The People First Podcast

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Candice Heidebrecht, Founder and CEO at Cultivate Empathy about all things corporate culture. After sharing some background about their relationship, Devin and Candice open with a discussion about why Candice does what she does, and the definition of corporate culture. Devin and Candice then discuss who is responsible for setting and maintaining a company’s culture, as well as the changes that Candice has seen by interacting with leaders today. Devin and Candice wrap up with some advice for listeners.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Antoine Le Tard, a VP at Rubrik, about the concept of intentionally. After sharing some background about their relationship, Devin and Antoine open with a discussion about the definition of intentionality, what it means to each of them, respectively, and why intentionality is so vital to Antoine’s day-to-day. Devin and Antoine then discuss some of the steps Antoine took after he committed to being intentional in his own life. Devin and Antoine wrap up with some advice for listeners.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Ryan Johansen, a Stress Management Trainer and Speaker about mental health in the modern workplace. After sharing some background about their relationship, Devin and Ryan open with a discussion about Ryan's past experiences and how they've molded his views on modern mental health importance. Devin and Ryan then discuss the stagnant stigma around mental health in the workplace, what can be done to change it, and the roles that company and team leaders play in that. Devin and Ryan wrap up with some advice for listeners.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Jon Sousa flys solo and recaps Season 3 of the People First Podcast. Jon plays a few clips from the most impactful episodes of Season 3. From all of us at PFP - have a great holiday season, and we will see you in 2022 for Season 4!

