Real Leaders With Roshini

Jana Shortal is no stranger to the media spotlight. Recently she has gone from asking questions and telling stories, to answering them as part of the story. She joins Real Leaders with Roshini to discuss everything from the whirlwind that has been 2019, the fight for equal pay, social media and more. 

Kim Valentini founded Smile Network International when she was searching for motivation and purpose during her second act in life. More than 15 years later, Kim serves as the CEO and has learned to smile each and every day. How does she do it? Listen to Valentini on this week's edition of Real Leaders with Roshini!

Dale Cook is the co-founder and CEO of 'Learn To Live' and he attempts to take the stigma out of talking about mental health. Listen to Cook on the Real Leaders with Roshini Podcast discuss mental health, or what he calls, mental fitness and lets people know it's okay to talk about. 

Everyone wants to laugh, even when they shouldn't. Tane Danger is a comedian, actor who isn't afraid to test limits and talk to strangers. In this episode of Real Leaders with Roshini, Danger joins to talk about life as a comedian and why he rides the bus from beginning to end without stopping. 

Blended families, runs by the lake, books, wine, and Star Wars? Heather Brown of WCCO-TV chats with Roshini on the Real Leaders with Roshini Podcast about so much more than just her successful career in television. 

Alison Brown is the President and CEO of the Science Museum of Minnesota. During her childhood, she learned the importance of science and math, and strives to make careers more accessible to girls everywhere. Brown also has a few incredible hobbies. 

How does a community end up with $100,000 worth of sales in one night and a trip to The White House? Paul Mooty chats with Roshini about why he re-opened Faribault Woolen Mill, a Civil War era woolen mill, and how business took off from there. 

Sports fans want as much insight and information as possible. In Minnesota, Marney Gellner provides that access for fans inside the locker rooms and clubhouses, gathering and reporting non-stop information about the best athletes in the world. How does she make it look so easy? Sideline reporter for Fox Sports North, Marney Gellner, joins Real Leaders with Roshini to discuss her career and life outside of sports. 

Libby Larsen is one of the most decorated and accomplished musical composers in American history. She has worked with multiple genres, for multiple generations, and has a few Grammy Awards to show for her hard work and dedication to the craft. Larsen chats with Roshini for 'Real Leaders with Roshini' to discuss the music, her love of Minnesota and so much more. 

In Episode #15 of Real Leaders with Roshini, Sanneh Foundation CEO and former pro soccer player Tony Sanneh counts his blessings. He says, "Kids all over the world just want positive interactions," and strives to make a change in the lives of young people through education, health and wellness, and community building. His foundation launched while he was still playing soccer when a college student asked him for help to start a soccer camp. The rest is history as the Sanneh Foundation went from a basic budget and one program to a $3.5 million organization with six programs and growing. These days, his playing field could be anywhere in the world.

In Episode #14 of Real Leaders with Roshini, we go back in time to October 2018. Roshini talked with Ron Stallworth ahead of his visit to Minneapolis and ahead of the movie awards season. Stallworth's New York Times bestseller, Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime, had been made into a movie by Jordan Peele and Spike Lee. The world didn't yet know the movie would soon get nominated for Golden Globe and Academy Awards.

In Episode #13 of Real Leaders with Roshini, CaringBridge CEO Liwanag Ojala gracefully brags about the crazy stats of the world's first and most widely-used global non-profit social network. With someone creating a new CaringBridge site every eight minutes and 115,000 distinct donors in 2018, most businesses would salivate for these engagement numbers. Liwanag brings her past as a digital executive and CEO of Simon Delivers, among other big roles, to this job where healthcare, technology, and non-profit culture intersect. She stresses the importance of relationships and credits how sharing a "take a pause" conversation with Lars Leafblad, of Ballinger Leafblad, years ago led to him reaching out to her about CEO succession planning for CaringBridge when she was first considered for the COO position in 2014. 

In Episode #12 of Real Leaders with Roshini, Minneapolis Police Federation President Lt Bob Kroll talks about what made him leave confirmed bachelorhood, how he rose to the top of the ranks, and what he might have done differently from his early years as a leader.

In Episode #11 of Real Leaders with Roshini, former Green Bay Packer Darrell Thompson shares how he found his calling for mentoring, and how that would come into play in his later role as CEO of Bolder Options, when he volunteered with kids during college.  He told Roshini "he married right" with his wife Stephanie and explains why bringing kids into the world is like horse breeding. Listen to his episode to find out exactly what he means by that.He wants to re-set the norm for black men and is bringing more black teachers into schools through his work with the organization Black Men Teach. As for football today compared with when he was a pro? He says it's safer: "You used to be taught techniques to almost knock people out—put the crown of your helmet into the other guy's ear hole."This man who mentors young people counts Manchester Companies CEO Mark Sheffert and Delta Dental CEO Rod Young as two key mentors in his life. 

In Episode #10 of Real Leaders with Roshini, Experience Life Magazine's Jamie Martin says, "If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it," and shares why Michelle Obama is her dream cover story. She also had to rely on her own habits of wellness when her family was struck by the death of her young nephew due to a rare genetic disease. Now, she's an advocate and educator on Krabbe Disease. Jamie doesn't shoot for perfection but progress. And if she were a cocktail, she'd be a gin and tonic--partly because of the ability to add your own twist. 

In Episode #9 of Real Leaders with Roshini, Retired Army helicopter pilot Miki Huntington tells us why Panic at the Disco's High Hopes is her theme song. Plus, what it was like working for Vice President Dick Cheney.

In Episode #8 of Real Leaders with Roshini, KSTP-TV Sports Director Joe Schmit got very real as he reflected on a poignant moment when he asked forgiveness for a past deed. Plus, what he's learned about keeping the 'noise' out and the 'sizzle' on and why you might be surprised about who's had the most impact on him over decades of interviewing everyone in sports.

In Episode #7 of Real Leaders with Roshini, Rolf Nordstrom tells us why renewable energy is the new industrial revolution; plus, what the smell of a Manhattan calls to mind.

In Episode #6 of Real Leaders with Roshini, Kim Bartmann shares the inside scoop about her 9 restaurants, which one is her Happy Face place, plus the biggest tragedy that could befall a bartender.

In Episode #5 of Real Leaders with Roshini, Greg and Nicole Jennings share why they avoid countries with iguanas for family trips and why the Super Bowl Champ is a Cabernet while you could call the fashion guru a red blend. Plus, their secret for keeping a relationship sexy.