This week on Protégé Podcast we continue our series “The Transformers,” which features amazing professionals who are using their talents to transform the lives of children. Our Guest Mentor this week is Ursula Rochon, the founder of The Color Gallery, a nonprofit art studio which works to decrease community violence and school related crime by providing a creative means of expression for urban youth. Hear how this single mother left her six-figure salary and stepped on faith to follow her career purpose. On the Rant/Rave/Review segment, I talk about anthropological privilege and why companies need Chief Culture Officers.

This week on Protégé Podcast​ we launch “The Transformers,” a series focused on uniquely inspirational leaders who are transforming the lives of children. This week we hear from Dr. Maurice Sholas, Senior Medical Director at Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota. Dr. Sholas, a graduate of Southern University, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, talks about his trailblazing career as a pediatric rehabilitation physician. On the Rant/Rave/Review segment, I break down the career insights from Shonda Rhimes’ book, “Year of Yes.”

In the second episode in our Protégé Podcast series on navigating corporate culture, I talk with Karen Gray, the head of human resources North America at Christie’s, the prestigious art auction house. Karen and I discuss how your intellectual curiosity and your ability to get out of your comfort zone can help you navigate through corporate culture. As part of the Rant, Rave, and Review segment, I emphasize why diversity on corporate boards matters.

For many of us, work can be a difficult place to navigate. And many times, it’s the culture that we find so challenging. This is the first episode in our series on understanding organizational culture. This week we talk with culture change expert Kate Terrell, the Chief Human Resources Officer at Driscoll’s, the world’s leading berry company, about navigating organizational culture. Kate discusses what questions to ask when you are interviewing, what culture clues to look for as you advance in your job, and how you can impact your organization’s culture. In the episode’s first segment – “Rants, Raves and Reviews” – host Rory Verrett reviews Angela Duckworth’s book, “Grit” and the important insights it contains for your career

This is the year to get that promotion, join that fast-growing company, or start that new business! Let’s start the year off right with understanding how we can maintain and maximize our professional brand. In this episode, find out how your resume, social media profiles, and other elements create your digital footprint, and what you can do to make sure you show up smart and professional no matter who the audience might be.

As the third episode in our Protégé Podcast series on “Workplace Harassment – A New Way Forward,” I have an illuminating conversation with Linda Seabrook, general counsel of Futures Without Violence, a leading nonprofit focused on eliminating gender-based violence. Linda and I discuss how to positively change workplace culture, the Tavis Smiley controversy, and why accountability and power must be inextricably linked if organizations want to eliminate gender-based workplace harassment.

As we continue our national conversation on sexual harassment in the workplace, let’s hope that positive male/female, mentor/protégé relationships continue to flourish. You can be a senior male executive and have a positive, productive relationship with a woman at work.

On this week’s Protégé Podcast, we continue our series on Workplace Harassment – A New Way Forward – and talk with returning Guest Expert Rachana Bhide, founder of the Corner of the Court Project. Rachana and I discuss the importance of male allies for women leaders, and outline best practices in developing and sustaining these powerful workplace relationships.