Aspire2Ascend
Ascend Source co-founders, Courtney Byrd, and Lauren Reinhertz started their company by passionately wanting to give SAP and SAP Partners a voice that showcased their value. Now they’re continuing their mission by bringing industry leaders comprised of SAP Partners, User Groups, End-Users, and SAP employees to sit down and chat about their journey within the ecosystem, their personal passion statements, and how innovation within SAP is changing the game for businesses across the globe. Join Aspire2Ascend for a light-hearted and refreshingly honest discussion with people who ascend our channel daily.
Episodes
16 episodes
Season 2 Recap
Courtney, Lauren and Paige reflect on Season 2 of the Aspire2Ascend podcast, share their own super powers and share their upcoming Real Customers of SAP virtual event series.
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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42:15
"Anyone has the ability to re-invent themselves" - Jack Werder
Jack Werder talks to Ascend Source about his unique career path and what he learned throughout his journey. Jack has reinvited himself several times through his career including running a family business. Jack believes anyone can re-inven...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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52:21
"Don’t sell. Educate. Education is the best form of selling." - Paul Kurchina
Ascend Source is joined in this episode by Paul Kurchina, who is a true customer advocate and SAP Ecosystem Accelerator. Having spent over 25 years within the ecosystem, he has dedicated his career to improving business operations with SAP, but...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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59:56
"You can control two things in life, hustle and attitude."- Ari Seelinger
Ari Seelinger is not your typical SAP Account Executive. Unlike some sales individuals, he is not motivated by the paycheck, but rather the person he is working for. He started his career at Oracle, then moved to a small start up, and finally l...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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54:23
"My style, as an individual, needs to be tweaked in order to be effective and scale as a leader." - Brian Moores
Ascend Source is joined in this episode by SAP Vice President in the Midwest, Brian Moores. Brian shares with us his SAP journey and how curiosity fuels his motivation. We discuss his vision and transition from being an individual performer ver...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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1:14:20
"You can't fake knowledge." - Joshua Milos
Join Ascend Source as we speak with Josh Milos, Head of IT Applications for Birkenstock Americas. At the forefront of SAP technology, Josh shares with us the importance of partner selection and what he looks for when choosing vendors. As an act...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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55:57
"Respect is earned. You don't just get respect when you have a title." - Amy Spruill / Wizzie Carrier
Amy and Wizzie deep-dive into their viewpoints of professional friendships and the importance of commroderie. The best relationships are built on respect, vulnerability, and integrity. These are not just buzz words - they are truly a way of lif...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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1:03:07
"Never underestimate likability. Likability is key." - Juan Albelo
Juan Albelo started his career with a degree in engineering. However like many, he landed in a completely different field. Now with over 25+ years in software industry, Juan walks us through his journey of entrepreneurship and some of the...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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53:54
"If you get your team bought into the vision, they will create their own passion." - Kevin Burns
Kevin talks with Ascend Source about his successful and tenured-career at SAP. He shares with us the impactful mentors that helped him along the way and his passion for giving back to young professionals in a similar matter. He also share...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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58:15
"As we grew we realized if everyone thought the same way, then we would never break out of the mold."
Omar Zuberi started his career as a mechanical engineer with a passion and admiration for the individuals deciding what to make it and when to make it within the Supply Chain space. Now, one of the founders My Supply Chain Group (MSCG), he walk...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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35:27
“Stay curious, persevere, keep at it, keep learning, but be patient.”
Amy Spruill's journey at SAP has been an adventurous one. As an SAP boomerang she has successfully navigated various leadership roles including a recent a market unit shift. She talks about how she manages change for her team and customer...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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46:57
"As a CIO, ensuring stakeholder adoption and alignment with the company's vision and direction are the things that kept me up at night."
From consultant to CIO to Partner, Randy Gonzalez shares his perspective of the SAP ecosystem. Randy notoroialsy led the largest global S/4HANA implementation to date during the financial crisis in 2008. With his deep amount of experience in SA...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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41:42
"Keep in mind the solution for a customer is not always technology. Technology is a piece of that puzzle."
Utilizing her extensive SAP background and creative mindset, Sarah works with the 18,000+ partners in the SAP Ecosystem to help breakdown the complexity of the technology for SAP customers. Always keeping the customer front and center, Sarah sh...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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38:45
"I wouldn't say that I love technology. I love using technology as a tool to improve the business and drive the business forward."
From the plant floor to CIO, Bill Bowers shares his professional journey at the largest flooring manufacturer in the world, Mohawk. He talks about his early beginnings, company culture and leadership style. With a fail fast mentality, Mohawk st...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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34:05
"If you say you do everything, they'll call you for nothing"
Join the founders of Ascend Source as they discuss the gap they are filling in the SAP channel, the value of empathy, and their unique ability to drive value and reciprocity within a complex and evolving ecosystem. As the founders of A...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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26:34
"I shifted my mindset and came to the table with a fresh perspective by thinking like my customer, acting like my customer, and becoming part of their company culture."
After finding her passion, and learning the power of no, listen to how Elizabeth Carrier launched her career in SAP among a field of blue suits, her daily grind, and the not so glamorous day-to-day as an SAP Industry Account Executive. With her...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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39:40