Gail Davis and her guest Tim Sanders discuss how to use AI to reframe business challenges as prediction problems.

Show Notes

For our first episode we’re welcoming Tim Sanders, the Vice President of Customer Insights at Upwork and a New York Times best-selling author. Tim, recently appointed as an executive fellow at Harvard Business School's Digital Data Design Institute, shares his mission to bridge AI research and practical business applications. We explore the necessity of AI literacy for C-suite executives, strategies to mitigate AI risks, and key metrics for measuring AI success. Tim also discusses his personal approach to staying ahead in the AI field, including his custom GPT tool named TLDR, and the importance of reframing business challenges as prediction problems.

Key topics in this episode include:

• How AI can transform business leadership and why it's crucial for modern executives.
• Why AI literacy is becoming imperative for C-suite executives to stay competitive.
• What "return on AI" means and how to measure AI investments effectively - download McKinsey & Company chart.
• How to mitigate risks and identify hidden costs associated with AI implementation.
• What key metrics should be used to gauge the success of AI initiatives.
• How Tim stays ahead in the fast-paced world of AI through continuous learning.
• What resources Tim recommends, including books, podcasts, and academic studies.
• How Tim uses his custom GPT tool, TLDR, to digest and annotate information efficiently.
• Why connecting with the audience is vital for Tim before speaking engagements.
• How reframing business challenges as prediction problems makes AI more accessible.
• What insights Tim offers to make AI impactful and clear for business leaders.
• How AI application can be tailored to different business contexts and industries.
• How Tim customizes his talks based on the specific needs and challenges of each business.
• What practical AI strategies can drive significant business growth and efficiency.

Visit gdaspeakers.com to learn more about bringing Tim Sanders to your next event!

Gail Davis is joined by Erica Dhawan who shares her wisdom on communication in today's digital culture - including using connectional intelligence and reading digital body language in our modern workplace.

Show Notes

In this episode we’re joined by Erica Dhawan. Erica is a leading authority in the world of teamwork, collaboration, and innovation, as well as a Wall Street Journal best-selling author. She has been ranked as one of the top female keynote speakers and has also been referred to as “the Oprah of management thinkers.” Erica shares her wisdom on communication in today’s digital culture - including using connectional intelligence and reading digital body language in our modern workplace.

Key topics in this episode include:

• Why Erica emphasizes the importance of being a speaker.
• The field she thought she would go into and why she shifted into speaking instead.
• What speaking has brought to her life and why she feels drawn to it.
• Erica’s secret for keeping her content fresh and relevant.
• What connectional intelligence is and why it’s so important in today’s workplace.
• Why understanding digital body language is so relevant to teams today.
• The consequences of our “always on” culture and what we need to do about it.
• What you can do to make your team members feel truly valued.
• The unique struggles that women who are direct have in the workplace.
• Why communication style should vary internally versus externally.
• What senior team members need to remember about their junior team members.
• The key driver of trust in teams and how to avoid creating a toxic workplace.
• How creating norms can help you thrive despite the distance between team members.
• What Erica has been told is her greatest gift and how you can use it too.

Visit gdaspeakers.com to learn more about bringing Erica Dhawan to your next event!

Gail Davis is joined by Leslie Morgan Steiner who recounts her unexpected life experiences that led her to share her inspiring story - with a message that is equally applicable for both men and women.

Show Notes

Today our guest is New York Times bestselling author Leslie Morgan Steiner. Leslie is also a TED Talk veteran, a columnist for the Washington Post, and a thought leader on women's leadership who speaks about overcoming adversity, surviving violence against women, and much more. During the episode, she shares the life experiences that led to her sharing her story so candidly.

