Share

cover art for How Following My Curiosity Landed Me on a TEDX Stage with Van Lai-Dumone

Get Carried Away

How Following My Curiosity Landed Me on a TEDX Stage with Van Lai-Dumone

Season 1, Ep. 9

Van actively works to rewrite the way we apply creativity in the workplace, instilling brave thinking in clients who are willing to disrupt traditional training methods. As the founder of Worksmart, a progressive team and leadership development company; Van proposes that we are all innately curious and creative therefore good ideas can come from any level of an organization, and by cultivating idea sharing in the workplace, everyone has a chance to have their voice heard. And when that happens - company culture, performance, and innovation can skyrocket!

She studied Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and earned her MBA from Pepperdine University. With over 15 years of corporate and start-up experience, Her clients include game changers such as Google, LinkedIn, and MeUndies.


Follow Van:

https://thriveglobal.com/authors/van-lai-dumone/

https://youtu.be/DLixzTazp2U


Follow Carrie and watch these interviews on IG live:


https://www.instagram.com/bra_network/

https://www.bra-network.com/

More episodes

View all episodes

  • Time For A New Model of Leadership with Sheila Eggert

    46:49|
    Sheila is the found of Your Inner Circle Coaching, a 6 figure leadership and human potential company. As a certified leadership and transformation coach, Sheila has a passion for helping leaders embrace a new model of leadership with grace and ease that sets their personal wellbeing as the foundation to unleash levels of success they never thought possible.Combining over 35 years of experience developing leaders in Fortune 500 companies with neuroscience back mindfulness and mindset shifting practices, Sheila helps clients and companies make lasting, transformational change though one on one coaching and compelling workshops & webinars. She is a pioneer in bringing mindfulness based coaching and programs to the corporate environment. Sheila is a native New Yorker and raised her two adult daughters there, before moving to LA last summer. She is enjoying daily dog walks on the beach with her new place on the beach with her feisty little dachshund, Penny. Sheila is offering two FREE ways for listeners to start their path to grace & ease. Click the link to get started - https://www.yinccoaching.com/grace-and-ease Follow Sheila’s work at yinccoaching.com
  • How to Overcome Adversity as The Underdog with Renata Merino

    39:36|
    Renata is a Latina venture capitalist, former investment banker, 28 year operator, serial entrepreneur, Bowdoin College student athlete, Chicago Booth MBA merit scholar and venture capital investor. She launched and has run a 9 year female founder community called Blazin Babes and invests in female founded startups in the FemTech and digital health space. She is a TEDx and motivational speaker who speaks across the country on women empowerment and overcoming adversity, is a model, frequently seen in the press and media including Fitness Magazine, Women's Health and Prevention and is a single mother of 2 teenagers. Renata is looking for female founders who are interested in learning more about Blazin Babes, their programming to help women scale their startups. They’re also looking for someone who has 5-10 years of community building to be the HEAD OF PLATFORM for Blazin Babes. Reach out to Renata at renata@renatamerino.com if you or someone you know fits the bill! Follow Renata’s work at www.renatamarino.com https://www.instagram.com/renatamerinoempowers/ https://twitter.com/renatamerinobb https://www.linkedin.com/in/renatamerino/ https://www.facebook.com/renata.bregstone https://sociatap.com/renatamerino
  • 3 Ways to maximize your impact & brand with video with Bernadette Marciniak

    41:28|
    Bernadette Marciniak is a brand videographer, photographer, and founder of Solhaus Media, a boutique all-female video & photo agency. Combining her background in photojournalism and videography, she is an amplifier for small businesses and entrepreneurs who want to maximize their impact through powerful visuals. Bernadette is based out of the Los Angeles & the NYC tri-state area.
  • 5 Keys to disruption with Sheila Jackson & Natasha McCrea

    56:22|
    Sheila Jackson and Natasha McCrea represent over 40 years of experience as entrepreneurs and curators of space for women. Their goal is to create a brand that celebrates our diversity, style, power, and of course, great taste. Natasha is a serial entrepreneur, multi-passionate entertainer, and the Founder of Love CEO Institute, a personal development company for women. Her entertainment industry experience spans over the last 20 years as an actor, director, writer and producer. Natasha has appeared in commercials and numerous network television series. She is an award-winning producer of narrative shorts and documentary film. She has also directed her own one-woman show, for which she was honored with a best writer award. Through the development and national tour of her one-woman show, “Evolution of a Love Addict,” several years of counseling, and entrepreneurship; Natasha turned her life around and elevated herself from love addict to Love CEO. Her coaching practice helps women find peace, pleasure and success, using the Love Intelligence Method that she developed. Natasha loves connecting with other women who share a love for whiskey. She believes we’re building more than a whiskey brand. We’re starting a movement. Sheila has spent her entire career elevating women - starting out as a marriage and family therapist; women’s empowerment writer; host of the Girl Talk LA radio show; and as an award-winning producer, known for her all female crews and putting more women behind the camera. Her advertising campaigns have received the highest honors from the American Advertising Awards (ADDY), Telly and Aurora - with two mayoral commendations from the City of Los Angeles. Also an accomplished writer and historian, Sheila is a development producer for film and television. She is author of two historical biography collections and is among historians included in the University of Washington's oral history archive of “Women Who Rock,” which explores how women have used music as a tool for activism. For the last five years, Sheila has more vigorously pursued her passion for wine and spirits. A self-professed, wine geek, she is a member of the women-led advisory for La Cienega Vineyard, in Sonoma's prestigious Alexander Valley. Her career is a testament to the fact that we can do it all. Since expanding into the spirits world, Sheila is excited about how Jackson McCrea will change the face of whiskey, and explode the status quo. Follow them at: http://jacksonmccreawhiskey.com http://instagram.com/jacksonmccreawhiskey
  • 5. The Discipline in finance with Jessica Dawson

