Heartbeat For Hire with Lyndsay Dowd

Erika Sinner is a multi eight-figure founder, bestselling author, and sought-after speaker redefining what it means to lead with empathy and impact. She is the Founder and CEO of Directorie®, one of the world's fastest-growing and award-winning life science agencies supporting bringing medications to market and impacting over 100 millions lives. Recognized twice on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies, Erika was named to the prestigious 2026 Inc. Female Founders 500. Under her leadership, Directorie has become a trusted strategic partner for life science organizations, blending operational excellence with a culture rooted in purpose, innovation, and humanity. As the Chief Empathy Officer of TinySuperheroes®, Erika channels her success toward social good, leading a global charitable organization that is on track to empower 5 million kids in the next five years who are chronically and terminally ill children to see themselves as strong, courageous and capable. Through superhero-themed programs in hospitals and homes around the world, she is transforming the way children and families experience care. Connect with Erika Sinner: 🌐 Website: erikasinner.org 📸 Instagram: @erika_sinner 💼 LinkedIn: Erika Sinner Heartbeat for Hire has been nominated for its 4th award- Best Business Podcast from Women in Podcasting. Please vote at this link. It's 1 vote per email. We are so grateful for your support! Thank you! https://www.womenpodcasters.com/lyndsay-dowd Summary: In this conversation, Erika opens up about growing up on food stamps in a trailer park and how those humble beginnings became the foundation for a leadership philosophy centered on making people feel human, not just hired. She shares how she built Directory to provide top pharmaceutical talent to small and mid-size companies bringing life-saving medications to market — and how treating employees with genuine care has driven triple-digit growth three years running. Key Takeaways: - Empathy is a power skill, not a soft skill. - You don't have to choose between performance and compassion. - Pet loss is real grief. - Showing up for people in hard moments builds lasting loyalty. - Your people are your asset. - Giving back grounds you. - How you respond is always yours. Episode Chapters: 0:41 Episode intro & three things you'll learn today 1:17 Introducing Erika Sinner 2:42 Erika's background – St. Louis, five dogs, and 20 years in life science 4:14 How Directory connects every team member to their impact 5:00 Leadership style: empathy as a "power skill" 6:21 Growing up with humble beginnings & the origin of her values 8:07 What humble beginnings teach leaders 8:29 Stories that shaped her empathetic leadership style 10:22 The non-negotiable: one-on-ones with every employee 12:09 Your people are your culture 13:05 Segue: pet bereavement leave 14:10 Losing Kingston – and the unexpected shame of grieving a pet 15:51 Kingston's deeper meaning – the first unconditional love in Erika's life 16:22 Writing Pets Are Family & advocating for broader bereavement policy 16:49 Are other companies adopting these policies? 18:00 Grief in the workplace – the post that resonated with thousands 19:49 How the cape reframes a child's medical journey as a heroic mission 21:44 Erika's own journey with self-worth and therapy 22:30 How to get involved with Tiny Superheroes 23:07 The fastest way out of a funk: go give and go serve 23:51 From trailer park to Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue 24:10 Managing energy and putting your own oxygen mask on first 26:00 Erika's legacy: leaving the world better than she found it 27:09 Final takeaway: do it scared, do it brave — just do it 27:40 Closing remarks