Key topics in this episode include:

• What Leslie writes and speaks about and why it’s important to everybody.
• How men with female team members can benefit from women-focused content.
• The unique way women approach their life and workplace.
• What led up to Leslie writing her book Crazy Love.
• How Leslie’s path in life has surprised her, and what her calling is now.
• The staggering amount of people who face abuse, plus the role that denial plays.
• The less typical places that violence against women education should be shared.
• Where Leslie’s story expands and other places she found her resilience.
• What Leslie’s other books are about and why their messages are important.
• What Leslie realized after writing The Naked Truth and what surprised her most.
• Why Leslie loves being a writer and speaker, and what she’s working on now.
• The best place to find new ideas and creative inspiration for writing and speaking.

If you or someone you know are a victim of domestic violence, please CALL or TEXT the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit www.thehotline.org

Visit gdaspeakers.com to learn more about bringing Leslie Morgan Steiner to your next event!

Gail Davis is joined by John Sanei who shares how to approach AI with optimism and how the combination of neuroscience, business strategy, and psychology impact our collective futures.

Show Notes

In this episode we visit with John Sanei who is an expert on human psychology, neuroscience, and business strategy. As a Certified Futures Strategist, he combines his expertise to understand how these aspects intermingle to impact our collective futures. John gives his insights on the future of AI (and why we should be optimistic), how to move towards your own authenticity, and advice for making large-scale events way more enjoyable.

Key topics in this episode include:

• How John and Gail first connected, and the nickname Gail received as a result.
• Why John says we’re all geniuses in our own ways (and what his genius is).
• How we can solve the very human problem of getting stuck.
• John’s strategy for crafting a great speech.
• John’s favorite pastime and how it helps him evolve as a speaker.
• The next phase of AI and the implications this has on the world around us.
• The false belief many humans have and how it holds us back from optimism.
• How John’s international background has influenced his life and career.
• The customized presentation John is working on now and why it matters.
• Why John focuses on business strategy and human evolution.
• How understanding and anticipating the future is agnostic to industry.
• The business book that John is working on now.
• The recent speaking challenge John had to navigate and how he overcame it.
• John’s tips to make large-scale events more engaging and less boring for audiences.

Visit gdaspeakers.com to learn more about bringing John Sanei to your next event!

Gail Davis is joined by John Register who discusses transforming adversity into advantage, what holds people back from moving past difficult times, and how his message provides audiences a necessary perspective shift.

Show Notes

In this episode of Backstage Pass we’re joined by John Register. John is a Paralympic silver medalist, army combat veteran, TedX speaker, author, and CPAE. Recently, he was named among the top global leadership speakers. John opens up about his Paralympic career, what holds people back from moving past difficult times (and how he can help), and the experiences that helped make him the speaker he is today.

Key topics in this episode include:

• What getting the CPAE title meant to John and how he reached this milestone.
• How being diverted towards the Gulf War elevated his speaking ability.
• How he lost his leg and what it taught him about adversity.
• Why he was so surprised when he made the Paralympic swim team.
• The importance of having people in your life who won’t let you fail.
• How his Paralympic experience developed and expanded.
• The fear that holds people back from reaching their goals and how John can help.
• How his speaking gives him a unique perspective of leadership and the world.
• The calls John gets weekly and why he makes himself available to serve them.
• Why knowing what the Constitution is matters when protecting it.
• The unique aspect the US brings to athletic events, including the Paralympics.
• What John is focusing on right now in his career next.
• Why the way you show up with event planners and producers matters.
• The influence any interaction you have with someone, no matter how small, can have.

Visit gdaspeakers.com to learn more about bringing John Register to your next event!

Gail Davis is joined by Lisa Bodell who dissects the difference between productivity and simplicity, how workplace culture influences the complexity of our work, and using simplicity as an employee retention strategy.

Show Notes

Today our guest is the founder and CEO of FutureThink, Lisa Bodell. Lisa is a futurist and a global leader on collaboration and innovation. She ranks in the top 50 speakers worldwide, and she is also a two-time best-selling author. She’s an expert in helping people discover how to eliminate complexity through the power of simplicity. In today’s conversation, she shares why emphasizing productivity doesn’t work, and why simplifying your work is the way to go.

