Episodes
Episode 19: Your Voice Is Your Leverage in 2026
In this episode of Bright Ideas, Desiree B. Sharpe sits down with Mark Albert, founder and CEO of Media Advisory Experts, to explore what it really takes for leaders to use their voice with confidence and credibility. Drawing...
Episode 18: Reckless Kindness: Leading When the Rules Are Being Rewri…
In this episode of Bright Ideas, host Desiree B. Sharpe sits down with Taylor Wilson, founder and CEO of Creative Schizzle, to talk about building scalable marketing solutions without losing the human side of leadership. Tayl...
Episode 17: The Burnout Wake-Up Call: A New Path for Women Leaders to…
In this episode, Desiree B. Sharpe sits down with marketer, agency founder, and podcaster Leslie Youngblood for a powerful conversation about building a business that supports your life instead of consuming it. Leslie shares ...
Episode 16.5: The Best of Bright Ideas: Five Insights to Lead Smarter…
In this special year-end episode of Bright Ideas, Desiree B. Sharpe highlights five standout insights from guests who shaped the conversation on leadership this season. She revisits lessons on staying curious, understanding y...
Episode 16: Getting Things Done: The Leadership Skill That Still Outp…
In this episode of Bright Ideas, Desiree B. Sharpe sits down with Michael Vajda, Managing Director at Elevate Global US, for an honest conversation about leadership, entrepreneurship, and building resilient teams in today’s s...
Episode 15: The Unwritten Rules Every Job Seeker Needs to Know
In this episode, Desiree sits down with Kathy Bremer, managing director at Boardwalk Consulting and author of Headhunter Confidential, for a deep look at what it really takes to build a meaningful career in a volatile job mar...
Episode 14: Succession No One Plans For: Michele Thornton on Grief, H…
In this episode of Bright Ideas, Desiree B. Sharpe sits down with Michele Thornton, President of LocalFresh, for a candid look at what it really takes to lead and scale a small business. Their conversation digs into people-fi...
Episode 13.5: From Zoo Trips to Tech Builds: A Glimpse Into My World …
In this Bright Bite episode of Bright Ideas, host Desiree B. Sharpe reflects on a transformative season of growth, faith, and entrepreneurship. She shares her experience inside the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, an Atla...
Episode 13: The Truth Advantage: The Leadership Strategy Most Compani…
In this episode of Bright Ideas, Desiree sits down with Kathleen Lucente, founder and CEO of Red Fan Communications, for a deep dive into building a thriving agency culture rooted in transparency, values, and trust. Kathleen ...
Episode 12: No Clock-Ins, No Excuses: Building a Culture of Ownership…
In this episode of the Bright Ideas Podcast, host Desiree B. Sharpe sits down with Paxton Gray, CEO of digital marketing agency 97th Floor, to discuss how embracing a results-only work environment (ROWE) has reshaped their cu...
Episode 11: How One CEO Rewrote the Rules for Working Motherhood
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 shar...
Episode 10: How Two Lifelong Friends Built a Thriving Business on Tru…
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...
Episode 9: It's Not Too Late: Building Culture-First Startups and Rei…
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 ...
Episode 8: Bullets Before Cannonballs: How Smart Testing Saved Smart …
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 hi...
Episode 7: Solo Parenting, Stranger Kindness, and Start-up Dreams
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 toda...
Episode 6: What Great HR Leadership Looks Like in a Remote Creative C…
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 ...
Episode 5: Protecting Your Small Business as AI Rises
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, wh...
Episode 4: How Setbacks Shape Stronger Leaders: A Conversation with B…
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 ...
Episode 3: From Intern to VP: Kortni Robinson on Building Careers (an…
In this episode of the Bright Ideas podcast, Desiree Booker-Sharpe interviews Kortni Robinson, Vice President of Operations at the Power Group. Kortni shares her journey from intern to VP, highlighting the importance of compa...
Bright Bite Part 1: How to Protect your Career as AI Rises
AI isn’t coming for your job—but the way you do your job? That’s already shifting. In this Bright Bite episode, Desiree Booker-Sharpe offers a grounded, strategic look at the rise of AI and what it really means for your caree...
Episode 2: How Leaders Can Communicate Better During Seasons of Change
In this episode of the Bright Ideas Podcast, Desiree Booker-Sharpe speaks with Dan Cohen, principal at Full Court Press Communications. They discuss the importance of effective communication in leadership, especially during t...
Episode 1: The Breakdown Leading to My Breakthrough
In this episode, Desiree Booker-Sharpe shares her personal journey of transformation through entrepreneurship and motherhood. She reflects on the challenges she faced, including loss, anxiety, and the struggle for identity, w...