The Jason Cavness Experience

Jalonnie Givens - Republican Precinct Committee Officer (440) HillTop Tacoma, Vice President of the Virginia Taylor Club and former House Rep Candidate

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to www.thejasoncavnessexperience.com for the full episode and other episodes of The Jason Cavness Experience on your favorite platforms.

CavnessHR - CavnessHR delivers HR companies with 49 or fewer people with our HR platform and by providing you access to your own HRBP.

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Jalonnie's Bio

Raised in Seattle Central District.

Grew up within the gang life.

Became homeless and separated from my family at 15 years old.

Lived on his own hopping couch to couch all the way until he was 17.

Stepped away from gang life at 24.

Also, around the same time, he became a homeowner.

Became a political activist around 26 years old.

Became a Republican around 27 and Precinct Committee Officer around the same year.

Ran for office at 29.

Became Vice President for the Virginia tailor club after that election.

We talk about the following among a few other subjects

Growing up in Seattle's Central District

Gang Life

Harry Potter and Star Wars

Becoming involved in Politics

Being a Republican

Jalonnie's Social Media

Jalonnie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jalonnie-givens-3508a320b/

Jalonnies's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realjalonniegivens/

Jalonnie's Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realjalonniegivens

Jalonnie's Advice

I've learned that everybody feels that you can be too young in order to run for office. But at the end of the day, a lot of these people that have been running for office, their ages don't really mean nothing. Because you could just be alive for a lot longer and be wrong for just as long. Just do your own research and do your best to try to help out everybody that you can. Just give them a little bit of time because I know it took me a minute to finally get my head straight being a former Democrat and gang member.

Charlie Cotugno - Seattle's Headshot Specialist

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CavnessHR - CavnessHR delivers HR companies with 49 or fewer people with our HR platform and by providing you access to your own HRBP. www.CavnessHR.com

Charlie's Bio

Born in Boston, grew up in Weymouth, MA. Graduated H.S. in 1979 and moved to NY to attend Adelphi University just outside of NYC to major in acting. Graduated from Adelphi in 1983 and moved to London. Spent about a year in London working as an actor. Moved back to NYC in 1984 and spent the next five years working as an actor, director, and writer.

Also worked as a bass player doing studio work, touring, and working with local musicians. Additionally, worked as an audio engineer. After a life changing event earlier in the year, moved to L.A. in late '89 and continued my career as a working musician, actor, and audio engineer.

In late 1994, newly married and with our first child on the way, took a job at Microsoft as a video teleconferencing engineer and spent the next 20 years at Microsoft working in several capacities: engineer, project manager, program manager, service manager, team manager, etc. I had been working on and off as a professional photographer since 1978; my first professional gig was photographing the band Queen at the Boston Garden for a small local music magazine.

I continued photographing bands as well as people throughout the 80s and in 1994 decided I wanted to eventually make photography my primary career within five years. In 1999, the same year I opened my business to work concurrently with my job at Microsoft, my son was diagnosed with autism which put my plans to open my business on hold as we needed the benefits. That proved to be the right choice as, thanks to all the therapies Microsoft afforded us, my son became a normal "pain-in-the-ass" teenager is now, at age twenty-four, considered one of the top up and coming jazz saxophonists on the West Coast.

In 2008, I created a project called "Stories of Autism" which, over the next ten years, documented the lives of families with members on the autism spectrum by creating and exhibiting portraits and stories of each family's experience. The project became a non-profit organization involving over 250 photographers across the country and documenting the lives of over 500 subjects.

The images were exhibited across the country as well as in an online gallery. In 2014, I was part of a mass layoff at Microsoft and decided to go full time into my photography business working mostly as a commercial photographer. In the summer of 2019, I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease which causes intermittent hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo.

The episodes of vertigo became too unpredictable to work as a commercial photographer with thousands of dollars on the line. Knowing that the unpredictability of the vertigo episodes would be a risk to my business, during the pandemic I began studying the methods of Peter Hurley, considered the best headshot photographer in the world.

