School for Startups Radio

January 20, 2025 – Masterpreneur Andrew Frazier and Fractional Legal Jeff Holman

Andrew Frazier – Small Business Advisor and Author of The Masterpreneur Playbook: How To Master Business Growth From Startup To Scaling
Andrew Frazier is known as the “The Masterpreneur™” founded the Small Business Pro University (www.SBProU.com) to help business owners sell more, maximize profit, and finance Growth faster and easier. He provides expert coaching, consulting, and training services so they will have greater knowledge and enhanced skills to lead their companies more effectively. He has also authored two books “Running Your Small Business Like A Pro” and “The Masterpreneur Playbook. Over the past 15 years he has worked 1-on-1 with 1,000+ business owners and taught tens of thousands of people about business. His experience includes serving as a Navy Supply Corps Officer, Operations Manager, corporate executive, COO, organizational leader, Board Member, Adjunct Professor, investor, and serial entrepreneur. Andrew’s educational background includes graduating from MIT with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, earning an MBA from NYU, and achieving the Chartered Financial Analysis (CFA) designation.Jeff Holman – Founder of Intellectual Strategies
In 2018, he introduced the Fractional Legal Team model, enabling businesses to access the right legal expertise at a fraction of the cost, because who says legal advice has to be expensive? Jeff Holman, founder of Intellectual Strategies, is changing the way startups and scaling businesses access legal support. As the creator of the first Fractional Legal Team at Intellectual Strategies, he’s made it possible for companies to tap into expert legal advice at key points in their growth—without needing a full-time, in-house team. This innovative approach means businesses get exactly the help they need, when they need it, and without the hefty overhead, helping them navigate everything from early-stage challenges to high-stakes scaling decisions. But Jeff’s expertise doesn’t stop there. He’s a multifaceted entrepreneur with degrees in electrical engineering, law, and an MBA, blending technical savvy with a sharp legal mind. Admitted to practice in California, Utah, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, he’s a true jack-of-all-trades—an inventor, a strategist, and an attorney who’s been tackling complex business and legal problems for over two decades. With a unique ability to translate between technical and legal frameworks, Jeff’s work at Intellectual Strategies spans intellectual property, business strategy, and technology law. His Fractional Legal Team model is revolutionizing how companies access the legal support they need, empowering them to focus on what they do best while he handles the complexities in the background. Jeff’s commitment to innovative solutions has positioned Intellectual Strategies as a go-to resource for ambitious companies looking to thrive in today’s fast-paced business world.

January 17, 2024 – America’s Breakthrough Coach Brian Biro and Moving Past Shame Dr. Abbie Maroño

Brian Biro – America’s Breakthrough Speaker
America’s #1 Breakthrough Speaker, and best-selling author, Brian Biro helps companies, associations, and individuals to reach their maximum potential. Brian’s secret? Making every individual participant at his events feel like they are the stars of the presentation. Helping them to believe in themselves. Showing them how they can rise to their best level. And all in a package that is incredibly fun, dynamic, and entertaining, featuring real-life stories and practical examples to share the message. After graduating from Stanford, Brian’s first career was as a swimming coach. He received the prestigious United States Swimming National Coaching Excellence Award, in recognition of his team’s Top 10 National Performance. After gaining his MBA from UCLA, he subsequently rose rapidly to become the VP of Performance Planning for a major transportation company, helping to turn the business around, and quadrupling revenues in record time. It was this hands-on, transformational role in the transportation company that led to Brian finding his true vocation in life: working as a motivational speaker and team-builder. Brian applies this unique combination of the key learnings from his business experience, extraordinary coaching success, and unparalleled motivational events, to help individuals, businesses, and organizations to prosper and flourish – in fact, to transform. Each of Brian’s presentations is carefully customized to ensure it aligns exactly with the client’s requirements and wishes. Brian’s unrivaled client list includes many of America’s top corporations and organizations, such as Lockheed Martin, The US Army, The Naval Information Warfare Center, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, RE/MAX, Southwest Airlines, The University of Notre Dame, Starbucks, Microsoft, and Kaiser Permanente. He has also worked with many international clients, and has given presentations in over 15 countries across the globe. Virtually all of Brian’s business comes through word-of-mouth recommendations, and more of his clients invite him back again and again than any other speaker!
Dr. Abbie Maroño – Behavioral Scientist • Director of Education at Social-Engineer, LLC and Author of Work in Progress: The Road to Empowerment, The Journey Through Shame
Dr. Abbie Maroño is both a scientist and a practitioner in the field of human behavior. The United States Department of State has recognized her international acclaim and record of extraordinary achievements, placing her in the top 1% of her field. Underscoring her recognized expertise, Dr. Abbie has been invited to provide specialized behavior analysis training for elite units such as the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. This prestigious group includes agents from the US Secret Service, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and local law enforcement agencies. Having completed her PhD in Psychology, Dr. Abbie became a Professor of Psychology by the age of 23. She is now the Director of Education at Social-Engineer, LLC, and specializes in behavior analysis. A regular contributor to Forbes and Apple News, Abbie has also been featured in WIRED and Forbes Breaking News. She is an active member of several internationally recognized research groups and was awarded Reviewer of the Year in 2020 for her significant contribution to the academic community. Additionally, she is an author, expert consultant, coach, and a TEDx speaker.

