Episodes

My guest for Episode 29 is Trenton Carson, who is the Owner/President of TC Productions. I met Trenton last year at a Buckhead Business Association event and struck up a conversation. We talked about his journey from studying film production in college to working for others to starting his own business. We discussed the importance of networking, being aware of your strengths, and finding mentors. We also talked about some important social issues and how to be an ally for change. I really enjoyed...

My guest for Episode 28 is James Ray, who is Managing Director, Dragonfly Growth Partners. James and I worked together at Manheim in their online services division. I valued his professionalism, business ethics, and the ability to think strategically while maintaining focus on the customer. He always kept his cool in high pressure situations and am eager to hear how he cultivated that demeanor throughout this career. We talked about the importance of life lessons, learning from failures, and bei...

My guest for Episode 27 is Steve Woodcock, who is a Principal Partner at SOF-ONE. Steve and I worked together at Sprint over 20 years ago when he just retired from the Navy. He immediately made a big impression on the team with his calm demeanor, leadership, and can-do attitude. He talked about his initial career phase in the financial services industry but something led him down a different path to serve our country. Steve talked about his transition back into the private sector, the advantages...

Welcome to Episode 26 of the ATL Career Journey. My guest is Jessica Cohen, Senior Customer Success Manager at Slack. I worked with Jessica at Macys and was always impressed with her analytical approach to solving complex problems. We shared a common passion for technology solutions and she has worked for some great companies to help customers work smarter. She also started off her path studying geology with a dream of working for NASA. As life offered up alternate opportunities, Jessica turned ...

My guest for Episode 25 is Bonny Block, who is the Co-Founder of Wripple. Bonny is passionate about the new path forward and helping clients, talent and agencies alike with digital marketing and experience solutions. Wripple is the answer to bringing more transparency and efficiency to a broken industry model … and she’s determined to make sure you know it. Bonny has employed her deep expertise in the digital space to get to the heart of innovative, results-driven solutions for her clients. As s...

My guest for Episode 24 is Rob Phillips, who is an Enterprise Solutions Architect at Atlassian. Rob has been passionate about Agile Development and Business Agility since we met at Equifax. We both have Georgia Tech backgrounds and he's taken on some interesting roles with agile since Equifax. Rob is a rare Georgia native and we talked about growing up in this football-passionate state, his path to Georgia Tech, and the value of enjoying your college experience. His journey took him from a co-op...

My guest for Episode 23 is Kevin Abel, who is a consultant as well as a former candidate for the United States Congress. I've known Kevin for over 20 years and have enjoyed collaborating with him on technology ideas to solve business problems. Kevin is smart, has a gift for strategic vision, he definitely has a bias for action, and has always been willing to give back to the community. He shared his journey from growing up in South Africa to moving to Dallas, Texas and how he wound up in Atlanta...

My guest for Episode 22 is Garry Capers, who is General Manager of Cloud Solutions at Deluxe Corporation. I met Garry at Equifax when we worked together in their commercial division of the company. Garry has had a very successful career, first as a consultant and then made the transition to industry work. I have always been impressed with Garry's intelligence, analytical decision making, and his ability to stay calm in high pressure situations. He shared some of his steps to success, including k...

Today's guest is Paulette Corbin, who is the Founder of Corbin Executive Coaching and Executive Director of ChapterTwo. She's had an extraordinary career in the airline and executive coaching industries. Paulette first got her start at Delta Air Lines and worked her way up from in-flight to reservation sales to ultimately starting up Delta Express (the airline within an airline). She has always been passionate about customer experience and that has been a key driver to her success. Paulette shar...

My latest guest is Danny Presten, Chief Methodologist for Digital.ai (formerly CollabNet VersionOne). I originally met Danny at Equifax but our paths were similar through both Georgia Tech and Cox Enterprises. Danny is one of the most positive and energetic people that I know. He walked me through his journey from working in non-profit, healthcare and supply chain to his current role as a Chief Agile Methodologist. Danny picked up some valuable lessons on change management and how to apply those...

Today's guest is Debi Creasman, who is responsible for Client Engagement at Strive Consulting. I've known Debi for a few years now and she's impressed me with her experience in the consulting industry and her tremendous work ethic. She's fearless, hardworking, multi-lingual, and has a great ability to connect with professionals at all levels. Debi shares some insights into her success, including the power of being curious, building your professional network, and how working for a startup can exp...

This week's guest is Carlos Duralde, Lead Mobile Game Designer at BroadbandTV. I first met Carlos when we worked together at ShopVisible in Atlanta. We both graduated from Georgia Tech but what I found most interesting about him was that he was already developing video games as a side hobby. Since that time, Carlos relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia and has transformed his hobby into a full time profession. He shares some of his insights into being successful in the video game landscape an...

