Making the Most of Your Opportunities with Kathy Taylor

Shift Out Loud with Tracy Spears

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While many find fulfillment in mastering one craft, others thrive when exploring new worlds and challenges. My guest for this episode of Shift Out Loud has excelled at playing a bigger game in a variety of sectors, from business to academia to politics.

Kathy Taylor is a woman with an incredible body of work. Her past roles include corporate EVP, Dean of the Collins College of Business at the University of Tulsa, and the 38th mayor of Tulsa, to name just a few. Currently, she’s dipping her toes into the retail world and unlocking the potential of women entrepreneurs through VEST, a peer network and investment fund.

In this conversation, Kathy and I talk about her shift from aspiring journalist to successful securities and franchise law attorney, the calling that brought her back to Oklahoma, and her recent transition into network and community-building.

Ready to play bigger? Listen now to discover:

• Why Kathy ran for office, how she won the election, and why she loved the role
• The story behind Mother Road Market, a multicultural food hall that supports and promotes Tulsan entrepreneurs
• How a toxic, male-led work culture led Kathy to launch her law practice

Guest bio: The Honorable Kathryn L. Taylor most recently served as the Dean of the Collins College of Business at the University of Tulsa. Her previous positions include Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce, Tourism & Workforce, CEO of ImpactTulsa, and Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Dollar/Thrifty Car Rental. She is a founding member of VEST, a network for expanding the pipeline of women in positions of influence.

Timestamps:

01:42 Intro

04:00 Meet Kathy Taylor

08:40 Mother Road Market

13:13 Thrifty Car Rental

15:58 Cooking & Julia Childs

17:49 Workplace toxicity & advocacy

22:24 Running for mayor

25:44 Accomplishments & challenges

30:56 Shift into academic leadership

34:06 Dubaian student & mentee stories

36:07 Shift into VEST & Goods Together

41:20 Personal mantra

43:47 Time with the grandkids & final tip

Links:

VEST

Discover your tactical leadership toolkit: theleaderlab.com

Interested in working with me or having me speak at your event? Find more information at tracyspears.com

For insights that will help you play bigger in your life, work, and community, visit my resource library: tracyspears.com/blog

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Connect with me:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tracylspears

Facebook: facebook.com/TracySpearsSpeaker

Instagram: @tracylspears

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