Start Where You Are, Use what You Have, Lead Anyway w/Norman Harris

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What do you do when the door doesn’t open—despite your credentials, your connections, and your calling?

You build your own.

In this powerful episode, Erin sits down with Norman Harris Jr., healthcare leader, podcast host, and founder of CMC Media & Advocacy. Together, they explore what it means to lead without permission, trust your purpose, and stay the course—even when the industry overlooks you.

Norman shares his journey from being a trusted voice in long-term care leadership to launching a nonprofit media platform that centers underrepresented stories in healthcare. This episode is a masterclass in ownership, identity, and the raw, uncomfortable—but necessary—process of becoming.

Whether you're a senior living leader, emerging entrepreneur, or someone who’s been waiting to be chosen, this conversation will remind you:

“If God gave it to you, it will not miss you.”

What You’ll Learn:

• Why influence starts before the title arrives
• The truth about trust, leadership, and turnover in senior care
• How to reframe rejection and invisibility as invitations to lead
• The power of story-based advocacy—and why your voice matters
• Why Norman believes no cap rate is high enough to cover a lack of trust
• How he started a podcast and media brand, without waiting for permission

Quotable Moments:

“You have to own the seat before you ever get it.”“I had the credentials, the connections, the experience—but no one was calling. So I created my own opportunity.”“There is no cap rate high enough to compensate for a lack of trust.”“Podcasting wasn’t my plan. But purpose has a way of finding you if you’re listening.”

Links & Resources:

• Follow Norman Harris Jr. on LinkedIn: here
• Learn more about CMC Media & Advocacy: here
• Subscribe to Aspire for More with Erin on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app
• 100% Leader Information: Here

Call to Action:

If you’ve ever felt like you were made for more—but the world wasn’t ready to see it—this is your sign to go anyway.

Listen now. Share with a leader you believe in.

And remember: becoming is a process, not a performance.

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