In this episode of the More Elephant podcast, we engage in an insightful conversation with Alan Stein, the founder and CEO of Kadima Careers. Kadima is on a mission to level the playing field for underestimated talent by accelerating one million careers by 2040 by offering a framework, support, and practical advice for navigating corporate careers, developing relationships, and defining strategies for negotiating your worth.

Alan shares his extensive journey in the corporate world, his expertise in getting jobs and larger paychecks, and what he has learned from the highs and lows of a nearly thirty-year corporate career, which fuels his mission to change the game. Alan’s anecdotes of his career highs and lows offer valuable lessons on aspiring for better outcomes and embracing setbacks to fuel future success.

Listen in to discover insights on personal branding, career advancement, and earning your worth, as well as practical tips for leveraging LinkedIn, bypassing automated job filters, and mastering job negotiation strategies. You’ll hear about many facets of the Kadima experience, including K-Jam—the Kadima Job Acquisition Method—and the various coaching and support programs offered by Kadima Careers.

Kadima translates as forward in Hebrew. This conversation focuses on helping anyone keen on moving their career forward confidently. Listen. Learn. Live. Better.

In this episode of the More Elephant Podcast, Lorna Kapusta, Head of Women and Engagement at Fidelity Investments, discusses the importance of financial planning and investing for women. The conversation discusses how often we leave behind the teaching of financial literacy and underappreciate the need for tailored solutions to meet women’s unique needs.

Lorna candidly shares her journey, including anxiety and stress related to her lack of financial well-being earlier in life and the pivotal More Elephant moments that led her to her current role. We discuss the Women Talk Money program and the power of women supporting women in financial conversations, which has elevated in importance as a post-pandemic response to rethinking how we approach financial health.

We align on the importance of financial education and empowerment for women. Lorna emphasizes the need for women to start somewhere and engage in myriad resources beyond Fidelity to begin saving, investing, and planning for the future. The conversation showcases Fidelity's commitment to supporting women. Listen, learn, live, better indeed!

Key More Elephant Takeaways in this Episode:

• Lorna talks about her all-to-common journey of not understanding financial planning and health armed with a college degree and working for a blue-chip financial services company in NYC
• How the pandemic heightened the anxiety about money and Fidelity’s initial response to provide resources and information for a few months turned into a still-standing community working as one to shape the future
• We discuss the evolving needs of women and families in an ever-changing financial landscape and Fidelity's commitment to supporting diverse family structures with tailored financial solutions.
• and more..

In this episode of the More Elephant podcast, we celebrate Pride month in the United States and continue our feature of highlighted great work by non-profit leaders and their teams. We talk with Jaymes Black, CEO of Family Equality, the leading non-profit focused on fighting to protect and support LGBTQ+ families.

Jaymes shares her journey from corporate America to leading Family Equality and being at the forefront of efforts to elevate the stories of LGBTQ+ families while continuing to give voice and challenge discriminatory efforts to delegitimize the community.

Despite facing significant personal and professional challenges, Jaymes discusses her pivotal More Elephant moments and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on her vision for what she wants to do to change the world for the better. The episode touches on the hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures in 2023, focusing on the specific threats to LGBTQ youth and families.

The conversation also highlights the issue of government interference in parental decisions and the need to prioritize joy in work. Jaymes highlights the importance of storytelling, community collaboration, and the role of joy and hope in advocacy work while stressing the increasing importance of collaboration and partnership within the LGBTQ+ community to address discrimination and inequality.

Tune in to gain insight into the transformative efforts of Family Equality, a beacon of hope in the ongoing fight for equal rights and representation for all LGBTQ+ families.

Key More Elephant Takeaways in this Episode:

• Jaymes shares her personal journey and the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ families in building their families.
• She discusses the importance of representation and inclusion in the work of Family Equality and the transformation the organization is undergoing to be a catalyst for change.
• The conversation also highlights the issue of government interference in parental decisions and the need to prioritize joy in the work.
• and more…

In this edition of the More Elephant podcast, we are in conversation with GRAMMY® Award-winning bassoonist, music faculty, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Monica Ellis, a founding member, co-artistic, and Executive Director of the acclaimed Imani Winds Quintet.

Monica's journey, from her childhood in Pittsburgh to her time at Oberlin and Julliard, is a testament to the transformative power of music. Through these experiences, she helped pave the way for the globally recognized Imani Winds, a quintet that has revolutionized wind music and how Black chamber music is seen and heard and became a beacon of change in the classical music scene. This includes a permanent presence in the classical music section of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.

This episode discusses the inception and profound impact of Imani Winds, including their 2024 GRAMMY® win for 'Passion for Bach and Coltrane'. Notably, it highlights their educational initiatives through the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival and the Imani Winds Foundation, which have been instrumental in shaping the future of classical music. Monica's story is a testament to the power of faith, resilience, and the transformative impact of music on both the individual and collective levels.

