Today, we’re featuring some of the most inspiring guests we’ve had on the show - and it just so happens they are all women. You’ll hear from Oscar winner turned Trevor Project Founder Peggy Rajski, former Houston Mayor Annise Parker,  CNN Hero Yasmine Arrington, White House Cyber Czar Camille Stewart Gloster, ad agency legend Cary Hatch, Points of Light CEO Jennifer Sirangelo, healthcare innovator Silvia Taylor, Science luminary Maya Ajmera, Substack influencer Lia Haberman, and Accenture diversity champion Nedra Dickson. This powerful episode dives into authentic leadership and the art of influencing both within large organizations and in the wider community. The conversation covers a range of impactful topics, from translating marketing and finance to engaging younger audiences, combating misinformation, and building personal brands. The guests share their personal journeys and invaluable insights on overcoming challenges, embracing failure, fostering inclusivity, and championing supplier diversity. Takeaways:Translate Across Disciplines: Understand different terminologies, such as finance and corporate speak. As a leader or influencer, being fluent in the languages relevant to your stakeholders is essential to gaining credibility and a seat at the table.Prioritize Listening and Learning: Authentic listening is key. Leaders should intentionally create opportunities to hear from their audience, staying connected and responsive to their needs.Address Misinformation Proactively: Focus on spreading credible, fact-based information rather than chasing down every piece of misinformation. Tailor your message to highlight benefits and facts that resonate with your audience.Commit to Solving Problems: Recognize critical moments and take decisive action when challenges arise. Whether it's creating new solutions or improving existing ones, proactive problem-solving is essential for leadership.Be a Good Listener: Effective influence begins with listening. Understanding your audience's needs and perspectives allows for more impactful communication and decision-making.Embrace Failure as a Learning Tool: Use setbacks as opportunities to learn. Embracing failure and applying those lessons can sharpen your approach and enhance your influence.Build and Maintain a Personal Brand: Actively define and promote your personal brand. Whether within an organization or externally, a strong personal brand helps you connect with your audience and drive impact.Links:Cary Hatch: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryhatch/ Jennifer SirangeloLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-sirangelo-62a8723/ Silvia Taylor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silviabtaylor/ Peggy Rajski LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyrajski/ Annise Parker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annise-parker-7956bb6/ Maya Ajmera LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayaajmera/ Yasmine Arrington Brooks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmine-arrington-brooks-66451220/ Camille Stewart GlosterLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillestewartesq/ Lia Haberman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liahaberman/ Nedra Dickson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedra-dickson-051b361/ 

Emma O’Brian, the  Senior Vice President of Strategy for Dow Jones, delves into her career trajectory, the role of business intelligence, and the evolving media landscape. She heads growth and innovation efforts at Dow Jones, overseeing strategy, M&A, and R&D initiatives, and serves as a member of the executive leadership team. She differentiates between news for general consumers and business intelligence for professionals, emphasizing the importance of providing relevant and context-rich information for both. Emma also discusses adapting media output to varied consumer preferences, leveraging technology for personalized content, and maintaining journalistic integrity as fundamental to her approach. Her journey, which started as a TV booker and evolved into strategic leadership roles, underscores the value of pragmatism, neutrality, and data-driven decision-making. The dialogue further explores the balance between current audience needs and future market adaptations, emphasizing internal influence and strategic stakeholder management.Takeaways:Lead Growth and Innovation: Strive to be at the forefront of growth and innovation within your organization. Always seek new opportunities to expand and improve.Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with various teams and departments. Bringing diverse teams together can help solve complex problems efficiently.Continuously Upskill: Invest in your education and skills. Advanced degrees or certifications can help you stay competitive and open doors to new career opportunities.Embrace New Media and Personal Branding: Build and maintain a strong personal brand. In today's digital world, personal brands can be as powerful as corporate logos.Build Internal Influence: Focus on building trust and working behind the scenes. Being an honest broker can be more effective than seeking the limelight.Inclusive Decision-Making: Ensure all relevant stakeholders have a voice in decision-making processes. This fosters trust and leads to better, more inclusive decisions.Data-Driven Decisions: Base strategies and decisions on data rather than intuition. Test and validate ideas before full implementation to ensure they are grounded in factual insights.Quote of the Show:“It's not so much a career ladder, but more like a walk around a mountain. You keep taking new opportunities and growing. Eventually, you look back and realize that you've arrived, not by climbing a straight path, but by gaining the experience that gives you a holistic view of what it takes to run a business, manage a P&L, and understand the true outcomes.”Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmavobrian/ Website: https://www.dowjones.com/ Shout Outs:Almar Latour: https://www.linkedin.com/in/almarlatour/ Emma Tucker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-tucker-b84a424/ 

