In this episode, Marissa and Lior dig into one of the hardest parts of running a fractional CTO practice: setting boundaries that actually build trust instead of eroding it. They unpack why overwhelm is usually a systems problem, not a capacity problem, and how saying “yes” to everything quietly turns you into a glorified gopher instead of a strategic leader. You’ll hear concrete examples of reshaping communication expectations, eliminating low-value standing meetings, defining personal non-negotiables, and knowing when a client has crossed a line enough times to become a former client. If you’ve ever felt like every client is a hungry child tugging at your sleeve, this conversation will help you design a calmer, more intentional practice.

You’ll learn:

Why clear boundaries are essential to being seen as a leader instead of a doer across multiple clients.

How to treat overwhelm as a signal to improve planning, meeting cadence, and alerting systems—not work more hours.

The most common boundary mistakes fractional leaders make, from saying yes to everything to overcommitting on communication.

How to respond when clients repeatedly cross boundaries, including defining non-negotiables and gracefully ending engagements.

Practical first boundaries to set—like cancelling standing meetings and dropping “guaranteed” response times—to quickly relieve pressure.

If you’re a Fractional CTO—or any kind of visionary leader—this conversation is a must-listen.

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In this episode, Marissa and Lior zoom out from tools and tactics to examine your real leverage as a leader: how you think. They unpack the idea of treating your mind as an operating system, exploring epistemology, mental models, and the tiny shifts in thought that compound into huge differences in outcomes. Through concrete examples from fractional CTO work—like moving from being in control to truly being in charge, integrating head, heart, and gut in hiring, and handling uncertainty with principles rather than panic—you’ll get practical ways to audit your decisions, realign your time with what you actually want, and upgrade the thinking that drives every action you take as a technologist and fractional CTO today.

You’ll learn:

How to observe your own thinking retrospectively so you understand how you’re coming to conclusions as a leader.

The difference between being “in control” and being “in charge,” and why great CTOs need to get out of the driver’s seat to scale.

How to integrate brain, heart, and gut intelligence—especially in high-stakes hiring and firing decisions.

How to handle risk vs true uncertainty by relying on principles and structure instead of chasing perfect data.

A simple cadence to review your goals, calendar, and actions so you can continuously upgrade your “mental code.”

If you’re a Fractional CTO—or any kind of visionary leader—this conversation is a must-listen.

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In this episode, Marissa and Lior reframe failure as a core leadership asset, not a personal defect. They explore why the leaders people trust most aren’t the ones who never mess up—but the ones who own their decisions, explain their intent, and stay honest about what went wrong. You’ll hear how “failing spectacularly” in front of your team creates psychological safety, invites shared learning, and actually strengthens your reputation over time. They unpack practical ways to separate your self-worth from your business outcomes, run healing retrospectives, and decide when to push through, pivot, or walk away from stalled initiatives.

You’ll learn:

How admitting mistakes openly can deepen trust with clients, teams, and partners instead of damaging your reputation.

A practical way to talk about failure using intent, ownership, and clear “here’s what I’d do differently next time” framing.

How to run team retrospectives that turn “colossal cascading failures” into shared insight and systemic improvements.

Why underestimating the necessary volume and consistency of effort leads many Fractional CTOs to quit too early.

How to create an environment where mistakes are expected, processed together, and used to drive progress rather than guilt.

If you’re a Fractional CTO—or any kind of visionary leader—this conversation is a must-listen.

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In this episode , Marissa and Lior unpack what it really means to build a “habitat for inspiration” as a founder, rather than chasing rare, one-off moments of motivation. They explore how your everyday environment, community, and business model can either fuel creativity or quietly drain it, and why protecting your energy is a core leadership skill, not a luxury. You’ll hear stories about curating the people around you, shifting your physical space, aligning work with your passions, and knowing when to hit the reset button before inspiration turns into obligation—all so you can stay curious, energized, and effective long after the startup honeymoon phase fades, with practical habits you can start applying in your week immediately.

You’ll learn:

How to rethink inspiration as a daily habitat you intentionally design, instead of something that only happens on rare retreats or vacations.

How to tune your environment—desk, quotes, music, temperature, and sensory cues—so it naturally nudges you into creative, idea-generating mode.

How curating a community of proactive, open-minded people expands your sense of what’s possible and makes momentum contagious.

How to avoid the trap of hubris by seeking perspectives outside your bubble and using conversation to unlock stuck problems.

How to align your business model with your passions, filter out energy-draining work, and use audits and resets before inspiration turns into obligation.

If you’re a Fractional CTO—or any kind of visionary leader—this conversation is a must-listen.

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In this episode, Marissa and Lior break down how top Fractional CTOs move beyond retainers to build wealth through equity, revenue share, and performance-based upside. Leor shares how reframing your value around business outcomes—rather than hours or deliverables—changes everything about how clients perceive and reward your impact. You’ll learn how to structure deals that feel like win-wins, turn risk into trust, and align your compensation with measurable growth. Whether you’re new to fractional work or looking to elevate your deal strategy, this episode gives you a practical playbook for negotiating upside without sounding defensive or discounting your worth.

You’ll learn:

Why retainers are a starting point—not the ceiling—for your fractional income.

