Podcast
THE POWER OF REINVENTION with Kathi Sharpe-Ross
Hosted by Kathi Sharpe-Ross · EN
Welcome to THE POWER OF RE:INVENTION. Inspired by the best-selling book written by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? (March, 2020) these introspective interviews will provide stories, tips, tools and experiences of great reinventors and curiosity seekers. From Fortune 500 C-Suite Executives and Entrepreneurs, to Exhausted Dads, Homemakers and Artists, these men and women will give you a sense of what is possible in your life through their own journeys in business, career, relationships, health, entrepreneurship, spirituality, hobbies and passions.
32episodes
Episodes
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EP 172: Share Of Heart. The Brand Philosophy Built on Earning Trust with Warren Kornblum
1w ago00:43:10Tap to summarizeSome brands sell products.The best brands earn trust.In this episode of THE POWER OF RE:INVENTION, Warren Kornblum — founder & CEO of Shadow Branding and author of NOTES FROM THE BRAND STAND — shares the philosophy that has guided his entire career: Share Of Heart™.It’s the idea that the brands we remember most aren’t necessarily the loudest or the biggest — they’re the ones that make us feel something.From the iconic Geoffrey the Giraffe campaigns to lessons from brands like LEGO and Kodak, Warren unpacks what separates lasting brands from forgettable ones — and why no amount of AI can replace the human decision of what your brand truly stands for.But beyond the marketing insights, this conversation is deeply personal. Warren opens up about the story behind NOTES FROM THE BRAND STAND and the moments that shaped the way he leads, creates and connects.This one is for every founder, leader, marketer and dreamer trying to build something that actually matters.Don’t miss this episode! Tune in now on Spotify, Apple and iHeart.Names & brands mentioned in the episode:Toys “R” UsSteve JobsSteven SpielbergMean Joe GreeneRishad TobaccowalaAppleCoca-ColaMattel / BarbiePelotonConnect with Warren:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenkornblum/ Share of Heart: https://www.shareofheart.com Notes from the Brand Stand: https://shareofheart.com/books/THE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross
Transcribe →EP 171: Passion, Purpose, Impact … and Curiosity with Mindy Grossman
2w ago00:48:20Tap to summarizeInternational Women's Month SeriesBefore the titles, before the boardrooms — there was a belief that shaped everything. Mindy Grossman, Partner & Vice-Chair at Consello, was raised with a simple idea: you’ve been given a gift — now give it forward.That belief became the throughline of a career that took her from Nike, Inc. to Ralph Lauren Corporation to CEO roles at HSN, Inc. and WW International — transforming brands, industries and expectations along the way.But what defines her most isn’t the scale — it’s the clarity.The courage to walk away when values don’t align.The discipline to say no as much as yes.And the conviction that not taking the risk can be the biggest risk of all.Her mantra: Passion. Purpose. Impact. In that order. People we talk about that impacted Mindy’s life include:Ralph LaurenPhil KnightTommy HilfigerOprah WinfreyBarry DillerConnect with Mindy:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-grossman-a9348a85/ Consello: https://consello.com/leaders/mindy-grossman/THE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross
Transcribe →EP 170: The Interview That Rewrote Her Career with Deb Curtis
3w ago00:29:25Tap to summarizeInternational Women's Month Series. ..still!Deb Curtis has built an extraordinary career leading global marketing at Amazon, shaping brands like Prime and Alexa, with chapters at American Express, L'Oréal, and beyond. But what defines her journey isn’t just scale—it’s a single pivot early on that changed everything.As a college freshman, a simple but profound question—what do you want your whole life to look like?—shifted her path from sports broadcasting to marketing. That moment became the foundation for a career built not on linear steps, but on bold, curious leaps.Raised by generations of strong, trailblazing women, Deb didn’t just hear about possibility—she witnessed it. And today, she carries that forward with a mindset that reframes fear as fuel. Instead of asking “what if I fail,” she leans into “what if it works?”—a philosophy that has guided her biggest reinventions, from leadership roles to personal choices, including motherhood and major life moves.Her message is simple and powerful: Don’t box yourself in. Let curiosity lead. Treat fear as a signal to grow, not stop. And trust yourself to move on when something no longer fits.Make "Life Choices" and other things will fall into place!This conversation is a reminder that Reinvention isn’t a moment—it’s a mindset.Connect with Deb:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-curtis-a74841/ The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation: https://www.shaqfoundation.org Newhouse School, Syracuse University: https://newhouse.syracuse.eduTHE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross
Transcribe →EP 169: Trust Yourself First: The Reinvention Playbook with Liz Heller
