NetWorkWise Presents: Conversations with Connors

Preston Junger: A Restaurant Legacy

Preston Junger is the former Yelp VP of Brand Sales (#82) for 8 years, and has been a lifelong builder & believer in new ideas and great people. Before Yelp, he led sales teams at IAC (Evite, Citysearch, Ticketmaster, Match.com, Expedia) Yahoo! & Apple. As a lefty sports enthusiast, and a family man, he devotes a lot of time to the court, soccer pitch, ski slopes and traveling with his family, which allows him to maintain a thoughtful and balanced perspective.

Preston is currently Vice President & Head of U.S. Operations for 7shifts which is simplifying labor management and improve performance for restaurants, freeing up time for managers to focus on serving their customers. Preston also formerly co-founded Mile Square Labs as a startup consulting company, and is board member for the company, that consists of 30+ expert advisors providing hands-on business consulting, sales and customer success guidance for early-stage to scale-up companies in Europe, Scandinavia, South America & North America

He’s an optimistic entrepreneurial-minded business leader, advisor, board member & mentor with international experience. He has a proven track record in raising the bar for success with his unique perspective and commitment to building companies, innovative thinking and execution. Junger excels in coaching and inspiring others to rally around a common mission, not following the status quo.

Rob Lawless: A Journey with 10,000 People Begins with a Single Hello

Rob Lawless is originally from Norristown, PA and he enjoys meeting new people.

Back in May of 2013, he graduated summa cum laude from Penn State University with a degree in Finance and minors in Accounting & Entrepreneurship. After graduation, he began his career with Deloitte Consulting as a Business Analyst in Strategy & Operations. It was his reach job at the time, but about 1.5 years into it, he pulled a Millennial move – he took a large pay cut and left the Powerpoint decks and spreadsheets for the laid back, $24 million venture-funded RJMetrics.

While at RJ, Lawless worked as a sales rep where he cold emailed people every day asking them to hop on the phone for 30 mins to chat about their product. And his job being sales, he often received responses like these actual replies:

• “Take me off your mailing list, cockroach”
• “I understand that this is your job. This being said. If asking a girl out for coffee and she ignores you twice and finally says no, you do NOT ask whether this is a no just now or a now forever – and you certainly do not ask her why you are not her type” 
• “Not interested (and you’re really starting to annoy me)”

He started the project of meeting 10,000 people to see if he could meet with people to chat for an hour for absolutely no reason and held his first meeting on November 11, 2015. He was rejected way less, the responses were all positive and encouraging, and he's met amazing people with incredible backgrounds who would all consider themselves normal.

On Monday, June 20, 2016, RJMetrics was acquired by a larger company, which didn’t require my position, so he dove in full-time on his endeavor to meet 10,000 different people for an hour each.

Since then, he's met over 3,000 people across 20+ cities in the U.S. & Canada, has driven across the United States six separate times. He's been featured by press sources, including Ryan Seacrest on his nationally syndicated radio show, “On Air with Ryan Seacrest,” as well as “Your Morning,” a national Canadian morning show.

Lawless loves adventure and loves potential – over the last 3.5 years, he's found this project to have both.

Kristy Wallace: Elevating Her Network

Kristy Wallace is the CEO of Ellevate Network, and is responsible for executing Ellevate Network’s mission of changing the culture of business from the inside out by providing professional women with a supportive community to lean on and learn from.

She directs the Network’s staff, is responsible for business growth and strategy, and works closely with Ellevate's Chapter Leaders, Business Partners, and Champions to further Ellevate's impact. Kristy is host of the Ellevate Podcast: Conversations with Women Changing the Face of Business and is also a regular speaker and thought leader on Leadership, Diversity, Social Entrepreneurship, Networking, and Entrepreneurialism.

Most recently, Kristy was recognized as a Woman of Influence by the New York Business Journal. Kristy strives to support women and girls in achieving their dreams. She is an Angel Investor with Pipeline Angels, an organization creating capital for women and non-binary femme social entrepreneurs; a Member of the UN Women Global Innovation Coalition for Change; an Advisor for the 92Y Women in Power Fellowship for Rising Female Leaders; on the Advisory Council for the Villanova University Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship Institute; Co-Chair of the Leadership Advisory Board for the Girl Scouts of Greater NYC; and a Board Member at Workforce Professionals Training Institute.

