Real Leaders

Lisa Weinstein had reached a point in her career where she'd covered most of the ground in advertising, from executive positions in global advertising firms to leading a major roll-up in the ad-tech space. After grabbing a number of brass rings in her industry, Lisa made a huge jump to lead a company she had been advising, Curiosity.com. Hear about her move, her ramp in this new role as a startup CEO, and her thoughts on where digital advertising and ad tech are headed on the Real Leaders Podcast with Sue Heilbronner.

When Vlada Bortnik arrived in the United States from the Ukraine at age 10 knowing very little English, her family settled in Kansas. Vlada was immersed in the language and in American culture, but she has never forgotten many of the things many Americans take for granted -- food in the grocery stores and enough money to buy it. From the time she was a kid, the founder of Joya (known best for the widely popular video communication app Marco Polo) has charted an intentional life. She landed at Northwestern University with a meaningful scholarship (which she needed), she majored in art and computer science, she successfully navigated from intern to product manager at Microsoft, and then she went out on her own (alongside her husband and co-founder) and built businesses that addressed market gaps or, with Marco Polo, solved a real problem. Vlada tells her inspiring entrepreneurial journey and her motivation for focusing on Marco Polo to help people feel close. Hear the intimate conversation on the Real Leade

Luke Saunders broke into entrepreneurship selling plants in elementary and middle school. After college, facing a poor economy and with a less-than-stellar academic record, he took the helm at his family's business, manufacturing and selling grease and lubricant to industrial producers. Luke was a dedicated sales road warrior, and he struggled with getting anything close to healthy food during weeks that he was driving 1000 miles to meet with accounts. How does someone with early exposure in logistics, manufacturing, and bad fast food end up leading a fast-growing, venture-backed, Chicago-based company that sells fresh and healthy meals through vending kiosks? It makes perfect sense as Luke tells the story on this episode of the Real Leaders podcast with Sue Heilbronner.

Seth Levine, partner at Boulder-based venture capital firm Foundry Group, was dismayed to hear the news coming out of Silicon Valley about the sexual harassment and sexual assault claims connected to veritable luminaries in the venture world. Seth and Foundry did what they often do on issues that matter. They moved quickly beyond thought and words to action. Yet this is a complex issue for a firm run by (his words) four middle-aged white guys. They stayed curious, moved carefully, sought extensive input, and continued to ask themselves tough questions about the "right thing" to do. Hear Seth's thoughts in the aftermath of these difficult disclosures and his views on what venture firms must do to not only be fair and decent but also leverage the meaningful investment opportunities with women-led startups. Listen in to an intimate conversation with MergeLane co-founder and CEO Sue Heilbronner on the Real Leaders podcast.

Mentoring has become a ubiquitous "should." You should be a mentor. You should have mentors. You should listen to the insights of your terrific mentors. This is certainly the byword in the startup world, and fantastic accelerators like Techstars are "mentor-driven" specifically nodding to the value that a diverse and engaged team of mentors can provide to an early-stage company. So if you're outside of this world and want to hear more about what a real-life mentor deep dive with a startup sounds like, this podcast is for you. If you're inside this world and want to hear what a mentor meeting sounds like with Techstars Boulder company Monday, here's your chance. This intimate conversations covers the usual business dynamics of the company and touches on the personal dynamics of the founders. Actually all of that counts as critical "business" dynamics. Evan Walden and Raul San Narcisso are the founders of Monday, at JoinMonday.com. Monday wants to connect engaged people with jobs they love, and as you'll he

You know that time when you ended up at a bar with one of the smartest, most future-focused engineers you've ever met and you asked him (or her) a bunch of pretty basic questions about AR, VR, and AI? This episode of the Real Leaders podcast is a bit like that, except I get to feel like the neophyte asking the questions, both speakers stayed sober, and you get to be in awe of the way the complex mind of Vikas Reddy -- co-founder of spatial computing company Occipital -- can operate at the highest and most relatable levels in the highly complex space his company is charting. It's a great listen. A wonderful startup founder. A really nice and generous guy. A story of true long-term devotion to finding the nexus between the power of technology and pragmatic ways to use it to make human lives better.

Eric Friedenwald-Fishman was raised in a family of hippies (his words). His upbringing rendered him a change agent and a force for justice, as early as elementary school. In this transparent conversation with Real Leaders host Sue Heilbronner, Eric explains how his core values built and still permeate the mission at his social change communications firm, the Metropolitan Group.

