empowerment Archives - Business RadioX ®

Thor Legvold on Nordic Leadership, Purpose, and Pricing

August 6, 2025 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Thor Legvold on Nordic Leadership, Purpose, and Pricing

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Thor Legvold on Nordic Leadership, Purpose, and Pricing (The Price and Value Journey, Episode 141)

In this episode of The Price and Value Journey, Thor Legvold joins host John Ray to talk about how the way we lead ourselves, our clients, and our firms shapes how others understand our value. Drawing from the Nordic leadership model, Thor explains how values like trust, purpose, and shared responsibility are not soft concepts. They’re strategic levers that affect how we build businesses, lead people, and price our services.

The conversation underscores the close connection between pricing and values. When your firm is clear on its purpose and leads with integrity, pricing becomes less about what the market will bear and more about what your work is worth.

Topics covered include:

The core ideas behind Nordic leadership
Why purpose and values must inform business decisions
How solo and small-firm professionals can reset when they’ve burned out or hit a wall
Why empowerment matters, both internally and in client work
How to price with purpose, not apology

This episode is particularly aimed at professionals who struggle to balance their values with the need to charge appropriately for their work. It’s not a tradeoff; on the contrary, it’s a path forward.

The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of the Business RadioX® podcast network.

Key Takeaways You Can Use from This Episode

Nordic leadership works. Values like empowerment and purpose drive real business results.
Purpose guides everything. It shapes decisions, culture, and how others perceive your value.
Feeling lost? Return to your values. Burnout or transition is a cue to recenter on what truly matters.
Empowerment means ownership. Don’t just assign tasks; delegate real responsibility.
Co-create with clients. Better outcomes come from collaboration, not prescriptions.
Purpose supports premium pricing. Clients pay more when they believe in your “why.”
Culture is your leadership in action. Your behavior sets the tone more than your policies.
Your legacy extends beyond visibility. Trust that your impact reaches further than you can see.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

00:00 Introduction and Welcome to The Price and Value Journey
00:09 Exploring Leadership and Value Perception
00:25 Guest Introduction: Tor Legvold
00:32 Understanding Nordic Leadership
03:08 Nordic Leadership Principles
07:33 Applying Nordic Leadership in the US
10:48 Purpose and Values in Professional Services
14:50 Recalculating: Navigating Career Transitions
19:41 Balancing Purpose and Practicality
23:07 Purpose-Driven Organizations and Integrity
29:36 The Power of Integrity in Business
30:29 Empowerment and Delegation in Nordic Leadership
34:53 Collaborative Client Relationships
37:14 Building Strong Company Culture
44:11 Values and Purpose-Driven Business
52:01 Balancing Premium Pricing with Purpose
55:09 Conclusion and Contact Information

Thor Legvold, Legvold Consulting

Thor Legvold empowers organizations to navigate leadership challenges, cross-cultural collaboration, and post-merger integration through proven Nordic leadership principles. With global expertise in organizational psychology, Thor ensures leadership alignment, cultural synergy, and long-term growth. Whether serving as an executive coach or leading full-scale integrations, he helps clients build resilient teams and drive effective outcomes in dynamic environments.

Legvold leads with integrity, collaboration, sustainability, and a global mindset. Thor’s work is grounded in trust, honesty, and respect for human dignity, empowering people and teams to achieve lasting impact. By embracing a systems-oriented approach, he designs solutions that honor interconnected ecosystems and prioritize balance and inclusivity. With a passion for cross-cultural engagement, Thor helps leaders and organizations innovate and thrive in a connected world.

In over twenty years of consulting for businesses and organizations, he’s had the opportunity to work across a wide range of industries, including tech, finance, entertainment, industrial/manufacturing, and retail, as well as the public sector. Thor has extensive experience successfully working with entrepreneurs and startups, family businesses, AI organizations and companies ranging from midsize to Fortune 500. Wherever people are involved, Thor has a proven track record of delivering value.

Website | LinkedIn

John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey

John Ray, Author of The Generosity Mindset and Host of The Price and Value Journey — John Ray, Author of *The Generosity Mindset* and Host of *The Price and Value Journey*

John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.

John owns Ray Business Advisors, a business advisory practice. John’s services include business coaching and advisory work, as well as advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their pricing. John is passionate about the power of pricing for business owners, as changing pricing is the fastest way to change the profitability of a business. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, consultants, coaches, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

In his other business, John is a podcast show host, strategist, and the owner of North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®. John and his team work with B2B professionals to create and conduct their podcast using The Generosity Mindset® Method: building and deepening relationships in a non-salesy way that translates into revenue for their business.

John is also the host of North Fulton Business Radio. With over 880 shows and having featured over 1,300 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in its region like no one else.

John’s book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices

John is the #1 national best-selling author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.

If you are a professional services provider, your goal is to do transformative work for clients you love working with and get paid commensurate with the value you deliver to them. While negative mindsets can inhibit your growth, adopting a different mindset, The Generosity Mindset®, can replace those self-limiting beliefs. The Generosity Mindset enables you to diagnose and communicate the value you deliver to clients and, in turn, more effectively price to receive a portion of that value.

Whether you’re a consultant, coach, marketing or branding professional, business advisor, attorney, CPA, or work in virtually any other professional services discipline, your content and technical expertise are not proprietary. What’s unique, though, is your experience and how you synthesize and deliver your knowledge. What’s special is your demeanor or the way you deal with your best-fit clients. What’s invaluable is how you deliver outstanding value by guiding people through massive changes in their personal lives and in their businesses that bring them to a place they never thought possible.

