Women in Business Impact Lab (WBIL) Podcast

S2E6 - Navigating Higher Education Leadership as a Female, with Alexis Palmer

In this WBIL Podcast episode, Jonathan H. Westover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhwestover/) and Angela Schill (https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-s-69b18369/) talk with Alexis Palmer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisapalmer/) about navigating higher education leadership as a female. Alexis Palmer joined Utah Valley University in 2004 and has served in a variety of roles. Palmer has been in her current role as the Associate Vice President of Student Life/Dean of Students since 2014. Her motivation for working in Student Affairs began when she was a Resident Assistant at Idaho State University. The RA experience was transformational and created the foundation of her passion for engaging women in leadership, advancing inclusion initiatives, and student development. Palmer graduated with her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Boise State University, Master’s in Youth and Family Recreation from Brigham Young University, and received an Ed.D. from Grand Canyon University in Organizational Leadership & Development. Her dissertation was a phenomenological study exploring the lived experiences of non-LDS employees who work in a predominantly LDS environment. Learn more about the WBIL at www.uvu.edu/woodbury/wbil/.

S2E5 - The Biggest Challenges Facing Utah’s Economic Ecosystem, with Silvia Castro

In this WBIL Podcast episode, Jonathan H. Westover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhwestover/) and Angela Schill (https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-s-69b18369/) talk with Silvia Castro about the biggest challenges facing Utah’s economic ecosystem.Silvia Castro has spent more than 20 years as an executive in non-profit, government and for-profit organizations. Her past experience includes working with other executives and business owners from Fortune 500 companies, the State of Utah, Salt Lake County, and Salt Lake City as well as forward-looking non-profits such as the Suazo Business Center, Utah Microenterprise Loan Fund, the Austin Project, in Austin, TX, and the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business Program. Her love for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship began in 1999 when she worked as the Assistant Director of the Women’s Business Center of Utah.Silvia received an International Fellowship through which she completed her MBA with an emphasis in International Business from the University of Utah. She received her bachelor’s degree in International Business from Westminster College, where she graduated with honors. She is certified in Cultural Intelligence through the CII and certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt.She currently serves on the Federal Reserve’s 12th District Advisory Board and on the Executive Committee of Envision Utah. She is a Senior Advisor to the Kem C Gardner Institute at the University of Utah, on the Board of the Wasatch Front Regional Council’s Economic Development District, and the MOFI Small Business Advisory Board. She Co-Chaired Salt Lake City Mayor Mendenhall’s Economic Development Transition team, served as a Trustee on the Board of Trustees at Salt Lake Community College, the Utah Governor’s COVID Economic Taskforce, and the Governor’s COVID Multicultural Taskforce. Silvia is also the recipient of the 2020 Pathfinder Award from the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, and the 2022 Utah Business Woman of the Year.Learn more about the WBIL at www.uvu.edu/woodbury/wbil/.

S2E4 - Pandemic-Related Job Changes and Preferences, with Dr. Kelly Hall and Dr. Maureen Andrade

In this WBIL Podcast episode, Jonathan H. Westover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhwestover/) and Angela Schill (https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-s-69b18369/) talk with Dr. Kelly Hall (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyreneehall/) and Dr. Maureen Andrade (https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureen-andrade-12612478/) about the recent WBIL research brief, Pandemic-Related Job Changes and Preferences, by Gender.Learn more about the WBIL at www.uvu.edu/woodbury/wbil/.

S2E3 - Past, Present, and Future Orientations in Our Personal Leadership, with Mel Lane

In this WBIL Podcast episode, Jonathan H. Westover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhwestover/) and Angela Schill (https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-s-69b18369/) talk with Mel Lane about past, present, and future orientations in our personal leadership. Signposts- 1. The past: Never a failure, always a learning 2. The present: The importance of self leadership (growth mindset, continuous learner, proactive accountability ) 3. The future: vision for your life and the micro steps, your brand, trust, your impact Melissa Lane (https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissanlane) holds an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business & Technology. She is a Utah Business Sales and Marketer (SAMY) Award winner, a graduate of Harvard University’s Leadership Consortium Executive Program, and is currently a Vice President of Sales at BILL, a Fin-Tech powerhouse that acquired her former company, Divvy Inc., in 2021 for $2.5 Billion. Melissa is also the co-lead for BILL’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group, which during her tenure has grown to more than 200 members. On weekends she is an avid snowboarder and mountain biker, but her favorite role is wife and Mada to her high-school sweetheart and three-year-old daughter. Learn more about the WBIL at www.uvu.edu/woodbury/wbil/.

S2E2 - Developing Resiliency As a Leader, with Atia Black

In this WBIL Podcast episode, Jonathan H. Westover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhwestover/) and Angela Schill (https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-s-69b18369/) talk with Atia Black about developing resiliency as a leader. Learn more about the WBIL at www.uvu.edu/woodbury/wbil/.

S2E1 - Overcoming Fear, Imposter Syndrome, and Burnout as a Female Leader, with Heather Frazier

In this WBIL Podcast episode, Jonathan H. Westover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhwestover/) and Angela Schill (https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-s-69b18369/) talk with Heather Frazier about overcoming fear, imposter syndrome, and burnout as a female leader. Heather Frazier is an entrepreneur who started her life-coach profession a few years ago. She helps people who struggle with parenting challenges, marriage challenges and life challenges. Today she is going to talk to us about challenges within the business arena, and I think she’ll share some insight and tools that we can all utilize in our careers. In addition to life-coaching, Heather has her own weekly podcast, and she speaks and teaches in other venues, as well as giving back to the community in a lot of other ways. You can find her at heatherfrazier.com. Learn more about the WBIL at www.uvu.edu/woodbury/wbil/.

S1E12 - The Importance of Advocacy and Mentorship for Women Leaders, with Carrie Freeman

In this WBIL Podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhwestover/) talks with Carrie Freeman about the importance of advocacy and mentorship for women leaders. Carrie Freeman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-freeman/) is Co-CEO of SecondMuse, an impact and innovation company that builds resilient economies. Since 2012, she has been steering the global company's approach to finding and nurturing innovators dedicated to social and environmental good, and building supportive ecosystems around them. Its mission aligns with Carrie's fundamental belief in the infinite capacity for humans to learn and grow, and the potential for inclusive markets and businesses to massively scale positive change. Under Carrie's leadership, SecondMuse has run programs that define inspiring visions, build lasting businesses and unite people across the globe. Over the last decade, they’ve designed and implemented programs on 7 continents with 600+ organizations such as NASA, The World Bank, and Nike. Carrie's experiences at SecondMuse have strengthened her conviction that deep, sustained collaboration between governments, businesses, and the communities in which they operate, fosters innovation. Learn more about the WBIL at www.uvu.edu/woodbury/wbil/.

S1E11 - Women in Business Leadership Speaker Series, with Melissa Lane

In this WBIL Podcast episode, Dr. Kelly Hall (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyreneehall/) talks with Melissa Lane as part of the Women in Business Leadership Speaker Series. Melissa Lane (https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissanlane/) has been in sales for cutting-edge technology firms since she was 16 years old. She has progressed up the organizational hierarchy, assuming positions in sales leadership and running multiple programs across the U.S. for various well-known brands. Currently, she serves as Vice President of Sales at Divvy, where she has played an integral role in scaling Divvy from a start-up to a $2.5 billion exit and now beyond. Melissa prides herself in proactive accountability, integrity, trust, and making an impact in the lives of those she serves: her team, her clients, her company. Her professional contributions have been widely recognized, including being selected as the winner of the Utah Business Sales and Marketer of the Year (SAMY) Award. Melissa attended Hope International University on a full-ride soccer scholarship, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social Science and Psychology. There, she served as Captain of the Women's Soccer team--go Lady Royals! She is a graduate of the Leadership Consortium Executive Leadership Program at Harvard University, and she has also earned an Executive Master of Business Administration degree. Melissa grew up in California and now lives in Park City, Utah! She is a wife, a mom, and an avid mountain biker, skier, and snowboarder. Learn more about the WBIL at www.uvu.edu/woodbury/wbil/.

S1E10 - How Women of Color Can Redefine Identity and Power in the Workforce, with Deepa Purushothaman

In this WBIL Podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Deepa Purushothaman about how women of color can redefine identity and power in the workforce. See the video here: https://youtu.be/5uIv4xXnvlY. Deepa Purushothaman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepapuru/) is the co-founder of nFormation which provides brave, safe, new space for professional women of color and a Women and Public Policy Program Leader in Practice at the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to this, Deepa spent more than twenty years at Deloitte and was the first Indian American woman to make partner in the company’s history. Deepa was also Deloitte’s national WIN (Women’s Initiative) leader, the firm’s renowned program to recruit, retain, and advance women. Deepa has degrees from Wellesley College, Harvard Kennedy School, and the London School of Economics. Deepa is an Aspen Fellow and speaks extensively on women and leadership. She has been featured at national conferences and in publications including Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and Harvard Business Review. Learn more about the WBIL at www.uvu.edu/woodbury/wbil.

S1E9 - Forbes Feature - The World’s Most Powerful Women Define Power

In this "Forbes Feature" WBIL Podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhwestover/) explores the recent Forbes video, "The World's Most Powerful Women Define Power." See the video and details here: https://youtu.be/D3IzFbmYFsc.   Video Overview: "Today's most dynamic female leaders open up on influence, impact and how they use their power." Learn more about the WBIL at www.uvu.edu/woodbury/wbil.