Imagine sitting in an audience and listening to the story of a journalist who was literally shot in the face with an RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) in Afghanistan and lived to talk about it. The entire audience sits in awe, listening intently full of empathy ready to hear his story. This is what it is like when Carmen Gentile speaks. I got to talk with Carmen recently and get to know him and his story and more importantly the impact he is having and wants to have on the world.

In this conversation, Ross explores the connection between brand value and employee experience with Mark Levy, the pioneer of EX through his work at Airbnb. Mark now shows organizations what is possible when you empower employees and rethink HR.

I recently had the pleasure of spending some time with the multi-talented Gravity Speakers Exclusive, Shontavia Johnson, whose company LVRG is helping empower female entrepreneurs in a way that is both impactful and highly needed. It never ceases to amaze me when I meet the founders of companies and hear their stories. You can see how these trailblazers use their own experience to create opportunities for others who come from similar places. Shontavia’s journey through law school and then entrepreneurship as a woman of color was one that was far from easy. She cut her own path in a male-dominated industry and what she brought with her was a new perspective but she didn’t stop there. She turned around and helped pave the way for others helping to increase diversity in industries and organizations. Some people are willing to go it alone where there is no trail and in doing this they create inroads for others. Her thoughtfulness and positive energy are infectious and she is just getting started. 

Sheen Allen has an incredible story of success in an industry that is difficult for everyone and even more difficult for minorities, women, and female founders. Listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30, Sheena started Sheena Allen Apps as a non-technical founder garnering millions of downloads. From there she created her 2nd big startup, CapWay, a neobank to serve underbanked and unbanked segments with financial services and education and she is just getting started.

In a world of constant change and new demands, entrepreneurs, creatives, and employees are experiencing constant stress and this is creating a lack of wellness that is permeating our society. When people think of wellness they often think of health, but by many definitions, wellness has a number of contributing factors beyond health. I recently got to talk to Jonas Koffler, bestselling author of Hustle, speaker, co-founder of Radical Wellness Inc and The Mental Wellness Summit, and social innovator about the epidemic of our time which is a lack of wellness.