Leadership Cafe

The Leadership Cafe
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Leadership Cafe Podcast is where marketing leaders in nonprofits, rural health, and small businesses gather to brew bold ideas and roast the competition. Hosted by Marketing Strategist and CEO, Sally Mildren, this show delivers bite-sized strategies, candid conversations, and industry insights for leading with confidence and making real impact. Whether you’re a solo marketer or part of a small team, pull up a chair…your community is here.

  1. Oct 1

    Building Trust With Stakeholders Before You Need Them

    There's a version of stakeholder engagement that is just a bunch of schmoozing and wasted spend. And then there's what Bradley Harris does. Bradley has spent more than 13 years operating behind the curtain in some of the most complex, regulated, and high-stakes environments: utilities, healthcare, economic development, nonprofits, and government. He has been in the boardroom when multimillion dollar decisions got made in minutes. He has handed talking points to heads of state. He has managed relationships between organizations that had no business working together, and made it work anyway. And his philosophy is simple: listen first, meet people where they are, and build the relationships you need before you ever need them. In this episode of the Leadership Cafe Podcast, Bradley unpacks what stakeholder engagement looks like in action, why it is more critical now than ever for nonprofit and healthcare organizations, and some simple tactics that small and solo teams can use to build trust, influence, and buy-in with the people who matter most to their mission. Episode Highlights: The difference between your audience and your stakeholders.  Why you should never spend a single dollar on marketing or stakeholder engagement until you know your vision, your mission, and your positioning. Low-budget stakeholder engagement tactics any small or solo team can implement.  Why most strategic plans gather dust and why the most impactful thing a leader can do is stop brainstorming new ones and start executing the one already sitting on the shelf. About our guest:  Bradley Harris is the founder of Bradley Harris Strategic Advisory, where he helps executives and organizations navigate complex stakeholder environments, build trust, and turn strategy into action. With more than 13 years of experience across utilities, healthcare, economic development, and nonprofits, Bradley has spent his career operating behind the scenes in some of the most high-stakes decision-making environments in West Virginia and beyond. He currently serves as president of the largest medical school foundation in West Virginia and is a passionate advocate for lifting the next generation of leaders. Resources Mentioned: Connect with Bradley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-harris-a4649360/  Bradley Harris Strategic Advisory: thebradleyharris.com  Commonwell Marketing: https://commonwellmarketing.com/  The Leadership Cafe:  https://theleadershipcafe.com/

  2. Sep 17

    The Neuroscience of Marketing - Part 1

    You have two to eight seconds. That's it. Before you lose your audience to something else. Unless you tap into what makes them look at, choose, and trust you.  In this solo episode of the Leadership Cafe Podcast, Sally Mildren — CEO of Commonwell Marketing and host of this podcast — breaks down the neuroscience behind why nonprofit and healthcare marketing can fall flat, and what to do instead.  Let’s talk about why your impressions are up but your donations aren't, why your emails are getting opened but nobody is clicking, or why your message feels clear to you but seems to disappear into the noise.  Get ready to dive into the science-backed proof about how the brain actually processes information and how to use that to create marketing that gets through, builds trust and converts. Episode Highlights: We are wired to feel before we think, which means leading with data, facts, and mission statements is working directly against how the human brain makes decisions. The neuroscience behind why one size fits all messaging isn’t effective. Impressions and clicks mean nothing without conversion, and the path to conversion runs straight through trust and authenticity.  Marketing that makes your audience feel genuinely seen before you ask them for anything. About our guest:  Sally Mildren is the CEO and founder of Commonwell Marketing and the host of the Leadership Cafe Podcast and online community (The Leadership Cafe). With decades of experience in healthcare and nonprofit marketing, Sally brings a rare combination of strategic depth, neuroscience-informed thinking, and genuine heart to every conversation. She created the Leadership Cafe to give nonprofit, rural health, and small business marketers a safe (and free!) space to learn, connect, and grow. This is her first solo episode, and it won't be her last. Resources Mentioned: Commonwell Marketing: https://commonwellmarketing.com/  The Leadership Cafe:  https://theleadershipcafe.com/  Listen to the Leadership Cafe Podcast on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