My guest today is Pam Askerneese Henry, Owner of Pam's Magic Cauldron. Pam and I are connected through my wife Julia's network and found her career story fascinating. She always had a passion for the culinary arts but started her journey as a teacher in California. Pam found a way to blend her talent for cooking while still in education but found a way to culinary school and ultimately starting her own catering business. She shares how combining her love for learning, asking the right questions,...

Today's guest is Fibia Gee, Co-Founder and CEO of Found Professionals. I met Fibia through some mutual friends from PM Technologies and we discovered a shared interest in travel and culture. She has gone on to do some great things in the staffing industry and created her own recruiting firm. Fibia has always been an entrepreneur at heart and it was great to hear about her journey from Romania to starting her own boutique recruiting firm. Hard work, saying yes to opportunities, and acting on your...

My guest this week is Alex Fraser, General Manager of Pivet, which is part of Cox Automotive Mobility Group. I first met Alex at Manheim when we worked together in their online division and he's just an all-around great human being. He's always had a passion for the automotive industry but his servant leadership is what stands out to me. There is never a job too big or too small for him to lead or support. He approaches every day with intelligence, creativity, and a true bias for action. In this...

My guest for this episode is Lori Winters, who is the Founder and CEO of Thread. I first met her at Concert about 25 years ago and Lori has been a great friend over the years. She's become a successful business owner and I've always admired her intelligence, strong work ethic, and competitiveness. Lori shared her experience of starting out in a large manufacturing company which helped her develop management skills and the importance of a great company culture. We talked about the importance of b...

My guest today is Doug Norwood, who is Director of Enterprise Sales at Yext. I first met Doug at ShopVisible and was always impressed with his ability to see the business side of software development. He always keeps the customer in mind throughout the life cycle of a product and truly understands that sales is about building and maintaining relationships. I admire his character, work ethic, and ability to connect with every level of the business. Doug shared some of his keys to success that inc...

Dean has been a great friend over the years and has had an interesting sports career before taking his talents to the business world. He is currently Sr. Vice President, Business Development at LakePoint Sports, which serves over 30 sports year-round as the premier youth sports destination in the country. Learn more about Dean as he explains how his coaching success transferred into the business world. Certain behaviors such as self-discipline, adaptability, and humility can be applied successfu...

This week's guest is Will Devlin, Vice President of MessageGears. Will and I worked together at a small eCommerce company called ShopVisible. He was instrumental in getting our clients set up with an online strategy, marketing plan, and best practices. He has since moved into the world of email marketing and has demonstrated his leadership in that industry. He offered up some great advice about knowing your strengths and being open to new opportunities. We both highly value integrity and charact...

This week's guest is Cindy Peterson, who is a Leadership and Business Agility Consultant at Peerless Partners. She and I worked together at Macy's Technology and she was one of the best managers that I've had in my career. She has that rare ability to see the big picture as well as dig into the details and make data-driven decisions. I enjoyed hearing about the underrated benefits of world travel and following a non-linear path in your life. We discussed the advantages of passion versus curiosit...

Cooper has led an amazing life over the 40 years that I've known him. Since our time at Georgia Tech, Cooper has been an active learner at every phase of his life. From private attorney to legal consultant, he has been successful through every professional transition. On this episode, Cooper shares his experiences and strategies as well as the mindset needed to recognize new opportunities when they may not be obvious. We also discuss the power of identifying and leveraging your strengths and how...

Dorothea is a fascinating person and truly a citizen of the world. Born in New York City to French and Italian parents. Her Father’s passing caused her family to move to Europe where she became somewhat of a nomad. She has lived in Italy, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. She studied neuro-linguistic pathology and artificial intelligence to become a hostage negotiator. It is no wonder her journey has taken her from polyglot global law enforcement strategist ...

Terrence has always been one of my favorite people to work with. He has charted an amazing journey in the Olympic world as both a marketer and a bid committee consultant. Sharp, driven, and a quick wit have been his trademarks and was demonstrated on this episode. Terrence talks about his spending his early career at Delta Air Lines and how hard work and attention to detail set him up for success with the Olympic movement. His ability to define "why" cities should host the Games was a huge shift...

Sugra has been a constant presence on the Atlanta technology landscape and I'm glad to call her my friend. I first met her at a Women in Technology (WIT) event and always admired her work ethic and bias for action. I've watched Sugra move from business development to business owner to her current role as a senior sales executive. She has managed her career transitions with professionalism and a "can-do" attitude. On this week's podcast, Sugra shares her work experience as well as successful stra...