Makena Finger Zannini, Founder of The Boutique COO, joins Breaking the Bottleneck for a grounded conversation on values-driven leadership and the gray areas founders have to navigate as they grow.

She opens up about her three core non-negotiables:

Integrity: doing the right thing even when no one’s looking

Transparency: direct, honest communication without weaponizing “directness”

Mutual respect: treating everyone like a human who deserves dignity

Makena also shares:

• The three principles that anchor how she leads
• About keeping to your standards even when it means losing money, time, and relationships
• How to identify cult-adjacent behavior in entrepreneurial spaces
• What distinguishes grounded leadership from dogmatic leadership
• Why she invites and integrates feedback constantly, even when it’s uncomfortable
• The role evidence-based mindset work plays in sustainable entrepreneurship
• Why she installed a personal “board of directors” to call her out and tell her the truth

“You have to be comfortable living in the gray.”

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