00;00;00;08 - 00;00;28;20
Coach Dora Mendez
Hello amazing leaders. This episode is different. We're disrupting our usual building leadership community. Guest Q&A format. Because some conversations are too urgent, too honest, and too necessary to squeeze into a standard interview. This is a special episode, and today I'm saying the quiet part out loud!
00;00;28;23 - 00;00;46;02
Coach Dora Mendez
I'll be stepping onto the stage at DisruptHR DC, a global event built around bold ideas, uncomfortable truths, and the kind of workplace conversations most people try to avoid.
00;00;46;04 - 00;00;55;15
Coach Dora Mendez
Five minutes, 20 slides. No fluff, no hiding. Just clarity, conviction and courage.
00;00;55;17 - 00;01;15;24
Coach Dora Mendez
Thank you, amazing leaders for joining us. Week after week. I'm your host Coach Dora Mendez, and today's episode is all about being a disruptor. Don't forget to help us out with that algorithm. Like, Share and Subscribe. Roll credits.
00;01;15;26 - 00;01;47;07
Intro-Outro
Hello and welcome to Building Leadership Community Podcast. I'm your host, Dora Mendez. I am the founder and CEO of Coach Dora LLC. Our guests will be entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community leaders that drive social impact. It can be lonely at the top, but it doesn't have to be.
00;01;47;09 - 00;02;12;03
Coach Dora Mendez
Welcome back amazing leaders. Don't forget to help us out with that YouTube algorithm. Like, Share and Subscribe. You know, hit that button if you're watching us on YouTube. Share this with someone who needs to hear a little to you today. And if you're listening on your favorite audio platform, like it? Share it. Don't forget to do that.
00;02;12;06 - 00;02;26;21
Coach Dora Mendez
And support our podcast so we could bring you the best content. Before we get into why I'm stepping into this arena, I have some resources to share with you. Check this out.
00;02;26;28 - 00;02;39;12
Promo — Coach Dora
We have some powerful resources to share with you today to transform your leadership by learning how to coach. Coaching is something that most people think is really exclusive.
00;02;39;12 - 00;03;06;14
Coach Dora Mendez
It's something that's just for executives. But really, we believe that it's something that should be accessible to everyone. So we designed a course. If you've been feeling pressure of expensive leadership programs, courses that can run close to $1,000 per credit, you're not alone. I hear from so many professionals who want to grow, lead with confidence and make an impact.
00;03;06;16 - 00;03;47;19
Promo — Coach Dora
But the price tag and time commitment make it feel out of reach. We believe that coaching should be accessible. That's exactly why I created. Transform Your Leadership; an exclusive Growth Mindset Coaching course designed to give you true leadership breakthroughs, without the hefty price tag. For only $97, you'll get to receive access to a program that delivers real transformation—in as little as five hours, a self-paced video course.
00;03;47;21 - 00;04;30;24
Promo — Coach Dora
You'll get traditional leadership program information, a workbook, and a handy A.I. prompt sheet. And, at the end, you'll get a certificate of completion so you can show off your professional development and your accomplishments. So this normally takes weeks. And we intentionally built a practical, efficient and deeply impactful course inside the experience. So you'll get these tools and frameworks in our coaching program that will help you lead with clarity, communicate with confidence, and step into your next level of influence without sacrificing your time or your budget.
00;04;30;26 - 00;04;50;11
Promo — Coach Dora
If you're ready to become the leader people trust and follow. This is your moment. The link is in the description. You can get it on our website in our courses tab: CoachDoraMendez.com. Leadership transformation is right there for you.
00;04;50;13 - 00;05;09;12
Coach Dora Mendez
So let's get back to it. Why I stepped into the arena. People have asked me how did I transition from being an investigator of discrimination complaints to a fractional CHRO and leadership coach?
00;05;09;15 - 00;05;49;04
Coach Dora Mendez
It wasn't about the policies or the handbook. It was about what I saw during my decades of public service. I watched workplace discrimination go unaddressed day after day. It wasn't because the people in charge didn't have the skills to fix it. It was because they didn't have the courage. I got into HR because I realized that to change the workplace, we have to change leaders, develop them, invest in them.
00;05;49;06 - 00;06;19;21
Coach Dora Mendez
I wanted to be in the room where the systems are built, ensuring those systems actually work for the people in them. I think about that song: “The Room Where It Happens” from Hamilton, one of my favorite musicals. But before I tell you what I plan to say, let me tell you a little bit about the room, I'm saying it in. DisruptHR isn't your typical HR conference.
00;06;19;23 - 00;06;52;26
Coach Dora Mendez
It was born in Cincinnati in 2013 on a single conviction. The way we've approached talent in the past is not the best way to approach it in the future. No sprawling panels, no 60 minute keynote, full of buzzwords. The format is radical. Up to 15 speakers, five minutes each and 20 slides auto advancing every 15 seconds. You say what you mean, or the clock says it for you.
00;06;52;29 - 00;07;32;21
Coach Dora Mendez
This has grown from a local experiment into a global movement, in over 260 cities. The DC chapter captures the same spirit: provocative ideas, revolutionary thinking, and real talk in the HR world. It's the answer to TED Talk. Remember, TED started in 1984 as the anti conference. No dress code, just brilliant people talking. Sharing ideas. It took years for the world to be ready for the kind of honesty.
00;07;32;24 - 00;07;45;24
Coach Dora Mendez
But now it reaches billions. Disrupt HR takes the same model and aims it directly at the workplace. Systems that too often go unchallenged.
00;07;45;27 - 00;07;48;21
Coach Dora Mendez
The Truth on the Stage.
00;07;48;24 - 00;08;05;06
Coach Dora Mendez
It’s so refreshing, especially to give this platform to human resources professionals. Let me share with you the truth I'm bringing to that stage. We need to stop calling it a skills gap when what we're really facing is a leadership courage gap.
00;08;05;08 - 00;08;53;21
Coach Dora Mendez
Too many organizations are blaming workers for problems. Leadership created. Too many leaders are asking employees to upskill while refusing to invest in development, accountability, and psychological safety. We are comfortable diagnosing people while avoiding the harder conversations about systems. And if we're honest, it's not a talent problem. It's a leadership problem. I'm pulling back the curtain on what it means to prepare a message designed to challenge power structures in front of a roomful of decision makers, a roomful of disruptors, a room full of people who are willing to challenge the status quo.
00;08;53;23 - 00;09;22;16
Coach Dora Mendez
This matters because leadership isn't just about communication. It's about truth telling and accountability. Whether you're an HR professional, an educator, or an emerging leader, this conversation is for you. Join me May 20th in DC or follow along on our YouTube channel. Thanks again for joining us for this special episode of Building Leadership Community.
00;09;22;18 - 00;09;51;27
Intro-Outro
You've been listening to Building Leadership Community. Watch on YouTube @CoachDoraM. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts, follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube @CoachDoraM. Visit me on the web at CoachDoraMendez.com. Hosted by me, Dora Mendez. Produced by Dora Mendez and Dylan Rogers. Graphics, editing, and sound mixing by Dylan Rogers.
