Unleashed - How To Thrive As An Independent Professional

Mary Cummins has an MBA from the Wharton School and an MA with Honors in Electrical Engineering from Cambridge University.  Her consulting career includes equity partnership at The Boston Consulting Group, and at Deloitte Consulting. Mary’s experience spans across traditionally siloed healthcare sectors and includes serving on the Board of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (the largest non-profit home health agency in the US). On this episode, she talks about value-based care and the shift from volume to value in the healthcare system. Key points include: 10:38: Transitioning to new models after the Affordable Care Act 16:00: How a hospital adapts to a value-based care system 21:09: Examples of how hospitals operate differently 23:44: How the pay structure affects the model 31:44: Current experiments in value-based care Learn more about Mary’s company at www.certusadv.com and connect on www.linkedin.com/in/maryecummins Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent managem

Dr. Anders Corr is an alum of both Harvard and Yale. He led the Social Science Research and Analysis (SSRA) group in Afghanistan, which oversaw 600 Afghan contract employees on 44 survey projects, before founding Corr Analytics and the Journal of Political Risk in 2013. He is an author and a political risk consultant on national risk assessment focused on China. On this episode, he talks about his work as a political risk consultant. Key points include: 03:39: An example of clients and projects undertaken 10:32: Initial information offered to corporate clients 16:12: Key factors that contribute to a negative view of China 21:51: Deliverables generated for clients 24:28: The Wisdom of Crowds approach to forecasting Learn more about Anders’ firm at http://www.canalyt.com. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Robert Hardy has recently started an online coaching platform to help creatively inclined individuals promote their work. On today’s episode, he explains how his program works, why quality trumps quantity, and how to find your niche. Key points include: 01:38: Why most marketing advice is wrong 06:27: The fragmentation of the Internet and niches 11:12: How the Ungated program helps people find their niche 13:54: Coffee and keyword roulette 24:41: Tactical niche marketing steps Learn more about Ungated at https://ungated.media/, his filmmaking site at www.filmmakerfreedom.com, and check out his thoughts on what it means to be a citizen at www.citizenwithin.com.  Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Alex P. Bartholomaus is President and CEO of People Stretch Solutions, a Washington DC based management consulting firm specializing in revenue growth consulting and scaling organizations. He is a published author and professional speaker on the topic of OKRs, Sales Effectiveness, Elite Business Performance and Emotional Intelligence. On this episode, Alex talks about his company with a focus on growing sales. Key points include: 08:43: The wine industry taxes and distribution chain 15:12: The business focus of objective and key results 18:00: Examples of OKRs and how they differ from goals 29:12: Different aspects of the management system To learn more about Alex’s firm visit https://www.peoplestretch.com/ or message Alex on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbartholomaus. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.

Jonas Altman is a speaker, writer, and entrepreneur who creates transformational learning experiences to elevate and grow leaders around the world. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and he has recently published the book, Shapers: Reinvent the way you work and change the future. On this episode, Jonas talks about his book, his work, the power of harnessing creative energy, and how it helps motivate his clients. Key points include: 03:35: How the future of work may evolve 13:16: The need to expand the learning mindset 23:16: Coaching style and client types 27:10: Two case studies on achieving aspirational targets   You can learn more about Jonas at Jonas Altman.com, you can learn more about the work he does at social fabric.com, and find the book at shapers.life. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.