Your combination of these elements is unique in your industry. There lies your value, but it’s not the value you see. It’s the value your best-fit customers see in you.

If pricing your value feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar to you, this book will teach you why putting a price on the value your clients perceive and identify serves both them and you, and you’ll learn the factors involved in getting your price right.

The book is available at all major physical and online book retailers worldwide. Follow this link for further details.

Connect with John Ray:

Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Business RadioX®: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Use Your Voice E9

January 12, 2022 by Karen

Mind Well

Use Your Voice E9

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Use Your Voice E9

On this episode of Mind Well, host Michelle Jones interviews Deb Shapiro. Deb is the founder of Amplify Voices – an organization focused on amplifying the voices of the silenced, misunderstood and oppressed. Join us as we talk about the power of showing up in authenticity, courage and the triumph in our experiences.

Listeners who hold back sharing their experiences or who want to understand how to build powerful constructive connections.

Amplify Voices is a nonprofit serving individuals from communities historically misunderstood, silenced or oppressed, who want to use their voice as an instrument of change.

Through facilitation of virtual Speaker Circles, participants find a safe “space” to connect with others who have lived similar experiences. Through Amplify programming, participants create a talk to share with others, focused on what they have learned in living through adversity.

In sharing this message with others, participants find empowerment and confidence, transforming the feelings of isolation, shame and fear of judgment that often occur.

“All voices are heard and make a profound difference in our communities and around the world”…

For over a decade, Deb Shapiro has developed the talents and businesses of some of the top keynote and motivational speakers in our industry. In 2017, she created a speaker development experience called DEBx, designed to show emerging speakers how to use their voice as a powerful instrument of change.

Through onstage appearances and professional recordings, DEBx has touched tens of thousands of lives…and counting. Deb went on to found Amplify Voices, designed to discover, develop, and amplify the voices of those historically silenced, misunderstood or oppressed.

Prior to her 13-year stint in the speaking industry, Deb oversaw the human resources operations for a 2000 person Chicago based HR Consulting firm and designed programs for the development of leaders and employees within Bose Corporation. Deb graduated cum laude from the School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and attended Oxford University.

Deb is an avid volunteer and cherishes the many friends and relationships cultivated over the years. She is proud to be a daughter, sister, girlfriend, and member of this crazy human race!

Follow Amplify Voices on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

About Mind Well

Mind Well radio show and podcast is all about connecting with wellness professionals and individuals with unique perspectives about developing wholeness and well being.

We recognize that every individual has the ability to connect to wholeness.

About Our Host

Michelle Jones is the President and Co-Founder of Trauma Integration, LLC.

Michelle is an educator and Certified Trauma Integration Practitioner. She loves truly connecting with people.

Michelle firmly believes in the inherent resiliency within each of us and loves uncovering the light and strength in the people she meets.

About Our Sponsor

Mind Well is sponsored by Trauma Integration LLC. Trauma Integration is an educational company that is passionate about helping people understand their own response to trauma.

We provide resources to individuals and train practitioners to guide clients to mindfully integrate their trauma response and find wholeness within. You can find us at www.integratetrauma.com.

Follow Trauma Integration on Facebook and Instagram.

Bishop Dedric Avery with Salt and Light Truth Center

June 19, 2020 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Bishop Dedric Avery with Salt and Light Truth Center

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Dedric M. Avery (Oba Chikelu), B.A., MSL, is a native of Decatur, GA. Avery attended University of West Georgia and Belhaven University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership. Avery also has earned several professional executive management certifications from University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business. He also uses his Organizational Development skillset to consult and support several companies and veterans service organizations.

Currently, he faithfully serves as Bishop and Overseer of the Salt and Light Truth Center in Decatur, Georgia. Since 2004, Bishop Avery has led this progressive and non-traditional community of worshippers through the process of asset attainment, holistic healing and spiritual awakening. From an alternative perspective, Avery has obtained certifications in African Holistic Health Consultation and Master Level Reiki from A life of Peace Wellness Institute. In addition, he obtained a certification in Life Coaching from The Life Coaching Institute of Orange County.

Avery is a dynamic leader, teacher, speaker, strategist, visionary, musician, model, actor, scholar, activist, vocalist, writer and United States Army Veteran. Avery is most fulfilled and accomplished when he is accompanied by his two daughters N’dea and J’sari. His main life purpose is to be an agent of positive change while impacting the community and world with transformational and servant leadership.

Follow Salt and Light Truth Center on Facebook.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

What makes Salt and Light Truth Center so different from traditional churches?
Why is being an intergenerational spiritual leader important?
How do you hope to affect change with millennials, Generation X and Y through spiritual leadership?
How can the nation/world heal from recent events–Covid-19 and the police killing of George Floyd?
What are some of your main community initiatives?

About Our Sponsor

OnPay’s payroll services and HR software give you more time to focus on what’s most important. Rated “Excellent” by PC Magazine, we make it easy to pay employees fast, we automate all payroll taxes, and we even keep all your HR and benefits organized and compliant.

Our award-winning customer service includes an accuracy guarantee, deep integrations with popular accounting software, and we’ll even enter all your employee information for you — whether you have five employees or 500. Take a closer look to see all the ways we can save you time and money in the back office.

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Kevin Pride with Influencer 365

June 15, 2020 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Kevin Pride with Influencer 365

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Entrepreneurship is deeply ingrained in Kevin Pride’s make-up, and his professional mission is to reach out to aspiring business owners and provide them with the knowledge and tools needed to succeed.

