Welcome to our weekly podcast: THIS. with Shauna Griffiths. REAL TALK. REAL LEADERS.™
Our mission is simple. We are elevating diverse voices and stories of industry leaders who share our commitment to impact, evolution and authentic leadership.
Tune-in to the most recent episodes below featuring candid, straightforward conversations AND take us the go with you through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast fix!
Deep gratitude for the support of our Founding Partner, Felicia Hall Allen & Associates, whose focus is Making Dreams Come True.
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Skylar Whitman and Jayme Floyd, Creators, @JaymeandSky on Instagram and TikTok
In this episode, Jayme and Sky talk with Shauna about how and why they started their Jayme and Sky TikTok account, the importance of networking, the ins and outs of advancing your career by relocating, and embracing social media both personally and professionally!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Alex Oh and Nikolay Borisov, Founders, Ohlay
In this episode, Alex and Nikolay talk with Shauna about trusting each other, themselves, and the work they’re doing, what Ohlay is all about and who they’re for, AND Shauna tries social journaling during the episode!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Eric Kussin, Founder, #SameHere Global
In this episode, Eric talks with Shauna about the idea behind #SameHere: everyone is a part of this group because everyone is affected by mental health. They also talk about individuals leading with their story, rather than their disorder, the importance of leaders being willing to share their mental health stories, and more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Ryan Sawrie, Founder & Chief Strategist, Digital Zeal.
Ryan Sawrie is a digital strategist with 10 years of experience. In this episode, he talks about being an expert at learning rather than an expert in one thing within your field, the inspiration and motivation behind writing his book, “Build Your Digital Strategy”, the parallels he sees between distance running and digital marketing, and more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Jai Kensey, Director of Social Impact, Green Thumb Industries
Jai Kensey is a community relations professional and the Director of Social Impact at Green Thumb Industries. In this episode, she talks about her role with Green Thumb Industries, the effect of the War on Drugs on Black and Brown communities and how the cannabis industry should be serving these communities, how manifestation and seeing strong women in positions of power impacted her career trajectory and more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Tony Schiller, Executive Vice President, Paragon Marketing Group
Tony is an expert in the sports and entertainment marketing industry. In this episode, he chats with Shauna about the art of listening, giving others (and yourself) grace as part of being a leader, his mind, body, spirit, wellness journey - and how you should start yours, and so much more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Autin Patry, co-founder, Rollin' n Bowlin' Fresh Foods.
Autin Patry is a young entrepreneur and co-founder of Rollin' n Bowlin' Fresh Foods. In this episode, he talks with Shauna about beginning his entrepreneurial journey, why impacting the next generation of student entrepreneurs is important, growing his business, and so much more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
George Bradt, Chair, PrimeGenesis | Author
George is an executive onboarding expert and author/co-author of 11 business books and 750+ articles for Forbes.com. In this episode, he talks with Shauna about the three ‘goods’ of finding happiness, why we need more other-focused leaders in the world, and so much more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Women's Panel Edition - Part 2
In this episode we brought together five more incredible female leaders to talk with Shauna about finding your voice as a powerful woman in a male-dominated world! We talk with Jen Todd, Kim Dailey, Yvonne Lara, Connie Frances Avila, and Julie Schweigert about the evolution of women in business - from Bachelor Syndrome to lifting each other up, finding people to champion you, and championing others in return, dealing with imposter syndrome, finding your voice, and more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Merl Code and his real talk behind the NCAA basketball scandal
A Special Episode featuring Merl Code and his real talk behind the NCAA basketball scandal that he wrote about in his book, Black Market, that also sent him to federal prison just days after recording THIS with Shauna. If you read about him in the headlines that’s not the whole story. In this episode you’ll hear Merl’s side of story in his own words and you’ll get a bit more than he shared in his book.
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Women's Panel Edition
In this episode we brought together seven amazing, badass, female leaders to talk with Shauna about all things being a powerful woman in a male-dominated workplace! We talk with Kelle Colman, Sandra Lopez, Elizabeth Brown, Amy Scheer, Renee Tirado, Julie Hammer, and Liliahn Majeed about the evolution of women in the workplace, best practices for implementing DEI, how everyone needs to hold themselves accountable to make a change, and so much more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Amy Scheer, Vice President of Business Operations, Connecticut Sun
Amy an is experienced and award-winning Sports Executive and the current Vice President of Business Operations at Connecticut Sun. She talks about separating the story you’re telling yourself from reality, what’s improved for women in the sports industry and what still needs work, and how more brands are beginning to see the value in women’s sports!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Adrienne Ankola-Rochetti, Vice President of Social Impact at CSM Sport & Entertainment
Adrienne is a seasoned marketer who loves to share what she's passionate about! She talks about her identity going from ball player to boardroom professional, being comfortable in her skin and being out at work, her leadership style & why it works for her, and much more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Hannah Altenburg, Lead Marketing Specialist at Serial 1 Cycle Company
Hannah is an up-and-coming strategic marketing professional who brings so much knowledge to the table as a Next Gen guest! She talks about Her current role at Serial 1 how she got there with no background in bikes or motorcycles, working in a male dominated industry, generational stereotypes, and more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Elisa, award-winning marketer and founder of Kick It by EP
Elisa is an award-winning marketer, brand builder and content creator. She’s also the founder of @kickitbyep, a live lunchtime conversation series designed to educate, inspire and pay it forward. She talks about the inspiration behind creating Kick it by EP, her views on leadership, what brands and properties should be doing more of, and much more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Michael Tennant, founder of Curiosity Lab & Creator of Actually Curious™
Michael is the founder of Curiosity Lab as well as the creator of Actually Curious™, a card game that brings people together while teaching active listening and empathy. He and Shauna talk about meeting people where they are with empathy, figuring out what matters to you, hustle culture, and much more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
featuring Laura Rodriguez | Southeast Area Sales Manager, Lemon Perfect
Laura and Shauna chat about her journey so far....and what a journey it’s been! She talks about moving to America from Bolivia as a child, then moving to New York as a young adult to follow her dreams, starting her career at The Lemon Perfect Company and moving back to Miami. They also chat about seeking out change, social media vs. reality, generational differences, and much more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Lea Endres, CEO & Co-Founder and Dae Levine , VP of Marketing and Communications | NationBuilder
Dae and Lea talk about the individual journeys that led them both to NationBuilder, making the choice every day to be a leader, the complex feelings of doing extremely meaningful work every day, and what next year looks like for NationBuilder.
