Founders Future

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we dive into the world of AI with Zaara Goraya, the founder and CEO of Nifnexa. Zaara shares her fascinating 8-year journey through emerging technologies like blockchain and Web3, which ultimately led her to pivot and establish her current venture in the AI space. She explains her mission to bridge the gap between complex technology and human users, focusing on making businesses and individuals "AI-capable" rather than simply automating tasks.

Zaara details Nifnexa's core offerings, which include AI consulting, corporate literacy training, and the development of custom AI agents designed to enhance productivity without replacing human creativity. She outlines her unique client engagement process, which begins with a deep-dive audit to identify true bottlenecks and includes a proprietary ROI estimator to demonstrate tangible value. The conversation also explores her vision for the future, including expanding her educational arm, Leap Forward AI, and her goal to democratize AI literacy on a global scale.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we meet Chandra Lynn, the founder of Glow Marketing LLC and Glow Living. Chandra shares her impressive 25-year journey through the marketing and media worlds, from working with major radio stations and legendary concert producers to handling PR for industry giants like Apple and Avid's Pro Tools. She explains how this extensive experience in supporting other brands laid the foundation for her own ventures and ultimately led her to a deep passion for personal growth and empowerment.

Chandra delves into the heart of her current mission: her book and coaching framework, "Root to Rise," published under Glow Living. Born from her own experiences with high-achievement, overwhelm, and personal loss, this framework is designed to help individuals and corporations build emotional resiliency, discover their purpose, and achieve fulfillment. She opens up about the vulnerable transition from being a behind-the-scenes marketer to becoming the public face of her own message, sharing the marketing strategies she's personally testing—from growing a TikTok following to navigating corporate wellness programs—as she steps into this new chapter of empowering others to love life.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we are joined by Isabella Coupet, the 25-year-old founder of The Coupet Collective, a boutique digital marketing studio. Isabella shares her unconventional journey from working in wine and spirits, entertainment, and even the wig industry to launching her own agency focused on the health, wellness, and pharmaceutical sectors. She discusses the pivotal moment of leaving a toxic work environment and, with the support of her loved ones, deciding to channel her passion for wellness into building a business that helps compounding pharmacies, medical spas, and telemedicine platforms stand out in a crowded market.

Isabella delves into her agency's unique "strategy-led creative" approach, emphasizing the power of storytelling and breaking away from clinical, traditional design to build memorable brands. She explains how she strategically uses different platforms—LinkedIn for B2B outreach to pharmacies and Meta for direct-to-consumer brands—and outlines her scrappy, "boots-on-the-ground" client acquisition process. Looking ahead, Isabella shares her goals to expand into new wellness verticals, thoughtfully grow her team, and overcome the imposter syndrome that comes with rapidly scaling a new venture, all while ensuring her agency's output and value align with her ambitious vision.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we sit down with Steve Tolen, the energetic founder of Stolen+Co, who brings over 20 years of sales leadership to his role as a fractional sales and growth partner for recruitment businesses. Steve shares his unconventional journey from a decade of selling fish in a UK market to a high-flying recruitment career that took him to Australia, emphasizing his "lead from the front" philosophy and his passion for betting on himself as an entrepreneur.

Steve dives deep into his modern sales framework, "5 Before the Call," which is designed to help recruitment founders and leaders cut through the noise. He champions the power of building a genuine personal brand on LinkedIn, utilizing authentic video, and harnessing smart technology without losing the essential human connection. The conversation is a masterclass in evolving from outdated, transactional sales tactics to a trust-based approach that focuses on consistent engagement, patience, and building rapport long before the first sales call is ever made.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we meet Missy Blackmer, a licensed mental health counselor and the founder behind The Mental Health Chick and Unboxed Grace Counseling Company. Missy shares her journey from working for over 15 years in high-stress community mental health roles, where she experienced multiple burnouts, to the pivotal moment in 2018 when she decided to share her story and build a platform to empower women. The COVID-19 pandemic became a catalyst, opening new online possibilities and solidifying her mission to help women, particularly those of faith, overcome perfectionism, shame, and burnout to live a values-driven life.

Missy details her coaching practice, which offers one-on-one sessions focused on goal-oriented transformation, mindset shifts, and accountability, distinguishing it from traditional therapy. She discusses her exciting plans to scale her impact by launching "The Anti-Perfectionist Lab," a community and group coaching membership designed to provide support and tools for high-achieving women. Looking ahead, Missy opens up about the challenges of navigating the tech and marketing landscape as a solopreneur and her powerful, recent personal discovery of ADHD in her 50s, which has given her a new lens through which to view her own journey and her work.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we are joined by Sean Crane, the founder of Unstoppable 365. Sean shares his powerful and transformative journey from a lost young man battling addiction and a troubled background to being sentenced to five and a half years in prison at age 23. It was during this time of incarceration that he experienced a profound awakening, committing to a path of sobriety, self-improvement, and service. Upon his release, he leveraged social media to build a coaching business, turning his past hardships into his greatest strength by leading with radical authenticity.