Susan Meier is a brand strategist and a Harvard-trained artist. She applies a creative mindset to the craft of strategy to develop a brand strategy and has worked with the world’s most beloved brands, from Pepsi to Lipton, M&Ms to Doritos. Her art is in private collections of Saatchi & Saatchi, the New York Stock Exchange, and Pfizer and has been exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History.  In this episode, she talks about her latest side-hustle, www.workspace-studio.com. Key points include: 02:13: How workspace was developed 05:28 The important elements that make a great workspace 12:41: How the space is a portrait of the person 17:56: The creative strategy of no-destination travel Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Tineke Keesmaat has over 15 years of consulting experience with McKinsey & Company, Accenture, and as the founder and CEO of  TILTCO Inc. She has an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University with a subspecialty in Entrepreneurship and a B.A with Honours in Psychology from Queen's University. In this episode, she talks about the hybrid business playbook her company has published.  Key points include: 01:11: The process of developing the playbook 11:49: Developing a podcast series  17:30: The impact of the podcast 26:27: How companies can build a hybrid business You can find out more about the playbook and Tineke’s business at www.tiltco.ca. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Amanda Wright has a Master of Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Science in molecular biology. She is an experienced management consultant who provides business advisory services to her clients.  Today, she talks about her program to help women from professional services firms make the leap to independent consulting. Key points include: 02:07: The structure of the Take the Leap program 09:43: The importance of the company name 13:31: Building the right mindset for a successful business 17:59: Managing your money 25:00: Marketing the coaching program You can learn more about the Take the Leap program at https://www.thewrightcompany.ca/taketheleap and sign up for Amanda’s weekly newsletter. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Nadine Sinclair has a doctorate in molecular biology, she was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey, and is now an independent consultant and advises companies on how to improve conditions for mental health for their employees.  Today she talks about mental health in the workplace. Key points include: 03:39: The cost of poor mental health to business 07:10: How poor mental health impacts performance 16:44: How companies can help build resilience in employees 21:13: Tackling negativity bias 28:33: Resilience training 38:45: How exercise in the morning helps performance Learn more about Nadine’s company and take the test on your emotional health at mindmatters.pro Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.  

  David A.Fields is a consulting firm expert and author. He has helped hundreds of boutique and solo consulting firms grow, increase margins, and create lucrative, lifestyle-friendly businesses. This episode is taken from a session that David A. Fields led for the Umbrex and Veritux communities on how to craft your fishing line. Key points include: 06:06: The two-by-two grid 08:32: Solving precise problems 10:17: Mistakes in fishing lines 11:07: Generic problems, generic targets, conjunctions and comets  Sign up for David’s newsletter or order his book on www.DavidAFields.com. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Amanda  Setili is president of the strategy consulting firm Setili & Associates, author of two books of strategy and growth, she is a McKinsey alum and an Umbrex member. On this episode, she shares expert tips on running a successful virtual event.  Key points include: 06:50: First steps in connecting 13:28: Pre-event preparation 27:22: Cold call panels 29:28: Breakout group exercise on a future event  Amanda can be reached through LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandasetili/ or her website https://setili.com.

Nina Froriep is a video producer and visual storyteller. Her company enables business coaches to grow their business with consistent and easy-to-implement video marketing, and today she shares her expertise on video content marketing. Key points include: 15:32: Finding a professional video editor 17:28: Tips of doing a video series 22:28: The impact of video posts 25:20: What converts 27:36: Equipment 31:56: Posting frequency Nina can be contacted through LinkedIn at,  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-froriep/, or followed on Twitter @NinaFroriep.

Amol Sarva is a backer, advisor, and mentor at 50+ companies; he has co-founded several startups, including Virgin Mobile USA, Peek, Halo Neuroscience, Knotable, Knotel, and he has developed and taught the course "Venturing to Change the World" at Columbia University. In this episode, he talks about content creation and communication with his network of around 5060 people and shares a few of his experiences in business. Key points include: 05:43: The Knotel startup roller-coaster ride 10:36: Lessons learned building a business valued at $1.5 billion 22:39: How to get started in the entrepreneurial world 27:28: Advice on finding companies to get involved with 29:43: What’s going on in Amol’s lab Amol can be contacted by email, which can be found on his websites. To access his address visit http://amolsarva.com or http://amol.sarva.co/. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relatio