Jeff Farrah, CEO of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA), shares his insights into the rapidly evolving autonomous vehicle (AV) industry. With an extensive background in association leadership and policy advocacy, Jeff discusses the current state of AV technology, addressing common misconceptions and emphasizing the significant progress being made in states across the country. He highlights the societal benefits of AVs, such as improving mobility for those unable to drive and enhancing supply chain logistics. Jeff also outlines AVIA's efforts to establish a federal policy framework for AVs, stressing the importance of maintaining American leadership in this transformative field. Throughout the conversation, Jeff offers strategies for effective advocacy, the role of storytelling in policy communication, and the challenges of managing diverse business interests within AVIA. Takeaways:Foster Growth and Innovation: Continuously develop strategies to drive growth, increase revenue, and expand impact. Regularly assess and refine your management and operational approaches.Communicate Effectively: Deliver clear, compelling messages by combining data with emotional storytelling to effectively convey your vision and objectives.Emphasize Benefits: Highlight the broad benefits of your innovations or policies—such as safety improvements or economic gains—to build support and address concerns.Know Your Audience: Tailor your message to the specific interests and needs of your stakeholders, showing how your initiatives align with their priorities.Promote Opportunities: Recognize and showcase the economic and social benefits of new technologies or policies, demonstrating how they can improve quality of life and increase access for communities.Balance Data and Emotion: While data is essential, balance it with emotional narratives to create a persuasive and relatable message. Compelling stories often inspire action.Build Strong Foundations: When launching new initiatives or organizations, focus on establishing solid processes, culture, and operational norms. This foundation supports flexibility and innovation.Quote of the Show:“The reason we have language is to be understood. The reason we have advocacy is to be understood and be able to kind of move the needle on certain things. It's not about being the wonkiest person out there. It's about being the one who's most effective at delivering a message.”Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-farrah-5343853/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/theavindustry.org Website: https://theavindustry.org/ 

The Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy is a leading advocate for mental health and addiction. As a former Congressman, Patrick was instrumental in passing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 and has spent years fighting for policy change. After leaving Congress, he founded The Kennedy Forum and co-founded One Mind to advance brain health.In this episode, Patrick delves into the challenges and stigmas faced by those struggling with mental health and substance use disorders and the impactful decision to share his own story in his book, A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction; and the courageous stories of others in his more recent book, Profiles in Mental Health Courage. Takeaways:Be authentic and vulnerable: Share your own story, including struggles and failures, to create genuine connections and inspire others. Authenticity can turn adverse events into strengths, as people appreciate honesty and are more likely to support you when they see you are genuine.Build coalitions: Diverse coalitions can drive impactful change. By bringing together different perspectives and points of view, you can create a broader consensus and develop policies or solutions that are more robust and widely accepted.Forge bipartisan support in times of polarization: Build bipartisan support by focusing on shared goals and values, using persistence and personal connections to bridge divides in polarized times.Connect with your audience through storytelling: Use stories and analogies to make complex issues more relatable and to motivate people to join your cause or mission. Tailored storytelling can rally support and drive collective action.Persist through adversity: Use challenges as learning experiences and opportunities to build resilience. Persistence, even in the face of setbacks, is key to achieving long-term goals and making a difference.Leverage personal experiences for advocacy: Use your story to highlight broader issues, fostering empathy and inspiring change.There is no health without mental health: Advocate for integrating mental health into healthcare, highlighting its connection to physical health and the need for community-based support to reduce costs and improve recovery.Quote of the Show:"We live in a polarized world, but the shared human experience of our mental health can unite us across all divides. These issues transcend the toxic reactivity between opposing sides."Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-j-kennedy-6821ba165/ Website: https://www.patrickjkennedy.net/ Books: “Profiles in Mental Health Courage”: https://a.co/d/0kFiw9G “A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction”: https://a.co/d/2ObOEdP 

In this episode of Chief Influencer host Anthony Shop sits down with Silvia Taylor, Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Affairs and Advocacy Officer at Novavax, a leading biotechnology company. Silvia shares her wealth of experience in marketing, communications, and branding within the healthcare industry. She takes us through her work in creating innovative marketing strategies, securing financing, and advancing groundbreaking products like inhaled insulin and flu vaccines. Silvia also dives into Novavax’s swift development of a COVID-19 vaccine, underscoring the importance of clear, consistent messaging and combating misinformation in the healthcare space. She discusses the need for tailored communication for diverse audiences, the role of effective internal communication, and the significant impact of mentorship in her career. Silvia wraps up by looking ahead to the future of healthcare, highlighting the importance of industry preparedness and collaboration for overcoming global health challenges.Takeaways:Stay Consistent with Messaging: The importance of maintaining a consistent message across all communication channels cannot be overstated. A consistent message builds trust among stakeholders—employees, consumers, investors, and the general public. It's vital to ensure that your team is on the same page and speaks with one voice.Understand Your Audience: Customizing your message for different audiences is key to effective communication. Know where your audience is coming from, what they need to hear, and what their concerns and fears might be. This enables you to tailor your message in a way that resonates with them.Harness the Power of Internal Communication: Your employees are your most important messengers. Equip them with the knowledge and understanding of the company’s mission, vision and values so they can effectively convey them externally. Internal communication is crucial for aligning the team and ensuring consistent external communication.Embrace Change and Innovation: Introducing new and disruptive technologies requires clear and compelling communication. Articulate why the change is necessary and how it benefits both the organization and its stakeholders. Use innovative approaches to capture attention and convey your message.Leverage Diverse Perspectives: Diversity in thought, background, and experience enriches decision-making and problem-solving processes. Champion diverse voices within your organization to foster a more inclusive environment and generate comprehensive solutions.Address Misinformation Proactively: In an age of widespread misinformation, it’s vital to proactively communicate credible, science-backed information. Identify and address common misconceptions directly while staying true to your core message and values.Mentorship and Continuous Learning: Invest in mentorship programs to build the next generation of leaders. Mentor others by helping them identify and work on their career development goals. This not only helps individuals grow but also strengthens the organization as a whole by fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth.Quote of the Show:“Consistency in message builds trust, even in times of rapid change. Stay the course, at the end of the day we’re championing science and we’re championing the things people can do to keep themselves and their loved ones well.” Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silviabtaylor/ Website: https://www.novavax.com/