The Corporate Couch: Work Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Casey Wright’s (see his bio below) career has been shaped as much by people and perseverance as by placements and performance. As President and Owner of Chief of Staff KC, he brings nearly two decades of recruiting experience and a deeply relational approach to helping companies and professionals find the right fit far beyond what an algorithm or job board can deliver.

The conversation traces Casey’s journey from a football-playing...

Shannon Nash’s (see her bio below) career doesn’t follow a straight line—and that’s exactly the point. Attorney. CPA. CFO. Board director. Podcast host. Film producer. Zumba instructor. Her journey is a masterclass in saying yes to growth, even when it means rewriting the plan entirely.

In this conversation, Shannon shares how growing up between the Midwest and the East Coast, sitting outside law school classrooms as a child, and w...

Lori Tauber Marcus (see her bio below) has lived a career many only dream about, 24 years rising through the ranks at PepsiCo during the height of the Cola Wars, followed by C-suite roles at The Children’s Place, Keurig Green Mountain, and Peloton. But what makes Lori remarkable isn’t just her résumé. It’s her candor, her humor, and her relentless commitment to helping leaders build workplaces where everyone can thrive.

In our wide...

Lindsay Howerton’s (see her bio below) leadership journey begins long before she coached executives, scaled companies, or became a sought-after fractional COO. It starts with a 10-year-old kid in rural Missouri waking up at 2:30 a.m., layering up against the winter cold, and heading out to tend hogs before school.

That grit never left her...it just evolved.

Today, Lindsay is a performance coach, operational strategist, and property...

In this November edition of It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere, Marc Shaffer and I trade year-end reflections, fresh goals, and a few laughs as we wrap up 2025 and look toward the year ahead.

Marc kicks things off with a big reveal of his word for 2026 and shares how health, proactivity, and a soon-to-be scheduled executive physical have moved to the top of his priority list. We talk about the value of choosing a “word of the year,” why inte...

Dr. Nicholas Comninellis (see his bio below) has lived a life most of us only read about. From treating patients in Shanghai’s charity hospital to serving in war-torn Angola, where soldiers once knocked on his door in the middle of the night, Nicholas has devoted his career to providing care where it’s needed most.

Founder and President of the Institute for International Medicine (INMED), he has trained thousands of healthcare prof...

Chandra Clark’s story (see her bio below) is one of courage, compassion, and transformation. From raising her three younger siblings as a child to becoming the inaugural President of the Corey C. Griffin Foundation, Chandra’s life is a testament to turning adversity into impact.

In this conversation, she shares how her unconventional path from a childhood in Louisiana to leading major nonprofits across Kansas City and Boston shaped...

Brett Carey (see his bio below) has built his life and leadership philosophy around three cornerstones: faith, family, and endurance. As Vice President of Human Resources at The University of Kansas Health System, Brett draws on lessons from his 25+ years at Hallmark Cards, his dedication to triathlon, and his belief that leadership is less about control and more about connection.

In this conversation, Brett shares:

• How small...

Mark Mears is back on The Corporate Couch to talk about his brand-new book, LOVE@WORK: Creating Communities of Purpose and Belonging for Revolutionary Growth in a New World of Work. In his follow-up to The Purposeful Growth Revolution, Mark makes a bold claim: the key to transforming business isn’t strategy or systems, it’s love.

Before you call HR, hear him out. Mark breaks down his new “LOVE” model for leadership:

• Listen gr...

What does leadership look like when hierarchy takes a back seat to humanity?

That’s the question Minette Norman (see her bio below) has spent her career answering. As the former Vice President of Engineering Practice at Autodesk, she led more than 3,500 engineers across the globe, proving that empathy, trust, and courage can drive performance just as powerfully as process and technology. Today, as a consultant, speaker, and author,...

In this eighth Special Edition of It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere, Marc Shaffer and I raise a glass to reflect on his whirlwind first month after the launch of his debut book, One For All: How to Systemize Kindness, Grow Your Network, and Support Others Like It’s Your Job.

We talk about what he’s learned since releasing the book, from reading his own audiobook (“harder than it sounds”) to connecting with students at KU and Mizzou and mayb...

Claude Silver (see her bio below) is rewriting the rules of leadership as the world’s first Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX. Reporting directly to Gary Vaynerchuk, she’s built a culture rooted in empathy, belonging, and emotional intelligence, proving that leading with heart drives both humanity and performance.

In our conversation, Claude shares:

• The story behind her unconventional career path, from Outward Bound instructor t...

Kristina and Matt Loftus two of the three co-founders of Rhoback are partners in life and in business. As the first married couple to appear together on The Corporate Couch, they share how a college friendship, a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Bunker, and a camper full of polo shirts became the foundation for one of the fastest-growing activewear brands in the country.

In this conversation, we cover:

• How Rhoback was born during bu...

Kelly Byrnes (see her bio below) has built a career helping leaders strengthen organizations from the inside out. As the Founder and CEO of Voyage Consulting Group—and a former Chief Talent Officer, professor, and author—she’s spent decades guiding executives through the intersections of culture, leadership, and change.

In this conversation, Kelly shares:

• The surprising lessons she learned from her improv training in Chicago ...

In this bonus edition of The Corporate Couch, recorded live at the Heartland Digital Asset Exchange conference, we explore the intersection of blockchain and traditional finance. Join us as we delve into the insights of seven distinguished leaders in digital assets and Web3, including:

- Esther George, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

- Danny Baer, Director of Wealth and Asset Management at Meanwhile -

- ...

Some companies are born in boardrooms. Others, like Bungii, start over beers at a college bar.

Ben Jackson (see his bio below), co-founder and CEO of Bungii, was a college senior at Kansas State when he and a friend came up with a simple idea: “tap a button, get a truck.” Nearly a decade later, that idea has grown into a breakthrough last-mile delivery platform dubbed “DoorDash for big and bulky items.” Under Ben’s leadership, Bung...

Greg Hamann’s (see his bio below) story starts on a Maine farm, stacking hay until 11 p.m. as a 12-year-old, and working in his family’s masonry and concrete business before eventually becoming CEO of a precast company. Along the way, he learned the value of hard work, humility, and the importance of thinking before acting, advice passed down from his father that still guides him today.

In this conversation, Greg and I dive into:

In this special edition, the spotlight is on Marc Shaffer and his debut book, One For All: How to Systemize Kindness, Grow Your Network, and Support Others Like It’s Your Job. With the official launch set for September 30, Marc shares the inspiration behind the book, the process of bringing it to life, and the lessons he hopes readers will take away.

We talk about:

• Why relationship-building shouldn’t be an afterthought and ho...

Julie Kratz’s career (see her bio below) has been defined by one central question: How can leaders create workplaces where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued? After spending 12 years in Corporate America—and often feeling like she didn’t belong—Julie pivoted to build a career around allyship and inclusion. Today, she’s a leading voice on what it takes to create cultures of belonging, authoring seven books and founding Internati...