Founders Future

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we sit down with Matt Payne, co-founder of the Outer Circle Foundation. Matt shares his powerful journey from a U.S. Air Force combat controller and retired law enforcement chief to launching a nonprofit dedicated to supporting military veterans and first responders. He delves into the Foundation's critical mission focused on PTSD awareness, suicide prevention, and career transition support, explaining how his own experiences with loss and his deep faith inspired him to create a tangible solution for those who have served.

Matt provides a candid look at the realities of starting and running a nonprofit, from the initial hurdles of securing 501(c)(3) status to the strategic growth that has expanded their impact. He discusses the Foundation's evolution, including its pivot to assist Afghan allies during the 2021 crisis and its return to its core mission. The conversation also covers their goals for breaking the stigma around mental health as a workplace injury for first responders and how building the right partnerships and board is key to scaling their vital work.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we are joined by Dr. Michele D'Amico, a leadership consultant and clinical psychologist. Dr. D'Amico shares her journey from being a single mother and B2B sales professional to founding Vetta Consultants LLC, a firm that uses neuroscience and emotional intelligence to develop leaders and foster psychologically safe workplace cultures. She delves into the core of her work, which involves helping both individuals and corporate teams—from C-suite executives to managers—understand the roots of behavior to facilitate meaningful change and forward momentum.

Dr. D'Amico discusses the challenges of distinguishing herself in a saturated coaching market and her strategic pivot towards focusing on founders and enhancing her brand through a new book on women's voices, public speaking, and a planned podcast. She offers invaluable insight into the difference between therapy and coaching, emphasizing a future-focused approach on growth and movement. The conversation concludes with her powerful advice to her younger self: that nothing is permanent except death, and the rest of the journey is to be embraced and enjoyed.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we sit down with Amanda Kaufman, the founder of @thecoachesplaza. Amanda shares her journey from being a high-level consultant to an "accidental coach," revealing how her superpower of connecting with people and addressing their real-world stressors became the foundation for a multi-million dollar coaching business. She delves into the crucial "zero to one" phase for new coaches, emphasizing the importance of genuine conversations, financial literacy, and picking the right mentor to build a sustainable and impactful coaching practice without sacrificing integrity.

Amanda provides a powerful look into the evolving coaching industry, arguing that while it may seem saturated online, the market is actually expanding rapidly, especially with the rise of AI causing workforce shifts and existential crises. She outlines her mission to elevate the professionalism within the coaching space and offers invaluable advice for new entrepreneurs on navigating the challenges of transitioning from a corporate career to a values-driven business, highlighting the systems and mindset needed to secure your first five clients and build a business you are truly proud of.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we sit down with Karley Cunningham, the founder and Surefire Growth Strategist at BIG BOLD BRAND Inc. Karley shares her journey from working in the high-pressure agency world to becoming an entrepreneur, a path sparked by her need for flexibility to pursue a professional mountain biking career. She delves into the core problem she solves for founders of complex, technical, or novel businesses: bridging the gap between their deep, internalized knowledge and the clear, accessible language needed to win clients, attract talent, and scale effectively.

Karley explains her "Surefire Method," a 16-week process where she helps leadership teams extract their collective brilliance to create a set of 11 strategic tools. This system moves beyond superficial branding to create foundational alignment around a company's vision, values, and differentiators. She discusses how this clarity empowers teams, accelerates decision-making, and creates a measurable "Surefire Effect," with clients often doubling their revenue and achieving multi-year goals in half the time. Karley also touches on her upcoming book and her goal of bringing this system of alignment to a wider audience through speaking engagements.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we meet Gerald Flach, the founder of Gritty Mental Performance Training. Gerald shares his journey from a creative director in advertising to launching an app dedicated to mental fitness. He discusses the inspiration he drew from Carol Dweck's "Mindset" and his observations in the world of competitive youth hockey, where he noticed a massive gap between the investment in physical training and the development of mental strength.

Gerald walks us through Gritty, a subscription-based app built on four key pillars: understanding the 'how and why' of the brain, mind mastery (meditation), self-talk (affirmations), and visualization. While starting with hockey and soccer teams, the platform's ultimate goal is to normalize mental performance training for everyone, helping to build confidence, resilience, and focus to counter the negative impacts of modern life and excessive screen time. He also shares the challenges of building an app as a non-technical founder and commits to a launch in the App Store by the end of November.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we meet Rochelle Carrington, the founder of Emotional Intelligence Blueprinting. Rochelle shares her powerful journey from running a successful 7-figure sales training company to discovering a critical missing link in personal and professional development. Despite her external success, she experienced internal dread and pressure, realizing that traditional logical "mindset hacks" were ineffective against deeply rooted emotional issues. This led her to neuroscience and somatic psychology, where she learned to release emotional blockages from the nervous system, a transformation that became the foundation of her current mission.

