Founders Future

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, Kate Evans, founder of Soulful Space Coaching and author of Ditch Your Sht: Decluttering Your Mindset to Declutter Your Home*, shares how her background in psychology and private practice counseling evolved into a holistic coaching business for ambitious women. With decades of experience in women’s empowerment, Kate discovered a powerful connection between emotional well-being and physical clutter after decluttering her own home. That realization led her to blend therapy-informed coaching, mindset work, and home organization into an integrative approach that helps women create sustainable change from the inside out.

Kate opens up about transitioning from a well-known in-person therapist in the Chicago suburbs to building a fully virtual brand through social media, lead magnets, and free discovery sessions. She reflects on choosing to remain a one-woman business by design, prioritizing sustainability over scale, while expanding her impact through writing and thought leadership. With plans to submit her second book proposal and grow her YouTube presence with self-care and mindset content, Kate is focused on evolving her coaching into a more holistic, integrative model—while navigating the very real challenge of self-accountability that many founders face.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, Jaime Diglio, Founder and CEO of The WIN Room, shares how a personal health scare during her time as a sales leader at Gartner became the catalyst for building a performance coaching company rooted in mindset mastery. After experiencing a severe stress response that left her temporarily unable to feel her legs, Jaime realized that traditional leadership and sales training overlooked a critical piece: how individuals manage pressure internally. Drawing from her background in organizational psychology and enterprise leadership—including managing a $450M Microsoft business—she developed The WIN Room methodology to help professionals shift from what she calls the “War Room” mindset (self-doubt, comparison, reactive thinking) into the “WIN Room,” where clarity, intention, and performance align.

Jaime works across both organizations and individuals, coaching leaders in transition, high-potential talent, and ambitious professionals who want to sharpen executive presence, communication, and confidence. Through group programs, individual coaching, and her growing community membership, The WIN League, she focuses on long-term behavioral change rather than quick-fix tactics. In a world obsessed with scripts and scalability, Jaime challenges companies to prioritize authenticity over uniformity—helping people build their own “winning formula” so they can perform under pressure without losing themselves in the process.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, Zach Zenner—former NFL running back, Certified Nutrition Specialist, NFL agent, and founder of Zion Performance—shares his unconventional journey from professional football to building a high-performance nutrition and health coaching company. After earning a biology degree and being accepted into medical school, Zach chose to pursue the NFL, carving out a five-year career with the Detroit Lions. During that time, he began questioning the traditional healthcare system’s focus on treating sickness rather than optimizing wellness, which ultimately led him to pursue a master’s degree in nutrition and launch Zion Performance. Today, he helps high-performing individuals—especially former athletes who’ve “lost their way”—reclaim energy, discipline, and longevity through his D.R.E.S.S. framework: Diet, Rest, Exercise, Stress reduction, and Spirit.

Zach breaks down his business model, from one-on-one six-month coaching programs to his growing Zion Breakfast Club community, and reveals his long-term vision of scaling through assistant coaches while maintaining personalized, evidence-based care. He also opens up about the realities of entrepreneurship—navigating failed ad campaigns, refining messaging, building organic content, and developing innovative digital tools designed to help clients maintain independence into their 80s and beyond. With a bold goal of reaching seven figures in revenue this year, Zach embodies adaptability, faith, and execution—proving that elite performance doesn’t end when the game clock runs out.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, Richard Mechaly, Founder of Provoke Agency, shares his journey from spending 15 years selling complex IT services to CIOs to becoming a serial entrepreneur specializing in cold outreach and growth marketing. After mastering the fundamentals of sales through cold calling and direct pitching, COVID became the catalyst that pushed Richard to fully branch out on his own. Today, he helps B2B companies scale by engineering multi-channel outbound systems that cut through noise and generate high-ticket opportunities.

Richard dives into how modern outreach has evolved — from long, sales-heavy emails to short, value-first messaging that feels like a text. He explains why providing upfront value is now non-negotiable, how personalized multi-touch campaigns across email, LinkedIn, and social ads build credibility, and how AI tools have allowed him to streamline operations while staying hands-on with a lean client roster. This episode is a practical masterclass in adapting to saturated markets, leveraging new tech, and building scalable outbound systems in 2026.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, Melissa Grabiner, Founder of GrabCo and a top-ranked HR influencer, shares how she transitioned from an 18-year career as a Global Director of Talent Acquisition to building a thriving job search coaching business. After being laid off twice due to location changes, Melissa leaned into the overwhelming demand from LinkedIn followers asking for resume and profile help — turning what started as advice in her DMs into a full-scale coaching brand. Today, she’s helped over 700 job seekers land roles by rewriting resumes, optimizing LinkedIn profiles, and revealing insider recruiter search strategies most candidates never see.

