Authentic Leadership for Everyday People

All the answers to the question: "What business jargon drives you crazy?" from the 6 months of the podcast. These are the featured guests: Jay Sapovits Jolynn Ledgerwood Ron Browning Greg Larkin Robyn Bolton Justin Buonomo Delaney William Ricardo Regalado Jennifer Langton Neta Weiner Elitzur Bar-Asher Siegal Dina Denham Smith Joseph Rainone Natasha Braginsky Mournier Rick Culleton Haley Forest Rishad Tobaccowala Audrey Wisch Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com Additional Guest Links: Contact at: LinkedIn: Instagram: Twitter: Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn:

Jay Sapovits is the founder and CEO of Ink’d Stores. Jay started his career behind the counter of a dry cleaner’s in Las Vegas, where he learned some of the most important lessons of his life. From there, he moved through a string of unlikely but formative roles—radio engineer, sports talk host, golf course cart manager—that ultimately prepared him for a career in entrepreneurship. In our conversation, Jay shares how betting on relationships (instead of gambling) changed his life, how a dry cleaner and a college radio station led to traveling with the UNLV basketball team, and how a one-day event with Sergio Garcia launched his business career. We also go deep on how defining yourself through your job can be both a trap and a motivator—and how Jay finally found the balance that defines who he is today. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com inkdstores.com Additional Guest Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jaysap/⁠ Twitter: ⁠@Jay_Sapovits⁠ Podcast JaySapChats on YouTube and Spotify Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today’s guest is Audrey Wisch, a Gen Z founder who is a great example of why I have so much confidence that the world will be in great hands with this generation. She is the CEO of Curious Cardinals, an education tech company that matches students K-12 with college mentors and tutors.. Audrey started Curious Cardinals as a pandemic passion project while still a student at Stanford. Since then, she’s scaled it into a fast-growing business with a global footprint, and a network of over 700 college mentors helping thousands of K–12 students discover their passions. In our conversation, Audrey shares how she learned to lead while building a company from scratch, the growing pains that come with scaling fast, and what it means to embrace authenticity when you don’t look like the typical Silicon Valley founder. We also talk about her vision of democratizing mentorship and building a company rooted in both purpose and bold ambition. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com curiouscardinals.com Additional Guest Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/audrey-wisch/ Instagram: @audreywisch Instagram: @curiouscardinals Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Memorial Day Week edition - Part 1 of Best of Business Jargons That Drives you Crazy. This includes excerpts from episodes published between July and December of 2024. Here are the featured speakers. Maggie Olson Patrick Heron David West Giovanni Vacchi Lily Zheng Bryan Adams Christian Muntean Damon Lembi Claudia Scott Jesse Friedman Marques Ogden Ali Cox Carlos Williams John Torrens Jim Schleckser Kathryn Valentine Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com Additional Guest Links: Contact at: LinkedIn: Instagram: Twitter: Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook:

