In this live episode of the Leadership and Success Podcast, host Bob Fabien Zinga (Coach BZ) interviews system architect, entrepreneur, and founder of the Making Smile Happen Foundation, Kathryn Chitwood. The conversation begins with a moment of gratitude and introductions from an international audience. Kathryn shares her unconventional leadership journey—from a beauty‑school graduate and educator to a nonprofit founder—driven by her husband’s costly dental reconstruction and her family’s healthcare experiences. She explains the core innovation of her foundation: converting unused hotel and casino loyalty‑program assets (room reservations, reward points) into funding for oral‑health surgeries, creating a circular financing model that keeps 95 % of funds in circulation. The dialogue explores system‑thinking as a leadership lens, the importance of diversity on decision‑making boards, and ethical considerations around AI, data‑center energy use, and “digital colonialism.” Kathryn discusses how she measures impact (fund circulation, scalability, partnership metrics), the role of gratitude, faith, and empathy in her leadership philosophy, and offers advice for emerging leaders about resilience, listening, and staying grounded in purpose. The episode also includes a Black History Year segment where host Bob reflects on the 1860 Clotilda slave ship and celebrates African‑American soccer star Falorun Balogun, linking his story to the 14th Amendment. Bob plays short videos on freedom and concludes with a call to action: a $5 donation request, promotion of Kathryn’s “Pentagon Blueprint,” and a preview of upcoming guests (Elizabeth Hendrickson, Shakitha Trigg, Commander Arthur Billingsley). The episode ends with a lightning‑round of concise leadership statements, a goal‑reality‑option‑way‑forward framework for scaling the nonprofit, and a final invitation for listeners to support the mission.
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Hi, I'm John Maxwell. When the top companies in the world are looking for trainers, speakers, and coaches, there's one name that stands above the rest, and that's Maxwell Leadership. Our certified team members have gotten proven results for companies all over the globe, and our reputation, I'm proud to say, is second to none. Some of our members have risen to the top of their profession, including the one you're going to meet today. I proudly introduce you to my friend Bob Fabien Zinga.
Welcome to the Leadership and Success Podcast with your host, Coach BZ, where we help you lead with purpose and succeed with impact. If you're ready to grow into the kind of leader others want to follow, this podcast is for you. If you're determined to elevate your success and leave a lasting legacy, this podcast is for you. As my mentor, Dr. John C. Maxwell, reminds us, everything rises and falls on leadership. Our goal is simple: to inspire you, challenge you, and equip you with insights that can transform the trajectory of your leadership journey. Welcome aboard to another episode of the Leadership and Success Podcast with Coach BZ.
All right, welcome to another very special episode of the Leadership and Success Podcast. I am your host, Coach BZ, and like, uh, we do every time we meet. I'd like to know where are you guys joining us from, uh, what city and, uh, what state. And if you are joining us from outside of the United States, please let us know which country as well. And also let us know what you are grateful for today. What are you grateful for? And if you have a question for my guest, please go ahead and type it in the comment and we will be answering those questions live. And I wanna say hello to Emmanuel Lidonde watching live from Galeb organization in Kenya. Wow, all the way from Kenya. Thank you so much for being here, Emmanuel, and you are very welcome. And again, if you have any question for Catherine, please type it in the comments. So as is our custom here, we like to start with what we call a moment of gratitude. This is where we take just a moment every single time we meet and we want to be grateful Part of the reason why I started doing this is because in the military, it's about 21, 22 service members and veterans who commit suicide in this country every single day. And I believe it's not possible to be suicidal and to be grateful at the same time. So if you would maybe close your eyes and put yourself in your happy place, maybe take a deep breath and think about one thing you are grateful for today. I think for me, since June 10th, I am really, really grateful for freedom. There is nothing, nothing like freedom. I've been celebrating freedom every single day since June 10th, and I really believe that God created us to be free people, not to be slaves to anyone, but to be free. And there is nothing more important in life than freedom, and I thank God for America. Thank God for freedom. So go ahead and type in, in the comments what you are grateful for, and I am So glad you are joining us. We also have Shemar Reeves joining from Jamaica. Wow. Grateful for life itself to be able to be here now. Man, this is one of the most international shows we've had. I invited everybody I knew from Seattle. I was waiting for someone from Seattle to say hi, but I am really, really glad you are here. And again, if you have a question for Catherine, please type it in the comment. I think this is going to be one of the most international shows we've had on the podcast. Really, really glad that you guys are here. So without any further ado, let me see if I can properly, uh, introduce our guest today. I am really excited, um, to welcome Kathryn Chitwood. She's a system architect, entrepreneur, and founder of the Making Smile Happen Foundation for what promises to be a fascinating conversation about leadership, innovation, and the courage to challenge the status quo. So Kathryn's leadership journey is anything but conventional. She began her career as a beauty professional and educator before reinventing herself as a nonprofit founder and system thinker. Inspired by her family's personal healthcare experience, she founded the Making Smile Happen Foundation, an organization exploring innovative ways to connect hospitality, technology, and philanthropy to expand access to life-changing oral healthcare.
Wow.
Her work invites an important leadership question. What if our greatest opportunities aren't found by working harder with broken systems, but by reimagining the systems themselves? Whether you are leading sailors or cybersecurity teams, startups, nonprofits, or global enterprises, this conversation will challenge you to think differently about innovation, purpose, and service. Part of what you're gonna be learning today is how personal adversity can become the foundation for purpose-driven leadership, but also practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, military leaders, and tech professionals seeking to create lasting impact. Because as a cybersecurity executive and information warfare commander, I must tell you, I've learned that leadership isn't simply about managing today's operation. It is about designing better systems for tomorrow. I am looking forward to exploring Catherine's unique perspective on leadership, on service, innovation, and building organizations that strive to improve people's lives. So without any further ado, please help me welcome Welcome to the Leadership and Success Podcast, the one and only Katherine Chitwood. Hello, good morning, Katherine. How are you doing today?
I'm wonderful. I'm so excited, man.
We have, uh, so many, many people joining from all around the world. They want to listen to you. But maybe to, to get started, what is, uh, one thing you are grateful for today, Katherine?
I'm so grateful for my family and for my experience up until this point and for my life, because I really feel like every challenge is is it's an opportunity to learn from. And, you know, that old saying, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And so I'm just thankful. I'm thankful to be here.
Wow, that is really, really powerful. Thank you so much for, for sharing that. Is there something about you maybe that's kind of like, uh, maybe a superpower or something unique most people may not know when they first meet you?
I think that just maybe the way that I think about things is a little bit abstract, and that has been a benefit to me because I it's creative, it's the creativity. And so, yeah.
Wow, that is really, really powerful. It's really interesting how what makes us unique sometimes is really one of the best assets we end up having in life. So again, welcome to the show. And one of the questions I want to ask you, just about, you know, beyond all of your achievements, your title and everything you have done, just at its core, Who is Katherine Chitwood beyond your resume?
I am a mother, and I think that I get a lot of my, my self-confidence from that nurturing aspect. I try to be caring for others. I try to think of ways that I can make someone else's day go by easier. I feel like that's how you show love is, is, is in what makes the other person happy, not for the sake of what I'm getting out of it. That's what makes me happy is that it's benefiting them. So the nurturing part of me, yeah.
That is powerful. Wow, thank you for sharing that. You just made me think of my own mother when you mentioned that. And today I am married with two daughters, and I really see them as being very nurturing, good people too, always trying to make a difference. Where, where did that nurturing part of you kind of come from? Where did it start, you think?
