When Lara Mouakar moved from Lebanon back to the U.S., she never imagined she’d land in high-tech manufacturing. With a background in adult education, Lara could have settled into a new role in education. Instead, she took a huge risk on a third-shift group lead role at ASML and found a whole new career path!

In this episode, Lara shares how she overcame the challenge of leading in an unfamiliar industry. She talks about building trust, fostering growth, and using her educator’s mindset to develop strong, skilled teams. Now, as a Senior Learning Specialist, Lara’s passion for continuous improvement is helping ASML, and its people, prepare for the future.

Whether you're switching industries or leveling up your leadership, Lara’s story is a masterclass in learning and adaptability.

Where you can find Lara: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lara-mouakar-131206a4/ Company: https://www.asml.com/en

------- Podcast hosted by The Bolder Company: https://www.theboldercompany.com/ Podcast executive production by Gael Communications: https://www.gaelcommunications.com/ Podcast technical production by Miceli Productions: https://miceliproductions.com/

How do you build strong culture in a global company—and make it feel local?

In this episode, Ellen and Jenny sit down with Lee Ulinskas, Employee Engagement & Development Manager at ebm-papst, to explore what it really means to create meaningful workplace culture across locations, languages, and time zones.

Lee shares how her role is to nurture culture, collaboration, and continuous learning—while also navigating regional differences between locations in Connecticut, Tennessee, and Germany. Her career path has given her a unique perspective and now she's now a driving force behind culture-building initiatives that make a real difference.

This episode is packed with powerful takeaways:

• How to adapt global values to local teams
• Ways to foster trust and feedback across cultures
• The importance of perspective-taking in collaboration
• A simple but powerful mindset: treat coworkers like customers

Lee’s intentional, thoughtful approach to culture shows that it’s not just about posters on the wall—it’s about behaviors, values, and systems that reflect who you are as a company, every single day.

Where you can find Lee: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-ulinskas/ Company: https://www.ebmpapst.com/us/en/home.html

------- Podcast hosted by The Bolder Company: https://www.theboldercompany.com/ Podcast executive production by Gael Communications: https://www.gaelcommunications.com/ Podcast technical production by Miceli Productions: https://miceliproductions.com/

Are you drowning in “urgent” tasks and feeling like there just aren’t enough hours in the day? You’re not alone! In this episode of The Manufacturing Shake-Up, hosts Jenny and Ellen tackle the all-too-common struggle of overwhelm.

They break down the hidden traps that lead to burnout, including the myth that everything is urgent, the pressure to do it all yourself, and the curse of competence—where being good at something can sometimes hold you back from achieving more.

Jenny and Ellen share their own experiences as recovering workaholics and explore practical strategies to break free from the cycle of exhaustion. They discuss: ✔️ The difference between important vs. urgent work ✔️ How burnout impacts safety and productivity in manufacturing ✔️ Why delegating and cross-training are critical for success ✔️ How leaders can create a culture that values balance over burnout

If you’re ready to shift from survival to thrive, this episode is for you. Tune in for an eye-opening conversation filled with humor, hard-won wisdom, and actionable tips to take control of your time and energy.

🎧 Listen now and take your first step toward working smarter—not harder!