Rick Culleton is a serial entrepreneur who built multiple businesses across industries, from electronics to hospitality, and is currently splitting time between Austin and Costa Rica. Rick shared how growing up watching his father transform from a struggling employee to a happy entrepreneur shaped his own journey. He talked about building businesses out of necessity, learning tough lessons from adversity, and how he evolved from a solo hustler into a leader responsible for his team’s families and mortgages. We also dug into his leadership philosophy—how he creates freedom and trust for his employees—and how the definition of success has changed for him over the years. Plus, we got a sneak peek into his upcoming book which aims to help readers find their own happiness, flaws and all. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com mymorningstack.com Additional Guest Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rickculleton Instagram: @rickculleton YouTube: youtube.com/@Rick.Culleton Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Jolynn Ledgerwood is the founder of Elevate Your Talent and host of the Play for Performance podcast. When she was diagnosed with a learning disability in nursing school, she made a courageous pivot to build a thriving career in corporate learning and development, moving from hospitality to cybersecurity and eventually launching her own business. In our conversation, we explored how her early challenges shaped her approach to training. Jolynn is passionate about making learning accessible and effective for everyone, and she brings a refreshing level of creativity into her work — including a powerful, hands-on methodology called LEGO® Serious Play®. Yes, she uses LEGO® bricks to unlock deeper thinking, enhance team collaboration, and drive strategic breakthroughs. We talked about how to design truly inclusive learning environments, how sensory tools can deepen engagement and retention, and what it takes to sell a transformative — but unconventional — approach to skeptical business leaders. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com elevateyourtalent.co Additional Guest Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jolynnledgerwood Instagram: @elevateyourtalent Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Today's guest is is Delaney William, the founder of Elevated Tech, a company that helps people grow their remote income through job search automation and career strategy within the framework of the controversial but increasingly relevant concept of job stacking. In our conversation, we talked about what it means to build a career — and now a company — that challenges the norms of corporate loyalty, productivity, and compensation. We had a philosophical discussion on the relationship between companies and employees, on the expectations we set, how we are treated by our employer and what we owe them. Delaney shared how he scaled his corporate income from $80K to $390K in less than a year, the philosophy and structure behind holding multiple jobs simultaneously, and how he built a 7-figure business helping others do the same. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com elevatedtech.us Additional Guest Links: Instagram: @delaneywilliam_ Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Paige Lopez, is CEO and founder of Awaken 180, a weight loss company. In our conversation, Paige shared her journey from aspiring neurosurgeon to entrepreneur, the emotional challenges of pivoting from a traditional career path, and how she built a business with intentionality and deep connection to her mission. We also explored her transition from hands-on coaching to CEO leadership, how she and her husband successfully work together as co-founders, and her insights into leading with both heart and data. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com awaken180weightoss.com Additional Guest Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/awaken180-weightloss Instagram: @awaken180weightloss Facebook: facebook.com/Awaken180 Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Jennifer Langton is the Senior Vice President of Health and Innovation, from the NFL, where she led all initiatives to improve player safety. Her work has played a major role in reducing concussions and transforming how the NFL approaches health, safety, and performance. But Jennifer’s story starts long before. As a star lacross athlete at the University of Virginia, in her sophomore year, she faced a devastating one-two punch: she lost her mother to cancer and suffered a career-ending knee injury. Everything that had grounded her disappeared. The journey back from that shaped the empathetic, connection-driven leader she is today. In our conversation, Jennifer talks about how she brought those life lessons into her professional world—from her early career in finance, to launching innovation initiatives at the NFL during a time of intense public scrutiny over concussions. We dive into how she built support for bold ideas inside a tradition-heavy organization, the leadership philosophy that helped her succeed in a male-dominated industry, and the importance of aligning personal purpose with professional mission. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com jenniferlangtoninc.com Additional Guest Links: LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/jenniferlangton Instagram: @jenny_langton Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Elitzur Bar-Asher Siegal is a professor, linguist, and leader based in Israel. In our conversation, we explored two extraordinary initiatives he is leading in response to the ongoing crisis in Israel and Gaza. The first is Humanitas, a coalition of all the humanities deans in Israel working together to reimagine the role of universities and the humanities in shaping engaged citizens. The second is Middle Meets, a grassroots initiative that brings together Israeli, Palestinian, and American students to engage in honest, often difficult conversations. We also discussed how Elitzur’s lifelong study of ancient languages has shaped his thinking about leadership and humanity. He shared how, in studying civilizations long gone, he’s come to understand both the commonality and fragility of human experience—and how that awareness fuels his commitment to dialogue, education, and healing. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com elitzurbarashersiegal.huji.ac.il Additional Guest Links: Middle Meets: innov-humanities.huji.ac.il/middle-meets Support Middle Meets: afhu.org/middle-meets Middle Meets Facebook: facebook.com/people/Middle-Meets/61562913084622 Instagram: @middle_meets Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Greg Larkin is am entrepreneur, author, and founder of the executive community Punks & Pinstripes, a curated executive community that gathers people who, as he says, are trying to climb their second mountain. Greg’s view of what defines success is a little different. And it is heavily shaped by his personal history. He found success very quickly, by being the first person to predict the 2008 subprime mortgage melt down. That early success skyrocketed him into high-profile roles — but also into a cycle of ego, addiction to recognition, and a sense of disconnection from his true self. In our conversation, Greg walks us through how he hit that breaking point and what came after — the tough reflection, the discomfort of leaving the prestige behind, and the journey toward doing work that truly aligned with who he is. We talked about the difference between surviving and thriving, about leadership that comes from experience versus theory, and about building authentic community in a world obsessed with status. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com punksandpinstripes.com Additional Guest Links: Contact at: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/punks-pinstripes Greg LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gregilarkin Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Honest Mechanik: honestmechanik.bandcamp.com

