When it comes to changing hearts and minds in the workplace, nothing will bring people to your podium like a powerful personal story. Today, Jennifer talks with her good friend and old colleague Mary Faulkner, the author of the widely read blog Surviving Leadership. She is currently the Director of Human Resources, Talent and Total Rewards at Denver Water.

• Can you guess what Mary wanted to be as a young woman? Mary tells us a little bit about her educational and business history and how she found herself in the world of HR.
• The two met in 2013 while Jennifer was working a consulting contract at the company Mary was a part of. Mary talks about the details of her career since 2013, Jennifer’s influence on her development, and her blog HR-focused blog called Surviving Leadership.
• The focus of Mary’s blog isn’t just about the view from the top down; she also consistently approaches HR from an employee position and touches on a broad range of topics within the corporate landscape.
• One of the themes that Mary has been writing about is fear-based leadership in the workplace. For example, fears of innovation failure, fears of internal politics, or fear of speaking one’s mind. She uses the example of the #MeToo movement and the cultures of fear that prevent people from speaking out.
• What can those in leadership roles do to make space for people to speak out? Mary offers some specific suggestions for those at the top.
• A deep understanding of the many idiosyncrasies of corporate leadership culture is bound to change the way one sees the workplace. Jennifer asks Mary about how her work and writing has changed her own leadership style and work relationships.
• Like thousands of other impact makers, Twitter changed the game for Mary Faulkner. Jennifer asks Mary about how being connected to a globally diverse range of people has impacted her perspective and working style.
• Through her social media coverage of HR conferences, Mary has been invited to cover, speak at and organize a range of events. Jennifer asks Mary about how these experiences have helped her grow her career and enhance her practice.
• When it comes to laying it out for the top brass, HR departments are often on the back foot when justifying their programs. So being an HR practitioner and a consistently travelling speaker isn’t so common. Mary talks about how she balances these two parts of her career and offers some advice for conference organizers on how to get more HR practitioners on the stage.
• Stage fright is no joke but there are even greater challenges to building a quality conference presentation. Mary provides some pointers on how to work your way up to the podium and the value of presenting your story.
• Who are some the biggest impact makers in Mary Faulkner’s life? Mary talks about some of her leadership mentors and about the future of career.

Resources & Links:

Mary Faulkner website

Mary Faulkner LinkedIn

Mary Faulkner Twitter

Mary Faulkner Instagram

DisruptHR

DisruptHR Denver

Carla Shull

Laurie Ruettimann

Paul Hebert

Matthew Stollak

Steve Browne

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In today’s world, getting a degree isn’t the only way to making your entrepreneurial dream a reality. Jennifer talks with Claire Coder, a 21-year-old college dropout and founder/CEO of the wildly successful Aunt Flow. Her company provides high-quality menstrual products to a variety of schools, businesses, and organizations, and donates thousands more to women in need across the country.

