Finding Brave

"I know it's scary to make the move from corporate life into your own business and you feel like you don't know enough, but I'm going to ask you to really listen to yourself. You know a heck of a lot more than you think you do." - Kathy Caprino Are you ready to finally leave your corporate career and start your own venture? Or perhaps you have launched your business already and are facing important new challenges that you wonder if you're adequately prepared for. In this episode, I discuss why so many small businesses fail and share my raw, real-life experiences around what I learned in transitioning from my 18-year corporate career to running my own coaching and consulting business, Ellia Communications. You'll hear about the biggest gaps in knowledge and experience that kept me from having a smoother transition, and I offer some essential information that I wish I had understood before making the leap. The biggest surprise for me in running a business was that even though I had been in marketing for years and had risen to the level of Vice President overseeing numerous large-scale programs, initiatives and staff in my corporate life, I still was very far away from being fully prepared for entrepreneurial life, and for serving as a true leader in my own venture. The key knowledge gaps I explore here include: 1) Unconscious tendencies and blocks around successfully managing and relating to money, 2) Not selecting the best partners and why we often continually fail at it, 3) Why we need to step up to being a true leader and making critical decisions rather than staying stuck as the "doer" or "manager," 4) Why pivoting more quickly and flexibly is essential, and 5) Listening to your own instincts and intuition and making moves that align with your truest core values and visions rather than deferring to "gurus" who don't necessarily know their stuff or have your best interests at heart. To learn more, visit: https://kathycaprino.com/

"What we're calling narcissistic behavior is actually the behavior that comes out of massive insecurity, and guess what? If you have skin and you're a human, you have felt insecure at some point in time and then you've probably behaved in a way that was narcissistic, as a result of that insecurity." - Dov Baron Narcissism is damaging, and a topic that I talk and teach about often, but what exactly is it and how can we recognize its traits in ourselves, and in others? Today's Finding Brave guest gives his take on these questions and also shares his deep expertise and insightful strategies aimed at helping each of us develop our own authentic, empowered leadership. Twice cited as one of Inc. Magazine's Top 100 Leadership Speakers to hire, Dov Baron was also cited in the Meeting and Event Professionals Guide to The Top 100 Motivational Speakers and Named as one of the Top 30 Global Leadership Guru's. A bestselling author of several books, including his latest -- Fiercely Loyal; How High Performing Companies Develop and Retain Top Talent -- Dov has his finger on the pulse of the evolving world of NextGen leadership. He is the host of the national (US) TV show Pursuing Deep Greatness with Dov Baron on ROKU TV, and the host of the Number One Podcast for Fortune 500 Listeners (globally) Dov Baron's Leadership and Loyalty Show on iTunes and FM & AM Radio Stations across the US. Today's conversation is an eye-opener, exposing negative behaviors in ourselves and others, but it isn't about blaming or attacking. It's focused on looking as compassionately as possible at what we're all experiencing as individuals, and then using effective strategies to become better versions of ourselves. To learn more about today's guest, visit: http://fullmontyleadership.com/

"What you're trying to do is find the gaps in your team, so that you can have somebody that complements you, because if you don't have that you're literally just going to be gritting your teeth trying to do stuff that you don't like to do anyway. Scaling is very difficult when you hate half of the time that you're working." - Jaime Masters Would you like to know how to make a million dollars doing the heartfelt work that you love? Today's Finding Brave guest helps entrepreneurs scale from 6- to 7-figures and higher, and she's here to share the biggest differentiator between business owners who struggle to scale and never get there, from those who achieve net worth millionaire status and love their work. Jaime Masters has been featured on Yahoo's homepage 6 times, and in Inc, Entrepreneur and Business Insider. She's been a top business coach for over 10 years and has helped hundreds of 6- & 7-figure entrepreneurs and business owners optimize every area of their business. She's also the host of the online show Eventual Millionaire where she's interviewed over 400 self-made millionaires. She's a tech geek, has two children (and even has a sword wall in her house!) plus she loves creating automated systems and talking business growth. Jaime tells the truth in a way that makes people excited to be and do more, and the big message she shares is to love yourself on your entrepreneurial journey. Everyone, including millionaires, are going through some sort of trauma or challenge in their lives, and the key is to get into the arena, and just know that by being there, you are enough. To learn more about today's guest, visit: http://eventualmillionaire.com/

