Tips For Team Building Podcast Jaden Smith

In this week’s episode, Jaden speaks with Sean Peterson, Interim Director of Talent Strategies and Sourcing and Brand Engagement Manager of Talent Strategies at BJC Healthcare. Peterson discusses motivating employees through a commitment to their wellness, an intentional effort in building relationships based on trust, and focusing on employee growth.
Peterson worked in an HR role initially– he was in recruiting and talent acquisition. Peterson found that, while he enjoyed the sales part of the role, he missed the human connection in HR and talent acquisition. He ended up finding that human connection at BJC, and now he is the Sourcing and Brand Engagement Manager for Talent Strategies at BJC.
Peterson speaks about promoting wellness in the workplace by ensuring the wellness of the employees and then focusing on adjustment– both in terms of employee engagement as well as work as well. He focuses on ensuring wellness by emphasizing the onboarding process so employees understand the work environment and expectations. He emphasizes making sure the employee feels valued and engaged in the culture.
Peterson draws on the importance of building strong relationships with employees. He underscores the importance of prioritizing the wellness of employees to ensure that they feel valued and respected. Peterson also reaffirms these values in employee retention– he brings up the importance of recognition, intentionality, managing virtual space, and focusing on personal and professional growth, all while building trust. All of the above play into promoting employee wellness.
Peterson's commitment and respect shine through in his leadership. With years of experience in his field, Peterson now shares his wisdom on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.
More About Our Guest:
Mr. Sean Peterson is a Sourcing and Brand Engagement Manager at BJC Healthcare. He has a proven track record of prioritizing employee engagement and wellbeing in the company.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanpetersonstl/
https://www.bjc.org/

In this week’s episode, Jaden speaks with Dr. Robert Kolts, Clinical Director at Overjet, husband, and father of seven. Dr. Kolts discusses balancing tasks through effective prioritization while ensuring an active focus on family relationships.
Dr. Kolts graduated dental school in 2012, but has since taken a less traditional progression through his career. After 3 months in private practice, he realized he lacked the necessary passion for clinical practice. He thus went back to school for his MBA from Penn State and eventually invested in several properties. Over the next few years, he progressed through various leadership positions, eventually leading to his current role as the Clinical Director at Overjet.
Dr. Kolts speaks about managing different priorities while maintaining his relationships with his family. He describes the work-life balance as an “ebb and flow” in reference to responsibilities in different areas of his life. Dr. Kolts emphasizes discerning what is professionally fulfilling and avoiding burnout by balancing personal passions with career goals.
Dr. Kolts draws on the importance of building relationships as a leader. While it’s necessary to ensure friendships do not obstruct work experience, he argues that personal engagement with employees is important. He underscores the importance of being a human first and leader second. He reaffirms the balance between personal and professional life, both in terms of priorities and in terms of building a cohesive team.
Dr. Kolts' respect and commitment shine through in his leadership. With years of experience in managerial and directorial roles within dentistry, Dr. Kolts now shares his wisdom on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.
More About Our Guest:
Dr. Rob Kolts is a Clinical Director at Overjet with experience in the dentistry sector. He has a demonstrated history of creating workplace environments marked by balance, integrity, and honesty.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-kolts/
https://www.overjet.ai/

In this episode, Jaden speaks with Alden Mills, CXO Advisor, Speaker, Founder, and Investor at Alden Mills Company. Alden discusses his journey to becoming a leader and how he uses his mentality of being unstoppable to inspire more leaders.
Throughout Alden’s life, he has always been a leader. Whether as a team captain in rowing, a Navy SEAL platoon leader, or a philanthropy chair, this has been constant. He’s experienced the trials of being a leader and learned what’s necessary to become unstoppable in the community and workplace.
Alden emphasizes the importance of struggling as a leader. Being a leader inherently means that you struggle occasionally. However, it also means learning from mistakes and making sure similar ones don’t reoccur. Having an unstoppable mentality means working through missteps and realizing power as a leader lies in being present with everyone.
Another important facet Alden discusses is how to create meaningful relationships. There are two main steps Alden follows to building the most positive relationships he can. The first is to be deeply curious, followed by learning how to specifically communicate and connect with that individual. To do this, Alden recommends suspending judgment of others and being a good listener. Although you cannot control others’ opinions, you should always present yourself in the best manner to show you’re an unstoppable leader.
Now inspiring others through speeches and books, Alden influences change in the workplace by teaching the 3 levels of leadership. The first concerns being yourself and how you present to others, and the second with how workers act and lead. The third level is the community culture that arises as a result of the prior two levels. Alden leverages this framework and emulates these facets of leadership to become unstoppable. He joins us now to share his journey of leadership and to inspire future unstoppable leaders.
More about our guest:
Alden Mills—author including UNSTOPPABLE TEAMS—is a high-energy, humble, and charismatic leader with a track record of superior performance.
As an Olympic Festival rower, he went on to become a standout at the US Naval Academy, then a Navy SEAL platoon commander (three times), then an entrepreneur. He founded and grew Perfect Fitness from zero to $63m in sales, becoming the fastest-growing consumer company in America (per INC. Magazine, 2009). Alden then continued to lead the Perfect Fitness team and grow the company even further after its acquisition by the private equity firm, Implus. Alden has created over 40 patents in the consumer sector.
Between his time in the military and in business, Alden has accrued over 25 years of experience working on high-performance leadership, company strategy, growth, and team-building.
His experience and vibrant storytelling skills make him a sought-after speaker around the world.
Alden is the acclaimed author of BE UNSTOPPABLE: The Eight Essential Actions to Succeed at Anything and UNSTOPPABLE TEAMS: The Four Essential Actions of High-Performance Leadership (HarperCollins, March 2019) and Founder of BeUnstoppable.com.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aldenmills/
https://www.alden-mills.com/