I feel like I was very blessed in the diversity that I grew up around. My first preschool was in New Mexico, and I was the minority. And my daycare teacher wound up being— she was, she was— I called her my aunt, and, um, she spoke Spanish to us. And then as I got older, my dad always took me around He lived in Alaska and so he always took me around Native powwows and community that the, the identity of people and appreciating their cultures, all different cultures, I think really benefited my life in so many ways.
And so, yeah, that's really, really wonderful. I haven't gone to Alaska yet, but I almost did for the Navy. But I hear that it's really beautiful there and it's almost like a foreign country, right? It's, it's Wow, so exotic. That is, that is really, uh, wonderful. Thanks. Thank you for, uh, sharing. So your career kind of began in the beauty industry and, um, before involving into system architecture and nonprofit leadership. What leadership lessons do you think you kind of learned from those early years that still shape how you lead today?
I think that it's really important as a leader to enable, um, the people that you're leading to, to be, to stand on their own. And, and so when I got out of beauty school, I, I felt like I ran into this problem where people almost want to take credit for— I never wanted to be an educator or, or a mentor that said, well, look at how well you did because I was here like helping you along the way. It's like, I, so I just, I think that as a leader, it, it empowers other people when they feel confident in themselves. And so in teaching, I, I went from graduating from beauty school, and then within a year I joined, uh, I was welcomed into the company Gelish, uh, Hand and Nail Harmony, as a teach— as an educator, where I would go to the beauty schools in Oregon, Washington, California. And, um, wow. And just getting— teaching with the students, giving them an idea of what it was going to be like in the real world. And making them feel confident to where— because you're going to encounter new experiences with each new person that you're with, and you're not going to have that teacher that's there. And so it's sometimes it's more about how you're, how you're getting through the obstacles during a service or during an interaction more than necessarily the skill. It's, it's the keeping grounded and one step at a time, not getting overwhelmed. It's a learning process.
That is really, really insightful. And, uh, is there— has there been like a change in the way you define success today versus, let's say, 10 years ago? Has your definition of success changed?
I would say yes. I think definitely 10 years ago I would have more associated success with monetary wealth, a lot more. And now I have a much more well-rounded perspective on just what is wealth, you know, a pound of feathers and a pound of gold can weigh the same, but they're worth different to what you're trying to do with them. And so if you're trying to make a pillow, a pound of feathers is worth a whole lot more. And so just identifying that everything has worth, everybody has their perspective. And you can learn a lot by listening and taking that in.
That is, that is really powerful. Now I'd like to talk, I think this is your life's work, right? Uh, you are the founder of Making a Smile Foundation. So let's talk about the origin story. I believe it started with your husband, right? Corbin's, yes, his dental journey. Can you tell us about that?
So my mother-in-law actually has always worked in dental care. My husband is one of five, and he has always had the bad luck with his teeth. And So it's not that he didn't have adequate care, it's that our DNA is unique. That's what makes us special. Every, you know, biology is not one size fits all. And so, um, he had excellent dental care, but by the time he was 7, his roots were showing. By the time he was 15, he had to get his first super cleaning. Um, and then progressively after that, we got together when we were about 15, and progressively it was like every year he was losing teeth. And it's the— he had a lack of enamel. And so it just— it's, it's almost like a low immune system in your mouth. And so by the time that we were 33, he had already had more than 10 teeth pulled and he needed a full, a full oral reconstruction surgery. And or we were looking at dentures and we didn't know that if you get dentures, that can reduce your jawbone. There's a lot of especially for someone so young, um, it's not really a sustainable treatment option. And, uh, oral reconstruction surgery, it is a relatively new thing, and so insurance doesn't— isn't accepted. And so he went for a free consultation, and he came home and he's talking to me and he said, it's— they quoted me for $42,000.
What? Yeah.
And so it And I say that I feel like it was divine intervention in that conversation because in this, it's like he said that to me and it's like my brain broke. And then the next second this idea came to my mind, like, well, if you break the math down and I'm not a great, I'm not great at math, but I said they waste thousands of hotel reservations a year. If we sold 420 of those for $100 apiece. There's all these families that could get access to, you know, $100 room reservation. There's hotels that would get to write that off, and there's patients who need help. And so I think it was just this process of like, wow, the person that I love the most, there's no reason why he can't get this surgery. He needs it to be here. And there are people, there's professionals who have gone to school to provide this care, but they're not able to provide that service or they can't get their profession because the money. And so we needed to figure out a way to like, the money's there, the skill is there, the patients are there. How do we get access to the people?
That is quite amazing. Now, I would say most people would not think the way you do when they think, let's think like that. Wow. Where do you think that came from?
It really felt like it was like an upload. Like it just—
Wow.
And it also— so I had been talking to my father-in-law over the course of the year before that. And we lived— I worked for the Kalispel Tribe, and they have the casino up there. And my father-in-law goes there, and they—
they—
you can rack up rewards and free rooms and things like that. And I, I had been telling him, wouldn't it be nice if there was a way that you could, like, pass those to someone or donate them to, you know, at the end of the year, whatever? And so when my husband came home from that oral reconstruction appointment and he said, this is the price, I think it was just like, oh, like that, that this is, this is how we can solve the healthcare crisis. Like, there's hotels, there's casinos.
Wow, it's, it's really something because many people, they experience hardship. I think, no, if you're a human being, you haven't experienced hardship yet, just wait, eventually you, you will. But Derek, if you build an organization because of it. What allowed you to channel frustration into innovation? Because that's really insightful.
I think, um, I— for one, we didn't pay for the surgery with, um, this innovative idea. I immediately started my website, and then I went to my father-in-law, and I think genuinely the grace that he gave— he, he was the one who paid for the surgery. I went to him and I said I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna preface this by saying I'm about to ask you for $42,000 and I need you to say yes because it's going to save your son's life. But I have, I have an idea and I think it's gonna, I think it's gonna help more than just him. And so it just went from there. It was, yeah, so the grace, I think that that enabled me to— I think having the grace and the love of someone, that unconditional love He knew that this was our only option and that enabled us to solve this immediate emergency problem and then throw myself into how can I share this with as many people as possible.
I think that needs to be your next book. Like I told you, I usually research the people I interview to see if they have anything published on Amazon. I couldn't find anything from you, but this definitely needs to be the next book published on Amazon right now. That's just amazing.
Wow.
Was— what was maybe kind of like the biggest risk you took in leaving your previous career to do this?
Well, I think just the consistency of it, but I had already— and that's the thing. So I went from owning my nail business and then we moved out to Washington. And so when you're a salon professional, any time that you move, you could just be moving in the same town and that can drastically impact your clientele. So I knew that. When we moved that I was probably going to not be doing nails out in Washington until I had gotten to know some people and introduce myself. So that's why I got the job at the daycare and I loved it. And then my husband had this appointment and I was like, I'm participating in this. Families need this. Families need childcare. They need to be able to trust who their kids are with. And I absolutely loved working for the daycare, but I was blessed with my experience that my husband was the stay-at-home dad. I was the breadwinner. We survived on one income, and it was a priority of ours because it was an investment into our children. And I felt like— not that the daycare in itself, but I felt like I was going to be helping the world more if I was dedicating 8 hours a day towards my advocacy rather than at the daycare.
And so that was a big risk, going back to one income and seeing Yeah, that really spells out faith to me, because even in your writing, uh, on LinkedIn, you do reference faith, purpose, and human dignity a lot. How have your spiritual beliefs influenced your leadership philosophy?
So much so, I really feel like I have been on a journey in the last year and a half, and that directly led into this I even made a video on Instagram about it and I said, I think that this is the universe expressing itself through me. I believe that this is what, like, good on the world is, and we're supposed to be led by that and led by faith and what is good to other people. Wow.