Prior to joining Ellevate, Kristy was a founding team member of Zeel.com, where she oversaw operations, business modeling, brand development, partnerships, and fundraising. Prior to Zeel, Kristy served as VP of North America Ad Sales and then GM of International Operations at Vault.com.

Kristy obtained her BA in English/Sociology from Villanova University and began her career as a financial analyst at KeyBank. A passionate runner, reader and world traveler, Kristy lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with her husband and three wonderful children.

Dan Schawbel - Part II: Five Questions with Dan Schawbel

This is part two of our interview with Dan Schawbel. Check out part one if you missed it.

Dan Schawbel is a New York Times bestselling author and the Managing Partner of Workplace Intelligence, a research and advisory firm helping HR adapt to trends, drive performance and prepare for the future. Dan is the bestselling author of three career books: Back to Human, Promote Yourself and Me 2.0. His new book, Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation, is a Washington Post bestseller and was selected by The Financial Times as the book of the month.

Through his companies, he’s conducted dozens of research studies and worked with major brands including American Express, GE, Microsoft, Virgin, IBM, Coca Cola, and Oracle. Dan has interviewed over 2,000 of the world’s most successful people, including Warren Buffett, Anthony Bourdain, Jessica Alba, will.i.am, Michael Bloomberg, Chelsea Handler, Colin Powell, Sheryl Sandberg, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is the host of “5 Questions”, a podcast where he interviews a variety of world-class humans by asking them 5 questions in less than 15 minutes.

In addition, he has written countless articles for Forbes, Fortune, TIME, The Economist, Quartz, The World Economic Forum, The Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, and others that have combined generated over 15 million views. Considered “one of today’s more dynamic young entrepreneurs” by Inc. Magazine, Schawbel has been profiled or quoted in over 2,000 media outlets, such as NBC’s “The Today Show” and “Nightly News”, Fox News’s “Fox & Friends”, MSNBC’s “Your Business,” The Steve Harvey Show, The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, Wired Magazine, GQ, The Economist, and NPR.

He has been recognized on several lists including Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30”, Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30”, Business Insider’s “40 Under 40”, BusinessWeek’s “20 Entrepreneurs You Should Follow,” and as one of Workforce Magazine’s “Game Changers”. 

Schawbel is a featured expert in the upcoming documentary “The Revolution Generation”, which is directed by Josh Tickell and narrated by actress Michelle Rodriguez.

Dan Schawbel: A Workplace Trendsetter

Dan Schawbel is a New York Times bestselling author and the Managing Partner of Workplace Intelligence, a research and advisory firm helping HR adapt to trends, drive performance and prepare for the future. Dan is the bestselling author of three career books: Back to Human, Promote Yourself and Me 2.0. His new book, Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation, is a Washington Post bestseller and was selected by The Financial Times as the book of the month.

Through his companies, he’s conducted dozens of research studies and worked with major brands including American Express, GE, Microsoft, Virgin, IBM, Coca Cola, and Oracle. Dan has interviewed over 2,000 of the world’s most successful people, including Warren Buffett, Anthony Bourdain, Jessica Alba, will.i.am, Michael Bloomberg, Chelsea Handler, Colin Powell, Sheryl Sandberg, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is the host of “5 Questions”, a podcast where he interviews a variety of world-class humans by asking them 5 questions in less than 15 minutes.

In addition, he has written countless articles for Forbes, Fortune, TIME, The Economist, Quartz, The World Economic Forum, The Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, and others that have combined generated over 15 million views. Considered “one of today’s more dynamic young entrepreneurs” by Inc. Magazine, Schawbel has been profiled or quoted in over 2,000 media outlets, such as NBC’s “The Today Show” and “Nightly News”, Fox News’s “Fox & Friends”, MSNBC’s “Your Business,” The Steve Harvey Show, The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, Wired Magazine, GQ, The Economist, and NPR.

He has been recognized on several lists including Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30”, Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30”, Business Insider’s “40 Under 40”, BusinessWeek’s “20 Entrepreneurs You Should Follow,” and as one of Workforce Magazine’s “Game Changers”. 

Schawbel is a featured expert in the upcoming documentary “The Revolution Generation”, which is directed by Josh Tickell and narrated by actress Michelle Rodriguez.

Dr. Wayne Baker: Reciprocity is Generosity

Wayne Baker is an American sociologist, author, consultant, and speaker. He is the Robert P. Thome Professor of Business Administration at the University of Michigan Ross School Of Business, and Faculty Director of the Center for Positive Organizations. He is a co-founder and board member of Give and Take, Inc., a provider of tools based on his new book, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK.

