How I Turned The Corner
How I Turned The Corner
Kendra Prospero
Many founders and entrepreneurs start their business because they have an itch to solve a problem but they reach a point along the way where they realize they can’t do it on their own. They have to hire and now they’re a manager. Now they are truly leading and this is where most businesses fail unless they turn the corner. Every leader goes through a place where they hit this humbling moment. Join us on How I Turned The Corner and hear stories from seasoned founders who experience this. For over a decade, Kendra's career has been all about creating healthier and more rewarding work environments. She has served hundreds of clients in revamping their corporate cultures, revitalizing their recruiting and helping them retain their people. Kendra is your guide in disrupting the market and impacting the lives of many without jeopardizing the satisfaction of your employees. She brings to the podcast her most powerful frameworks for earning high profits and building a well-rounded team. If you feel out of touch with your people and fail to understand their challenges, Kendra is here to help change your perspective. Kendra leads with the most difficult conversation, the one business leaders often try to avoid: the right way to scale your workplace culture. She sits down with founders and owners who share how they grew their teams from a small group of talented individuals. They also open up about the obstacles they had to overcome as entrepreneurs. Listen as they discuss valuable lessons on how to avoid getting lost in the whirlwind of raising capital and launching top-notch products. Find out how to place more attention on recruiting employees, provide them with proper training, and make sure that they engage with their work. The future of your business depends on your employees. Now is the time to hear them out and give them that much-needed love. When they are happy, they can give their best every single day. Listen to Kendra's eye-opening episodes of How I Turned The Corner at https://turningthecornerHR.com/podcast .
Your Company Isn't a Family (And Why That's a Good Thing) with Scott Lewis
Most leaders think better policies create better companies. Scott Lewis believes the opposite. As co-founder of Spartan Investment Group, Scott has helped grow the company to more than $800 million in assets under management while building a culture centered on trust, accountability, and recognition instead of bureaucracy. In this conversation with Kendra, Scott shares why he rejects unnecessary workplace rules, why companies should think like teams instead of families, and how simple recogni...
Jul 15
30 min
The Phoenix Principle: Rebuilding with Purpose with FireSpring's Jay Wilkinson
What happens when you lose everything? In this episode of How I Turned the Corner, Jay Wilkinson returns to share the profound lessons he learned after a devastating house fire destroyed nearly all of his possessions—and how that experience deepened his commitment to helping businesses become a force for good. Jay, founder of FireSpring and the Do More Good Movement, discusses the upcoming ROI of Why Conference, conscious capitalism, purpose-driven leadership, and the research behind what mak...
Jun 17
40 min
The Outfit Is Just the Beginning - Amara Martin of Dress for Success
What if the biggest barrier to landing a life-changing job was simply not having the right outfit? In this episode of How I Turned the Corner, host Tim Rhodes sits down with Amara Martin, CEO of Dress for Success Denver, to discuss how the organization is helping women build confidence, careers, and economic independence. While many people know Dress for Success for providing professional clothing, Amara explains how the organization has expanded far beyond the suit. Through career coaching, ...
Jun 5
33 min
How Snooze Mattress's Matt Smith Built a People-First Franchise
Sleep isn’t just wellness advice — it might be your greatest competitive advantage. In this conversation, entrepreneur Matt Smith shares how he built Snooze Mattress into a people first franchise empire, focusing relentlessly on people, culture, and servant leadership. From hiring philosophy to franchise scaling to the science of better sleep, this episode offers practical leadership lessons and a refreshing perspective on what sustainable success really looks like. Matt shares: His journey ...
May 6
28 min
100th Episode - Leadership at Its Most Human: Inside Craig Hospital with Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis
In this special 100th episode of How I Turned the Corner, we sit down with Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis, CEO of Craig Hospital, a nationally recognized leader in spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation. From her early days as an OB-GYN to leading a world-class healthcare organization, Dr. Allen-Davis shares a powerful perspective on what leadership really looks like when people are at their most vulnerable. She discusses the importance of presence over position, why culture is something you pro...
Apr 15
39 min
Scaling a Mission-Driven Startup Without Losing Culture - with Caleb Polley of Cubby Beds
Caleb Polley, founder of Cubby Beds, joins the show to share how he built a mission-driven medical technology company helping children with complex disabilities sleep safely. Starting with prototypes in a garage, Caleb scaled Cubby into a fast-growing company serving families across the country. In this episode, he explains why intentional hiring and structured onboarding became critical to building a strong culture and scaling the organization. We explore: Why hiring should be treated ...
Mar 4
28 min
Balancing Teams in Uncertain Times - with Theo Edmonds
In this live episode from the Rocky Mountain Total Rewards Conference, Kendra Prospero speaks with culture futurist Theo Edmonds about the future of innovation—and what’s really holding organizations back. Theo argues that creativity isn’t soft. It’s measurable. And it’s one of the most powerful performance drivers in today’s AI-driven economy. They discuss: How unprocessed grief reduces innovation capacityWhy AI may be creating a “race to the bottomThe shift from solutions to better ques...
Feb 17
38 min
The Real Cost of Disengagement at Work with Dr. Michelle Corman
In this episode of How I Turned the Corner, host Kendra Prospero sits down with Dr. Michelle Corman, employee research leader at Mercer, to explore the powerful connection between employee experience and business performance. Recorded live at the Rocky Mountain Total Rewards Conference, this conversation breaks down how data can be used to prove what many leaders intuitively know: when people feel valued, organizations perform better. Michelle shares how organizations can use workforce data t...
Feb 10
20 min
Freedom Currency & the Future of Compensation with Dr. Scott Cawood
In this episode of How I Turned the Corner, Kendra Prospero interviews Scott Cawood, CEO of WorldatWork, live from the Rocky Mountain Total Rewards Conference. They unpack why the old "butts in seats" model is dead, how flexibility and trust define modern productivity, and what organizations can do to create meaningful, outcome-based compensation. If you're ready to rethink work and total rewards, this episode is your roadmap. Listen for key takeaways and themes: Outdated Work M...
Jan 28
13 min
Housing Hope, Hearing People: Leading with Empathy at Habitat for Humanity with Dana Griffin
How did listening transform leadership at Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver? In this episode of How I Turned the Corner, Kendra Prospero sits down with Dana Griffin, Chief People and Culture Officer at Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver. Dana shares how she and CEO Jaime Gomez built a robust feedback infrastructure that transformed employee engagement, strengthened organizational culture, and even improved financial outcomes. From pulse surveys to anonymous idea boxes to division-level town ha...
Jan 7
22 min
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