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Tim Koubek, an SVP at LogicMonitor about fear vs. empathy-based leadership. After sharing some background about their relationship, Devin and Tim open with a discussion about the transition from fear-based leadership to empathy-based leadership throughout Tim’s career, and the effect that has had. Devin and Tim then discuss the intentional things that Tim has done to continue to lead with empathy. Devin and Tim wrap up with some advice for listeners.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Randy Riemersma, an AVP at Mulesoft about exhibiting love in leadership. Devin and Randy open with a discussion about the series of events that lead to Randy changing his thoughts about the idea of love in leadership. Devin and Randy then discuss the intentional steps that Randy has taken to include affection and compassion in his leadership style both personally and professionally. The discussion continues with some of the benefits Randy as seen by leading with love as a leader. Devin and Randy wrap up with some advice for listeners.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Daniel Hack, the Founder at Gr@titude Lens about living a life of gratitude. Devin and Daniel open with a discussion about how Daniel began to live a life of gratitude, and the events in his life that played into that. Devin and Daniel then discuss how Daniel has been living a life of gratitude since the events that he discussed. Devin and Daniel wrap up with some advice for listeners.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Greg Denman, the Vice President of Technical Staffing at NextStep Recruiting about the “great resignation” occurring among today’s workforce. Devin and Greg open with a discussion about both the short-term and long-term elements that have led to folks considering leaving the workforce today. Devin and Greg then discuss the true meaning of the great resignation and the effects that it has on both partakers and non-partakers. The conversation continues with a discussion around how company culture is playing into this decision, and how it’s different than the way it was before the pandemic. Devin and Greg wrap up with some advice for listeners.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Ben Taylor, a Chief AI Evangelist at DataRobot and founder of Zeff.ai about your own internal talk track. Devin and Ben open with a discussion about the moments and experiences Ben had that made him realize that his internal talk track was important. Devin and Ben then discuss start-up life, and the personalities and, more typically, egos associated with them. The conversation continues with things that Ben did after having the epiphany that your internal talk track was important. Devin and Ben wrap up with some advice for listeners.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Anne Jones, co-founder of District C about connecting the human side of learning. Devin and Anne open with a discussion about District C and its relevance to the topic of the human side of learning. Devin and Anne then discuss Anne’s lightbulb moment and how she saw that the act of learning was broken. The conversation continues with the intentional things that Anne has done in her personal and professional life to helping connect her better to the human side of learning. Devin and Anne wrap up with a discussion around available resources and further information should listeners feel moved by the conversation.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Nancy Weston, a recent retiree from the American Red Cross about people-based vs. results-based cultures. Devin and Nancy open with a discussion about Nancy’s background and her realization of the favor towards a results-based culture. Drawing on her experiences, Devin and Nancy then discuss the actions that she took in order to establish a people-first culture in her professional and personal life, as well as the concept of “discretionary effort”. The conversation wraps up with advice to listeners about establishing people-first cultures in their own working worlds.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Sweetie Browne, Chief of Staff for IoT Sales at Cisco about building your tribe. Devin and Sweetie open with a discussion about defining what exactly is meant by “finding your tribe” and how Sweetie found her own in her life. Devin and Sweetie continue with a discussion around exactly what Sweetie has done to bring the tribe mentality into her personal and professional life today. Devin and Sweetie wrap up with advice to listeners about starting their own tribe.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Em Radkowski, VP of Global GTM Operations at DataRobot, and a fierce advocate for the LGBTQIA community about work-life balance, and more specifically, the idea of having a “work self” and a “life self”. Devin and Em open with a discussion about Em’s background and the interesting concept of having two separate work and life identities. Devin and Em continue talking some of the things that Em did after her personal discoveries and how it has shown up in her personal and professional life. They then wrap up with a chat about some recommended resources and advice if the conversation resonated with listeners today.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Jon Sousa chats with Stetson Olaye, an Operations Engineer at Canoe Ventures and a member of the PFP leadership team about following passions. Jon and Stetson open with a discussion about Stetson’s personal passion for real estate, and how he is working on it day-to-day. Jon and Stetson continue talking about furthering ones learning as it relates to your passion and not being afraid to fail. Jon and Stetson wrap up with a discussion around following multiple passions and trusting your process.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Jon Sousa flys solo and recaps Season 2 of the People First Podcast. Jon highlights a few episodes that were both impactful to him and act as a good starting point for people who may be stumbling upon the podcast for the first time. Jon wraps up by briefly talking about the plans for Season 3 of the podcast.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Jon Sousa chats with Olivia Sousa, a sixth-grade math and science teacher about teaching with empathy and grace. Jon and Olivia open with a discussion about challenges that Olivia faced during the teach/learn from home period and how she overcame them. Jon and Olivia continue talking about how Olivia has taught with empathy and grace during the past year and a half and how she is teaching her students how to recognize and manage their emotions. Jon and Olivia wrap up with some advice for parents as their children return to school this fall.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Dexter Evans, a library sales rep, co-author, and entrepreneur about recognizing doors of opportunity. Devin and Dexter open with a discussion about a personal story around how a leader helped Dexter identify various doors to opportunity. Devin and Dexter continue talking about the idea of paying it forward, and how each of them is doing that in their personal and professional life. Devin and Dexter wrap up with a discussion around one’s obligation to open doors to opportunity for others.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Jeff Boynton, an enterprise software sales veteran and newest member of the People First Professionals’ about PFP’s new project, the betterMEnt book club. Devin and Jeff talk about the inception of Jeff’s idea/passion for creating a book club, and discuss Jeff’s lifelong passion for self-improvement, specifically through reading. Devin and Jeff continue talking about the correlation between one’s reading frequency and their emotional intelligence and how it has personally shown up in Jeff’s life. Devin and Jeff wrap up with a discussion around the specifics of the betterMEnt book club and how listeners can get involved, should they so chose.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Jamelyn Banuelos, Director of Philanthropy at People First Professionals and a Customer Success Leader at AppDynamics about all things self-awareness. Devin and Jamelyn talk about Jamelyn’s moment that self-awareness came to the forefront of her own life, and the things that she has uncovered about self-awareness in her personal and professional life throughout her ongoing EQ journey. Devin and Jamelyn continue with a discussion around how experience, power, and title can lead to a self-awareness trap. Devin and Jamelyn wrap up with a discussion around self-care's relation to self-awareness and some tips and tricks for those looking to improve their own self-awareness, including a challenge to you the listener!