So yeah, that is— I am just so impressed. It's— it's— it's— people need to have this again. I need to read that book, hopefully later this year or next year, because I think you have so much to give. To the world and you're already making a difference. But now, it's one thing to have an idea and to have faith, but it's another thing to actually make it happen. So, making smiles happen. If you had 60 seconds with a CEO, let's say, of Hilton, Marriott, or Caesars— hopefully some of them are listening right now— how would you explain making smiles happen?
It is an opportunity to benefit, you know, the, the community without depending on tax dollars. It's a tax write-off for these large corporations. There's so many solutions with technology right now with IT. And so my original expanded idea off of it was the API systems I hadn't learned about yet. And it's kind of like its own, like, locked service or server room. And so the hotel wouldn't have to give me all of their access to all of their— I don't need any of that. It's just what they know they're going to lose. And so it enables all the corporations to, from their end and their IT, dedicate what they're already wasting. And then that's— it's collectively, it's made available on a platform to where people can see these reservations. It's enabling families who maybe wouldn't be able to afford those reservations to have access to some more luxurious hotels. And we know that, you know, giving that opportunity, they have— they're going to have the money to spend it there. So it's, it's bringing in more customers. And then there's also the, the opportunity for, um, traveling medical staff. My mom, she had essentially a boarding house when I was growing up. When I got into high school, she started renting out rooms because, um, we had a 5-bedroom house and my sisters had moved out. I was getting ready to move out. And so she came up with this idea for traveling nurse technicians because we lived real close to the hospital. And my dad is actually a physical therapist. They're not together anymore. But one of the things that brought him to Alaska was the process of becoming a contracted professional in the medical industry. And for remote communities like that, it's very challenging to acquire skillful— you know, not everybody wants to live out on an island, you know, so it gets cold too. Yeah. And so it's making access to patients who need a place to stay. Like, we've got hotels across the country. And another thing that led into this, just our whole picture, is that my husband and I had our daughter at 29 weeks. And so we depended on essentially like a Ronald McDonald House. It was like the homes that you stay in if your child or family member is in intensive care. And I just As this has come to fruition in the last year, I realized, like, wow, that could be a really beneficial thing, another option for patients or family of patients. And it can be totally anonymous. We have the ability to enable families to walk in the door, and the front desk doesn't know that they're not just a regular hotel guest. It's the dignity that comes along with it, that you're not asking for a handout. You're getting access to care or transportation. You know, we have planes that take off and they're using the same amount of fuel whether they're full or not. And we have people that are having trouble getting to where they need to get care. And so if we were to implement some of these, and with technology and AI, it's, it's coming, it's happening.
Wow, your idea could literally change the entire world because even the way you are speaking, I see so much passion and I just love it. I mean, Talking about the problem, is the problem you are trying to solve, is it access to healthcare? Is it waste? Or is it something much bigger?
I think it's, I think it's all of the above. I started delving deeper into, you know, what we— not just what we waste in like these reservations, but then it went into like downtime for machinery that could be allocated. Or then I'm looking at like all of the mining corporations throughout history. And I'm like, we have the product that's been mined. And because those corporations aren't in a network together where they can share or whatever, now we're overmining, or now we're— because they're not— it's just a new development in how we can operate and do commerce that would benefit people and keep the market more balanced. And the waste. I believe that it's almost like a Newton's law of the universe. It's like every natural organism, they don't have waste. They contribute what they waste into fuel for their system. And so I believe that on a universal scale, what we are leaving on the table is making our universe sick, like the heat and the Yeah, it's a big— it just got more and more.
Wow, that is just amazing because most nonprofits, they usually beg for donations, right? But your model really attempts to unlock unused commercial assets. That is really a different way of thinking. And really, anyway, we can support you. I want to do that because I think you really have the potential to make our world such a much bigger place. I mean, it's much bigger than just your husband or even No, Seattle, this, this could really have a huge impact on, on the world. Where, where did that idea come from, you think?
I think that it's just as it progressed from, well, what do we need to make one person, to get one person through a surgery, to, well, what, you know, we don't just need help in the dental care world, there's medical care, and well, these professionals, not just in the United States, they're everywhere. We have patients, you know, all over. And how we heal the people of the world impacts the health and the future of our planet. What we do in the next 30 years will impact the next 300. And so when we enable and empower— and this comes back to leadership and children— when we make our children and our people healthy and strong, our whole world is better.
It's so true.
And there's metrics on like specifically the smile, you know, this contributes to psychologically in our society, people's self-confidence and their interactions with the world and how other people perceive them, how they feel about themselves.
Yeah.
I think that it was something like over the course of a lifetime, you can improve your revenue by like $500,000 just by the opportunities that you might not have had access to because people might see and then they have their own preconceived notions of what led to you having your teeth that way or whatever. And it's like, it doesn't matter.
That is really, really amazing. So thinking about scaling your nonprofit, what would success look like, let's say, 5 years from now?
I would love to have teams out that were— like, my husband and I have talked about how if he hadn't had me, then what would he have done? Because this is an invasive surgery. You get put under and, you know, you have to transport yourself. And at the time, we were living an hour from the, the doctor's office. And so when you're already in a situation where you're trying to come up with the money for the surgery itself, and then you're trying to figure out how to— where you're going to stay. So 5 years from now, what would be wonderful if is if just like we have fleets for Uber and, you know, the maids and things like that, that if we had a dedicated medical staff, that their job was to be the person that was transporting the patient to this surgery and then transporting them. And if, yeah, if we just had a system where people were getting the care that they needed, that would be success to me.
Wow, that is, that is really, really amazing. How would you define impact. What metrics matter most to you?
Um, I know that I have notes. I, I'm not sure. Oh, um, I want the model copied, not just grown. And the win is when hospitality value healthcare funding becomes an obvious category, not a weird idea. And so the impact is when, like, It's just a revelation. It's like, why weren't we doing this? And so when I went from graduating out of beauty school, my husband and I have this funny story that I sat there trying to decide if I was going to spend $500 on this nail drill, and I really needed it, and it was the top of the line. But I— we, we had just had a brand new baby. It's our second child. And I said, that could buy a whole lot of diapers. And he said, Yeah, but, but the drill is what, what, you know, brings the money in. And it's that investment into the quality of tools that you need, into believing like, hey, this is— I need this. This is good for me to do my job, to do what's, you know. And, and so when people— I went from like, just you buy the amount that will get you through the next appointment because all you need to do is get to the next, the next day, the next week, and then you'll keep scheduling, you'll keep and, and eventually you're able to buy the full quantity, so you're saving the most amount of money. And then you're looking around at everything and how can I make this? How can I not be wasting anything while I'm, I'm making money? Because we were living on one income. And so I hope that eventually corporations will look around and they'll realize like, wow, we've been leaving millions on the table.
Wow. And they could be helping so many people. That is just amazing. Wow, man. So what has surprised you most about building a nonprofit so far?
Um, I think that I was surprised at how the funding works because my idea, I think what made it most or kind of stand out is that I figured if I were to retain 5% of the total amount because I'm the founder and then 95% always stays in circulation. If I were to get even a small number or one hotel, like, that's more money than I've ever seen in my life for my personal income. And it leaves that 95% of that funding available. And when you keep it in circulation and it's not stagnant, it continues to help people. And so, um, wow, it just—
yeah, that is quite amazing. Okay, let's, let's talk about leadership innovation for just a moment because you do a lot of system thinking and I know you do have a newsletter on LinkedIn, which I read, not all of them, but quite a lot of your writing, because you frequently describe yourself as a system architect, which I think is just wonderful. What exactly is system thinking and why should leaders care about that?
