Founders Future

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we meet Kirsty Fanton, a strategist and ex-psychotherapist who leverages her unique background to help online business owners master their communication. Kirsty shares her journey from working in palliative care to becoming a sought-after launch copywriter and now a coach who focuses on all points of communication—from sales copy and pitches to team management and podcast appearances. She delves into the common pitfalls she sees entrepreneurs make when scaling, emphasizing the critical mistake of removing themselves from the nurture process and the importance of staying as the visible, magnetic face of their business.

Kirsty opens up about her effective, relationship-driven approach to business, which includes capping her group coaching program at 16 members to foster deep, therapeutic-level work. She reveals her preferred marketing channel is not a social media platform but her email list, which she has mastered to create personalized, authentic connections. Listeners will learn about her strategies for leveraging organic traffic and word-of-mouth marketing, her plans to increase visibility through speaking and podcasts, and why the key to growth often lies in combining scientific insight with genuine human connection.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we meet Sarah Dower, the founder of SGD Body and Beauty. Sarah shares her unique journey from a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry to a holistic health and wellness coach. She explains how her background in R&D, formulating topical products, sparked her fascination with the connection between what we put on our skin and our overall health, leading her to explore the powerful links between gut health, nutrition, exercise, and mental wellbeing long before it became a mainstream topic.

Sarah details the evolution of her business, which began with wedding makeup services and naturally expanded into a comprehensive coaching practice. She discusses her current hybrid model, which includes an affordable online course, a premium group coaching program, and access to high-quality wellness products. Sarah’s mission is to empower busy professional women in their 30s, 40s, and beyond to "have it all" by boosting their energy, confidence, and health through a science-backed, holistic approach that connects the mind, body, and skin.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we sit down with Cole Zesiger, a relationship and breakup coach who turned his personal struggles with divorce and rejection into a mission to help others. Cole shares his incredible journey from a pre-med student to building a massive online following by creating authentic, actionable content on TikTok. He delves into his unique coaching methodology, which emphasizes "no contact," understanding personal patterns, and community support through his "Healing Project" group. Cole also discusses his vision for the future, including scaling his team of coaches and creating in-person retreats, and gives us a sneak peek into his upcoming book, "X's and No's: The Breakup Advice You Don't Want to Hear."

Cole opens up about the pivotal moment he realized his medical background was the perfect foundation for his coaching career, allowing him to help people in crisis with empathy and practical tools. He provides invaluable advice for organic social media growth, stressing the critical importance of a strong hook, authentic storytelling, and delivering real, actionable value to your audience. The conversation also covers the challenges and rewards of building a team, from hiring salespeople to bringing on another coach, and how these steps have been crucial for scaling his impactful business.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we are joined by Angelina Frost, a purpose-focused leadership consultant and executive coach. Angelina shares her unique journey from executive talent acquisition to her current work helping leaders and organizations overcome burnout and internal barriers. She eloquently defines the critical difference between consulting and coaching, emphasizing her philosophy that clients are not broken but possess their own hidden intelligence and answers. Angelina also reveals her powerful approach to client engagement, including her signature 2-hour complimentary coaching session designed to deliver "mad value" from the very start.

Angelina delves into her specific focus on combating burnout, especially among women and mom-professionals in leadership roles. She explains how burnout is not an end but an opportunity for transformation and outlines her future vision of facilitating intimate mastermind groups. These groups leverage the power of community and shared experience to create profound, sustainable change, helping high-achieving leaders shift from merely surviving to truly thriving in their careers and lives.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we sit down with Daria Astanaeva, a personal branding and Instagram monetization expert. Daria shares her journey from the corporate world of influencer marketing to becoming a successful entrepreneur, detailing the "scary step" of leaving a job she enjoyed to pursue greater freedom and build a business aligned with her long-term vision. She opens up about the realities of being a modern entrepreneur, the importance of building a team, and her ambitious goal to scale and eventually sell her content creation agency.

