Laura Flessner

Mindtap LLC

Be Recognized. Be Valued. Being You. 

Mindtap helps diverse professionals break through unconscious bias so their authentic leadership can be seen and valued using proven innovation techniques and applied neuroscience. 

Change how others see you, without needing to change who you are. 

Mindtap offers services for professionals at all levels, from entry to CEO. 

Reach out to explore how we can help you reach your next level of impact!

Founder & CEO

Forbes

Coaches Council

Global Innovation Advisory

We help move stuck innovation in corporations by cutting through years of internal layers. We help corporate innovation leaders to simplify and fuse inter-company connections to drive growth, without incremental costs. 

How can you do more with what you already have?

www.GlobalInnovationAdvisory.com

Partner

GSK Consumer Healthcare
Co-Founder of 3 Startup Businesses: CBD & Hemp, Functional Food & Beverage, Personalized Supplements. Dedicated hands-on business building, from strategy and execution of MVP to pivots based on learnings; Venture Board pitches and buy-in.

New Venture Founder / Insights Lead

Pfizer

Pfizer Consumer Healthcare
Led New Business Innovation strategy and implementation within Global Wellness white space category, resulting in a consumer-grounded Immunity Innovation pipeline and a strategic plan to grow the business by $500M in 5 years.

Director, R&D Product Design for New Benefit Innovation

Actively grew new function (Products Research) within R&D: set strategy, created procedures, grew internal awareness and demand, pushed for deeper insights through cutting-edge methodologies across dietary supplements, analgesics, respiratory, & personal care.

Senior Manager, R&D Products Research

Procter & Gamble

Spearheaded upstream product development, new consumer modeling, and new business models.

Senior Products Research Engineer

Designed packaging for PUR Flavor Options launch, which won 2009 Consumers' Choice Product of the Year.

Packaging Engineer

I Help Diverse Professionals Break Free Of Bias And Level Up Without Changing Who You Are // Ready To Do More, Be More? Register for my Personal Branding Masterclass, July 7 (free) -> Link in Featured Section

I help diverse professionals to break through unconscious bias so they can be seen, heard & valued. 

Essentially, I help you to be recognized as a leader in your organization, no matter your level, experience or role.

What is a diverse professional? Women, minorities, introverts, LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse… anyone who looks, sounds, or thinks different from others in the workplace. 

Is this you? 

It’s me. I’m a woman, Asian, an introvert, who looks really young. 

In past corporate roles, I felt frustrated, like I could do more, but I wasn’t always given the chance. The confusing thing was, I was getting fantastic feedback. 

There wasn’t any obvious bias or anything overtly intentional… but that didn’t change the fact that I wasn’t where I knew I could be. 

Unfortunately the traditional advancement system puts diverse professional at a disadvantage. Unconscious bias sneaks in, without people noticing - because it disguises itself as logic. 

It took me a while… but I found a way to break through - outside of the system. 

If the normal path to advancement:
- giving your all in quality work, 
- increasing your expertise, 
- directly asking for more

isn't allowing you to move forward... 

--> You need a different strategy. 

Transform what makes you “diverse” from a disadvantage to a superpower.  Your competitive advantage. 

I use neuroscience to help my clients break through unconscious biases their leadership and peers don’t even know they have. 

I use proven innovation tools and processes to help you to lead an idea, something you know will make a big impact, a meaningful difference. 

This strategy works at any level, in any industry, and at any organization.

Here’s 3 ways to work with me:

📚 Take a self paced course: Daring Different is a video based course with a step-by-step process to establish your authentic leadership. For the pre-manager and new entrepreneur. Go to: Thinkmindtap.com/daringdifferent

🚀 Join a live training cohort: Rise is a 8-week program where you will rise to your next level and people will notice a difference in you, guaranteed. For the committed pre-manager and new entrepreneur. Go to: Thinkmindtap.com/rise

🎯 Partner through coaching: Individualized guidance to create your next level of impact and personal power. For senior managers and business owners. Go to: Thinkmindtap.com/catalyst-coaching

It’s time for your voice to be heard. 
For your authentic leadership to be seen. 

