Straight-Up with Chris: Real Talk on Business and Parenthood

Will today’s students be able to step into leadership roles in business, government, communities and within their families? How can we prepare and foster the growth of these young leaders who will and can transform society? Preparing tomorrow’s leaders today means equipping young people to do things without help, which translates into well-balanced adults and successful professionals at work. My guest, Dr. Tim Elmore, will share his expertise on emerging generations. A few of the key points he will discuss include: developing critical thinking skills that produce better life choices, such as choosing healthy friends, improving study habits and setting meaningful goals; how to break out of the herd mentality to influence others in positive ways; and how to capitalize on personal strengths to be career-ready upon graduation. Please join us on Thursday, May 1st at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Tim your specific questions.

Today, it is essential for business leaders to embrace Positive Leadership. Positive Leadership creates a cohesive supportive culture and has a positive impact on the community and bottom line. The benefits of Positive Leadership include retaining talent, getting great engagement, and creating a culture of trust, safety, and innovation. My guest, Steve Gladis, PhD, CEO of Steve Gladis Leadership Partners, will discuss how to take business people who are already in leadership positions and make them into better leaders. He will share the concept of the “Trust Triangle”, how to become a trusted leader and the importance of team writing. Please join us on Thursday, June 26th at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Steve your specific questions.

We are all faced with many life difficulties. The key is how we navigate through the tough challenges. Often it is a kind word or luck that helps us to work hard and move forward. My guest, Bob Danzig, is a perfect example of one who has overcome an extraordinary difficult beginning in life and rising to stellar success in business and personally. How did he do it? What life lessons flowed from being an abandoned child in foster care? What were the key turning points of moving from office boy to corporate CEO? How can we enhance our confidence level and develop the leader within us? Bob will share his vast experience and the importance of embracing the opportunities that come our way and how he handled the pressures of being CEO of Hearst Newspapers and being a Dad of five children and the greatest life lessons he has learned. Please join us on Thursday, April 24th at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Bob your specific questions.

Fatherhood in America is in crisis. The absence of fathers in America and globally has reached epidemic levels. Children need the love, acceptance, stability, and guidance from their fathers as well as their mothers in order to feel safe, develop, and thrive physically, emotionally, and educationally. What are the trends that are happening in fatherhood? Does marriage play a significant role in fatherhood? The National Fatherhood Initiative’s (NFI) mission is to improve the well-being of children by increasing the proportion of children with involved, responsible, and committed fathers in their lives. Hear how NFI uses a three-e strategy to accomplish father involvement and where they are seeing success. Join my guests, Christopher A. Brown, President, and Vincent DiCaro, Vice President of Development & Communication of the National Fatherhood Initiative on Thursday, June 12th at 3 PM PT–6 PM ET to listen and ask your specific questions.

Living Brave – what does it mean? It doesn't mean you are fearless. Living brave means that you move forward and go for it in spite of what scares you and the discomfort of the unknown and learn how to avoid destructive forces that sabotage your success. My guest, Sandra Yancey, Founder and CEO of eWomenNetwork - the largest women's business event company in the world whose mission is to help women and their businesses succeed and prosper, will illustrate the steps to ‘living brave’. She will share how the power to succeed is within you. It is an inner mind game that you can control and use for your benefit. If you are ready to listen, be brave and embrace your power, Sandra will show you how to engage insightful new ways to ignite the growth of your business, energize your life, and attract abundance, fulfillment and joy. Please join us on Thursday, June 5th at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Sandra your specific questions.

Shockingly, on average 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States. In addition, 1 in 3 women and more than 1 in 4 men in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner. These striking statistics were released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. My guest, L.Y. Marlow, founder and CEO of Saving Promise, will discuss with us how to prevent or recognize the signs of a domestically abusive relationship; how domestic violence can exist in multiple generations of a family and how to stop the trend from continuing; and what parents might do to ensure their children have healthy relationships. Please join us on Thursday, May 29th at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask L.Y. your specific questions.

