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HOST: This leadership development podcast is brought to you by: Ovi Vasquez, Inspirational Leadership Keynote Speaker. Fatherless farm boy from rural Guatemala—Inspiring teams to peak performance. He challenges teams to embrace change and step into bold leadership through leadership culture. He grew up in a village without electricity, learned English in two years, graduated from high school in three years, earned a B.A. in management, in two years. Ovi has worked for Apple, Tesla, Salesforce, and Uber. He is a TEDx speaker, author, and social entrepreneur.

GUEST BIO: Meet David Hawthorne, Chief People Officer at Anchor Point Management Group, leading 16,000 employees across 23 states. With 24 years at Anchor Point, David brings non-traditional HR thinking, radical transparency, and accountability-driven leadership to restaurant and beauty franchise operations. Raised in a military family and the first college graduate in his family, David leads with discipline, clarity, and people-first values.

Find our guest at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedhawthorne
Find our host at: https://www.ovinspires.com

Leadership Development Keywords: executive leadership, people operations, accountability culture, transparent communication, talent retention, franchise leadership, organizational change, resilience, expectation setting, workforce development

Leadership Development Summary: In this episode, David Hawthorne defines leadership as being the role model others choose to follow. Drawing from an impactful high school English teacher and early restaurant managers who gave direct feedback, he explains why communication and accountability drive results. David shares how transparency builds trust, how expectations reduce confusion, and why safe, honest dialogue retains high performers. His insights apply directly to executives managing scale, performance pressure, and multi-state teams.

10 Takeaways on Leadership Development
✅ Leadership starts with role modeling
✅ Set clear expectations early
✅ Communicate good and bad news
✅ Accountability drives execution
✅ Resilience sustains long-term growth
✅ Promote communicators, not just technicians
✅ Give responsibility to grow leaders
✅ Don’t underestimate your team
✅ Retain top performers through proximity
✅ Culture is created by leadership behavior

5 Titles for Leadership Development
✅ Leadership Is Role Modeling
✅ Accountability Without Excuses
✅ Communicate Clearly or Create Confusion
✅ Promote Communicators, Not Just Technicians
✅ Transparency Builds Trust

5 Sound Bites for Leadership Development
🗣 “Leadership is being the role model.”
🗣 “Set expectations and follow up.”
🗣 “The cover-up is worse than the crime.”
🗣 “Humans are humans.”
🗣 “Pick up the phone and call.”

10 Chapters on Leadership Development
00:00 – Meet David Hawthorne
01:57 – What Leadership Means
04:07 – The English Teacher Who Shaped Him
06:46 – Military Family and Nine Schools
09:18 – Communicating Openly
10:56 – Top Three Leadership Traits
12:10 – Gaining Commitment Through Transparency
14:42 – Retaining High Performers
17:07 – Promoting Supervisors to Managers
25:24 – Setting Expectations Over Policies

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Leadership Culture podcast
Executive leadership podcast
Educational leadership podcast
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Corporate leadership podcast
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Top Leadership podc

What questions do you want asked at in the show?

HOST: This leadership development podcast is brought to you by: Ovi Vasquez, Inspirational Leadership Keynote Speaker. Fatherless farm boy from rural Guatemala—Inspiring teams to peak performance. He challenges teams to embrace change and step into bold leadership through leadership culture. He grew up in a village without electricity, learned English in two years, graduated from high school in three years, earned a B.A. in management, in two years. Ovi has worked for Apple, Tesla, Salesforce, and Uber. He is a TEDx speaker, author, and social entrepreneur.

GUEST BIO: Meet Rene Romero, the 2026 California Teacher of the Year at South Hills High School in the Covina Valley Unified School District. A former English learner from East Los Angeles, Rene now teaches International Baccalaureate Language and Literature and holds a master’s degree in Cultural Studies. With 22 years in education, he leads with a powerful blend of love ethic, intellectual rigor, and social awareness to develop confident, courageous young adults.

Find our guest at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rene-romero-57880b393
Find our host at: https://www.ovinspires.com

Leadership Development Keywords: educational leadership, love ethic, productive rage, IB education, talent development, psychological safety, bilingual leadership, mentorship, reflective leadership, values-driven leadership

Leadership Development Summary: In this episode, René Romero shares how growing up in East LA, surrounded by gang culture but supported by hardworking parents and his grandmother, shaped his leadership. From being placed in the back of the classroom as a Spanish-speaking student to becoming California Teacher of the Year, René explains why leadership means helping students cross life thresholds with courage. He emphasizes love as a leadership ethic, productive outrage against inequity, and creating reflective classroom cultures that build future leaders.

