Dr. Steve Yacovelli’s Journey from Disney to Leading LGBTQ+ Leadership and Resiliency
The Mike Litton Experience
Mike Litton
5.0 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 5 March 2025
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this inspiring episode of The Mike Litton Experience, we sit down with Dr. Steve Yacovelli, the founder of Top Dog Learning Group and author of Pride Leadership and Your Queer Career. Dr. Yacovelli shares his incredible journey—from his time at Disney, where he developed leadership training for a multi-national workforce, to his successful venture into consulting, writing, and empowering LGBTQ+ leaders around the world.
Dr. Yacovelli reflects on the challenges and triumphs he’s faced over the years, including pivoting his career and business in the face of adversity during the 2008 economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. He shares how these experiences helped shape his resilient approach to leadership, and how his dedication to inclusivity and empowerment continues to transform organizations and individuals today.
Throughout this conversation, you’ll hear about the valuable lessons he’s learned, including how his work at Disney and his time in Paris led him to start Top Dog Learning Group and launch his own book. With a unique lens on leadership through the rainbow perspective, Dr. Yacovelli dives into the six competencies of effective leadership: authenticity, courage, empathy, communication, relationships, and culture.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to lead with purpose, navigate change with resilience, and learn from the success stories of a truly inspiring leader.
- Your Queer Career Book
- LinkedIn: Dr. Steve Yacovelli
- Subscribe to our channel for more engaging and transformative conversations with thought leaders, influencers, and innovators who are making a real difference in the world!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Mike Litton Experience Podcast. |
| 0:05.0 | Mike has over 31 years experience in real estate, finance, and investing. |
| 0:11.0 | He's passionate about being a father, a teacher, a realtor, an investor, and a leader. |
| 0:18.0 | Everyone has a story, and our passion is to help them tell it. And now, |
| 0:23.5 | introducing the host of the Mike Litton experience, Mike Lytton. So what can you expect from |
| 0:33.4 | the Mike Litton experience? You can expect stories that will inspire, motivate, advice that will sharpen your focus, |
| 0:41.5 | and expert information on real estate, finance, and market conditions. |
| 0:47.3 | Dr. Steve Yackevelli, thank you so much for being our guest on the Mike Litton experience. |
| 0:53.6 | I'm super excited for our time together. |
| 0:56.6 | And like we talked about before we hit record, everybody has a story. And our passion is to |
| 1:02.8 | help them tell it. So with your permission, we're going to start with where you were born, |
| 1:06.0 | go all the way up to today. And then we want to talk about what you're doing with Top Doc Learning |
| 1:09.9 | Group and all the amazing things that you're doing with Top Doc Learning Group and all the |
| 1:11.1 | amazing things that you're doing to help people. So thanks again for being here. |
| 1:14.9 | Thank you for creating this space, Mike. I'm really looking for the conversation. |
| 1:18.6 | So where were you born? I grew up outside of Philadelphia back in the 70s and 80s so I can date |
| 1:25.0 | myself as well. I was the youngest of three kids, you know, |
| 1:30.0 | parents, blue collar workers, dad worked in the same factory for his entire career as a tool |
| 1:36.1 | and die maker. Mom had a couple jobs, but her main job throughout my childhood was a secretary |
| 1:41.0 | at an elementary school. And so she was, that's the first time I understood what leadership was because my mom ran that |
| 1:46.9 | school. And if you have any admin people in your life, any secretaries, office managers, yeah, |
| 1:51.6 | they, they usually run where they're at. It's not the boss. It's their boss. Right. Yeah. |
... |
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