In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Mark Maynard, keynote speaker, author, advisor, coach, and former managing partner at Union Square Hospitality Group.

Mark shares how hospitality, clarity, purpose, and community shape unforgettable customer and team experiences. He explains why great service is not just about a product, meal, or transaction. It is about helping people feel like they belong to something bigger.

Kyle and Mark also discuss why service teams need clarity, how purpose creates buy-in, why complaints are gifts, and how leaders can build organizations where every action connects back to the mission.

Episode History

00:00 — Introduction 00:26 — Meet Mark Maynard 01:30 — Mark’s connection to hospitality and service 03:00 — Why entertaining and hosting matter 04:00 — Customers versus guests 05:35 — Why your product is community 07:30 — Building loyalty through belonging 08:45 — Mark’s journey into hospitality 10:00 — Why teams need clarity, not another pep talk 12:25 — Purpose, buy-in, and shared direction 15:25 — Where leaders should begin 17:30 — Why complaints are gifts 19:30 — Receiving feedback with humility 21:30 — What extraordinary service teams do differently 23:00 — Connecting people to purpose

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In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Dr. Joel Perez, award-winning author, executive coach, belonging consultant, Gallup Strengths coach, IDI Qualified Administrator, and author of Dear White Leader: How to Achieve Organizational Excellence Through Cultural Humility.

Dr. Perez shares how leaders can create cultures of belonging by practicing cultural humility, leading with clarity, and learning to operate in ambiguity. He explains why leadership begins with self-awareness but must move beyond the individual into the organization, community, and systems leaders influence.

Kyle and Dr. Perez also discuss work-life integration, cultural humility, psychological safety, identity as a leadership superpower, mental health, intent versus impact, leading across difference, and what it takes to become a belonging-centered leader in a turbulent world.

Key Topics:

• Why leadership requires comfort with ambiguity
• The difference between work-life balance and work-life integration
• What cultural humility looks like in practice
• Why leaders must look in the mirror first
• Leading with clarity and self-awareness
• The four dimensions of a belonging-centered organization
• Psychological safety and healthy conflict
• Systems that work for everyone
• Accountable leadership and daily habits that build belonging
• How identity can become a leadership superpower
• Why mental health matters for exceptional leadership
• Intent versus impact in leadership
• Leading across difference with curiosity instead of judgment

00:00 — Introduction 00:15 — Meet Dr. Joel Perez 01:00 — Dear White Leader and award recognition 01:30 — Balancing multiple roles and work-life integration 02:30 — Holding things loosely and living in the gray 03:30 — Why better people lead better teams 04:00 — How leaders can operate in ambiguity 04:30 — Leading with clarity 05:30 — Cultural humility and nonprofit leadership 06:30 — Looking in the mirror as a leader and organization 07:30 — Turning philosophy into practical frameworks 08:00 — The belonging-centered organizational framework 08:30 — Psychological safety 09:00 — Systems that work for everyone 09:30 — Accountable leadership 10:00 — Daily habits that build belonging 10:30 — Exceptional leadership in a turbulent world 11:00 — Identity as a leadership superpower 11:30 — Mental health and leadership 12:00 — Nostalgia is not a strategy 12:30 — Leading through turbulence 14:00 — Dr. Perez’s first-generation college story 15:00 — Growing up as the son of Mexican immigrants 16:00 — Learning to lead across difference 17:00 — Cultural humility coaching 18:00 — Identity, code switching, and belonging 19:30 — What belonging-centered leadership means 21:30 — Intent versus impact 22:30 — Apologies, accountability, and leadership repair 23:30 — Why belonging is both moral and strategic

Dr. Joel Perez is an award-winning author, executive coach, belonging consultant, Gallup Strengths coach, IDI Qualified Administrator, and founder of a coaching and consulting practice focused on helping leaders and organizations create cultures of belonging. He is the author of Dear White Leader: How to Achieve Organizational Excellence Through Cultural Humility, which was recognized with the Silver Award for Best New Voice Nonfiction by the Independent Book Publishers Association. Through his work, Dr. Perez helps leaders practice cultural humility, lead across difference, build psychological safety, and create organizations where people can thrive.

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Learn More About the Contagious Culture Conference

Subscribe & Leave a Review to The Contagious Culture Podcast

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📞 Schedule Your Call Here

🖥️ Join the #1 Community for Leaders and Change Makers

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In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Erin Peshoff, chief curator of Pavio, for a practical conversation on systems, operations, infrastructure, and what it really takes for nonprofits to grow well.

Erin explains why organizations cannot scale if they are not optimized for growth. She shares how strong systems create predictability, reduce friction, support team clarity, and help people show up with more joy in their work.

Kyle and Erin also discuss why most nonprofit “emergencies” are created by poor systems, the importance of documentation, handoffs, project management, password management, board alignment, and why leaders must be willing to edit operations instead of simply organizing clutter.

Key Topics:

• Why systems create predictability and safety
• How joy can become an economic metric
• Why most nonprofit emergencies are self-created
• The difference between organizing operations and editing them
• Why documentation matters during staff turnover
• How poor handoffs create confusion and frustration
• Password management, CRM issues, and hidden system gaps
• Why leaders should not force old tools into new organizations
• How boards can create chaos when they do not speak with one voice
• Why organizations must slow down before they can scale

00:00 — Introduction 00:20 — Meet Erin Peshoff 01:15 — What is giving Erin energy right now 02:00 — Hope, glimmers, and positive graffiti 02:30 — Personal systems and morning routines 03:00 — Why systems matter personally and professionally 03:30 — Systems create predictability and safety 04:00 — Joy as an economic metric 04:30 — Are there real emergencies in nonprofit work? 05:30 — How poor planning creates urgency 06:00 — Defining what a system really is 07:00 — CRM, reporting, and campaign tracking examples 08:00 — Why systems should feel like habits 08:45 — Editing operations instead of organizing them 09:30 — Pulling everything out before rebuilding 10:00 — Letting go of systems that no longer work 11:00 — Common system gaps in nonprofits 11:30 — Documentation and turnover 12:00 — Handoffs between development and finance 13:00 — Ownership, integrations, and broken workflows 14:00 — Passwords, shared accounts, and system access 15:00 — Why leaders should not force their favorite tools 16:00 — Clear expectations and team preferences 17:00 — Erin’s diagnostic process with organizations 18:00 — Listening to staff before changing systems 19:00 — Boards, alignment, and speaking with one voice

Erin Peshoff is the chief curator of Pavio, where she helps nonprofit leaders reduce friction, cut through clutter, and build operational infrastructure that actually supports growth. With experience across fundraising, customer experience, operations strategy, and AI-enabled workflows, Erin helps organizations strengthen systems, improve handoffs, document processes, and create healthier environments where people can do their best work.

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Learn More About the Contagious Culture Conference

Subscribe & Leave a Review to The Contagious Culture Podcast

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📞 Schedule Your Call Here

🖥️ Join the #1 Community for Leaders and Change Makers

👉🏽 Apply to Be in the Growth Alliance

👉🏽Connect with Kyle S. King