10 Takeaways on Leadership Development
✅ Leadership is helping others cross thresholds
✅ Love ethic builds authentic influence
✅ Productive rage challenges unjust systems
✅ Admit when you don’t know
✅ Reflection prevents burnout
✅ Pause before reacting
✅ Give students voice
✅ Recognize quiet impact
✅ Every person has a story
✅ The future generation is capable

5 Titles for Leadership Development
✅ From English Learner to California Teacher of the Year
✅ Leading With Love and Productive Rage
✅ Helping Students Cross Life’s Thresholds
✅ Treat People Like Stories
✅ Don’t Sell the Next Generation Short

5 Sound Bites for Leadership Development
🗣 “Leadership is giving students the courage to cross thresholds.”
🗣 “You can’t fake love. Students see through it.”
🗣 “Treat people like stories.”
🗣 “We don’t have all the answers.”
🗣 “The future looks good.”

10 Chapters on Leadership Development
00:00 – Meet Rene Romero
03:37 – Defining Leadership
05:12 – Family and East LA Roots
06:50 – From Spanish Learner to IB Teacher
08:59 – Teachers Who Shaped Him
11:58 – Love Ethic and Productive Rage
14:27 – Developing Future Leaders
15:58 – Preventing Burnout Through Reflection
22:19 – Books That Shaped His Leadership
30:56 – Message to the Next Generation

#OVinspires
#LeadershipMessengers
#leadership
#community

Leadership Culture podcast
Executive leadership podcast
Educational leadership podcast
Organizational leadership podcast
Professional Development podcast
Change Management podcast
Corporate leadership podcast
Scho

What questions do you want asked at in the show?

HOST: This leadership development podcast is brought to you by: Ovi Vasquez, Inspirational Leadership Keynote Speaker. Fatherless farm boy from rural Guatemala—Inspiring teams to peak performance. He challenges teams to embrace change and step into bold leadership through leadership culture. He grew up in a village without electricity, learned English in two years, graduated from high school in three years, earned a B.A. in management, in two years. Ovi has worked for Apple, Tesla, Salesforce, and Uber. He is a TEDx speaker, author, and social entrepreneur.

GUEST BIO: Meet Dr. Emiliana Vegas, Professor of Practice and Chair of the Education Policy and Analysis Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Founding Director of the Education Lab for Latin America and the Caribbean. A global expert in education reform and international development, Dr. Vegas has led education divisions at the Inter-American Development Bank and now brings Harvard research to solve complex challenges in low- and middle-income countries.

Find our guest at: https://www.emilianavegas.com
Find our host at: https://www.ovinspires.com

Leadership Keywords: executive leadership, international development, education policy, change management, talent retention, psychological safety, communication skills, global leadership, resilience, values-driven leadership

Leadership Summary: In this episode, Dr. Emiliana Vegas defines leadership as earning followers through trust, guidance, and credibility. Drawing from her upbringing in Caracas, Venezuela, her parents’ commitment to education, and her journey from Harvard doctoral student to Harvard professor, she explains how intentional mentorship, resilience through adversity, and strong communication skills shape impactful leaders. Her insights apply directly to executives navigating change, retention, and organizational performance.

10 Takeaways on Leadership
✅ Leadership requires followers and trust
✅ Strong communication builds credibility
✅ Be a people person with substance
✅ Technical skills and collaboration must coexist
✅ Provide autonomy with guidance
✅ Safe feedback strengthens teams
✅ Protect high performers
✅ Address low performance directly
✅ Resilience grows through adversity
✅ Live with urgency and purpose

5 Titles for Leadership
✅ Leadership With Substance and Trust
✅ From Caracas to Harvard
✅ Why Communication Is a Leader’s Superpower
✅ Protecting High Performers
✅ Resilience Shapes Real Leaders

5 Sound Bites for Leadership
🗣 “Leadership is having followers who trust you.”
🗣 “Be a people person with substance.”
🗣 “Education is the one thing no one can take from you.”
🗣 “Provide autonomy with support.”
🗣 “Don’t wait to do important things.”

10 Chapters on Leadership
00:00 – Meet Dr. Emiliana Vegas
01:17 – Defining Leadership
02:00 – Growing Up in Caracas
03:01 – Harvard Doctoral Mentorship
05:22 – Family and Education Values
07:35 – Leading Without Formal Authority
11:36 – Resilience and Personal Loss
14:10 – Top Leadership Skills
16:13 – Retaining High Performers
18:39 – Book and Final Reflections

#OVinspires
#LeadershipMessengers
#leadership
#community

Leadership Culture podcast
Executive leadership podcast
Educational leadership podcast
Organizational leadership podcast
Professional Development podcast
Change Management podcast
Corporate leadership podcast
School leadership podcast
Top Leadership podcast for manager