In this episode of Bright Ideas, Desiree sits down with Shamir Duverseau, Managing Director of Smart Panda Labs, to explore how a people-first approach can fuel business growth and resilience. Shamir shares the hard pivots his agency made—from letting go of mismatched hires to niching down on the post-click experience—and why those decisions ultimately strengthened their culture and client relationships. He also opens up about the challenges of competing for talent as a small business, what it means to truly lead with “life first,” and how continuous learning has shaped his leadership philosophy. Whether you’re a founder navigating tough choices or a leader seeking smarter ways to scale, Shamir’s story offers practical wisdom and a reminder that success doesn’t have to come at the cost of what matters most.

Connect with Shamir:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamirduverseau/

Or the company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smart-panda-labs/

Their website: www.smartpandalabs.com

Book Recommendation:

Great by Choice by Jim Collins

In this Bright Bite episode of Bright Ideas, our host Desiree B. Sharpe shares a candid look at what’s happening in both her business and personal life. She talks about the tough challenges small businesses are facing in today’s economy, the lessons she learned while traveling solo with her daughter, and her excitement about joining the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative to launch her first fintech startup. She also invites business owners to share their experiences with vendor relationships and recurring expenses as part of her research. This episode blends small business insights, personal growth, and the founder journey—perfect for anyone navigating entrepreneurship while balancing real life.

Sign up for a feedback session: https://calendly.com/colorvizionlabllc/vendormanagementdiscovery

Connect with Desiree: desiree@colorvizionlab.com

In this episode of Bright Ideas, Desiree Booker-Sharpe talks with Juliette Dupre, Chief People Officer at OtherSide Entertainment, about how to scale a business while keeping people and culture at the center. Juliette shares her path from law to HR leadership and explains why employee experience, mental health programs, and wellness stipends matter in a remote workplace. She also opens up about the challenges of growth, the resilience leaders need during change, and the importance of clear communication and meaningful metrics like quality of hire and employee sentiment. This conversation offers practical insights for anyone focused on building strong teams and people-first workplaces.

In this Bright Bite episode of the Bright Ideas Podcast, host Desiree Booker-Sharpe takes a candid look at what it really means to protect your small business in the age of AI. Building on part one of this two-part series, which explored career protection for corporate leaders, Desiree now shifts her focus to entrepreneurs and small business owners who are running lean teams and navigating an uncertain economy. She acknowledges the real struggles—rising costs, constant pivots, and the overwhelming pace of AI adoption—while offering clear strategies to help you stay resilient. You’ll learn three practical ways to safeguard your company. Desiree also shares her own experiences with expense creep, AI adoption in her workflows, and the early development of a new AI-powered fintech tool designed to help small businesses cut costs. If you’ve been wondering how to harness AI for small business success, reduce overhead, and future-proof your company, this episode is packed with insight and encouragement to help you adapt and thrive.

In this episode of Bright Ideas, Brad MacAfee, CEO of KAOH Media, shares how his leadership journey has been shaped by both success and setbacks. From building culture and scaling teams to navigating industry headwinds, Brad has learned that the most effective leaders lead with authenticity and empathy.

He opens up about a pivotal career moment that reshaped how he views leadership—teaching him that setbacks, while painful, can unlock deeper resilience, courage, and compassion. Today, those lessons guide how he builds trust with teams, empowers communities, and steers organizations through change.

If you’re a leader looking to grow your influence while staying grounded in empathy, this conversation offers inspiration and practical wisdom you won’t want to miss.

Connect with Brad:

brad@kaohmedia.com

KAOH Media website: https://kaohmedia.com/

In this episode of the Bright Ideas podcast, Desiree Booker-Sharpe interviews Kortni Robinson, Vice President of Operations at the Power Group. Kortni shares her journey from intern to VP, highlighting the importance of company culture, flexibility, and personal connections in leadership. The conversation delves into the impact of AI on the PR and social media landscape, the agency's niche in restaurant grand openings, and the operational challenges of staffing and profitability. Kortni emphasizes the significance of over-communication during times of change as a key leadership lesson.

Connect with Kortni:

Their website: The Power Group: https://thepowergroup.com/

Her email: Kortni@thepowergroup.com

AI isn’t coming for your job—but the way you do your job? That’s already shifting. In this Bright Bite episode, Desiree Booker-Sharpe offers a grounded, strategic look at the rise of AI and what it really means for your career. If you’ve been doom-scrolling headlines or feeling overwhelmed by AI hype, this is your invitation to pause, take a breath, and hear a different kind of conversation, one rooted in truth, leadership, and empowerment.

Drawing from her own experience returning from maternity leave and building a brand using AI tools like ChatGPT and Notion (without a tech background!), Desiree walks you through:

• Why fear isn't the strategy—and what is

• A simple exercise to audit your current tasks (spoiler: some are automatable, others are deeply human)

• How to build AI literacy without becoming a tech expert

• The power of human skills like empathy, communication, and discernment
  
  

Whether you’re a people leader, manager, or future-focused professional wondering how to stay relevant, this episode delivers practical, actionable guidance for leading with AI—not against it.

🔁 Part two will focus on how founders and small business owners can adapt their businesses for the future. Stay tuned!

Stay in the Know! Join my email list.

Here is the prompt mentioned in the episode:
Prompt: I want you to help me create a detailed task inventory for my leadership role so I can audit which responsibilities can be automated with AI and which require a human touch

Here’s my context:

• Job Title: [Insert your current title]

• Years of Experience: [Insert number of years in this field/role]

• Industry: [Insert industry type]

• Company Type & Size: [Insert info—e.g., mid-sized marketing agency with 75 employees]

• Key Responsibilities (if known): [Insert any major duties you want included]

Instructions for you:

• Generate a comprehensive list of tasks someone in my role would typically handle across these timeframes:

• • Daily

  • Weekly

  • Monthly

  • Quarterly / Annually

• For each task, place it into one of two categories:

• • Human-Only (Soft Skills Required): Tasks that require emotional intelligence, judgment, creativity, relationship-building, or complex decision-making.

  • Automatable with AI: Tasks that involve data collection, scheduling, analysis, report generation, or repetitive workflows that AI could reasonably handle.

• Present the output in a table format with these columns:

• • Task

  • Frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly/Annually)

  • Category (Human-Only or Automatable)

  • Notes (Why it belongs in this category / suggestions for tools if automatable)

In this episode of the Bright Ideas Podcast, Desiree Booker-Sharpe speaks with Dan Cohen, principal at Full Court Press Communications. They discuss the importance of effective communication in leadership, especially during times of change. Dan shares insights on building trust within teams, the challenges of remote work, and the need for transparency in communication. He emphasizes the significance of understanding your audience and adapting communication strategies to meet their needs. The conversation also touches on the impact of AI on the industry, the importance of creating a supportive work culture, and the challenges of competing for talent in a competitive market. Dan reflects on his leadership journey, sharing lessons learned from past experiences and the importance of maintaining a healthy perspective on business challenges.

Connect with Dan:

Website: https://www.fcpcommunications.com/

Blog: https://www.fcpcommunications.com/blog/