"Instead of dismissing women's unique needs and wants as a product of cultural oppression, I really think we need to adjust the corporate structure to better meet the needs of women." - Marissa Orr With female-dominant strengths such as empathy and consensus-building being recognized as the future of business, the headlines forecast that women will dominate the future generations of corporate leaders. However, today's Finding Brave guest recognizes that the current system is broken, because there are actually fewer women leading corporations now. She reveals how the corporate structure is damaging women, institutions and organizations, and highlights what we can all start doing today to make an impact. Our guest is Facebook and Google veteran Marissa Orr, who will release her debut book Lean Out: The Truth About Women, Power, and the Workplace on June 11, 2019 via HarperCollins Leadership. Marissa began her Google career over 15 years ago as a founding member of Google's Sales Operations & Strategy team, after which she worked as Vertical Marketing Manager at Facebook. She has conducted talks and workshops for thousands of people at diverse organizations across the globe. As an author and speaker, she now covers the systemic dysfunction at the heart of today's corporations and how their pursuit to close the gender gap has come at the expense of female well-being. Right now we are on the precipice of change, and with her new book, Marissa hopes to provide a fresh voice for a new generation of thinkers. Her inspiring story proves that when you own (and don't suppress) your truth, you become very powerful and will lead others by example. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://www.marissaorr.com/

"I really want these women to get funding, so they can build businesses that are building the future and that we can break the cycle of what we've seen in technology and finance. Through these new technologies, we have that opportunity to break the cycle." - Nisa Amoils Despite some progress being made, there's no denying that today we do not have a level playing field in terms of access to funding and growth opportunities for female vs. male entrepreneurs. Today's guest takes a brave stance on this problem, and discusses it openly and candidly, in no uncertain terms. She is committed to leveling the playing field, and in this episode she explores the systemic issues around why women are not receiving the funding they need, and how we can take steps to change this. Nisa Amoils was named one of Business Insider's 30 Women in Venture Capital to Watch in 2018, and Top 100 women in Fintech in 2019 by LATTICE80. She is a tech investor and has been a venture capitalist at Scout Ventures, an active Board Member and former entrepreneur. Her investment focus has largely been on frontier tech, i.e. AR/VR, robotics, drones, AI, autonomous mobility, cybersecurity, blockchain and other disruptive technologies, topics she covers regularly for Forbes.com. Nisa reveals how female entrepreneurs and founders are not alone, regardless of where they are located, and shares how to gain powerful support as well as practical steps to follow to greatly improve their chances of receiving the funding they need. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://nisaamoils.com/

"You really do have to understand that if you look around and everybody looks and acts just like you, and nobody is asking any questions, you've got a problem with curiosity." - Diane Hamilton Curiosity can change absolutely every aspect of what we do, and today's Finding Brave guest reveals just how important curiosity is to improving engagement, innovation, productivity and more. Dr. Diane Hamilton is the Founder and CEO of Tonerra, and a nationally syndicated radio host, keynote speaker, and the former MBA Program Chair at the Forbes School of Business. She is the author of multiple books including Cracking the Curiosity Code: The Key to Unlocking Human Potential and the creator of the Curiosity Code Index® assessment. Her groundbreaking work in the area of curiosity is required reading in universities around the world and has been endorsed by some of the biggest names in leadership including Steve Forbes, Keith Krach, and Ken Fisher. She has shared the stage with top speakers including Marshall Goldsmith, Martha Stewart, and Jeffrey Hayzlett, and has been featured on Forbes, ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox. To be more curious, it takes being brave, but it's not enough to just think differently. Insight doesn't necessarily change us--it's taking brave, bold action that generates change and growth, so tap into your curiosity now. The younger you start to explore and utilize your curiosity, the more it can help advance your personal and professional development. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://drdianehamilton.com/

"By taking that first leadership step--that boss move-- the door then opened to identity expansion, to see myself as actually capable of garnering support and capable of commanding respect." - Emilie Aries I've found in working with and training thousands of professional women around the world, that there can be what I call a "perfectionistic overfunctioning" tendency that exhausts and demoralizes us, and even a "martyrdom mindset" (as my Finding Brave guest today calls it) that women experience frequently. You may not think there is a way to avoid it, but thankfully, there is a way to overcome it. Today's guest has made it her mission to help women keep martyrdom and burnout at bay, and doing so starts by developing a "bossed up" identity . Emilie Aries is a nationally recognized speaker, writer, podcaster, and the Founder and CEO of Bossed Up, an innovative personal and professional training organization that helps women craft sustainable careers. Emilie is a political organizer turned award-winning women's leadership consultant. She has helped hundreds navigate career transition and prevent burnout. Her TED talk, The Power of No, shows how to set healthy boundaries and invest in sustainable long-term achievement. Her forthcoming book, Bossed Up: A Grown Woman's Guide To Getting Your Sh*t Together helps women step up as the boss of their life and assertively design a sustainable career path. After co-hosting the HowStuffWorks podcast, Stuff Mom Never Told You in 2017, Emilie launched her own podcast, Bossed Up, to break down listener career conundrums, interview expert guests, and deliver boss tips to listener's earbuds each week. Emilie also writes as a regular contributor at Forbes, and is a sought-after speaker at companies, conferences, and universities across the country. As Emilie shows by using examples from her own personal life, to beat martyrdom and burnout it's imperative to develop a community of courage, and not just one of support. This is why her message goes so well with what we talk about each week here on Finding Brave. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://bossedup.org/