Prior to joining the Michigan faculty, he was on the faculty at the University of Chicago business school. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University and was a post-doctoral research fellow at Harvard University. Dr. Baker resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his wife, their son, and a Birman cat.

Kacy Duke: Movement is a Privilege

Kacy Duke is a renowned celebrity personal trainer who’s been called New York City’s “best trainer” and “top workout guru.” Known for her insightful training techniques for the body and soul, trainer-to-the stars Kacy’s worked with many of the entertainment world’s most high profile names, including Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Johnson, Bebe Rexha, Lenny Kravitz, Gwen Stefani, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Bruce Willis, Iman, Josh Brolin, Julianne Moore, Denzel Washington, Maxwell, Kiefer Sutherland and Rachel Weitz, to name a few.

Her philosophy? No matter who you are, big-name celebrity or civilian, “I always say it starts with love. As in love the body you have, to get the body you want,” says Duke, “the goal is to train your body to do what needs to be done to keep it healthy and strong, so skip the negative self-talk and focus instead on your mindset, the motivation and the movement.”

With a client list that reads like red carpet who’s who, Kacy Duke is also one of the industry’s most sought-after personal trainers and fitness consultants, and one of the founding Creative Directors of Equinox Fitness Clubs. Using her insightful training techniques for body and soul, she has developed numerous innovative fitness programs for Equinox and for corporations in North America, Japan, and throughout Europe.

Most recently, Kacy served as the fitness spokesperson for Simple Skincare and was a member of their prestigious Advisory Board. She has served as a spokesperson for Dove Deodorant, Kellogg's, Nike and LifeFitness vitamins. Kacy has appeared on national programs including Today, The Rachael Ray Show and Good Morning America Health, CBS Morning News, Good Housekeeping TV and countless local news programs.

Kacy is a frequent contributor to a number of high- profile publications including Elle, Essence, Fitness, In Style, Shape and Vogue and is the author of The Show It Love Workout (McGraw- Hill).

“Movement is a privilege. If you can move, you must!” – Kacy Duke, Celebrity Trainer

Eric Standop: Bringing New Meaning to "Face Value"

Eric Standop started his career in the entertainment business, and has worked as a marketing executive in the television, cinema, and computer gaming industries. Due to serious health problems, he quit his job and changed his life. Eric is a speaker, advisor and face reader who offers his knowledge to help others be the best version of themselves.

Eric has over fifteen years of experience in facial diagnosis and face reading. He studied three different types of Chinese face reading with a Chinese Master, two types of European techniques under one of the last Masters in Europe and one South American technique. He is also trained in micro expression and body language. These techniques have been practiced for thousands of years in different cultures around the world. 

Eric founded the Global Face Reading Academy and has taught students from all walks of life. He has written 16 books in six different languages and his latest book Read the Face has just been released.

Michael Soto: Getting Coffee with Colleagues

Michael Soto is the Co-Founder of Spark Collaboration, where he has helped organizations create powerful networks by systematically pairing staff to have coffee together for increased employee engagement, productivity and innovation.

Spark builds upon the success of ‘Randomised Coffee Trials,’ a process that Michael helped design at Nesta, the UK innovation foundation. In 2015, Spark won the ‘International Project of the Year’ Employee Engagement Award for the work it has done with the International Federation for the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Spark has been highlighted in Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post as well as US News and World Report.

Prior to Spark, Michael worked at Nesta, the UK innovation foundation, where he was part of the Innovation Skills team and helped develop a learning platform for practitioners interested in innovation. As part of a project funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, he undertook field research in Colombia to surface innovation tools and processes which Nesta subsequently expanded upon to develop the DIY Toolkit.

Michael has attended Harvard University, the University of Sussex, and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota.

Andrew Muscato: Documenting the Documentarian

Andrew Muscato is a filmmaker and video journalist who has traveled the world producing content for the likes of ESPN, VICE, and MSNBC. While still an undergraduate film student at NYU, Muscato premiered his first documentary "The Zen of Bobby V" at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Since then Makuhari Media, the company Muscato founded with former baseball manager Bobby Valentine, has produced several critically acclaimed sports documentaries such as Ballplayer: Pelotero and Schooled: The Price of College Sports. Muscato is currently producing Oscar winner Peter Farrelly's next feature film based on the book "The Greatest Beer Run Ever."