Rochelle details how Emotional Intelligence Blueprinting helps high-achieving leaders, founders, and CEOs who feel stuck, unmotivated, or triggered. Her unique, science-backed approach focuses on emotional release rather than logical reasoning, allowing clients to permanently rewire their nervous systems. She explains her hybrid program structure, the rapid results clients experience, and her ambitious goal to scale her impact, driven by the belief that empowering 1,000 people can create a profound positive ripple effect across the globe.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we sit down with Pratik Patel, a two-times founder and video growth strategist. Pratik shares his inspiring journey from being a computer science student to a college dropout focused on building his companies, QuickFusion Innovations and Kkapture Flow Media. He delves into the core problem he solves: helping knowledgeable coaches, consultants, and founders who struggle to express themselves and generate leads through text-based content. Pratik explains his unique "Video Lead Machine" system, which uses short-form, pain-point-focused videos on platforms like LinkedIn to build authority and reliably book 20-30 high-ticket leads per month, all through organic strategies.

Pratik details the philosophy behind his framework, which guides potential clients through the stages of awareness—from problem-unaware to solution-aware—making them ready to convert. He also opens up about the rapid growth of his agency, which has expanded to 12 employees in just 6-7 months, and his ambitious goals to double the team size. The conversation offers a deep dive into the power of video for personal branding, the importance of having a dedicated team and co-founder, and the mindset required to build a successful venture from a young age.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we are joined by Lisa Sonni, a certified relationship coach and trauma-bond recovery expert. Lisa shares her powerful journey from a senior executive in event planning to founding Stronger Than Before after her own experience with domestic assault and a narcissistic abusive relationship. She delves into the psychology of trauma bonds, explaining how the oscillation between cruelty and kindness creates a biochemical addiction that makes leaving so difficult. Lisa details her "Break and Rebuild" method, which educates and empowers women to recognize abuse, break free from toxic attachments, and reclaim their identity and power.

Lisa discusses the structure of her business, which includes one-on-one coaching, group programs, and in-person events, and how her relatable, story-driven content has built a social media following of over 1.4 million people. She opens up about the challenges of balancing her mission to be accessible with the realities of running a scalable business, including her thoughts on pricing and investing in marketing. Looking ahead, Lisa outlines her goals to run more group programs and host more events in the next 12 months, emphasizing her core mission: to help as many people as possible heal and rebuild their lives stronger than before.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we sit down with Chad Weller, founder of Chad Weller High Performance Life Coaching. Chad shares his incredible journey from being a professional ultramarathon runner and running coach to building a successful life coaching brand over the last 11 years. He delves into the mindset and habits required for peak performance, explaining how his methodology of "how you do anything is how you do everything" helps high-achieving clients break through mental and emotional barriers to unlock their full potential in business, relationships, and life.

Chad opens up about the entrepreneurial journey, discussing the challenges of scaling a business, the importance of building a strong team, and his primary marketing funnel that has fueled his growth. He also outlines his exciting plans for the future, which include expanding his impact through retreats, masterminds, and group coaching to reach a wider audience. Throughout the conversation, Chad emphasizes the power of consistency, patience, and the foundational role of morning routines in creating a life of purpose and high performance.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we sit down with Kelly Rocklein, the innovative founder behind UGC Pro. Kelly takes us back to the beginning of her journey, sharing how she bypassed traditional college to build a career in content creation through real-world experience in Los Angeles. She reveals the pivotal moment when User-Generated Content (UGC) exploded on TikTok, creating a wave of misinformation and inspiring her to launch UGC Pro as a trusted, accessible resource to help others navigate the space authentically.

Kelly delves into the current state of UGC Pro, detailing its mix of free resources and affordable, comprehensive video courses designed to fast-track success for creators and strategists. She discusses the recent launch of her community and its evolution into a hub for live workshops and training. Driven by a mission to make industry knowledge accessible, especially for groups like stay-at-home moms, Kelly shares her vision for UGC Pro to become an industry standard and her philosophy of continuous, forward momentum as the key to entrepreneurial success.