  3. Sep 2

    When Work Becomes Your Identity - Facing Transitions and Dealing With Burnout

    Many of us let what we do become who we are. And most of us don't slow down and recognize that until something forces us to. For Bitsy Hamilton, that something was a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis in 2017. It took her out of the classroom she loved, redirected her future, and ultimately led her to where she is now. A full-time life coach specializing in change management and transitions, Bitsy helps people do the thing that is genuinely hard for most of us… figure out who we are when the identity we built our life around shifts or disappears entirely. In this episode of the Leadership Cafe Podcast, we enjoyed an honest and practical conversation about burnout, identity, transition, and what it actually looks like to find yourself again on the other side of a major life change. We cover it all, right down to the simple every day practices that can help you re-align and get back to yourself.  So nonprofit leaders running on fumes, healthcare workers who care for everyone but themselves, and solo marketers wearing twelve hats… if any of that resonates, this episode is for you. Episode Highlights: The common foundations of life change and transition How our professional identity becomes enmeshed with who we are, and why that makes layoffs, career shifts, and retirement so much harder than just losing a job The framework Bitsy uses to help individuals and organizations move through change Burnout prevention strategies   Misguided advice for stressed leaders and how to avoid it About our guest:  Bitsy Hamilton is a certified life coach, speaker, and author of the book, OwnIt, specializing in change management, life transitions, and burnout prevention. After a career in education and advising, a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis in 2017 redirected her path entirely, and she officially launched her full-time coaching practice in 2022. Bitsy works with both individuals and organizations, helping people navigate the uncertainty that comes with major transitions, reconnecting with their identity beyond their job title, and building a life and leadership practice that is sustainable, authentic, and theirs. She blends nature-based coaching methods with her proprietary OwnIt Framework to meet clients exactly where they are. Resources Mentioned: OwnIt by Bitsy Hamilton: https://www.amazon.com/Own-Confidence-Clarity-Unshakable-Self-Trust/dp/1971949280  Bitsy's website and coaching services: https://www.coachbitsy.com/  Connect with Bitsy on Instagram: @coachbitsy Love and Work by Marcus Buckingham: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Work-Find-What-Rest/dp/1647821231 (referenced by Sally around red thread activities and burnout prevention)  The Leadership Cafe:  https://theleadershipcafe.com/  Listen to the Leadership Cafe Podcast on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

  4. Aug 21

    You Aren't the Hero... Here's Who Should Be.

    What if the biggest mistake in your marketing videos isn't the production quality, the budget, or the platform? Maybe it’s the fact that your organization is the hero of its own story. This week on the Leadership Cafe Podcast, we sit down with Kwami Ngaojia, a video storytelling expert and the center of partnerships at Beard and Bowler.  With a background in social work, the military, and video production, Kwami has a uniquely human approach to storytelling. He understands how to earn trust, draw people in, and move them to action.  Come and listen as Kwami walks us through the seven-element storytelling framework Beard and Bowler uses with healthcare and nonprofit clients, and gives us practical and immediately usable video advice. Episode Highlights: The hero of your story should never be your organization. It should be the person your audience can see themselves in. The seven storytelling elements every video needs: hero, problem, guide, plan, decision, failure, and success. Why a cold open — dropping your audience into the strongest soundbite with zero context — is the most powerful tool you have in the first seconds before someone scrolls away. How to tell a great story on a small budget.  Why AI can tighten a story but can never replace one.  About our guest:  Kwami Ngaojia is a video storytelling expert and Business Development lead at Beard and Bowler, a healthcare-focused video production agency. Kwami brings a people-first approach to every story he helps tell, shaped by his background in social work, military service and video production. He started at Beard and Bowler as a video editor and PA 6 years ago, and has grown into the role of lead interviewer, guiding emotional conversations and helping organizations find the human story at the center of their work. Resources Mentioned: Beard and Bowler: https://beardandbowler.com  Storybrand by Donald Miller: https://www.amazon.com/StoryBrand-Christopher-Miller/dp/0718033329  Kwami Ngaojia on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwamignaojia/ The Leadership Cafe:  https://theleadershipcafe.com/  Listen to the Leadership Cafe Podcast on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

