I Choose the Ladder

In this episode, we explore some of the unique challenges Black women face as they climb the corporate ladder. The themes were gathered from hundreds of Black women leaders who have been interviewed for the I Choose the Ladder Podcast. Whether you're a Black woman leader, ally, or simply interested in the topic, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable advice for creating more equitable workplaces. Don't miss out on this important conversation!

In this episode of the I Choose the Ladder Podcast you meet Brenda Battle, a leading voice in healthcare and Senior Vice President of Community Health Transformation and Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at UChicago Medicine. With over 30 years of experience, Brenda Battle is a trailblazer in healthcare who has worked tirelessly to improve health equity and access for marginalized communities. Brenda oversees efforts to design UCM’s community-health management strategy, develop and...

In this episode, you meet Jennifer Montague, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer for NiSource, a natural gas and electric utility company servicing 4 million customers under the NIPSCO and Columbia Gas brands. She is responsible for setting direction and managing a leadership team focused on customer experiences in the areas of Customer Care Centers, Customer Insights and Marketing, Billing & Payments and New Business across six states. She joined the company as the Vice...

As we step into the new year, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO takes you through 12 questions to ask yourself to help clarify your goals for the year.

We are seeing layoffs happening all over corporate America, and if we are being honest, these are some scary times for employees. In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO, Watchen Nyanue, helps people managers lead their teams through layoffs. We focus on the ones who stay and the impact of the ones who leave.

It's that time of the year again when we start planning for the new year. Of course, we make ambitious plans, but we may need to look at our plans through the right lens. In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO Watchen Nyanue takes you through how she plans for her upcoming year and helps you use the right data to ensure that next year is your best year yet!

In this episode, you meet Rae Livingston. As AbbVie’s Chief Equity Officer, Ms. Livinston leads enterprise efforts to promote a diverse, equitable, bias-conscious, and inclusive culture with internal and external impact. Ms. Livingston serves on the AbbVie Executive Leadership Team. In her previous role, Ms. Livingston served as Vice President, Business Human Resources, Corporate Functions, and U.S. Employee Relations when she joined AbbVie in 2016. Before AbbVie, Ms. Livingston held...

In this episode, we learn all about The CLIMB Career Summit and what attendees can expect this year. Enjoy!

In this episode you meet Tara August the Senior Vice President of Talent Relations & Special Projects for Turner Sports and Bleacher Report, where she oversees the division’s marquee roster of on-air announcers across both digital and linear platforms. In this role she is responsible for the management of some of the biggest names in sports including Hall of Famers Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky and Pedro Martinez, across Turner’s sports properties which include the NBA,...

In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO discusses practical ways that you can help your team find success. Enjoy!

I feel like I say this all the time, but all of your employees don't need the same things. And what got them to your company might not be what keeps them at your company. So in this episode, I talk about some of the areas you should consider as you develop programs and retention strategies for the diverse employees who work for and with you. Enjoy!

Everyone thinks they want to be a people manager until they actually have to manage people. Ask any current manager, and they will tell you that managing a team is one of the hardest things they have ever done. But ask someone a first-time manager has managed, and they would argue that that's even harder. So in this episode, we talk to aspiring people managers about preparing for a leadership role. Enjoy!

In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Podcast host Watchen Nyanue shares some tips on what to do when the realization of a dream is delayed or taking longer than expected. Hint: Getting resentful or bitter does not make the list.

In this episode, you meet Lori Spicer Robertson. Lori is a creative change agent always pursuing opportunities to transform lives and foster sustainable progress. Formerly, she assumed the role of VP, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Saks Fifth Avenue to design a more inclusive experience for employees, customers, and partners. As a natural connector, she currently is the founder and Chief Joymaker of an experiential platform and membership community created to reconnect women and...

In this special crossover episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO Watchen Nyanue shares tips on how to discuss race at work. As we continue to navigate tragedies that impact our entire society, Watchen shares some best practices she has seen over the years of working with some of the world's best leaders.

When it comes to leveling up professionally, the focus seems to be on leveling up financially. Still, in this episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO Watchen Nyanue shares a few other career areas you will need to level up if you plan to pursue leadership roles. Enjoy!

In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Founder & CEO Watchen Nyanue discusses the five areas that often hold you back from being able to quickly and smoothly navigate a career change. These challenges are relatively simple to address but not always very easy. So grab your I Choose the Ladder notebook, a pen, your favorite beverage, and get ready to get to work.

In this episode you meet, Melissa Donaldson. Melissa Donaldson, a self-described business leader with a heart for human capital, is the first chief diversity officer at Wintrust and responsible for developing diversity and inclusion strategies for increasing competitive advantage while positioning Wintrust as an employer of choice and responsible corporate citizen. The heart of her practice is that advancing diversity, equity and inclusion should be business-owned and leader-led to promote...

We have seen a few different responses to people feeling disrespected at work in the past couple of weeks. In this episode, I Choose the Ladder Podcast Host, Watchen Nyanue, shares some context around disrespect at work and tips for both people managers and individual contributors on handling disrespect at work. Enjoy!

In this episode you meet Elizabeth A. Campbell. Elizabeth is a +20 yr marketing veteran with a proven track record of successfully cultivating consumer insight to deliver integrated marketing programs that drive consumer demand. In September 2019 she was chosen to lead McDonald’s Cultural Engagement Team into its next evolution. Her responsibilities include managing a $30M budget to elevate McDonald’s Cultural Strategy in the areas of Music, Sport and Entertainment, amplifying McDonald’s...