Career Catalyst

The next guest is another healthcare professional, but much of his story reflects the lessons of many business/finance tracks. His name is Anthony Dalponte, and he is the GVP of Pharmacy Operations at Albertsons. Tony is responsible for the operation and management of over 1700 pharmacies around the US. His career path as a pharmacist started out with a simple visit to an academic advisors office at the University of Iowa. I am certain you’ll enjoy both Tony’s tremendous energy and career insights, but also his story of how he wound up as a senior executive at a multi billion dollar organization.

Our next guest is a change up from some of our previous guests, as he is the first chiropractor on the show. His name is Dr David Huff and he shares his story of pursuing a career in the health and wellness space. Dr Huff’s passions started at a young age and peaked while in undergrad.  Although he has dedicated his life's work to helping people become healthier versions of themselves, many of the career insights are relevant to anyone seeking to align a passion with a profession.  His opportunities opened up when he had access to a large community of Chiropractors participating in post grad work and then he shaped his vision for his own practice by working for different types of practices early on his journey. Dr Huff has a great journey pursuing his passions and he is working hard to share those passions with others.

On the next episode, we speak to Dennis Koutoudis a bestselling author and a globally recognized LinkedIn Coach who has helped thousands of individuals and companies accomplish their professional goals. He has a community of over 3 million people following him on Social Media while he has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, CNN and many other esteemed publications. Dennis's passion for building a network and helping anyone, be it an individual trying to strengthen their professional network or a major company trying to build awareness, leverage the power of a well developed online/social presence.  His story is also filled with insights about finding your passions and pursuing what will bring you joy.  Finally, his energy is infectious and you can feel how passionate he is about what he does.

On the next episode of Career Catalyst, I speak with Michael Sorich, a plaintiff's personal injury lawyer in Chicago. Michael shares his story of how he found a passion for law, worked his way through the State Attorney’s office and is currently a senior partner at the well respected Cavanagh Law Group. At first glance, this is a good example of a successful career in the legal field, but when you hear how Michael approached his path, there are excellent lessons for anyone in any field. Career Catalyst is a podcast that explores the unique journeys individuals take in their career, and the various insights and perspectives that emerge as each person shares their pursuit of purpose and passion  The goal of the podcast is to build a series of stories that explore various career journeys and illustrate that there are lots of paths that can be taken and, in many cases, how those paths lead to different outcomes than originally planned. The podcast was started because there is a tremendous amount of value in hearing the stories of individuals and their life journeys.  Lastly, I just find it extremely inspiring to hear the stories of my friends, peers and colleagues, how they are thinking about careers and fulfilling life goals.

Cameron Walker shares his career story that winds through some of the coolest companies of the last 2 decades.  His genuine demeanor mixed with his intelligence and business acumen has put him in many unique opportunities ranging from Twitter where he was one of the first 300 employees to Pixar where he was one of the few "business" people at the company.  These opportunities have also given him exposure to some of the bigger personalities and celebrity leaders as well, ranging from Steve Jobs at Pixar and Jack Dorsey at Twitter.  Cameron's outlook on how to think about career moves, what to look for in opportunities, and how to build a strong network by just being a good person are great career lessons.  He has a good approach to balancing his passion in his career and life and uses it to help him find meaningful opportunities throughout his journey.

In our first episode of the fourth season of Career Catalyst, we sit-down with Annie Early, a lobbyist in the State of Wisconsin.  Among many great insights from her very successful career, Annie shares her story that starts out with her taking advantage of an opportunity in a firm and transforming that into an equity partner role.  Unlike some of our other guests, Annie's story doesn't necessarily change a whole lot, but she has had plenty of challenges, obstacles, and decision points which has taught her important lessons about developing mentors, finding the right circles of people as advisors, and cultivating a strong network. Not only does she talk about building her career, she also talks about how creating flexibility and control in her worklife has become a critically important aspect of her professional life.  Being able to watch her daughter's basketball game or be home for important moments is a result of Annie's hard work and focus early in her career.

In this episode, we talk to Erin Armendinger, the CEO of Compass Experience Labs, a boutique business process outsource company that offers solutions to support customer experiences for retailers and DTC brands.  Her journey starts out in government at Lockheed-Martin, but quickly winds into banking at MetLife, and after completing her MBA at Wharton, she pivoted into the world of Retail.  Since then, she has had a number of leadership roles at major brands and retailers such as Tiffany's and Walmart, Commercial-Retail Real Estate, and six years leading Wharton's Baker Retailing Center.   Erin's shares a great story filled with insights about how she has used her natural curiosity and passion for learning to develop a strong network that has created a number of unique career opportunities.  Some great examples and advice for how being open to potential and cultivating strong relationships can pay dividends in a career.

In this episode, we sit down with Adam Duggins, the Co-founder and Managing Partner of New Page Capital, a firm that acquires and operates manufacturing and industrial companies.  Adam shares his story about starting out in Finance, earning an MBA and following the traditional post-graduate path into consulting where he realized the potential in buying/operating his own companies.  His path also helped him realize what his true passion was, and his perspective on "finding your passion" is inspiring.  This is a great discussion that explores the hidden opportunities in entrepreneurship, SMB management, and how to cultivate a strong network.

In the next episode of season 3, we talk to Mary Ellen Kelleher who is the VP of Product Management at Smokeball, a legal software-as-a-service company.  In this discussion, Mary Ellen shares her story about how she turned a Political Science degree into a successful care leading the product management function at a tech/software company.  She has great insights about the twists and turns of a career path, as well as an exceptional perspective based in systems thinking and how she talks about what she refers to as infrastructure.  

In this episode, we speak with Tony Grant, who is the CEO of Northern United Brewing, a craft beer company and restaurant operator in Michigan.  Tony has a great story that starts with an Electrical Engineering degree, a brief stint in the National Football League, and then an "accidental" journey into the retail industry.  Now, Tony claims to be a full-blown retail geek and loves the constant activity that a career in the retail industry requires.  In the discussion, he shares his insights on how and why he made certain decisions, why its so important to find opportunities that help you grow and learn, and why he's found great satisfaction in the smaller company.