Professional Humans

In this episode, Jenna and elli delved into the complexities of advocating for oneself in the workplace and what happens when it doesn't go the way you wanted. The episode highlights the importance of resilience, persistence, and viewing setbacks as a time to learn.

In this episode, Elli and Jenna discuss neurodiversity with former consultant and current student Emma. The trio explore what it means to experience and interact with the world in various ways, the concept of masking, and how understanding and perceptions of neurodiversity are evolving over time.

hosts Elli and Jenna chat with their long-time friend, Ben Steinbach, about something we've all faced: feeling totally overwhelmed. Ben shares his own story of hitting, and growing through, a breaking point and how he uses the analogy of 'the Gardener and the Flower' as a way to think about personal balance - sometimes we do the caretaking, and sometimes we need to be taken care of. The crew discuss how tough it can be to admit when we need help, why it's actually super brave, and some practical ideas on how to find personal, sustainable equilibrium.  If you're feeling like you're drowning in responsibilities or just want to hear an honest and earnest account of finding real balance (it's totally possible!), give this episode a listen.

It’s live episode time!! Elli and Jenna, a dynamic audience of Professional Humans, and Fathom Consulting CEO, Kate McRoberts, come together to celebrate the launch of Gray Cardigan and its founder, Mark Hines. Their discussion tackles the often-undiscussed topic of asking for help, delving into the value and the challenges that can present, especially in professional settings.  Listen in for an entertaining and enlightening conversation about into the importance of asking for help, practical tips to overcome the stigma, and how to build a supportive workplace culture.

In "What if you need a coach?", Elli and Jenna talk with the lovely and lively Alison Gretz about her journey from corporate design leader to launching her own coaching business. They delve into the essence of coaching versus traditional leadership, and Alison shares her more authentic spin on the 'fake it til you make it' adage: "embody it until you become it." Alison is committed to making coaching more accessible and creating workplaces where everyone feels valued and understood, and her tale is the journey of reinventing oneself, the value of real leadership, and the role of coaching in empowering people and shaping teams.

Elli and Jenna chat with Mark Hines (Gray Cardigan) and Robert Nelson (Soto Digital),  wonderful folks who've recently dived into different entrepreneurship ventures. They share their experiences making the leap, tackling everything from dreaming up ideas to drawing in clients and nailing down prices. It's all about the crucial choices they made early on and how they continue to quickly adapt to what the market wants and needs.

Elli introduces new host, Jenna Alden! And they talk about what's in store for the next era of the podcast! And they definitely do not talk about Oregon Trail.

As we wrap our series in partnership with the University of Minnesota about facing and addressing racism in the workplace, our guests share ideas for how to continue to normalize the behaviors that will drive more equity and less bias.

As we continue our exploration into how race and bias impact our work experience, we talk with Bruce and Ryan about their experience with typecasting themselves into the same roles repeatedly and how that might inhibit professional growth.

Aileen and Elli talk with Lynn Farmer and Terry Harris about the experiences they've had with mentors and allies. Lynn and Terry share great insights that will help anyone in a leadership role or early in their career.

In partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, we are honored to have hosted a virtual event on June 25th, featuring students of the Carlson School as well as professionals from our community to come together and share knowledge and experiences that we will all be able to learn from.

This week, our guest Eri O'Diah shares a few of her experiences of being the youngest and only black person at work early in her career. Today, she runs a marketing company that she founded - but she still carries some of the damage that was done by corporate abuse.

Elli chats with Aaron Keller, founder of Capsule Design in Minneapolis, about the importance and tactics of networking - especially if you can't meet in person.

Elli has a conversation with Jeff Gothelf, author of Lean UX and Sense & Respond. Jeff has a new book coming out called Forever Employable, and it's a timely subject as our unemployment rate continues to climb during the COVID crisis.

Elli has a chat with Randi Myhre, a talent recruiter in technology, to get some tips about using recruiters and starting a job search in the midst of the Covid Crisis.

Aileen and Elli have a conversation with a human performance coach, resiliency expert, award winning author on the essential tools in the self advocacy tool kit. Jenny Evans, founder and CEO of Powerhouse Performance shares her insights on the role of alter egos (wait for it, she has one and you’re gonna want one too) and inner mentors in self advocacy and engagement.

Elli and Aileen talk with a former executive and head of merchandising at a Fortune 50 company about her experiences as a younger person in her career and her perspective now as a mentor and coach. Trish shares a unique view both as an ahead-of-her-time female leader and as a happily retired woman with lots of great hindsight...as expected, she talks about self awareness as a foundation and shared a bonus hint to mentees-be direct with your mentors and leaders!

Aileen and Elli have a conversation with a small business owner about creating an engaging culture with loyal employees. Kate shares some of her more corporate what-not-to-do stories that helped shape her view of the company culture she wanted to create with her team.

Elli and Aileen talk to a long time corporate lawyer about the importance of self awareness, and ultimately authenticity, in picking the right moments to self advocate. Bob shares his perspective and stories from his own career navigating corporate and law firm cultures.

Aileen and Elli spend some time with Alana, who shares stories of advocating for herself and opening up new opportunities in her career and also shares stories of helping others form a team to help them cultivate self-awareness.