The Business of Joy

Ten days after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was alone, no safety plan, no contacts and no evacuation plan. Julie Colombino Billingham had quit her job, sold her Florida home and landed in Port-au-Prince with only $7,000 in her pocket. Many days, she only ate an avocado and drank a single coca-cola.THE PIVOT POINT: It came when a woman grabbed her arm: "I don't want your water, I need a job." As a trained disaster responder, she experienced the brutal truth: handing out free aid destroys local economies by undercutting local businesses and local job. JOB CREATION: That moment shifted Julie’s focus from temporary aid to job creation and ultimately building an off-grid factory making beautiful handbags and accessories by hand. I’ve already bought one. Loved it so much, another is on its way. JULIE’S IMPACT: Her stories are absolutely heart wrenching at the same time inspiring. A few of my favorite moments: The Mindset: Her co-founder Jolina, after losing everything: "We're going to take back everything that the earthquake stole."Operational Grit: After four stolen generators, Julie converted the entire facility to solar power to survive total infrastructure collapse.The Scale: Today, a native executive team is tackling a 79% regional unemployment rate and selling products in Nordstrom. From Loss to Legacy is Julie’s new book. Please take a look! Deux Mains: https://deuxmains.com REBUILD Globally: https://rebuildglobally.org Julie's book, "From Loss to Legacy": https://www.amazon.com/Loss-Legacy-Fashion-Business-Haitis-ebook/dp/B0FYBJ3WRN

How do you build a culture where employees stay, guests thrive, and profit follows? In this episode of The Business of Joy, Lisa W. Miller sits down with industry veteran Amy Hom to discuss the "Origin Story" of a fearless leader. From picking peaches in St. Louis to running some of the most iconic restaurant brands in the country, Amy reveals the unconventional strategies that drive true job satisfaction and operational excellence. In this episode, we discuss: The Gen Z Confidence Crisis: Why only 16% of Gen Z feel "capable" at work and how to fix it. The Two-Minute Rule: Amy’s personal framework for navigating high-stakes leadership stress. Autonomy vs. Control: How giving chefs 70% menu autonomy drives massive retention and profit. The "Heart Check": Why every executive meeting should start with a human pulse check. RESOURCES MENTIONED: The GLEAM Network: https://www.gleamnetwork.net/ Barcelona Wine Bar: https://barcelonawinebar.com/ Lisa’s Gen Z Research: https://www.lwm-associates.com/genz-workshop

“I’m going to need some tissues. It’s a difficult story… but a beautiful one… because we can turn darkness into light.” -NASA’s Michael CiannilliSeason 7 launches today! 🎙 Big news coming tomorrow too! Hint: It’s a space (pun intended 😉) to spotlight every guest, every story, and every spark of joy we uncover together.This premiere is one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve ever had. It’s a journey from heartbreak to hope with a 30-year NASA veteran who helped lead the recovery of Columbia and turned tragedy into purpose.After we recorded, Mike said something that reminded me why I love doing these: “I really enjoyed our discussion, Lisa. I must say once again, you’re a fantastic host who really brings out the person in the interview.”Michael’s career took him from engineering and test directing rockets to leading NASA’s Apollo, Challenger, Columbia Lessons Learned program.Here are some of the stories you’ll hear in this episode: 🚀 How 10-year-old Mike’s make-ready weekends shaped a lifetime of agility and craftsmanship 🚀 The 5½-year detour before joining NASA, and the perseverance that defined him 🚀 What it means to teach the “why” behind failure, not just the “what” 🚀 How the same human lessons apply whether you’re launching rockets, running a business, or leading teamsThat’s the heart of The Business of Joy: getting to the human side of every story. Behind every title, every mission, every milestone, there’s a person finding light after darkness. 🎧 Now streaming! Get the tissues ready!

Joy, soul, and hospitality aren’t soft words… they're a growth strategy!That’s the message from Brett Schulman, CEO & Co-Founder of CAVA, who joined me on The Business of Joy podcast this week.Before leading one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands in America, his early jobs of washing cars and chopping firewood built his work ethic: discipline, pride, and the power of showing up!A few gems in this episode: 🌱 Manual work builds character, while human connection builds culture. His early jobs taught him attention to detail, perseverance, and the pride of finishing well.🧡 Small wins build big discipline. Making your bed. Showing up. Doing the small things consistently… that’s how momentum and resilience are built.🔥 Hospitality is a competitive edge. As technology removes friction, people crave warmth. The dining room isn’t dead - bad experiences are.📈 Lead for decades, not quarters. Show up on the bad days. Invest through headwinds. Build for the long game.Brett is a testament that when leaders choose humanity over fear, the brand doesn’t just survive… it thrives.