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Tom Huber, Chief Operating Officer, and General Counsel at Canoe Ventures about emotional intelligence in leadership positions. Devin and Tom talk about Tom’s realization that EQ was an important skillset to incorporate to be a leader, and Tom's journey to implement EQ into his various leadership positions. Devin and Tom wrap up with a discussion around resources and content that current and future leaders can digest to help begin implementing EQ into their day-to-day.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Jon Sousa, Director of Member Services at People First Professionals and Team Lead for Northeast Inside Sales at Red Hat about going from interviewer to interviewee. Devin and Jon chat about how Jon got into the position where he was conducting interviews and how valuing values in the interview process has benefited him. Devin and Jon wrap up with some advice for people just getting into interviewing candidates themselves, and a particular interview question that Jon enjoys asking to candidates.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Nadine James, Global Head of Social Impact & Community Engagement at AppDynamics about following your heart and living a life of giving. Devin and Nadine chat about Nadine’s realization that she was straying away from what her heart wanted and the challenges, sacrifices, and benefits of living a life of giving. Devin and Nadine wrap up with some advice, resources, and people to reach out to if they are feeling compelled by the conversation today.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Jon Sousa chats with Alec Peterson, Co-Founder of People First Professionals and Account Manager at Red Hat about Career Transitioning. Jon and Alec chat about Alec’s background, why someone should make a career change, and the questions that one should ask themselves when considering a move from one field to another. Jon and Alec continue with dialogue around what to do when you’ve decided to make a change, from building industry-specific champions to the interview process and wrap up with a discussion on how to succeed once you’ve got your new role.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with KC Onyekanne, HR Manager at NXP Semiconductors about having getting results the right way. Devin and KC chat about KC’s moment of realization in his own professional life about seeing results the right way, and the things that KC is putting into action in order to examine the “how” behind the results. Devin and KC continue with a discussion around addressing toxic culture/individuals and handling them from an HR perspective the right way. Devin and KC wrap up with a discussion about some lessons learned and advice to listeners who are driven to make a change.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Teevee Aguirre, Digital Marketing Specialist at Rockstar.Marketing about parenting with EQ. Devin and Teevee chat about Teevee’s journey to intentionally applying EQ to parenting, the effects of focusing on EQ more in the parenting process, and the specific effect of EQ on Teevee’s daughters and how that has lead to them tapping into their creative side. Devin and Teevee wrap up with a discussion around the lesson learned and potential pitfalls for listeners who would like to start their children down the path of learning about EQ.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Jon Sousa flys solo and recaps Season 1 of the People First Podcast. Jon highlights a few episodes that were both impactful to him and act as a good starting point for people who may be stumbling upon the podcast for the first time. Jon wraps up by briefly talking about the plans for Season 2 of the podcast.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Endia Turney, Content Marketing Manager at soona about being a generalist in today’s working world. Devin and Endia chat about Endia’s realization that being a generalist is its own unique skill, and what she is now doing to further lean into cultivating this skillset. Devin and Endia wrap up with some advice to people looking to embrace the generalist mindset even more.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Lauren Bryant, VP of Global Value Practice & Field Architecture at AppDynamics and Founder at Spark Life Coaching about being your authentic self in the working world. Devin and Lauren chat about Lauren’s realization about her own authentic self, and the good/upside that comes from leaning into your authentic self, and how Lauren’s life changed once she did so. Devin and Lauren wrap up with a discussion around what steps listeners can take in order to be the architect of their own lives and be more authentic and happy.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Apologies for the brief smoke alarm sound in the background. It’s us, not you.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Brian Perrott, Venture Operations Officer at BluePallet (amongst other things) about achieving work/life balance. Devin and Brian chat about the true definition of life balance and factors that play into it, as well as areas in which Brian (and potentially listeners) may trip up on as they try to achieve balance. Devin and Brian wrap up with a discussion around entrepreneurship and the highs and lows of that career decision.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Matt Phillips, Founder of Transcend, about finding meaning and purpose in work. Devin and Matt chat about Matt’s decision to transition away from technology sales and start his own business, as well as some advice for people that may be feeling uninspired and ready to make a change in their day-to-day. Devin and Matt wrap up with a discussion about Transcend and how it will affect people’s lives going forward.

Check out Transcend and download the app here: https://www.projecttranscend.com/

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Chris Amaefule, Account Executive at ThoughtSpot AND President of PFP’s TOLA chapter about being a champion. Devin and Chris chat about the definition of being a champion and how to go about establishing champions in your professional and personal life. Devin and Chris wrap up by talking about how you earn the right to call someone in your network your champion.

