The Importance of Mental Health Programs and “Banning the Box” When it Comes to Company Culture E18
We knew going into it, that this show was going to be impactul, and it was exactly that. Both Brad and Michelle have amazing backgrounds that have led them to where they are today. When you listen to the podcast, be ready to pull out a map to track Brad’s amazing background and upbringing, and then you’ll be astonished to hear the longevity and growth that Michelle has had with Televerde.
These two have the passion for supporting the growth of purpose driven companies in two areas that overlap through the entire conversation. The topics of mental health programs and supporting the growth opportunities for incarcerated women were the strong threads through the conversation.
While talking about growing a purpose driven business it is important to also mention the importance of profit at that level as well. People, purpose, and profit can all thrive and grow at the same strong level. This is a principle that both Michelle and Kindra are familiar with through their work and alignment with Conscious Capitalism.
This podcast is a great one for leaders to listen to. It is important to hear and understand the need for mental health programs to support employees. This is not a new topic but a topic that companies are not familiar with talking about, and they need to get over it. When it comes to the topic of diversity and inclusion, then the conversation of hiring previously incarcerated men and women in the workplace should be part of the conversation or companies are not truly hiring in a fully inclusive manner. 
This conversation was deep, honest, passionate, eye opening, and important to share.
In the words of Brad’s amazing late mother, “ The well being of everyone is dependent on the well being of everyone.”
Culture Mindful is a workforce culture nurture and growth mindset coaching platform. Their future of work digital platform is designed upon proven methods to boost workforce performance, mental well-being, build team resiliency and nurture inspired teams.
Brad Kewalramani is the Founder of Culture Mindful. He has a professional background in Talent, Culture & Employee Experience.
He spent the first decade of his career in the recruitment and staffing agency space, was then headhunted for a leadership role in the home owner association management space, and most recently moved in to the space of office coffee services because he was fascinated to learn that companies justify the spend of money on coffee and snacks for culture.
He is now on a mission to assist organizations cultivate culture mindful workplaces that supports performance and mental well-being.
Connect with Brad on LinkedIn and follow Culture Mindful on Instagram.
Michelle Cirocco is Chief Social Responsibility Officer for Televerde and the Executive Director of Televerde Foundation. She joined Televerde in 1999 and has held several leadership positions including Chief Marketing Officer.
Michelle was recently named one of the World-Changing Women in Conscious Business by Conscious Company magazine. Her journey of transformation was also featured by Forbes in a two-part interview. Michelle is a strong customer champion with a tireless commitment to using business as a force for good. 
Michelle earned her MBA from Arizona State University where she also serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Center for Services Leadership. She holds multiple certifications from SiriusDecisions. Michelle is an avid TED fan and organized and hosted TEDxPerryvilleCorrectional, the first TEDx to be held in an Arizona prison. The event looked behind the curtain of incarceration to show the potential that exists in providing second chances.
Michelle dedicates a significant amount of her free time giving back to her local community by volunteering for the Phoenix Rescue Mission and Athena International. She is a member of the National Association of Female Executives and MBA Women International.
Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn and Twitter, and follow Televerde on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and the Televerde Foundation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Culture Crush
Culture Crush is officially relaunched! We are thankful to Debra Caron who launched and hosted the show originally. Culture Crush is back with a new host but the same focus- highlighting what makes a great company culture and how it affects the overall success of a company.
Culture is not just a tag word to be thrown around. It is not something you throw in job descriptions to draw people to applying for jobs within a company.
According to Marcus Buckingham and Ashely Goodall in their book Nine Lies About Work, “Culture is the tenants of how we behave. It’s like a family creed. This is how we operate and treat each other in the family.”
On this long form podcast we will highlight companies local to Arizona and beyond that are crushing it with great culture!
We will talk with company leaders to learn about real-life experiences, tips, and best practices for creating a healthy work environment where employees are finding joy and satisfaction in their work while also striving and growing within the company.
About the Host
Kindra Maples is your new host taking the lead on the relaunch of Culture Crush! She is spartan racer, past animal trainer, previous magician’s assistant, and has a weakness for Oreo cookie shakes. Her journey working with people actually started working with animals as a teenager (don’t worry we won’t go that far back for her bio).
She worked for over 15 years in the zoo industry working with animals and the public. Her passion of working with animals shifted into working with people in education, operations and leadership roles. From there her passion of leadership and helping people develop has continued to grow.
Then came the opportunity for relaunching the Culture Crush Podcast and she jumped on it. Leadership, growth, and strong company cultures are all areas that Kindra is interested in diving into further.
Shout Outs
We want to thank a few people for their behind the scenes effort in helping this relaunch to come to life. James Johnson with Tailored Penguin Media Company LLC.– It is a small, but powerful video production company with a goal to deliver the very best by articulating the vision of your brand in a visually creative way. Gordon Murray with Flash PhotoVideo, LLC. -Flash Gordon has been photographing since high school and evolving since then with new products that will equip, encourage, engage, and enable. Renee Blundon with Renee Blundon Design – She is not only one of the best free divers (that’s not how she helped with the podcast) but she is great with graphics design and taking the direction for the vision that you have while also adding creative ideas to bring to your vision to life.
These are just a few of the folks that supported the relaunch of the podcast. If you would like to be part of the Culture Crush team or would like to support underwriting the show- please reach out: culturecrushpodcast@gmail.com