At 13 years old, Joe Davis wrote a list of life goals. Fast forward decades later… it turned out to be the blueprint for his life!For this episode of the Business of Joy, I had the pleasure of interviewing Joe Davis, Former Head of BCG North America and author of The Generous Leader!We talked about the kind of leadership that actually moves people (and the needle): humble, curious, and human.Some of the highlights from this episode:📰 How a 6-year paper route taught accountability at 6am (and why showing up matters)🔑 Why saying “I don’t know” can unlock creativity instead of stalling it💞 What the pandemic taught him about empathy, perspective, and leadership at scale👂 How properly listening to feedback from employees and teammates can help shape decisions and shift both morale and performanceIf you lead teams (or aspire to) you’ll love this one.📘 Joe’s book: The Generous LeaderAMAZON: https://a.co/d/95KT4xFAUDIBLE: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Generous-Leader-Audiobook/B0D6WM3FJ5?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp#BusinessOfJoy #Leadership #GenerousLeadership #EmpathyInAction #HumanConnection

There’s a difference between reporting sports... and sharing the stories of sports.That’s what makes Newy Scruggs, the 15-time Emmy-winning Sports Director at NBC DFW, stand out. For over 30 years, he hasn’t just covered games, he uncovers the human lessons inside them. Lessons we can carry into work, leadership, and life. From sit-downs with former TCU head coach Gary Patterson and UT Athletic Director Chris Del Conte to everyday athletes, Newy gets to the heart of it.If you’re in Dallas, Newy is a household name. If you’re not, trust me, you’re missing out.In our Business of Joy conversation, Newy shared:💡 Why vulnerability isn’t weakness, it’s the bridge to real connection⛰️ The Mount Everest principle of success and how complacency kills momentum🌱 How cutting lawns at 11 on military bases taught him work ethic, grit, and perspective🎤 A 5th-grade mock newscast that revealed his calling in broadcasting🙏 How faith, perspective, and a daily choice for joy keep him groundedThe game ends. The highlights fade. The headlines change. But the lessons and stories Newy shares will stick with you.Newy's Interview with Chris del Conte: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/meet-chris-del-conte-ut-longhorns-athletics/3764827/Newy's Website: newyscruggs.com#BusinessOfJoy #NewyScruggs #Storytelling #Leadership #NBCDFW

“Everyone wants to just ‘let the data speak.’ But data without a question is just noise.”Right?AI seems to be taking over a lot of our “mind share” these days. So I decided to sit down with an expert, Mike Lukianoff, CEO of Signal Flare AI, to get down to the brass tacts.I could have talked with Mike for hours about this stuff! Here are just a few of my favorite quotables from this episode:📊 “Letting the data ‘tell you’ is like asking a calculator to write your business plan.”🧠 “Nobody knows you’re doing your job until you’re not.” (Describing his offensive lineman mindset and leadership behind the scenes.)💡 “I got the right answer to the wrong question. That’s a type three error in statistics, and it’s happening everywhere with AI.”From offensive lineman to entrepreneur, Mike shares what it means to do the work no one sees and why asking better questions might just be the most human thing we can do.

“You’re not burned out because of your job. You’re burned out because you’re doing someone else’s job.”That line stood out to me when I sat down with Monica Rothgery, former COO of KFC and one of the most joyful, no-BS leaders I know. Monica was the first woman in the US to hold that position and the first member of the LBGTQ community to get to the C-suite at YUM!For the fiftieth episode of the Business of Joy, we talked about:✨ What the Army didn’t prepare her for at Taco Bell🎧 Why she wears a headset during her keynotes and what it says about who she leads for🌏 How she led a turnaround in Thailand, despite no global ops background nor language skills⚠️ What “compressed productivity” is, and how it’s quietly suffocating innovation in your org🔥 The radical clarity that comes from asking: “What’s mine to do?”Whether you’re running a business, mentoring new talent, or working the frontlines yourself, Monica’s perspective and insights will change how you think.#BusinessOfJoy #LeadershipDevelopment #FrontlineLeaders #Restaurants #WomenInLeadership