Motivated to Lead is a podcast designed to help you grow and become a better leader. We interview leaders in business and the non-profit world. Listen each week as we have guests share lessons learned in their career and in life to help you whether you are a new leader or a seasoned leader. Our topics include leadership, career management and how to make great people decisions.
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June 12, 202620 min
324: Joel Trammell, The CEO Tightrope (replay)
In this episode, we revisit our interview with Joel Trammell, who is a successful CEO and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience. Joel's leadership as a founder and CEO resulted in successful nine-figure acquisitions by two Fortune 500 companies. In addition to The American CEO blog, he writes regular columns for Inc.com. He published a book – The CEO Tightrope – that describes a systematic approach to the critical chief executive role. In addition, he runs a CEO seminar in Austin every year.
June 1, 2026Episode 32335 min
Episode 323: Jane Dutton, Small Actions, Big Impact (replay)
In this episode, we revisit our interview with Professor Jane Dutton is a world expert in the field of Positive Organizational Scholarship. She shares ideas on how small actions can create a big impact and help your team flourish. Dr. Dutton co-founded the Center for Positive Organizations at the Ross School of Business in 2002. She is the only Distinguished University Professor on the faculty at Ross, which is the highest award given to a faculty member at the University of Michigan. Jane's research and teaching sit at the intersection of strategy, management, and psychology. In particular, she examines how high-quality connections and identity processes increase employees' and organizations' capabilities. She has published 13 books; two focused directly on managers, including her most recent book with Gretchen Spreitzer, How to Be a Positive Leader: Small Actions, Big Impact. She serves on the Board of Directors for Kelly Services. She has also worked with over 160 for-profit and not-for-profit organizations as a faculty coach with teams of MBA students doing consulting on strategy, marketing, and leadership projects.
May 18, 2026Episode 32248 min
Episode 322: Rich Ferrari, Co-Founder, De Novo Ventures (replay)
This week, we revisit our conversation with Rich Ferrari. Rich is a seasoned healthcare entrepreneur and investor with a track record of building and scaling medical device and biotech companies. He is a Co-Founder of De Novo Ventures, a premier life sciences venture firm that managed $650M, and has helped raise over $1B in capital while contributing to nearly $1.8B in successful acquisitions. Most recently, Rich served as CEO and Chairman of PQ Bypass, leading to its $350M acquisition by Endologix. He has also led and exited multiple companies, including Cardiovascular Imaging Systems (acquired by Boston Scientific) and CardioThoracic Systems (acquired by Guidant), where he drove one of the fastest IPOs in medtech history. A prolific founder, Rich has co-founded several successful ventures acquired by major players like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott, and Medtronic. He currently serves on multiple boards, including Tenon Medical (NASDAQ: TNON), HeartBeam, and Medlumics. Rich holds a BS from Ashland University and an MBA from the University of South Florida, and is a recipient of the Mallinckrodt Award for Excellence in Medicine.
May 11, 2026Episode 32141 min
Episode 321: Byron Loflin, Global Head of the Nasdaq Board Advisory & Nasdaq Center of Board Excellence (replay)
This week, we revisit a conversation with Byron Loflin, who is the Global Head of Nasdaq Board Advisory & Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence. He is the founder of the Center for Board Excellence (CBE) and is the architect of CBE's unique board assessment and advisory platform that was acquired by Nasdaq. Byron is recognized in the governance community for developing unique products that address board dynamics, corporate culture, accountability, and performance. His experience and expertise are in the design and administration of assessments and advising board chairs, boards, committees, directors, and executive management in a full range of corporate governance matters, including strategic alignment, best practices, board refreshment, diversity, structures, and corporate planning. He and his team have performed several hundred third-party board, committee, peer, and CEO self-assessments for organizations of all structures and sizes. Byron is a graduate of Harvard Business School (OPM) and James Madison University (BA). He is a member of the Society for Corporate Governance, Institute of Directors (UK), and the National Association of Corporate Directors. Some of his recent published works include: "Reboot, Not Refresh," International Banker Spring 2018; "Board Evaluations: Getting Aligned," published by Nasdaq 2017, and "Six Reasons Digital D&O Questionnaires Streamline Proxy Disclosure," published by Nasdaq 2017, and Board Evaluations 101, 2016.