January 15, 2025 – Brain Powered Rich Carr and MSG BAD Dr. Katherine Reid

Rich Carr – CEO & Co-Founder of Brain-Centric
Rich Carr is a Learning Scientist and the CEO of Brain-centric, a company revolutionizing communication and education by leveraging neuroscience to unlock the brain’s potential for deeper understanding and strategic influence. Carr consults, ideates, and facilitates private cohorts for professional Communicators, Coaches, and Educators, helping them master Brain-centric Design (BcD) to drive transformative communication results. An Army veteran and decorated graduate of the Department of Defense Information and Electronic Journalism Schools, Carr also holds a distinguished degree in Mass Media and Mass Communications. His career spans ownership of radio stations, management of Telemundo television, and serving as Director of Digital Media for Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft), where he integrated radio, online, and NBA communications to achieve market dominance. Carr co-authors Brain-centric Design: The Surprising Neuroscience Behind Learning with Deep Understanding and authored SURPRISED: The Science & Art of Engagement. Through his award-winning BcD model, he aligns communication with how the brain naturally processes information, producing measurable, impactful results across industries, including saving a Fortune 500 company $5.9 million from a single Brain-centric course.Katherine Reid, Phd – Chairperson of Unblind My Mind, Inc and Author of Fat, Stressed, and Sick: MSG, Processed Food, and America’s Health Crisis
Katie Reid, PhD, is the founder of Unblind My Mind, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the health of individuals and families through informed food choices. Since earning a PhD in biochemistry, Katie has held scientific leadership positions in numerous Silicon Valley biotechnology companies. Her research has focused primarily on protein chemistry in the development of cancer pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Today, Katie works closely with people suffering from a wide variety of chronic inflammatory conditions. She collaborates with the various communities (medical, education, special needs programs, farming, biotechnology) to create data-driven food solutions through the design and development of diagnostic tests and interpretation of laboratory results.

January 13, 2025 – Forbes Books Adam Witty and Human-Powered Leadership Christie Smith

Adam Witty – Founder and CEO of Advantage Media, now Forbes Books and Author of The Authority Advantage: Building Thought Leadership Focused on Impact Not Ego
Adam Witty is the founder and CEO of Advantage Media, which assists CEOs, entrepreneurs, and leaders around the globe in building their authority through consulting, media, marketing, and publishing services. Advantage’s publishing group comprises namesake Advantage Books and Forbes Books. Witty is the author or co-author of eight books, including his latest, The Authority Advantage: Building Thought Leadership Focused on Impact Not Ego. He has appeared in USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, The Wall Street Journal, and on ABC and FOX. Witty was named to the prestigious Inc. 30 Under 30 list of America’s Coolest Entrepreneurs in 2011. Witty also operates a hospitality business, Trouvaille Collection, which owns and operates boutique hotels in the southeastern U.S. In addition, he serves on the board of directors of Clemson University’s IPTAY, one of the largest collegiate athletic fundraising organizations in the world.Christie Smith – Founder of The Humanity Studio™ and Author of Essential: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI, and Global Shifts Are Creating a New Human-Powered Leadership
Dr. Christie Smith has over 35 years of experience advising the C-Suite of Fortune 500 companies. She has held global leadership positions at Deloitte, Apple, and Accenture as a highly respected expert in leadership, talent management, organizational design, workforce management, change management, and executive team performance. She is the founder of The Humanity Studio™, a research and advisory institute dedicated to improving the way we live by revolutionizing the way we work. Christie led the Global Talent & Organization consulting practice at Accenture. As Managing Principle of Deloitte Consulting, she was responsible for the West Region Consulting practice and the development of the Deloitte University Centers for Inclusion and Community Impact. Her leadership in Inclusion and Diversity at Apple was integral to the growth, development, and representation of female and underrepresented groups internally as well as in product and retail solutions. She is a highly sought-after speaker on business strategy, leadership and culture, DEI, people analytics, and the impact of workforce technologies and AI. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Forbes, and CNN. Christie has been recognized as a Top 50 Diversity Leader and in Fast Company’s Queer 50 list. Christie received her doctorate in Clinical Social Work with a focus on leadership and culture from New York University.