Daria delivers invaluable advice for coaches and service providers, challenging the myth that a massive social media following is necessary for success. She explains the critical difference between the "width" and "depth" of an audience, emphasizing that building deep trust, authority, and credibility with a smaller, engaged community is far more powerful for attracting clients than chasing follower counts. She provides actionable strategies for creating a cohesive brand story and nurturing genuine relationships online to transform a social media presence into a profitable and sustainable venture.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we sit down with Christine Song, the founder of 5 to 9 Society. Christine shares her journey from a 20-year career in HR and venture-backed startups to creating an exclusive community for high-performing operators, founders, and investors. She reveals the inspiration behind the society, which was to recreate the powerful, behind-closed-doors networking she experienced in her corporate executive years, but in a more inclusive and structured format.

Christine delves into the meticulous, hands-on process of vetting every member to ensure a community of givers, not just takers. She explains how 5 to 9 Society fosters meaningful connections through intimate, curated events and confidential mastermind sessions where leaders can discuss both professional and personal challenges. Looking ahead, Christine outlines her ambitious vision to expand the society from its Toronto roots into six new cities within six months, all while maintaining a strict cap on membership to preserve its exclusive value and intimate nature.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we dive into the world of Chris Schwager, founder of Complete Video Success System | Ridge Films. Chris shares his incredible journey from shooting his first wedding at age 13 to building a leading video production company in Australia. He details the pivotal shift his business underwent, moving from traditional on-location video services to a specialized global niche: the "desktop video studio." This system, combined with dedicated coaching, empowers founders and professionals to show up confidently and consistently on camera, overcoming the universal struggles of tech, messaging, and performance anxiety to build trust and visibility.

Chris opens up about the profound personal and business transformation that followed a near-death experience in 2023, leading to a period of "post-traumatic growth" where he refined his business model with intense focus. He provides a masterclass in niching down, discussing the current marketing strategies that drive his success, including the power of video ads and organic relationship building. The conversation also explores the future threats and opportunities in video, particularly the rise of AI, and why human confidence and connection will always be the ultimate edge for entrepreneurs.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we meet Kary Perry, a social brand coach with a Fortune 500 background who helps entrepreneurs build magnetic and authentic businesses. Kary opens up about her own journey from a high-achieving corporate career at Procter & Gamble to a moment of burnout that left her questioning her path, despite outward success. She shares how she stepped away to reconnect with her values and now uses her expertise to help others, particularly women, build businesses that feel good, are aligned with their personal lives, and utilize effective brand, content, and sales strategies distilled from big-business principles.

Kary delves into her unique approach to marketing, explaining why she primarily uses Instagram to create a "bingeable" page that guides potential clients through the entire customer journey. She reveals her powerful content strategy that moves beyond just attraction or conversion posts and emphasizes the critical "nurturing" content in between. Listeners will also get a masterclass in her simple yet highly effective "Follow Me" ad strategy for rapid, targeted audience growth on social media, and her philosophy on making impactful coaching accessible through focused, high-value engagements.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Zach Young, we are joined by Nikki Nichols, PhD, owner and principal coach at Future Focused Coaching. Nikki shares her journey from being a professor and academic advisor to launching her personalized, concierge-level coaching service that guides high school students and their parents through the stressful college admissions process. She delves into her unique, student-centric approach that focuses on finding the right "college fit" and helping applicants tell their authentic stories with confidence, rather than just targeting prestigious names.

Nikki discusses the operational side of her new business, explaining her strategic decision to work with only a handful of students at a time to provide deeply customized support. She also opens up about her goals for scaling Future Focused Coaching, the challenges of balancing entrepreneurship with a full-time professorship, and her plans to expand her services beyond college admissions into areas like public speaking and interview coaching in the future.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we are joined by Jennifer Cowley, the founder of Peak Women. Jennifer shares her inspiring journey from working in economic recovery for the Australian government to launching a dual-focused business that empowers women in the workplace. She delves into the core of her mission: combining leadership coaching with her fashion brand to help women in middle management overcome imposter syndrome and build unshakable confidence. Jennifer explains the powerful concept of "enclothed cognition" and how intentional dressing serves as a practical tool for women to step into their leadership presence and stop making themselves small.

The conversation explores the structure of Jennifer's coaching programs, which are designed to help clients identify deep-seated confidence blocks, discover their unique value, and cultivate a strong leadership identity over a 6 to 12-month journey. She also discusses the exciting launch of her new Peak Women clothing line and her goals to expand her reach. Jennifer opens up about the personal challenges of balancing entrepreneurship with family life and her ultimate goal of building a business that allows her to replace her corporate income while making a significant impact on women's professional lives.