In this week’s episode, Jaden speaks with Dr. Ian Barrett, an accomplished HR Executive within the healthcare and education sectors. Ian emphasizes diversity of experiences and capitalizing on opportunities for mentorship.
Prior to serving as a Regional Vice President of HR at BJC, Ian acquired robust and diverse experience across organizations. This includes leadership roles with Prudential, Emory University Hospital, Cobb County, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Massachusetts, and more. The opportunity to serve in a diversity of industries and organizations has led Ian to massive success as an HR executive.
In this episode, Ian speaks about his background and his personal experiences building his career. He emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities and also making opportunities available to those around him. Ian discusses the importance of providing those that he leads with opportunities for growth. Speaking to this support, he draws on mentorship and diversity of experience as examples of opportunities that can be provided in the workplace.

Ian’s focus on providing opportunities to those around him has helped his team with motivation and efficiency, improving productivity. Ian advocates for supporting employees, especially during onboarding, to help them weather learning curves and better themselves for their careers. As a dynamic team leader, Ian is focused on supporting his team and helping them receive and capitalize on opportunities.

Ian’s proactiveness and respect shine through in his leadership. With decades of experience in HR and leadership, Ian now shares his wisdom on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.

More About Our Guest:
Ian Barrett is an experienced executive in Human Resources with expertise in the healthcare and education sectors. He has a demonstrated history of creating positive, healthy workplace environments.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iancbarrett/
https://www.bjc.org/

In this week’s episode, Jaden connects with Dr. Cyndy Donato, an expert HR leader with over 30 years of developing people strategies. Cyndy champions meaningful relationship building as the gateway to reducing turnover and creating a resilient sense of belonging.
Cyndy began her career in HR across agricultural, chemical, and IT, industries, to name a few, before shifting into healthcare. Seeking to connect her expertise to her empathetic ambitions, Cyndy found healthcare to be the ideal field for her. Most recently, Cyndy has served as the Chief People Officer for Novus International and a VP, HR for BJC Healthcare.
From her experience, Cyndy is passionate about fostering connections with team members as a universal catalyst for organizational performance. Each relationship must be founded on trust and earned as a leader by listening to the specific needs of individuals. This forms the basis for respect, an integral component to success as a leader. Further, it fosters a sense of belonging that reduces turnover, improves performance, and enables tough conversations going forward.
Cyndy additionally emphasizes authentic connection as a means of boosting individual performance. By learning her team members’ “superpowers”, Cyndy is able to better apply individual strengths and set up her team for success. In turn, individuals feel more productive, valued, and better applied. Beyond fulfillment, these ripple effects create a sense of belonging and enable individuals to be their authentic selves. This comfort allows team members to then better focus on producing quality results in a safe and productive environment.
Cyndy’s passion for connection as a road towards success is not arbitrary but the result of decades of experience. Now reflecting, she shares the practical lessons she has learned on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.
More About Our Guest:
Dr. Cyndy Donato is a Senior Human Resources leader skilled at creating a collaborative and innovative culture built on trust. She brings global experience leading, building and redesigning business structures and the human resources function across Asia, Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Americas.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyndydonato/

Cyndy.Donato@gmail.com

In this week’s episode, Jaden speaks with Ivan Velazquez, the VP of Operations at Specialty Dental Brands. Ivan stresses the importance of building bridges with team members and ensuring that those bridges are prioritized throughout the working relationship.
Ivan started his career in administrative work at New Century Industries and stayed there for about 3 years. He switched to operational management in the retail industry at Abercrombie & Fitch, then at SSD Systems, and finally at Dental Management Services. He worked his way up to Vice President of Operations at Specialty Dental Brands, where he manages a large group of people.
Ivan draws on his stories and imparts advice on pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Ivan talks about his personal challenges and emphasizes the importance of finding mentorship– he shares personal anecdotes about his childhood and his mentors. Ivan underscores the importance of maintaining trust and focusing on how to ensure employees feel heard. Ivan is an expert at building bridges between himself and his team, and is wonderful at organization.
Ivan’s focus on building bridges helped his team with boosting morale, leading to an increase in productivity. He advises having tough conversations sooner rather than later. He shares some of his personal anecdotes and advises leaders to focus on building relationships with their teams.
Ivan’s empathy and respect shine through in his leadership. With decades of experience in operations and leadership, Ivan now shares his wisdom on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.
More About Our Guest:
Ivan Velazquez is a VP of Operations at Specialty Dental Brands with expertise in team building and interpersonal relationships, implementing various operational infrastructure, and management. Demonstrated history of building strong teams and collaborative relationships at all levels of an organization.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-velazquez-mba-b6477941
https://specialtydentalbrands.com/