Professionally Offensive

Gabe Krajicek, CEO of Kasasa, has been leading businesses with a common ingredient- A foundation of love. He shares that it’s not the squishy kind of love, but the principles rooted in the value, that makes a company resilient. Believing the best in others, being holistically accountable and not worrying about being “cool” are all reason he’s achieved success in his career. Gabe talks about the early days of being a 22-year-old CEO and mustering up the confidence to lead a company that was originally run by folks with decades more experience.  The hardships, excitement and trying to lock in on a purpose, kicked off Gabe's journey in business.  In a world where everyone seems to be running a company, Gabe talks about the responsibility and unique stress that comes with being at the helm. Just because you are the CEO, doesn’t mean you have the ultimate power to do whatever you want.  Gabe shares that one’s ability to connect with others on a human-level and understand the motives and experiences that make you tick, is crucial to effectively leading. From leading AutoTechs to FinTechs, Gabe's ultimately grateful for the opportunity to raise a family and use this as a cleaner burning fuel, to leave the world a better place.

Brian Hoang, Founder and Fmr. CEO of SURVIVR, has had a unique entrepreneurial journey that's allowed him to combine virtual reality, artificial intelligence and military/law enforcement training into one venture.  This noble venture has given military and law enforcement the ability to train in realistic environments through multiple life-saving scenarios.  Virtual reality has benefits even in other industries and Brian describes their applications for even retailers practicing Black Friday scenarios.  Brian had no experience in any of these areas prior to successfully running his company, yet was able to earn the confidence of investors and the trust of an entire community.  He attributes a lot of his success and tenacity to being raised by immigrant parents who taught him to be grateful and that effort only matters, if the results are achieved.  Brian shares stories about his parents growing up in Vietnam, living through the war and surviving everyday to keep from going hungry.  Brian's gained perspective and being results-oriented, gave him the confidence to lead a company with no "real" experience.  The Texas Business Hall of Famer, also knows that any successful venture is not done alone.  Brian shares his philosophy on Team dynamics, how to hire the right folks and set the proper expectations for excited teammates entering the start-up world.  Sometimes the best opportunities are the ones that you follow your intuition on, but once you're on that course, ensure that what your building is delivering outcomes that will move your company forward.

Kate Saber, Owner and Executive Coach at Kate Saber Coaching, helps business Leaders reach their peace and potential. Kate is a seasoned people Leader who draws inspiration from her past experiences being a strategic people Leader at Apple, creating internal global-coaching programs at Airbnb and serving as the Head of People at Tilt. Kate shares her process of diving into a person’s foundational beliefs before working on the tactics. Tactics are crucial to enacting positive change, but you can’t begin to move a new direction without knowing where you stand and the relationship you have with yourself. Kate discusses the human aspect of high-performing Leaders and how even the smallest moment from childhood can lead to many Leaders running into roadblocks, later in their career and within their Teams. Kate also talks about her own self-development journey and mantra of being a well-rested woman.  Self-exploration is critical to being an effective coach: You can only take folks as far as you have gone. For those interested in finding a coach or becoming one, Kate believes that a good coach is not one that tells you what to do, but asks, listens and looks for areas where one can consider being more self-aware and begin to move in a more fruitful direction.  Learn more about Kate at www.katesaber.com.

Kyle Rish, Partner at Spaulding Ridge, shares how playing sports was the foundation for him reaching the pinnacle of consulting.  Chasing his dreams to play major league baseball led to disappointment as well as new found triumph.  Early on Kyle was able to find meaningful mentors who taught him to become the "go to" person and then eventually relinquish the spotlight, to allow others and the company to grow.  Kyle's "go to" skills in supply chain and logistics has led him to accomplish incredible things at companies like PepsiCo and Apple.  Kyle talks about his decision to move away from industry to help more companies, by jumping feet first into management consulting.  After helping grow Spaulding Ridge from a few employees to over 400 people, Kyle reflects on the key moments that got him to where he is today.  The common theme has been a strong sense of "Team" which was established in his early days of playing on the baseball diamond.  Part of how Kyle stays engaged in his sports passion is by coaching and giving back to kids from under-resourced communities.  Many lessons, emotions and principles he sees in young athletes, directly translates to being a Leader at a multi-million dollar consulting firm.  Learn more about Spaulding Ridge at www.spauldingridge.com and RBI Austin at www.rbiaustin.org.

