The Corporate Couch: Work Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Ray Ruecker, The Introspective CEO - Being Left At The Steps Of An Orphanage, Lessons from Being Fired 7 Times, and How Starting a Company Is Like Parenthood

This is one of the most fun interviews on The Corporate Couch with my friend Ray Ruecker. His journey starts at the end of the Vietnam War on the steps of an orphanage. We talk about everything from the almost tragic (the plane he was supposed to be on from Vietnam to the US to live with the parents who adopted him crashed), to his daily, habit started 23 years ago of journalling every day (approximately 8400 days), to college/pro football. Ray is also the author of "How to Score from First Base! (In Sales)" (Ray's Book), one of the best tactical sales prospecting books ever.
Please enjoy my conversation with Ray!
 
Ray Ruecker is the Managing Director of Connect 5000 (Connect 5000), a Kansas City-based lead generation, prospecting training, and sales consulting company. Since March 2010, Connect 5000 has helped countless software, technology,
and consulting companies boost sales revenue with effective lead-generation
campaigns, sales prospecting strategies, and inside sales management. In
addition to providing support to existing company leadership, Ray has also
served as a firm's interim sales leader until they found a permanent solution.
 
Ray holds two Bachelor's degrees from Washburn University in Business
Administration with an emphasis on marketing and management. Born in
Saigon, Vietnam, and raised in the rural Midwest, Ray now lives in Kansas
City Metro with his wife, Kate, their two children, Olivia and William, and
their mischievous Goldendoodle, Millie.

David Voorhees, The Driven CEO - From Professional Student to Founder/CEO, His Mission to Revolutionize Healthcare, and Why Size (Employee) Does Not Matter

This is a very fun conversation with David Voorhees the founder/CEO of True Captive where we talk about learning about healthcare by accompanying his grandfather while he made house calls to his patients, why he stayed in college so long, how he learned to be confident, being driven by in the same way as Michael Jordan, and his thoughts on the HR function in an organization. You will love David's passion to revolutionize the healthcare industry. 
 
Meet David Voorhees (the founder/CEO of True Captive - truecaptive.com), a progressive, award-winning business leader with a mission to revolutionize healthcare. As a passionate leader, David has led countless implementations of uncomplicated but sophisticated healthcare programs for his clients nationwide, creating win-win solutions for employees and business operators.
Growing up, David saw what uncomplicated healthcare looked like while going on house calls with his grandfather and believes in implementing solutions for companies that can uncomplicate healthcare and deliver savings to businesses.
With a proven track record in benefits strategy, self-funded insurance, risk analysis, and leadership, David has sat in the seat of his clients, running Human Resources and Operations for organizations ranging from small-to-medium size businesses to Fortune 500 organizations in the US and Overseas. He understands the needs of the business and the employees and is committed to making healthcare less complicated, more transparent, and cost-efficient.
When not working to bring stability and control to companies’ healthcare expenses, David enjoys spending time with his family and traveling to new places.
 

Reinhard Mabry, The Servant Leader CEO - Running a Not-For-Profit Like a Commercial Company, Why Good Leaders Build a Network, and Why Your Integrity is Your Currency

Join me in a mini-course in organizational leadership with one of the best CEOs in Kansas City, Reinhard Mabry of the not-for-profit organization Alphapointe. Please consider helping Alphapointe with your time, ideas, or donations - https://www.alphapointe.org/.
 
Bio: Reinhard Mabry has been the President & CEO of Alphapointe since2007, which is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Alphapointe isone of the largest employers of people who are blind in the UnitedStates, with principal operations in Kansas City and New York City.Alphapointe provides employment opportunities for people who areblind through light manufacturing, injection molding, retail, and callcenter services for federal, state, and commercial customers.Alphapointe is the only Comprehensive Rehabilitation and EducationCenter for people who are blind or visually impaired in the state ofMissouri, serving over 7,000 people annually in its various programs.Reinhard is a past president of the Board of Directors of The NationalAssociation for the Employment of People Who Are Blind. He has served on the Board ofDirectors of the National Industries for the Blind. Reinhard currently serves on the KansasAdvisory Committee for the Blind & Visually Impaired, and the Board of Directors of theVisionServe Alliance.
Reinhard began his career in the field in 1994 when he joined RESPECT of Florida, Florida’s state use program, where he was soon appointed as the Director by the Governor’s Commission for Purchase from the Blind and other Severely Handicapped. During his tenure at RESPECT, the program’s sales doubled. Under contract, Reinhard also held the position of Director of Georgia Enterprises, Georgia’s state use program, during a transitional period for that program, growing its sales and employment for people with disabilities. He was a Vice President for the Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind, responsible for Marketing, Business Development, and Base Supply Stores for the agency before joining Alphapointe in 2006.
Reinhard received his Bachelor of Science in Political Science and his MBA from Florida State University. He is married and hastwo sons.