Melissa opens up about how she grew her LinkedIn following from 30,000 to nearly 500,000 in five years through consistency, authenticity, and deeply empathetic job seeker content. She breaks down her hands-on coaching model, why she personally responds to every DM, how LinkedIn Recruiter licenses work behind the scenes, and how brand partnerships have become an additional revenue stream. Looking ahead, she shares plans to launch a newsletter and scale through group coaching — all while staying true to the authenticity that built her platform.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, Hamish Knox, President of Sandler Calgary, shares his journey from journalist and corporate sales professional to building a globally recognized sales training franchise. After a chance dinner conversation introduced him to the Sandler methodology, Hamish launched his franchise in 2011 — making 5,000 cold calls in his first six months. That relentless start earned him Global Rookie of the Year and later the prestigious David H. Sandler Award as the first Canadian recipient.

Today, Hamish helps $5–$50 million companies build sustainable sales engines through advisory, leadership development, executive coaching, and fractional sales management. He explains why founders must systemize recruiting, onboarding, and sales processes to exit at their number — not the number they’re forced to take. From in-person training’s resurgence to global expansion and disciplined prospecting, Hamish offers a masterclass in accountability, communication, and building companies that scale beyond the founder.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, Ellie Smeaton, brand photographer and founder of the VIB Club, shares how a non-academic start in school led to a powerful creative career. After studying press and editorial photography at university and launching her business just weeks before lockdown, Ellie built a thriving brand photography company in Dorset, UK—turning what felt like a setback into a blessing in disguise. She reflects on finding clarity in her niche, moving from weddings and family shoots to exclusively serving founder-led businesses, and why professional imagery is a crucial tool for visibility and positioning in today’s digital world.

Ellie also opens up about scaling challenges in a service-based business, launching her new retainer-style mini shoot series, and growing the VIB Club—a mindset and education membership designed as a safe space for female founders to grow at their own pace. From imposter syndrome to hitting her first £10K month and dreaming bigger toward long-term scalability, Ellie shares honest insights on balancing passion with profit and staying unapologetically yourself in business.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, Beverly Hosford, movement and sleep specialist based in Bozeman, Montana, shares her journey from teaching 7AM aqua fitness classes in college to becoming a respected anatomy educator and sleep optimization expert. With a master’s degree in Kinesiology and over 20 years of experience teaching anatomy, corrective exercise, and restorative movement, Beverly explains how personal pain and client injuries pushed her to deepen her expertise beyond traditional personal training into more holistic, restorative practices.

Beverly breaks down the science of circadian rhythm, the body’s “master clock,” and why light exposure and daily rhythm are foundational to long-term health. She explains how chaos in sleep schedules can disrupt cellular function and why aligning with natural light-dark cycles may be one of the most powerful (and free) health upgrades available. From online courses and continuing education workshops to in-person community offerings, Beverly shares how she blends movement, anatomy, and sleep education to create sustainable health transformations for both fitness professionals and everyday clients.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, Kate Kurdziej's, founder of Olivier Consultancy, shares her journey from corporate wealth management practice manager in the UK to building a location-independent consultancy serving female entrepreneurs and online service providers. Starting her business at her kitchen table during maternity leave in 2020, Kate reflects on the pivotal moment that pushed her to choose entrepreneurship, how her operational background shaped her approach, and what it took to evolve from done-for-you tech builds into high-impact strategic consulting.

Today, through Olivier Consultancy, Kate specializes in helping experts design, launch, and sell out profitable retreats by combining clear strategy, streamlined systems, and aligned marketing. She opens up about pivoting her offers, moving from one-to-one services to scalable group programs, leveraging SEO and Instagram for organic growth, and navigating the emotional challenges of hiring and scaling. This conversation dives into sustainable growth, smart positioning, and building a business that supports both ambition and freedom.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we’re joined by Dawn Murden, a confidence and empowerment coach who shares her journey from journalism and SaaS leadership into coaching. Dawn reflects on her early career in media, her transition into customer success and leadership roles, and the burnout that ultimately led her to step away from corporate life and build a portfolio career rooted in mental health, self-trust, and personal growth. Drawing from her experiences as a journalist, leader, and neurodivergent professional, she explains how coaching became a natural extension of her desire to help others reconnect with their values and inner voice.

The conversation explores Dawn’s coaching approach, which supports people navigating major life and career transitions, aspiring leaders stepping into management roles, and individuals seeking emotional healing and clarity. She discusses the power of values-based coaching, the importance of asking the right questions rather than giving answers, and how breakthroughs often come from recognizing where core beliefs have been challenged. Dawn also opens up about building her coaching business through one-to-one work, group sessions, workshops, and LinkedIn, while embracing experimentation, overcoming imposter syndrome, and trusting the process of growth during her first year as a founder.