Then, in January of 2022, I transitioned my commercial photography business into a business focused almost entirely on headshots. Unexpectedly, that year became my most successful ever for my business and I'm looking to continue its growth in 2023.

We talk about the following among a few other subjects

Living in London

Working as an actor and a musician

His life changing experience

Living in NYC vs LA

His son

Photography

Charlie's Social Media

Charlie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlescotugno/

His website: https://cotugnophoto.com/

Charlie's Twitter: @CotugnoPhoto

Charlie's Advice

If you're looking to me for that wisdom, you may be looking in the wrong place. I know my limits and limitations.

Levi Reed - Managing Director of Founder Institute Seattle, Ex-Amazon does a deep dive into CavnessHR Marketing, Sales and Business Development

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www.thejasoncavnessexperience.com

for the full episode and other episodes of The Jason Cavness Experience on your favorite platforms.

CavnessHR - CavnessHR delivers HR companies with 49 or fewer people with our HR platform and by providing you access to your own HRBP. www.CavnessHR.com

Levi's Bio

I graduated from Wells College in upstate NY, near the dairy farm where I grew up. Both of my parents were small business owners and I had a strong interest in the vein. After working in the wine industry in NY for a couple years and then in government, I studied for my MS in Communications at Ithaca College and started a marketing practice.

That got me interested in startups and tech, and ultimately I decided to do an MBA at ESADE in Barcelona. I was fortunate enough to land an internship with Amazon in Luxembourg and then a full time offer after graduation, and in 2016 I moved to Seattle to start at Amazon. I was there for another 4.5 years, mostly leading product marketing teams across several businesses including Amazon Lending, Amazon Advertising, and Devices (Echo).

I also held roles with the Retail business and Amazon Launchpad. I am about to begin my new role as Managing Director for Founder Institute Seattle.

We talk about the following among a few other subjects

Various tools to use

CavnessHR Marketing

CavnessHR process

Seattle FundRaising Panel on Apr 5

Founder Institute Seattle

Levi's Social Media

Levi's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/levireed/

Levi's Email: [email protected]

Levi's Advice Think about your ICP, think about your value proposition. Think about your positioning, everything flows from those.

Leanne Linsky Founder/CEO at Plauzzable, Inc., Master of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, UCI

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Leanne's Bio

Leanne is the Founder and CEO of Plauzzable, a live online entertainment platform for transforming engagement between comedians and their fans. Give and get laughs - LIVE stand up comedy from anywhere! Plauzzable is an online platform for stand-up comedians and comedy fans.

Comedians can schedule and produce their own shows, receive audience feedback, and grow a global fan base. Comedy fans can sort through a talent directory, stream LIVE performances, and enjoy LIVE comedy with friends. Comedians and fans can see and hear each other in real-time without audio delays or cut-outs.

Originally from Waukegan, Illinois, Leanne studied comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade, the Magnet Theater, The Second City, and IO Chicago. She wrote, performed, and produced her critically acclaimed one-woman show, produced and hosted a comedy open mic for over 7 years, and produced and hosted a weekly stand-up show in New York City. In 2015 Leanne moved to California where she continued producing shows, opened an online store, and co-hosted a podcast. It was fun, but she missed the opportunities and connections that New York offered her as an aspiring artist.

Because everything in California is so spread out, Leanne found herself spending more time on the freeway than on stage. So in August 2019 (Before COVID), she decided to take her comedy online – only to discover new challenges with existing technologies. It was then she decided to take matters into her own hands and Plauzzable was born.

Leanne has earned a Master of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (MIE) degree at the University of California, Irvine. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Leanne is also a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and with CoachVille.

She has participated in The Wayfinder Incubator, Long Beach Accelerator, and WTIA's Founder Program.

We talk about the following among a few other subjects

Accelerators/Incubators

Pitching

Comedy

Plauzzable

Leanne's Social Media

Leanne's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanne-linsky/

Plauzzable: https://plauzzable.com/landing

Plauzzable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plauzzable/

Plauzzable Twitter: https://twitter.com/plauzzable/

Leanne's Advice

So advice, I would say keep a good sense of humor, especially in entrepreneurship. Lots of material to be had. I just think keeping a sense of humor. Also my goal is trying to get more steps in my day and not just to the bathroom in the kitchen.

