetic, optimistic, and relentless, her sense of adventure started early on. As did the realization that to succeed means unequivocally believing in yourself and being able to adapt, quickly. Danielle continues to be guided by her inner drive to find work that was inspirational; to be a part of a company and in a role where she can make an impact.Her journey has had its fair share of shake-ups and success, and from each experience, she has learned important lessons and brought those with her to her next adventure. One of those early lessons was that relationships are key to success. In her words “once you’re with me on my journey, I’m hard to shake”. Her tenacity is palpable, and her energy contagious. Her best piece of advice is to “set goals for yourself and make sure that they are aspirational, and at least a little bit scary. Something that feels would take some element of magic to achieve.” Then get to work. Danielle Paige on LinkedInDanielle Paige at Nixon Peabody
Episode 46 - Laura Parr, Conscious Mindset Mentor
Laura Parr is a trained business coach and mindset mentor. She has a background in business consulting with one of the largest consulting firms in London. Before pivoting to follow her passion for helping with her coaching practice she started, scaled, and sold her property business. Her pivot that led to selling her successful business was the realization that life is not just about financial success – which she caveats is important to some, and that is ok – but the meaning, passion, and purpose are more important. She, and supporting research, has also found that for women, success is also often measured in being able to give back – back to the community, those in need, people, and organizations that have supported their journey. Today, she’s focused on helping women who feel unfulfilled and who are looking to create a legacy as well as their freedom by building businesses of their own. She teaches people how to set solid foundations to ensure long-term, sustainable success, as well as how to incorporate social or environmental aspects to a company set-up, enabling these new ventures to give back alongside financial success. Laura is an avid traveler, loves new experiences, and loves the people that she works with to create some incredible businesses along the way. Her best piece of advice, do what you love. Work with people you like – coworkers, employees, clients. And don’t forget to keep up with what makes you happy today. Because it changes. She says “Take a minute to be introspective, and conscious of what happiness means to you” – you have to understand that to authentically know what it looks like for you – if you can’t do that, you can’t achieve it.Laura Parr on InstagramLaura Parr on LinkedInLaura Parr’s Conscious Business Community Facebook Group: Laura’s co-authored book: Iconic Wealth for Women Join Laura at the Iconic Weather for Women event on September 14th, 2023 in London, UK. Its program is geared toward helping women maximize their monetary and philanthropic wealth.
Season 2
Episode 45 - Nancy Harhut, Persuasive Optimist
Nancy Harhut is a highly strategic and results-oriented internationally recognized Creative Director. Known for depth of knowledge and practice in using decision science to prompt customer action and loyalty, she and her teams have won over 200 awards for marketing effectiveness. Growing up, she had a zest for life and liked trying new experiences, from wearing paper dresses to trying a pomegranate for the first time. Intent on being a lawyer, suffering through four years of Latin to help in that pursuit, but after taking just one advertising and communications class as a senior in college she set her sights on the advertising world. Nancy has worked at various agencies, including Eastern Exclusive and Mullen, and most recently started her own agency HBT Marketing. As the firm’s hands-on Creative Director, she and her team create inventive and delighting digital and direct marketing campaigns driven by behavioral science.. Her path has not always been an easy one, but Nancy has always landing on her feet despite the twists and turns of the industry. She loves what she does and is constantly testing and trying new things. She remains actively involved in the creative process and is always looking for new challenges in behavioral science. Despite the challenges of navigating compliance and legal issues with clients, she finds satisfaction in finding ways to create effective work that satisfies both the client and the creative team. Her advice to others is to pursue their passions, empower others, and treat everyone with kindness and respect. She believes in karma and giving back to the industry by mentoring young people in the field. HBT MarketingNancy Harhut on LinkedIn
Episode 44 - Dr. Amy D'Aprix, Empathy Enabling Go-Getter
Dr. Amy D'Aprix is a renowned expert in her field who is affectionately known as Dr. Amy. With advanced degrees in Social Work, she serves as the Chief Empathy Officer and Life Transitions Expert at Life Transitions. Her mission? Assisting clients in navigating the challenges of aging and caregiving by offering down-to-earth, practical, and professionally informed guidance. Dr. Amy is not just an ordinary speaker and coach; she is captivating, pragmatic, and inspiring. With over 30 years of experience, she fearlessly delves into a wide range of topics to empower and assist others. Her expertise extends to aging-related matters as a Certified Professional Consultant on Aging, and she also holds a position on the Board of Directors of the International Federation on Ageing. As an accomplished author, Dr. Amy has written the transformative book, "From Surviving to Thriving: Transforming Your Caregiving Journey." She has also co-developed an audio coaching session and companion journal titled "Building the Bonds of Friendship at Midlife and Beyond." In addition, she has created innovative tools like the Life Memories Journal and Caring Cards, designed to foster meaningful intergenerational conversations. Passionate and vibrant, Dr. Amy infuses joy into everything she does. Like many successful women, she fearlessly embraces risks in her personal and professional life, eagerly learning from each experience. Now, with three decades of experience under her belt, she relishes this well-deserved stage of life. She focuses on doing what she loves, both personally and professionally, while also giving back to her communities. Dr. Amy's ultimate advice? Find humor in the tapestry of the human experience. Recognize that there are countless paths to happiness and that choices can be made to fulfill your deepest desires. If you find yourself unsatisfied with your current situation, seek out something that brings you joy and strive to attain that fulfillment. Remember, not every decision is a matter of life or death. Take a step back, breathe, and enjoy the journey. Dr. Amy D’Aprix on LinkedInDrAmy.life