Great Minds: People and Culture

Episoder

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  Kate Isichei of Where to Look Communications: From Mom to Neuroinclusion Navigator 10.06.2026 26min

  When Kate Isichei's children were diagnosed with Autism and ADHD, it didn't just change her family — it transformed her career. Now, as Founder of Where to Look Communications and as Neuroinclusion Navigator, Kate helps organizations rethink how they hire, communicate, and lead. In this episode of Great Minds: People & Culture, she joins Ren Akinci for a candid conversation about what companies are getting wrong and what small shifts can make a big difference for neurodivergent employees. 
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  Kimberle Lau, Bake Me Healthy: Raising a Brand and a Family 29.04.2026 28min

  Kimberle Lau didn't set out to become a food founder, but a health crisis changed everything. From beauty executive to CEO of Bake Me Healthy, she built a women- and Asian-owned brand from the ground up while raising a family and navigating the unique hurdles that come with it. In this episode of Great Minds: People & Culture, she sits down with Ren Akinci to talk business, identity, and the lessons she's passing on to her kids.
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  Carolina Lopez of BEJOU Building a Brand Through Discipline Transparency and Grit 15.04.2026 33min

  Our host Ren Akinci is joined by BEJOU founder Carolina Lopez for a candid conversation on leadership, brand building, and resilience. Carolina shares how personal health challenges revealed critical gaps in the skincare industry and pushed her to build a trust driven brand in a crowded market. They discuss navigating rejection, leading with discipline and transparency, and making the hard decisions required to scale with integrity.  
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  Justin Thomas-Copeland, CEO of the 4As, on Modernizing Agency Support in Real Time 04.02.2026 36min

  Host Ren Akinci is joined by Justin Thomas-Copeland, CEO of the 4As, for a conversation on what matters most as the advertising and marketing industry enters its next phase. Together, they unpack the shifts reshaping agencies, what a modern trade association must deliver in real time, and how the 4As is redefining its role, tools, and member experience. Justin shares how he’s thinking about agility, technology, and measurable signals of progress as he builds the organization’s next chapter.
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  The Data Behind Belonging: What Leaders Get Wrong About Culture — with Carissa Romero, Co-Founder of Paradigm 21.01.2026 39min

  In this episode, Ren Akinci sits down with Carissa Romero, Ph.D., co-founder of Paradigm, for a conversation about what actually changes behavior at work and what quietly undermines it. Drawing from her roots in Stanford research and years advising leaders, Carissa breaks down why many well-intentioned culture efforts fail, how data often contradicts leadership narratives, and what it really takes to build belonging at scale.   
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  Vision, Structure, and the Future of Experiential Marketing with Kim Lawton, Founder & CEO of Enthuse Marketing 07.01.2026 32min

  What happens when an agency is built on teaching and not just executing? In our latest episode, Ren Akinci sits down with Kim Lawton, founder & CEO of Enthuse Marketing, to break down the non-negotiables behind sustainable creativity, the traps experiential teams keep falling into, and what agency leaders need to unlearn heading into 2026.
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  Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia: What It Really Takes to Be Yourself at Work 10.12.2025 50min

  <br /> In this Episode Ren Akinci sits down with Claude Silver to discuss her new book Be Yourself at Work. Together, they explore the moment Claude knew this book needed to be written, the healing and emotional bravery behind it, and the parts of herself she once hid but now embraces.<br />
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  Grit in Action: Erin Fabio on Founder Reality, Resilience, and Reinvention 19.11.2025 33min

  <br /> Erin Fabio joins Ren Akinci for a candid conversation on what it  takes to build and scale a marketing agency as a woman in an industry still catching up. They get into early barriers, pivots, leadership evolution, and the unfiltered realities facing female founders today<br />
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  The Future of Loyalty and Customer Experience with Morana Bakula of Bond 15.10.2025 33min

  <br /> In this episode Ren Akinci speaks with Morana Bakula, President and CEO of Bond Brand Loyalty. In this conversation, Morana shares what sets Bond apart in the loyalty and customer experience space, offers an inside look at The Loyalty Report — the agency’s annual industry benchmark — and reflects on how brands can evolve to meet rising customer expectations. She also opens up about her journey as a first-generation immigrant leading a fast-growing agency into its next chapter.<br />
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  Defending Free Speech, Defining Leadership Madeline Krasno on Founding Justify and Leading Change in Science 01.10.2025 26min

  <br /> Is deleting social media comments just “good housekeeping”? Madeline Krasno didn’t think so. Her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, deleted her posts about animal testing, leading her to file a lawsuit in 2021. Though a district court initially dismissed the case, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision in 2025, ruling the censorship unconstitutional. In this episode, Madeline shares how she turned her experience into leading Justify, a nonprofit supporting current and former lab workers.<br />
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  Thinking Differently, Buying Differently: Why Brands Can’t Ignore Neurodivergent Consumers — with Nathan Friedman, CMO of Understood.org 17.09.2025 26min

  <br /> In this episode, Ren Akinci sits down with Nathan Friedman, Co-President and Chief Marketing Officer of Understood.org, to explore the intersection of creativity, inclusion, and business strategy. Nathan shares how his personal journey with learning and thinking differences shaped his career and fuels his passion for building a more inclusive world.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> We dive into insights from Understood’s recent study on neurodivergence in the creative industry, unpack the tension between valuing “different thinking” and actually supporting neurodivergent talent, and explore the untapped market potential of neurodivergent consumers.<br />
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  Bridging the Workforce Divide with Harvard’s Joseph Fuller 17.06.2025 49min