Yoav Snir, The Global Tech Executive - How To Create Great Strategic Partnerships, Honoring Cultural Diversity, and Changing Jobs When You Have Learned Enough

You will enjoy this conversation with Yoav Snir as we discuss his outstanding tech career that began in his homeland of Israel for one of the biggest telecom tech companies (30,000+ employees) and why he left to go to an 18-person startup to satisfy his entrepreneurial passion.
 
With 24 years of Startups and Fortune 500 international leadership in technologysales, product engineering, global strategy, partnerships, channels, and alliances, Yoav Snir (linkedin.com/in/yoavsnir) has been crafting dynamic solutions and delivering multimillion-dollar results at every turn. He has built and led teams of up to 400 people with $100M P&L and early-stage startup teams. He is an entrepreneur, works with startups as a mentor (with TechStars and Pipeline Entrepreneurs), started a nonprofit, and even within the big corporation, he ran “start-up-like” initiatives. In his last role as the chief partnership officer for a Fintech startup (Novel Capital), he created a partner ecosystem from the ground up. He rolled out a nationwide channel partners program, generating 19% of new customer deals within a year. Before that, he ran global partnerships for a $4B multinational product and services company (Amdocs) where he oversaw 100 partners, generating $30M. Yoav is a creative partnerships and alliances guru known to drive revenue growth through partnerships by building relationships and using cross-functional leadership.
On the personal side - Yoav moved to the US from Israel in 2008 with his family.He served in the Israeli Defense Forces and is also an aspiring musician.
 

Terri Jordan, The Constantly Evolving Entrepreneur - Her Bill Belichick Career Strategy, How She Constantly Overcame Adversity and Being Driven By Helping Others

You will truly enjoy this conversation with Terri Jordan where we talk about her fear of picking the wrong career, not being afraid of taking the lowest level job to learn about a new industry, her bout with cancer and other illnesses, her superpower of observation, and much more...
As an entrepreneur, Terri Jordan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrijordankc/ ) has successfully started/scaled six companies and brings over 25 years of strategy, sales, technology, and marketing leadership including extensive experience in legal, medical, tech, e-commerce, retail, restaurant, B2B, and B2C. Terri’s passion is growth strategy - helping her clients uncover and realize their next phase of growth through WizeWebz (Founder and CEO) and High Performance Marketing Boot Camps (President and Partner). She serves on the Mentor Advisory Board at UMKC, and the Marketing Advisory Board at JCCC. Terri finds fulfillment in working with aspiring entrepreneurs.

Tammie Osborne, Nurse to Entrepreneur - Being the CEO of You, Never Having a ”No” Leader, and Pivoting As A Career Strategy

Please join me and Tammie Osborne (linkedin.com/in/tammieosborne) as we have a great conversation talking about how an ER nurse changed her life, being a female healthcare tech pioneer, pivoting from nursing to Corporate America, the importance of relationships, and starting two companies (one during the pandemic in an industry she had no experience).
 
Tammie L. Osborne is an established healthcare executive and experienced small business owner with a passion for equipping others to succeed. Tammie has 30 years of experience in healthcare as an enterprise technology executive leader, EHR/EMR consultant, and clinician. In 2012, noticing a need for additional support for healthcare organizations as they implement and adopt new technology, Tammie founded Bridgemore IT (bridgemoreit.com ), a healthcare IT consulting, whereshe continues to lead as CEO. Through her healthcare consulting firm, Bridgemore IT Consulting, Tammie has managed change and new technology adoption for multi-million and billion-dollar projects by leading the world’s most top-tier organizations. Bridgemore IT also supports the Department of Defense’s EHR modernization Project. She has been helping these organizations streamline their operations and improve patient outcomes for over 12 years.
In 2020, while experiencing the challenge and changes of professional isolation brought on by the worldwide pandemic, Tammie saw an opportunity to support other female entrepreneurs in her community and tapped into her expertise by providing a coworking and event space. In response, she founded The Sapphire Suite( thesapphiresuite.com ), a luxe coworking environment where women can focus, grow, and connect in their busy professional and personal lives. With her extensive  leadership experience, her career-long focus on innovation, and her commitment tocollaboration, Tammie was uniquely equipped to build a space that not only helps women be productive but also provides the support and a community of seasoned professionals to help them succeed.
She is a wife and mother of three adult children, one of whom has special needs and she enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.

Special Edition with William Godwin - What A Business Transformation Can Do For Your Company

This special edition episode features William Godwin (see bio below) as we discuss business transformation initiatives. William lends his expertise to what is most critical, what companies struggle with, what employees find most challenging, and how leaders can help ensure a successful transformation. Please enjoy my conversation with WIlliam!
 