    40:59||Season 4, Ep. 5
    Jessica Dawson is a lifelong entrepreneur, life coach, and businesswoman who sees things the way they could be and makes a plan, sets goals, prioritizes, and executes to perfection. If you learn to love the lows, imagine what the highs are like. You made it into this world. Make the best of it. Love every second because it will change. Change is uncontrollable. Learn to love change. Jessica pushes herself harder than she ever had. She competes with herself from yesterday, and she knows she can do better. She loves talking about her projects, and projects just over the horizon. FISK is what her team and her focus on every day. They are going to complete FISK in the next few months! Her team, her current investors, and future clients are relying on Jessica and 55th Degree for the future of mobile tipping. Follow Jessica at https://www.55thdegree.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/fisk.usa
  • Three things i've learned about VC with B.Pagels-Minor

    57:42|
    B. is an award-winning product strategist, podcast host, startup advisor and investor, executive coach, and a respected thought leader in agile technologies who approaches every problem with strategy, curiosity, and genuine authenticity. As a dedicated enthusiast of scalable processes, great products, and culture development, B.’s fierce drive to promote diversity in tech and impact authentic change continues to define their work and life outside of their work. B. is a proud graduate of Northwestern University with a focus on history and an MBA and master of information systems from Robert Morris University. B. gives back to various organizations by being the Vice Chair & Secretary on the Board of Directors at Howard Brown Health, one of the top 3 largest LGBTQ community health centers in the country, Vice President & Secretary on the Board of Directors at the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and Board of Directors of both the Northwestern Alumni Association and Outfest. In 2022, B. Was honored as one of the Queer 50 from Fast Company, 35 Hero Advocate Executives by Involve People and Yahoo Finance UK, and a finalist for 2022 LGBTQNation heroes of the year. Learn more about B. and their work at www.dvrgntventures.com
  • 3. The Support Teachers Need Now with Jen Rafferty

    37:58||Season 4, Ep. 3
    After 15 years in the classroom, Jen founded Empowered Educator® in 2020 as a response to teacher burnout during the pandemic. She is known for bringing her energy, humor and expertise in her presentations while inspiring educators to stay connected to their “why.” Jen is a certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. Since its inception, Empowered Educator® has reached thousands of teachers and school leaders all over the world. Jen has been featured in Authority Magazine, Medium, Thrive Global and Voyage MIA. She is the author of the Amazon bestseller, A Place in the Staff: Finding Your Way as a Music Teacher, and was on the TEDx stage with her talk, Generational Change Begins with Empowered Teachers. Jen's podcast, Take Notes, is in the top 3% of global podcasts.Jen’s insatiable curiosity continues to make Empowered Educator programming relevant and reflective of the most up-to-date research in mindset, leadership and cognitive neuroscience. Her willingness to foster important conversations creates safe spaces for educators to talk about their concerns and actively solve problems. She is deeply committed to helping educators regain agency in how they show up for themselves and their school communities every day. Follow Jen’s work on her website at https://empowerededucator.com/ and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/jenrafferty_
  • 2. Finding your authenticity through clothing with Vicky and Charisse Pasche

    44:22||Season 4, Ep. 2
    Dapper Boi is a San Diego-based body-inclusive apparel line founded in 2015 by married couple Vicky and Charisse Pasche. The Pasche’s are partners in business and life, managing to raise twin preschoolers without going (completely) gray. The vision for Dapper Boi was conceived on their honeymoon, born from Vicky’s challenges as a handsome woman with curves searching for clothes that fit her body and authentic expression. With an industry-disrupting commitment to inclusion, affirmation, and quality, their celebrated clothing business went from a crowdfunded passion project to a seven-figure company in five years. Over the last eight years they have generated $4M in sales with a customer base of over 30,000 people from all genders, sizes and body types, and with an unheard of repeat customer rate of 51%. Less than 2% of VC money goes to women and less than 2% of women-owned businesses generate over $1M in annual revenue. Dapper Boi continues to defy all odds: they are in the top 10% of all Shopify stores and have been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, countless media, and soon some incredible publications and documentaries. Dapper Boi is a gender-welcoming, everyday clothing line with smart, down-to-earth vibes for people of all body types. They are proud to make people feel comfortable and confident in their own skin by offering quality, stylish clothes with a unique fit. Follow Dapper Boi on their IG @dapperboi and @dapperboivicky as well as on FB dapperboiclothing. Check out their line at www.dapperboi.com!
  • 1. What makes a brave leader with Crystal Whiteaker

    36:43||Season 4, Ep. 1
    Guest: Crystal Whiteaker, Inclusive Branding and Leadership Development ConsultantBio: Crystal Whiteaker (pronouns: she/her) is an Inclusive Branding and Leadership Development and Consultant specializing in coaching and consulting for brands and leaders that care deeply about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Crystal brings over 15 years of creative, relational, process driven experience across multiple industries. An advocate for inclusive, human-focused, trauma informed leadership practices, Crystal is a self-described “corporate trained, creative hippie” who puts a strong focus on core values. Her purpose is to help people connect, communicate and lead with compassion, clarity and confidence. When she’s not working, Crystal enjoys spending time at the beach, connecting with people, and exploring new places.Book: https://braveleadershipchoice.com/Website: https://www.crystallily.co/BRA Network: https://www.bra-network.com/