Founders Future

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we sit down with Patrick Vuong, a business coach with Avid Action Coach and a seasoned entrepreneur. Patrick shares his unique journey from owning and scaling a successful brick-and-mortar gym to over a decade coaching high-caliber athletes, which ultimately led him to his true calling: business coaching. He reveals the pivotal moment he realized that being a skilled "technician" in your field does not automatically translate to business success, and how his own experiences in the trenches—from wearing every hat to sleeping in his gym—allow him to deeply relate to and guide other founders facing similar challenges.

Patrick delves into his coaching philosophy, which centers on the belief that a business cannot grow unless the business owner grows. He explains his systematic approach, which begins with a deep diagnostic to uncover a client's true goals—whether that's scaling revenue or reclaiming time—followed by creating a clear annual plan and breaking it down into actionable 90-day sprints. The conversation also explores his multi-faceted client acquisition strategy, the critical importance of building systems and the right team, and why the ultimate key to scaling any venture lies in answering the fundamental question: "Who are the right people you need to find and develop?"

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we are joined by Rachel Strawser, the founder of Thrive Collective Holistic Health and Fitness. Rachel shares her remarkable journey from a 15-year career in public education finance—a sedentary, numbers-focused life—to becoming a passionate health coach. She reveals that a family health crisis, including her mother's cancer diagnosis, served as the pivotal push she needed to leave her corporate role and build a business that offered the flexibility to care for her loved ones while pursuing her true calling.

Rachel delves into her mission at Thrive Collective, which is dedicated to helping women, particularly those 35 and older, break free from the endless diet cycle and create sustainable, nourishing lifestyles. She explains her deeply personalized, one-on-one coaching approach that prioritizes mindset shifts and neural rewiring over quick fixes, using an initial 90-day commitment to foster lasting change. The conversation explores her challenges with marketing, her heart for serving her local rural community, and her goal to empower 200 women in the coming year, all while maintaining the personal connection that is the core of her work.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we are joined by Kate Lalak, the founder and principal consultant of The Engine Room. Kate shares her journey from a 17-year corporate career in marketing and sales leadership to launching her own consultancy eight years ago, a move she describes as the hardest but best decision she's ever made. She discusses the pivotal realization that many business owners and teams have a fundamental misunderstanding of sales, viewing it as a pushy, transactional process rather than a form of problem-solving, and how this insight became the core mission of her business.

Kate delves into her unique approach to sales and leadership training, which focuses on shifting the dial for experienced teams by just 5-10% through practical, tailored workshops and coaching. She explains her philosophy using a simple, powerful analogy about solving a dinner problem to reframe sales as a process of curiosity and connection. The conversation also explores the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, her strategic decision to avoid full-time employees in favor of a contractor model for simplicity, and her plans for scaling in the year ahead by investing in marketing, developing online tools, and finding the right balance between time, money, and impactful growth.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we are joined by Laura Lillie Goodridge, an executive coach and former HR leader with over a decade of experience. Laura shares her journey from climbing the corporate ladder to the top of her field, only to realize her innovative approach to leadership development was better suited for entrepreneurship. She discusses the pivotal moment she decided to leave her corporate role to found her own coaching practice, aiming to solve a critical gap she witnessed: the lack of support for individuals transitioning into leadership roles, who often possess deep technical skills but lack the human-centric framework to lead effectively.

Laura delves into her "Aligned Leader Method," a comprehensive program designed to build the next wave of 21st-century leaders. She explains how her approach moves beyond traditional, one-size-fits-all models to focus on three core pillars: developing self-awareness in leaders, understanding team dynamics, and aligning individual and team strengths with overarching business strategy. The conversation explores her target market of small to mid-sized businesses, her philosophy on the future of corporate retention, and her ambitious goals to leverage collected data to build an AI-powered coaching platform, creating a scalable "pocket coach" for managers navigating complex workplace challenges.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we sit down with Reggie James, the founder of Digital Clarity. Reggie shares his incredible journey from the early days of the dot-com boom, working with pioneers like AltaVista and Yahoo, to pivoting from a commoditized digital marketing agency into a strategic advisory firm. He delves into the critical importance of aligning sales, marketing, and product teams under a unified revenue strategy and why understanding a company's true starting point is the first step to achieving scalable growth.