Send me a DM (direct message) to explore your options!

💜 Laura

When what you’re given… isn’t perfect. 
(And it rarely is.)

The people on the team 
aren’t the ones you would have picked. 

The tools are outdated. 
The process was built for a market that no longer exists. 

It looks a lot like the messy sketch 
the artist started with. 
All potential… but no clarity. 

But here’s a truth professionals can forget: 

Leadership doesn't wait for ideal conditions. 
Leadership creates something valuable 
with what you’re given. 

To be resourceful. 
To see potential others overlook. 
To hold a vision of what’s possible 
before anyone else can see it. 

Leadership isn’t about perfection. 
It’s about perspective. 

It’s the ability to look at a broken process 
and notice the opportunity hiding inside it. 

To look at a team that feels mismatched 
and spot the strengths waiting to be shaped. 

To look at outdated tools 
and reimagine what they could enable. 

Adjust. Support. Add. Subtract. 
Piece by piece. 
Bit by bit. 

When you stay committed to the vision, 
not the circumstances, 
you create something extraordinary. 

Not because you had the perfect starting point. 
But because you led it into something better. 

That’s the work. 
That’s the impact. 
That’s leadership.

Leadership Coach for Diverse Professionals // Lead authentically at any level, using Innovation & Neuroscience // Get your free copy of "7 Steps to Authentic Leadership" --> DM me ‘Unlock’

Some think changing your goal is giving up. 

I think it's dangerous not to...

Your goals can change. 
And they should. 

What you defined as “success” 10 years ago… 
likely isn’t what success means to you now. 

A lot can shift in a decade. 
These days, a ton can change in a year.

And when things change, 
change also happens in you.

Here’s how my own career goals unfolded, 
chapter by chapter: 

0–5 yrs: Get a strong start + grow as fast as I can 
5–10 yrs: Deliver great work, and grow my family (3 kids born!) 
10–15 yrs: Become a subject matter expert + aim for VP 
15–17 yrs: Follow my passion in Innovation + broaden my experience 
17+ yrs: Build my own business 

Every chapter fit who I was and what I valued 
in that moment of my life. 

None was “better” than another. 
And letting go of a goal (like aiming for VP)
wasn’t quitting. 

It was adjusting. Listening. 
Learning more about what mattered to me. 

Because things do change: 

Your life situation 
(family, health, economics) 

Your focus 
(advancement, breadth, pivoting) 

Your definition of success shifts with each chapter. 

But here’s the biggest watch out: 
When life changes, but your picture of “success” doesn’t. 

That’s when frustration grows. 
That’s when people feel stuck. 
 
Like they’re swimming upstream 
against a current that’s getting stronger. 

A goal that served you well before 
no longer serves who you’re becoming now. 

But that next goal? 
It isn’t always obvious. 

This is why so many clients come to Clarity Coaching, 
to design their next chapter with intention, not pressure. 

To step into their next level of leadership 
in a way that fits. 

Like Sarah—who chose to leave her current role 
to be a strong female leader in cybersecurity. 

Like Penny—who found a path to prioritize family 
and support her career at the same time.

Like Amanda—who discovered a culture 
that embraced her authentic leadership style. 

Your next chapter will ask something new of you. 

The question is: 
Is your next chapter built for who you are today—or who you used to be?

Setbacks don't have to be the end. 

(They're a secret beginning)

"Setbacks are a setup for success."
A quote from Dr. Ruth D. Jones perfectly captures the start of my business Mindtap. 

It began the moment my role was eliminated. 

My company entered a joint venture. 
Suddenly, there were too many innovation groups… 
and mine was the one dismantled. 

So what now? 
(That question kept looping in my mind.) 

Then I realized: 
My last role, 
which had been my favorite of my career, 
had quietly been teaching me (for 2 years) 
exactly how to build something new. 

We were launching brands from scratch. 
Creating product lines from zero. 
Designing, experimenting, iterating. 
I had the blueprint. 
Why not use it for myself? 

So I did. 

Now, I could stop here and make it sound effortless. 
It wasn’t. 