Hannah Hammond is a dynamic entrepreneur, real estate investor, and the CEO of HB Capital, a national CRE lending company, and the firm RE, a CRE real estate brokerage in Arizona. As self-made multi-millionaire in her 20s. her mission extends beyond financial success-she's passionate about empowering the next generation of leaders through financial literacy, emotional wellness, and entrepreneurship. 🔗 Connect with Hannah Hammond: Instagram: @hannahbhammond Facebook: @hannah.hammond4 LinkedIn: @hannahbhammond TikTok: @hannahbhammond YouTube: @hannahbhammond Heartbeat for Hire has been nominated for its 4th award- Best Business Podcast from Women in Podcasting. Please vote at this link. It's 1 vote per email. We are so grateful for your support! Thank you! https://www.womenpodcasters.com/lyndsay-dowd Summary: In this episode, host Lyndsay Dowd sits down with Hannah Hammond — self-made multimillionaire, CEO of HB Capital and The Firm RE, podcast host, and founder of a financial literacy foundation for kids. Hannah shares the raw, unfiltered story of how she went from a scarcity-filled childhood in Arizona to building a real estate empire in her twenties — and why hitting that first million at 25 didn't fix the internal pain she expected it to. Hannah unpacks the mindset shifts, emotional work, and wealth-building principles that changed everything for her: from reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad at 13, to working with an energetic intelligence coach who taught her that the outcome of any action can only be as great as the energetic state you bring to it. She also gets practical about teaching kids financial intelligence and makes a compelling case for why emotional wellbeing isn't soft — it's strategy. ✅ Key Takeaways: - You don't need the right background to build wealth. - Money won't fix internal pain. - Your energetic state drives your outcomes. - Teach kids three buckets: spend, give, invest. - Flow beats force. - You are the common denominator. 📍 Episode Chapters: 0:00 Intro — Rich Dad, Poor Dad principles & episode preview 0:36 Welcome to Heartbeat for Hire 0:51 Introducing Hannah Hammond 1:53 Hannah's story: feeling lost, disconnected, and searching 4:14 Going deeper — Hannah's childhood & scarcity mindset 5:00 The "rich dad, poor dad" moment at age 7 (and the McFlurry that changed everything) 7:33 First steps toward wealth — reading, real estate, and buying assets 9:20 " Mind your own business" — why a job alone won't bring financial freedom 10:22 Teaching kids financial literacy — the three buckets and the investment matching strategy 14:08 Shifting gears: emotional wellbeing as a business strategy 15:00 The epiphany at 25 — becoming a millionaire and still feeling the pain 16:35 The energetic intelligence coach who changed everything 17:03 The quote Hannah lives by: energetic state drives outcomes 18:43 Staying in the "green zone" — auditing your energy, relationships, and activities 20:13 The paradigm shift in leadership — flow vs. force, ambition vs. peace 21:26 You don't need a massive company to feel joy and success 23:10 What inspires Hannah & her legacy 24:11 Who Hannah works with & how to connect 25:54 Closing words & call to action

Global media executive and #1 bestselling author Adam Torres has garnered 25 million+ views as the Mission Matters powerhouse host. As a "Top 2%" Podcast Futurist out of 4 million global podcasts, his show series is available in 180 countries. Hailed as "The New Larry King," Torres creates a warm, engaging, and insightful platform for his guests, which include world leaders, C-suite executives, celebrities, world-class athletes, and top influencers. He has been featured in Forbes, Yahoo! Finance, CBS, and Fox Business. Adam Torres ushers in a new, fresh, and exciting chapter in the history of new media. Summary: This episode is a masterclass for anyone curious about podcasting — whether you're thinking of starting, already a few episodes in, or wondering if the space is too crowded. Adam makes a compelling case that podcasting is barely in its infancy, why mission-driven creators are positioned to win big, and how AI is changing the game for long-term content builders. He also shares the three monetization strategies that actually worked for him, the "Goldilocks Rule" of designing a sustainable show, and why the number one secret to a top-ranked podcast has nothing to do with audio quality. Key Takeaways: - Anyone can start — and start messy. - Design a system, not a schedule. - Longevity is the real ranking algorithm. - Podcasting is still in year one. - The three real monetization paths. - Your catalog is your moat. - Imperfection builds connection. - Podcasters are the new historians. Episode Chapters: 0:00 Cold open — Adam's vision of podcasting for life 1:04 Welcome & guest introduction 2:00 Why podcasting is the new gold mine of media 2:40 Adam's origin story — from finance to media 5:00 The pivot: a mentor says "write a book" 7:25 How Mission Matters was born (and why Adam almost said no) 9:38 The Oprah model — designing a CEO-meets-creator lifestyle 10:45 Reality check: podcasting is a 5+ year commitment 11:25 What to think about before building your show 12:05 The Goldilocks Rule of podcasting sustainability 13:45 Why Adam plans to podcast into his 100s 15:00 Designing a show you can do "in your sleep" 16:50 Building in buffers and production systems 19:17 Why interview shows energize (not drain) the host 20:00 The truck-stop interview — embracing imperfection 22:32 What actually makes a top-ranked podcast 23:00 Compounding content: why your catalog is your asset 25:00 AI search and why you can't fake a back catalog 27:10 Sponsor break 27:36 What Adam is working on now + why he wrote 1 Billion Podcasts 29:30 The case: podcasting hasn't even started yet 30:45 Dynamic advertising and the YouTube parallel 32:30 Generational wealth through podcasting 32:47 The three monetization strategies that worked 33:45 What inspires Adam 34:30 Adam's legacy: launching a million storytellers 36:00 Why podcasters are the new historians 36:30 Where to find Adam + get the free book 37:16 Closing & outro

Dr. Kevin Gazzara is the Senior Partner of Magna Leadership Solutions established in 2007, and the coauthor of the acclaimed books "The Leader of OZ" and "Ready, Set, Get Hired". He is an ICF certified coach, and a certified Positive Intelligence (PQ) Mental Fitness coach and founder of CoachSultants.com. Kevin has taught and developed Management and Leadership career-changing programs in the corporate world during his 18 years at Intel Corporation and as a University professor at 6 Universities over the last 28 years. Dr. Gazzara's work has been recognized for his international leadership development programs by Workforce Magazine, https://magnaleader.co/LTP Kevin's passion is in helping individuals find the leader within Socials: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevingazzara LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/magna-leadership-solutions/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MagnaLeadership Twitter: https://twitter.com/doctorkevin Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Magnaleaderhip Website: https://pqtrainingandcoaching.com/ Website: https://www.coachsultants.com/ Summary: In this episode, Kevin Gazzara joins Lyndsay Dowd to discuss why leadership is a mindset rather than a formal title. Drawing from 18 years of experience at Intel Corporation and decades of teaching, Kevin explores how individuals can unlock their leadership potential by "thinking at the next level up". The conversation covers the critical distinction between management and leadership, the importance of bringing solutions to the table, and how coaching combined with consulting can provide the necessary tools for professional growth. Kevin also shares a personal story about his own health journey to emphasize the power of intuition and being your own advocate. Key Takeaways: - Leadership is a Mindset, Not a Title - Bring Solutions, Not Just Problems - Management vs. Leadership - The Power of Language - Be Your Own Advocate Episode Chapters: [00:00] Introduction [01:54] Kevin Gazzara's Journey [05:34] Leadership Beyond Titles [07:06] The Next Level Up Mindset [07:38] Valuing Critical Thinking [09:36] Defining Management vs. Leadership [10:45] Can Leadership Be Learned? [15:26] Coaching vs. Consulting [19:10] A Personal Turning Point [21:02] Communication and the "But" Rule [26:36] Being Your Own Health Advocate [29:33] Connecting with Kevin [30:40] Closing Thoughts

Lirone Glikman is a globally recognized expert, keynote speaker, and bestselling author specializing in business relationships, personal branding, and global business growth, based on a method she developed. She is the founder of The Human Factor by Lirone Glikman, a global firm with two main services: founder-led branding to founders and executives, helping them build credibility through U.S. Tier-1 media, podcasts, and LinkedIn. Lirone is also an international keynote speaker on business relationships and personal branding for growth. With experience across 28 countries, she has worked with Fortune 500 companies, governments, universities, and startups. She is the author of The Super Connector's Playbook and an executive director at the United Nations' NGO Committee on Sustainable Development. Socials: Website: www.LironeGlikman.com/tscp-book Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lirone.glikman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lironeglikman YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCyXQS5cDSNv64FVNXdSMgCA Summary: In this episode, Lyndsay Dowd welcomes Lirone Glikman, a global thought leader who has advised major brands like Meta, Microsoft, and the United Nations. Lirone shares her personal story of moving to Australia and New York as a "dreamer" with limited English and zero connections, only to build a career as a world-renowned expert in relationship strategy. The conversation dives deep into moving past the "cringe" of traditional networking and instead focusing on authentic, strategic visibility and the power of internal trust to drive measurable business growth. Key Takeaways: - Normalize Social Anxiety - The 80/20 Rule of Small Talk - The Four Ps of Common Ground - Know, Like, Trust, Collaborate - Strategic Visibility over Bragging Episode Chapters: [00:00:27] – Three core lessons for today's episode [00:00:57] – Guest Intro: Who is Lirone Glikman? [00:02:07] – Lirone's Journey: From Sydney to New York City [00:05:40] – Why we "cringe" at networking and how to fix it [00:07:08] – Gamifying your relationship goals [00:08:36] – The Stages of Connection: Know, Like, Trust, Collaborate [00:09:53] – Mastering Small Talk with the "Four Ps" [00:13:41] – The "Invitation": Balancing the flow of conversation [00:14:45] – Storytelling: Tailoring your pitch for your audience [00:17:12] – Building a Personal Brand: Modesty vs. Speaking Up [00:20:44] – Trust as Currency: The hidden power of Internal Trust [00:26:16] – Where to connect with Lirone Glikman