Byron Robinson - 2016 U.S. Olympics Team - CEO of Robinson X Holdings - Parent company of Robinson & Co Banking and Robinson Asset Management

Go to www.thejasoncavnessexperience.com for the full episode and other episodes of The Jason Cavness Experience on your favorite platforms.

CavnessHR - CavnessHR delivers HR companies with 49 or fewer people with our HR platform and by providing you access to your own HRBP. www.CavnessHR.com

Byron's Bio

Byron Robinson is a renowned business magnate and major boutique player in the financial services industry, with a diverse background in finance, sports, and real estate. Before entering the business world, Byron was a world-class athlete, competing in the Olympic Games in the 400m hurdles.

Today, Byron is the CEO of a holding company that houses both the investment bank Robinson & Co Banking and the asset management firm Robinson Asset Management Other interests include Physical fitness Chess The arts He has received numerous awards and honors, and has been featured in prominent media outlets for his success in business and his commitment to excellence.

We talk about the following among a few other subjects

The recent bank failures

Sacrificing everything for your dream

Being a U.S. Olympic athlete

Robinson & Co Banking and Robinson X Holdings

Entrepreneurship

Byron's Social Media

Byron's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byron-robinson-oly/

Byron's Instagram: therealbswagg

Byron's Twitter: @therealbswagg

Byron's Email: [email protected]

Byron's Advice

I would tell someone, especially younger people. Just double down on something and don't give up. It just sounds basic, right? But you need to really double down on what it is, whoever it is, and double down on what it is you want to do and not give up.

This episode of The Jason Cavness Experience is from my talk with Susanna Keilman - Former U.S. Air Force Medic, Healthcare Professional, Former Candidate for Washington State Representative 28th District

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CavnessHR - CavnessHR delivers HR companies with 49 or fewer people with our HR platform and by providing you access to your own HRBP. www.CavnessHR.com

Susanna's Bio

Susanna Keilman is a former U.S. Air Force medic, twice deployed to the Middle East, with 22 years in a successful career in healthcare and strategic partnerships in biotechnology and clinical research.

She is the daughter of a first-generation Korean immigrant, and World War II and Korean War Veteran dad. Susanna has an MBA in Healthcare Management and a Master's in political science.

She serves as an executive board member for women in Bioscience, is a member of the American Legion post 53, and Steilacoom Kiwanis. I

In 2021, Susanna lost a race for Dupont City Council and in 2022 lost to the incumbent for State Representative in the 28th district.

We talk about the following among a few other subjects

Women in BioScience

Politics Clinical

Research

Being an USAF Veteran

Susanna's Social Media

Susanna's FB: https://www.facebook.com/susannakeilman/

Susanna's Advice If you are thinking about getting involved in politics, please reach out to your local district party members. Please reach out to candidates that have been there before. Please do not think that you are not qualified. We need more regular people to be involved in politics so that we don't have these politicians that are out of touch.

This episode of The Jason Cavness Experience is from my talk with Eddie Mazariegos Founder @ Future Gen | X-MGT Consultant | Eagle Scout | Gen Z Career Exploration

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www.thejasoncavnessexperience.com

for the full episode and other episodes of The Jason Cavness Experience on your favorite platforms.

Our Sponsor

CavnessHR - CavnessHR delivers HR companies with 49 or fewer people with our HR platform and by providing you access to your own HRBP.

www.CavnessHR.com

Eddie's Bio

Eddie Mazariegos is the Founder of Future Gen - a Gen Z career exploration platform for high schoolers. Before building Future Gen, he was a mergers and acquisitions management consultant traveling the country one hotel at a time. However, over the years he's found a love for the question, "What do you want to do in the future?" And has built multiple mentorship, career exploration, and company culture programs in university and company settings across the years.