The first business model I tried? Failed. 
The second try? Failed. 
The third? Worked okay… 
but deep down, I knew it wasn’t the work I wanted to do. 

Those attempts weren’t mistakes. 
They clarified what mattered. 
They helped me build the business today. 

The business that aligns with my strengths. 
The business that connects to my personal passion. 
The business that provides real value. 

Mindtap didn’t start with certainty. 
It started with what looked like an end. 

See setbacks as what they secretly are. 
A new beginning.

The hardest part of leadership? 

(It’s not the plans or presentations)

Strong leaders know… 

The technical challenges are the easy ones. 
The people challenges are the hard ones. 

And there’s only one thing 
that truly shifts a people challenge: 
A conversation. 

This is what I've seen most people avoid:

→ We schedule another meeting— 
instead of addressing what went wrong in the last one.

→ We change the subject 
the second things get uncomfortable.

→ We use jargon like "let’s circle back"
to avoid saying: This isn’t working.

→ We cc half the team on the email— 
hoping someone else will say it.

→ We blame “timing” 
instead of being honest.

→ We stay “nice” 
instead of staying real.

All different ways of saying: 
“I see the elephant… but I’m hoping it disappears.” 

Your brain thinks it’s keeping you safe. 
Conflict = threat. 
Silence = protection. 

But in reality... 
The scariest thing isn’t naming the elephant. 
The scariest thing is letting it grow. 

Big enough to: 
→ squash your team 
→ derail your project 
→ quietly erode your vision and impact as a leader 

Brave leadership is being willing to feel uncomfortable, 
and addressing issues head-on as soon as they arise. 

Your brain may scream “danger.”
Your leadership says “go, this is important.”

Why do I incorporate neuroscience into leadership?

I get asked this often.

In this video, I give 5 ways
knowing how your brain works
can accelerate your leadership. 

Lead smarter. Lead calmer. 
Lead in a way your brain was built for.

VET S.O.S.

Providing a lifeline to veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses through the sharing of information and resources about veteran support organizations and key personnel in the veteran support community who are helping our community succeed.

CEO, Co-Founder & Co-Host

Operation Barnabas

Serves directly under the Chairman and assists in all duties that may be required of him or her. In the absence of the Chairman the Vice Chairman shall preside over the Board of Directors meetings. The Vice Chairmen shall also supervise the formal assessments of the Board of Directors at least annually.

Vice Chair Board of Directors

- Duty of Care: Take care of the nonprofit by ensuring prudent use of all assets, including facility, people, and good will;
- Duty of Loyalty: Ensure that the nonprofit's activities and transactions are, first and foremost, advancing its mission; Recognize and disclose conflicts of interest; Make decisions that are in the best interest of the nonprofit corporation; not in the best interest of the individual board member (or any other individual or for-profit entity).
- Duty of Obedience: Ensure that the nonprofit obeys applicable laws and regulations; follows its own bylaws; and that the nonprofit adheres to its stated corporate purposes/mission.
- Provide guidance to organization by contributing to the organization’s culture, strategic focus, effectiveness, and financial sustainability, as well as serving as ambassadors and advocates.

Board Member

The Haskell Company

Leads project safety & health program in direct coordination with the project superintendent and assigned Regional Safety Supervisor.   Maintains a safe project environment to ensure the protection of all who engage the property including Haskell, contract partner, client and the general public personnel. Coordinates project activities to comply with rules, regulations, and policies applicable to project safety. 
- Actively participates in all site safety orientation efforts, daily/weekly team/subcontractor 
meetings, scope preconstruction meetings, and daily/weekly craft safety meetings. 
- Provides both monitoring and coaching related to the required daily Safe Work Plans. 
- Participates in project safety audits and communication of findings to the project team on a frequent 
basis to foster hazard recognition training.
- Maintains all project safety related documentation including Safety Data Sheets (SDS), trade safety 
programs, project postings, competent person /training data as required.  
- Actively participates in accident/incident investigations and assists project superintendent in the 
prompt reporting.  
- Administers and maintains all work permit programs in cooperation with Project Superintendent 
- Coordinates and/or conducts safety training as required on the project 
- Actively promotes and enforces the Haskell Code of Safe Practices and related safety policies 
- Accompanies any site visitors or authorized persons in project visits as coordinated with the Project 
Superintendent. 
- Supports the Project Superintendent in safety preplanning efforts prior to commencing work activities.  
- Should hazards classified as imminent danger or serious be identified, immediately take action to stop work and protect others from the hazard. 
- Maintains frequent communications with Regional Safety Supervisor regarding project safety issues, 
concerns and upcoming activities.   
- Maintain competency in the safety field through annual continuing education.