The co-owner of the Atlanta Business Journal Digital and founder of Influencer 365, a full-service integrated marketing agency providing digital marketing, a radio show, video development content and public relations services, Kevin works with clients to help with the development and execution of custom marketing and branding plans for their businesses. In so doing, he also guides them on key success components, such as having the proper motivation, infrastructure, communication, and accountability.

In December 2019, Kevin capped off a successful year in business with the creation and production of the first annual Top 25 Extraordinary Atlantans Awards and Reception. The highly successful event highlighted the success of some of Atlanta’s African American success stories in business, politics, government, entertainment, media, etc., who were recognized by the state of Georgia and profiled in a special annual commemorative issue.

An award-winning web designer who is experienced in sales, marketing, digital marketing, motivational speaking and entrepreneurship, Kevin has held a number of management positions throughout his successful career. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur 10 years ago, when he established PrideK Studios, a music production company, he served as Vice President of Sales for Path Labs of Georgia.

A graduate of Troy University in Alabama, Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. Passionate about working with young people to guide them on the right path to success, Kevin spends as much time as possible mentoring youth and young entrepreneurs.

He has been married to his wife Quantas for 15 years and is the proud father of two daughters, Jasmine, 11, and Julia, 7.

Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn and Facebook.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

The main business focus of Influencer 365
What an influencer is and why is that’s important in today’s marketplace
Who are some of their clients?
As a millennial business owner, how Kevin is maneuvering business right now
What 2020 looks like for Influencer 365
With what’s going on in the country right now, how would Kevin like to make an impact

About Our Sponsor

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Melissa Loggins with Music Authority

June 4, 2020 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Melissa Loggins with Music Authority

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Melissa Loggins, Owner of Music Authority, was born and raised in Gibsonburg, Ohio. She graduated from Berry College with a degree in Music Business as a voice major with an emphasis on business.

Melissa interned in Development for the Atlanta Opera while in college, then went to work in music retail after she graduated.

Music Authority is founded in 2002 and was purchased by Melissa and her husband Andrew in 2004.

Melissa has spoken at NAMM University, been published in CMA magazine, and was on the Board of Directors for CASA of Forsyth County. She’s also been a guest speaker for Mentor Me and is in the Praise Band at her church.

Melissa has two dogs and a cat and supports local animal and children’s charities.

Follow Music Authority on Facebook and Twitter.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

How Melissa got started in the music industry
What is unique about Music Authority’s business model
How Music Authority gives back to the community with their parent support network Music Authority Roadies
How Melissa adapted her business model post COVID-19

About Our Sponsor

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

GWBC Radio: Eleshia Cash with Jackson HR & Administrative Services

May 28, 2020 by angishields

GWBC Radio

GWBC Radio: Eleshia Cash with Jackson HR & Administrative Services

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Eleshia V. Cash, CEO of Jackson HR and Administrative Services, is an outstanding woman who is well respected as a community and spiritual leader as well as an HR professional. She has hosted various HR Professional Workshops, Women’s Empowerment Conferences, and Job Networking Meetings.

Eleshia is known for being The Collaborator across many platforms. She is a dynamic speaker, trainer, and contributor of content who is well- respected as a community and spiritual leader as well as an HR professional. She is a truly unique individual that wears many ‘hats’ and has made her mark in the community due to her passion for women, her church, her business, and her own non-profit organization which promotes Young Women in Leadership.

Eleshia is also the author of the Little Red Networking Book (Women’s Empowerment 1st Edition) and the Little Red Networking Book Companion Planner which offers a one of a kind blend of tips to assist women with building a strong network of connections.

Connect with Eleshia on LinkedIn and follow Jackson HR on Twitter and Facebook.

Show Transcript

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open for Business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of GWBC’s Open for Business. And this is going to be a fun one. Today, I have with me Eleshia Cash. And she is with Jackson HR and Administrative Services. Welcome, Eleshia.

Eleshia Cash: [00:00:31] Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for having me today.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:34] Well, before we get too far into things, tell us about Jackson. How are you serving folks?

Eleshia Cash: [00:00:40] Well, Jackson HR and Administrative Services was initially a marriage between providing human resources services, as well as administrative services to small and medium-sized businesses. And so, we brought those two skills together because many businesses may need some type of partnership around providing those specific services to help their businesses navigate through their employee and HR needs. And so, right now, in this current space, we’re figuring out ways to pivot and do things differently with business services but, traditionally, those are the type of things that we provide.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:24] Now, how’d you get into this line of work?

Eleshia Cash: [00:01:27] Well, I have over 20 years of human resources experience an administrative services. And so, I’ve always been great at doing things administratively, just something naturally and I get that I was able to do. And I wanted to bring those two passions and those two skill set together. And that’s how the business started with bringing those services together.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:51] And then, now, your work has shifted because of the pandemic we’re in, you’ve had to make some changes. Can you talk about those and what you’re doing now?

Eleshia Cash: [00:02:00] Yes, the needs and the clients have changed. And so, now, with over … I believe we’re up to 30 million people out of jobs right now, the services have changed to service that clientèle to workforce development. How do we support these people who was navigating in their careers? So, we’re providing workshops for them, professional self-profiles, redoing resumé workshops, and teaching them how to pivot into different careers, supporting them in their networking initiative, teaching them how to network online in a virtual space. And so, just providing a lot of support for workforce development at this time.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:44] So, now, one of the, I guess, kind of core values of your organization is leveraging the power of networking. Can you talk about the Little Red Networking Book and how that impacts your business?