January 10, 2025 – Fantasy Sports Pioneer Larry Schechter and Neurodiversity at Work Ludmila Praslova

Larry Schechter – Fantasy Sports Expert and Author of The History of Fantasy Sports: And the Stories of the People Who Made It Happen
Larry Schechter is the author of the 2014 Amazon bestseller Winning Fantasy Baseball. He is regarded as one of the best fantasy baseball players in the world. Larry was a two-time winner of the CDM Sports national salary cap contest, defeating 7,500 teams in 2002 and 6,000 teams in 2005. He has competed in the two most prestigious experts leagues, winning the USA Today-sponsored LABR league three times and the Tout Wars experts league six times. One of his keys to success in fantasy baseball is attention to detail. He used that ability in researching, conducting interviews, and writing The History of Fantasy Sports. Larry is now retired and lives in Florida.Dr. Ludmila Praslova – Professor of Graduate Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Vanguard University and Author of The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work
Ludmila N. Praslova, Ph.D. is named a member of Thinkers 50 2024 Radar, a global group of 30 management thinkers leaders whose ideas are most likely to shape the future of work. She is a Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the Vanguard University of Southern California and regularly writes for Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Psychology Today, and Forbes. She is the first person to have published in Harvard Business Review from an autistic perspective. Dr. Praslova is a talent strategy expert with extensive experience in global diversity and neurodiversity. Her early experience in global diversity taught her the importance of creating culture-add work environments. However, the same experience and her continued career have shown that focusing on one aspect of diversity is not enough. Globally aware organizations are not always gender-inclusive, gender-focused advancement programs can exclude based on disability or socioeconomic origin, and neurodivergent people are often forgotten or segregated even in organizations considered champions of inclusion. As a first-generation academic and a neurodivergent woman, Dr. Praslova knows first-hand that single-focus “inclusion initiatives” leave people behind. However, the principles of creating culture-add organizations can be applied to building systems for intersectional and holistic inclusion. Her consulting is focused on creating organizational systems for supporting human dignity and well-being, and providing neuroinclusion training to organizations such as Amazon, Bank of America, and MIT. She has a PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Akron and is a Senior Certified Human Resources Practitioner (SHRM-SCP). Dr. Praslova is an avid open-water swimmer, a gardener, and a poet.

January 8, 2025 - Tesla of Water & CES 2025 Best of Innovation Award Kevin Gast and Hidden Genius Betsy Wills

Kevin Gast – Co-Founder, CEO, & Chairman of VVater
Kevin Gast is the Co-Founder, CEO, & Chairman of VVater, a pioneering next-generation water treatment company dedicated to leveraging advanced technologies to address global water challenges across numerous industries. With over 20+ years of executive leadership experience, Kevin has managed cross-functional and international teams in more than 30 countries, bringing innovative solutions to sectors such as real estate, utilities, wastewater, oil & gas, food & beverage, defense, and beyond. Kevin has also held various executive positions in the pharmaceutical, hotel, and property development industries, expanding his expertise across multiple sectors. As the Chairman of another international conglomerate operating in construction, civil engineering, property development, hospitality, real estate, and pharmaceuticals—he was involved with thousands of projects spanning the globe, from mechanical engineering, geosynthetics, civil engineering, aquatic facilities and construction to industrial design. Kevin is an entrepreneur at heart, an avid investor, philanthropist, technologist, and futurist committed to providing humankind with sustainable and innovative solutions while delivering exceptional value to customers, partners, and investors. Kevin Gast, CEO of VVater (pronounced “Water”) is leading a breakthrough in water treatment technology that has just earned the CES 2025 Best of Innovation Award — one of the most prestigious honors in consumer technology. Kevin can share the journey behind this technology, how it’s addressing urgent global water challenges and the critical need for innovation in an industry facing a $630 billion overhaul. With a focus on sustainability and accessibility, Kevin offers a compelling perspective on the future of clean water solutions and VVater’s mission to deliver water for humankind.Betsy Wills – Cofounder of YouScience and Co-author of Your Hidden Genius: The Science-Backed Strategy to Uncovering and Harnessing Your Innate Talents
Betsy Wills is the cofounder of YouScience, a national online psychometric-assessment service. She is a regular guest lecturer at Vanderbilt University and at New York University Stern School of Business and has been a featured speaker for TedX Women. She is also the Director of Marketing and Branding at Diversified Trust, a wealth management firm. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice and the Music City Center Authority in Nashville, Tennessee. Betsy is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and holds a Master’s of Education in Human Resource Development from Peabody College. She lives in Nashville.