Joseph Cabrera, host of the Professionally Offensive Podcast, launches "Morning Huddles" with a deep dive on Battle Rhythms.  Morning Huddles are unique sessions meant to engage listeners with topics outside of guest conversations.  These topics range from self-development pro-tips, current events, reflections and answering listener questions. In this episode, Joseph talks through the importance of creating an accountability framework called a Battle Rhythm. Are there times in your life where you feel that after every week, month or year- you seem to fall short on your expectations?  Well this might be because you don't have a Battle Rhythm.  A good Battle Rhythm is the balance between productivity and flexibility.  Unlike a checklist or routine, Battle Rhythms have adaptability built in, to allow you to deal with the curveballs of life.  Tune in to learn how to identify and set up your Battle Rhythm.

Mark Sanderson, Director of Operations at The Warriors Keep, leads expeditions all over the world.  His passion for the outdoors has led him to taking Teams to some of the highest summits in the United States as well as some coveted climbs, like Kilimanjaro.  All of this is in an effort to help America's Warriors re-center their minds, bodies and spirits to remember that all they need to keep pushing forward is some mountain air, a good Team and themselves.  Mark discusses the importance of calm Leadership and how less is more when it comes to leading people.  Although operating a non-profit isn't easy and comes with many of the same budget, marketing and operational challenges a business has, Mark is undeterred to keep serving in the outdoors. Mark discusses what keeps him motivated and how chasing his passion is a process.  Learn more about The Warriors Keep at www.thewarriorskeep.org.

Joseph Cabrera, host of the Professionally Offensive Podcast, closes out 2021 with the importance of reflection and how to productively go about doing it.  Any year provides many ups and downs- how you reflect on these moments can fundamentally impact how you set the pace for the coming year.  Whether it's celebrating wins or learning from loses, staying objective is key.  Join Joseph as he shares his ritual on reflection and what's in store for 2022. 

Jonathan Miller, Founder & CEO of Outlaws Inc, is on a mission to tighten the fabric of America by connecting businesses with talented Veterans.  This is not about handouts, but instead, a way to connect industries that are struggling to find good and reliable talent, with a group of folks who have already proven they have what it takes to keep America strong.  Jon shares how one tragic event, took him off his initial course in business and was the impetus for his purpose driven company.  Jon dives into several aspects of Veteran hiring- from the demand for skilled trades and how Veterans perfectly fit that need to the strategies companies can pursue, to take their business from surviving to thriving. Learn more about Outlaws Inc here: www.vetsmakeit.com

Carter Bell, Major US Army, West Point & Columbia Grad, discusses the importance of giving back to the future generations of Leaders and how a place like West Point is the perfect environment to do so.  Coming back to West Point has allowed Carter to train, develop and mentor the future of military and private industry Leaders.  With incredible experience leading teams in extremely hostile and high-stress environments, Carter is able to share real examples with students and how sharing failures has been one of his best teaching tools.  His tenure in the military has given him perspective on empathy being a two-way street, patience being the key to growing future Leaders and how human the entire process really is.  Carter and Joseph (Host) also reminisce about the forging times they experienced at a small outpost in Afghanistan and how this was a breeding ground for many life lessons.

Dara Chike-Obi, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Grio Baby, an innovative infant product company who is redefining child development by encouraging intimate multi-tasking.  Dara shares her commitment to being a hardcore professional as well as a driven mother who not only inspires her family but other women to make time for the things that are important.  Losing her mother at a young age and growing up in a household full of boys, has been been the credit to major important life lessons, such as confrontation does not mean conflict, don't fret the small stuff because family is all you got and being mindful of your actions.  This former corporate attorney turned entrepreneur is paving the way for how parents should view their responsibility not only to their families, but to themselves.  Learn more about Grio Baby at www.griobaby.com.