Some other fun facts about Eddie is that he is an Eagle Scout. His favorite all-time marvel super hero is Spiderman. And no one can cook better enchiladas than his mother.

We talk about the following among a few other subjects

Future Gen

Being an Eagle Scout

Spider-Man

What is Gen Z

Eddie's Social Media

Future Gen Website: https://www.futuregenxyz.com/

Eddie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmazariegos/

Eddie's Advice

I think something that has to be spoken about is that I think you should be proud. Be proud of what you do. If you're proud of what you do, then you're able to go ahead. I believe that's fuel for you to go ahead and always keep going.

If you're great at music, even though people are telling you that's not going to give you the job, or if you love helping others or making people look good. I would say go for 100%.

Because you'd be surprised where that leads you. Again, if you're proud of what you do, then that encourages your curiosity, that encourages you to explore further, and you become so passionate in what you do.

This episode of The Jason Cavness Experience is a replay of my talk with Dr. Spencer Cohen - Principal and Founder of High Peak Strategy LLC

This episode can be found at the following places Go to www.thejasoncavnessexperience.com for the full episode and other episodes of The Jason Cavness Experience on your favorite platforms.

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CavnessHR - CavnessHR delivers HR companies with 49 or fewer people with our HR platform and by providing you access to your own HRBP. www.CavnessHR.com

Spencer's Bio Dr.

Spencer Cohen is principal and founder of High Peak Strategy LLC, an economics and research consulting firm based in Seattle, Washington specializing in regional economic analysis, international trade research, and U.S.-China relations. High Peak Strategy LLC works with a diverse range of clients, including ports, economic development organizations, engineering firms, industry and trade associations, and local governments. Spencer brings 14 years' experience in consulting, policy, and economic research.

He is a 2021-2023 Public Intellectuals Program fellow with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and affiliate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Washington.

Spencer is a recognized expert on regional economic analysis, port economic impacts, U.S.-China trade and economic relations, China's economy, industry clusters, and international trade. Dr. Cohen is a frequent public speaker on issues relating to U.S.-China relations, China's Belt and Road Initiative, international trade, industry impact analysis, and regional economic trends.

He has written opinion pieces in the South China Morning Post, The Daily Guardian (India), Puget Sound Business Journal, and Seattle Business Magazine. He has been a presenter on U.S.-China relations, trade policy, and the Belt and Road Initiative to various audiences, including the U.S. Heartland China Association and Washington State China Relations Council.

Dr. Cohen has a PhD in economic geography from the University of Washington, where his research examined land markets and local government finance in China. His research entailed intensive use of Chinese language government documents and reports, academic research, and news outlets.

He has advanced fluency in Mandarin Chinese (spoken and reading). He is a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and actively involved with the Washington State China Relations Council.

We talk about the following among a few other subjects Economic impact modeling High Peak Strategy LLC Supply disruptions China-U.S. relationship China in Africa China-Taiwan

Spencer's Social Media

Spencer's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-cohen-phd-%E6%9F%AF%E8%A5%BF%E6%9C%AC-%E5%8D%9A%E5%A3%AB-4651469/

Company Website: https://highpeakstrategy.com/

This episode of The Jason Cavness Experience is a replay of my talk with Renee Radcliff Sinclair - President/CEO of TVW, Washington's national award-winning public affairs media network

Go www.thejasoncavnessexperience.com for the full episode and other episodes of The Jason Cavness Experience on your favorite platforms.

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CavnessHR - CavnessHR delivers HR companies with 49 or fewer people with our HR platform and by providing you access to your own HRBP.

www.CavnessHR.com

Renee's Bio

Renee Radcliff Sinclair is president and CEO of TVW, Washington's national award-winning public affairs media network. TVW provides unfiltered, unedited gavel-to-gavel cable television and web-streaming coverage of the Washington State Legislature, Supreme Court, executive branch, state boards and commissions, elections, and public policy events of statewide significance as well as a variety of award-winning produced programs and documentaries.