3w ago00:46:18Tap to summarizeInternational Women's Month Series Liz Heller is a tech and media innovator, investor, and producer whose career has bent culture for four decades. She led artist development at MCA, where she commissioned more than 500 music videos for Tom Petty, Bobby Brown, and Belinda Carlisle. She became President of Island Visual Arts, then Executive Vice President of Capitol Records at the exact moment music, audio, and the internet collided. She produced The Basketball Diaries with Leonardo DiCaprio. She executive produced the Good Will Hunting soundtrack. She built early growth engines for TOMS one-for-one, Product(RED), Microsoft, Intel, and Apple. USA Today called her the godmother of the women's cyber movement in Hollywood. She calls herself a “multi-potentialite,” a word she found after I asked her to list everything she'd done back in the earliest episodes, when I first started The Power of Re:Invention. She sat in her office in New Mexico, started writing, and came up with more than forty things. She had no idea the list was that long. I love that. What I love about this conversation is how clearly “little Liz” foreshadowed all of it. She didn't play house. She played office. She was an entrepreneur before she had the word for it. Her mother Billie was the blueprint. A true feminist. She worked on the UN doctrine for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and took Liz to marches at eight years old. Her father worshipped her mother and licked envelopes for her mailings. That is the household that made Liz.Her operating principle in life was and is simple and it's the whole episode. "If I am not happy doing something, I am absolutely not in the place of my best work."Some of her “tools” to live by:Try it on. Walk into the room acting like you're already the person. She used it on a woman at a top-five company agonizing over a promotion. The woman took the job.Conditions of satisfaction. Write out what would make you 85 to 90 percent happy. If what you have only hits 60, you have your answer.Voyage of discovery. Sit with your iPad for an hour and click wherever curiosity pulls you. Change your algorithm. Her feed is science, innovation, and knowledge because she made it that way. Brilliant, honestly.Her advice for women is the part you need to hear. Don't go where you're not comfortable. Build your own rooms. Build your own board of directors out of your girlfriends. Build the strategy to change it.Connect with Liz:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizheller/ memBrain: https://www.membrainllc.com THE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross
Transcribe →EP 168: The Power of the First Pivot with Chrissie Hanson
4w ago00:37:22Tap to summarizeInternational Women’s Month Series… Part 2 Chrissie Hanson is the incoming executive lead for Dentsu Media North America. As the former CEO of OMD USA, she led a team of 2,500 professionals and engineered the transformation that moved the agency from 10th to 1st in new business ranking, earning AdAge's 2025 U.S. Media Agency of the Year recognition.What I love about this conversation is how Chrissie pinpoints the exact moment everything shifted.She grew up in Hong Kong. Half Chinese, American, culturally British. Always on the outside. Never Western enough, never Asian enough. She wanted to be Secretary General of the United Nations. Her parents gave her three choices: doctor, engineer, or lawyer. She picked law because she didn't like blood and LA Law made it look glamorous!Then she graduated and realized she didn't want to be a lawyer. She sat on her mother's kitchen floor and sobbed. At 21, she thought her life was over.Looking back, she calls it the best thing that ever happened to her. That first shock built the resilience for every chapter that followed. Her advice: the earlier that shock comes, the stronger you are the next time. And there will be a next time.She sent 80 job applications. One was a tiny classified ad for a marketing communications agency. She didn't know what that meant. She got the job. And she decided to just be excellent at every single thing she did and see what happened.We talked about being a woman in a male-dominated industry. She never let it define her. She pushed through by being more prepared, more studied, more reliable. Her rule: if you make a promise to deliver something by a deadline, you keep it. Be the person someone else can rely on.Right now she's taking time to invest in herself. Peloton five days a week. Japanese lessons. Journaling. Planning trips with her family. Starting a podcast with her daughter and her sister, three generations.Her advice: be an architect of your own future. Experiment. Try the AI tools. Build something small. The longer you wait, the more fear you create.Connect with Chrissie: linkedin.com/in/chrissiehansonTHE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross
Transcribe →EP 167: On Leading, Bossing, and Listening with Monique Nelson