  5. Aug 6

    My Table Is Infinite, Competitors Are Welcome: Collaboration, AI and Prioritization in Marketing

    What does it look like to build a marketing department from scratch, wear six hats at once, and still find a way to be ruthlessly strategic about what actually matters?In this episode of Leadership Cafe podcast, Sally Mildren talks with Lauren Minor who has been doing exactly that for nearly 20 years. This conversation is packed with the kind of hard-won wisdom you don't find in a textbook. Lauren is the Director of Partnerships and Marketing at Reason One, a B Corp-certified web development agency focused on digital accessibility. She joined us to talk about strategic partnerships, radical prioritization, and why the future of healthcare and nonprofit marketing isn't about doing more, but about doing the right things with the right people. Oh, and she also does improv and stand-up comedy in Charleston, South Carolina. So you know this one's going to be good. Episode Highlights: Why your competitors might be your best partners, and the healthcare systems already proving it The prioritization question Lauren asks herself every single morning as a department of one Please, AI, take my job! Why letting go of the busy work is the most strategic thing you can do The website accessibility fixes any marketer can make this week before your developer even gets involved Why the way you write and the photos you choose are either building trust or quietly pushing people away About our guest:  Lauren Minor is the Director of Partnerships and Marketing at Reason One, a B Corp-certified web development agency. A career in-house marketer with nearly 20 years of experience, Lauren built Reason One's marketing function from the ground up and has spent her career championing strategic partnerships, high-impact prioritization, and digital accessibility as a human right. She's also a speaker, incoming president of CHPRMS, and a regular performer of improv and stand-up comedy in Charleston, South Carolina. Resources Mentioned: Reason One: https://reasononeinc.com/  Siteimprove: a tool for identifying accessibility issues on your website WCAG 2.1 compliance: deadline May 2027 for organizations receiving federal funding Connect with Lauren Minors on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenminors/  The Leadership Café - a free online community for marketers to connect, learn, and grow: theleadershipcafe.com Listen to the Leadership Cafe Podcast on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

  6. Jul 23

    What If Your Nonprofit Stopped Acting Like One?

    What if running like a typical "nonprofit" is actually working against you? What if trying to please every donor, appeal to every audience, and say yes to every opportunity is the very thing keeping your organization stuck?  In this episode of the Leadership Cafe Podcast, Sally Mildren continues her conversation with Maryanne Dersch of Courageous Communication and Influential Nonprofit Podcast to unpack how nonprofits can move beyond scarcity, become more authentic, and build stronger donor relationships. The way forward for nonprofits isn't more content, more events, or more appeals. It's more courage, more authenticity, and a willingness to stop being everything to everyone.  Episode Highlights: Why the language of "nonprofit" shapes self-perception and limits organizational confidence. How scarcity thinking affects your fundraising, communication, and donor relationships. Why younger generations respond to values, connection, and emotional resonance — and what that means for how you show up. The Donor Flow Framework: how to move people from awareness to action without a big budget. How smaller teams can simplify everything by telling one story, one call to action, and repurposing it everywhere. About our guest:  Maryanne Dersch is the founder of Courageous Communication and creator of the Donor Flow Framework. She helps nonprofit leaders communicate more authentically, build stronger donor relationships, and align their messaging with their values. Resources Mentioned: Courageous Communication: https://courageouscommunication.com  The Donor Flow Framework: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/donor-flow-framework  Influential Nonprofit Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-influential-nonprofit/id1551595769  Why Codependence Is Making Your Nonprofit Boring — Maryanne's book: https://www.amazon.com/Courageous-Communication-Codependence-Making-Nonprofit/dp/1732276714/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=dersch&qid=1551206001&s=gateway&sr=8-1  The Leadership Café - a free online community for marketers to connect, learn, and grow: theleadershipcafe.com Listen to the Leadership Cafe Podcast on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

