We couldn’t be more honored to welcome Katie Jordan, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), to this week’s episode of the Six Degrees of Associations Podcast. Katie shares her journey from studying dance to practicing occupational therapy, and then to her current role as an association leader. She emphasizes the importance of belonging and highlights the value of authentic credibility that stems from hands-on experience and a background in the arts. Katie also reflects on her transition into the association world, lessons learned from her mistakes, and her vision for the future of occupational therapy.

Greg Melia, CAE, CEO of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), is our guest on the Six Degrees of Associations this week. With a stated goal of supporting CX professionals to share, learn, inspire, and grow throughout their entire careers, Greg is at the helm of this premier non-profit with a global reach that serves the customer experience profession. Greg shares his journey to association leadership with us and discusses the evolution of his career. He explains the significance of customer experience in associations, highlighting the need for seamless processes across touchpoints to improve member retention and satisfaction.

Related Resources to Explore:CXPA Book of Knowledge and other publications: https://www.cxpa.org/grow-your-knowledge/bookstore CX definitions: https://www.cxpa.org/grow-your-knowledge/whatiscxTodd Unger’s book: https://www.toddunger.com/

As we learn in this week’s episode of the 6 Degrees Podcast with Stephen Gold, the President and CEO of Manufacturers Alliance, mindfulness, like life itself, is a journey, not a destination. There are no winners or losers. There are many elements of mindfulness that association professionals will find helpful, and we are honored to have longtime association community thought leader Stephen Gold join our show this week to provide a crash course on how incorporating better mindfulness principles into our lives can benefit ourselves and those around us.Here are some resources to keep in mind if you’d like to learn more:Books on or Related to Mindfulness1. Living With Your Heart Wide Open, by Bob Stahl and Steve Flowers2. Mindfulness in Plain English, Bhante Gunaratana3. A Path with Heart, by Jack Kornfield4. The Wise Heart, by Jack Kornfield5. When Things Fall Apart, by Pema Chodron6. The Places that Scare You, by Pema Chodron7. Learning to Fall, by Philip Simmons8. 10% Happier, by Dan Harris9. Untethered Soul, by Michael Singer10. Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn Business Management Books Whose Underlying Principles are Based on Mindfulness1. Ego Free Leadership, Shayne Hughes2. An Everyone Culture, Robert Kagan3. Fierce Conversations, Susan Scott4. Non-Violent Communications, Marshall Rosenberg5. The Mindful Leader, Michael Carroll6. The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, Jim Dethmer7. One Second Ahead, Rasmus Hougaard8. How to Know a Person, David Brooks9. Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek10. Conscious Business, Fred Kofman Also, a handful of TED talks that are based on the concepts of mindfulness: “The Benefits of Not Being a Jerk to Yourself,” Dan Harris: https://youtu.be/NuhIzO57HVk?si=EHkzmGS6OEXN0wQ4“My Stroke of Insight,” Jill Bolte Taylor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYD7Y9CXeUw“This is Water,” David Foster Wallace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC7xzavzEKY“Making People Feel Seen,” David Brooks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6d0Vx0N0Sw“The Power of Vulnerability,” Brene Brown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o