Makena Finger Zannini, Founder of The Boutique COO, joins Breaking the Bottleneck for a grounded conversation on values-driven leadership and the gray areas founders have to navigate as they grow.

She opens up about her three core non-negotiables:

Integrity: doing the right thing even when no one’s looking

Transparency: direct, honest communication without weaponizing “directness”

Mutual respect: treating everyone like a human who deserves dignity

Makena also shares:

• The three principles that anchor how she leads
• About keeping to your standards even when it means losing money, time, and relationships
• How to identify cult-adjacent behavior in entrepreneurial spaces
• What distinguishes grounded leadership from dogmatic leadership
• Why she invites and integrates feedback constantly, even when it’s uncomfortable
• The role evidence-based mindset work plays in sustainable entrepreneurship
• Why she installed a personal “board of directors” to call her out and tell her the truth

“You have to be comfortable living in the gray.”

👉 🎙️ Watch the full episode or subscribe for more founders scaling with humanity.

#BreakingTheBottleneck #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #FounderLife #BusinessGrowth #TeamCulture #ConsciousBusiness #PurposeDriven #BrandStrategy

“Go through your day today, write down everything that's taking up time on your calendar and everything that's on your to-do list that you didn't get to.”

That’s the invitation Ashley Chang, Founder of Sundays, leaves with founders in this episode of Breaking the Bottleneck — and it hits especially hard coming from someone who was the bottleneck in her own business while pregnant and running a fast-growing company.

In this conversation, Ashley unpacks what it really took to move from doing everything herself (sales, hiring, marketing, HR) to building a team-driven company that supports working parents at home and at work.

You’ll hear:

• How a time and energy audit helped her get out of the weeds and into the Csuite
• The moment she realized that delegation isn’t about speed but joy
• How quality control and delegation can co-exist, hint, hint it’s all about systems and feedback loops
• Why empathy is a nonnegotiable at Sundays
• How Sundays protects team members from misaligned, potentially toxic clients
• The lie she had to unlearn to really appreciate her successes

Side note: For founders who are raising their brands to grow beyond them, Ashley’s story is a powerful reminder that clarity + systems + trust are as mission-critical as any marketing funnel.

👉 🎙️ Watch or listen to “Taking The Leap From Founder-Led To Team Driven” on Breaking the Bottleneck.

Connect With Ashley

Ashley Chang

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:

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Want it directly in your inbox? Subscribe on our website.

This episode of Breaking The Bottleneck is a gut check for every founder who’s ever wondered, "Can doing business with integrity really payoff?"

Join us as CoHosts Charlie Birch and Laurel Carpenter sit down with Terri Maxwell, to discuss her commitment to purpose-driven business and conscious capitalism.

You’ll hear:

• What it takes to earn, scale, and focus differently

• Confirmation that betting on yourself and purpose does pay off

• How to navigate value-based pricing

• How to earn from your failuresThe two mistakes founders make every day that keep them stuck

• How to survive “Death Valley” and elevate your business to team-driven growth

• The evidence you need to silence both inner and outer naysayers.

We dare you to listen and remain uninspired, because Terri knocked this one out of the park!

Connect With Terri

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrifmaxwell/

Terri currently holds C-Level leadership roles in 6 companies:

https://shareonpurpose.com/

https://shiftco.org/

https://www.succeedonpurpose.com/

https://promoteonpurpose.com/

https://igniteonpurpose.com/stay_in_the_loop_on_smarter_marketing/

Connect With Charlie and Laurel

Charlie Birch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliebirch/Laurel Carpenter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurel-a-carpenter/

Engage Brand IdQ™:

HumanizCollective.com/brandidq

Watch or listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts:

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@humanizcollective

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Cy9OPWJ35czZQWSj7Z7zO

Apple:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-bottleneckpodcast/id1839795393

This episode of Breaking The Bottleneck is a gut check for every founder who’s ever wondered, "Can doing business with integrity really payoff?" Join us as Co-Hosts Charlie Birch and Laurel Carpenter sit down with Terri Maxwell, to discuss her commitment to purpose-driven business and conscious capitalism.