Key topics in this episode include:

• Why so many people are at a breaking point right now.
• How being organized differs from being simplified.
• The benefits of simplifying your work and your life.
• A better way to say no (that actually feels good).
• The importance of leaning into saying “yes, if” statements.
• Why people want their time back and how being selfish with it helps.
• How your work culture influences the complexity of your work.
• What makes Lisa a more sought-after speaker and why.
• Why Lisa says simplicity is agnostic and who her main audience is.
• Why productivity isn’t the answer in the workplace (and what matters more).
• How Lisa applies the things she speaks about to her own life.
• How killing stupid ideas has made Lisa’s team even better.
• The secrets to making a speaking event a home run.
• What the best rooms are to find yourself in and what makes the best group.
• The surprising thing Lisa learned about herself as a speaker.

Visit gdaspeakers.com to learn more about bringing Lisa Bodell to your next event!

Gail Davis is joined by seasoned event strategist Heather Davis who shares what makes an event a home run, factors that play into speaker selection, and the challenges she faces behind the scenes.

Show Notes

In this episode of Backstage Pass we’re joined by events strategist Heather Davis, Corporate Vice President with New York Life. She drives high-impact outcomes through oversight of three domains: marketing, meetings, and training and development. This conversation has Heather share what makes a speaking event successful, why some speakers are invited back, and the biggest hurdles she faces as an events strategist. She also spills about what a recent speaker did that surprised her—and what she expects to see in the event and speaking space next.

Key topics in this episode include:

• The services Heather provides and the individuals who look for these services.
• The overall objective of the annual meeting that Heather coordinates.
• How having a small event team influences the planning process.
• Signs of a successful annual meeting (and why measuring it matters).
• How many contracts Heather has facilitated.
• What encourages Heather to book a speaker again (or never again).
• Why you should book speakers as far in advance as possible.
• Whether a speaker’s video is actually helpful in decision making or not.
• The biggest challenges Heather has in strategizing events.
• Why speaker customization is so important.
• How she approaches booking speakers and who she trusts with the heavy lifting.
• The type of speaker that Heather needs right now who are also hard to find.
• What a recent speaker did that surprised Heather.
• Heather’s predictions for future events and what’s already changing now.
• Recent speakers that stood out for Heather in a positive way.

Visit gdaspeakers.com to learn more about partnering with GDA Speakers on your next event!

Gail Davis is joined by Sandra Joseph & Ron Bohmer who discuss finding success by removing our masks to be our authentic selves and how they uniquely blend their captivating Broadway talent with impactful storytelling at each event.

Show Notes

In this episode of Backstage Pass, we’re joined by Sandra Joseph & Ron Bohmer. Often referred to as Broadway royalty, this couple fell in love both on and off stage in 1997. They’ve been married for over 20 years and have formed a beautiful business partnership. The speaking events they do together are often about overcoming fear and rejection, following your heart, and the importance of dropping your mask and being your authentic self.

Key topics in this episode include:

• The role that made Sandra the longest leading lady on the longest running play.
• A gift that helped Sandra keep her edge after a decade into performing.
• How a shift in underlying motivations can recharge you.
• Why it’s important to be who you are, flaws and all.
• Why Sandra said she’s the least likely Broadway star you’d ever meet.
• How being vulnerable can actually help you achieve your dreams.
• What made Ron and Sandra’s first conversation unique.
• The pressure people feel to show up a certain way and how it burdens them.
• How having a deep dive with a client before a speaking event improves the event.
• Sandra’s motivation for becoming an author and speaker.
• How a theater background has equipped them to make events especially engaging.
• The role their daughter landed and how it’s been a bonding experience for their family.
• How Ron and Sandra give back to the community and why they are passionate about it.
• Their favorite parts of what they do and why their audience gets lit up from them.

Visit gdaspeakers.com to learn more about bringing Sandra Joseph & Ron Bohmer to your next event!