  7. Jul 9

    Great Leadership Starts with Curiosity…and Kindness

    What do cotton fields in rural China have to do with building trust in a biotech startup? More than you'd think. In this episode, we sit down with Shujian Zhang: PhD molecular plant pathologist, Executive MBA, founder of Nexus BioStrategy, and one of the most thoughtful voices on leadership and communication in the AG-biotech space.  Shujian's story starts in a small farming village in China, where watching a transgenic cotton plant save his family from a summer of pesticide spraying sparked a lifelong passion for plant science and what technology can do for the people who feed the world. But this episode isn't just about science. It's about how you lead, how you communicate and what it means to be genuinely kind to the people around you. About our guest: Shujian Zhang is an AG-biotech innovation leader, strategist, and communicator with more than 20 years of experience translating science into real-world impact. As the Founder and Principal Consultant of Nexus BioStrategy, he helps organizations bridge cutting-edge agricultural biotechnology with business strategy, drawing on deep expertise in biological-based crop protection, plant health, and innovation partnerships. Beyond his work in science and strategy, Shujian is deeply passionate about leadership, communication, and lifelong learning. He is the creator and host of AgBio Dialogues, a platform featuring conversations on science, leadership, innovation, and personal growth, and the writer behind Cultivated Insight on Substack, where he shares reflections on leadership, communication, scientific advances, and industry trends, shaped by curiosity and lifelong learning. Shujian holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Plant Pathology and an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology. He believes that great leadership starts with curiosity, communication, and the ability to connect people around a shared vision. What We Cover: How growing up on a farm shaped Shujian's leadership philosophy  Why communication is a leadership tool, not a soft skill  The difference between kindness and niceness in leadership, and why avoiding tough feedback is actually the unkind choice The gap Shujian identified between lab science and real-world ag application — and why he founded Nexus BioStrategy to bridge it How trust travels through the value chain Where AI genuinely helps in AG-biotech  The representation vs. recognition gap in science and healthcare marketing  Resources Mentioned: Shujian Zhang Website- https://www.shujianzhang.com/  Shujian Zhang Substack -https://cultivatedinsight.substack.com/  Shujian Zhang Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@AgBioDialogues  Shujian Zhang Podcast Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agbio-dialogues/id1872376765 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0jSzIIRvZ7Ecgl0FHKZUd7  Shujian Zhang LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/nexusbiostrategy  The Leadership Café - a free online community for marketers to connect, learn, and grow: theleadershipcafe.com Listen to the Leadership Cafe podcast on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

  8. Jun 25

    Navigating Ethics in Healthcare Marketing

    What does it mean to market honestly when people's lives are on the line? In this episode, we sit down with Ariella Shoham, C-level marketer with 30 years of global B2B marketing experience and CMO of C8 Health, to explore one of the most important and underexamined conversations in our industry: the ethics of healthcare marketing. From vaccine misinformation during COVID to competitive attack campaigns in the medtech space, Ariella shares real stories from the front lines of regulated healthcare marketing, and what she believes every marketer owes their audience when the stakes are this high. We also dig into how AI is reshaping clinical workflows, why "augmentation not replacement" is still the right message, and why we think it's time for a formal code of ethics for healthcare marketers!  What We Cover: Why comparative/attack marketing in healthcare crosses an ethical line How to lead with patient value instead of technology claims Why honesty in marketing is not just ethical and how it's actually a competitive advantage The AstraZeneca vaccine campaign that became a case study in dangerous marketing  AI and patient safety Regulatory challenges in healthcare AI Resources Mentioned: A-Doc - https://www.aidoc.com/  C8 Health - https://c8health.com/  Ariella Shoham on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellashoham/ The Leadership Café - a free online community for marketers to connect, learn, and grow: theleadershipcafe.com Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

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About

Leadership Cafe Podcast is where marketing leaders in nonprofits, rural health, and small businesses gather to brew bold ideas and roast the competition. Hosted by Marketing Strategist and CEO, Sally Mildren, this show delivers bite-sized strategies, candid conversations, and industry insights for leading with confidence and making real impact. Whether you’re a solo marketer or part of a small team, pull up a chair…your community is here.

Information

  • Creator
    The Leadership Cafe
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Leadership Cafe
  • Show Website
    Leadership Cafe