The Step UP - Where Leaders, Talent Managers and Leadership Development pros find expert tips for Leadership excellence

Molly Conlin Peterson is an executive and career transition coach with over 23 years of experience helping thousands of professionals, leaders, and executives find more meaningful work. Her approach blends positive psychology with the research of Dr. Brené Brown, guiding clients to lead with courage, purpose, and heart. Molly has worked with organizations like Wells Fargo, 3M, SoFi, Feeding America, Better Up, and the University of...

Ash Seddeek is a leadership communications advisor and speaker coach to Fortune 100 executives. He’s the founder of the Executive Greatness Institute and creator of the Chief Excitement Officer philosophy and the Free Up → Think Up → Speak Up framework, helping leaders transform communication moments into momentum. Ash has coached leaders at Cisco, Uber, and Google to communicate with clarity, conviction, and excitement that moves ...

Today is a unique episode. Future guest, Adam Walz, is guest hosting today with me, Kent Kniebel, as the guest!

We've got a real gem for you today: we're diving into the nitty-gritty of why a shocking one in three promotions tank within the first 18 months, and trust me, it’s a topic that hits home for a lot of us. Our expert guest is here to lay down some solid insights on how organizations can step up their game and actually suppo...

Marcus is the founder of Mammoth Leadership & Organizational Development, where he combines clear strategy, advanced leadership skills, and adaptive technology to help leaders and organizations achieve lasting results. His diverse career spans multiple leadership arenas, including serving as a former non-profit CEO, President and GM of two semi-professional athletic teams, entrepreneur, college professor, and U.S. Air Force vet...

Morganne August is a former English teacher who found herself in digital marketing and account management by way of a few local startups. Driven by curiosity and the value of lifelong learning, Morganne enjoyed the fast-paced startup environment, but always found herself more interested in the company-employee relationship than in driving leads.

She now leads Geear’s hiring efforts, supports managers and leaders in growing their peo...

Dr. Benjamin Ritter, is a certified leadership and career coach, and author of the Amazon best-seller Becoming Fearless. He is the founder of Live for Yourself (LFY) Consulting and is passionate about creating a world where people live and work fearlessly. Ben has coached over 500 leaders with a strong focus on senior-level executives across multiple industries and geographic regions, within organizations that have i...

Randi Roberts built a remarkable 30-year career in Pharmaceuticals, rising from Sales Representative to Vice President and Business Unit Head at one of the world's largest pharma companies before serving as Chief Commercial Officer for a start-up. Along the way, she started and ran two businesses. Her journey through four companies (large and small) and multiple career moves taught her to embrace each transition as an opportunity f...

Guest Bio:

As the Director of Global Talent Management, Kristofer O’Brien is an executive coach, management consultant, talent partner, sits on the Enterprise Learning Council and seasoned team leader with over 20 years of experience. He leverages his expertise in creating environments that foster superior performance to empower leaders to believe that everyone can make a difference in both their professional and personal lives.

Kris...

Judy’s mission is to catalyze leaders of all backgrounds to be their very best and to help organizations build a workplace ecosystem that allows all individuals to thrive.

Judy is passionate to help “culture-crossers” (women, persons of color, first gen and global professionals) express their Best Self to achieve their highest potential. She also engages with organizations to develop workplace ecosystems and inclusive managers who e...

Marc founded the Talent Strategy Group and advises the world’s premier companies, governments, foundations, NGOs and not-for-profit organizations. He is regarded as a trusted counselor to organizations on their most sensitive talent issues.

He co-founded the Talent Management Institute, now the world’s most popular executive education program on talent with 7,000+ graduates. He co-authored the Harvard Business Review ...

Capping a 25-year career as a chief marketing officer and executive vice president of business development, Scott Jeffrey Miller currently serves as FranklinCovey's senior advisor on thought leadership. As a senior advisor, Scott leads the strategy and development of the firm's Speakers Bureau and the production of podcasts, webcasts, and best-selling books. Scott also hosts On Leadership with Scott Miller, the world's largest...

Jurgen Bank is a consultant and coach with over 20 years experience. Originally trained in Germany, for a very long time in the USA, he has consulted with dozens of the Global Fortune 1000 companies, in the US, India, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and all over Europe. He and I met over 15 years ago when we were colleagues at what became Korn Ferry. Always working with leaders, understanding their tasks and challenges, trai...

Kyle Courtaway has over 25 years of experience working in all areas of strategic talent management including succession planning, high potential identification, competency alignment, performance management systems, executive coaching, 360° instrumentation, intact leadership team development, and key talent development. Kyle’s previous roles have included Learning and Development Consultant, Senior Leadership and Team Development Co...

Geoffrey M. Roche, MPA, is the son of a nurse, healthcare expert, diversity advocate, and education enthusiast, presently serving as the inaugural North America Director of Workforce Development at Siemens Healthineers. In this role, he leads all national workforce development strategy and partnerships to advance a sustainable future-ready healthcare workforce. Roche speaks often on healthcare workforce topics at global conferences...

Lorelei Whitney, CEO of Wave Leader Consulting, partners with business leaders to propel successful strategies and high performance through culture, change leadership, strategic talent management, and diverse, equitable and inclusive teams. Her balanced focus on people and drive for results, moves others to action. Her influential approach is business relevant and insightful, bringing a partnership that activates empowerment and cr...

Andy Storch is an author, consultant, coach, speaker and facilitator on a mission to get the most out of life and inspire others to do the same.

He is the author of the book, Own Your Career Own Your Life, which is designed to help professionals stop drifting and take control of their futures.

Andy is also the host of three podcasts, including The Talent Development Hot Seat; Own Your Career; and My NFT Journey. H...

Dr. Sarah Bridges, PhD, is the founder and leader of Bridges, with 25 years’ experience as a psychologist, executive coach, speaker, writer and leadership advisor. Dr. Bridges is known for offering challenging, yet practical, solutions to help people break through their own assumptions, discover their potential and build cohesive teams.

One of the key takeaways from our chat today is that it’s not about having a lack of resources; i...

Authenticity is the name of the game, and if you want to bring something to life, you can't go half idiot—you gotta commit 100%. In this episode, we dive into the art of going "all in" with our ideas, inspired by the worlds of improv and comedy. Our guest, Rick Lozano, shares his journey of merging music with leadership and talent development, illustrating how embracing our quirks can lead to genuine connections. We explore how lea...

Authenticity is the name of the game in leadership, and today we’re diving deep into what that really means. We're chatting with Kristine Engman, a total rockstar in building high-performing teams, and trust me, she’s got some solid gold nuggets of wisdom to share. We tackle the idea that being vulnerable as a leader can actually pack a punch in building trust and connection within your team—definitely easier said than done, right?...