  <br /> This Week on Great Minds: People & CultureRen Akinci is joined by Professor Joseph Fuller, a leading expert on workforce strategy from Harvard Business School. Together, they dive into why so many companies still treat talent like a spot-market transaction, how employers can reframe community colleges as strategic partners, and what it will take to move from degree-based to skills-based hiring. It’s a timely conversation for any leader rethinking how to build a more resilient and future-ready workforce.<br />
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  Redefining Parental Leave with Allison Whalen, Founder & CEO of Parentaly 21.05.2025 42min

  <br /> After returning from her own parental leave to find her team struggling and her career momentum stalled, Allison Whalen knew this wasn’t just a personal challenge—it was a systemic issue. That insight led her to launch Parentaly, a company helping employers turn parental leave into a strategic advantage rather than a career disruption. In this episode, Allison joins, Ren Akinci, to talk about what most companies get wrong about parental leave, how to support both managers and employees through the process, and why leave isn’t just a benefits issue—it’s a leadership and retention issue. We also dig into the real impact of career disruption on working parents and explore practical, proven strategies that organizations can use to do better.<br />
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  The Courage to Nourish: Ground-Up Leadership with Natalie Flores of NourishLA 07.05.2025 34min

  <br /> For Earth Day, Ren Akinci sat down with Natalie Flores, founder of NourishLA, a community-powered nonprofit tackling food waste, hunger, and local sustainability in Los Angeles. In this episode, Natalie shares how she turned a crisis into a catalyst—launching NourishLA during the pandemic to connect surplus food with families in need.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> We talk about what it takes to lead during natural disasters like California’s wildfires, how she’s addressing homelessness through community support, and the powerful lessons she’s learned scaling a volunteer-driven organization. Natalie’s story is a masterclass in purpose-driven leadership—on the ground, in the garden, and at the table.<br />
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  Rethinking Sleep: The Leadership Advantage You’re Overlooking 30.04.2025 1t 1min

  <br /> If you’re constantly running on empty, pushing through stress, or telling yourself you’ll “catch up on sleep later”—this episode is for you. This week, Ren Akinci is joined by Ahna de Vena, a Sleep and Performance Specialist who has spent over 20 years helping high-performing leaders and teams rethink their relationship with rest.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> We explore how sleep impacts executive decision-making, emotional regulation, and long-term performance. You’ll learn why burnout is often the result of mismanaged recovery, what healthy sleep hygiene actually looks like in today’s always-on world, and how trauma—even subtle or unspoken—can quietly disrupt our ability to rest.<br />
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  What Companies Miss When They Require Degrees: A Conversation with OneTen’s Debbie Dyson 17.04.2025 31min

  <br /> On this Episode of Great Minds: People & Culture, Ren Akinci speaks with Debbie Dyson, CEO of OneTen, about how the organization is helping employers break away from outdated hiring practices by removing four-year degree requirements and focusing on skills. They talk about what it really takes to drive change inside companies, how to get leadership aligned, and the role of upskilling and community partnerships in building long-term career paths. For anyone thinking seriously about equity, access, and the future of work, this conversation lays out the work that still needs to be done—and how to get there.<br />
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  Success, Status & Starting Over: Melani Dziire on Finding Meaning in Work 20.03.2025 28min

  <br /> In this episode of Great Minds, Ren Akinci sits down with Melani (Walker) Dziire, who made the bold decision to leave behind a high-powered executive career to pursue a completely different path. Melani shares what inspired her to take the leap, the biggest obstacles she faced, and how she prepared—both practically and mentally—for such a major transition. We discuss the emotional and professional challenges of reinventing oneself, from navigating identity shifts to building credibility in a new industry.<br />
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  Unlocking the Power of Inclusive Marketing with Lisette Arsuaga 26.02.2025 33min

  <br /> In this episode of Great Minds, Ren Akinci sits down with Lisette Arsuaga, co-founder of AIMM and Co-CEO of DMI Consulting, to explore how brands can drive meaningful impact through cultural authenticity and inclusive marketing. They discuss AIMM’s role in providing guidance and data to help marketers remain competitive, the importance of equity in investment and metrics-driven strategies, and how agencies and brands can foster innovation in today’s dynamic landscape.<br />
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  Diana Brooks, Founder and CEO of THE 3RD EYE, on Leadership, Innovation, and Empowerment 10.02.2025 36min

  <br /> In this episode, our host Ren Akinci speaks with Diana Brooks, founder and CEO of THE 3RD EYE, who, at a young age, was told that women couldn’t succeed in her career choice. Taking those words to heart, Diana shifted her path, ultimately finding her place as a trailblazer in the advertising industry. She shares how she built a company rooted in innovation and inclusivity, the challenges she faced as a young entrepreneur, and her strategies for navigating change while empowering diverse talent. This episode is a powerful reflection on resilience, leadership, and redefining possibilities.<br />
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  Gender Specialist Rebecca Minor on Supporting Trans and Gender-Expansive Kids 23.01.2025 20min

  <br /> In our latest podcast episode, we speak with Rebecca Minor, MSW, LICSW (she/her/they), a queer clinician, consultant, and educator specializing in the intersection of trauma, gender, and sexuality. As the founder of Prism Therapy Collective and adjunct faculty at Boston University School of Social Work, Rebecca shares insights on developing inclusive policies, addressing privacy concerns, and supporting trans and gender-expansive individuals in various settings. Don’t miss this conversation on fostering inclusivity and understanding in both professional and personal environments.<br />