In this rapid‑fire "6 questions in 7 minutes" interview, Professor Pete Alexander talks with Linda LaRae, a career CEO and executive coach who currently leads Enjoy Global, a company that helps organizations improve culture and business metrics through neuroscience, technology, and gamification. Linda highlights the growing importance of connection in the post‑COVID business climate, describing how her platform facilitates leader‑to‑leader, team‑to‑team, and company‑to‑customer interactions. She shares a core leadership principle she calls "Energy Follows Focus," urging companies to narrow their focus to manageable, high‑impact actions and to practice daily gratitude. Building on that, she introduces the "Carry the Roses" mindset—continuous self‑care and appreciation of small wins that fuels better leadership and personal well‑being. Linda recommends two high‑performing women leaders, Janelle Baylor of DECO and Kimberly Reese of the Larry H. Miller Group, as future podcast guests. She concludes with a personal anecdote about her first entrepreneurial venture at age ten, running a cake‑decorating business and managing her earnings, illustrating early financial acumen. Finally, she provides contact information (LinkedIn, Enjoy Global website, general web search) for listeners who want to connect.
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and and what you do.
I'm Linda LaRae, and I'm really excited to be here with you today, Professor Pete. And I am a career CEO. For the last 25 years, I've been a CEO of some really interesting companies, and I'm also an executive coach. Currently, I'm the CEO of Enjoy Global. Enjoy Global provides access for companies to improve their culture, and their business metrics through some really interesting things in neuroscience, technology, and gamification.
Linda, it's so great to have you on the show. Question number 2: What's the best thing about working in your industry?
Oh, it's really an incredible industry, and one of the things that's really great is that in today's business climate with COVID and all the things that have happened, Connection is more important than ever, and we provide a platform for people to connect. They can connect leader to leader, leader to subordinate, person to person, team to team, and company to customer. It's really an exciting field to be in with things changing all the time, and it's a new field, relatively new field, so we get to make a difference, and that's a lot of fun.
Oh, I love it. I hear that passion in your voice. It's really neat.
Thank you.
Question number 3: I have a fictitious book with business. What chapter would you think most companies should read?
The chapter that I would suggest every company read is the chapter entitled Energy Follows Focus. What you focus on is where your energy goes, and so often companies try to do too many things. They try to overcomplicate things. And if you can narrow down your focus— and this goes for life too, as well— if you can narrow your focus into very doable, smart things that you can work on, you are going to have success every day.
And I, and it, you know, same for the positives, because Obviously, if it's talking about energy, I'm assuming that, you know, if you're focusing on the wrong things or negative energy, that's just going to take you in a whole opposite direction. Am I right?
Oh, you're so right about that. And it is true. We're bombarded with negative stuff. And it's so important for us to practice and create a daily practice of looking at what we win at and looking at what we're grateful for. It'll change your life.
I couldn't agree more. That's so great. Question number 4: other than the generic work harder, have a great attitude, and care for customers, what advice or insight would you give to other business leaders?
So this is gonna be a little bit different for you, I think. Um, I would give this advice: carry the roses with you. And in today's environment, particularly since a lot of us are homebound, working from home, and but this is true at any time and has been true throughout my career. People often said to me, Linda, you got to stop and smell the roses because self-care is important and you need to put on your oxygen mask before you help those that are around you. But I would come back with a retort that I don't need to stop. I need to carry the roses with me. And the— what I mean by that is you can delight in the smallest things. You can really encourage others by pointing out the positive things, and you can become not only a better leader but a better friend, a better wife, husband, mother, sister, daughter, brother, whatever you want to call it, by really taking care of yourself and looking for the good things in life.
I love that. And you know that old saying, you know, stop and smell the roses? You're taking them with you. So instead of just this one quick, you know, few seconds of self-care, am I assuming that by taking it with you, you're taking care of yourself much more throughout the day?
All the time. All the time. I am constantly You know, many years ago, I had the opportunity to be with a very famous Coach, and that particular person said to me, "You need to always look for what you are grateful for and find beauty in the small things." So, little wins get you to the big goal. You can't get there without those little wins, but oftentimes we just pass over them and don't really pay attention to what is getting us there. And besides that, we're a lot more fun to be around, and we're much more inspiring, motivating, and fun to be with. Mm-hmm.
Couldn't agree more. Very insightful. Thank you. Question 5: What other business leader like yourself would you like to acknowledge and invite to be on my podcast?
Oh, I have two. Both are women that are high flyers in their careers right now. Young and vibrant. Janelle Baylor. And Janelle is— she does two-thirds of the business at DECO. And DECO is a temporary agency that provides employees. And then Kimberly Reese. Kimberly is of the Larry H. Miller Group, and she's the president of Total Care Auto and runs a huge book of business there. They will be fabulous guests for you.
Perfect. I appreciate those referrals. I'll reach out to them. And our final question, question number 6, please tell me about your first job.
Oh, you're gonna love this. At 10 years old, I took a cake decorating class at the local park, and I was good at it. And so I started my own cake decorating business, and I went up and down the street and sold cakes for birthdays, etc. And at 12 years old, I got my commission to make my first wedding cake, and that was in the '60s, and I made $75 for that cake. And what I did is I had 3 different pots of money: $25 that went to my parents, who taught me very well about overhead, and, and to take care of the business. So that was my operating income. And then, um, $25 which I put in the bank, and then $25 which started my real career, which was in the fashion and beauty business. Because I went as a 12-year-old girl to buy a pair of shoes and a handbag to match.
And only 12 years old to, to, to be able to be managing the money and running a successful business. Very impressive.
It was really fun, I'll tell you that. Wow.
So Linda, thank you so much for being on the show. How could people find you?
Um, you can find me on LinkedIn. Uh, you can find me at, uh, Injoy Global, I-N-J-O-Y G-L-O-B-A. You can, uh, find me, you could just find me anywhere. Google me.
Perfect. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. For more insights and ideas, please go to LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, or iTunes and search for the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Thanks for listening.
