When Rafael Ortiz—father, veteran, professional, and husband—began working at the Pentagon, he believed it was the opportunity of a lifetime. That’s why he was shocked when Nikita Ortiz—mother, veteran, professional, and wife to Rafael—flat out refused to join him. Ultimatums were not their style. They were a team in everything, so why was she making this call? Little did they know, her call would end up saving his life.

Today, Rafael and Nikita Ortiz join Dr. Karen to tell their story of a lifetime. They will unpack their secrets to a life and marriage steeped in authenticity, compassion, faith, and love.

Email: nikitaortiz21@gmail.com; rafprortiz@gmail.com; rafael.ortiz@blackmenrun.com

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The Black Church has a history of being a place of emotional refuge, leadership training, physical sustenance, the heartbeat of the civil rights movement, and a safe place to worship God with dignity. What relevance does the Black Church have today and into the future? Dr. Karen reviews the history of the official start of the Black Church in America.

She and her guests, Pastor Ben Anderson, Senior Pastor of Solid Rock Christian Center in Colorado Springs and his wife, Pastor Wanda Anderson also add their insights. This segment is Part I of a conversation with the Andersons. In Part II they will share more about the groundbreaking and innovative approaches to ministry they have started at Solid Rock Christian Center.

Reach the Andersons at solidrock-cs.org; Pastor@solidrock-cs.org

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Mike Mooney was part of the executive ecosystem behind NASCAR. As an award winning executive, he built and protected the global reputations of such brands as Mercedes-Benz, 3M, NASCAR, Sunoco, Tylenol, and Walmart. Author of the breakthrough book, “Reputation Shift- Lessons from Pit Road to the Boardroom,” Mike speaks with Dr. Karen about the leadership lessons he learned from decades of working with championship NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1, and Roush Fenway drivers and teams.

Contact Mike at www.MikeMooney.com; Mike@mikemooney.com

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Black Enterprise Magazine identified Shundrawn Thomas as one of the 75 most powerful Blacks on Wall St. and one of the most powerful executives in corporate America. Most recently President and Chief Executive of Northern Trust Asset Management and Management Group member, he also held key roles at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

Known industry wide as an innovator in investment management and a champion of socially responsible investing, Shundrawn is also the author of four books, including Discover Joy in Work: Transforming Your Occupation into Your Vocation.

Today he speaks with Dr. Karen about his unique brand of leadership, how he successfully navigated corporate America as a Black man in top financial services companies, and his new business venture.

Since the time of this original broadcast, Shundrawn Thomas has become Founder and Managing Partner of Copia Group, LLC, a company that provides capital solutions for lower middle market companies.

Reach Shundrawn Thomas at https://Copiagroupllc.com

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Why do people follow dictators? What are the implications for business leaders? Guest Jeff Rasley, the author of fourteen books including “The 72 Wisdoms,” shares his insights and perspectives on how to use wisdom to interrupt the patterns of fascist leaders. Jeff is the President of Basa Village Foundation, Secretary of Scientech Foundation, board member of the Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center, Co-Founder of the Jeff and Alicia Rasley Internship program for the ACLU of Indiana, and a graduate of the Indiana University School of Law and the Christian Theological Seminary. Dr. Karen speaks with Jeff Rasley about the importance of critical thinking and love in preventing and overcoming fascism.

Reach Jeff Rasley and get his book, “72 Wisdoms” at www.jeffreyrasley.com

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Brian Smith, The Founder of UGG Boots has charted his own course to become one of the great entrepreneurial success stories of our time. As a native Australian, his vision in 1978 was to put a pair of UGG sheepskin boots on every American. In each of the past five years, sales of UGG products have exceeded a billion dollars.

Brian calls his book, “The Birth of a Brand,” an entrepreneurial road map. Today, on The Voice of Leadership, Brian speaks with Dr. Karen about growing his company from vision to infancy, the toddler years, and beyond. In this insightful interview Brian shares important lessons on sales and marketing, raising capital, financial forecasting, manufacturing, competition, and how to ride the entrepreneurial waves to a billion dollar company. No matter where you are in your executive leadership journey, these insights are for you.

Book Brian Smith for Keynote speaking at BrianSmithSpeaker.com; Brian@BrianSmithSpeaker.com

Get his book, “The Birth of a Brand” at all major outlets

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