speakwithpresence

Halfway to Anywhere with Logan Stacer, Executive Artistic Director of Heartland Arts KC and a Youth Pastor at Awaken Church KC.

In this episode, Logan shares where he finds confidence and joy. You'll learn how he advocates for multiple social justice challenges in Kansas City and you'll hear the story of a kitchen accident that led to his epiphany about being kind.

"If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. If you can't make it in Chicago, you can't make it anywhere.  If you make it in Kansas City, you are Halfway to Anywhere."

Heartland Arts KC trains performing artists to become advocates of social justice. They aim to position Kansas City as a hub for arts advocacy, making public policy accessible for all.

Jen Vellenga and Jennifer Rettele-Thomas are the co-founders of Voice First World®, a communication and executive coaching company.  They train executives and leaders on the Presence Paradigm™, a communication technique created from Jen V's decades of training actors to perform authentically, with presence, on stages, on audio, and video.  If you want to learn more about how to speak confidently, book a discovery call at www.voicefirstworld.com/chat.

Master the Mundane with Deb Richard (pronounced ri-SHARD) will inspire listeners to trust their instincts and value integrity.

Deb played on the LPGA Tour for twenty years (1986–2005), during which she won five Tour events and finished in the top-10 in over seventy events. Her best finishes in the LPGA majors included a tie for tenth place in the 1996 Kraft Nabisco Championship, a tie for fifth in the 1991 LPGA Championship, a tie for ninth in the 1986 U.S. Women's Open, and ties for fourth in the 1988 and 1998 du Maurier Classic. In 1992, Richard was selected for the U.S. Solheim Cup team. 

Richard has been inducted into the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame. She has also received a number of awards for her charitable activities. To learn more about Deb, read her book, Trust: Understanding My Why or check out her leadership program, Burlap Leaders.

Jen Vellenga and Jennifer Rettele-Thomas are the co-founders of Voice First World®, a communication and executive coaching company.  Jen V. works with executives and leaders on the Presence Paradigm™, a communication technique created from Jen V's decades of training actors to perform authentically, with presence, on stages, on audio, and video.  If you want to learn more about how to speak confidently, book a discovery call at www.voicefirstworld.com/chat.

Talk Nicely to Yourself features actor/singer, Shon Ruffin, a Kansas City-based performer. Jen V. & JRT spoke with Shon on location at the New Theatre and Restaurant in Overland Park, KS before she prepared for her nightly performance of Effie in the musical DREAMGIRLS. The show closed on Sept, 10, 2023 after a sold out run.

You can find Shon singing with the bands Freedom Affair and Lost Wax.

Jen Vellenga and Jennifer Rettele-Thomas are the co-founders of Voice First World, a communication and executive coaching company.  If you want to learn more, book a discovery call at www.voicefirstworld.com/chat.

Dani Welniak is the Vice President of Communications for the KC Current, the Kansas City soccer team for the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Dani has an impressive career as an on-air reporter for the Kansas City Chiefs and as a superbowl champion with the Dallas Diamondz - Women's Professional Full-Contact NFL Rules Football.

Dani is a confident speaker and shares her stories of overcoming failures and being supported by allies in a male-dominated industry.

Jen Vellenga and Jennifer Rettele-Thomas are the co-founders of Voice First World, a communication and executive coaching company.  If you want to learn more, book a call at www.voicefirstworld.com/chat.

Dr. Novak has over 25 years of experience working in the fields of optical and wireless communications. She has a successful track record of R&D leadership and product development in the industrial and academic sectors. Prior to co-founding Pharad/Octane Wireless, Dr. Novak was a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at The University of Melbourne. Later she led cross-disciplinary R&D teams developing WDM hardware for long-haul transmission systems at Dorsál Networks and Corvis Corporation.

Dr. Novak received the degrees of Bachelor of Engineering and PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Queensland, Australia, in 1987 and 1992, respectively. She is a Fellow of the IEEE and is recognized internationally as an expert in the areas of microwave and millimeter-wave photonics. Dr. Novak has published more than 300 papers in these areas, including seven book chapters. In 2018 she was awarded the IEEE Photonics Society Engineering Achievement Award for her work developing breakthrough technologies for the microwave photonics field.  She is currently serving as a member of the IEEE Board of Directors.

If you want to see if it's a good fit to work with Jen V. and JRT on speaking courageously as a leader, let's chat: https://www.voicefirstworld.com/chat

On April 2, 2021, the OSU/A&M Board of Regents selected Dr. Kayse Shrum as the 19th president of Oklahoma State University. A native Oklahoman, President Shrum earned her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and has completed executive leadership and management training programs at Harvard University and Stanford University.

Since taking office in July 2021, Dr. Shrum has forged a new chapter for OSU — boldly facing challenges like conference realignment and COVID-19 while positioning the university for future success by embarking on a strategic planning process. The systemwide strategy process will guide the future of OSU and secure its position as the nation’s premier land-grant university — with a focus on creating and discovering solutions to societal problems, providing students with a world-class education and sending them into the world after graduation well-equipped to handle the challenges before them. 

If you want to see if it's a good fit to work with Jen V. and JRT on speaking courageously as a leader, let's chat: https://www.voicefirstworld.com/chat

If you want to see if it's a good fit to work with Jen V. and JRT on speaking confidently as a leader, let's chat: https://www.voicefirstworld.com/chat