How to position yourself as a growth partner, not a cost center.

Three proven models for upside: revenue share, performance bonuses, and enterprise value.

How to protect yourself while maintaining trust and flexibility.

Conversation tactics that create instant win-win energy with CEOs.

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Fractional CTOs don’t stall because they fail—they stall because they freeze. In this episode, Marissa and Lior reframe “no” as useful signal, not a verdict, and show how high-performing CTOs build momentum by stacking rejections, extracting feedback, and iterating fast. You’ll learn why ten consistent “nos” beat silence, how to track them objectively, and how to swap campaign thinking for true experiments with clear hypotheses, stop conditions, and next steps. Leor shares a client story where pushing past an initial “no” flipped a major contract, plus practical ways to protect your mindset, reduce scope on tough days, and keep your growth system moving. Actionable, candid, and immediately applicable for deal flow and resilience.

You’ll learn:

If you’re a Fractional CTO—or any kind of visionary leader—this conversation is a must-listen.

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In this episode, Marissa and Lior go deeper than “impostor syndrome” to unpack what it really takes to start serving at a high level—before you feel ready. They reframe confidence as a byproduct of action, emphasizing minimum viable expertise, outcome ownership, and the core CTO skill: figure-out-ability. You’ll hear how to shift attention from people to problems, protect your confidence with evidence folders, and use humility as a strategic advantage. Lior contrasts mastery with expertise, champions delegation and the “who, not how” muscle, and explains why most SMB clients buy results, not résumés. If you’re building a fractional practice, this is a practical, mindset-first blueprint for showing up, activating teams, and delivering measurable impact.

You’ll learn:

Shift attention from “who’s watching” to the problem—map outcomes, steps A→B→C, and watch impostor feelings drop.

Aim for minimum viable expertise, not mastery—know the next “rock,” name the gaps, and call domain specialists when needed.

Lead humans, not code—clients buy outcomes over résumés; build people leadership and the ability to activate teams.

Protect confidence—keep an evidence folder (“cookie jar”) of wins, quotes, and artifacts to review and reuse in marketing.

Scale with “who, not how”—delegate, cultivate figure-out-ability, and treat hesitation as curiosity to fuel innovation.

In this episode, Marissa and Lior dig into a deceptively simple leadership filter: before you act, ask whether a rule is policy, preference, or regulation—and why it exists. From the “new leader grace period” to cutting through acronym soup, they show how fractional CTOs earn trust by questioning assumptions, depersonalizing debates, and reframing requests in business terms. You’ll hear practical ways to set decision criteria, protect engineers from whiplash, educate stakeholders on product process, and handle compliance with calm, cost-aware judgment—sometimes even choosing to pay a small fine instead of adding costly overhead. If you help companies ship, scale, and stay sane, this conversation gives you language, frameworks, and confidence to lead change in real, complex environments today.

You’ll learn:

How to use the “policy vs preference vs regulation” question to unblock decisions and avoid blind rule-following.

Tactics for the first 60–90 days: earn grace, decode acronyms, map “untouchables,” and build buy-in with levity.

A simple decision lens: revenue, savings, or risk—plus criteria for true urgency and sequencing.

Practical compliance mindset: treat it like a guard dog, assess cost versus risk, and when paying the fine makes sense.

Coaching the business: translate ideas into requirements, flows, estimates, and cadence; protect engineers from whiplash by inserting process.

This episode challenges the myth that AI can “eat the vegetables” of a fractional CTO practice. Marissa and Lior break down the non-delegable work—discernment in prospecting, trust-building in sales, and real-time leadership—while showing where AI truly accelerates: prep, polish, and follow-up. Listeners get a clear, practical lens for balancing automation with human judgment, focusing efforts for signal and learning, and protecting credibility in high-stakes decisions.

You’ll learn:

A simple lens to separate “automate this” vs. “requires my judgment” in your funnel.

Why contracts follow contact—and how discernment drives prospecting, messaging, and closes.

How to avoid “AI outsourcing” traps, including a real example of LLM hallucination costing an opportunity.

The focus-over-frameworks play: niche, volume, iteration, and learning loops that compound.

The hard no’s: never let AI pitch your proposal or lead in key moments—use it to prep and follow up instead.

If you’re a Fractional CTO—or any kind of visionary leader—this conversation is a must-listen.

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Going solo as a Fractional CTO may feel bold, but in reality, it’s often the slow and costly route. In this episode, Marissa and Lior explore why doing everything yourself isn’t a badge of honor—and how community, proven frameworks, and mentorship can accelerate growth. They break down the hidden opportunity costs of trial-and-error, the common traps solo founders fall into, and why accountability and structure are essential for scaling without burnout. Real success stories show how tech leaders have replaced salaries in weeks, unlocked freedom in their schedules, and built thriving practices with less stress. If you’ve been white-knuckling your way through, this episode will reframe what’s possible when you stop going it alone.

You’ll learn:

Why “figure-it-out” mentality slows your growth without a framework

How to avoid common traps like equity-only deals and underestimating sales effort

The true cost of going solo: wasted years, lost income, and decision fatigue

How community, mentorship, and shared playbooks accelerate traction

Practical examples of reframing proposals to increase income and reduce delivery time

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