Episodes

Do you want to be part of a workplace that drains you—or one that gives you energy, clarity, and joy? In this episode of Missing Conversations, hosts Steven Jones and Ellen Burton talk with Shani Harmon, Founder and CEO of Stop Meeting Like This, who, for over 20 years, has consulted with Fortune 500 companies and is known for unraveling the complex problems that keep leaders and teams from doing meaningful work. Shani’s care began in her hometown in West Virginia, watching her father come home ...

“It’s not about the intensity of what you do, it’s about the intention.” That guiding belief runs through Ryan Soares’ life, from backcountry skiing to hang-gliding launches to building global practice fields where leaders experiment, stumble safely, and discover what elevates their people. In this episode of Missing Conversations, hosts Heather Neely and Amy Vodarek sit down with Ryan, founder of Soares Consulting, to explore how an adventurous spirit, deep empathy, and hands-on learning help l...

To lead others well, we must first return to what we care about most. In this Missing Conversations episode, hosts Amy Vodarek and Ellen Burton talk with their Altus colleague Lara Guille, who blends her background as a clinical psychologist, executive coach, and generative leadership practitioner to help leaders do just that. Lara shares six practices for how to lead from your cares, elevating you as a leader and your team: “Zoom out” to see what’s really driving the moment Name competing ca...

Defining moments in leadership often emerge in a request made with care, a question that steadies a team, or the space a leader creates to reflect before reacting. In this episode of Missing Conversations, hosts and Altus executive coaches, Dan Winter, Elayna Alexandra, and Ellen Burton, explore how leaders can anchor purpose, ask better questions, and create the conditions for their teams to rise. Drawing on decades of experience guiding leaders through disruption, they share how to make reques...

When change is constant, the leaders who excel are the ones who see beyond the work to the people doing it. In this episode of Missing Conversations, hosts Steven Jones and Lynette Winter talk with Yvonne Yang—a senior hardware engineering leader whose journey from concert piano to high-tech leadership is rooted in collaboration, curiosity, and genuine care for others’ success. With more than two decades in computing hardware and a lifelong practice of making music with others, Yvonne shares how...

When leaders show up human—curious, present, and willing to listen—teams grow, trust deepens, and the real work of transformation begins. Sharon Richmond, executive coach and Altus principal, shares how a lifelong care for community, agency, and voice has shaped her leadership—and what led her to join a team that actively practices what it teaches. In conversation with Altus partners, Amy Vodarek and Dan Winter, Sharon explores how leaders become stronger by staying curious, open to learning, an...

For Don DeVito, leadership has always been about impact. So when he found a team as committed to learning, caring, and making a difference as he was, he chose to grow in community. In this episode of Missing Conversations, Don joins Amy Vodarek and Ellen Burton to reflect on his journey from decades of solo consulting and international leadership to finding belonging—and a deeper sense of purpose—inside the Altus team. Don shares what he’s still discovering after 40 years in the field: how teams...

After 28 years at Intel, Mandy Mock stepped into startup life. She didn’t have a perfect plan, but she was committed to learn through action. In this episode with Dan Winter and Lynette Winter, Mandy—now CEO and co-founder of AmbientSense Technologies—explores what building a company from the ground up is teaching her about cultivating trust with her team, aligning multiple cultures, and the value of curiosity and experimentation in leadership. Listen in to hear her practical insights for leader...

Leading through the AI transition isn’t just about adopting new tools—it’s about unlocking new ways of thinking, collaborating, and growing. Wai Hong Fong, co-founder and chieftain of StoreHub, is doing exactly that. In this vibrant conversation with Altus Growth Partners’ Pam Fox Rollin and Sharon Richmond, he shares how adopting AI has sparked surprising breakthroughs. From selling on eBay at 21 to now leading a fast-scaling tech company serving 18,000+ businesses across Southeast Asia, Wai Ho...

Leading in a VUCA World? You’re Not Alone. In this timely and energizing episode, Altus Growth Partners’ Steven Jones, Ellen Burton, and Lynette Winter—three masterful executive leadership coaches who’ve guided hundreds of senior leaders and teams through turbulent change—pull back the curtain on what leadership really looks and feels like in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) landscape. It’s a grounded, wise, and deeply human conversation about how to lead with clarity, ...

