In Good Companies | Podcast Guru

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Starting and running a business or managing one isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re balancing internal and external forces in a continually changing landscape. You’re building strategies, and banking on the future – no matter what it holds. This is where Cadence Bank’s In Good Companies comes in. We share our wealth of knowledge, and insights from noted industry experts, to guide you through the forces shaping business today. We’re back for Season 6, and this time, we’re setting our sights on the future of work. We’re asking the big questions, like: What will your career look like in 2030? Or 2050, even? How is ESG shaping the future of companies? And how can we leverage AI to our advantage? We bring together experts from across the board, from Silicon Valley to multinationals like EY, to help you stay on the cutting edge of business. And we get to know those who are building the future of our companies; because at Cadence Bank, we want to hear the human side of every success story. Hosting our stellar range of guests this season is our new host, Ari Marin. He is a Cadence Bank Senior Vice President and family enterprise advisor, whose specialty is consulting with family-owned and small businesses. Ari’s idea of “good company” is being around creative, insightful people with unique and inspirational stories. For Season 6, he brings in his curiosity and ambition to In Good Companies, to lead discussions with our guests, and bring listeners across the U.S. all the information they need, in one place, in under 30 minutes. Ready to launch into the future? Then join us!

Recent Episodes

OCT 15, 2024

Wired in: Shuo Chen on Technology and the Future of Business

In Good Companies is back! And for Season 6, we’re doing a deep dive into the future of work. Because business will look different in 2050, and if we had to take an educated guess, it seems that technology is going to be a driver of change.

In 2024, 86% of organizations have maintained or raised their IT budgets. We all sense that digital tools can help us secure the future of business; we’re just not sure how to use them to our advantage. So today, we speak with a leading voice in the field of technology and entrepreneurship: Shuo Chen, Silicon Valley connoisseur, faculty professor at UC Berkeley and Stanford University, and partner at IOVC, an investment firm focused on early-stage startups that drive the future of work.

In this episode, Shuo shows us how tools like AI and Blockchain can revolutionize business. She demonstrates how technology will eliminate repetitive tasks, streamline our processes, redirect our attention to cultural human questions, and afford us more time to hone our leadership skills. Shuo shines a light on a new, diverse generation of self-starters who are taking their seat at the business table. And she breaks down how technology is changing the nature of entrepreneurship; opening up new career paths going forward.

So join Shuo Chen and our new host Ari Marin, to get into the nuts and bolts and launch your company into the future!

Highlights:

A brief history of AI & Blockchain (4:16)
Why AI & Blockchain are a powerful combination (6:44)
How technology can augment workflows and improve decision making (8:08)
Breaking down the “Human VS Technology” myth (10:00)
“80% of the jobs available in 2030 were not invented 5 years ago” (11:03)
Ways in which technology will change existing roles (12:20)
A happy middle: how to juggle automation and personalisation (14:12)
Using tech to make different leadership styles possible (15:09)
Transformations in the world of entrepreneurship (16:42)
FinTech and changes at play in venture funding (18:17)
Fractional founders: how Shuo seeded her career (19:41)
Debunking the taboo of building fractionally (21:58)
Linking together technology, diversity and inclusion (23:41)
How widespread access to information can create more fruitful discussion (25:33)
“Resistance is a healthy part of technological development” (26:38)
A final word from Shuo on the Future of Work (28:26)

Links:

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producers, [email protected] or [email protected].

32 MIN

SEP 10, 2024

A Happy Place: Joy as a Business Question, with Ingrid Fetell Lee

To conclude our Sea Suite series and help you get back to work on a high note, we’re bringing you an episode about joy. Recent research by Oxford University found that workers are 13% more productive when they’re happy. And yet, another study by BCG found that most company leaders aren’t building their strategies around how their employees feel at work. So joy? It’s a real business question.

In this episode, we are joined by designer and joy specialist Ingrid Fetell Lee, to find out how to make our workplaces, our jobs, and ourselves more joyful. A former design director for IDEO, Ingrid is a self-starter with a decade’s worth of research into the science of joy. Her findings made it into a book: Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness.

Today, she helps us answer the hard questions: how do we get to feel joyful? Our surroundings, the objects in our homes, the things and people we interact with every day… Why do they influence our emotions? And crucially: what does that mean for our companies? Together, we discuss how to make our workplaces more enjoyable and productive, and what joy means for leadership, teamwork and our business philosophy.

Join Ingrid and Ari to spread joy today and make it an integral function of your organization.

Highlights:

When Ingrid first stumbled upon Joy (2:45)
Universal joyful patterns (4:54)
The evolutionary explanation for joy (7:32)
The difference between joy and happiness (9:33)
The Aesthetics of Joy in the Workplace (10:29)
How physical space can impact our mental health (13:32)
The branded environment: “No one wants to work inside the corporate logo” (15:30)
The case of joy contagion at Coca-Cola (16:34)
Adopting a new joyful leadership (18:56)
“The biggest mistake that I've seen employers make is inconsistency” (20:56)
Undoing the corporate bias against joy (22:03)
Signs that we have changed our team for the better (23:23)
Finding joy while working remotely (25:57)
Embracing joy in the present (27:46)
Gen Z: a new philosophy of joy (29:27)

Links:

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producers, [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].

