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Everett Sands transforms the lending landscape for underserved entrepreneurs through innovation, vision, and a deeply personal mission. Drawing from his grandfather's tailoring business experience—which thrived with five locations but ultimately suffered due to poor financial advice—Sands built Lendistry to provide the responsible capital small businesses desperately need.

With remarkable transparency, Sands reveals how watching his family lose their home to foreclosure planted the seeds for his future work. "I grew up with a what-if story," he shares, explaining how this childhood experience drove him to create better financial options for minority, women-owned, and rural businesses that traditional banks often overlook.

Under Sands' leadership, Lendistry has deployed over $10 billion in capital and processed nearly 1.9 million applications in less than a decade. His approach combines technological innovation with human-centered design, recognizing that many business owners can only apply for financing outside traditional banking hours. The data proves him right—Lendistry discovered many clients were uploading documents between 10pm and 2am when they finally had time.

The conversation illuminates Sands' leadership philosophy of "adding a zero" to goals, challenging the limited thinking minorities are often taught to accept. He builds his organization with leaders who have experience beyond the company's current stage, strategically preparing for future growth. His team structure—leaders managing no more than 8-10 people before adding another leader—creates clear pathways for scaling.

Particularly fascinating is Lendistry's approach to risk management through technology, developing virtual wallets that function like traditional bank lockboxes but with greater efficiency and lower costs. These innovations allow Lendistry to secure loan collateral while providing business owners real-time insights about their financial health.

Whether you're an entrepreneur seeking capital, a business leader looking to scale your organization, or simply interested in how financial innovation can create positive community impact, this conversation offers invaluable wisdom from someone who's built a mission-driven financial powerhouse from the ground up.

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Rick Gibson's leadership journey spans from bagging groceries in his father's Bakersfield market to shaping Pepperdine University's presence in Los Angeles as Senior Vice Chancellor. In this riveting conversation, he reveals how seemingly small moments—like his father telling him "you always have something to do" when caught idle—planted seeds that would bloom throughout his 30-year executive career.

With remarkable candor, Gibson shares how he transformed from an entry-level position to becoming Pepperdine's first Chief Marketing Officer by mastering the art of storytelling. "The technology served the story, not the other way around," he explains, offering a timeless principle in our tech-saturated world. His narrative takes us through the evolution of marketing from film photography to digital media while emphasizing that compelling storytelling remains the constant force driving connection and meaning.

What makes this conversation particularly valuable is Gibson's exploration of systems thinking in leadership. Drawing from his MBA experience and years guiding organizations, he illuminates how everything within institutions interconnects in visible and hidden ways. "There's not a neglected part or a dismissed part," he explains, challenging listeners to see beyond siloed thinking to recognize how all elements contribute to organizational success.

Now an executive coach guiding both seasoned leaders and emerging professionals, Gibson addresses the profound isolation many executives face when making critical decisions. His current work focuses on creating safe spaces for leaders to express doubts, test assumptions, and challenge limiting beliefs. The conversation culminates with a powerful reflection on shared vision, illustrated through NASA's Apollo mission where everyone from engineers to cafeteria staff united behind "We're going to the moon."

Ready to elevate your leadership perspective? Connect with our upcoming "Pathways to Advanced Leadership" workshop where Rick Gibson shares these insights in an intimate, collaborative environment designed to help you see further down the field of your career journey.

📌 ABOUT OUR GUEST:
🔹 Name: Rick Gibson
🔹 Title: Principal Owner
🔹 Organization: MGR Development, LLC
🔹 Company Website: https://www.coachmgr.com
🔹 Guests Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickgibson/

🎧 New episodes every Monday. (Dark in July & December)

🎓 Powered by Los Angeles Leaders Workshops – advancing leadership through immersive learning experiences.

🌐 Learn more at: https://www.losangelesleaders.com/workshops
Let’s build a city of leaders — one story at a time.

🌟 SUPPORT THE PODCAST
Want to sponsor a future episode or provide gifts for our guests?
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Joone Kim-Lopez's remarkable journey from South Korean immigrant to transformative water industry leader offers a masterclass in resilience, authentic leadership, and the profound impact of leading with compassion.

Arriving in America at age eight without speaking English, June navigated childhood poverty, cultural isolation, and family hardship before finding her path to leadership. Her candid reflections on being "the weird, awkward, unpopular kid" reveal how these early struggles cultivated her deep commitment to creating environments where everyone belongs.

Joone's unconventional career trajectory—from decorated police officer receiving the Silver Medal of Courage for bravery under fire to becoming CEO of Moulton Niguel Water District—demonstrates how purpose-driven leadership transcends traditional career paths. With refreshing honesty, she shares how she rose from "everyone's peon" in the public affairs department to leading an organization serving 172,000 customers across six cities, all while transforming it into an award-winning workplace recognized nationally by USA Today.

What makes Joone's leadership philosophy so compelling is its foundation in human connection. "I always looked at water as a people business rather than a utility," she explains, detailing how this perspective drives her approach to everything from workforce culture to global partnerships. Her extensive board service—spanning from the California Seismic Safety Commission to the Make-A-Wish Foundation—reflects a leadership ethos that prioritizes community impact over personal advancement.

Perhaps most valuable is Joone's refreshing perspective on work-life balance: "This idea of having to have this perfect balance and perfect life is total false." Instead, she offers a liberating alternative: "Let's forgive ourselves for what we are not. Let's celebrate ourselves for who we are." It's this authentic approach—focusing on meaningful impact rather than perfection—that makes her leadership story so relevant for anyone striving to make a difference while navigating life's complexities.

📌 ABOUT OUR GUEST:
🔹 Name: Joone Kim-Lopez
🔹 Title: General Manager
🔹 Organization: Moulton Niguel Water District
🔹 Company Website: https://mnwd.com
🔹 Guests Social: https://instagram.com/joloh2o/

Leading Los Angeles - Real stories. Real leaders. Real impact.

🎧 New episodes every Monday. (Dark in July & December)

🎓 Powered by Los Angeles Leaders Workshops – advancing leadership through immersive learning experiences.

🌐 Learn more at: https://www.losangelesleaders.com/workshops
Let’s build a city of leaders — one story at a time.

🌟 SUPPORT THE PODCAST
Want to sponsor a future episode or provide gifts for our guests?
👉 Email cluna@losangelesleaders.com

🔗 CONNECT WITH LOS ANGELES LEADERS
🌐 Website: www.LosAngelesLeaders.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/losangelesleaders/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/los-angeles-leaders/
🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/laleadersx
📧 Email: cluna@losangelesleaders.com

🔔 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories from leaders shaping Los Angeles and beyond.

#LosAngelesLeaders #LeadershipPodcast #Networking #LosAngelesBusiness #PodcastInterview #Entrepreneurship #LeadershipDevelopment #BeyondNetworking #ChristopherLuna

Leading Los Angeles - Real stories. Real leaders. Real impact.