• So, where did it all start? Claire takes us back to her high school days and tells Jennifer about the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey: starting a promotional products company at the age of 16.
• Claire was destined for sales. After becoming a top seller on Etsy and having a blast running her modest company, she realized her passion lay in the entrepreneurial world.
• The ultimate question for a young mind: where are you going after high school? For Claire, that question has always meant college. But knowing academia wasn’t where she would thrive, Claire kept her eyes on the horizon for any new opportunity.
• Sometimes inspiration can come from those day-to-day experiences that throw a wrench in your gears. While attending a 54-hour entrepreneur hackathon weekend and realizing that the bathroom had no menstrual products whatsoever, Claire knew something could be done. And thus, Aunt Flow was born.
• Why is better access to menstrual products so important? Claire drops the facts: in the United States, menstrual products are not covered by food stamps or by the SNAP and WIC programs and as a consequence 16 million women living at or below the poverty line don’t have dependable access to tampons and pads. In a woman’s lifetime, she will spend an average of $3000 dollars on tampons and pads, many of them subpar and overpriced.
• After learning about how menstrual products are made with highly dangerous ingredients like chlorine bleaches, synthetic fabrics, and dyes, Claire was driven to create a sustainable and accessible alternative. Aunt Flow now manufactures 100% organic cotton tampons and pads, and sells them to businesses and companies, which they then provide to their students, guests and employees in their bathrooms and restrooms.
• Every new endeavor requires sacrifices and compromise. Claire describes the contentious choice to drop out of school to start Aunt Flow, and what the first months and years of her business were like. From product sourcing, to building a website, to learning how to become an adult, Claire built up her business over two years before finally launching sales.
• In 2016, where does a college dropout working 3 waitressing jobs get the kind of funding to start a company? The answer was, naturally: crowdfunding. Using her experience running crowdfunding campaigns at her marketing day job, Claire raised $25,000 to purchase Aunt Flow’s first product run.
• So where did the name Aunt Flow come from? Jennifer asks Claire about the origin story of the name and how she turned an old-fashioned euphemism into a winning brand identity.
• For ridiculous reasons, most people don’t like talking about menstruation, but Claire is all about speaking frankly. Jennifer asks Claire about her outspoken nature and how that has played into her life’s journey so far. Claire talks about her work as a nude model for artists, and how that experience has helped her embrace both her body and her self going forward.
• Today, Aunt Flow currently serves over a hundred businesses and organizations but its beginnings were more humble. Claire talks about Aunt Flow’s early individual subscription model and how it eventually enabled the business to transition into the B2B space. Claire also describes the values that she held onto from the very beginning, when the company still operated on the subscription model: for every Aunt Flow box purchased, one was donated to a person in need in the United States.
• Aunt Flow now serves some very large organizations and companies, from Fortune 500’s to major universities. Jennifer asks Claire about how she secured her biggest clients and how these large accounts enable Aunt Flow to donate tens of thousands of menstrual products a year. Last year, Aunt Flow donated 100,000 menstrual products. This year, Claire is shooting to donate half a million.
• As a young woman in the business world, asking for what you want, riding out the no, and learning when and how to ask again is the not-so-secret to success. Claire fills us in on her philosophy of business and how it has enabled her company to secure great clients, as well as high-profile media attention.
• When it comes to the brand, Claire is the charismatic face and voice of Aunt Flow. Claire discusses the decision to use her personal profile to push conversations about menstruation into the mainstream via CEO-focused media coverage. She also talks about the more challenging aspects of being a young business woman, and how sometimes both a combination of ageism and sexism can rear its head in both client and investor interactions.
• As a young entrepreneur, what advice does Claire have for other young change makers trying to make the world a better place? Here’s her 2-part breakdown:
  • Just Google it! Use the power of the information age to your advantage and don’t be afraid to research.
  • Make a Big Ask. If you can’t find the right answer or person for your problem, don’t be afraid to get straight to the point.
• Everyone has role models or trailblazers they look to for inspiration. Claire talks about the success of Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, as well as her advisors at Aunt Flow.
• How does Claire feel about not finishing college? Despite some mild FOMO about dormitory experiences or collective school pride, Claire has no regrets. Would she recommend her path to others? Well, figuring out whether or not college is for you is a lot cheaper if you’re not in college.

Staying nimble and agile will take you a long way – in business and in life. Jennifer catches up with her friend Mary Ellen Slayter, pivot master and CEO of Reputation Capital Media Services, LLC, a B2B content marketing agency based out of Baton Rouge. As a successful working wife and loving mother, Mary Ellen has made a huge impact in her field and in the lives of her family, friends and community.

• The life of Mary Ellen Slayter is a story like no other. Jennifer asks Mary Ellen about how she got to where she is and what she does; she gives Jennifer the lowdown on the work that her new company Reputation Capital Media Services (Rep Cap) is doing, her undergraduate days of studying soil, and tells the story of how she started her career in journalism. Mary Ellen also forwards a convincing case for why kids still need good math and algebra skills in today’s world.
• After working as part-time copy editor for the financial desk of the Washington Post, Mary Ellen landed an advice column with a unique pitch. Mary Ellen gives us a look into some of the seeds of her later career that were planted with her fresh approach to the column.
• To fully commit to a career change is no easy feat. Mary Ellen describes diving into her new career in journalism and talks about her early interest in the founding theories and philosophies of modern journalism.
• Like many others, Mary Ellen saw the digital future of journalism coming fast. While the Post was still largely focused on print, Mary Ellen moved to the digital-savvy SmartBrief and stayed on for three years. Her life eventually took her from Washington back to Baton Rouge where she received some bad news on her daughter’s birthday that came to be a blessing in disguise.
• With her future uncertain, Mary Ellen’s business idea now had ample room to be cultivated. Mary Ellen got a fateful call from Jennifer Benz of Benz Communication who didn’t call with an offer, but with a challenge.
• Sometimes the first steps of a new venture can be the most daunting. Mary Ellen gives Jennifer an idea of what the first few weeks of Rep Cap looked like, how she got her first client, and how her small up-and-coming business evolved into a fully-fledged agency.
• Mary Ellen considers herself a connector. If she can’t help people, she wants to get people connected with others who can. Mary Ellen and Jennifer talk about how relationships play a key role in developing a new business.
• How in the world do you make HR tech, financial services and insurance services sexy? Mary Ellen talks about how her work has changed over time, from writing blog posts and running client social media to full-on digital marketing strategy consulting. She also talks about how the landscape has shifted in the last six years since Rep Cap was started.
• As a marketer, what should you be focusing on? Jennifer asks Mary Ellen for her thoughts on what marketing and content managing folks should be thinking about when trying to get their business, brand or personal profile out into a changing landscape. She offers a handful of rich takeaways based on her experience and observations of emerging trends in her field.
• Is a series of pivots actually just a full-on spin? Jennifer asked Mary Ellen about what Rep Cap’s work looks like now and what might be next moving forward. Mary Ellen talks about the importance of learning new things in the constantly shifting market landscape of the 21st century.
• As you can tell, Mary Ellen is no stranger to cultivating new ideas, skills, knowledge, and people. Jennifer asks Mary Ellen about her progressive ideas in building a positive workplace culture at Rep Cap such as fully paid maternity leave and pay transparency.
• Smashing goals is Mary Ellen’s bread and butter. Now that Rep Cap has achieved beyond what she imagined, what’s next in the pipeline? Mary Ellen talks about participating in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program and how that helped her envision and create a 10-year plan for her business. She also talks about her plans to write a career advice book specifically for writers.
• It’s safe to say, more than ever before, we are living in the age of the pivot. Jennifer asks Mary Ellen about what the future of work looks like and the importance of a willingness to learn, staying nimble, and keeping your eyes open.

