Who We Are: A people and culture podcast

Ian Stewart—To the top of the world and back (part two)

Deloitte Consulting senior manager Ian Stewart achieved his longtime goal of climbing Mount Everest in 2019. It turns out that getting up to the 29,000-foot peak was the easy part. In the second of a two-part episode, Ian describes the harrowing journey back from the summit. He talks about how the surprisingly large crowds of fellow mountaineers, the ticking clock of an emptying oxygen tank, and a massive ice storm made his safe return home no guarantee.

You're trying to navigate around all these other people and you still have to wait your turn in line to go down or let other people come up. So it was definitely mayhem for an hour or so up there.

—Ian Stewart, Deloitte Consulting LLP

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Ian Stewart—To the top of the world and back (part one)

Ever since he was a kid, Deloitte Consulting senior manager Ian Stewart wanted to climb Mount Everest. In the spring of 2019, he scaled all 29,000 feet. The journey to the summit was certainly every bit as physically and emotionally demanding as one would expect. In fact, as Ian tells us during the first of a two-part episode, the challenges of reaching the world’s highest peak are more numerous and extraordinary than most of us can imagine. And that’s before you turn around and come back down.

I had been 12 hours on the mountain and had not had a sip of water or even a bite to eat. And, by the way, on summit day you can burn over 20,000 calories just on your summit push.

—Ian Stewart, Deloitte Consulting LLP

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Julia Haried—Making a difference with MakerGirl

How do you turn a Deloitte internship research project into a nonprofit that empowers young girls to thrive? That’s one of the things we learned when we talked to Julia Haried, entrepreneur and Deloitte consultant. During this episode, Julia talks about MakerGirl, an education program she co-founded that uses 3D printing to teach and excite young girls about the power of technology at a critical developmental age in their lives.

Once they actually start 3D printing and CAD designing and understanding what they’re doing is cool, there’s a whole new boundless energy in the room that is so powerful.

—Julia Haried, consultant, Deloitte Consulting LLP

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Sal Carrera—A path to a positive future

As a first-generation American, Sal Carrera grew up with his mom, sister, and brother in Chicago and Indianapolis, occasionally living on the streets, always looking for a way out of poverty. After a move to Atlanta in his early twenties, Sal found himself getting into some things he shouldn’t and knew it was time to turn things around. In this episode of the Who We Are podcast series, Brent Bachus, Director of Employee Engagement, talks to Sal about how his gift for coding led him to the Pathfinder training program created by Deloitte and Salesforce and a promising career in software development.

It sounds like I’ve gone from one life to another, but it isn’t that static…it’s definitely a transition. I’m still in transition. I’ve spent most of my life going from day-to-day, but right now I can see a year from now, and I wasn’t able to do that before.

—Sal Carrera, associate, Deloitte Consulting LLP

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Mike Preston—A legacy of leadership

Usually our Chief Talent Officer, Mike Preston, is co-host of the Who We Are podcasts, but we’re switching it up a little today. Mike retired in May 2019 and agreed to be interviewed by podcast co-host Brent Bachus, Director of Employee Engagement. In this episode of the Who We Are podcast, Brent talks to Mike about his career at Deloitte, his legacy as Chief Talent Officer, and the people and experiences that have shaped him as a leader.

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Jaimie Monahan—Have goggles, will travel

It felt like touching an electric pineapple. This was unlike any other stings Jaimie Monahan had received. This one felt different and it partially paralyzed her left hand. She didn’t know what to do other than to keep swimming. She is good at doing that. What was Jaimie, a campus recruiter for Deloitte Consulting, doing in the middle of a swarm of jellyfish? She is a marathon swimmer—one of the most accomplished open water swimmers in the world.

I’ve been able to experience the world through ice swimming and through travel; there’s something really energizing about it; it’s addictive actually.

— Jaimie Monahan, campus recruiter, Deloitte Consulting LLP

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Erica Fick—A labor of love

How far would you go to help a friend? Lend them money? Drive their kids to a baseball game? Would you be their gestational carrier? Advisory manager Erica Fick made a promise to help her friend Katelin after Katelin and her husband tried for several years to have a child. In the inaugural episode of the Who We Are podcast series, let’s listen in as chief talent officer Mike Preston talks to Erica about the remarkable promise she made to Katelin and her story of motherhood, friendship, and well-being.

When you’re carrying someone else’s child, you want to take very good care of yourself personally, from a health perspective and of course, mentally…. I always felt very confident in the support I had around me.

— Erica Fick, manager, Deloitte & Touche LLP

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