Sean details how his company has evolved to specifically serve blue-collar business owners, helping them combat stress and perform at their peak through a unique combination of mindset, fitness, and nutrition coaching, now enhanced with naturopathic medicine and blood testing. He opens up about the recent growing pains of scaling his team to 10 members, emphasizing the critical lesson he learned about the importance of company culture and having a lean, fully-aligned team. Looking ahead, Sean discusses his focus for the next year: refining his marketing to target his ideal client more precisely and building a profitable, scalable company with the right people firmly in place.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we sit down with Karen Kossow, a writer, self-care coach, and the founder behind AI Powered Homeschool. Karen shares her journey from being a full-time homeschooling mom to launching an online business, driven by her lived experience as a neurodivergent parent raising two autistic children. She reveals how recognizing the unique challenges and lack of tailored support for families like hers inspired her to create resources that empower parents to prioritize their own well-being and leverage technology to make education more accessible and effective.

Karen delves into the specifics of her work, explaining how her coaching helps parents of neurodivergent children implement practical, bite-sized self-care strategies, and how her AI Powered Homeschool platform provides simple, powerful ChatGPT prompts to create personalized, low-cost curricula. She discusses the philosophy of collaborative, interest-led learning that respects a child's development and the transformative impact of using AI as a tool to reduce parental stress and foster a more connected, effective homeschooling environment for the whole family.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we are joined by Nile Saïd, a seasoned coach and the founder of GoOneUp with over 16 years of experience in the personal development space. Nile shares his profound journey from a successful corporate career to a devastating burnout in 2017 that forced him to hit the brakes on a multi-million dollar operation. This personal crisis became the catalyst for his current mission: to empower entrepreneurs and small business owners to build their mental, emotional, and physical capacity, ensuring they can perform at their peak without sacrificing their well-being.

Nile delves into the core of GoOneUp, explaining how he uses tailored coaching, strategic frameworks, and a "small wins" philosophy to help clients avoid overwhelm and achieve sustained success. He discusses his hands-on approach, which includes deep-dive business audits and actionable sprints to strengthen areas like marketing, messaging, and operations. Looking ahead, Nile shares his vision for expanding his reach through speaking engagements and his commitment to helping business leaders adapt, build resilience, and create a promising future without having to hit a wall themselves.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we sit down with Kevin Hejnas, the PharmD graduate turned fitness entrepreneur behind Hejnasty LLC and the Healthy Flex Prescription (HFP) program. Kevin shares his unexpected journey from a self-proclaimed gamer struggling with his weight and confidence to discovering fitness as his "dragon to slay." This transformative experience in his mom's basement not only reshaped his body but also built the self-belief that he could achieve anything, ultimately leading him to bet on himself after pharmacy school and build a multi-six-figure coaching business.

Kevin details the core of his HFP program, which is designed for busy professionals who need efficient, science-based systems to get results. He explains his ACT Framework (Action, Control, Consistency, Traction) and the "741" rule—7 days of tracking, 4 workouts, and 1 check-in—that serves as the North Star for client success, leading to an average of 19 pounds of fat loss in 16 weeks. Looking ahead, Kevin discusses his vision to become the most well-known fitness company based on results and reputation, all while fostering a community and team culture that feels more like a group of friends on a shared mission to train hard and enjoy life, complete with retreats and ice cream stops.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we meet Beth Parkinson, the founder of Next Spark Coaching, who shares the profound personal journey that led to her "encore career." After over three decades climbing the corporate ladder in B2B technology, a life-altering cancer diagnosis forced her to confront a pivotal question: "If not now, when?" This moment of clarity propelled her to leave her corporate role and build a business dedicated to helping others navigate their own major life and career transitions, ensuring she could live with no regrets and spend her time on what truly matters.

Beth details her coaching practice, which supports ambitious mid-career professionals facing change, whether they are rising leaders, individuals in a career slump, or those architecting their next chapter. She discusses her balanced approach, offering both one-on-one coaching for deep personal work and group programs that leverage the power of community. Looking ahead, Beth opens up about her goals to increase her visibility through speaking and email marketing, while also sharing the unique challenge of scaling a purpose-driven business with the intentionality required to maintain her health, family time, and newfound freedom.