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Julian Valentin | Head of Brand Marketing at Opendorse
Julian is a former professional soccer player and worked with the Colorado Rockies for over 10 years before joining opendorse. Julian and Shauna talk about diving into your work before you know how to swim, how skills translate from the sports to business world, his leadership style + what he looks for in other leaders, and much more!
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
Felisa Israel | Principal Owner, 10 Fold Entertainment
In addition to her position at 10 Fold, Felisa is the lead instructor of Impact Internship at IMPACT Learning Institute and previously served nearly a decade as the director of live programming and entertainment at the NBA. Felisa and Shauna talk about giving back during COVID, connecting through authenticity, leadership, honesty, and so much more.
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
featuring Annika Florio | Associate Manager of Partnerships at the Drone Racing League
Annika is a Front Office Sports Rising 25 award recipient, part of the Sports Business Journal Mentorship Program and an Associate Manager of Partnerships at the Drone Racing League – this woman is DRIVEN! Listen to what fuels her and how she got to where she is today and what she’s looking forward to next.
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
featuring Sabrina Carrozza | CEO, strategic advisor and adjunct professor
Sabrina is a strategic advisor, adjunct professor, and CEO & Founder of Sabrina LCP Communications. She shares a few of her secrets and the lessons she’s learned from working with some of the biggest and fastest-growing brands including FC Barcelona, LaLiga, Drive by DraftKings, FC Bayern Munich, Facebook, Google/YouTube, The Mom Project, and many more.
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
featuring Jacob Brown, Executive VP at Element5 Digital | TEDx Speaker
Jacob is a former professional athlete turned businessman, entrepreneur, inspirational speaker and the Executive Vice President of Element5 Digital, a branding and web design + development agency in Metro Detroit. Jacob lives by the motto #FailForward and he shares with us how that’s affected the ups and downs of his career and his life in general.
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
featuring Lydia Knoll, Communities & Impact at adidas
Lydia joins us for our first Next Gen Episode – a once once-a-month series that will highlight a young professional. She chats about her career evolution so far and how her passions changed along the way, finding her core values and aligning her career to them, her advocacy for social and climate justice and the intersectionality between the two, and the types of leaders that have had the biggest impact on her so far.
THIS. with Shauna Griffiths
featuring Alicia Jeffreys, Senior Vice President of Marketing at the Detroit Pistons
Alicia talks about all things rebrand and evolution this week as REAL TALK becomes 𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘚. 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘴, Alicia shares how her Pistons are relaunching their brand this season and really being a team of the people in the heart of Detroit. They also chat career evolution, coming from an immigrant family, balancing work and personal life, and the importance of diversity in the work place.
REAL TALK | REAL LEADERS Episode 7
Nick Knezevich
Project Management Supervisor, at Ulteig
Shauna, sits down with her mountain bike trail buddy Nick to talk about how his love of playing outside fueled his initial interest in the renewable energy industry. He knew he didn’t want to be an engineer or scientist, so he went the management route. It just goes to show, there’s always a way to do what you love!
REAL TALK | REAL LEADERS Episode 6
Chris Todd
VP of New Business, North America at YouGov
Shauna and Chris talk about his career journey from pro baseball player to business development professional and why loving not just what you’re doing, but the way the business is conducted is so important. They also chat about where his love of research stems from, some current trends in the data and tracking world, and what’s changing in the industry.
REAL TALK | REAL LEADERS Episode 5
Lisa Hyman
Co-Founder at goodDog and Broadsheet
Lisa talks about her journey to founding Gooddog and what it means to her. Lisa also talks about figuring out what you like to do, what you’re good at, and finding your voice. They also discuss understanding that your business (and you) might not be for everyone – and why that’s good!
REAL TALK | REAL LEADERS Episode 4
Felicia Sullivan
Marketing Executive and Author
Shauna and Felicia chat about what drives her creativity, constant curiosity, and always being "on". They also dive deep on aligning your actions with your values, how to price your services like a pro, and giving yourself grace.
REAL TALK | REAL LEADERS Episode 2
Rachelle Patel
Director of Marketing and Partnerships at Laureus Sport for Good USA
Rachelle talks about the founding of Laureus as well as how it operates, and how she came to work there. Also, what makes a good brand partner, not just at Laureus, but anywhere. Perhaps most importantly, they talk about how everyone can use #SportForGood, including you!
REAL TALK | REAL LEADERS Episode 3
Scott Hauman
Chief Innovation Officer at The Integer Group
Scott talks about his personal journey, as well as the transformation he saw at The Integer Group and in shopper marketing agencies as whole. They also chat about his 100% human centered leadership style and Scott gives us some retail, consumer, and agency trends that he sees coming! (And he's in the business of innovation so you don't want to miss this.)
REAL TALK | REAL LEADERS Episode 1
Perry Maughmer
Founder, Relentless Leadership
Perry talks about Relentless Leadership and what being relentless means to him. They also chat about the importance of leadership as well as some of the misgivings. And of course, we had to mention his t-shirt game!