Today's guest is Ron Browning, the CEO of IntelliBright, a performance-based digital marketing agency. Ron’s career is characterized by entrepreneurship, digital innovation, and a fierce commitment to accountability. We talked about his unique journey—starting with his first business while still in grad school, diving into the early days of the dot-com boom (and bust), and ultimately launching IntelliBright, which he has now successfully led for over 16 years. Ron shared the key leadership lessons he learned from navigating both entrepreneurial highs and corporate frustrations, and how those lessons shaped the culture and values of IntelliBright. He also offered some powerful insights on the importance of data-driven decision making, the value of clarity in communication, and how dressing the part can sometimes make all the difference. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com intellibright.com Additional Guest Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronrbrowning Instagram: Twitter: Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Natasha Braginsky Mournier is currently the co-chair of Girls Are Investors, a UK charity, Chairman of the board at Nexters. Prior to that, she had a remarkable career in investment management, covering Russia and emerging markets at Capital Group, where she retired from as a partner. We talked about her unique journey. She emigrated to the US from the Soviet Union and went on to become a leader in finance at a time when the field wasn’t always welcoming to women. She shared what helped her thrive in male-dominated environments, how she built resilience, and skills she developed through her unconventional path — starting as a regional analyst rather than a sector specialist — and how those skills helped her navigate high-stakes investment decisions in volatile markets. In the second half of our conversation, we explored her leadership work around ESG investing, and her current role as Co-Chair of Girls Are Investors — a UK-based nonprofit working to improve gender diversity in the investment industry by inspiring and supporting the next generation of women investors. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com Girls Are Investors: gainuk.org Additional Guest Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/natasha-braginsky-mounier-62525721/ Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Rishad Tobaccowala is one to the visionaries in the world of marketing and advertising – he founded some of the early digital marketing agencies and has covered several C-level roles for Publicis. Today, he comes back to discuss his latest book, Rethinking Work. In our conversation, we dive into the five seismic shifts reshaping the workplace, how technology—including AI—is redefining the nature of jobs, and why the traditional concept of employment may soon be obsolete. Rishad shares his unique insights on leadership in this evolving landscape, the importance of adaptability, and how companies can thrive by fostering an ecosystem of talent rather than just managing employees. We also explore what individuals—whether they are seasoned executives or just starting out —can do to stay relevant and successful in a world where the future of work is being rewritten in real-time. To hear about Rishad's career and his other book, check out his previous appearance on the show. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com rishad.substack.com Additional Guest Links: Website: rethinking-work.io LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rishadtobaccowala Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Joseph Rainone is the CEO of Ubique Group, a private equity owned furniture company. Joseph has spent over 30 years working in consumer product companies, making his way from a analyst to manager all the way to CEO. In our conversation, Joseph shares invaluable insights on leadership, including his “Three H’s of Leadership” framework—Humble, Hungry, and Happy—a powerful approach to building high-performance teams. He also discusses the realities of running a private equity-backed company, the lessons he learned navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, the advantages of running a fully remote company, and why leadership can sometimes feel lonely at the top. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com The Three Hs of Leadership Article Additional Guest Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joseph-rainone-3879a8120/ Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Dina Denham Smith, is an exectuive coach with an extensive background in leadership, spanning private equity, consulting, and high-growth startups, and she has a deep passion for the intersection of business and psychology. In our conversation, she shares her journey from management consulting to private equity and eventually to coaching. We also discuss her upcoming book, *Emotionally Charged: How to Lead in the New World of Work*, which explores the evolving emotional demands on leaders and provides actionable strategies based on science and real-world experience. We dive deep into leadership, emotional labor, and the balance between authenticity and professional expectations. Plus, we touch on her experience working alongside her husband in their family business, the unique challenges of blending work and personal relationships, and how leaders can better manage emotions—both their own and their teams'. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com dinadsmith.com Additional Guest Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dina-denham-smith/ Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Haley Forest is a renaissance woman at the intersection of leadership, creativity, and neuroscience. Haley’s career path is anything but traditional—she spent two decades in hospitality, where she developed a deep understanding of human behavior, before transitioning into the world of innovation and business strategy. Now, as she completes her doctorate in leadership psychology, she’s focused on the neuroscience of creative cognition—how our brains generate ideas and what that means for leadership, problem-solving, and team dynamics. In our conversation, we talk about how leaders can cultivate creativity within their teams, the science behind balancing structure with innovation, and why authenticity plays a key role in fostering trust and collaboration. We also dive into her fascinating research on how alternating between deep focus and mind-wandering can enhance creative output—a game-changer for anyone looking to improve problem-solving in their organization Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com hcforest.com Additional Guest Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/haley-forest/ Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

This episode is a selection from the original 2020 interview with Rishad Tobaccowala. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com Additional Guest Links: Rishad’s LinkedIn Rishad’s Website Rishad’s Newsletter Rishad’s Book Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

A couple of weeks ago, our guest was Robyn Bolton, founder of Mile Zero, an innovation consulting firm. In that episode, we focused primarily on Robyn’s career journey. Since she is publishing a book on innovation, I asked her to come back for a second episode to cover that topic, and she said yes. The book is called Unlocking Innovation, so as you can easily imagine, today’s episode is all about innovation – different types of innovation, what makes innovation successful and how leaders can assess and improve their company’s ability to innovate. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com milezero.io Additional Guest Links: UnlockingInnovation.co linkedin.com/in/robynmbolton Unlocking Innovation Book Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Suzanne Dean had a long career first as a musician and composer, then as a music educator, and finally as the founder of a grassroots non profit. In our conversation, we focused on the first and the last part of her career. We started with her experience as a musician and the journey to figure out exactly in which part of the industry Suzanne wanted to operate. And then we talked about how she connected her passion for the arts by starting Artists For Wildlife Conservation, a non-profit that works with artists and musicians to raise funds for local organizations that do work to preserve wildlife. Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com Websites: al4ep.com suzannedean.me Additional Guest Links: Artists for Wildlife Conservation: afwildc.org Instagram: @artistswildlifeconservation Facebook: facebook.com/ArtistsForWildlifeConservation Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo Podcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp Music Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com