Prior to joining TVW, Renee spent 14 years as a journalist, followed by four successful elections to the Washington State House of Representatives. While serving in the Legislature she garnered a number of prestigious awards and honors, including being named to the American Council of Young Political Leaders and as a fellow to the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.

Since retiring from public office, Renee has served in policy leadership roles with the American

Electronics Association, the US Chamber of Commerce, and Apple. She is a regularly featured speaker at national and international events and has published numerous policy opinions in local, regional and national publications.

Renee has served as a volunteer with a number of local government, humanitarian and workforce efforts over the years and continues to serve her community through a variety of policy-related, community-based activities.

We talk about the following among a few other subjects

TVW

Her time in the Washington State of Representatives

How to become a journalist

Career politicians

Sunshine week

Renee's Social Media

Renee's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneer2/

Renee's Email: [email protected]

Renee's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sinclair_R

TVW Website: https://tvw.org/

TVW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJfdBErVr7q8xoeYanwdniA

TVW Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tvwnews/

Renee's Advice

It's hard to run for public office. But I encourage people if you really have an interest in policy and moving your communities forward and positive ways to look at it. I'm always happy to talk with anybody about what it takes to run.

I've given you all my social media connections, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to talk about that. If you really want to make a difference in your community. Step up and do it.

This episode of The Jason Cavness Experience is a replay of my talk with Levi Reed - Site Director, CDL-Seattle | ex-Amazon product marketing

Go www.thejasoncavnessexperience.com for the full episode and other episodes of The Jason Cavness Experience on your favorite platforms

Our Affiliates

Close.com - If you hate your sales CRM or know that you inevitably need to make a change because what you have is not working, certainly check out Close. It's quick and easy to set up and sales rep adoption is extremely high!

Give their trial a shot

PeopleKeep - If your company has 49 or fewer employees a PeopleKeep personalized benefits advisor can evaluate whether a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) is right for your business. Reach out today to get your questions answered.

https://www.peoplekeep.com/cavnesshr

Everee Payroll - Run payroll or contractor payments from anywhere in seconds with just one swipe on a mobile app. Focus on growing your business instead of on compliance. We remit, file and report on federal, state, local and unemployment insurance taxes, as well as handle your W2s and 1099s.

https://offers.everee.com/cavness-hr

CavnessHR - CavnessHR delivers HR companies with 49 or fewer people with our HR platform and by providing you access to your own HRBP. www.CavnessHR.com

Levi's Bio

I graduated from Wells College in upstate NY, near the dairy farm where I grew up. Both of my parents were small business owners and I had a strong interest in the vein. After working in the wine industry in NY for a couple years and then in government, I studied for my MS in Communications at Ithaca College and started a marketing practice. That got me interested in startups and tech, and ultimately I decided to do an MBA at ESADE in Barcelona.

I was fortunate enough to land an internship with Amazon in Luxembourg and then a full time offer after graduation, and in 2016 I moved to Seattle to start at Amazon. I was there for another 4.5 years, mostly leading product marketing teams across several businesses including Amazon Lending, Amazon Advertising, and Devices (Echo). I also held roles with the Retail business and Amazon Launchpad.

I left to join one of the largest hearing care companies globally, to build and launch a customer-facing brand. Unfortunately that didn't work out (happy to go into why, it's not sensitive) and I left to join Eunimart as a late cofounder leading marketing, sales, and GTM in the US.

Levi's Social Media

Levi's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/levireed/

Levi's Email: [email protected]

We talk about the following

How he became interested in tech and startups

Founder Institute

Startup investing

Growing up on a Dairy Farm

Working in Barcelona

Levi's Advice

I want to reiterate what I said before. I think it's really important to recognize your priorities and recognize your limits. I think it's important to think about limits. Limits are real, and they exist. But they're also typically malleable. As you're growing as a professional, if you're thinking about going into startups. I think it's always an exciting experience to find your limits and test them and then figure out a plan to expand your capacity in certain areas if you want to. I think it's a question of balancing reality with pragmatism with optimism. I'd say that's something that's pretty top of mind for me lately. As I'm finding, I'm testing my own limits and capacities in this new experience.