Project Safety Coordinator

Haskell Emergency Response Team is designed to respond quickly to an incident location to provide consultation and expertise in order to accomplish three specific tasks:
i.	Recommend specific actions to render safe the incident site
ii.	Assess site damage utilizing Business Resiliency (BRS) data and tools
iii.	Provide recovery recommendation plan to customer

Responsible for Boots on Ground Response program development and implementation. 
- Responsible for developing deployment, operation, and recovery plans 
- Developing and conducting training for team member 
- Coordination of response efforts
- Manage program budget

Emergency Response Project Manager

Member of the Business Resiliency Services Team.  Responsible for development of deployment operations plan.

Hiring Our Heroes Fellowship

Maxwell Leadership

Certified Coach, Speaker, and Trainer

Maxwell Leadership Certified Team

Veterati

Veterati is an innovative mentorship platform that makes being a mentor and finding mentors effortless. Connecting job-seekers to mentors at scale is phase 1 of Veterati’s greater mission: to transform job search from a painful experience into an inspiring journey.

My Veterati Mento Profile:  https://go.veterati.com/WxMrsn

Volunteer Mentor

The Association of Continuity Professionals

Secretary to the Board

BUZZ TV - IWANTABUZZ.COM

Conduct 5-7 minute interviews with veterans in the Jacksonville area.  Highlighting the great work that veterans are doing in and around Jacksonville, FL.

https://iwantabuzz.com/category/veterans/5-minutes-salute/

Host - 5 Minute Salute

US Army

•	Manage, track, and process security clearance paperwork for 600+ personnel within organization.
•	Responsible for onboarding new personnel.  Implemented lean processes to improve onboarding process increasing efficiency and decreases amount of time between onboarding and reporting to work.
•	Execute security inspection for 5 different organizations.  Ensures organizations are implementing proper security processes and following local laws and regulations.
•	Provide professional mentorship to 30 personnel within organization.  Lending years of experience in military to assisting others grow within and plan out their careers.

Battalion S2 (Intelligence) Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC)

Intelligence Analyst

•	Responsible for overall well-being of 90 personnel and their families.  Managed daily training, scheduling, travel, pay and benefits, and daily production for 90 personnel.
•	Responsible for planning and executing logistical operations to include movement of six vehicles, 90 personnel, and multiple equipment containers.  Successfully managed this process five times in one year without loss or damage.
•	Supervised over $5 million in military assets and equipment.  Ensured proper tracking of property and scheduled maintenance.  
•	Redistributed and updated enlisted manning in the G2 resulting in improved efficiency in the OPS section and higher morale
•	Developed and streamlined a division-wide intelligence manning tracker increasing command visibility on critical shortfalls

G2 (Intelligence) Analysis Control Element (ACE) NCOIC

•	Senior advisor for operations.  Managed ten person section responsible for all operations within a 300+ person organization.
•	Supervised the planning, resourcing, and execution of intelligence and logistical operations for 300+ person organization.  Operations included coordination with and support to multiple outside organization across the Korean Peninsula.
•	Responsible for overall well-being of 10 personnel and their families.  Managed daily training, scheduling, travel, pay and benefits, and production.
•	Devised planning tools to assist battalion operations and training in identifying potential problems for resolution prior to execution
•	Established an effective and efficient S3 team of cross-trained personnel capable of executing the most complex of tasks