​William Godwin ​(linkedin.com/in/william-godwin ) is an executive Leader with 20+ years of experience with iconic brands, small, mid-size, and large companies. His ability to leverage insights in novel ways based on a keen understanding of sound business
principles consistently leads to transforming businesses and unmatched operational excellence. His background includes everything from sales, training, and service, to internal and field operations. He is known for leading businesstransformation initiatives that optimize companies which leads to driving sustainable revenue and profits. William is a big fan and student of continuous learning and is passionate about leading, motivating, and inspiring people to be their personal best so that the company can be its best. One of his mottos is “Let’s stretch to be better tomorrow than we are today.” He embraces challenges, solves problems, and has a reputation for succeeding where others could not and being counted on to do the impossible.

Jonathan Jones, The Cultural Conversational Leader - Helping People Find Purpose And Meaning In Their Work, Why Company Culture Is Like Your A Lawn, and Givers Versus Takers

Join me with the great Jonathan Jones as we talk about how he pivoted from 12 years working for churches to a successful career in corporate America. You will love the insights from him on building a great company culture!
Jonathan Jones (linkedin.com/in/jonathanjoneskc ) joined DEMDACO (demdaco.com  ) in the fall of 2006 to give leadership to the company’s focus and intentionality about its culture. Since that time Jonathan has helped develop and lead conversations around DEMDACO’s Purpose: pursuing business the way it ought to be, and its Mission: to lift the spirit in measurable and tangible ways. He helps the company tell its stories both inside and outside the company.DEMDACO, located in Leawood, KS, specializes in artist-driven gift and home décor products that lift the spirit and help people connect in meaningful ways.As a certified Gallup CliftonStrengths coach, Jonathan loves helping others discover their Strengths and find ways to leverage them to achieve their goals.
Jonathan and his wife Maria live in the Kansas area. They have four children and five grandchildren. 
 

Jane Deterding, From Lawyer to Chairperson of the Board - What She Learned Working for Senator Bob Dole, Why Banks Are Being Challenged, and Her Circuitous Career Journey

Join my conversation with Jane Deterding as we talk about her experience working for the legendary Bob Dole, becoming a lawyer, and her pivot to running her 101-year-old family bank!
Jane Deterding is a fourth-generation banker at Citizen Bank of Kansas (CBK), Jane’s ties to banking started at an early age. She currently serves as Chairman of the Board, with other roles including General Counsel and Chief Strategic Marketing Officer. She is a graduate of Wichita State University, where she earned a BBA in finance and economics, and the University of Kansas School of Law.
Jane joined CBK full-time in 2001 after a decade in private law practice. Jane serves as a Commissioner on the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission and is involved with the Wichita Animal Action League, Wichita Chamber of Commerce, and Wichita Area Delta Gamma Alumnae, among other interests. Jane and her husband, Brent Lehner, have two adult children and live in western Sedgwick County with their four rescue dogs.

Kristen Ragusin, A Beautiful Soul About to Change The World - How She Predicted The 2008 Global Financial Crisis and Why Our Money System Makes Us Miserable

You will love my conversation with Kristen Ragusin (www.kristenragusin.com/ )! Her book "The End of Scarcity: The Dawn of The New Abundant World" (Amazon: https://a.co/d/0nyU1cX) will be one of the most important books you will ever read. She has such great energy and is on a mission to change our world by implementing a new system of exchange to create and sustain a life worth living.
About Kristen:
Kristen’s interest in money began as a child as she studied the stock and bond markets with her father to earn her allowance. She grew up seeing the markets as a tool of empowerment but all that changed when she saw the coming financial crisis of 2008. Sensing something was amiss in her worldview, she discovered everything she knew about money was wrong. Through a shocking revelation, she learned that what we use as money today works against us, creating perpetual suffering and scarcity.
This sent her on a seven-year journey around the world to find another way to create money. She uncovered a new way so simple and so beautiful, a new way already beginning to emerge. Preparing to unleash the natural abundance that exists, we stand on the precipice of the coming revolution of how we do money. Unstoppable, it comes closer every day. Reading her book will take you from grief, fear, and scarcity to hope, love, and abundance.
Kristen is a professional wealth management consultant with thirty years of experience. Investing over $150 million, she helps clients navigate markets and achieve financial goals. She is a certified digital currency professional and earned her Masters Degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Kristen holds certificates in FinTech from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in Money and Society from the University of Cumbria, London. She loves the adventure of Life and everything it brings from the many kinds of people to the wonders of Nature. She has traveled throughout the world. Her many journeys include climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, hiking through the Sahara desert and studying at a spiritual school located in the foothills of Southern India.
https://www.theendofscarcity.com/contact