Taja Graham is the Market President at Emmis Communications, a founding company in the radio industry. To make this even more notable, she is the first African-American woman to hold this position. Taja has a lot of experience being “the only”

Invitations to Listen: Focusing on the Positive with Shen Macheel

Jun 8th, 2021 23m 25s

Shen Macheel is the VP and Director of Government Programs at LER TechForce and their affiliate company, LHP Engineering Solutions. She arrived in the United States at the age of sixteen as an accidental concert pianist and later transitioned

Laughter as a Coping Mechanism for Stress with Dr. Lynn Shaw

Jun 3rd, 2021 34m 8s

Dr. Lynn Shaw is an Associate Professor at the University of Indianapolis in the Department of Social Work. She is a certified social worker and a certified laughter yoga leader who has spent the last 25 years understanding how laughter can be

Leaning into Your Leadership Style with Jimmy Rayford

May 20th, 2021 31m 3s

Jimmy Rayford stepped into his role as the CEO of Dealers Wholesale during the COVID season. Transitioning to a new job has enough challenges without a pandemic, but Jimmy made sure to lean into his leadership style of empathy and clear communi

Invitations to Listen: Committing to Diverse and Inclusive Teams with LaJuana Warren

May 11th, 2021 26m 21s

LaJuana Warren is the Owner and Founder of the consulting firm Tapestry Solutions for Inclusion. In this episode, LaJuana shares her mission to help others incorporate diversity and inclusion into their organizations and point them towards the

Betting on Partnerships to Serve the Community with John Elliott

Apr 22nd, 2021 33m 14s

John Elliott is the President and CEO of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, where they seek to provide food for communities in need of assistance. Like many other organizations, Gleaners had to shift their operations during the pandemic, but their

Inspiring Productivity through Healthy Living with Erica Ballard

Apr 8th, 2021 29m 20s

Erica Ballard is a healthy living expert and coach with her own business, Erica Ballard Health. Erica was on a mission to have the “perfect body”, but once she achieved her weight goals, she realized that optimal health is much more than weigh

Bringing Out the Best in Others with JoDee Curtis

Mar 25th, 2021 33m 37s

Perhaps no one exemplifies the mission of trueU more than JoDee Curtis, Founder of Purple Ink, an HR consulting firm. After spending many years in accounting, JoDee discovered her true passion for helping people bring out the best in themselve

Building Trust and Loyalty Leads to Opportunities with Bob Kort

Mar 11th, 2021 19m 33s

Entrepreneurship often manifests at a young age, and for Bob Kort, President of Kort Builders, the entrepreneurial bug bit him as a young boy watching his father run a pizza business. Today, Bob owns several businesses in central Indiana from r

Meaningful Work Equals Greater Output with Andy Medley

Feb 18th, 2021 29m 5s

Entrepreneurship and leadership often go hand-in-hand, for Andy Medley Co-founder and CEO of PERQ, it’s this connection that spurs his passion for creating a great place for people to work. This past year, PERQ was voted as best place to wor

Invitations to Listen: Leading with Transparency and Honesty with Darice Rene

Feb 9th, 2021 25m 25s

We’ve all heard the phrase “honesty is the best policy”, but how important is it to move a company forward? Darice Rene, VP of Strategy at Valve+Meter Performance Marketing, attributes a lot of her success, as well as her traits of openness and

Problem-Solving Using Design with Cara Weber and Eric Anderson

Jan 28th, 2021 29m 30s

Have you ever thought of your office space as a tool for reaching your company goals? Cara Weber, Co-founder and Partner at DELV Design, and Eric Anderson, Principal at DELV, are firm believers in design thinking and the power architecture ha

Empathy in the Workplace with Liesel Mertes

Jan 7th, 2021 38m 22s

Liesel Mertes is the Founder of Handle with Care Consulting, where she also works as a workplace empathy consultant. When going through grad school, Liesel experienced the death of her third child only eight days after she was born. Her persona

[Best of] Leaders are Readers: Going from Entry-level to CEO with Shane Pilarski

Dec 31st, 2020 28m 32s

As this year comes to a close, we want to reshare the most-downloaded episodes of 2020. In this episode, we’re revisiting the conversation with Shane Pilarski. Have you heard this phrase before, “leaders are readers?” In this episode, we’ll hea

[Best of] Invitations to Listen: Assuming Good Intentions with Demetrius Warren

Dec 24th, 2020 28m 46s

As this year comes to a close, we want to reshare the most-downloaded episodes of 2020. In this episode, we’re revisiting the conversation with Demetrius Warren. Having difficult conversations doesn’t always come naturally. For Demetrius Warren

[Best of] Creating a Culture of Unstoppable Growth with Chad Peterman

Dec 17th, 2020 34m 31s

As this year comes to a close, we want to reshare the most-downloaded episodes of 2020. In this episode, we’re revisiting the conversation with Chad Peterman. Why are you a leader? Is it because it was the next career move? Or because you reall

A 2020 Reflection with Gretchen Schott and Kyle DeFur

Dec 10th, 2020 21m 22s

As we reflect on 2020, we know this year has been a challenge for many, but it’s taught us the importance of listening to each other. In this final episode of 2020, Gretchen and Kyle recap the interview highlights from this year and share the l

[Re-Release] Meaningful Relationships: Faith, Love, and Being Present with Bob Goff

Nov 26th, 2020 41m 11s

Join the trueU community, along with Truth At Work, in this special, live podcast event with New York Times best-selling author Bob Goff (@bobgoff). Bob is driven by a desire to help others unlock their potential to love and be loved greater.

Leadership Series: Gratitude in the Midst of Crisis

Nov 19th, 2020 52m 35s

During these difficult times it’s important to reflect on what we are thankful for. For this episode, Gretchen and Kyle invite leadership members of the community to take a moment to reflect on what they’ve learned from these challenges and how

Igniting the Fire Starter Within You, Jason Barnaby

Oct 29th, 2020 32m 28s

Jason Barnaby is the Founder, President, and Chief Fire Starter at Fire Starters Inc., where his mission is inspiring people to connect to their purpose. In this episode Jason shares how igniting passion within yourself will propel you towa

Invitations to Listen: Do It with Excellence, Kerry Jones

Oct 20th, 2020 26m 59s

Kerry Jones is the Service Projects Manager at freije engineered solutions company where he specializes in design, build, and installation work. As a child, Kerry learned to do everything with excellence. This mindset has carried him throughout

Getting Comfortable with the Uncomfortable with Derrin Slack and Allen Southerland

Oct 15th, 2020 33m 46s

In this episode, Gretchen and Kyle sit down with two leaders who keep servant leadership at the heart of all they do. Allen Southerland is the Chief Partnership and Leadership Pipeline Officer at Shepherd Community Center, and Derrin Slack is t

Invitations to Listen: Building Intentional Leaders with Maxine Thomas

Sep 15th, 2020 20m 55s

Maxine Thomas is a SNAP Outreach Specialist at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana where she takes joy in seeing how she impacts the lives of others. She is continually driven to find new ways to serve, and she spends her free time volunteering at he

Invitations to Listen: Overcoming the Pressure of Being the Only with Ashley Scruggs

Sep 1st, 2020 23m 10s

Ashley Scruggs, an HR Training and Development Specialist at Elements Financial, knows the importance of valuing others’ experiences and creating a safe space for employees to be heard. Being “the only” in many settings, Ashley has recognized

Creating a Culture of Unstoppable Growth with Chad Peterman

Aug 27th, 2020 34m 24s

Why are you a leader? Is it because it was the next career move? Or because you really want to make an impact on people? For Chad Peterman, President of Peterman Heating Cooling and Plumbing, the answer was clear. He is passionate about growing