January 6, 2025 – Powerful Phrases Karin Hurt and Sign Here Alex Hamilton

Karin Hurt – CEO of Let’s Grow Leaders and Author of Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict: What to Say Next to De-stress the Workday, Build Collaboration, and Calm Difficult Customers
Karin Hurt helps human-centered leaders find clarity in uncertainty, drive innovation, and achieve breakthrough results. She’s the Founder and CEO of Let’s Grow Leaders, a global leadership development firm known for practical tools and techniques for human-centered leaders. A former Verizon Wireless executive with more than two decades of experience in sales, customer service, and human resources, Karin is known for growing courageous leaders, building great cultures, and inspiring high-performance teams. Since 2013, Karin and her husband, David have grown tens of thousands of leaders on every continent (except Antarctica) with their leadership development programs and keynotes. In addition to encouraging courage around the world, they also provide clean water to the people of Cambodia through their Winning Wells philanthropic initiative.Alex Hamilton – CEO of Radiant Law and Author of Sign Here: The Enterprise Guide to Closing Contracts Quickly
Alex Hamilton is a legal visionary and an authority on contracting improvements and legal tech. With a rich background in law and a career that includes working at renowned firms such as Norton Rose, Shaw Pittman (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman), and Latham & Watkins, he brings a wealth of experience to the table. Notably, he co-chaired the global Technology Transactions Group at Latham & Watkins and has negotiated some of the largest outsourcing deals worldwide. Creating commercial relationships is a critical business competence for the 21st century, but does the contracting process have to be so painful? With a focus on your day-to-day negotiated contracts, “Sign Here” offers a radical vision for fast and pain-free contracting. Building on principles of reasonable terms, smart automation, data-driven learning, continuous improvement, and taking a collaborative approach to accelerate the creation of long-term relationships, “Sign Here” is a practical guide to making your contracting fly.

December 18, 2024 – SupportLogic Krishna Raja and Cognito Forms Jennifer Dellacroce

Krishna Raj Raja – Founder & CEO of SupportLogic, Inc. and Author of  Support Experience. How Innovative Companies Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Win the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of Customers
Krishna Raj Raja delves into how AI is helping companies strengthen customer loyalty – an increasingly essential strategy for growth in today’s competitive market. Krishna’s work reveals how AI is shifting the focus of customer support from reactive to proactive, predicting emotional escalations, and helping companies preemptively resolve issues. His innovative approach to AI redefines what it means to truly “listen” to customers. With over a decade of hands-on experience in AI and customer experience, Krishna’s background as a founder and engineer gives him a rare combination of technical and strategic insight. He’s led initiatives at SupportLogic that have transformed customer engagement for global brands like Salesforce and HPE, giving him an exceptional, real-world perspective on how AI can drive business success. One of the most interesting points Krishna addresses is the concept of “silent churn” – when a customer is unhappy but doesn’t voice it, leading them to eventually leave. AI can detect these signals early, allowing companies to take action before it’s too late. This would be an exciting topic to explore with your audience, particularly as more companies aim to focus on long-term customer retention rather than new acquisitions.Jennifer Dellacroce – President of Cognito Forms
Jennifer Dellacroce is the President and co-founder of Cognito Forms, a workflow productivity platform that enables non-developers to build applications for their organizations. She serves as a product expert with over 20 years of experience in software development. Jennifer is based in South Carolina, bringing experience from previous roles at notable IT consulting and web development companies. She holds a degree in Engineering from the University of South Carolina. With a robust skill set that includes web design, UI/UX and more, Jennifer contributes valuable insights to the industry. Jennifer’s commitment to technical excellence and continuous innovation has been crucial to Cognito Forms’ success. This dedication ensures the platform is consistently meeting users’ evolving needs.