May 4, 2026Episode 32018 min
Episode 320: Ann Hatcher (replay)
This week, we revisit our interview with Ann Hatcher. Ann is a Senior Consultant at Thrivence, based in Nashville, with more than 25 years' experience in all areas of human capital. Prior to joining Thrivence in 2022, Ann was the Chief HR Officer at Wellpath, a $2B private-equity backed healthcare company contracting with state and local governments. At Wellpath, Ann built a scalable HR function to support company growth. Prior to Wellpath, Ann held multiple VP roles at HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's largest publicly traded hospital companies. Ann received a bachelor's degree in economics from Washington & Lee University and Master of Business Administration from Belmont University. She serves on the board of the Urban League of Middle TN. She serves as Adjunct Faculty at Vanderbilt University's Master of Leadership and Organizational Performance. Ann and her husband Scott reside in Nashville, where they are cheering on their recent college graduate son Joseph.
April 27, 2026Episode 31926 min
Episode 319: Rod Mathews, CEO, TeamDynamix
This week, we interviewed Rod Mathews. Rod is the CEO of TeamDynamix and a member of the board of directors. Most recently, he was President and CEO at Axcient, a business continuity and disaster recovery software company, where he focused on innovation and market acceleration, leading to its acquisition by ConnectWise late last year. During his tenure, Axcient's growth rate tripled, driven by the expansion of the market-leading x360 platform focused on the MSP market. As a 34-year tech industry veteran, he has held leadership positions across R&D, marketing, corporate development, and general management with Barracuda Networks, EMC, Data Domain, and NetApp. Rod is also executive chair of the board at Spin.AI, a SaaS security company with a mission to secure SaaS data against ransomware attacks, insider threats, data loss, data leaks, and non-compliance.
April 20, 2026Episode 31824 min
Episode 318: Kristin Russell, CEO, CBTS
This week, we interviewed Kristin Russell. Kristin is the CEO of CBTS and a member of its Board of Directors. Kristin shapes and drives the organization's strategic direction. A dynamic visionary, she is guiding CBTS's evolution from a traditional infrastructure and managed services firm into a market leader in AI-enabled digital transformation solutions. Kristin is a seasoned industry veteran with over 20 years of experience driving transformative growth at leading technology companies. Prior to joining CBTS, she served as the President of Arrow Electronics' Global Enterprise Computing Solutions (ECS) division. Before joining Arrow, Kristin held key leadership roles at Deloitte Consulting, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems. She also served as the Secretary of Technology and Chief Information Officer for the State of Colorado. Kristin's leadership has earned her numerous industry accolades, including recognition on CRN's 'Top 100 Channel Leaders', the GTDC Innovator Award, Women We Admire's '100 Women in Technology', and CIO of the Year by the Denver Business Journal. Kristin excels at building strong, collaborative teams and fostering cultures grounded in accountability, innovation, and high performance. A sought-after expert and engaging speaker, she has been featured in several publications, books, and events. A lifelong learner and tech enthusiast, Kristin thrives on helping others achieve their full potential. Outside of work, Kristin enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with her family. She holds a bachelor's degree in International Affairs from the University of Colorado.
April 14, 2026Episode 31729 min
Episode 317: Todd Henry, The Motivation Code (replay)
This week we revisit our conversation with Todd Henry regarding the book, The Motivation Code, Discover the Hidden Forces That Drive Your Best Work. Todd is the author of seven books (including The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, and Herding Tigers), which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks internationally on creativity, productivity, passion for work, and generating brilliant ideas. Todd's podcast, Daily Creative, has been downloaded more than 20 million times since 2005. Over the years, Todd has developed a comprehensive framework (The Brilliance Engine™) that empowers leaders and creative pros to produce brilliant work in healthy teams that make a meaningful difference in the world. Through his keynotes and workshops, he shares practical strategies to help people and teams to be brave, focused, and brilliant every day.
April 2, 2026Episode 31627 min
Episode 316: Ryan Hawk (replay)
This week, we revisit our conversation with Ryan Hawk—leadership advisor, keynote speaker, and creator of The Learning Leader Show, a top‑ranked podcast downloaded tens of millions of times around the world. Ryan is known for his curiosity, preparation, and ability to draw out deep insights from world‑class performers across business, sports, and culture. He's the bestselling author of Welcome to Management, The Pursuit of Excellence, and The Score That Matters. In this conversation, Ryan shares how leaders can transition seamlessly from individual contributor to exceptional leader.
March 19, 2026Episode 31520 min
Episode 315: Lorraine Parker-Clegg, Chief People Officer, Allison Transmission
In this week's episode, we revisit our interview with Lorraine Parker-Clegg. Lorraine is the Chief People Officer at Allison Transmission. Lorraine shares lessons learned in her career and her perspective on hiring great talent. Lorraine is an international business leader with in-country expertise across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Lorraine has held Human Resources leadership positions with companies such as BE Aerospace, Bristol Myers Squibb, Medtronic, most recently, she was the Chief Human Resources Officer at Doncasters Group. Lorraine is highly regarded for her ability to take on the tough challenges, helping organizations bring necessary change to further their human capital and talent agenda.
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