Key More Elephant Takeaways in this Episode:

• Discover Imani Winds’ evolution through chamber music, education concerts, and foundation building, as well as their evolution and revolution over twenty-seven (27) years in the industry.
• We discuss the resurgence and cultural importance of Black Classical Music and biases in chamber music.
• Monica highlights the power of great teachers and investing in talent to create opportunity.
• And more…

In the latest episode of the More Elephant podcast, we dive into the world of venture capital funding for Latinx entrepreneurs. Our guest, Veronica Juarez, Founder of Dahlia VC, shares her journey from a political career to her mission of addressing the underrepresentation of Latino entrepreneurs in the venture space.

Veronica's early-stage venture capital fund focuses on supporting seed-stage tech companies that specialize in B2B enterprise software, marketplaces, and FinTech solutions for the Latinx market. The discussion sheds light on the impact of inherent biases in capital allocation, the importance of creating wealth and opportunities for Latinx communities, and the role of specialized venture funds in driving social change and economic justice.

Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities in the venture capital industry and how we can work towards a more equitable and inclusive future.

Key More Elephant Takeaways in this Episode:

• Veronica shares her journey from politics to venture capital, highlighting the need to support Latinx founders in the tech industry.
• We discuss the persistent challenges faced by underrepresented founders and her mission to provide support and opportunities for them to succeed by utilizing her ‘presence’ in the room and understanding of how capital allocation works to create access.
• We emphasize the importance of collaboration and access to capital in driving social change and creating generational wealth.
• …and more.

In this latest episode of the More Elephant podcast, we engage in an inspiring conversation with Evan Leaphart, Founder of Kredit Academy, and Mike Gross, COO and Head of Education, who join the latest More Elephant podcast to discuss the team’s journey from Kiddie Kredit, a mobile app designed to educate children on the credit system by completing chores, to Kredit Academy, a solution and approach dedicated to equipping teens and young adults with the knowledge and tools for optimal credit health.

In 2023, the team was awarded a $1 million investment from the 43North startup competition to continue the movement toward a financially literate future, creating an opportunity for the next generation to embrace credit management with confidence and wisdom.

From their personal journey of friendship and entrepreneurship over many years to relocating to Buffalo after winning the 43 North investment, Evan and Mike share how Kredit Academy aims to make financial education accessible and engaging. Focusing on education, behavioral change, and community engagement, they discuss the broader implications of their work on generational wealth and financial well-being. As we listen, learn, live, better on More Elephant, Evan and Mike are great examples of how an idea can change lives and build pathways to durable financial health.

Key More Elephant Takeaways in this Episode:

• Evan and Mike share their origin story, meeting early in life and how they have been focused together for many years on changing how teens and young adults think about and understand money
• We discuss their approach to financial empowerment and educating Gen Alpha on credit through a gamified approach and a solution that allows members to earn rewards both by responsible spending and by engaging in activities and learning modules
• We hear about their founder’s story, how they learned to build a company, the resilience and willingness to be flexible as investment opportunity arises, and the power of community in doing work that matters
• and more..

In our most recent podcast, we delve into a conversation with Byron Slosar, the CEO and Founder of hellohive. Byron shares his vision of revolutionizing the traditional talent employment landscape.

hellohive, a virtual recruiting platform that secured $3.4 million in Series A funding earlier this year, is committed to connecting next-gen talent to companies with a significant diversity and inclusivity lens, making everyone feel valued and integral to the recruitment process.

Byron shares how the platform facilitates self-identification and self-expression for students and recent graduates. hellohive allows corporations to find talent and understand them better, enabling a more humanized interaction throughout the recruiting process.

Byron talks about his founder story, how it’s a full circle moment that connects many of the talents he had built throughout his life journey and includes a stop-off at the circus. As with many founders, he talks about the challenges building a business brings while raising a son and how he has learned to embrace his perceived weaknesses and turn them into a source of strength and grit.

More Elephant Moments in this Episode:

• Byron shares his journey of becoming an entrepreneur, his challenges, and how he turned perceived weaknesses into strengths.
• Byron outlines what traditional recruiting processes are missing in their standardized approach.
• Built for equity and powered by inclusion, we discuss the vital role of technology in providing equity and access to students who lack the resources or knowledge to confront traditional recruiting processes.
• and more..

Each quarter, we highlight non-profit change agents leading from the front and changing lives.

On this podcast, we talk with Troy Reinhart, SVP of Community and Ambassador Development for Smile Train. Smile Train is a nonprofit organization that has provided cleft lip and palate surgeries to children in need worldwide for the past twenty-five years. The Smile Train team is approaching its two millionth surgery.

Troy shares his origin story and his journey to Smile Train. We discuss the challenges and stigma associated with cleft, Smile Train’s unique and comprehensive approach to treatment, and the impact of Smile Train's work across continents. Troy also highlights the importance of awareness and invites listeners to support Smile Train's mission.

Smile Train’s powerful tagline is ‘changing the world one smile at a time’. This conversation is sure to leave a smile on your face and inspire you to become an agent for change.

Key More Elephant Takeaways in this Episode:

• Troy shares his personal journey and what led him to Smile Train, which has grown to become a global leader in cleft treatment.
• Troy illuminates the challenges and stigma associated with cleft and the comprehensive approach to treatment that Smile Train provides that is focused on localized delivery and community engagement.
• Troy shares powerful anecdotes to illustrate the significant impact of Smile Train’s work in different regions, including India, Ghana, and Mexico.
• and more..