Apr 1000:44:47Tap to summarizeInternational Women’s Month SeriesOnly child. Daughter of two scientists. Now majority owner of the longest-standing multicultural advertising agency in the United States.Monique Nelson is the Executive Chair and majority owner of UWG Inc., recently named Multicultural Agency of the Year for 2026. Since acquiring UWG in 2012, she's expanded the agency into Canada and Africa and co-founded Black Week, celebrating culture, creativity, and commerce. She's been at UWG for 19 years.What I love about this conversation is how Monique traces everything back to her upbringing. Her parents were scientists who taught her that you can do just about anything as long as you have a plan. Put out a hypothesis, then plot your path.Her grandmother was an entrepreneur. West Indian. Day job plus five more. Monique spent summers with her in Houston checking on properties, learning to drywall, hang shelving, use a level. They did the hard work in the morning, then something fun after. That became her formula: eat the peas first because peas suck cold.Her path to UWG wasn't planned. She was at Motorola when everything shifted at once. Divorce. Industry disruption. And the pull to go home and be near her parents while she still could. A dinner with a friend led to an interview. She was captivated by the founder, Byron Lewis, and the mission he had built. And then the COO said the thing that changed everything: I think you could run this place.Monique did it backwards by traditional standards. Bought the business, then got married, then had kids. No regrets. Her husband knew exactly what he was getting into.On leadership, she breaks it into three modes. Leading. Bossing. Listening. And listening, she says, is where most friction comes from when it's missing.Her advice: be coachable. Ask for help. And do the hard things first so you can enjoy what comes after.P.S. Monique is one of my dearest friends. I've watched her journey for years, and I'm so proud to share her with you.Connect with Monique:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monique-nelson-1082b9/THE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross
Transcribe →EP 166: From Fifth-Generation Rancher to Fashion Founder with Lee Evans Lee
Apr 800:31:56Tap to summarizeInternational Women’s SeriesLee Evans Lee is the founder and designer of Mrs. Mama Bear, a women's fashion brand that blends performance, comfort, and modern style. Think dresses, suits, and jumpsuits made from performance fabric. Function and fashion in one. Built for women who refuse to choose between how they feel and how they look.Lee grew up on a ranch in West Texas. She was riding the fence line alone by age 10, figuring it out as she went. That's where she learned to handle fear. To move through it. To know that no matter what happened, she was going to be alright.Her path wasn't linear. Pre-med, then TV production, then healthcare. Art school at night. Sewing school. She wondered if she was a flake. Looking back, every pivot was preparing her for what came next.The idea for Mrs. Mama Bear came from her own closet. She was tired of changing clothes five times a day. She wanted function, comfort, and style in one. It didn't exist. So she started drawing.Here's the part that gave me chills. She kept it secret for a year. Didn't tell anyone. Just drew at night, let it bake. She called it sacred. No opinions, positive or negative. Just her and the work. Counterintuitive to everything we're taught. But she knew it needed time to become solid enough to face the world.Now she's partnering with the Spurs and launching a sports line. The ranch is still there. She still goes back to listen to the hummingbirds.Her advice: don't be afraid to hold your dream close while it's forming.Connect with Lee:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeevanslee/Shop Now: http://mrsmommabear.comTHE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross
Transcribe →EP 165: On Prioritization, Motherhood, and the Jobs That Find You with Adrienne Pabst
Apr 200:37:20Tap to summarizeInternational Women’s Month SeriesAdrienne Pabst is the President of iHeartMedia's Strategic Partners Group leading a billion-dollar portfolio of the company's largest Fortune 500 advertisers. Her team partners with top marketers and agencies to create large-scale partnerships across broadcast radio, podcasting, digital, and live events. On top of that she's built and led some of iHeart's most important client relationships, helped shape the company's modern go-to-market approach and she's done it all from one company for 18 years.What I love about this conversation is what 18 years actually means. It doesn't mean standing still. It means Reinventing yourself over and over again to keep growing, keep leading, and keep earning your seat.Adrienne's first Reinvention happened at 14. She wanted to be a ballerina. Danced her whole life. Then she got a job at a dry cleaner and felt what independence actually was for the first time. Not the work itself. The paycheck. The control. That moment shifted everything.Motherhood brought another. She was climbing fast, then had her son and hit a wall. So she stepped back. Took a smaller role. Gave herself room. Most people don't talk about that kind of Reinvention. The kind where you choose less so you can show up better.Then the pandemic opened a door that never would have existed before. The national role she wanted had always been a New York job. Suddenly location didn't matter. She pitched hard. She got it.We also talked about what's changed in how we work. The expectation to respond in thirty minutes. Volume going up while quality comes down. Her fix now is simple: three priorities a week. That's it.On mentorship, most of hers have been men. She's honest about that. What she focuses on now is leading by example. Being the person people can come to without a formal meeting.And on the personal side, she's figuring it out like the rest of us. Micro conversations with friends. Two minutes just to say I love you. Calling her mom on the commute. Reinvention is rarely one big moment. It's a series of small choices that compound over time.Connect with Adrienne:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-pabst-57307624/THE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross
Transcribe →EP: 164 - Lead Boldly, Live Fully: Energy, Culture and Women in Charge with Beth Ann Kaminkow
Apr 100:23:41Tap to summarizeWomen's History Month SeriesBeth Ann Kaminkow is CEO of Dentsu Americas and Chief Global Client Officer of Dentsu. Before that, she served as Global Chief Commerce Officer at WPP and CEO New York at VML. She was also the first female CEO at Tracy Lock in its 100-year history. Recently, she was named one of Ad Age's Leaders to Watch in 2026.What I love about this conversation is how Beth Ann talks about the "little girl version" of herself.She didn't dream of being a ballerina. Instead, she dreamed of working. She'd line up her stuffed animals and give speeches. She'd play cashier, receptionist, leader. In other words, work ethic wasn't something she learned. It was hardwired. At the same time, she was obsessed with Diane von Furstenberg and Mary Tyler Moore. To her, they represented women who owned their femininity, their confidence, and their desire to work hard. We also talked about navigating a male-dominated industry. Early on, Beth Ann recognized that business performance was the language that opened doors. So naturally, she made sure that was always part of her narrative. But here's what stuck with me. She never stopped caring about culture and people.Beyond that, she's honest that things haven't changed as much as we'd like to think. Certain themes are cyclical. Others remain ever-present.We then got into energy management. For Beth Ann, it comes down to non-negotiables. Running. Sleep. Eating well. As a result, she leaves parties early. She turns down great invitations. She has FOMO sometimes. Still, she knows herself. She can't burn the candle at both ends the way some people can. And because of that, she protects what she needs to show up for others.Her advice is clear: be a serious person if you want to be taken seriously. But at the same time, don't take yourself so seriously. That's her North Star.Finally, for women specifically, ambition is in short supply. If you feel it inside yourself, keep that flame burning. And most importantly, find the people who ignite it further.Connect with Beth Ann: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-ann-kaminkow-b714042/THE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross
Transcribe →EP 163: What Happens When She Runs the Room...Trust Your Intuition with Lorey Zlotnick
Mar 2700:32:58Tap to summarizeInternational Women's Month SeriesLorey Zlotnick is the Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Zequity Marketing. Before launching her consultancy, she led brand divisions at Disney, FOX Sports, and the NFL - guiding transformations that shaped the modern media landscape.What I love about Lorey's story is that none of it was planned.She wanted to be a writer. Got a degree in fashion merchandising, minored in journalism, dreamed of writing for big fashion magazines. But life had other plans. Journalists were getting laid off in Detroit and one morning she was scraping ice off her windshield with a credit card and thought: what am I still doing here? So she moved to California knowing absolutely no one.From there, she landed at Nestle. Then the Los Angeles Times. One day she saw an ad for a job at the Disney Channel. She had no television background whatsoever. But she applied anyway. Met someone at an event who happened to run programming there. Handed him her resume. And here's the incredible part—the day she got offered the job, a rejection letter from the same company arrived in the mail.That moment launched her entire career.We talked about what it was like navigating male-dominated industries with no roadmap. Most of her bosses were men. There were no women's groups back then. No one showed her the way. But what struck me is how she learned just as much from bad leadership as good. Her reframe: that didn't feel right, but now I know what I don't want to be for other people.We also got into what pushed her to finally start her own consultancy. She realized she was sitting on decades of knowledge—from the boardroom to the locker room. And she wanted to deploy it differently. Help smaller companies and founders tell their stories the way the big brands do.Her advice is simple: evolve or die. Stay relevant. Don't be afraid to fail—because failure is what creates success. And don't leave a woman alone at the table.Connect with Lorey on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/loreyzlotnick/Learn more about Zequity Marketing https://www.zequitymarketing.com/THE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross
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