I think that the perspective makes such a difference in our execution, and I think that You know, there's that, that quote that the road to hell is paved in good intentions. And so when you, you have to always be thinking about the other person, like you might be thinking that you're going to be helping a lot, but you really have to figure out if it's going to be beneficial. We have a lot of resource aid internationally that we talk about it all the time that the people aren't getting the help that they need or there's, or we pull out of a country that we've been providing aid to and destabilizes that local community. And so we have to rethink how we help people so that we're not hindering them in the process.
Wow, that is quite powerful. So what do you think is the difference between solving symptoms and solving the actual systems?
I think you have to zoom way out because I just keep And it's a growing, like, process. It's constantly taking in other people's perspectives. But like, a symptom would be like, we're providing daycare to the kids as opposed to the economy is demanding families choose between being the physical one to take care of their kids or being able to provide for them financially. And so there's families who are having to depend on open to closed childcare because they have to make money. They have to be able to provide for their family. So I feel like a symptom is let's provide, you know, we're solving the symptom. But the real problem is that our economy is, is sick right now and we need to get it— bring it, bring the dollar more aligned with tangible value and what that can buy for you, because different things are more valuable to different people. And it's incredibly valuable to all people for us to invest into our children. And I think that it's been cheapened by this transition into the workforce in, in the 20th century. Households going from one, um, one income was standard because we saw that it impacts children's development and their growth. And so I think that it's just, it's so much to put on our teachers, and, and, and it's just, we need to fix that. We need to fix to where our, our families at home are able to provide for their kids and they're, you know, and then they're able to go out into the world and be the best version of themselves because they're being recharged when they're at home with their kids and they're not feeling like I'm just spinning my wheels to pay for the next thing.
Wow.
Because earlier too, you mentioned technology, AI and API. How does artificial intelligence and technology kind of fit into your long-term vision?
I, I, I think it's going to revolutionize the world. I would love to be, um, I would love to be on more board advisory committees. I would love to give my, my opinion on— I think that human beings are super creative and there's an, an immeasurable amount of ways that we could apply AI to our governance, to our civil civic options in the community. And so for me, it wasn't really AI that was like what got me all interested. So I say that to my husband, like, he has to help me hook up Roku. I'm not super like electronic or internet or anything. I think that the— I think that what inspires me about AI is the connectivity and the communication and what we're going to be able to do together as a humanity. Unlocks so many doors and opportunities and communication. It's the new version of the telephone on like such a massive scale. It's incredible.
That is so true. And at the beginning of the show, you talked about how you really grew up in diverse environment. We are in the US, majority are white and you are Caucasian, but you were actually a minority, for example, when you were in New Mexico. And why do you think it matters to have diverse voices on those boards for people who actually make decisions that would impact the society? Why should we have more women and maybe even more minorities at the table?
I believe that the more that we include those unique perspectives, the more well-rounded that we are. And I believe that when we are excluding of, or if when we're trying to just, you know, these are the leaders that we look up to and they fall under this one category, well then that doesn't represent everyone else. And everybody has good influence, or they look at it from a different perspective, which is, it's, it's invaluable. And so I think that diversity only makes us better and stronger. And when we're able to challenge ourselves to, to receive someone else's perspective. It's not easy. That's the point. But it makes us smarter. It makes us better, you know, moving forward.
I couldn't have said that any better. So as artificial intelligence continues to reshape society, and it definitely has already done that, what ethical responsibilities do leaders have, you think?
Primarily our power grid. I think that we need to put in some some safeguards so that our, our, like out in usk where we were just living in Washington, it's a population of less than 13,000 people. And when you bring a data center into a county that is, it's already depending on bonds and levies from the taxpayers in order to pay for their schools, their roads, their, their hospital. When you bring in AI or crypto or, you know, high compute data, that has to run on the grid that is established there, that has been invested in by generations prior to. And so when those people's bills are going up and then the grocery bill is going up, it is an imbalance. It's coming in and they're setting up— I call it digital colonialism because it's not benefiting the people in the area. And the profit and what they are needing from us is the cheap power. And so we have one of the cheapest One of the cleanest dams and the cheapest power, like, in the entire world, I think, in Ponderay County. And so when, when our public officials, specifically in Ponderay County, when they're making decisions to sell 100% of the power to Clark County, and that's supposed to be a benefit just to the Ponderay citizens, that, that's not a positive representation for those people who are depending on their, their politicians to make good choices. And so I think that with AI, we really have to have some, some guidelines on, okay, if we have a power grid that has a 1964 transformer, we shouldn't be plugging into that, that and setting up data and crypto. We need to be reinvesting into our infrastructure prior to, and I believe building it from the ground up. I think that, um, my husband, he was working actually at a data facility there, the one that I'm referring to. And I realized, like, well, I'm going to depend on AI for this website. And maybe, well, how does AI work? How does crypto work? What is the most efficient way? Because if you make that efficient, then my website's going to work better. And so I realized, learning that we use fans, and that's part of the reason that the electricity bill is so high, is because they cool down the computers and machines with inefficiency, essentially. And so there's other ways that we can, like with liquid immersion cooling, if they dunk the chips in this liquid bioelectric fluid and then that fluid is diverted to— you could, we could repurpose the clarifier tanks on the paper mill site and that could be a huge aquaponics setup. We can divert that liquid and heat greenhouses because right now we're paying to cool down the machines and we're paying to keep them running. And that bill is being paid by individual people paying their electric bill. And so there's ways to build the system efficiently that doesn't demand from— and it brings the value right back to the community. And then you look at like our— that ties into the mining aspect and our rare minerals and things like that. If we build the system efficiently, we are not demanding more of the Earth in an expedited fashion. And I know that there's a lot of religious, or there's, there's a lot of perspective on this that, you know, the Earth is infinite and, and it will always provide. And I do believe that, but I also believe that time plays a huge role. And I believe that restraint, and that is a, that's a responsibility of the human being, is to like have appreciation, yes, for this abundance and this, this never-ending wonderful cycle, but also know that you can't— we can't blow a 2-mile-wide hole for copper. If there are ways that we can do this to where the copper lasts longer, that's what we need to do. And it's not a business decision, it's not partisan, it's the natural order of things to where we don't run out and we're not just depleting things that we depend on, like our water.
I really love that, always thinking about the impact on society and the community, which also ties into a lot of things you write about on LinkedIn, right? You often talk about transparency and trust. So those appear to be two core values of yours. Why are those two principles so important to you?
I just think that it makes our society stronger if we can trust, obviously. And, and I think that, that, I think that misrepresentation has impacted our ability to evolve and communicate with one another. And so, and there's always going to be that assumption in the back of our minds, conscious or unconscious, that maybe you're not getting the full story. And so trust is just incredibly important. And, and that's why it's embedded in the language of our banks. It's fundamentally, it's important for value, it's important for sustainability. And if you can't trust your systems that you depend on, then you can't operate in the world in the same way.
Yes. Wow, that is powerful. And I know for all, pretty much every entrepreneur I have met who eventually become successful, there is this time period where people pretty much doubt what is possible. And then once you become very successful, be like, oh, I was always with you. I always knew that you would succeed. Just lying for, for their team. But I think that's just human because when you do something new, nobody has ever done that before, at least the way you're doing it. There's a lot of fear. What if you succeed? What if you fail? I guess my question for you is, where does that courage come from?
My children. I have to believe that there's, that this is not the end-all be-all. And when they— my kids are actually teenagers, I have a 16 and a 14-year-old. And when they were born, you know, I was a teen mom, and the world looked very differently even at that time, and what we perceived for our potential, our future, for where— and even I feel like I was pretty ignorant at the time. I feel like even just in the last 2 years, I've really had my eyes opened to the struggles of minorities in our country that I did not— I thought I knew, I thought that I had And it's easy for a white person to say that, like, well, I'm not like that. So, and that's just, it's, it's, it's turning a blind eye to the people that are saying, like, we were suffering, we need help, this needs to be fixed, you know. And so I have to believe for my children's sake that this is possible and that there are, there's, there's good. And, you know, people, I want to believe that when I'm not here, that there's going to be people in the world that care enough that my kids are going to be in the, in the world with.
You know, wow, that is a very, very strong why. Uh, you know, anytime we've recommended the book, um, by Simon Sinek, Start with Why, really having a very strong why will help you endure through the challenges in order to get to the other side. Because if your why is not that strong, as soon as people criticize you, you're just going to, uh, give up and abandon. Which I was going to ask, no, every visionary, and I believe you are one, receives criticism. There is nothing you can do about it. You are going to be criticized. What's the most common criticism you, you have heard, and how do you respond so far?
Well, I think that the first initial one, um, was that I got my husband fired from, from the data facility because I, I dropped off the proposal, and it was— I don't know if you know about the Trump v. Slaughter case, um, that effectively impacted tariffs, which is how a lot of the data and crypto how they finance themselves. And so preemptively, early in January, I dropped off a letter of intent saying that essentially I thought that in case Trump v. Slaughter were to go through, that these are the impacts that are going to happen. And with the Clean Energy Acts that are coming and with Make America Healthy Again, if you transition from industrial to agriculture, you'll drop your electric bill by a couple million dollars a year and we can provide food to the community. And so the initial reaction to about a month later when my husband got fired was, well, they are a business and they're allowed to tell you no, they don't want to do it that way. And at that time I really took it personally and like, yeah, that sucks, maybe that's right. And then now it's been 6 months and I've done nothing but read the news and the legislation and the things that are changing. And I know that, well, that might have been their perspective in the moment, was that it was just a suggestion or an opinion, but when millions of people depend on this.
Yes, it's a—
it's our vote, it's our, our voting power and our community, you know, investment.
So yes, indeed. Wow. Are you going to run for office anytime soon?
Oh gosh, I, I've, I've been told that I should. I don't know if it's— I don't know, it looks like you would love to think that eventually we wouldn't need to have politicians because I always used to say, like, I've never been— I loved being an educator, but I couldn't see myself being a boss, like a manager. And so I think that that's a hard thing that I have a lot of respect for people who are able to be leaders and, you know, without doing it in a way that's going to my way or the highway. And so sometimes I feel like politics kind of leads into being too binary with your choices. And it doesn't equally represent everyone. So I don't know, maybe.
Well, I don't know. I, I think you— it seems to me like you have it in, in you. You have a type of leader that people are going to follow and vote for, even if it's just, no, at a local, uh, area, or even, you know, for the entire state of Washington. Who cares? But, uh, yeah, it's really interesting how you have this vision. You have those great— I, I ideas and I think you're going to need a lot of partners to make them a reality. And again, it's going to be impacting a lot of people in a very positive way, which is really, really powerful. So if there is a young person listening now, let's say maybe a woman or a person of color, they have those great ideas and vision just like you do, but they feel like they are kind of stuck in a system with a lot of bureaucracy or it's a process that is broken that just would not allow them to thrive. So what would you advise them?
I guess just keep going. And I've had to ground myself in the confidence that I'm doing this for a reason and it's not for the validation.
Back to your why.
Yeah, you got to keep coming back to, you know, what is this? What is it that I'm trying to accomplish and what is it benefiting? And that's the priority because there's going to be a million reasons, a million perspectives, 8 billion in the world that are different that can tell you no or why not and why you shouldn't. And that you have to come back to what it is that you're doing.
That is really, really powerful. I wrote an article, I think it was May of last year. I called it Embracing the Impossible. It's one of the most popular articles I've written so far. It's just interesting how in life, many times you face so many challenges, but what I found that's very insightful is two people about the same background, they face similar challenges. One of them is just going to fall apart and die, and the other one is just gonna find a way to get through it and get even stronger. And, and better. And it's really amazing to me to see the difference. So let me ask you the question in a different way. Is there maybe someone in your life that has influenced you the most, or, uh, at least affected the way you, you look at, at the world and you lead?
I, I would say my husband, definitely. I think that him believing in me always enabled me to believe in myself And, and never— yeah, it was always— it was never like, how are we gonna make this work? It was like, we're gonna figure it out. And, you know, he— our daughter, um, like I had said, she was born at 29 weeks, and then she spent 68 days in the hospital, and then we got into our first apartment. And then the week that she turned a year old, I started beauty school, and it was a program that I was in school for 40 hours a week, and my husband was 18 and he had never babysat before. And it was like, okay, are you gonna be fine like at home? And, and it was just this belief in like, yeah, go and do your dream. Yes, do it. And, and so I think that he gives me strength. And, and he wasn't— I'd say all the time, I'm like, I'm just thankful that you weren't angry at me. Like, he knew that it was going to wind up in a termination at some point. Like, after I had dropped it off, he's like, yeah, I have a feeling that it's you know, it's gonna head in that direction, just because it's— we're at an— we're at a place in society where people are kind of a rock and a hard place. But he never lost his faith in me and never, you know, never talked down about like my— how I went about it or anything like that.
And yeah, wow, that is really, really powerful. Is there maybe a leadership habit you've developed that has made the biggest difference so far, you think?
I think that— I, I think learning from the people that you are trying to guide is the most important thing. So like my 16-year-old, we were talking recently and it was like I— like this all of a sudden awareness. And I don't know that all parents are able to have this moment of like Wow, I'm seeing it from your perspective. But she had said, like, she's— she said, um, something that, like, I think as moms and dads, that, um, our goal is to, like, make our kids comfortable. Like, you obviously, like, want to make them feel better. And so we're talking, and, and I realized that in my trying to console, that it wasn't fulfilling what was being asked. It's like she needed me to hear what she was saying, not to fix it. And I think that as a leader, it's really, really important to stay and reflect on like, yeah, I'm leading you, but I could be a better leader if I'm taking what you have to say from this. And so, yeah.
But also some humility too. Wow, that's powerful. What do you think is one of the greatest lessons you have ever learned? Whether in life, in leadership, or just in general?
I think that it's always better. I would always feel better to do like the right thing. Like you don't look back on, on contributions that you've made and you feel like, I wish I would have had that money back or whatever. And so I just think that trying to put your best foot forward is so important, and, and to set the example. I think that a lot of times we try to vote and then we go home and we wonder why society hasn't changed, and I think that it's, it's, it's the daily activities, it's the daily things that make, that make our world different. And, and so it's that conscious effort of trying to help others. And yeah.
Wow.
That is so, so powerful. What, what do you believe is the secret of your success so far?
I think I've had a lot of unique experiences and I feel like I've gotten really lucky and that things kind of, not necessarily that they fell into place, but that the timing of things happened well. And just, I think that well-rounded comes from a multitude of experiences. And so, and a lot of times that can be hardship because you look back on that and you're like, oh, look what I learned. And so, yeah, it's made me better.
Now, I know that leaders are learners. What are you learning these days?
A lot of history. I'm really, I feel like the American education system has taught very few things in, in the way of history, and it's in one, one delivery. And, and I have made the effort to try to read from perspectives of, um, communities that have been colonized, and from perspectives of their actual perspective, their written documentation, um, rather than the, the people who look like me, um, because I think that that's really, really important. It doesn't fully give the voice to the experience if we're taking it through the, you know, the perspective of someone who wasn't there, who doesn't represent— like, they could— meanwhile, they could be reporting on the details of the information, but it's not as deep as from someone whose whole culture experienced this, this trauma. And this— and what do they think would make it better? That's who we need to be listening to, man.
Basically, a lot of what you talk about today is really— it's about empathy, but it's also about, uh, emotional intelligence. Why, why do you think that is important? Why should we develop our emotional EQ?
I, like, from working in the daycare and with my own children, I think like them going into kindergarten, we— I feel like little kids, they're learning social interactions more so, um, at that age. It's very challenging to be doing both, to have to be learning the educational side and your— like, especially with my kids, they had never gone to daycare before, so it's not like they were socially, you know, but it was a new environment. And so I think that social emotional skills are so important and being able to communicate effectively, because there's a big difference between just communicating and hearing what the other person is saying. And why do I think this way? Why Like, that was a huge part of this whole process when I turned 33, was I, I want to know why I think the way that I do. Why do I have these preconceived notions about things? And I had— I don't know where I got the advice from, but it was that you need to write down all the things that you hate or all the things that, you know, make you frustrated or stress you out so that you can start to break down, like, is this a societal, like, brainwashing? Like, am I sensitive about this, or am I like Is this really stressful or is this something that, you know, if I looked at it differently, I could— and that was months before the dental appointment. That was like, it was just leading up to this. It's just been a lot of internal reflection. And I think that people have lost touch with themselves. And when you can't communicate yourself, your feelings, it—
I love that.
Leads. Yeah, it's not good.
Well, is there maybe a book that you have read Um, if not a book, maybe even people do podcasts these days or YouTube channel. Is there something you would recommend to my audience?
Carl Jung's work, um, that was— that his was a big one just because I think, I think what I originally started with, I, I was trying to understand the world and the universe and myself, and he gives a lot of perspective for people who are or are not secular, religious, whatever. And, and it's, it's more about your psychology and why you're thinking these certain ways, maybe patterns of behavior.
Yes.
And, um, and that is what ultimately led into this just deeply rooted faith. And, and I think that all these different religions are different interpretations, different— it's us as humans experiencing the world. And I think that What's most important is to stay grounded in, in and following what is, what is good, even if that isn't necessarily what is written by some form. It's, it's coming back to your intuition, your internal moral compass. And, and yeah, yeah.
Carl Jung has written quite a lot of books. Is there one specific book that impacted you? The most, or a couple?
I, the archetypes, I don't remember what the title of it was, but it was, he specifically talks about the archetypes of different people and I think it gives, I think it gave me, um, yeah, I got it, Ego and Archetype, uh, I think that's, that's the book, okay, The Archetype and the Collective Unconscious, wow, was that pretty deep, deep books.
Wow, yeah, that's cool because I do have a digital bookshelf, so I'm going to make sure to add this one book to it. It really makes you think, doesn't it? Yes, yeah, it is. Oh, actually, this is perfect. It's actually on the Bookshop is what I use instead of Amazon, and it's actually listed there, so I will make sure to add this this book to my list. Okay, what about failure? This is leadership and success, and in America, we love to glorify success, success, success. But the truth is, for you to succeed at times, you have to go through failure first. How has failure shaped your life?
I think that those are growing moments. I remember the first time that I had an appointment not go well. It was like 6 weeks after I'd gotten out of school, and I was with that client for like 4 hours and years. And, and when you're independent on your own, when you get out of school, you can either work for a salon where you have a little bit more guidance, maybe you've got other professionals who are there with you. But, or I went and I rented from another independent nail tech. And so it was her and I and she wasn't always there at the same time. And so you're on your own and you have messed up and now it's hardened on and you have to fix it. Like, so I think that just things like that, it's that is what pushes you when you're uncomfortable. You're pushed to the creative aspect of like, well, I have to solve this problem. I think that a lot of times we solve problems with brute force and it's not the most effective solution. I think that the way that we grow and we improve and how we become more intelligent is by the things that challenge us the most to think outside of.
So powerful. I got the picture of the book. So The Archetype and the Collective Unconscious by Carl Jung, definitely a must-read, not just for people who do psychology, but you can definitely apply that in your daily life as well. So if you could have dinner with 3 people, right, they could be alive, dead, or even fictitious character, who would you choose and why? Oh my goodness.
I'm so bad at questions like this.
Is there anybody you'd like to learn from?
Yes, yes. I'm just bad at coming up with people off the top of my head. I would love to have— I would love to sit down with JFK. I think that talking to him about what's going on in the world would be so enlightening and his perspective.
And I'm sure he loves that his library has been renamed properly. But yeah.
And then I would say, I have to— now I can't remember what her name was.
Who was she?
She was an Indigenous woman, and I believe that she became a lawyer. And she, she participated in, in basically helping Indigenous children to be free from the schools. It was, it was reporting on what had been going on. And I forget what her name was.
I know who you're talking about. You are talking about, is it Leda Burton Conley? At least she's one of them.
Possibly.
Hold on, and I will—
because she actually argued before the Supreme Court. I think it was in 1909. Lida Burton Condie. And then in Canada, there is Roberta Jemison.
Uh, it was a long time ago, and I have a picture of her, and I don't even And now I can't remember what her name was. I'll have to come back and, and, okay, tell you. And then there are so many, yeah, like prolific people that I, I would love to talk about.
Carl Jung, would you like to sit down with him?
Yes, yes, he's a great—
yes, yes, that would be a fascinating conversation, I am, I am sure. Uh, Let me ask you, is there maybe like a, a song or a movie or, um, a book that would be your life's theme or anthem?
Um, Robin Williams stars in, uh, What Dreams May Come. I don't know if you've seen that, but that is one of my favorites. Um, and not that it's necessarily like a life story, but I think just it's a beautiful It's the unconditional love, and he goes into the depths of hell to save his wife because—
Yes.
Yeah.
And so it's this endearing commitment to not just wrestling flesh and blood, but the unseen forces of what we're dealing with in the world. And that's like, that's radio waves, that's the internet, that's propaganda. It's these things. It's preconceived notions of other people. It's our preconceived notions of, like, are they thinking bad about me? It's this unseen realm of impact that the world is not giving credence to how impactful it is. And we talk about peer pressure with kids, and you don't grow out of that. You grow into an adult, and the world is full of peer pressure. And an influence. And, and I think that we need to remember that.
That's so easy being— yeah, yeah, because he was a comedian, he made people laugh, but sometimes he played some pretty serious role too. What Dreams May Come. I need to watch that movie again. Thank you for sharing that. Okay, uh, let me see. What is one action you are thinking about taking that you think is going to improve your life or impact your life positively?
Well, I am— I'm about to get started at a new salon, which I'm really excited about. And yeah, and I think you— it's a very intimate thing when you're doing nails. You don't touch hands with a stranger on a regular basis. And I think that when you communicate with another person, it helps you see yourself and reflect through your, you know, your opinions. What's going on in your life. It's, it's the cheap therapy. And so I'm very, very excited for that and to get rooted in my new community.
Maybe that's how you learn how to listen. Maybe part of it.
Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah. And I always said that, that it wasn't something I anticipated from the career choice that I made, but that I'm fascinated by other people's careers. And I've always said like, I didn't even know that that was a job. Like, I didn't know how they did that, and I love learning how the world works.
That is so, so powerful because I usually go to the barber every 3 to 4 weeks or so. Yeah, they make me talk a lot. Now I'm like, wow, that is pretty smart. Okay, if you had one and only one day to live— so we're gonna need to stop soon. I could talk to you for maybe another hour or two, but we do need to shut down the show. But before we do, if you had one and only one day to live, what would you have liked your final contribution to be?
My final contribution— I would, I would love to see the Making Smiles Happen Foundation adopted as a governance protocol. That is, it's, it's an independent form of auditing. I would— I, if I wasn't here anymore, I would love to see that taken on as, as a benefit to, to people because it's beneficial regardless of who's utilizing it. And it's, it can produce blueprints for, for any, anything that you can imagine. And, and it doesn't depend on your personal identity and your perspective in order to help you or to help the world. So I would just love to see it thrive.
That is so powerful. If, uh, You had the magic wand, you could solve any problem in the world, any problem at all. What is the one problem you'd like to solve first thing tomorrow?
That's a tough one. I would say maybe healthcare, because I do just believe that when we're able to— I think that it stops people from living their lives when they're— when they're tied to their biology. Like, I think that we can do transcendent things on this planet, and I think that it limits people in a way that is an unfair advantage. And then the people who aren't limited in that way, it limits them too, because they don't have the, you know, they don't have the perspective of what that does to a person's journey. Wow.
All right, we are coming towards the end of the show. What can we do to add value back to you.
Um, come and follow me on LinkedIn and check out my website, Making Smiles Happen, and, um, donate if you would like to. Share it would be wonderful. Uh, try the audit machine. There's, there's, um, you can type in anything that you want from like grocery stores, daycare. I typed in APAC the other day, like, how can we solve APAC? And there's just— if there's a problem or something that you see out in the world that— or a waste or something that you'd like to see improved, it can print out these awesome blueprints and suggestions on making impact.
Yeah.
How do we access the Audit Machine? I am on your site now. Where do they go?
So it's the— it's Making Smiles Happen, and then it's the backsplash, and then I think it's Pentagon Blueprint.
Okay, I think I saw that. Let me see. Hopefully this is going to work. Because I did see one word, right? Hold on.
Yes.
Blueprint. Yeah, I think it is taking me there. Here we go. The old OS is broken. Yeah, it's under our Our Story, right?
Yes.
Yeah.
And if you scroll all the way down, it gives you that right there, right in that section.
Perfect.
And so it's, it's exciting.
No, yeah, that's, that is amazing. Yeah, I remember seeing that under Our Story when I, when I was— that is, that is really great. And of course, I always ask the people who follow the podcast I like for maximum participation, not just for people who are wealthy. And I think everybody can give like $5, and I've seen the power of 5. No, I have about 66,000 people also following me right now, and if everybody gave $5 to your organization, you would make over $300,000. And I think you can make a huge, huge difference. Yeah. And, uh, so I will encourage everyone to give, and I hope you're gonna be writing that book. Before we close, Catherine, can I get like 3 more minutes before?
Yes, absolutely.
I wanna go through what I call the lightning round. So I'm gonna ask you a question. I want you to answer as quickly as you can. Don't think too much. Whatever comes to your head first, I wanna hear it. So complete the sentence.
Leadership is building systems that work after I leave the room.
Okay.
Integrity means Your private math matches your public story.
Fantastic, I love that. Innovation begins with—
noticing value everyone else has stopped seeing.
Failure taught me—
to design the system that would have prevented it.
The future belongs to—
people who can convert what's wasted into what's needed.
My superpower is—
Seeing the wiring under the wall.
Just one word, one word that describes you.
Relentless.
I love that. So as we end, I'm going to use what I call the goal format, right? So I'm going to start— sorry, the growth format. So I'm going to start with G for G for goal. What legacy do you hope Making Smiles Happen leaves behind?
Um, so legacy isn't my name on something. It's that 10 years from now, a hotel exec hears empty room and instinctively asks, can that fund a surgery? I want the wiring to outlast me.
Fantastic. So that's G for, for goal. And then R, reality. What is the hardest obstacle standing in your way right now?
The first, yes, the model is sound, the partners are interested, and my following is global, and the right people are listening in. And so I think that the hardest thing is getting one major hotel or casino partner to be the first mover, and they could be the example that turns the tide for the country and the world.
Well, we have quite a few executives watching the show, so if you are listening, I want you to say yes, because I think this has the potential to do a lot of good. And then they get a tax rebate too, which is just incredible. Okay, with go then comes O for option. What partnerships would accelerate your mission the most?
Either with a major hotel or casino loyalty program, one anchor partner proves the unit economics, an oral surgery dental school partner, the clinical credibility and training pipeline, um, a loyalty program processor or tech platform to make activation seamless at scale, or a corporate ESG foundation partner to fund the operational layer while proceeds fund surgeries.
You know what, you, you remind me, I think it was, uh, if I remember correctly, the, the preacher who started, uh, one of Ivy League school. I can't remember which one, uh, it was. Maybe it was Harvard. I can't remember. But anyway, he only had an idea, and he wanted young people to be educated, to have the best education in the world. But he didn't have any money, but he had this big vision. So he started going around the country and speaking of his vision, and before he knew it, people saw his vision, and the first investor gave him— I think it was a million dollars. That was a long, long, long time ago, so it's probably equivalent to, I don't $10 or even $150 million today, but he got his first check and that completely changed history.
Yeah.
And that's kind of what I'm thinking about you. You have this big dream, this vision, and I think it needs to be funded. And the people are listening, and I believe, you know, they say when the students are ready, the teacher will show up. So I think it's that kind of moment for you right now. So finally, we've the growth segment, uh, W for way forward. If everyone listening could do one and only one thing this week to help your mission, what would it be?
Make one warm introduction to a hotel casino loyalty program, dental or oral surgery leader, one email contacting us. That's it. One introduction can unlock the pilot that proves the whole model.
Fantastic. Okay. And then before we end, I'd like to ask Isabelle a question I should have asked you. I didn't get a chance to ask. Anything else you wanted to talk about before we end the podcast?
I don't think so. This has been wonderful.
Great. And, uh, the, the way I, I like to end is going to take less, less than a minute. Uh, what did you want to be when you were a kid?
I wanted to be a nail lady.
Okay, you— that's what you are doing. So that's wonderful. So few people actually get to do what, what they thought they, they would be doing. What are 3 adjectives describing you as a child?
Oh, feisty. Um, I, I just think that I've always just been very curious.
Curious. One more.
Um, diligent.
Okay, what about as an adult?
As an adult, um entrepreneurial and relentless and just passionate.
I love it. So what is one thing you are feeling optimistic about? I like to end on a positive note.
Being on this podcast, I'm very, very excited. I feel like that sometimes when you're posting words, when I'm sharing, I'm pulling in a lot But like you had said, there wasn't a lot of video recordings. There's not a lot of me getting the chance to explain what this is. And that I'm very excited that we're having this show.
I'm just so glad I could play a very small part in your success, but you definitely need to write that book. I think it's going to become a bestseller. And once it's published, please come back here and let's sell as many of those as we can. It's just amazing the work you are doing. I think an idea, I think a vision, but then working to make it happen. I mean, that's just amazing. And I'm hoping that you are encouraging a lot of people, especially women and people of color. I have two African-American daughters, and I think it's important for them to have role models, to see people out there who kind of look like them, who are making things happen. Because, to be honest, this world wasn't made for women or for people of color. We weren't in mind at all. And I'm seeing people like you really breaking ceilings after ceiling and making Things happen and I just love it. So as we end, one word that represents our shared experience on this podcast today. This is the last question. One word.
One word. Enlightening, I would say.
And I am so grateful. Katherine Chitwood, thank you so much for being one of our master teachers today. Really appreciate your time and sharing your wisdom with us. Thank you.
Thank you.