Jason Eckenroth is coming off a terrific exit for the company he founded 17 years ago and ran for the entirety. Jason and ShipCompliant is a story about passion, perseverance, patience, and paving the way to building a great life through the creation and nurturing of a company that articulates your values. {{Jason's latest project is building a community for self-funded entrepreneurs. If you haven't raised venture capital, and are building a durable, profitable and meaningful business, visit www.sovereignty.com to learn more.}}

Devin Hibbard is changing the world, by radically enhancing the financial lives and self worth of women in its second largest continent. Devin could have chosen an easier path -- with talents perfectly suited to do just about anything -- but she has devoted her entire professional life to enriching the lives and prospects of women in Africa through the vehicle of BeadforLife. Hear how and hear why in this Real Leaders podcast with Devin Hibbard, the nonprofit's CEO.

You should know that Margaret Miner's companies generate way more revenue than you think, and way more than many of the tech companies you read about daily in TechCrunch. A completely different angle for this week's episode. Do you spend time and energy thinking about how to retain your top talent? How to give them growth opportunities in the business to keep them engaged? So does Margaret Miner, founder and CEO of Colorado-based Rags Consignments and ten20, a nail and waxing spa. Given how things have worked out in her decades of growing not one but two businesses founded to solve a need Margaret herself had, she's pretty much got this figured out. Take the fact that Ten20 has had retained at least one waxing technician -- growing her to one of two managers -- since the first days the company opened its doors 12 years ago. How about the fact that parents of the college-aged kids that staff the multi-unit Rags business regard the job as "finishing school" for their children. Margaret earned her chops as an

Nicole Glaros recently became Chief Innovation Officer of Techstars. In taking this role after serving as Managing Director of Techstars Boulder (the original Techstars accelerator) for years and the company's Chief Product Officer, she shed most of her direct reports because managing people wasn't her deepest passion. Nicole may be the most gifted mentor and coach for startup founders in the world. She's smart, funny, fast and fiercely committed to growing great founder leaders. In this Real Leaders podcast, Nicole also offers a real-time example of self-awareness, something she deems a critical feature of a founder worthy of investment. Nicole shares the backstory for her independent streak and discusses the downside of her extraordinary personal strength. This episode is a great example of a "real" leader, something Nicole lives and breathes daily.

Wendy Lea has had a lifetime of high-profile successes in building successful businesses. Leaving Get Satisfaction after years as CEO, Wendy was lured to Cincinnati to develop and grow an enduring business ecosystem that brings together startups, bigcos, government nonprofits, neighborhoods and even the clergy. The results already have been amazing. But Wendy is not your garden-variety winner. What you'll hear in this Real Leaders podcast is deep and candid reflection on what has motivated Wendy in her career and what gaps she's looking to fill across her life.

I think company founders who are also world-class athletes bring a unique form of tenacity to their businesses. Nicole DeBoom founded Skirt Sports after wearing her own homemade running skirt in an Ironman World Championship that she won. Nicole has excelled at so many things. A Yale graduate who chose triathlon after realizing she wouldn't likely go to the Olympics in swimming. Nicole brings all of herself to the growth and evolution of Skirt Sports. Her commitment to showing up vulnerably gives Skirt Sports incredible loyalty and connection with its growing customer base and the company's important mission.

This episode of the Real Leaders podcast features Elizabeth Kraus and Sue Heilbronner, co-founders of MergeLane, the investment fund and accelerator targeting companies with at least one female in leadership. Here Elizabeth turns the tables on Real Leaders Host Sue by asking her about her goals and motivations for building MergeLane as well as her approach to working closely with high-potential leaders. This episode gives real insight on the ways in which MergeLane is different, starting with the relationship between its founders. An intimate, revealing conversation.