"Listen, kids are resilient, we all know that, but what happened to us when we grew up? We're a trainwreck and we're a dumpster fire by the time we become adults. You know we all intrinsically have resilience, but we lose it along the way somewhere." - Andrew Wittman Parenting can be extremely difficult, and today's amazing Finding Brave guest reveals the tools required to master resilience in parenting. Not only does it take mental toughness, critical thinking and emotional intelligence, but an incredible amount of inner work and true acceptance of oneself is needed in order for someone to be the best parent her or she can be. Dr. Andrew Wittman is a United States Marine Corps infantry combat veteran, a former Police Officer and Federal Agent. As a Special Agent for the U.S. Capitol Police, he led the security detail for Nancy Pelosi and has personally protected Hillary Clinton, Tom Delay, Trent Lott, King Abdullah of Jordan, Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Sir Elton John, as well as Fortune 20 CEOs. As a security contractor for the State Department, he taught high-threat diplomatic security to former Navy SEALS, Marines, Rangers, and Special Forces. He is founder of the Mental Toughness Training Center, a leadership consultancy specializing in peak performance, team dynamics, resolving conflict in the workplace and is the author of the books, Ground Zero Leadership: CEO of You (2016) and Seven Secrets of Resilience for Parents" (2018). He holds a Ph.D. in Theological Studies, is a guest lecturer at Clemson University and co-hosts the radio call-in show "Get Warrior Tough." Andrew is an embodiment of mental resilience and strength, but there's also a vulnerability and accessibility in him that I believe isn't seen often in other leaders of his stature working in the area that he specializes in. His message is timely and one that is needed today though, because if you can find a way to love and accept yourself, thoroughly, no matter what, you will become a better parent and a better leader and make a positive difference in the world. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://getwarriortough.com/

"I think this is the massive thing for introverts. You have to be congruent with what you're selling, so you can't just put a price tag out there and be ok with it. You need to have that validated, and there are ways to test that so it feels comfortable for you." - Matthew Pollard Introverts often feel that certain barriers exist making sales harder to do than their extroverted counterparts. Today's Finding Brave expert guest reveals that introverts actually have an advantage in selling, and he shares his 7-step process to discovering what he calls the "introvert's edge." Matthew Pollard is responsible for five multi-million-dollar business success stories in his home country of Australia, all before the age of 30. His humble beginnings, the adversities that he faced, and his epic rise to success are inspirational stories of how anyone, with the right motivation and the right strategies, can achieve anything they set their mind to. Today, he's a bestselling author whose book, The Introvert's Edge, has received endorsements from Harvard, Princeton, Neil Patel, and Marshall Goldsmith, just to name a few. He's been featured by Fox, NBC, Fortune, Forbes, INC., Entrepreneur, and CEO – and he's also the founder of Small Business Festival, which INC. has named a Top-3 national conference for small business. Whether you're an introvert or not, I'm know this powerhouse interview will help you find brave and close your own power gaps. What Matthew shares here isn't just about sales--at the core it's really about how to shine in the world doing what you love, while helping others in the process. To learn more about today's guest, visit: http://www.matthewpollard.com/

"One of the biggest mistakes I made at Leverage was premature scaling. We grew too quickly, and we didn't have our internal processes and operations well dialed in. We didn't have our product perfected, so enjoy being small as long as possible and use that time to build a solid foundation." - Nick Sonnenberg When it comes to scaling your business, there comes a time when you will need help from outside resources to get to that next level you wish to get to. Today's Finding Brave guest gives a roadmap for how we can scale our businesses efficiently and effectively, and how we can avoid the "bigger is better" trap that many entrepreneurs fall into along the way. Nick Sonnenberg is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for creating companies that disrupt the way people live. He is the co-founder of Leverage, founder and CEO of Efficient Frontier Solutions, Inc. as well as being a contributor and the co-author of the book Idea to Execution. Before making the jump to the startup technology space, Nick spent more than eight years on Wall Street as a high frequency algorithmic trader. His personal mission is to help busy entrepreneurs and executives optimize their lives in a meaningful way and help them go from idea to execution in as few steps as possible. Nick is someone who is always looking for a better way to do things, and by using the lessons he's learned about growing businesses, you can achieve what you define as "success,, in the most pain-free and streamlined way possible for you, your team and your clients. To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://getleverage.com/