Leveraging Difference to be a Better Leader

This week on the Lion40 Podcast, I talk to Aanchal Higorani, a 24-year-old professional who was born in Mumbai, India, grew up in a suburb of Atlanta, and is a graduate of the University of Georgia. She lives in New York City currently and works at Pangea Resourcing. She came into this job with two years of people operations experience at a growing startup called Peopleift. In her free time, she loves to travel, cook and meditate.

In this episode on The Lion40 Podcast, I talk to Kate Dramis, an Atlanta-based writer and former copywriting agency owner whose obsession with fantasy worlds and escaping into a good love story eventually drove her to chase her dreams of being an author.

 In this episode on The Lion40 Podcast I talk to BJ Ganem, who was raised in Savannah Georgia within a close-knit Lebanese family that has owned and operated a local store since 1939. After a year at Georgia Southern, BJ joined the Marine Corps and served until he sustained combat injuries suffered in Iraq. After struggling upon his return, he used his experiences growing up and skills from the Marines to continue his leadership journey. He built Sierra Delta in 2017 with the goal of helping veterans while also rescuing dogs. BJ has run marathons, climbed mountains, been painted by President GW Bush, been a guest on Letterman, Drew Barrymore, and so much more.   

 In this episode on The Lion40 Podcast, I talk again to Laurie Curtis who grew up feeling like she didn’t quite fit in even within her own family and that something was missing. It wasn’t until later that she found what she was looking for, which would forever impact her future and shape her leadership journey. Building on her experience of how she felt growing up, teaching, and ministry, Laurie now leads a dynamic team by empowering others to discover their gifts and utilize them for maximum impact.  

Today on the Lion40 Podcast I talk to Dr. Jerome Lubbe, a South African-born Congolese immigrant who came to the States on asylum status as a refugee with a hundred bucks, two suitcases, a bipolar grandmother, and a parrot. He tells us tells how coming from nothing and his own health issues, has shaped his leadership journey as patient, provider, parent, and partner. Dr. Jerome is now a practicing clinician, CEO and founder of Thrive Neuro Health, and creator of The Brain-Based Enneagram. As a clinician, brain coach, teacher, trainer, and mentor he is often referred to as “The Personal Trainer for Your Brain” and “An Identity Rehab Specialist”. 

Today on the Lion 40 Podcast I interview Brandy Simula. From a young age, Brandy grew up with many kinds of differences that she wasn’t quite sure how to handle. Not just in her upbringing but in how she felt as a person, greatly impacting her leadership journey. Using her skills from growing up with differences and knowledge from her four degrees including sociology, Brandy learned what it truly meant to be a leader and what is so often overlooked but needed for company success.  

This week on the Lion 40 Podcast and our discussions on leadership, I speak to Marcella Genut, who at a young age was diagnosed with Congenital Muscular Dystrophy. She learned at a young age that life wasn’t going to be easy but being different really changed how she decided she was going to live her life. She knew she was meant to do more and didn’t let others’ opinions keep her from striving toward her goals of becoming a spokesperson for Muscular dystrophy with a variety of organizations and non profits, graduated with a degree in Public Relations from the University of Georgia where she now is an academic advisor, and running her own business.

This week on the Lion 40 Podcast, I speak to Chris Sims about Leadership, a Christian, husband, father, entrepreneur, a leader and a Marietta, GA business owner with ClearVue Glass and Mirror Company. Chris spent 23 years in the Army on active duty and in the national guard. The majority of his time was spent as a green beret.

Celeste Headlee, an author, speaker, journalist, and visionary recognized and noted by her intensive work with NPR, PBS, and the TED speaker stage. Celeste goes on in this session to talk about how asking meaningful questions, and how active listening, and how follow-up questions can actually make or break a person who wants to emerge as an inspiring leader. Wow. The golden nuggets of wisdom she shares here are so inspirational.

This week on the LION40 podcast we are welcoming Altovise Pelzer, an author, speaker, podcaster, and visionary speaking up for INTROVERTED LEADERS. Yes, indeed, introverts have a powerful leadership voice, and in this episode, she unpacks exactly what that can look like. No doubt you will feel empowered not only to make your YES a true YES through listening, you will also feel empowered to say NO, to receive a NO, and to change your mind with confidence. This is one you're are going to want to listen to time and time again.