On today's episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Teresa Au, EA to CEO & CTO and Director of Executive Operations at Gem about leveraging Employee Resource Groups (ERG/EROs). Devin and Teresa chat about the definition of ERG/EROs, their benefits, and what happens when ERG/EROs begin to flourish. Devin and Teresa wrap up by chatting about the steps for people to take to start ERG/EROs at their own companies, as well as some of the challenges that could potentially arise along the way.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Lauren Ball, Area Director at App Dynamics about progressing your career as a female and being a male champion. Devin and Lauren chat about some of the typical challenges that female workers run into in male-dominated industries, as well as some considerations for people who want to succeed in less forward-thinking industries. Devin and Lauren finish up by talking about the male perspective, and what males can do to assist their female colleagues the right way.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Tony Do, Head of Pre-Sales Engineering at Starburst Data about leading through adversity. Devin and Tony chat about what leading through adversity means, the adversity that Tony has faced throughout his life, and how he’s channeled that into personal/professional success. Devin and Tony wrap things up by talking about how current and future leaders can balance and channel their own personal adversity to be the leader their teams are looking for.

On today’s episode of The People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Morgan Weltner, Area Director of Sales for the Nordics/Netherlands at BMC Software about building a personal brand. Devin and Morgan chat about the definition of a personal brand and what having a strong personal brand looks like in action. Devin and Morgan close the conversation with a few tips and tricks for building, strengthening, and leveraging your own personal brand.

On this episode of the People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Jesse Jones, the Founder of Fourscore Law about staying active as a busy professional. Devin and Jesse discuss Jesse's background and history with fitness/exercise science, some common errors that folks make when starting their fitness journey, and wrap-up with a discussion around mental health and tips for exercising at home.

On this episode of the People First Podcast, Devin sits down with Rick Reddington, professional Leadership and Career Coach, on the concept of a "safe workplace." What is a safe workplace?  How does this concept intersect with "inclusivity?"  Who's responsible for creating a safe and inclusive workplace?  What are the benefits (soft dollar, hard dollar, culturally) of creating a safe workplace?  Tune in to this one, something for anyone that can benefit everyone.

On this episode of the People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Joe Sinsheimer, a 30 year veteran in venture and real estate investment. Devin and Joe chat about common investment mistakes and misnomers, investment myths, emerging investment trends as well as tried and true fundamentals for investing.

On this episode of the People First Podcast, Jon Sousa chats with Devin Williams, President and Co-Founder of People First Professionals about making the transition from individual contributor to a first-time leader in the workplace. Jon and Devin discuss things that people can do in order to earn a promotion, the pillars of success for first-time leaders, and what potential challenges new leaders face as they begin their role.

On this episode of the People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Frankie Vignone of the Professionals on Purpose Podcast about living a life of purpose. Devin and Frankie discuss the meaning of living a life of purpose, how listeners can recognize that they need to make the shift to living a purposeful life in their own day-to-day, and what the benefits of living a purposeful life are.

On this episode of the People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Will Barfield of Barfield Revenue Consulting about job search best practices.  Devin and Will discuss Will's background and various organization involvements, "table stakes" job search best practices, and adapting your job search and interview approaches in the age of COVID-19 and work-from-home.

On this episode of the People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Parm Uppal of DataRobot about fostering a culture of development. Devin and Parm discuss Parm's journey from being an individual contributor to Chief Revenue Officer, what the definition of "culture of development" is, and advice to people who want to develop further, but feels as if their employer doesn't have the same focus.

On this episode of the People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Matt Kursh, CEO of Oji Life Lab about growing your emotional intelligence daily.  Devin and Matt discuss common failures of people as they embark on improving their EQ intentionally, what Oji Life Lab is and how it's helping, and some best practices to maximize personal EQ growth while minimizing self-frustration.

On this episode of the People First Podcast, Devin Williams chats with Ed Dudley of We Are Connect-ED about diversity and inclusion in the professional world.  Devin and Ed discuss the definition of D&I, some difference between D&I in the corporate vs. start-up world, and what people can do to better champion D&I in low-diversity environments.

On the first episode of the People First Podcast, Jon Sousa chats with Devin Williams about People First Professionals' digital plans going forward. Jon and Devin discuss plans to adapt PFP's content delivery methods to better cater to the age of COVID and WFH, as well as the various formats of podcasts that listeners can expect to hear.