The job vs. life conflict we all face seems overwhelming and never ending. It doesn’t have to be that way. My guest, Cali Williams, author of Tweak It: Make What Matters to You Happen Every Day and founder and CEO of the Flex Strategy Group / Work Life Fit Inc has the techniques and tips to conquer the age old dilemma of work/life balance. Cali has proven that a comfortable work+life fit can be achieved through making small, consistent, everyday changes through tweaks--that, cumulatively, will optimize job performance and well-being. She will share case studies of people who've tweaked their way to professional success and personal satisfaction through an easy-to-implement program that can be tailored to suit any individual's life, both on and off the job. Please join us on Thursday, May 22nd at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Cali your specific questions.

There is a new standard in leadership –‘Higher Ambition Leadership.’ With increased global competition, public scrutiny, and government regulation, today’s business leaders must embrace and succeed on all fronts-with their people, their customers, their communities, and their shareholders. My guest, Michael Beer, Cahners-Rabb Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School, Chairman of TruePoint, and Chairman of the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership, will discuss the multi-stakeholder perspective; what higher ambition firms look like; what higher ambition leaders believe and want to create; and the necessary changes needed to enable more leaders and firms to do well by doing good for superior economic and social value. Please join us on Thursday, May 15th at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Professor Beer your specific questions.

If you are a fresh college graduate and had thoughts about starting a new business, this is the show for you. Sammy Kassim and Asad Ali are the co-founders of Globox Rentals, a DVD rental vendor that creates easy access to the top foreign films and media content through an automated kiosk platform and streaming programs. Both Sammy and Asad are graduates of George Mason University and are founding members of Startup Mason at GMU’s Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Tune in on Thursday, May 8, at 3 PM PT-6 PM ET- to hear why they chose this path, the ups and downs of their journey and the advice they have for others.

Will today’s students be able to step into leadership roles in business, government, communities and within their families? How can we prepare and foster the growth of these young leaders who will and can transform society? Preparing tomorrow’s leaders today means equipping young people to do things without help, which translates into well-balanced adults and successful professionals at work. My guest, Dr. Tim Elmore, will share his expertise on emerging generations. A few of the key points he will discuss include: developing critical thinking skills that produce better life choices, such as choosing healthy friends, improving study habits and setting meaningful goals; how to break out of the herd mentality to influence others in positive ways; and how to capitalize on personal strengths to be career-ready upon graduation. Please join us on Thursday, May 1st at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Tim your specific questions.

We are all faced with many life difficulties. The key is how we navigate through the tough challenges. Often it is a kind word or luck that helps us to work hard and move forward. My guest, Bob Danzig, is a perfect example of one who has overcome an extraordinary difficult beginning in life and rising to stellar success in business and personally. How did he do it? What life lessons flowed from being an abandoned child in foster care? What were the key turning points of moving from office boy to corporate CEO? How can we enhance our confidence level and develop the leader within us? Bob will share his vast experience and the importance of embracing the opportunities that come our way and how he handled the pressures of being CEO of Hearst Newspapers and being a Dad of five children and the greatest life lessons he has learned. Please join us on Thursday, April 24th at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Bob your specific questions.

Did you know that the number one quality most people look for and admire in a leader has been the same for over 30 years? My guest Jim Kouzes, co author of the Leadership Challenge and the Dean’s Executive Fellow of Leadership at the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, will explain why. Jim believes that teams, businesses, and even the world, get better when ordinary people enable those around them to achieve extra-ordinary things. He will discuss the five practices that leaders apply to make extraordinary things happen, how leaders drive engagement, and the factor that rules personal credibility, organizational reputation, innovation, and team cohesiveness in the workplace. Please join us on Thursday, April 17, at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Jim your specific questions

Are you juggling to succeed at work and at home and finding it to be a constant challenge? We all know there is no such thing as work-life balance. So, how can you find some sort of peace and fulfillment in both arenas? My guest, Kristina Bouweiri, President and CEO of Reston Limousine, has found a path that has been extremely successful for her. Kristina will openly share her trials and triumphs. She will emphasize the importance of having a solid and supportive network, taking time for yourself, mentoring at home and at work, introducing and including your kids to your business and the significance of communicating major life and business changes to your staff. Please join us on Thursday, April 10th at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Kristina her your specific questions

