Smart Talk: Inspiring Conversations with Exceptional People

Susan Fowler educates leaders on motivation best practices based on solid science communicated through compelling storytelling, case studies, and real-life examples. Through her writing, speaking, consulting, training, and coaching, Susan is dedicated to providing leaders around the globe with a cutting-edge framework, dynamic model, and pragmatic course of action. She helps leaders to shape workplaces where people flourish while at the same time producing sustainable results.

Altitude Adjustment author Mary Beth Baptiste knows all about following lifelong dreams: In the 1990s she left her whole known world on the east coast to take a wildlife biology job at Grand Teton National Park. Her memoir describes her journey from her entrenched Portuguese roots in Massachusetts to the rugged mountains of Wyoming. An award-winning author, she has published her work in a variety of periodicals and anthologies.

Kristen Pressner is Vice President and Head of Human Resources Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America for Roche Diagnostics. Kristen has worked extensively in both the United States and Europe, in diverse positions across all HR disciplines.

Kristin Neff is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion over a decade ago.

Max H. Bazerman is Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and the Co-Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. Max's research focuses on decision making, negotiation, and ethics. He is the author, co-author, or co-editor of twenty books (including The Power of Noticing, Simon and Schuster, 2014; and Blind Spots [with Ann Tenbrunsel], Princeton University Press, 2011) and over 200 research articles and chapters.

Maria is a contributing writer for The New Yorker online, where she writes a weekly column with a focus on psychology and science. Her first book, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes (Viking/Penguin, 2013), was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into seventeen languages.

Max H. Bazerman is Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and the Co-Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. Max's research focuses on decision making, negotiation, and ethics. He is the author, co-author, or co-editor of twenty books (including The Power of Noticing, Simon and Schuster, 2014; and Blind Spots [with Ann Tenbrunsel], Princeton University Press, 2011) and over 200 research articles and chapters.

Yasmine Mustafa was the Founder of 123LinkIt, a blog advertising company that was acquired in 2011. She was a non-techie running a tech company which is why she started Girl Develop It Philly, a national organization dedicated to empowering women of diverse backgrounds to learn how to develop software. Yasmine just came back from a six-month trip around South America and is currently working on her next venture(s).

Dr. Joan Williams is a Distinguished Professor of Law and Hastings Foundation Chair at University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and has authored or co-authored seven books. The New York Times called Joan Williams “something of a rock star”. Rachel Dempsey earned her bachelor’s degree in Literature from Yale University in 2009 and is currently a student at Yale Law School. She has blogged for Amnesty International and the Huffington Post, and her posts with Joan have been published on Psychology Today, New Deal 2.0, the Huffington Post, and MomsRising and excerpted in Time magazine.

As Chief Thought Provoker and coach, he guides organizations and individuals through a systematic process that provides clarity, direction, and results while gaining new perspectives through intentional, strategic thinking. Marc A. Wolfe sees the world of business with a vision of what it can be versus where it is. Marc developed his unique Action Acceleration strategy through his professional experience, having consulted with medical professionals, creative thinkers, and corporate executives.

Laura Sturaitis is Executive Vice President of Media Services & Product Strategy. For more than 20 years, she has been instrumental in the evolution of press release on the wire serving clients in public relations, corporate communications, investor relations and traditional and online media. She is the EVP at Businesswire, discusses women and leadership at Businesswire. We get the inside scoop of what it is like to work for Warren Buffet. Laura is responsible for the comprehensive and timely delivery of Business Wire feed of more than 1200 releases a day sent globally to print, broadcast, online and social media organizations using Business Wire’s multi-platform delivery methods. She is a recognized industry expert in the development of new media tools and services for the distribution, search engine optimization (SEO), social sharing and the measurement ROI of press releases. This Smart Talk interview conversation is hosted by Lisa B. Marshall (aka The Public Speaker). Download your FREE report, "7 Essential Trails of Exceptional People" or learn more by visiting www.smarttalksuccess.com and lisabmarshall.com.

Pamela Slim is an award-winning author, speaker and leader in the new world of work. She spent the first 10 years of her solo practice as a consultant to large corporations such as Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab and Cisco Systems, where she worked with thousands of employees, managers and executives. In 2005, she started the Escape from Cubicle Nation blog, which is now one of the top career and business sites on the web. She has coached thousands of budding entrepreneurs, in businesses ranging from martial art studios to software start ups. Her new book, Body of Work, will be released with Penguin Portfolio on December 31, 2013. This Smart Talk interview conversation is hosted by Lisa B. Marshall (aka The Public Speaker). Download your FREE report, "7 Essential Trails of Exceptional People" or learn more by visiting www.smarttalksuccess.com and lisabmarshall.com.

Laura Sturaitis is Executive Vice President of Media Services & Product Strategy. For more than 20 years, she has been instrumental in the evolution of press release on the wire serving clients in public relations, corporate communications, investor relations and traditional and online media. She is the EVP at Businesswire, discusses women and leadership at Businesswire. We get the inside scoop of what it is like to work for Warren Buffet. Laura is responsible for the comprehensive and timely delivery of Business Wire feed of more than 1200 releases a day sent globally to print, broadcast, online and social media organizations using Business Wire’s multi-platform delivery methods. She is a recognized industry expert in the development of new media tools and services for the distribution, search engine optimization (SEO), social sharing and the measurement ROI of press releases. This Smart Talk interview conversation is hosted by Lisa B. Marshall (aka The Public Speaker). Download your FREE report, "7 Essential Trails of Exceptional People" or learn more by visiting www.smarttalksuccess.com and lisabmarshall.com.

Pamela Slim is an award-winning author, speaker and leader in the new world of work. She spent the first 10 years of her solo practice as a consultant to large corporations such as Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab and Cisco Systems, where she worked with thousands of employees, managers and executives. In 2005, she started the Escape from Cubicle Nation blog, which is now one of the top career and business sites on the web. She has coached thousands of budding entrepreneurs, in businesses ranging from martial art studios to software start ups. Her new book, Body of Work, will be released with Penguin Portfolio on December 31, 2013. This Smart Talk interview conversation is hosted by Lisa B. Marshall (aka The Public Speaker). Download your FREE report, "7 Essential Trails of Exceptional People" or learn more visit www.smarttalksuccess.com and lisabmarshall.com.

Rory Albanese is the former Executive Producer and Writer for the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Having been a key part of The Daily Show for over a decade Rory won 9 Primetime Emmy Awards and is currently creating an original situation comedy script for CBS. Humor is such an important communication tool. I caught up with Rory at the Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia.