Founders Future

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we meet Casey Chung, CPA, who made a courageous leap from a successful career as a professional accountant at KPMG to becoming a leadership and purpose coach. Casey shares his powerful journey of self-discovery during the pandemic, where the isolation of remote work revealed that his true passion wasn't in the numbers, but in the human connection and problem-solving aspects of his role. He discusses the moment he realized he couldn't see a long-term future in the profession, leading him to voice his unhappiness and ultimately embark on a new path to help others avoid burnout and find alignment in their careers.

Casey delves into the mission behind his company, Your CPA Coaches, where he serves as a thought partner for accountants navigating career transitions, burnout, and self-doubt. He explains his unique "career audit" approach, which helps clients objectively evaluate their situation to move beyond emotional decision-making. Looking ahead, Casey shares his vision to scale his impact beyond one-on-one coaching by systematizing his methods and even creating a training school to instill a coaching mindset within accounting firms themselves, aiming to improve how leaders relate to and develop their teams human-to-human.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we meet Heidi C. Hutchison, JD/MBA, the founder and CEO of Third30. Heidi shares her powerful personal story of facing ageism in the corporate world after a successful career as a CMO, which led to her epiphany: she no longer wanted the traditional corporate ladder and was determined to create a fulfilling "third chapter" of life. This experience became the catalyst for Third30 a leadership coaching and consulting company dedicated to helping professional women in midlife rediscover their purpose, redefine success, and design a meaningful next season with intention and impact.

Heidi delves into the core of her work, explaining that the first and biggest hurdle for her clients is often mindset—shedding the limiting beliefs and societal narratives that tell women they are diminishing in value with age. She outlines her multifaceted approach, which includes one-on-one coaching, group masterminds, and retreats, all designed to build a supportive community where women can help each other navigate this transition. Looking ahead, Heidi discusses her vision to scale the Third30 movement beyond her own efforts, aiming to combat ageism and empower as many women as possible to reclaim their wisdom, expertise, and power in their third 30 years.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we sit down with Carlee Pizzolato, the passionate CEO behind Top Shelf Fitness, LLC. Carlee shares her powerful journey of hitting a personal and professional breaking point, which led her to leave a corporate sales career and a toxic relationship to move back home. Driven by a desire to rebuild her life and inspired by her athletic background and her mother's legacy as a fitness coach, she returned to her roots in health and wellness. This pivotal reset was the catalyst for creating her business, turning her own story of overcoming challenges into a mission to empower other women.

Carlee delves into the core of Top Shelf Fitness, LLC detailing her dual-offering business model. She provides high-touch, personalized virtual coaching for women seeking transformative, one-on-one guidance, all managed through her custom app for maximum convenience. To scale her impact, she also runs Top Shelf Studio, a subscription-based "Netflix of fitness" offering a vast library of workouts, recipes, and courses. Carlee discusses the realities of being a solopreneur, her organic growth strategies rooted in storytelling and community connection, and her future vision of scaling the subscription service to help more women find confidence and strength by rebuilding their relationship with food and their bodies.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Sam Aramando, we sit down with Stephanie Fontano, the passionate founder behind Flexible Wellness and the Bliss Up podcast. Stephanie shares her journey from a corporate health fitness professional to a holistic lifestyle coach, revealing how she identified a critical gap in traditional wellness programs. She discusses her core philosophy of moving beyond just fitness to address the root causes of imbalance, including nutrition, stress, and mindset, to help clients achieve sustainable health without extreme measures.

Stephanie opens up about the realities of building her business as a "one-woman show," relying primarily on organic social media and client referrals for growth. She candidly discusses the challenges of predictable client acquisition and her own personal hurdles, such as overcoming financial mindset blocks. Looking ahead, she shares her vision for launching new group programs and online courses to expand her impact, emphasizing the importance of founder self-development as the true foundation for a successful and aligned business.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we meet Howard Longstaff, the founder of Red Fish Coaching. Howard shares his incredible 30-year entrepreneurial journey, from building a multi-million dollar international recruitment business with offices in London, New York, and Auckland, to navigating the dot-com bubble and financial crises. He explains how these experiences, including a later pivot to solopreneurship, ultimately led him to his true calling: coaching. Howard reveals that the part of his previous roles he enjoyed most was the coaching element, helping candidates and clients with their careers and lives, which inspired him to become a certified counsellor and coach.

Howard delves into his current coaching philosophy at Red Fish Coaching, where he serves as a career, life, and business coach. He explains the deep interconnection between these areas and his mission to help leaders, founders, and professionals develop self-awareness and authentic confidence by replacing limiting beliefs with positive thoughts. He discusses his "serve with love" approach, the importance of client commitment, and his future plans, including immersive coaching weekends. Howard leaves us with a powerful piece of advice for his younger self: to have entered the coaching world much earlier to make the profound impact he is making today.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Sam Aramando, we sit down with Dolapo Fadare, the founder of StriveOpp. Dolapo shares her journey from immigrating to Canada and pivoting from community development into a successful tech sales career. This personal experience ignited her passion for creating StriveOpp, a boutique sales and career consultancy. She details how the company serves two core demographics: helping job seekers with relevant experience break into high-paying tech sales roles, and assisting early-stage founders in establishing their sales systems and achieving revenue goals.

Dolapo opens up about her organic, content-driven marketing strategy on platforms like LinkedIn and TikTok, which builds trust and community. She discusses the vision for StriveOpp, including her goals to significantly increase the offer value secured for her clients and scale the business revenue. The conversation also delves into the challenges of systematizing fulfillment for growth and the key piece of advice she would give her younger self: to document everything from the very beginning.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Sam Aramando, we sit down with Catherine B. Roy, an internationally recognized business coach and founder of Catherine B. Roy LLC and LHM Academia. Catherine takes us on a profound journey from her beginnings as a programmer for 15 years and a childhood survivor of the civil war in former Yugoslavia, to becoming a best-selling author and building a globally recognized brand. She shares the pivotal moment of promising herself to "be a light in this world," which became the driving force behind her mission to empower other entrepreneurs.

Catherine delves into the core of her business, explaining her "fire triangle" system that helps coaches and consultants achieve scalable growth by mastering visibility, business model, and technology. She reveals how her unique technical background became her superpower, allowing her to build sophisticated, automated funnels and systems. The conversation explores her organic, founder-led growth strategy centered on LinkedIn and powerful PR, her vision for scaling into a SaaS company, and the critical lessons learned from challenging experiences with outsourcing lead generation.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Sam Aramando, we sit down with Lottie Doherty, the award-winning entrepreneur behind the UK-based VA and social media agency, Virtual Lottie. Lottie shares her powerful journey from a burnt-out teacher to a thriving agency owner and coach, detailing the pivotal moment that pushed her to leave a draining career and build a business that offers true freedom.

Lottie dives into her core offerings, explaining how her agency provides an integrated solution for 6-7 figure coaches who are overwhelmed by managing multiple freelancers. She reveals her proven strategies for organic client acquisition, including the effective use of lead magnets and masterclasses, and outlines her vision for the next 12 months, which includes launching retreats and focusing on profitability.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we sit down with Mylène Lafontaine, the strategic force behind Magma Stratégies Inc.. Mylène shares her journey from a 12-year-old who knew she never wanted a boss to becoming a business innovation expert dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs. She delves into her unique, detail-oriented approach to business analysis, which focuses on uncovering hidden market opportunities and repositioning her clients to bridge the gap between their bold vision and a profitable, bankable reality. Mylène passionately discusses the importance of moving beyond a "good idea" to create an innovative business model that is perfectly aligned with the founder's strengths and the market's needs.

Mylène explains her signature "Convergence Protocol" framework, a multi-step process that involves deep immersion into the client's business, a thorough market analysis to identify competitive cracks, and the generation of innovative positioning ideas. She emphasizes that true differentiation in today's crowded market doesn't come from superficial branding but from a fundamental reorganization of the business model itself. This conversation is a masterclass in strategic thinking, offering invaluable insights for any entrepreneur ready to transform their business from simply operating to truly dominating their space.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we dive into the world of AI-driven LinkedIn strategy with David Steel. David, a certified "LinkedIn nerd" and technology expert, shares his journey from systems engineer to founder of EveryoneLinked, where he helps impact-focused leaders and B2B companies build sustainable businesses through targeted branding and client acquisition on the world's largest professional network.

David provides actionable insights on optimizing your LinkedIn persona, leveraging Sales Navigator for precise outreach, and using the platform for top-tier recruiting. He also discusses the profound impact of AI on content creation and marketing, advocating for a mindset of curiosity and ethical application. Beyond business, David opens up about his philanthropic passions, including his ocean-side podcast "Going Deeper" and his work building a nursery and culinary school at an orphanage in Baja, highlighting his core mission to give back.