Reggie explains how Digital Clarity now helps B2B tech leaders cut through the noise by building intuitive, AI-driven go-to-market frameworks that solve complex revenue problems. The conversation explores the challenges of modern client acquisition, the pitfalls of outdated sales and marketing techniques, and the essential blend of inbound content and strategic outbound outreach. Reggie also looks to the future, discussing his goals for hiring multifaceted talent and the ongoing challenge for businesses to authentically stand out in an increasingly crowded and AI-driven marketplace.

n this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we meet Kirsten Dubreuil, the founder of Maven Executive Coaching. Kirsten shares her powerful journey of transitioning from a 25-year military career in the Canadian Armed Forces, where she led teams of up to 400 people, into the world of entrepreneurship. She reveals how her own experience with an executive coach as a commanding officer ignited her passion for guiding others, leading her to establish a firm dedicated to helping women in male-dominated industries unlock their expertise and lead with authenticity.

Kirsten delves into the core of her business, explaining her focus on one-on-one coaching to create deep, transformative change for her clients. She discusses her vision for the future, which includes expanding into corporate team coaching to foster more inclusive and effective work environments. Throughout the conversation, she also reflects on the personal challenges of shifting from a structured military life to the fluidity of being a solopreneur, emphasizing the importance of deprogramming old habits to build a business and life aligned with her values.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we meet Maggie Perotin, the founder of Stairway to Leadership. Maggie shares her journey from a successful corporate career, where she climbed the ranks into senior leadership roles, to becoming an entrepreneur. She reveals that experiencing burnout was a pivotal moment that made her question the corporate ladder and seek a path where she could merge her business acumen with her passion for coaching and developing people, ultimately leading her to establish her own company.

Maggie delves into her business model, which is designed for ambitious solopreneurs and small business owners who want to scale their impact without sacrificing their personal lives. She offers both a small group program for those starting out and one-on-one coaching for more established leaders. Looking ahead, Maggie discusses her strategic plans to scale through implementing cold outreach systems on platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram, with the future goal of incorporating paid advertising to create a consistent and predictable flow of ideal clients.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Milan Kohut sits down with Barbra Carlisle, the founder and leadership coach behind Glee Coaching. Barbra shares her journey from a decade-long career in diversity, inclusion, and social value within the engineering and construction sectors to launching her own coaching practice. She delves into her passion for supporting purpose-led leaders, often those who have risen from technical roles, to build confidence, resilience, and strategic thinking while balancing their demanding professional and personal lives.

The conversation explores the core of Barbra's business, detailing her one-on-one executive coaching and leadership development programs. She explains her direct coaching style, the importance of creating a trusting, long-term relationship with clients, and her use of tools like the "Five Voices" psychometric assessment. Barbra also opens up about her business strategy, the challenges of focus as a creative entrepreneur, and her future goals, including launching a niche program for leaders in the construction industry and growing her podcast, "The Unlikely Executive."

In this episode of Founders Future, host Olivia Sammons sits down with Vinny Raval, internationally known as The Speech Coach. Vinny shares his unique journey from a childhood passion for acting and an early proficiency with languages—including sign language learned to communicate with his deaf uncle—to becoming a speech and language therapist. He reveals the pivotal decision he made at the start of his degree to combine his clinical knowledge with his performing arts background, setting him on the path to founding his company and specializing in helping professionals master their communication.

Vinny delves into his work with founders and C-suite executives, helping them overcome mental blocks and "bust myths" to deliver powerful, authentic presentations that build trust and influence. He discusses the challenges and rewards of being a solopreneur, his effective use of Google Ads and LinkedIn for international client acquisition, and his ambitious plans for the future. These include launching an online course, writing a book, expanding his boutique studio, and tackling the complex question of how to scale his unique, bespoke coaching methodology without diluting the brand's integrity.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Milan Kohut sits down with Katie Campbell, a board-certified health and wellness coach and the founder of Mindful Constitution. Katie shares her powerful personal journey from working in the hospitality industry, where binge drinking was normalized, to becoming a holistic health expert. She reveals how her own decision to take an indefinite break from alcohol in 2020 became the catalyst for her business, as she experienced profound improvements in her anxiety, confidence, and spiritual connection, leading her to specialize in guiding others on a similar path.

Katie delves into her integrative coaching approach, explaining how she helps "deep feelers" and "gray area drinkers" explore a life beyond alcohol through her 6-month, high-touch coaching containers, self-paced courses, and in-person "Sister Circles." She discusses the challenges and rewards of running a heart-centered business as a solo founder and mother, her organic and paid marketing strategies, and her vision for the future—one that prioritizes authenticity, alignment, and creative expansion through writing, speaking, and retreats over aggressive scaling.