Eleshia Cash: [00:02:59] Yes. Well, one of the things that we try to teach people to do is network before you really need the network. It’s so important for people to look at the network that they already have, people they may have gone to school with. If anybody’s gone to high school, there’s some type of mommy association, or college, or alumnae, or people that you’ve worked with. Teaching them how to network on different platforms such as LinkedIn. These are avenues and vehicles that could help you within your career and land use your next best opportunity.

Eleshia Cash: [00:03:35] And so, within our human resources services, we begin using our networking platforms to teach people the skills of networking. So, that’s what we talk about in the Little Red Networking Book. We found that especially women have not mastered the skill of networking. We know how to socialize, but we haven’t mastered the skill of networking, which is something totally different. So, within the Little Red Networking Book, we talk about how to develop your net-connect strategy, which is a combination of networking and connection and building those strategic relationships.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:15] And each of the different platforms has a different style, right? Like, what’s acceptable in one environment may be unacceptable in another. And you’ve got to kind of know the lay of the land and the language of each of those groups, right?

Eleshia Cash: [00:04:29] Exactly. We find out a lot of people don’t necessarily know that. And so, teaching people how to nurture your network will help you develop, and create, and start a networking strategy. We talk about even the virtual events right now that are on so many different platforms since the COVID-19. Be strategic in the ones that you’re going to. Make sure that you are putting yourself in a position to be in a circle around other people that have the same goals and missions that you have. Do the research on the speakers. Find out who’s presenting that day, and how they could help you, or how you can help them. Teaching people not to approach individuals during this time on, “Oh, how can you help me?” but finding out a way of how you can help them or how you can start because it’s in the helping that you begin to network, and meet different people, and expand your network.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:30] And then, if you do that right and you create those win/win opportunities for all parties, then you really have something, right? That’s when your organization can really expand and grow.

Eleshia Cash: [00:05:42] You use my keyword, which is the win/win. I talk about that so much about strategic partnerships. You know that you had developed a network when it’s a win/win for both parties. When it’s something that you’re giving, and you’re helping them with, and they can turn around and help you, that is a win/win connection. And so, you have net-connected when you’ve done that.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:06] And then, sometimes when you do that right, that’s additional ways to make revenue in ways that maybe you hadn’t considered previously, right?

Eleshia Cash: [00:06:16] Exactly. It’s about the support, promote, and refer piece of it. When you couldn’t make that win/win connection, you never know. You become a connector when you may connect two individuals together, or you become a supporter when you’re supporting someone. And then, you become the promoter where you end up promoting that person. Then, that person turns around and does that same thing for you. Then, that’s when the strategic partnership or the strategic connection is made, and you start seeing the revenue coming in due to those connections because you made a power move in connecting and networking.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:57] Now, speaking of power moves and powerful organizations, can you tell us about GWBC? How has that organization impacted your work?

Eleshia Cash: [00:07:07] Oh, it has impacted my words tremendously. It has allowed me to connect with some powerhouse women who are making great strides in their businesses to network with them, to learn from them, especially during this pandemic to even lean on them, to find out what are they doing in regards to the different stimulus packages that have been provided, and how they’ve navigated the trajectory of their business. And a lot of them are having to make changes, and it’s great to have the support of different women to lean on for guidance on making those changes.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:50] And that’s something that’s important in any network, right? It can always be about, “What’s in it for me?” You’ve got to really have a lot of empathy and look at things through the eyes of the other people in the group. And if you emphasize serving, and helping, and supporting, a lot of magical things can happen.

Eleshia Cash: [00:08:12] Exactly. One of the things that I talk tremendously about is the state of collaboration. And what I’ve noticed during this time, it has been easier for me to use that word and use that verb again, and people have been happier to embrace collaborative effort. Now, we’re in a phase where we’re able to lean on one another for ideas, and for support, and to go after things together. And so, yes, having this network has been very phenomenal to allow us to navigate such a time of this where there’s a lot of loss with businesses and uncertainty. So, to have the women business enterprise support, providing the resources, then to put in the tools and guidance has been so great to my network professionally.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:06] So, now, who is your ideal client? And how can we help you find them and let them know about the work you’re doing?

Eleshia Cash: [00:09:14] My ideal client, of course, right now, are women who are trying to learn how to network, who would like guidance in networking and in establishing strategic partnership. There are a lot of people out there that are introverts, and they just have a hard time getting started. They don’t know how to approach the networking component. And they know that networking correctly can really bring in strategic partnership that help revenue come in and to be ongoing revenue that’s continuous. And so, women is our ideal client. And also, people that are looking for employment right now. Anyone that needs help with their professional profiles, we’re doing resume, interview workshop, any of those things is going to prepare them professionally for their next career opportunity. Jackson HR and Administrative Services is here to support them.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:16] Now, in your work, is there any opportunity to partner with maybe affiliate programs or different ways that you can create those win/win opportunities with your ecosystem?

Eleshia Cash: [00:10:31] Yes, there are. Because we believe in nurturing your network, we are open to affiliate programs and partnering with other organizations and programs. Yes. So, contact us at Jackson HR Administrative Services, and we’ll be happy to work on that mission with you.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:50] So, that’s something where if somebody has a complementary service that’s not exactly what you do, but maybe adjacent to what you do, where you can work together, and there can be some sort of a revenue share or client share?

Eleshia Cash: [00:11:04] Yes. Yes, exactly.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:07] And then, if somebody wanted to learn more about what you’re up to, or network with you, or hire you, is there a website?

