January 13, 2025 – Forbes Books Adam Witty and Human-Powered Leadership Christie Smith

School for Startups Radio

Adam Witty – Founder and CEO of Advantage Media, now Forbes Books and Author of The Authority Advantage: Building Thought Leadership Focused on Impact Not Ego

Adam Witty is the founder and CEO of Advantage Media, which assists CEOs, entrepreneurs, and leaders around the globe in building their authority through consulting, media, marketing, and publishing services. Advantage’s publishing group comprises namesake Advantage Books and Forbes Books. Witty is the author or co-author of eight books, including his latest, The Authority Advantage: Building Thought Leadership Focused on Impact Not Ego. He has appeared in USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, The Wall Street Journal, and on ABC and FOX. Witty was named to the prestigious Inc. 30 Under 30 list of America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs in 2011. Witty also operates a hospitality business, Trouvaille Collection, which owns and operates boutique hotels in the southeastern U.S. In addition, he serves on the board of directors of Clemson University’s IPTAY, one of the largest collegiate athletic fundraising organizations in the world.
Christie Smith – Founder of The Humanity Studio™ and Author of Essential: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI, and Global Shifts Are Creating a New Human-Powered Leadership

Dr. Christie Smith has over 35 years of experience advising the C-Suite of Fortune 500 companies. She has held global leadership positions at Deloitte, Apple, and Accenture as a highly respected expert in leadership, talent management, organizational design, workforce management, change management, and executive team performance. She is the founder of The Humanity Studio™, a research and advisory institute dedicated to improving the way we live by revolutionizing the way we work. Christie led the Global Talent & Organization consulting practice at Accenture. As Managing Principle of Deloitte Consulting, she was responsible for the West Region Consulting practice and the development of the Deloitte University Centers for Inclusion and Community Impact. Her leadership in Inclusion and Diversity at Apple was integral to the growth, development, and representation of female and underrepresented groups internally as well as in product and retail solutions. She is a highly sought-after speaker on business strategy, leadership and culture, DEI, people analytics, and the impact of workforce technologies and AI. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Forbes, and CNN. Christie has been recognized as a Top 50 Diversity Leader and in Fast Company’s Queer 50 list. Christie received her doctorate in Clinical Social Work with a focus on leadership and culture from New York University.