Meet Bill Bidal, a leader who’s not just building homes, but transforming communities—one story, one relationship, one sweat equity nail at a time. As the Executive Director of Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity, Bill brings a rare mix of corporate savvy and community heart to the table, showing that leadership is as much about alignment and purpose as it is about bottom lines. In this conversation with hosts Lynette Winter and Dan Winter, Bill shares how he turned a post-retirement volunt...

Xavier and Maegan Figueroa’s journey reminds us that sometimes life’s hardest moments become the spark that ignites our deepest purpose. After the loss of Xavier’s brother, Gabriel, in Iraq, and Maegan’s life-altering liver transplant, they were determined to build something meaningful with the time and opportunities they’d been given. That led them to build LA Trash Junkers and The Hodgepodge LA, a business driven by mission and heart, and rooted in empathy, gratitude, and unwavering support fo...

The words we use shape the worlds we build—and for leaders, language is one of the most powerful levers of connection, culture, and coordination. As Executive Director of Languages Canada—representing over 200 language programs connecting people and cultures across the globe—Gonzalo Peralta has spent his career navigating leadership through the lens of language. From Mandarin to Spanish to Sinhala, Gonzalo’s multilingual journey exemplifies the foundational power of language in building teams, ...

What if the key to high performance isn’t more structure—but deeper connection? In this episode of Missing Conversations, hosts Lynette Winter and Dan Winter sit down with Jancy Castro, a veteran tech exec who’s led through everything from startup chaos to enterprise-wide transformation. Jancy knows how to build trust across time zones, cultures, and org charts. With over 25 years of leadership experience and a rare blend of strategic clarity and human insight, Jancy shares how she creates alig...

What if leadership wasn’t about control, but about creating the conditions for freedom and dreaming out loud—for yourself, your team, and the next generation? In this powerful and refreshingly human episode, Sonya Arriola, Chief of Staff at Bellarmine College Prep, joins Dan Winter and Lynette Winter to explore what it really takes to lead with intention, integrity, and imagination. From her roots as a first-gen, low-income daughter of Mexican immigrants to her 20-year journey in Jesuit educatio...

When everything feels uncertain, your team looks to you for steadiness—but what if you’re the one holding unspoken fears, bracing for change, and unsure how to talk about the hard stuff? In this real-talk conversation between Altus executive...

Want a more generous, high-performing team? Create a culture and environment where your people feel safe. In this sharp and energizing episode, Ellen Burton joins Amy Vodarek and Lynette Winter for a conversation every leader needs to hear. Ellen is...

What if the challenges your team is facing right now are actually the doorway to more light, more connection, and more goodness in the world? In this eye-opening episode of Missing Conversations, Altus executive coach, Lynette Winter, joins Amy...

What do pies, poetry, and global equity have in common? In this candid and compelling episode of Missing Conversations, hosts Amy Vodarek and Steven Jones welcome Paul O’Donnell, a former investment banker turned entrepreneur, and Sylvana Caloni, a...

The best leaders do more than drive results—they transform how their teams think, evolve, and collaborate to create meaningful impact. Over his 34-year career at Intel, Jeff Rittener, former Chief Trade Officer, redefined what it means to...

From breaking barriers to leading her team through crisis—Isaura Gaeta’s leadership journey is a masterclass in vision, trust, and resilience. A former Intel executive and Latina pioneer in tech, Isaura knows what it takes to navigate uncertainty,...

Discover how sports can transform lives and build unified teams in our latest episode of Missing Conversations.  Hosts Elayna Alexandra and Kobe Bogaert welcome Thuy Williams, an inspiring sports advocate and leader who believes in changing lives...

In this episode of “Missing Conversations,” hosts Pam Fox Follin and Amy Vodarek welcome Clare Purvis, a digital health leader and founder of WELL. Clare shares her journey through the healthcare and technology sectors, highlighting the challenges...

In this episode of “Missing Conversations,” hosts Heather Neely and Amy Vodarek welcome Pete Berridge, CEO of Change Positive and co-author of Feedback Reimagined: Transform Your Organization through Positive Psychology and Social Support. ...