Eleshia Cash: [00:11:16] It sure is. We can be down at jacksonhrservice.com. My email address is jacksonhrservice@gmail.com. So, either one of those avenues or websites or email, you can contact us directly, and we could provide more information about our service or opportunities to connect, collaborate and work together.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:40] Thank you so much for sharing your story today.

Eleshia Cash: [00:11:44] Thank you so much for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:46] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on GWBC Open for Business.

About Your Host

Roz Lewis is President & CEO – Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC®), a regional partner organization of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and a member of the WBENC Board of Directors.

Previous career roles at Delta Air Lines included Flight Attendant, In-Flight Supervisor and Program Manager, Corporate Supplier Diversity.

During her career she has received numerous awards and accolades. Most notable: Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2018 Diversity & Inclusion award; 2017 inducted into the WBE Hall of Fame by the American Institute of Diversity and Commerce and 2010 – Women Out Front Award from Georgia Tech University.

She has written and been featured in articles on GWBC® and supplier diversity for Forbes Magazine SE, Minority Business Enterprise, The Atlanta Tribune, WE- USA, Minorities and Women in Business magazines. Her quotes are published in The Girls Guide to Building a Million Dollar Business book by Susan Wilson Solovic and Guide Coaching by Ellen M. Dotts, Monique A. Honaman and Stacy L. Sollenberger. Recently, she appeared on Atlanta Business Chronicle’s BIZ on 11Alive, WXIA to talk about the importance of mentoring for women.

In 2010, Lewis was invited to the White House for Council on Women and Girls Entrepreneur Conference for the announcement of the Small Business Administration (SBA) new Women Owned Small Business Rule approved by Congress. In 2014, she was invited to the White House to participate in sessions on small business priorities and the Affordable Care Act.

Roz Lewis received her BS degree from Florida International University, Miami, FL and has the following training/certifications: Certified Purchasing Managers (CPM); Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity (CPSD), Institute for Supply Management (ISM)of Supplier Diversity and Procurement: Diversity Leadership Academy of Atlanta (DLAA), Negotiations, Supply Management Strategies and Analytical Purchasing.

Connect with Roz on LinkedIn.

About GWBC

The Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC®) is at the forefront of redefining women business enterprises (WBEs). An increasing focus on supplier diversity means major corporations are viewing our WBEs as innovative, flexible and competitive solutions. The number of women-owned businesses is rising to reflect an increasingly diverse consumer base of women making a majority of buying decision for herself, her family and her business.

GWBC^® has partnered with dozens of major companies who are committed to providing a sustainable foundation through our guiding principles to bring education, training and the standardization of national certification to women businesses in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina

Trusted Advisor Radio Episode 7

July 12, 2019 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Trusted Advisor Radio Episode 7

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Tara Alderete is responsible for in-person education programs in the Southeast, as well as Clearpoint University, Clearpoint’s online learning program. Clearpoint is a division of Money Management International (MMI). She works hands-on to support community education efforts, delivering information and resources to help consumers increase their financial capability.

Tara has a background in training and development within the financial services industry. She joined Clearpoint in 2010 as a curriculum development specialist and was
instrumental in developing Clearpoint University online. Prior to joining Clearpoint, Tara worked as an instructional designer and senior trainer at JP Morgan Chase and has developed and delivered training curricula for Citigroup, Chase, and LDG Financial Services.

Tara holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of New Mexico, Grant Writing Certification from the University of Georgia, and is an NFCC Certified Educator.

Connect with Tara on Twitter and follow MMI on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Andrea and George Burnett are the proud owners of Power House Pest Control. They are celebrating 17 years of doing business in the Atlanta Metro area out of Stockbridge GA. Power House is 100% family owned since their two children have joined the company as managers.

Andrea and George embrace the challenge as a couple who works, play and worships together. Taken from the Words of the Master, “He who wishes to be great, let him serve.” We appreciate the opportunity to serve our customers, the church and each other. Thanks for choosing Power House.

Follow Power House on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Uncommon Property Realty is a company that helps investors find houses for rental properties but also manages them. Melissa Lester runs the company with her partner and father, Jim Lester. Melissa is a member of the Atlanta Realtors Association and volunteers on the Government and Community Affairs Committee. She enjoys being active in the communities she serves, attending lectures, gardening, and working on her own home.

Melissa has degrees from Young Harris College and Berry College and lives in Brookhaven with her fiancé, Chris, and their cat, Dr. Hobbes.

Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn and follow Uncommon Property Realty on Facebook.

About Your Host

Christopher Seabrook is the host of Trusted Advisor Radio and serves as a Financial Representative at Country Financial. He prides himself on working hard to provide the best possible service to his clients. Being able to help people is a central part of his life, and is happy to be of service to his clients and community.

Christopher also enjoys meeting new people and building one-on-one relationships. Open and honest discussions are an easy way for him to connect with clients and ultimately help them secure their financial security goals.

Follow Christopher Seabrook on LinkedIn, Facebook.

Inspiring Women, Episode 4: Entitled to Nothing, Empowered to do Anything

June 2, 2019 by John Ray

Inspiring Women PodCast with Betty Collins

Inspiring Women, Episode 4: Entitled to Nothing, Empowered to do Anything

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Betty’s Show Notes

When empowerment and entitlement are your state of mind of your family, your office or your business, anything is possible.

You’re entitled to nothing, but you’re empowered to do anything. To talk about that, we need to define the difference between entitlement and empowerment because they are two very different things. When I examined the meanings and characteristics of entitlement and empowerment, I found that empowered people have a lot more characteristics of which all were positive.