December 16, 2024 – Corporate Espionage Robert Kerbeck and Side Road Link Forester

Robert Kerbeck – Corporate Spy and Author of Ruse: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street
Robert Kerbeck’s true crime memoir, RUSE: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street is the story of how a wannabe actor became the world’s greatest corporate spy. Frank Abagnale, author of Catch Me If You Can, said, “Kerbeck has mastered the art of social engineering, or what he calls ‘rusing’, and taken it to a whole new level,” while the New York Journal of Books wrote “Kerbeck’s astounding spy story is fraught with tension.” Robert’s previous book MALIBU BURNING: The Real Story Behind LA’s Most Devastating Wildfire, won a SoCal Journalism Award, the IPPY Award, and the Best of LA Award. Robert is also the creator and host of the Soho House Lit Salon @ Soho Malibu where recent guests have included ESPN sports media figure Stephen A. Smith and John Densmore from The Doors.Link Forester – Co-Founder & Principal at OnPointWealth and Author of The Side Road: Finding Joy and Purpose through the Twists and Turns of Life
Link Forester possesses a rare blend of humility, faith, and a good sense of humor — all of which have enabled him to grow through the trials of becoming a parent much earlier than planned, a risky career change, and the tragic death of a son. After graduating from Auburn University (B.S. Building Construction, 1987), Link began his career in sales at IBM. Five years later he took a leap of faith into the financial services industry, where he continues to lead a thriving financial planning and wealth management business. A native of Atlanta, GA, Link is an avid golfer and member of Perimeter Church. He and his wife Carla spend much of their free time on Lake Lanier with their three children, two daughters-in-law, three grandchildren, as well as their dog Bailey, their cat Boots, and plenty of good wine.

December 13, 2024 – Sex Talk Dr. Stephen Furlich and Trauma is a Catalyst Carrie Rickert

Dr. Stephen Furlich – Author of Sex Talk: How Biological Sex Influences Gender Communication Differences Throughout Life’s Stages
Dr. Stephen Furlich is the author of Nonverbal Epiphany: Steps to Improve Your Nonverbal Communication. He is also the best-selling author of a breakthrough book, Sex Talk: How Biological Sex Influences Gender Communication Differences Throughout Life’s Stages. He has taught and researched communication at the university level for over 20 years. He has taught a variety of communication courses with the main focus of better understanding oneself and others. Often, his research projects and the courses that he taught, complemented each other and lead into innovative directions. Dr. Furlich has been an associate professor at Texas A&M University since 2018 and served as an assistant professor there for five years prior to that. He has presented at many conferences, including: DFW Metroplex Linguistics Conference, Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education Conference, E-Learning Conference, National Communication Association Conference, Southern States Communication Association Conference, International Academy of Business and Public Administration Disciplines, and International Conference of the American Pragmatics Association. Dr. Furlich, who was recently interviewed by One America News Network, has been published in numerous journals, including: Texas Speech Communication Journal, Kentucky Journal of Communication, The Florida Communication Journal, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Academic Exchange Quarterly, Journal of Integrated Social Sciences, and Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. His communication paradigm is from a receiver’s perspective. This places the emphasis on the listener to better understand from the speaker’s perspectives and as a speaker emphasizing understanding from the listener’s perspectives. Both of these become more challenging as differences increase between the speaker and listener. Dr. Furlich has become fascinated with technological advancements in science that have enabled a better understanding of communication. Without these scientific advances, understanding communication is quite limited. This line of research has inspired him to write this book to bring together many different scientific studies to better understand the role of biology with nonverbal communication cues. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education, a Master of Arts in Communication Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas Tech University. He resides in McKinney, Texas.Carrie Rickert – Principal at Nomis Advisors and Author of Trauma is a Catalyst 
Carrie Rickert brings more than fifteen years of coaching experience, working with 300 CEOs and small business owners in deep-dive analysis for understanding their concerns, needs, and areas of improvement, for themselves and for their business. This, plus her own trauma recovery process makes her ideal to coach others going through their own post-acute trauma journey. Carrie has examined her own life, post-trauma, and wondered… now what? Through a lot of determination and resilience, she has created the life she wants to live. Carrie’s true passion is in helping others navigate their own murky waters – to provide support when it seems like there is no roadmap. Carrie has a BS in Clinical Psychology from Towson University and an MFS in Forensic Sciences from George Washington University. Carrie is the creator and host of the Podcast, Transformational Trauma and Healing.