What is your goal as a parent? All parents want the very best for their children on an emotional, educational and social level. Above all, parents want to raise self-sufficient adults. It is important to recognize that parenting has changed dramatically in recent years, and so has the need to prepare your child for success in a world of unprecedented change. Self -awareness is more important than building self-esteem. Teaching kids to be safe online is as important as teaching kids to be safe in the real world. Developing character strengths is more important to kids' success than developing cognitive skills. My guest, Michael Grose, a recognized leader in parenting education, will discuss the reason for these changes, the need to raise kids with true “Grit”, the secrets to communicating with teens, and the importance of matching your parenting to your child’s developmental needs. Join us on Thursday, April 3rd at 3 PM PT, 6 PM ET

We all know effective communication is essential for successful relationships in business and at home. Then, why is communicating so difficult? Do you know why this is a problem for many people? We are never formally taught the critical communication skills required for successful relationships. As we go through life, we pick up many communicating habits and some of them don’t serve us well. As adults, we arrive at the workplace and in relationships ill-prepared to handle the inevitable differences of opinions and conflicts that arise. What's the solution? My guest, Meredith Bell, co-founder of Performance Support Systems will discuss and share the skills that will help make you a better communicator and leader at home and in business. Join us on Thursday, March 27th at 3 PM PT, 5 PM CT and 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Meredith your specific questions.

What is a “Quick and Nimble” business leader? We know that CEO’s must be excellent strategists, predominately planning for growth and navigating the competitive landscape but, that is only part of their job. To run a company successfully, the CEO’s constant role is to lead, manage, build a team, create a sense of mission and foster a high performing culture. Is there a roadmap CEO’s can utilize in running a successful innovative company? My guest, Adam Bryant, journalist and author of Quick and Nimble: Lessons from Leading CEO’s on How to Create a Culture of Innovation, interviewed leading CEO’s to garner the biggest drivers of an effective culture and will share the insights and tips he gathered. Join us on Thursday, March 20th at 3 PM PT – 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Adam your specific questions.

Every parent’s wish is a healthy relationship with their child based on mutual trust. The bond between infant and parent is a natural phenomenon, but as children reach their preteens and form their own personalities, fireworks between the child and parent can ensue. My guest, Dr. Fran Walfish, will describe the different parent styles and personalities and the ways your style might clash with your child’s nature, and how to negotiate a common ground. She will discuss the common theme of problems parents face today, how to tackle them, and the vital importance of establishing trust with a preteen to better prepare for turbulent teen years. Dr. Walfish will impart the main ingredients parents need to do a good job raising happy wholesome children. Join us on Thursday, March 13th at 3 PM PT – 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Dr. Walfish your specific questions.

How do you balance work and family when your life has been a whirlwind adventure? What stresses does that place on you, your family and work? My guest, Ed Marinaro, former professional football player for the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks and veteran actor landing roles on Laverne and Shirley, Hill Street Blues as Officer Joe Coffey, and most recently Coach Marty on Blue Mountain State, has managed to juggle it all successfully. He will share how he is using crowd funding through Kickstarter for his upcoming project, a film adapted from his TV series Blue Mountain State. Hear his amazing story of choices made and navigating through these demanding careers and be available for his family. Join us on Thursday, March 6th at 3 PM PT – 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Ed Marinaro your specific questions

Anything is possible with vision, passion and persistence. No one exemplifies this more than the indomitable, Sam Walton. He grew one small retail store in 1947 to the global Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. My guest, Catherine Corley – Vice President for Member Services shares the passion and mission of Sam’s Club being “in business for small business.” Change is the only constant in business and in life and nothing illustrated that more than the economic downfall beginning in 2008. Leadership at Sam’s Club knew they had to be more than a bulk savings depot to help small businesses survive. Sam’s Club pursued data analysis and engagement with their members to better serve them as a multi-purpose, leading-edge resource. This makes Sam’s Club THE club for the small business community – whether a member, small business supplier, showcase vendor or potential grant recipient. Join us on Thursday, February 27th at 3 PM PT – 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Catherine Corley your specific questions.

Business today is global and extremely competitive. How can a business distinguish itself and make a mark in their community, create a great culture and have significant growth? With so many rapid changes in technology, new social media applications, and employing the right talent, what is a business to do first? My guest, Marissa Levin, CEO of Successful Culture and Information Experts, will share her strategies for building and sustaining a culture that will keep your employees engaged, happy, and committed to giving 110%, as well as her cutting edge, innovative ideas that you can implement in your business every day. Join us on Thursday, February 20th at 3 PM PT – 6 PM ET, to listen and ask Marissa Levin your specific questions.