Who do you know from either group?
And who do you want part of your organization or your business?
Which business partner do you want?
What mindset do you look for your kids to have? Entitled or empowered?
What kind of employees do you want, entitled or empowered?

The answer is simple: we want empowerment around us, and we want to empower. But doing that is hard, and it’s never-ending work. Join me as I discuss empowerment in this episode of Inspiring Women.

“Inspiring Women” Podcast Series

“Inspiring Women” is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. The show is hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and presented by Brady Ware and Company. Brady Ware is committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home. Past episodes of “Inspiring Women” can be found here.

Show Transcript

Betty: [00:00:00] You’re entitled to nothing but you’re empowered to do anything. I want to talk about that today.

Betty: [00:00:06] In order to talk about that we have to really kind of define what entitlement is and what empowerment is. There are two very very different things.

Betty: [00:00:15] So entitlement. I look at it as a state of mind. It’s a state or condition that you are entitled. You have rights to something. Notice there’s no action in there. It’s just I have rights. It’s the belief that you deserve more for whatever reason. You could list those out. Let’s add one more word to entitlement. Call it self-entitlement. And it’s really when an individual you know they see themselves for more than they are. They see that they have privilege that probably is unearned. Those are people who believe that life owes them something. There’s a reward. There’s a measure. There is some kind of success. There’s a standard of living that they should have.

Betty: [00:01:02] Very few people are the queen of England and their children get to get this, their children get to have that. There’s very few people that might be a second or third generation with the name Hilton. Those things don’t exist a lot. Nothing wrong with those things. That’s true entitlement because of your name.

Betty: [00:01:21] But really if you look at what entitled people are like here’s a few characteristics. They’re uncompromising attitude. They have very little regard for how someone else feels. They have a very sense of over-exaggerated self-importance. What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is my own. That’s how they live. They’re probably very one sided. In fact in their mind, no reciprocation is necessary, don’t worry about it. They’re incredibly lazy, at the end of the day. They overstate their own achievement by underrating you. They have unrealistic view of the world. Or they just justify their tantrums. They’re like toddlers. And when anger doesn’t work they choose passive aggressiveness. I think they’re both just as bad. But when all else fails, poor little me.

Betty: [00:02:18] And we think of entitled people as just Generation X or Millennials or whoever’s going to be next right? But it really goes beyond them, because who do you think taught them to have the mindset? The Boomers and the people before them. So you can’t totally just say “oh that’s the entitled generation.” Sorry we taught them to be entitled.

Betty: [00:02:41] Do you know people like that in your life that I just described? Or maybe even better yet you probably have some of those traits yourself?

Betty: [00:02:49] So let’s go to some of the more fun. The definition of empowerment. It’s not a state of mind, it’s an act or an action. You’re either empowering yourself or someone else. You’re either granting the right to someone to do something great to do something not so great. Who cares. Being empowered is something that you’re doing. Empowered people are confident, they believe in themselves. They know their value. They understand that, and they consider life a reward not, “I need a reward.” They don’t get irritated often. Everybody gets irritated sometimes though. And they look for what they can learn from something. They don’t dwell on the negative.

Betty: [00:03:33] They take care of themselves. They validate themselves so others don’t have to. That’s a big one. They’re not defensive. They accept compliments with the grace and they trust themselves. They live by their own rules and most importantly they probably embrace possibilities more than anyone. Now do you know someone like that. Are you that person?

Betty: [00:03:57] When I was going through looking at what entitlement means what empowerment means and the characteristics, what was very interesting was empowered people had a lot more characteristics. There was a lot more that described them and of course it was all positive. Night and day. Who do you know, either group? And who do you want part of your organization or your business? Which business partner do you want? And what mindset do you look for your kids to have? Entitled or empowered? What kind of employees do you want entitled or empowered?

Betty: [00:04:34] The answer is really easy. We all want empowerment around us. We want to empower but getting it done is hard. And by the way it’s never ending. It’s a constant.

Betty: [00:04:46] So I’m going to tell you a little bit of a story. For me at the age of 14 my mom sat me down and she talked about college. She talked about the importance of education. We all have that. She didn’t want me to have the same choices that she had which were very few without being educated.

Betty: [00:05:02] And so when it came to working and opportunity she wanted me to have every bit of it that we could. And she talked to me also about experiencing college, living on a campus, something she never got to do except for two years. She never did get her college degree. She also talked about the cost and what would it take to get there. So she handed me an application. I’m 14 years old. She handed me an application to complete a work permit and explained to me, “Here’s the college. So you got to go work and save for it so you could afford to go take care of it and do it.” There wasn’t “your father and I are going to write the check.” There wasn’t “we’re going to go into debt all over the place. We’re going to make sure you go and take whatever you want.” It was very thought through.

Betty: [00:05:53] And she also explained to me that I was probably going to take debt because hey I have a great job when I get out. And that was the mindset. So I worked and I saved I did what she said I’m 14 years old. And by the way when I was 17 I moved to college. And I got in my brother’s car because the three of us shared a car, we did not have our own cars. And we drove to college and we didn’t stop at Target and go to a big section from going back to college.

Betty: [00:06:17] We just packed what we had in our rooms and we went and by the way we unpacked the car and we moved in. Done. And I went to registration and I wrote a check from my checking account. I loved it. I worked all through college. I continued to save all through college. I still went into debt all through college. And I actually didn’t get my real degree for nine months after because I still had a 400 dollar balance on my bill.

