In this Bright Ideas episode, host Desiree Booker-Sharpe talks with Promo Shop president Kate Alavez about authentic leadership, people strategy, and building high-performing teams that scale without losing culture. Kate shares her nontraditional path to the C-suite, how empathy shapes decision-making, and how cross-functional collaboration made an ERP transition stick. She breaks down the metrics that drive resilient growth—response time, NPS, order accuracy, returns—and where AI and automation remove rote tasks so people can focus on innovation. This is the episode to listen to if you want practical, people-first tactics to strengthen culture, modernize operations, and grow sustainably.

Connect with Kate:

Website: https://promoshopinc.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katealavez/

On this episode of the Bright Ideas Podcast, host Desiree B. Sharpe sits down with Blue 7 Content co-founders Alan Watson and Victoria Lozano to talk about scaling a company without losing culture. They trace their co-founder story and share how transparency, strong communication, and smart talent development helped them remove editing bottlenecks and raise quality. In a post-AI landscape, they explain why research-driven, human-written SEO content still wins in legal content marketing, and how discernment and mental health make for better leadership. If you're a founder, people leader, agency owner, or law-firm marketer aiming for sustainable growth with a strong team culture, this conversation is for you.

Connect with the Co-Founders of Blue 7 Content:

Blue 7 Content Website

LinkedIn: Allen Watson

Email: allen@bluesevencontent.com

LinkedIn: Victoria Lozano

Email: victoria@bluesevencontent.com

In this episode of Bright Ideas, host Desiree B. Sharpe sits down with Rachel Sutherland, Vice President of People and Operations at Respondology, for a conversation on scaling with culture at the center. Rachel explains why Respondology made the rare choice to bring on a people leader early and how that decision has shaped everything from core values to employee experience. She shares how values like "ownership without ego" and "whistle while you work" come to life in day-to-day operations, and why they matter in a fast-growing startup. Rachel also opens up about her unconventional leadership journey, the leap of faith that brought her into startup life, and the lessons she's carried forward. Together, she and Desiree look at how AI, transparency, and intentional growth are driving Respondology's next chapter. Leaders interested in building strong teams without sacrificing culture will find this episode full of practical insights and inspiration.

Connect with Rachel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-sutherland-3833a5186/

Respondology Website: https://respondology.com/

In this episode of Bright Ideas, Desiree sits down with Shamir Duverseau, Managing Director of Smart Panda Labs, to explore how a people-first approach can fuel business growth and resilience. Shamir shares the hard pivots his agency made—from letting go of mismatched hires to niching down on the post-click experience—and why those decisions ultimately strengthened their culture and client relationships. He also opens up about the challenges of competing for talent as a small business, what it means to truly lead with "life first," and how continuous learning has shaped his leadership philosophy. Whether you're a founder navigating tough choices or a leader seeking smarter ways to scale, Shamir's story offers practical wisdom and a reminder that success doesn't have to come at the cost of what matters most.

Connect with Shamir:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamirduverseau/

Or the company's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smart-panda-labs/

Their website: www.smartpandalabs.com

Book Recommendation:

Great by Choice by Jim Collins

In this Bright Bite episode of Bright Ideas, our host Desiree B. Sharpe shares a candid look at what's happening in both her business and personal life. She talks about the tough challenges small businesses are facing in today's economy, the lessons she learned while traveling solo with her daughter, and her excitement about joining the Women's Entrepreneurship Initiative to launch her first fintech startup. She also invites business owners to share their experiences with vendor relationships and recurring expenses as part of her research. This episode blends small business insights, personal growth, and the founder journey—perfect for anyone navigating entrepreneurship while balancing real life.

Sign up for a feedback session: https://calendly.com/colorvizionlabllc/vendormanagementdiscovery

Connect with Desiree: desiree@colorvizionlab.com

In this episode of Bright Ideas, Desiree Booker-Sharpe talks with Juliette Dupre, Chief People Officer at OtherSide Entertainment, about how to scale a business while keeping people and culture at the center. Juliette shares her path from law to HR leadership and explains why employee experience, mental health programs, and wellness stipends matter in a remote workplace. She also opens up about the challenges of growth, the resilience leaders need during change, and the importance of clear communication and meaningful metrics like quality of hire and employee sentiment. This conversation offers practical insights for anyone focused on building strong teams and people-first workplaces.

In this Bright Bite episode of the Bright Ideas Podcast, host Desiree Booker-Sharpe takes a candid look at what it really means to protect your small business in the age of AI. Building on part one of this two-part series, which explored career protection for corporate leaders, Desiree now shifts her focus to entrepreneurs and small business owners who are running lean teams and navigating an uncertain economy. She acknowledges the real struggles—rising costs, constant pivots, and the overwhelming pace of AI adoption—while offering clear strategies to help you stay resilient. You'll learn three practical ways to safeguard your company. Desiree also shares her own experiences with expense creep, AI adoption in her workflows, and the early development of a new AI-powered fintech tool designed to help small businesses cut costs. If you've been wondering how to harness AI for small business success, reduce overhead, and future-proof your company, this episode is packed with insight and encouragement to help you adapt and thrive.

In this episode of Bright Ideas, Brad MacAfee, CEO of KAOH Media, shares how his leadership journey has been shaped by both success and setbacks. From building culture and scaling teams to navigating industry headwinds, Brad has learned that the most effective leaders lead with authenticity and empathy.

He opens up about a pivotal career moment that reshaped how he views leadership—teaching him that setbacks, while painful, can unlock deeper resilience, courage, and compassion. Today, those lessons guide how he builds trust with teams, empowers communities, and steers organizations through change.

If you're a leader looking to grow your influence while staying grounded in empathy, this conversation offers inspiration and practical wisdom you won't want to miss.

Connect with Brad:

brad@kaohmedia.com

KAOH Media website: https://kaohmedia.com/