Battalion S3 (Operations) NCOIC

•	Planned and managed over 500 hours of training to 100+ personnel.  Training focused on personal growth, financial awareness, educational importance, and military tactics. 
•	Responsible for overall well-being of 100+ personnel and their families.  Managed training, scheduling, travel, pay and benefits, and production.
•	Coordinated equal opportunity and sexual harassment training for organization.  Serves as advisor to organizations leaders for all matters pertaining to equal opportunity and sexual harassment.
•	Developed strong team cohesion through realistic training opportunities, resiliency training, team building events, and organization family-oriented field days.
•	Increased medical readiness to 90% by holding NCOs accountable for readiness; improving medical readiness by 5%

First Sergeant

•	Planned and managed over 500 hours of training to 75+ personnel.  Training focused on personal growth, financial awareness, educational importance, and military tactics. 
•	Responsible for overall well-being of 75+ personnel and their families.  Managed training, scheduling, travel, pay and benefits, and production.
•	Coordinated equal opportunity and sexual harassment training for organization.  Serves as advisor to organizations leaders for all matters pertaining to equal opportunity and sexual harassment.
•	Developed strong team cohesion through realistic training opportunities, resiliency training, team building events, and organization family-oriented field days.
•	Established a monthly junior enlisted mentorship program; mentored 19 Soldiers in career development
•	Mentored 23 NCOs through monthly professional development program and morale building events; promoted a learning environment and help boosted high morale
•	Developed the Detachments troop to task tracker from scratch; helped visualize HHD's personnel during high demand tasking's
•	Created and led a seven man ADVON team during four BN EDREs; ensured preparation for the BN TAC deployment
•	Helped restructure the BN TAC; resulted in the realignment of personnel by MTOE positions and improved the vehicle load plan

Detachment Sergeant

•	Senior advisor for operations.  Managed ten person section responsible for all operations within a 300+ person organization.
•	Supervised the planning, resourcing, and execution of intelligence and logistical operations for 300+ person organization.  Operations included coordination with and support to multiple outside organization across the Korean Peninsula.
•	Responsible for overall well-being of 10 personnel and their families.  Managed daily training, scheduling, travel, pay and benefits, and production.
•	Implemented AtHoc in BN S3 Operations; resulted in a commendable rating during 8th Army's no notice EDRE
•	Developed BN Command Post layout; identified challenges and implemented solutions which enabled mission success
•	Tactfully proposed troop to task recommendation to the brigade S3 staff which resulted in a 25% decrease in garrison taskings
•	Devised planning tools to assist battalion operations and training in identifying potential problems for resolution prior to execution
•	Established an effective and efficient S3 team of cross-trained personnel capable of executing the most complex of tasks

•	Responsible for planning and executing plans pertaining to the consolidation of resources (personnel and equipment) across the Korean Peninsula.
•	Successfully planned and managed over 25 community operations and events involving multiple agencies and hundreds of personnel.  Agencies included (emergency services, recreation, public works, and safety).
•	Managed essential community services and facilities for over 24,000 military community in Republic of Korea.

Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobility, and Security (DPTMS) (Operations) NCOIC

DPTMS Installation Security Officer

Task Force 51 G2 (Intelligence) Officer

ARNORTH G2 (Intelligence) Watch NCOIC

Battalion S2 (Intelligence) NCOIC

Intelligence Sergeant

I help veterans, transitioning service members, and veteran/military spouses learn about the 40,000+ veteran support organizations available to assist with military and life transitions.  My mission is to support and empower the veteran and military community through education, advocacy, and mentorship.  I co-founded VET S.O.S. Podcast to help fill this void.  My co-host and I bring on organizations to talk about what they do for our community and how you can reach out to them to get the assistance and training you want and need.

Website: https://vetsospodcast.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@vetsospodcast

Podcast Platforms: https://rss.com/podcasts/vetsos/

Contact Us: https://linktr.ee/vet_s.o.s._podcast

taplio

The Battle

Laura Flessner

Shawn Welsh, RBLP-T, ABCP

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The Battle

Laura Flessner

Shawn Welsh, RBLP-T, ABCP

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Laura Flessner's LinkedIn Performance

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