11 Brilliant Humans You Should Know

Hey Reader!

If you don't already know, this summer, I invited 20 wise and brilliant humans to have raw, unedited conversations with me on my experimental podcast, ChatGMB: Wisdom & Insights for Modern Leaders.

What started as a courageous summer experiment has quickly become one of the most healing and wonderful things I've done all year, and now that we're a little more than halfway through the "chats," I want to tell you a bit about the eleven magical, generous, thoughtful, and world-changing humans who have shown up so far.

If you haven't listened yet and if you're a podcast person, I know that at least one (if not all) of these conversations will support your journey, teach you something you needed to learn, give you truth you needed to hear, and/or help you unlock something new for yourself. You can listen wherever you listen to podcasts, including on Apple, Spotify, and our website!

Here's what you can expect from these first 11 episodes, with a sneak peek at each person's wisdom and a few ways to connect with their brilliance yourself...

Laura Goldstein, LCMFT | Founder of Montgomery County Counseling Center
A therapist and practice owner who showed us how to build businesses and cultures that reflect our values and the world we want to live in. She reminds us that we can't read the label from inside the jar, and that managers can't be therapists, even when they're the therapist. [Website | LinkedIn]
Lindsey Lerner | Creator, Field Notes from the Work & the Wild
An artist, documentarian, TED speaker, & storyteller who has interviewed hundreds of people about their work and uncovered five patterns that have shown up across every story. Listen to us jam about what it means to have a squiggly career, and how to uncover the work beneath the work. [Substack | LinkedIn]
Caitlin Harper | Founder, Commcoterie
A change management strategist who makes the case that all change is harm (even good and wanted change), and walks us through what it looks like to lead through change with curiosity, compassion, and clarity. Listen to us nerd out about minimizing ambiguity and giving people the level of transparency they actually need. [Website | LinkedIn]
Elaine Lin Hering | Author of Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully
A Harvard-trained facilitator and bestselling author who redefines silence as the withholding of self for the comfort of others, and gives leaders a concrete framework for how they're unintentionally silencing their teams. Tune in to learn how to spot the red flags that your team may have a silence problem. [Get the Book | LinkedIn]
Brittany Rodriguez | Senior Director of Programs, Hartford Youth Scholars
A nonprofit leader who grew up in the organization she now helps run, and got honest about the hardest part of growing into leadership: learning to step back without stepping away. You also get to hear about her experience with me as her coach! PSST - She's also looking for her next gig! [LinkedIn]
Blessing Uchendu | Founder, Freshwater Counseling & Consulting
A licensed clinical social worker turned somatic leadership coach who works with high-achieving women leaders exhausted in ways vacation can't fix. She explains exactly why you cannot out-think your nervous system, and what to do instead. [Website | LinkedIn]
Brad Lademann | Associate Director, Missouri AfterSchool Network
An after-school leader and leadership development facilitator who has spent decades building belonging across wildly different communities. He makes the case that relationships and curiosity are the most important tools we have to create connection and impact, and talks about the leadership development program Reloveution is facilitating for their network. [LinkedIn | Website]
D'Juan Wilcher | Deputy Director, George W. Bush Presidential Center
A Navy veteran and civic leader who works at the intersection of veteran opportunity, education, and civic engagement, and shares tips and tricks for leading, talking, and healing across real differences. Listen in to learn about the importance of identifying both controllable and uncontrollable forces, and what raising three Black boys has to do with leadership. [LinkedIn | Website]
Fielding Jezreel | Founder, Federal Grants Accelerator & Jezreel Consulting
A federal grants expert who has secured $140 million for nonprofits and built an entire community to help mid-size organizations win federal funding. She reminds us how important it is to be clear about what you're trying to achieve and live/lead in alignment with it. [Website | LinkedIn]
Keesha Ceran | Deputy Director, Teaching for Change
A political scientist and education justice leader who connects the current attack on public education directly to voter suppression, and models what it looks like to lead people with genuine care for where they're going, not just what they're producing for you now. Tune in to also hear about her experience with the Millennial Manager Collective and Reloveution. [Social Media Connections | About TfC]
Julia Pileggi | Co-Founder, The Boom Room
A spoken word artist, actor, and company co-founder who uses professional actors and immersive simulations to help leaders close the gap between who they know themselves to be and who actually shows up in hard conversations. Learn how the Boom Room helps you prepare for high-stakes and challenging situations at work and beyond. [Website | LinkedIn]

Honestly, if I knew just any one of these people, I would consider myself lucky. But to know all of them, PLUS the nine more folks coming on in July and August, PLUS gazillions more incredible humans including YOU, is humbling beyond measure.

In the words of Keesha, "I just have to keep pushing forward towards [the] vision and believing we can be better. And I see it. I choose to see it."

These people, and all of you reading, help me see it. Thank you!!!


If you've been listening, I'd love for you to reach out and let me know what you've learned so far.

And if you haven't jumped in yet, I invite you to pick an episode, go for a walk or drive with us in your ears, and then tell me what lands!

And in either case? Please share your favorite conversations with a friend or colleague who may need the guest's voice and truth in their life or work.

I'll be over here gearing up for nine more chats this summer and pinching myself because this IS real life!

With love and a very full heart,
Marissa


P.S. If any of these conversations made you think I could use someone like this in my corner, I am very happy to make connections! Let's chat :-)

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Thanks for reading and following along! If you appreciate what I have to say or have learned something new, please consider sharing this newsletter with others, and be sure to check out our current initiatives!

  • Reloveution (ree-love-oo-shun), a consulting and professional development services provider focused on strengthening team culture, deepening leadership effectiveness, and catalyzing professional well-being.
  • RepairWorks, a subpractice of Reloveution that provides mediation and conflict transformation services for individuals, teams, and established groups.
  • The Millennial Manager Collective, a virtual professional development community built for millennial-aged professionals who want to grow boldly in their careers and rewrite the rules of modern work with peers who truly get it.
  • ChatGMB: Wisdom & Insights for Modern Leaders, a "podcast" production of Reloveution with episodes focused on the leadership and workplace culture topics/challenges that come up again and again in my consulting, coaching, and facilitation work.


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