You’ll hear:

• What it takes to earn, scale, and focus differently

• Confirmation that betting on yourself and purpose does pay off

• How to navigate value-based pricing

• How to earn from your failures

• The two mistakes founders make every day that keep them stuck

• How to survive “Death Valley” and elevate your business to team-driven growth

• The evidence you need to silence both inner and outer naysayers.

We dare you to listen and remain uninspired, because Terri knocked this one out of the park!

Connect With Terri

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrifmaxwell/

Terri currently holds C-Level leadership roles in 6 companies:

https://shareonpurpose.com/

https://shiftco.org/

https://www.succeedonpurpose.com/

https://promoteonpurpose.com/

https://igniteonpurpose.com/stay_in_the_loop_on_smarter_marketing/

Connect With Charlie and Laurel

Charlie Birch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliebirch/

Laurel Carpenter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurel-a-carpenter/

Engage Brand IdQ™:

HumanizCollective.com/brandidq

Watch or listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@humanizcollective

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Cy9OPWJ35czZQWSj7Z7zO

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-bottleneckpodcast/id1839795393

This episode of Breaking The Bottleneck, Co-Hosts Charlie Birch and Laurel Carpenter go behind the scenes with Zach Messler as he recounts his transition from “Good Corporate Soldier” to agency owner to strategic advisor. It’s a story about clarity and the courage to do the right thing and deliver your best work, despite cultural pressure to cut corners and step-in-line.

You’ll hear:

- The key to the universe

- Zach's go-to formula for crystal clear product marketing

- Why easy now = hard later- How to combat imposter syndrome in all its forms.

- How AI has changed the marketing world and how to use it correctly

- Why scaling isn't for everyone and what success can look like instead

- 2 foundational questions every founder can ask themselves to get unstuck

 Spoiler alert: You’ll also see what happens when AI comes uninvited to the party in the form of digital confetti.

Connect With Zach

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachmessler/

Website: https://zachmessler.com/

Clarity Rules: https://clarityrules.carrd.co

Sounding Board: https://zachmessler.com/the-sounding-board/

Connect With Charlie and LaurelCharlie Birch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliebirch/Laurel Carpenter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurel-a-carpenter/

Engage Brand IdQ™:HumanizCollective.com/brandidq

Watch or listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@humanizcollective

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Cy9OPWJ35czZQWSj7Z7zO

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-bottleneckpodcast/id1839795393

In this episode of Breaking The Bottleneck, Co-Hosts Charlie Birch and LaurelCarpenter sit down with Dr. Joanne Chu, co-founder of Strelo Group.

You’ll hear:

• How to scale purpose and values
• What a "Conscious Contract" is and why you need one
• How to navigate honorable compensation and fair market price
• The true value of a best-fit client
• Why the most powerful brands have to master two voices
• How asking "Why?" ensures you're solving for outcomes
• How to start converting your brand from surface-level vibes to high-integrity operating system

If you’ve ever felt the tension between growth and values, this episode's for you!

Connect with Joanne Chu:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-chu-strelo/

https://strelogroup.com/

Connect with Charlie and Laurel:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliebirch/https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurel-a-carpenter/

👉🎙️ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@humanizcollective

Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-bottleneckpodcast/id1839795393

For more information about "Conscious Contracts" visit:

https://consciouscontracts.com/

In this inaugural episode of Breaking The Bottleneck, Co-Hosts Charlie Birch and Laurel Carpenter sit down with guest Chris Dyer to discuss what it truly takes to move from founder-led to team-driven. You’ll hear:

• How he lost 40% of his clients in an instant and what it taught them about resilience
• Why, when it comes to delegation, “integrity” matters more than control
• The Ego strength required to let go without walking away
• The hidden loneliness that comes with growth, and how to handle it
• Types of rest every Founder needs and probably isn't getting
• Practical ways to separate your identity from your company’s so the brand can thrive without you
• If you’ve ever felt stuck between doing it all yourself and trusting others to do it right, this conversation will hit home.

Connect with Chris:LinkedIn:   / chrisdyer7  The Power Of Company Culture: https://a.co/d/2Dei8EaRemote Work: https://a.co/d/8TjjaswConnect with Charlie and Laurel:Charlie Birch:   / charliebirch  Laurel Carpenter:   / laurel-a-carpenter  Engage Brand IdQ™: http://humanizcollective.com/brandidqLearn more about Humaniz Collective:http://humanizcollective.com