Born Leader Podcast

Can you imagine leading a team of dozens of people, working together harmoniously, all at one time as a seamless body?  Ulysses James, maestro of the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association, does just that.  In this bonus episode of the Born Leader podcast, we talk about some amazing opportunities he’s had to conduct orchestras in fantastic venues.  And we learn how Ul pays it forward by giving emerging composers the chance to have their original work played by an orchestra – an opportunity to lead a team in something that is not only seamlessly harmonious, but something born of their own creativity.  It’s a perfect example of what we believe here at the Hypatian Institute, everyone is born to lead – we just have different paths towards realizing our passion, purpose and promise. Thank you to Ul James for speaking with us about sharing music with the public for the benefit of others, and about cultivating new music leaders. If you want to learn more about how Ul creates seamless harmony, listen to t

Born Leader is a podcast founded on the belief that everyone is a born leader and there are many paths to discovering your own potential.  We explore leadership through interviews with and profiles about everyday people who demonstrate we’re all born leaders.  Hypatian Institute, Inc. Founder and CEO Gaea L. Honeycutt hosts Born Leader. In this third episode, Ulysses James, Maestro of the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association discusses applying the lessons of organizational development consuting to growing a small nonprofit. Throughout a Navy career and several years of consulting, Ul James never lost his love of music and, more broadly, the arts.  At the same time, it was those experiences that prepared him to lead and grow an orchestra – both his 20-year career in the military where Ul learned organizational development, and leading his own consulting firm where he put his expertise to work in the private sector.  It was a pleasure to sit down with the unassuming maestro to discuss the similarit

Born Leader - Episode 5: Building Businesses and Community Together Lessons from Michel Zajur of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Born Leader is a podcast founded on the belief that everyone is a born leader and there are many paths to discovering your own potential.  We explore leadership through interviews with and profiles about everyday people who demonstrate we’re all born leaders.  Hypatian Institute, Inc. Founder and CEO Gaea L. Honeycutt hosts Born Leader. In this episode, we welcome Michel Zajur, Founder and CEO of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, an organization dedicated to building bridges to create, promote and enhance business opportunities for its membership by providing linkages with special emphasis on the Hispanic community.  Our discussion focused on the trajectory of his career and how Michel’s business savvy and commitment to serving the Richmond community evolved into a entity that fosters cultural and economic exchange. We begin with the foundations of his work ethi

Born Leader Episode 4 BONUS - Babak Hafezi of Hafezi CapitalThe Soundtrack of LifeBorn Leader is a podcast founded on the belief that everyone is a born leader and there are many paths to discovering your own potential.  We explore leadership through interviews with and profiles about everyday people who demonstrate we’re all born leaders.  Hypatian Institute, Inc. Founder and CEO Gaea L. Honeycutt hosts Born Leader.In this bonus episode, I wanted to share a bit more from my interview with Babak Hafezi, CEO of Hafezi Capital. As we learned in Episode 4, his approach to business is informed by a global perspective and a background in conflict resolution and human rights. If you meet Babak, you’ll notice that he’s well put together, eclectic and sophisticated. After seeing photos of Babak on the web taking a spin at a DJ turntable, I was reminded of a friend years ago who revealed the song he always walked to in his head was Staying Alive by the Bee Gees. And so, that led me to think, “This dude has got to have

Born Leader - Episode 4: Globally Focused, Human-Centered BusinessLessons from Babak Hafezi of Hafezi CapitalBorn Leader is a podcast founded on the belief that everyone is a born leader and there are many paths to discovering your own potential.  We explore leadership through interviews with and profiles about everyday people who demonstrate we’re all born leaders.  Hypatian Institute, Inc. Founder and CEO Gaea L. Honeycutt hosts Born Leader. In this episode, we welcome Babak Hafezi, CEO of Hafezi Capital, an international consulting firm that helps its clients make distinctive, lasting and substantial improvements in performance and operations. Babak is successfully doing what so many of us desire – he’s merging his personal and professional interests in his work. Through his firm, Babak helps new and seasoned entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses in domestic and international markets. At the same time, he’s the quintessential Renaissance man, with a deep interest in human rights and conflict resolutio

Born Leader Episode 3 BONUS - Tara Palacios, Arlington Economic DevelopmentIt’s All Arlington, Everybody Wants a Restaurant, and Plan Smart From the StartBorn Leader is a podcast founded on the belief that everyone is a born leader and there are many paths to discovering your own potential.  We explore leadership through interviews with and profiles about everyday people who demonstrate we’re all born leaders.  Hypatian Institute, Inc. Founder and CEO Gaea L. Honeycutt hosts Born Leader.In this bonus episode, we speak more with Tara Palacios, whose high energy and business acumen are the foundation for Arlington Economic Development’s unique BizLaunch program, the City’s small business and entrepreneurial assistance network, and one-stop-shop for information on starting or growing a business. One of the perks of launching a leadership institute with its own podcast is getting great material on leadership and development from our guests . . . so much that we can’t possibly squeeze it all into one episode.Tara

Born Leader  - Episode 3: Strategies for Growth, Transformation and ChangeLessons from Tara Palacios of Arlington Economic DevelopmentBorn Leader is a podcast founded on the belief that everyone is a born leader and there are many paths to discovering your own potential.  We explore leadership through interviews with and profiles about everyday people who demonstrate we’re all born leaders.  Hypatian Institute, Inc. Founder and CEO Gaea L. Honeycutt hosts Born Leader.In this third episode, we welcome Tara Palacios, whose high energy and business acumen are the foundation for Arlington Economic Development’s unique BizLaunch program, the City’s small business and entrepreneurial assistance network, and one-stop-shop for information on starting or growing a business.  Here sometimes unusual career prepared her to build and run BizLaunch, and she shares with us her advice about acting strategically and planning for success.  Her lessons from graduating in a tough job market, taking missteps on her first job, and

Born Leader is a podcast founded on the belief that everyone is a born leader and there are many paths to discovering your own potential.  We explore leadership through interviews with and profiles about everyday people who demonstrate we’re all born leaders.  Hypatian Institute, Inc. Founder and CEO Gaea L. Honeycutt hosts Born Leader. In this second episode, we welcome Karen Mulhauser, CEO of consulting firm Mulhauser and Associates. She has an incredible history at the intersections of science, education, politics and advocacy. From her early days as a science teacher striving to guide teenagers sorely in need of responsible reproductive health advice to advocating to prevent nuclear war to building collaborative women’s’ networks – Karen’s life has been the study in the evolution of a life that’s unexpectedly perfect in its trajectory. And she has some great stories that illustrate it. Her firm combines the lessons of that unique history, delivering management and public affairs consulting services to pro

Grounded, Centered and Growing: Leadership Lessons with Cindy Shao of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce Born Leader is a podcast founded on the belief that everyone is a born leader and there are many paths to discovering your own potential.  We explore leadership through interviews with and profiles about everyday people who demonstrate we’re all born leaders.  Hypatian Institute, Inc. Founder and CEO Gaea L. Honeycutt hosts Born Leader. In this first episode, we welcome friend and colleague, Dr. Cindy Shao.  Cindy is the Founder and CEO of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce, a regional chamber based in Northern Virginia.  Since it’s founding the organization has grown steadily – in membership and strategic partnerships. Cindy will share the story of her unusual transition from research in the textile industry to the business world, and her grounded, well balanced approach to leading an association that only continues to grow. Hypatian Institute - http://www.hypatianinstitute.com Asian American Cham