Betty: [00:06:43] So hard work. I got it done. That was empowerment. It was worth it. And it was mine and I owned it. When I was 14 because my mom said here’s a vision here’s how you get there and it’s yours. She showed me potential and opportunity and but she also said now here’s what it’s going to take to make it happen.

Betty: [00:07:07] That’s empowerment. It’s empowerment in action. It’s not entitlement. I didn’t have a right to be at college. I either wanted to be there, or I didn’t.

Betty: [00:07:17] It all sounds good it sounds so easy it’s positive and it’s motivating. And I compare it to the feeling when you work all day in the yard. I love to work in the yard. And you then see all the results of landscaping and cleaning up and power washing. But you are exhausted. It’s a good feeling and you soak in the tub. You sleep well. That’s called empowerment to me.

Betty: [00:07:40] What relationships in your life go from empowerment to entitlement or entitlement to power? I think you need to really look at the relationships and the circumstances in your life to go, “no wonder this isn’t working.” So to be empowered you have to do the following just like my mom. You’ve got to be intentional and create that vision of what it looks like.

Betty: [00:08:01] Oh by the way you have to have a plan. Get over it. You got to have a plan there doesn’t work. You always figure out your why. Why are you doing this? Well for me back in the day it was because I was going to have a good job and have a good opportunity through my life. The how, what, and when. That’s the easy stuff to figure out. The mindset that really good things like college educations, or careers, whatever you want to put in there, fill in your blank, it takes time and patience is required. You can either have a roasted turkey by your grandmother or you can have a microwave frozen dinner. Choose.

Betty: [00:08:36] Oh by the way when you want to be empowered or you want to empower, enabling is no longer allowed and letting go is crucial. And most certainly, enjoy the journey. But you got to see it all the way to the end.

Betty: [00:08:49] My mom did all these things in the process of my education as well as transition into life. And she had six kids in five years. We were her world. Yet she was trying to get us to go out and do what we did.

Betty: [00:09:00] Now my son I did a lot of what she did I did with my kids. My son was a little bit different. He taught me a good lesson on life. I laid out his vision and terms. He said no. And he chose a different path on his terms. I’ll never forget the day he showed up in my office and he said I’m going to Boston. I’m going to Eastern Nazarene College, and I’m going to be a pastor. I started to interrupt him about the vision and terms because that’s not we talked about, right? He stopped me and said I’m going with you or without you, but I’m going.

Betty: [00:09:34] In my mind, I knew he would go and make it. I still didn’t help him. I didn’t write any checks, I just said go for it. And I had to sit back and learn and watch. Not easy.

Betty: [00:09:45] So to be empowering to those around you ask them what the vision is for their career, for the office, for our clients, for our family, for kids. On and on. My kids had a passion. I was going to go get a job they were going to follow passions. But that’s OK. I did at least learn through my son. I needed to see what they wanted to do.

Betty: [00:10:07] Live the behaviors that you want them to embrace around you and your office or in your families. I do that and I still do and if anyone acted like you what would your office, family, relationships look like? Sorry these hard questions come with my podcast but it’s kind of true. That the thing that I love, help uncover your exceptional talent and value it. Not everyone is the same. And chances are if you’re using your talents you’ll be more successful and happy. I’m a CPA with soft skills. Not usually seen in my industry. So I leverage and use those talents in a different way.

Betty: [00:10:46] The biggest and hardest one for me to empower those around me is I have to be quiet. OK? I have to state the problem and the vision and the goal and let them come up with solutions. We had a book club in my office a couple of years ago. For about 18 months it was very effective because they were reading and they were learning and they were figuring out how to solve our issues in our office, not me.

Betty: [00:11:13] And you got to give and take. The give and take have to be the right thing not the easy thing. And it can’t just be that you’re going to get a return from that give and take. People know the difference.

Betty: [00:11:24] So when it came for my kids to go to college I took that same approach as my mom. I was going to choose empowerment and not entitlement. But you know a few things change from 1980 to 2010. A little bit different. I sat down with my kids just like my mom but we talked about college. We talked about majors with passion. We talked about the costs. We talked what it would take to get there. And we talked for years. And we modified when necessary. And when it came to an end, graduation was the celebration not the end. It was the beginning. They were both seniors and they were on winter break and we were done with the holidays so I sat down with them and I said look we’ve got to talk.

Betty: [00:12:02] You’re going to be educated adults. And I set boundaries as your mom. On June 30th, I’m done. And you’re going to be on your own. And here’s the titles to your cars and here’s a good insurance agent. And you better start researching phone plans. Some of them parents don’t do today. Something we don’t do in our offices today. Instead we think about if we reward more and expect less,they’ll stay with us. Instead if we’ve just empowered and quit the entitled state of mind, we’d have a different result.

Betty: [00:12:37] I also told my kids when you’ll leave the room for the last time and there’s no more bed in your room, it’s my room and I now have a great office and a walk in closet. Sometimes it’s just time for life to go on and letting go and helping empowering them was the way to do it.

Betty: [00:12:55] I really believe in the success of my education as well as my kids and this is just one example of the difference of entitlement and empowerment. Empowerment was always behind it all. And there was no entitlement in the mix. When empowerment and entitlement are your state of mind of your family, your office, your business, you’ll embrace any possibility. Again you’re entitled to nothing, but you can be empowered to do anything.

Chief Science Officers Program – Regional Conversations Part 2

May 9, 2019 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

Chief Science Officers Program - Regional Conversations Part 2

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Chief Science Officers Program – Regional Conversations Part 2

Chief Science Officers elevate the student voice by bringing their peers and community leaders together to ignite new opportunities in STEM and innovation. The CSO program gives students a seat at the table as it empowers student voice to make a difference in STEM education.