The Idea Suite is a boutique agency that unlocks the creative potential of people and businesses through innovation, and on this episode of Unleashed, Shelli Baltman and Fiona Stevenson discuss how their innovation agency helps big companies deal with the challenge of pandemic burnout. Key points include: 03:51: What we mean by burnout 08:49: Managing motivation and energy 18:02: Monitoring and assessing team energy 29:27: Gratitude specificity 33:29: Dealing with self-improvement overwhelm To banish burnout, visit www.energyforgrowth.com, you can also learn more about their business at https://theideasuite.com/ or connect with Shelli and Fiona through https://www.linkedin.com/company/theideasuite/. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Professor Zachary Schrag is a historian of the twentieth-century United States and a professor of history at George Mason University. His specialities are: history of technology, policy history, transportation history, urban history, and oral history. In this episode, we discuss what history means and his book, the Princeton guide to historical research. Key points include: 01:40: History as the study of people 07:23: Internal contradictions 19:48: How a historian organises information 30:04: Recommendations for history students 37:26: History’s influence on politics Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Samuel Bachman is a film major in the 10th grade at Frank Sinatra High School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens. In this episode, he discusses the hugely popular podcast he co-created and produces, The Half-Blood Report, and the inspiration behind the podcast. Key points include: 07:49: Authors interviewed on the podcast 11:57: Social media lessons learned on making a podcast 16:47: Preparing for an author interview 26:53: Skills learned from producing a podcast 32:03: Best practices for producing a successful podcast You can check out the podcast through the website https://www.thehalfbloodreport.com, follow them on Twitter @halfreport and Instagram @TheHalfBloodReport and connect with the crew on https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-half-blood-report. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Rick Denton shares an episode from his podcast, CX Passport, a conversation with people about customer experience with a dash of travel. In this episode, he has a brilliant conversation with Sharon Boyd who is from the UK. She is the author of Customer Experience 2,  and the CXO of MKL Innovation.  Key points include: 03:26: The power of gifting 08:34: The ten-pence CX celebration 13:07: The Valentine’s Day, greaseproof paper incident 17:31: The Disney approach to CX 21:42: CX in the airline industry Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

403. Rick Denton on Excellent Customer Service Rick Denton has over a decade of experience in customer service and relations; he is now the managing principal at EX4CX, a company that helps companies increase revenue by listening to customers and creating great experiences for their customers. In this episode, Rick shares his expertise in this field and talks about his new podcast. Rick can be contacted through linkedin.com/in/rickdenton or his company website http://www.ex4cx.com. You can also listen to his podcast at cxpassport.com. Key points include: 04:52: Customer experience projects 11:02: The biggest tools used in customer service 14:19: The difference between customer experience and customer insights 22:23: “Holy smokes” case examples Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Jonathan Baillie Strong is a B2B podcast strategist and the founder of Spotlight Podcasting, a company that helps consulting firms and mission-driven companies build more authority and grow their businesses with podcasting. Today, he shares insights from the world of podcasting from pre-production to promotion.  You can learn more about Spotlight Podcasting at http://www.spotlightpodcasting.com/, and you can connect with John through linkedin.com/in/jonbstrong, or his personal website https://jonbstrong.com  Key points include: 00:29: Helping Tim Ferris launch his podcast 05:17: How podcasting has helped consultants connect with clients 09:23: The process of developing and launching a podcast 12:26: A podcast production checklist 20:41: The fee structure of a podcast production agency Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at

Rudra Chatterjee is a writer, and the chairman and managing director of Luxmi Tea. While he writes predominantly about politics and economics, he is also vastly knowledgeable about tea, and in this episode, he talks about various aspects of the tea industry, from growth to distribution.  Rudra can be contacted through https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudrachatterjee, and you can learn more about his company and buy tea at http://www.luxmigroup.in/ or makaibari.com Key points include: 03:10: The birth of the tea industry in India 07:55: The tea plantation organisation  14:31: Increasing the long-term value of the plantation 20:11: The relationship between the owners and workers of the plantation 29:27: How to ensure a top-quality cup of tea Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.