2026 is shaping up to be the year that separates companies that are just keeping up from those creating what’s next. In this forward-thinking solo episode we break down the trends, technologies, and shifts that will define business success in the near future.

We dive into why many employees—though excellent at their roles—don’t understand the business behind what they do, and why that lack of understanding will become a liability as AI continues to evolve.

Listeners will learn why the smartest investment leaders can make before the year ends isn’t another software tool—but their people. Developing business acumen and innovation capability across teams can transform an organization’s culture, competitiveness, and ability to adapt.

If you’re a leader preparing your company for 2026, this episode will help you focus on what truly matters.s

Become an Unpolished MBA Guest: https://unpolishedmba.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquemills/

Bio Website: https://moniquemills.biz/

TPM Focus - Strategy Firm for Startups and SMBs: https://tpmfocus.com/

When everyone sounds the same, trust becomes the real advantage.

In this episode, Lisa McGuire, strategist, advisor, and host of Your Passion, Purpose & Personal Brand, shares how to build a business aligned with your unique identity rather than credentials or trends.

Lisa breaks down how sameness is the recipe for disappearing, why borrowed voices weaken connection, and how authenticity and humanity are becoming the new competitive edge in business. Through her use of Human Design, she reveals the science behind how people are wired to make decisions, find alignment, and experience flow instead of burnout.

Lisa’s message is simple: when you stop performing and start operating as your true self, everything from marketing to client relationships flows naturally.

Become an Unpolished MBA Guest: https://unpolishedmba.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mcguire/

Website: https://lisamcguire.com/about/

Get Your Free Bodygraph - https://lisamcguire.com/get-your-free-chart/

Lisa's Podcast: https://www.podpage.com/your-passion-purpose-and-personal-brand/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquemills/

Bio Website: https://moniquemills.biz/

TPM Focus - Strategy Firm for Startups and SMBs: https://tpmfocus.com/

Become an Unpolished MBA Guest: https://unpolishedmba.com

Some Topics Discussed Include:

Are you an educator hoping to pursue entrepreneurship? Listen in to learn how an educator-turned-entrepreneur reimagined her career to serve families, schools, and communities with language and literacy. Guest, Lisa Shaw, author, educator, and founder of My Other Tongue joined us on this episode. Lisa helps children and adults learn Spanish and Portuguese in ways that are practical, fun, and rooted in community. She also co-authored a children’s series with her son, Liam’s Faith Adventures, blending social-emotional learning with faith.

Become an Unpolished MBA Guest: https://unpolishedmba.com

Some of the topics discussed include:

• The “mother tongue” idea: Learn a second language before age 8 and it can function like a mother tongue. What that means for accent, ear training, and home routines.
• Home language strategy: How to support bilingual homes when only one parent speaks the language. Why community, events, and real conversations matter more than vocab lists.
• What actually makes you fluent: Routines and patterns you use daily. Learn essential structures first (I need, I have, I go, Do you have… Can you…?) and layer vocabulary on top.
• Business reality: The hardest part is aligning expectations. Fluency is built outside class, so families need goals, accountability, and small weekly habits. Struggle is part of learning.
• Message to women rebuilding: Package your gifts, find your tribe, ask for support, and be courageous enough to share your dreams in the right rooms.

Register for classes - http://myothertongue-21291015.hs-sites.com/fall-spanish-class-registration-0

Tutoring - https://www.myothertongue.com/childrens-courses/p/k-5-tutoring

Business website: http://www.myothertongue.com

Programs and offers:

• Kids, teen, and adult Spanish with thematic, real-life tasks
• Travel Spanish intensives before summer trips
• Immersion partnerships in Mexico with host families
• Corporate/adult practical Spanish for everyday interactions
• Literacy services leveraging science-of-reading practices in English and Spanish
• Georgia Milestones, decoded: Levels (Beginning, Developing, Proficient, Distinguished), why 3rd and 5th grade are promotion years, and how parents can interpret Lexile scores and act fast.
• Children’s book series: Liam’s Faith Adventures on Amazon

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisacovingtonshaw/

Blog: https://lisareneashaw.blogspot.com/

LinkedIn: