FOCUS on Leadership

Recently retired after a 25-year career with Mastercard, FOCUS Leadership St. Louis alum Wendy Richardson is reflecting back on the lessons she's learned, the advice she would share with others, and how she finds joy in every day. In this episode, FOCUS Director of Leadership Programs Shalia Ford sits down with Wendy to explore the difference between mentors and sponsors, how her Leadership St. Louis experience shaped her perspective and what lies ahead in this next stage of her life.

Too often, we hold ourselves back with feelings that we don't belong or don't measure up. In this episode of the FOCUS on Leadership podcast, we sit down with Ruth Kim, General Counsel, SVP and Senior Partner for FleishmanHillard, to explore her strategies for tackling imposter syndrome and the lessons she's learned throughout her successful career. In it, she also discusses the importance of giving yourself grace, the power of unconditional love, and her vision for a St. Louis renaissance.

Few people have made their mark in the St. Louis region like our next podcast guest. In this episode of FOCUS on Leadership, we had the privilege of sitting down to talk with FOCUS Leadership St. Louis alum and current Executive-In-Residence Anna Crosslin, who led the International Institute of St. Louis for 42 years. She reflects back on the principles and values that guided her career, offers the advice she would give aspiring CEOs, and shares her hopes for the future of our region.

Networking doesn't have to be boring or transactional. In this episode of the FOCUS on Leadership podcast, we talk with FOCUS Emerging Leaders alum Keisha Mabry Haymore, speaker, author, coach and founder of Heydays Creative & Collaborative Workspace, about her unique approach to building a powerful and meaningful network. She shares what inspired her to write her book, how she balances entrepreneurship and the value of reimagining. You can learn more at keishamabry.com.

As leaders, how do we create and cultivate a spirit of curiosity in all we do? In this episode of the FOCUS on Leadership podcast, we talk with FOCUS Leadership St. Louis alum Andwele Jolly, President & CEO of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network. He discusses the importance of bringing curiosity into collaboration, how he's working to break down inequities in our region, the biggest challenges facing CEOs today, and the legacy he wants to leave for his children. You can learn more about IHN at https://stlouisihn.org/.

Sometimes the first step to leadership is seeing yourself as one. In this episode of the FOCUS on Leadership podcast, we talk with FOCUS Leadership St. Louis and Women In Leadership alum Jennifer Bardot, bestselling publisher, author, and founder of the G.R.I.T. Community. She shares how her FOCUS program experience helped her chart a new leadership path for herself, and how she's using her role as an entrepreneur to amplify the voices of other women and reach the next generation of female leaders. Learn more at https://www.gritcollection.com/.

How do we as leaders continue to learn, grow and evolve? In this episode, we talk with Women In Leadership alum Marcy Bursac about her unique leadership journey from nonprofit professional to software developer to author, podcaster and pageant queen. She shares how her experience as an adoptive mom shaped her path - and how she's using what she learned along the way to help others in her new book, "The Forgotten Adoption Option."

When the problems of the world seem too big and overwhelming, where is a leader to start? In our first episode, we talk with Rebeccah Bennett, Founder & Principal of Emerging Wisdom LLC and InPower Institute, about her unique leadership journey from public policy to community healing. Along the way, Rebeccah shares what drew her to St. Louis, why we're uniquely positioned as a region to drive change, and how a 500-year perspective shapes her decisions.