34 MIN

SEP 3, 2024

Money Matters: Saundra Davis on Adopting Financial Wellness

According to a 2023 poll, nearly 50% of small business owners felt stressed about their finances. So at In Good Companies, before we return to work, we want to learn more about our money feelings. Where do they come from? Are they serving us well? And how can we gain confidence in our potential, to build a healthier relationship with our finances? Our guest Saundra Davis thinks about these questions every single day.

Saundra is a Financial Planner and Coach, the Director of Financial Programmes at Golden Gate University, and the founder of Sage Financial Solutions, a non-profit offering support and education to people from all backgrounds. And in today’s episode, she joins Ari for an honest, vulnerable and insightful conversation on financial well-being.

Together, they recall how Saundra launched her career after having made every mistake possible in her first business. They spell out the link between trauma and behavior and explain why a good financial plan starts with understanding our needs and values. Working through Saundra’s “Continuum of Financial Well-being”, they also cover what professional support looks like in practice; how to avoid some typical budgetary mistakes when launching a new venture; and how to assess if you’re coping well with your current financial situation.

Join them to hit reset and align your dollars, your cents and your values with your business vision.

Highlights:

“There's no aspect of our lives that money doesn't touch” (3:01)
The impact of money feelings on business decisions (4:36)
How to recognize an unhealthy financial mindset (6:04)
Understanding the "Continuum of Financial Well-being" (8:03)
Financial wellness: a subjective question (10:37)
Typical financial challenges when launching a new venture (13:50)
Financial stress: how we can look out for each other (16:23)
Why building trust with your Financial Planner matters (18:28)
Financial support starts with your needs (21:25)
Money wellness as an investment into the future (23:12)
Saundra’s go-to resources for financial support (25:08)
“Know where you are; know you're going; build a plan to get there “ (26:39)
No Shame Zone: Saundra’s new money mindset (28:18)

Links:

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producers, [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].

31 MIN

AUG 27, 2024

Brain Power: Refreshing Our Performance Mindset & Unlocking New Potential, with Dr. Julia DiGangi

Whether you’re building your company up through growth and innovation or by investing in your culture, being in business often means striving for performance. But is there a science to good leadership? Research in cognitive psychology shows there might be.

Our guest today is Dr. Julia DiGangi, author of Energy Rising: The Neuroscience of Leading with Emotional Power. She is a neuropsychologist who works with businesses and entrepreneurs to help them harness their power, and keep their mindset fresh. And for her, great leadership starts when we understand the human brain!

In today’s episode, Dr. DiGangi joins our new host Ari Marin to decode the clever machinery of the brain, and unlock new potential! Together, they discuss our cognitive ability to recognize patterns and our natural aversion to uncertainty; they unpack how we can reshape our behaviors to undo fear-based nervous habits; and they reveal that focusing on identity can move organizations towards better cooperation. Dr. DiGangi shares her invaluable research and wealth of knowledge on corporate leadership to help us tap into our brain power.

So tune in with Julia and Ari today, and get ready to adopt a whole new performance mindset.

Highlights:

Understanding how the brain works (3:00)
Anxiety as a reaction to uncertainty (4:37)
Cognitive strategies: why we'd rather choose physical pain (6:05)
Building leadership from the energy of emotion (8:25)
“Working” and “overworking” as different nervous responses (11:34)
Why identity is the best response to uncertainty (12:54)
The emotional math of our professional lives (15:12)
Reframing micromanagement as a fear reaction (16:45)
Recent changes in the conversation around mental health (18:34)
The impact of technology on emotional intelligence (20:28)
The creativity of leadership (22:24)
Speaking the language of emotions (24:11)
“The greatest asset that companies have today is relational intelligence” (26:23)
Staying optimistic for the future of collaboration (29:12)

Links:

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producers, [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].

31 MIN

AUG 20, 2024

Slow Burn: Understanding Chronic Stress & Overcoming Burnout, with Paula Davis

This August, In Good Companies is back with a special series to relax, reset and dive back into business. And while summertime is an ideal season to press pause and step out of the office, for some of us, the need for a break is pressing. In 2024, 38% of US employees report having experienced burnout; a phenomenon recognized by the World Health Organisation as an occupational issue.

So how do we change our systems and habits to enhance well-being at work, and avoid burnout? When it comes to our corporate lives, what can we do to stay motivated, productive and healthy in the long term? We answer these questions with Paula Davis, a burnout recovery and well-being expert, and CEO of the Stress & Resilience Institute.

In this episode, our new host Ari Marin speaks with Paula about what burnout feels like and how to recognize it before it’s too late. Together, we strategize recovery and discuss how to undo stigma, and to open up conversations on mental health inside our companies. Throughout, Paula will share her experiences of triumph over chronic fatigue; proving that burnout is not the end of the road, but a fork in it.

So tune in with Paula and Ari, to start a new conversation today and find your path to stress resilience.

Highlights:

Paula’s own experience with Burnout (2:19)
How habits, values, or preconceptions contribute to Burnout (5:05)
Taking the time for recovery (7:07)
Recognizing early signs of Burnout (9:12)
An exercise to notice symptoms (13:03)
A “me” and a “we” approach to Burnout (15:27)
The “core six” drivers of chronic stress (17:12)
How to tackle motivation from generation to generation (19:55)
Strategies for recovery and prevention (22:15)
Paula’s go-to resources for education (25:45)
Breaking the stigma around Burnout (26:59)
Using flexibility for professional empowerment (29:41)
Burnout as a constructive journey (33:04)

Links:

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producers, [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].

37 MIN