Resources and Links

Mary Ellen Slayter LinkedIn

Mary Ellen Slayter Twitter

Rep Cap | B2B Content Marketing Agency

Managing Editor digital magazine

Jennifer Benz – Benz Communications

Scott Eblin

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program

LivePlan: Online Business Plan Software

6 Tips For Developing Executive Presence

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When it comes to making an impact, nobody brings the fire like Tim Sackett. Jennifer catches up with her old friend and firebrand who isn’t afraid to say, blog and write what’s on his mind. As outspoken leader in his field, with 20 years of top-level HR and talent experience, Tim shares what he’s learned working as a talent and HR wizard.

• Who is Tim Sackett? And why the heck is he so happy? Jennifer asks Tim a little bit about himself and how he entered the recruiting business through his family. Tim tells Jennifer about memories of his mother’s recruiting calls, getting fired by her, and his return to the business after some time in the HR corporate world.
• Tim’s mom is cut from some rock-hard stuff. Jennifer asks Tim about how she came to start her recruiting company and how she influenced him. Tim tells the story of his more immature and egotistical days, why he was axed by his mom, and how he made his way to corporate HR.
• How do you spark a passion for HR? Tim talks about how the reward of being able to help people more directly, the challenges of a new field and a deeper sense of camaraderie sucked him into the HR world.
• While Tim had a history of playing it fast and loose in the workplace, the corporate world demanded an adjustment in temperament. Jennifer asks Tim about how he cooled his heels for the better and who has helped him along the way, personally and professionally. Tim relays his experience working in HR at Applebee’s and how he learned the value of talent strengthening and critical feedback.
• What inspired Tim to pick up the quill? Tim tells the tale of how he came to writing and blogging, and his experience writing for Kriss Dunn’s The HR Capitalist. He also talks about the therapeutic value of writing in his own voice and how his practice has translated into bonuses for his professional career.
• According to Mama Sackett, blogging and speaking engagements are just more ways to give away the secret sauce. Tim discussing how his drive to help others has informed his open and friendly approach to giving advice and sharing knowledge.
• Practical, hilarious and brave; the Tim Sackett voice doesn’t sound like anything else. Jennifer asks Tim about the most controversial thing he’s written and he talks about why he doesn’t shy away from topics like race and gender in the workplace.
• While it might seem innocent, the tale of how Tim Sackett became The Workplace Hugging Expert is juicier than expected. Tim fills us in on the details of his 15 minutes of fame turned icebreaker comedy skit.
• Blogging is one thing but publishing a book is a whole new ball-game. Jennifer asks Tim about his process for making the jump from the web to the printed page and what it’s like to be an author.
• Tim is notorious for being a fountain of advice. Jennifer asks Tim about the best advice his mother has given him and the greatest advice he would give to his sons.

Tim Sackett

Tim Sackett Website

Tim Sackett LinkedIn

Tim Sackett Twitter

Fistful of Talent

Book (affiliate link):

The Talent Fix: A Leader’s Guide To Recruiting Great Talent

Check out another trailblazing HR powerhouse!

HR expert Laurie Ruettiman hosts a podcast called Let’s Fix Work where she speaks with a diverse array of people about how to change the way we think and work for the better.

Give us a hand getting the word out!

Do you want to spend your personal and professional time making a lasting impact on others? Do you want to be the kind of leader people love? Subscribe today and we will bring you new ways to change the world every single week.