Bill Flagg has a contrarian suggestion for startups: build and hold your companies. Fund your firms with revenue. Build great, enduring companies. Bill is serious, and he came by his strong views on this topic honestly. He sold his first company in a very lucrative transaction that he came to regret. Now Bill buys a material interest in select companies that are customer-funded, and he takes active roles in those firms -- from Saas businesses to summer camps. It’s almost incredible to think that Bill’s strong views on this are against the grain, as he essentially is just arguing for the definition of business that has been true before the burgeoning of venture funding. His views on this are terrific, and he’s taking a more visible stand on the topic, launching Sovereignty.com as a community, learning base, and support for founders who want to build customer-funded companies. Listen to Bill Flagg share his thoughts on business sovereignty in a candid conversation with Sue Heilbronner on the Real Leaders Podc

Erin Carson has worked as a fitness professional at RallySport Health & Fitness in Boulder, Colorado, since the very start of her career. After decades of commitment to this community-centric fitness club -- located in the heart of one of the fittest cities in the world -- Erin had the opportunity to buy the club. Erin did this in partnership with an ownership group who had been acquainted with her through her work at Rally, her successful triathlon career, and her terrific years on the University of Colorado women's basketball team. There are so many notable differences at Rally Sport, and Erin is at the forefront of all of them. Most importantly, Erin has always believed in cultivating personal trainers who are committed to the craft as a career. She grows both the training business at Rally (Rally Sport is at the top of health clubs globally in many business metrics associated with member engagement) and the trainers personally. She has set national benchmarks for retention of trainers and average salarie

Lee Mayer, CEO of Havenly, joins Sue Heilbronner on the Real Leaders podcast to talk about the rapid growth of this cutting-edge design service. Lee shares reflections on the last two years and the role luck and gratitude has played in getting Havenly to where it is today. What comes through is that Lee has almost no sense of entitlement, and she values diligence and hard work in her staff above all else. Lee says “the hard problems are the profitable problems.” Leaving a cushy, well-paid job in New York to begin a new life and career in Colorado, Lee says she has grown more personally and professionally while developing her company than ever before. Havenly's core value is to "deliver on the delight factor," and Lee is finding savvy ways to turn this esoteric notion into a model that can be used across multiple products and markets for Havenly. Listen in as this founder and CEO discusses her high bar for hiring, her views of looking at the competition, and her sense of what makes for a great day at Haven

Founder and CEO of Homie, Johnny Hanna defies the entrepreneurial stereotypes. He is father of six kids under nine, and when his wife calls to remind him to come home from work, he does. Even more contrarian, Johnny Hanna has never been focused on the big exit. Instead, he has created companies "built to run," building cohesive teams and turning away from big-ticket purchase offers. When Johnny's first company, Entrata, reached $100M in recurring revenue, his gut told him it was time to move on in an amicable parting with his co-partners. He saw an opportunity to materially disrupt the real estate market at last. Unlike Zillow or Redfin, Homie is designed for the home seller who wants to cut out the real estate agent, save money and streamline the sale process with "pure automation." With 70% - 80% of home buyers finding their homes online without the assistance of an agent, the vision seems inevitable, and Johnny just may have the tools and tenacity to make that possibility a reality.. When it comes to lea

Fran Dunaway, co-founder and CEO of TomboyX, is an atypical leader. A humble and curious activist at heart, she's grown her women's apparel and accessories company at an amazing pace by being inclusive and focusing on previously underrepresented groups. As sales grow, new markets are discovering TomboyX and Fran finds ways to incorporate the needs of these demographics into her products. "This brand is for the people...the brand that helps people express who they are," she says in this Real Leaders podcast. Nowhere was this more obvious than in their initial Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign which raised $76K in 30 days. Clearly people saw something different and special and wanted to be part of it. Starting out as a clothing line and targeting the LGBTQ community via Facebook, TomboyX has decided to increase its emphasis on underwear, focusing on the huge success of its line of women’s boxer brief. The timing was perfect as a tide of acceptance for gay and transgender rights began to sweep mainstream cult

FrictionLabs’ co-founder and CEO Kevin Brown has the unique ability to get people energized about chalk, including national sports outfitters like REI and EMS, world-champion athletes and a fanatical base of online customers. By studying the evolution of the rock-climber demographic (of which he is a passionate member), Friction Labs has found the secret to making a seemingly mundane product at a premium quality level. At the same time, Kevin has made chalk fun to manufacture and market. Working in a niche market, Kevin has bridged the wholesale and direct sale arenas by, he says, "meeting buyers where they are in different mediums.” Whether it's on Amazon, the company website, or a retail store's shelf, the product is getting huge attention and rave reviews from the rock-climbing community. Kevin's unique methods extend to funding his company, staffing, and building a culture. He keeps his company "obsessively lean," but when considering new prospects, he says, "If something doesn't sound like a fun oppor