Founders Future

In this powerful episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Sabrina Walker Hernandez, President and CEO of Building Better Boards. With a deep background in nonprofit leadership and a Harvard Business School pedigree, Sabrina shares her extraordinary journey from leading a Boys and Girls Club to surviving a dual cancer diagnosis and founding a consultancy that transforms nonprofit boards.

She opens up about the emotional and physical toll of executive leadership in under-resourced environments, how her health crisis became a catalyst for launching her business, and the strategies she now teaches organizations to reduce stress, improve governance, and build sustainable fundraising models. This is a moving and motivational story of resilience, purpose, and redefining leadership from a place of service.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Jae Encarnacion welcomes Carol Schultz, the founder and CEO of Vertical Elevation. With over 30 years of experience in leadership coaching and talent development, Carol shares her mission to help businesses build talent-centric organizations that drive retention, engagement, and long-term profitability. The discussion explores her journey from founding Vertical Elevation to writing her bestselling book Powered by People, and how she’s helping companies—especially in tech—align their talent strategies with business outcomes. Carol also provides invaluable insights on leadership blind spots, organizational clarity, and the future of work culture.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Rob Dayton, the founder and principal consultant of Strategic Culture Corporation. With over 30 years of experience in city government, primarily with the City of Santa Barbara, Rob shares the pivotal moments that led him to launch his consulting firm. He dives into the unique challenges and rewards of transforming organizational culture—particularly within public institutions—and how he leverages executive coaching and team alignment to foster impactful change. Listeners will gain insights into leadership development, the power of strengths-based coaching, and how meaningful cultural shifts can position both public and private sector organizations for sustainable success.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm welcomes Tammy Dowley-Blackman, the dynamic founder and CEO of the Tammy Dowley-Blackman Group, LLC. Tammy shares her compelling journey from early beginnings at the Brooklyn Academy of Music to launching a leadership development firm that champions access and equity across generations. She discusses how her formative experiences, powerful mentorship, and a passion for building transformative systems inspired her to create a company with three distinctive brands: TBD Strategic Advisory, Looking Forward Lab, and Cooper+Lowe. Throughout the episode, Tammy reflects on leadership, intergenerational workforce dynamics, and her mission to empower others through purposeful innovation and strategic guidance.

In this inspiring episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Nancy Mungai, the visionary founder behind Inclusive Neurodivergent Virtual Assistants (INVA). Nancy shares her journey of creating a transformative company that empowers neurodivergent individuals through meaningful employment. With a bold mission to employ over 300 virtual assistants by 2028, Nancy is reshaping what inclusion looks like in today’s workplace. Listeners will gain insights into her entrepreneurial challenges, the driving philosophy behind DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging), and how INVA is paving the way for a more equitable digital workforce.

In this inspiring episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm interviews Andy Laithwaite, founder of The Actor Inside — a company that transforms public speaking by blending acting techniques with professional communication coaching. With a background in television, including roles in Gangs of London, and experience coaching at prestigious institutions like the NHS and Oxford University, Andy shares how his acting skills evolved into a powerful tool for helping people overcome their fear of public speaking. He discusses the universal challenges around communication, the power of authenticity, and why acting techniques are game-changers for anyone needing to command a room. Whether you’re pitching a startup or leading a team, Andy’s insights will reshape how you think about speaking in public.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm welcomes Joe Mindak, co-founder of Nolodex, an innovative SaaS platform designed to transform the world of B2B networking and referrals. Joe shares the inspiration behind Nolodex — a platform that empowers businesses to track, manage, and monetize their referrals all in one place. They dive into how Nolodex aims to disrupt traditional networking by creating a scalable, trust-based system where referrals are properly incentivized. Throughout the conversation, Joe discusses the challenges of building a startup that reshapes long-standing behaviors and the enormous opportunity that comes with modernizing how businesses connect and grow. This episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs, sales leaders, and networkers who want to tap into the next evolution of relationship-driven growth.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with Andre Mullen, founder and CEO of Paradigm. Andre shares his incredible journey through over 30 years in the music and tech industries, where he’s helped generate nearly $7 million in deals for artists and labels.

Based in Hempstead, New York, Andre launched Paradigm in 2021 with a bold mission: to empower Black and Latino artists and creatives by providing business development services tailored to their needs.

Listeners will hear how Paradigm is reshaping artist management through initiatives like the Paradigm Shift newsletter and custom growth strategies. Andre also speaks candidly about the evolving challenges artists face today, the importance of sustainable business models, and why ownership and education are more crucial than ever for the next generation of creatives.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Tanvir Hosen, founder of Marketing Cope Ltd., a digital marketing agency specializing in lead generation and SEO for small businesses. Tanvir shares his journey from humble beginnings to becoming a global force in digital marketing with over five years of experience. Listeners will get a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges he faced while scaling his business, his strategies for sustainable growth, and how he empowers entrepreneurs worldwide. Whether you're an aspiring founder or a seasoned marketer, Tanvir’s story offers valuable insights on resilience, innovation, and the future of digital marketing.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with Dennis Rhomays, co-founder of Nedzo AI, an AI-powered platform revolutionizing agency operations. From his roots in music production to launching a tech startup in Newark, Delaware, Dennis shares how Nedzo AI uses AI voice agents to streamline lead generation, appointment setting, and client retention. He discusses the pivotal moments in his transition to entrepreneurship, the challenges of building in the AI space, and his vision for the future of agency workflows.