What if the best person to teach you about money was not a guy in a suit, but a woman who has built real wealth, weathered big market shifts, and is willing to tell you the truth about money with zero fluff? In this episode of the Leading Visionaries, host Anjel B. Hartwell sits down with Gokce Donat, a no-fluff financial educator, real estate investor, and host of the Million Elle Podcast. With a background in engineering and finance, a builder’s license, and more than twenty years in business, Gokce shares how confidence, discipline, and clear thinking about risk helped her build wealth in male-dominated spaces.

What You Will Learn:

Personal values often spark the vision that drives major money and career decisions.

Natural leadership tendencies in childhood frequently become entrepreneurial strengths later in life.

Wealth-building opportunities don’t always arrive with a plan attached, yet are still worth pursuing.

Women in male-dominated fields may need credentials to claim authority and protect their role.

Trustworthiness plays a major role in attracting capital and forming solid business partnerships.

Clarity around fixed and variable expenses supports stronger financial decision-making.

Overly complicated offers usually hinder customer follow-through and reduce overall results.

Podcasting provides immediate credibility and creates deeper trust with potential clients.

Seasons of feeling lost often signal the beginning of a new chapter or evolving purpose.

Rising material costs and shifting markets frequently require business owners to pivot.

Stable income streams, such as healthcare, can create opportunities for investing during downturns.

Solid partnerships rely on integrity, transparency, and aligned expectations.

Reconnecting with core passions helps refine the next phase of a visionary’s journey.

Long-term financial empowerment grows through discipline, clarity, and aligned action.

Resource:

Gokce Donat LinkedIn

Million Elle Podcast

Million Elle

Leading Visionaries Podcast

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What if the worst day in your business didn’t have to be chaotic? In this episode of the Leading Visionaries, host Anjel B. Hartwell sits down with Mike Swenson, founder of Barkley Public Relations and creator of the Crisis Track framework. Drawing on decades in broadcast journalism, politics, and leadership, Mike shares how visionary founders can use strategy, simplicity, and clear messaging to shape powerful stories in good times and in moments of crisis.

What You Will Learn:

Every communication should be tied to a clear strategy so no message becomes a lost opportunity.

Founders must define what each communication is supposed to achieve.

Organizations communicate more effectively when everyone aligns around a single voice and simple message.

Successful product launches focus on highlighting one or two primary benefits rather than overwhelming with every feature.

Establishing a crisis team gives clarity on who leads decisions when urgency is high.

Visual mapping of potential risks helps leaders understand how many issues could escalate into crises.

Investors are impressed when founders demonstrate crisis preparation as part of the business plan.

Companies that handle crises poorly often face long-term damage or closure, while prepared organizations limit harm.

Crisis communication is not just about operations but also how messages are shaped and delivered under pressure.

Establishing clear spokespeople for each risk ensures fast, unified responses during crises.

Long-term vision for crisis frameworks is to help organizations minimize negative impacts and recover faster when challenges arise.

Resource:

Mike Swenson LinkedIn

Crisis Track

Leading Visionaries Podcast

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What if the so-called soft skills are actually the ones driving your hardest results? In this episode of the Leading Visionaries, host Anjel B. Hartwell sits down with Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller, TEDx speaker, EQ coach, and author of The Empathic Leader. Dr. Melissa breaks down her definition of empathy as understanding and connection through perspective taking. She shares how a simple practice of walking the halls for 20 minutes a day helped one director turn his department profitable for the first time in seven years within just 90 days.

From conducting orchestras and playing with Ray Charles to consulting in healthcare and revamping surgery centers, Dr. Melissa's unconventional path taught her that culture drips down from the top. Leaders must walk their talk, not just speak it.

What You Will Learn:

The harsh reality that toxic workplace behavior often continues because systems are designed to protect institutions and powerful individuals rather than vulnerable employees who speak up.

Why there have been 43 different definitions of empathy since it emerged as a discipline around 1910.

The comprehensive definition of empathy as understanding and connection through perspective taking.

How perspective taking means seeing a situation through someone else's eyes and asking how you would feel if you walked in their shoes rather than judging from your position.

The critical truth that culture drips down from the top and leaders must walk their talk rather than just speaking about values.

How being complicit happens when you see toxic behavior occurring but allow it to continue.

The power of reputation when revolving door workplaces become known in the marketplace.

Why leaders who can effectively use empathy can increase productivity.

How middle management leaders who are aspiring to top levels tend to be most receptive to empathy training.

The four step framework for self empathy starting with self observation without judgment.

Why charity starts at home and leaders must develop self empathy first before they can genuinely give empathy to anyone else on their team or in their organization.

Resource:

Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller EQ Via Empathy

Leading Visionaries Podcast

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