Failing Forward

Dave Jenike, the COO of the Cincinnati Zoo, talks about the revitalization of the Cincinnati Zoo from the death of Harambe, the gorilla, to the birth of Fiona, the Hippo. The zoo has had it's ups and downs but Dave and the leadership of Zoo continue to focus on the serving guests as well as caring for the animals. He also talks about his favorite and least favorite animal. His least favorite animal is pretty lame but don't worry, Sarah let him know that. His defense: he would have some pretty upset keepers!

Jamie Smith, publisher of the Cincinnati Business Courier, talks about how sharing his story has had huge impact on others - more so than he expected.

When Dr. Rekha Chaudhary M.D. first started working with cancer patients, she didn’t believe food or stress reduction impacted cancer. She didn’t believe lifestyle changes made a difference. She was one of the physicians who said to her patients, eat the ice cream, it doesn’t matter and now she is embarrassed by that. After reading the research, she discovered that processed meat is as dangerous as cigarette smoking. In another research study, for those who ate a mediterranean diet, there was a 30% reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 62% reduction in breast cancer. And so her passion is getting this data out to physicians and to patients. She educates - if we reduce stress via meditation, exercise, spending time with friends and eat a plant based diet, there is a reduction in cancer. We asked, how do we fail forward around managing our stress and diet? She said this is a journey and don’t stress about changing them overnight. So lean into meditation and exercise and for the plant based diet, try a 2 week detox. For more information about her work, see https://uchealth.com/integrative/.

Roger David, CEO of family run Gold Star Chili, speaks to us about his family's immigrant journey to Cincinnati and how franchising Gold Star Chili helped many immigrants from Jordan start a new life in America. He also talks about the challenges of being the only living son and the responsibility after his father died young. He did not stay in the family business, he actually left contrary to his mother's wishes. But it all worked out because it was those other work experiences, that he believes, has made him a more successful CEO.

Caitlin Steininger is relentless and only dreams big and that’s why she is not only the owner of Cooking with Caitlin and Station Family BBQ but she is a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef. We love her tip: when you have a dream tell as many people as possible so they hold you accountable.

With our theme of “leaning into discomfort”, Jamie Smith, publisher of the Business Courier, talks about how he came out after 20 plus years of marriage. His greatest gifts from it were: learning about love; live every day like the last; cherish the little things and his 3 successful children. His favorite quote is from his mother: be true to you, be true to others and you will prosper.

Karen Bosse, a 2 time cancer survivor and speaker talks about self induced healing; that our molecules respond to our thoughts and we create our own healing. She teaches us that neurons that fire together wire together. We have ability to change our pathways of the brain through our thoughts, affirmations or choosing a different thought. Anything that follows “I am” is what I become. You can choose to be a half empty or half full person. We make a choice every moment of the day as to how we are going to respond. It is a choice. If you have a negative thought - make a different thought. Catch yourself and say, wait, there is a reason because everything is for a higher reason and that is to teach us something. Want to change the channel of your mind? Be aware of your thoughts and purge the negative ones via journaling. Journal a daily gratitude list and meditation helps you change the channel of your mind. For more info on Karen Bosse: https://www.karenpbosse.com/ https://www.instagram.com/karenpbosse/

Mike Sipple, President of Centennial and Founder of Talent Magnet Institute TM talks about what he calls the fear of man. The fear of man is about letting others dictate what you do because you are fearful of what they might think vs. being who you are. He also gives us some great wisdom around understanding what your authentic self is, especially when doing a job search. Finally, he teaches us the importance of setting goals and the power of focus using The Full Focus Planner. It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you stay the course regardless of ups and downs.

Anne Chambers is a CEO, an entrepreneur and an activist. She teaches us that you can be an activist by activating a business. She has activated many businesses like Red212, an advertising and marketing business, a food business called Ma-Me and now Certifiably, a business that connects certified companies for purpose-driven purchasing. She shines a new light on how to look at failure. It’s about the life cycle of a project; and the start of something new. And the importance of shepherding an idea. She said, don’t worry about how it’s going to happen, just focus that it will happen.

Tracy Brumfield, executive director and founder of Rise Up news talks about how she is serving the incarcerated who don't have resources to re-enter society. Her recovery story is remarkable and listen when Sarah asks her what to do when you see a homeless person asking for money. It is a great reminder about humanity.

Lean into discomfort as Sarah Brown talks to Suzie McIlvain, therapist who specializes in trauma and PTSD. They discuss the Wise Mind, stuck points, and how the power and control lies within ourselves.

Brian Tome, Senior Pastor of Crossroads church (1 of the fastest growing Christian churches) talks about his new book, The 5 Marks of a Man; how he found his job at Crossroads from an ad in a magazine and how he overcame the death of a volunteer who died at their annual Christmas show. And talk about being stretched. He has dreamt big and delivered on many of those ideas (not all) but many. And he reminds us that... "Not being stretched - I don’t see how that’s healthy; it is part of how are supposed to be as humans and how we add value to the world."

Mary Miller, President of Jancoa Janitorial Services inspires me on so many levels. She talks about focusing on what you are grateful for and how you can attract more of it. We need to treat ourselves as our most important customer. Therefore, give yourself the time and attention you need. Additionally, prioritize the aspects of your life that are important and create a habit around it. Put it on paper - write it down and then schedule time for it. Also, be aware of your inner critic; don't allow the inner critic to be louder than the inner coach. Book references: "The Power of Habits" and "The Willpower Instinct".

The founders of Cincy Shirts, Josh Sneed and Darin Overholser have had a few business partners come and go but it was their determination to listen to their customers and be agile to the business model that made the difference. And that same determination got them at the right time at the right place. Case and point: listen when they talk about FC and Cincinnati's one and only hippo, Fiona.

Jill Meyer, President & CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, talks about finding her passion and why she does NOT like talking about work life balance.