All right. All right, everyone, please follow Catherine. Very easy to find on LinkedIn, on linkedin.com in Catherine-Chitwood. And, uh, our nonprofit site, makingsmileshappen.base44.app. And if you want to use the new OS strategic offer, she calls it the Pentagon Blueprint, go to her site under our story, uh, the Pentagon Blueprint. And let's support her again. I'm asking all of you to please consider giving only $5. That's the price of a Starbucks a cup of coffee. Give $5 to making smiles happen and make a difference. Okay, as we end the show today, I'd like to end with Black History Year. As you know, this year we celebrated Black History Month, and I felt like 28 days was just too short. It wasn't long enough. So I have a couple of, uh, video I am gonna play as we end today. One is going to be about today, right? Today is on July 8th, and I went back into history And it looks like on July 8th, 1860, the Clotilda, the— that's America's last non-slave ship. It landed in Mobile, Alabama. I used to live in Alabama. So that was illegal because it was 50 years after the United States outlawed the international slave trade. But this ship, the Clotilda, it was done secretly, but it arrived in Mobile, Alabama carrying more than 100 captive African from present-day Benin. That was the last slave ships that came to America. So even though it was illegal again, but greed prevailed over the law. And Captain William Foster was the one on board who smuggled the captives ashore. He transferred them to another vessel, but then burned and sank the Clotilda to destroy the evidence. The expedition was financed by Timothy Meagher, and other wealthy businessmen in Mobile, Alabama. Really, really shameful. You can read more about it in the post I wrote today. But another thing I want to do today is I like to have what I call a profile in courage. And the African American hero I would like to celebrate today is none other than Falorun Balogun. She's really the number one star in the US man Olympic team, uh, and one of the best strikers in, uh, world history for soccer. But the thing is, he wouldn't even be representing the United States if the 14th Amendment has been pretty much challenged by our current administration. The only reason why he plays for America is because he was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents originally from Nigeria, but they are citizens of England. So Ikem, his mother, tried to get on the plane to go back to England, her home country, and I think it was American Airlines, they said, no, you can't, you are too pregnant, we won't allow you to get on the flight. So she was forced to give birth to her son in New York, and because of that, he is a US citizen and now he is representing us, making us so proud for the FIFA soccer match. But without the 14th Amendment giving him citizenship for being born in the US, he would not be representing America today. So that's kind of ironic, isn't it? But anyway, and then the last thing I am going to play is just freedom, right? I truly believe that, like I said at the beginning, we were born to be free regardless of your religious belief. I believe those are the inalienable rights that Declaration of Independence talked about. All men are created equal. And freedom is what we are here for. Regardless of your race, your gender, or your national origin, you were born to be free. And again, I am celebrating freedom today. So I'm going to play a free short video about those three. That's going to be the end of the show today. And tomorrow I'm going to be back. We're going to be talking to Elizabeth Hendrickson. She actually was a colleague of mine when we worked at Pivotal, but she's written a best-selling book, and we're going to be talking about that tomorrow. And then day after tomorrow, I will have the honor of speaking with two people. Shakitha Trigg, a certified AI consultant and AI and technology architecture executive, and global transformation and strategy to execution leader. She's going to be here, I guess, that's going to be day after tomorrow, and then on the same day, I will be also talking to my old colleague, Commander Arthur Billingsley, US Navy Commander Retired. He's now a business leader, strategy executive consultant in Jacksonville. That's gonna be a great conversation we are going to have about leadership day after tomorrow. All right, that's it for now. Thanks so much for watching.
60 Minutes Rewind.
Two years ago, a sunken ship was found in the bottom of an Alabama river. It turned out to be the long-lost wreck of the Clotilda, the last slave ship known to have brought captured Africans to America in 1860. At least 12 million Africans were shipped to the Americas in the more than 350 years of the transatlantic slave trade. But as you'll hear tonight, the journey of the 110 captive men, women, and children brought to Alabama on the Clotilda is one of the best documented slave voyages in history. The names of those enslaved Africans and their story has been passed down through the generations by their descendants, some of whom still live just a few miles from where the ship was found in a community called Africatown. For 160 years, this muddy stretch of the Mobile River has covered up a crime. In July 1860, the Clotilda was towed here under cover of darkness, imprisoned in its cramped cargo hold, 110 enslaved Africans.
I just imagine myself being on that ship, just listening to the waves and the waters and just not knowing where you were going.
Joycelin Davis, Lorna Gayle Woods, and Thomas Griffin are direct descendants of this African man, Oluale. Enslaved in Alabama, his owner changed his name to Charlie Lewis. This image is from around 1900. Polly Allen, whose African name was Kpoli, seen in this 100-year-old sketch, was the ancestor of Jeremy Ellis and Darren Patterson.
No clothes, eating where they defecated, only allowed out of the cargo hold for one day a week for two months. How many people do you— do we know now that could have survived something like that without losing their mind?
There are no photographs of Pat Frazier's great-great-grandmother Lottie Dennison, but Caprixia Wallace and her mother Cassandra have a surprising number of pictures of their ancestor Kazula, whose owner called him Kajo Lewis. What does it feel like to be able to know where you come from, to know the person who came here first?
It's empowering, very. Like growing up, my mom made sure she told me all the stories that her dad told her about Cudjoe.
Cassandra, that was important to you? Very important to pass that knowledge along. My dad—
Balogun is a beast.
Down! That time it's 2-0 United States!
One goal not enough, you had to make it two.
Landon Donovan never scored two goals in a game. Clint Dempsey never scored two goals in a game. We're talking about guys who could be on the Mount Rushmore for the US Men's National Team have never had this type of moment.
Under the bright lights of the Los Angeles Stadium, Balogun looked like the coolest person in the building.
Not only picks out the corner, he picks out the top corner. Scoring in a World Cup 2 goals is something very special. I hope it's not unique because I hope there is more to come from him.
He is the number 9 for the United States and he did that, just that last night. I mean, he had the confidence, he looked comfortable, he wanted the ball in big moments. He also was available consistently in and around the box to be able to be a threat. Threat, and, and Paraguay just didn't have, uh, an answer for his threat.
He's not the kind of forward who just spends the entire game standing between the center backs and waiting for crosses. Instead, he has fantastic movement, great speed, and is constantly making defenders uncomfortable.
Flo Balogun, he can create something out of absolutely nothing. We saw it on the second goal where he just needs a half a yard where he can roll defenders, he can create his own space.
He has just He has this killer instinct that you just can't teach.
One of Balogun's biggest strengths is his ability to stretch a defense. He's always on the move, drifting across the front line, attacking open space, and making runs behind the back 4. That movement forces defenders to make difficult decisions and often creates space for his teammates like Christian Pulisic or Weston McKinney to exploit. For both Monaco and the United States, Balogun's pace is a major weapon. He gives his team an outlet whenever they win possession. Rather than getting involved in every Every phase of the buildup, Balogun does his best work closer to goal where his sharp movement and finishing instincts become so much more dangerous.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, he's been a vital part of the team's success. And before I'll be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free. Oh, freedom! Oh, freedom! Freedom, freedom, freedom over me, over me. And before I fall asleep, I'll be very, very happy. And go home to my Lord and be free. No more, no more weeping, don't you know. No more, no more weeping, no more.
Pat Henry said, give me liberty or death. For the will. And MLK said, "We are tired, we are sick, and thank God Almighty, we are free at last." He also said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Oh, freedom!
Oh, freedom! Oh, freedom! Oh, freedom! Oh, freedom! Oh, freedom! Oh, I'm free and faithful!
Bob Fabien Zinga.
I'll be buried— I'll be buried in my grave! And go home to my Lord and be free! Hey hey hey hey hey! Before I be asleep, I'll be buried in my grave! I'm going home to my Lord.
Thank you for tuning in to the Leadership and Success Podcast with your host, Coach Beezy. If today's episode adds added value to your leadership journey, be sure to subscribe, share, and join us again for more wisdom nuggets on how to lead better and achieve greater success. Remember, leadership is the most critical skill of our time. The world will always need leaders to inspire others, drive innovation, and execute meaningful strategy. So why not count yourself among the bold leaders shaping the 21st century? Until next time, stay inspired, stay committed, and keep leading with excellence.
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