Teacher, Army Cavalry Scout, Writer, Marketing Director, fire fighter, and medical first responder have all led up to Jake Lounsbury becoming the Director of Global Partnerships for Chief Science Officers International.

Traveling around the globe to make connections, build partnerships and support active programs, Jake works to ensure the success of the program as it Global foot print expands. But even with all the adventure of travel, Jake stays focused on the mission of amplifying student voice and increasing excitement amoungst the future leaders of the world in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Caillou Pena is a senior at Skyline high school and second year CSO. He has been named as an 18 under 18 recipient by Junior Achievement and the Arizona Republic. Through the CSO program he traveled to Washington DC for the international summit and Hermosillo, Sonora, MX to attend Arizona-Mexico Commission’s governor’s signing.

He is passionate about the program because it teaches that any one can do anything, all one has to do is take the initiative. Before Caillou attends Carnegie Mellon University in the fall he will intern at the SciTech Institute working on the Chief Science Officer Organization.

Follow CSO on Facebook and Twitter.

The Intercultural Development Research Association is an independent, non-profit organization. Our mission is to achieve equal educational opportunity for every child through strong public schools that prepare all students to access and succeed in college.

IDRA strengthens and transforms public education by providing dynamic training; useful research, evaluation, and frameworks for action; timely policy analyses; and innovative materials and programs. We are committed to the IDRA valuing philosophy, respecting the knowledge and skills of the individuals we work with and build on the strengths of the students and parents in their schools.

Michelle Martínez Vega is IDRA’s technology coordinator with more than 18 years of experience in designing, developing and administering professional development for educators at the state, regional and district levels. Her focus is driven by the desire to improve academic achievement through the use of technology. She strives to develop technology solutions that create equitable and sustainable learning environments for all students and educators.

Ms. Vega will continue to create and deliver professional technology support with the hope of helping others build their technology confidence and capacity. Key areas of Ms. Vega’s work includes designing, developing and training in technology integration, technical writing, and technology coaching and mentoring. She has served at the fourth-largest public school district in Texas, Northside ISD as a training and development technologist.

She led development, implementation and support of a wide variety of district technology initiatives for the district which comprises more than 100,000 students and 8,000 professional staff. Ms. Vega also served as digital resources specialist for the Texas Education Service Center, Region 20, where she was the official representative for multiple statewide programs, including Texas SUCCESS, TexQuest, Learn421 and Digital Knowledge Central (DKC).

She was responsible for all aspects of program implementation, including working with governing bodies to secure program funding and presenting at conventions, regional conferences and training events. Ms. Vega has a bachelor of science in applied science degree and performance improvement from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, with a concentration in human performance and development improvement in the workplace, project management, web design, and digital and business communications. She also has an associate’s degree in digital media, including web and graphic design, interactive media design and instructional design, from the Alamo Colleges, Northwest Vista.

She was a showcased designer at Northwest Vista for excellence in multimedia design for iPad general user interface (GUI). Ms. Vega has led training and presentations on such topics as: augmented reality, flipped classrooms, Google apps, digital storytelling, Google labs add-ons and extensions, and iPad configuration for shared environments. She was recognized by the Teachers Retirement System of Texas and San Antonio Water Systems in their monthly publications for data conversion project successes and acknowledged by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for excellence in program planning. She also was acknowledged by Texas Education Agency for excellence in website design.

Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Atlanta Science Festival Inc. is dedicated to bringing people together through the wonder of science. ASF produces an annual two-week science festival, and year-round programming, including the Georgia Chief Science Officers leadership development program for middle/high school students.

After vowing to never work with youth, Eric Knapp became a camp counselor in 2006. He became a full time program director in charge of facilitating team building experiences for youth before receiving a wilderness leadership certificate through Outward Bound.

He then moved to Atlanta to serve as a program director for C5 Georgia, a five-year youth leadership development program for high-potential youth coming from risk-filled environments.

His work with partner schools helped him understand the influence and impact of classroom teachers and he begin a new professional chapter as an 8th grade science teacher at Tucker Middle School. With DeKalb County Schools, he served as the STEM program coordinator for the first state-certified middle school STEM program in Georgia.

He is passionate about bringing classrooms, communities, and corporations together to create innovative and impactful learning experiences for students. As one of 25 teachers in the country selected as a Northrop Grumman Teachers Academy Fellow in 2015, he collaborated with representatives from NGC to develop lessons and teaching strategies to better prepare students for STEM careers. Furthermore, he has written STEM curriculum for schools in India and is on the design team for two STEM academies in China.

He has presented at several conferences including NSTA, ITEEA, GEETA, Georgia STEM Forum, Georgia Leadership Institute and The Georgia STEM Teacher Academy. Eric is now works with the Atlanta Science Festival and as the Regional Lead for the Georgia Chief Science Officer Program by establishing an environment in which students are continually coached to become effective leaders in their schools and communities.

He hopes to see each CSO that place where their giftings, talents, and passions come together to meet the needs of their community. His career has taught him to never underestimate the impact of a young person can make on the next generation.

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn, follow Atlanta Science Festival on Facebook and Georgia CSO on Twitter and Instagram.

Greater Oregon CSO supports 21 CSOs with nine advisers across the eastern region of Oregon. Our CSOs represent rural and remote communities along with small towns.

Abigail Southgate has a degree in education followed by a career of diverse teaching opportunities. She has substituted, taught with the Headstart program and elementary schools.