School for Startups Radio

February 6, 2026 – Success Mentality Vlada Galan and Virtual Receptionists Nathan Strum

Vlada Galan – Founder and Principal of Oracle Advisory Group and Author of Success Mentality: Lessons From a Geopolitical Strategist
One of the most important things you can invest in, even if you’re asmall business just starting, is talent. Is not hiring the cheapest labor,but hiring even if you have one employee, it’s hiring somebody whoreally is talented and very intelligent and very experienced.
Vlada Galan is a globally recognized geopolitical strategist and crisis management expert. She advises Heads of State and high-level candidates on political and multilateral agency election campaigns across five continents. She is renowned for her expertise in crisis response, Track 2 diplomacy, international lobbying, and sanctions strategy. With a proven track record in some of the world’s most complex political environments, Vlada has led electoral and strategic advisory efforts in over a dozen countries, including Austria, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Indonesia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mexico, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Vlada is the President and Chairman of the Board of the International Ukrainian Crisis Fund and serves on the Advisory Board of Directors of Captis Intelligence. She is also the Founder and Principal of Oracle Advisory Group, a global consulting firm headquartered in the United Arab Emirates with offices in the United States. Prior to founding Oracle, she held senior roles at top-tier public affairs firms in Washington, D.C., including Mercury Public Affairs and Actum. Originally from Odesa, Ukraine, Vlada holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Georgia State University and a Master of Liberal Arts in International Relations from Harvard University. Her insights have been featured on major networks including CNN, Fox News, and Newsmax. October 2025 Vlada released her book Success Mentality a blueprint for achieving more in life. In 2023 Vlada was awarded a medal by the Ukrainian Government in recognition of her leadership and unwavering support for her native country, Ukraine.Nathan Strum – CEO of Abby Connect
We realized very, very quickly that that was culture was going to bemost important in our company, and that was how we were going toprovide the great customer service over the phone. It’s not magic.It’s not a very hard formula to provide that great customer service.You just have to have a happy place to work.
Nathan Strum, CEO of Abby Connect. Nathan is a leader in integrating AI-powered tools with live human services to help businesses scale while maintaining a personal touch. He offers a unique perspective on how technology, human empathy, and business growth intersect to elevate customer service. Nathan is a strong advocate for inclusive workforce development, focusing on creating career pathways for entry-level employees to advance into AI and tech roles. This is a crucial and often overlooked aspect in today’s automation-focused environment. With his hands-on approach, Nathan is deeply involved in product innovation, client success, and process optimization, aiming to bridge the gap between customer service and artificial intelligence.

February 5, 2026 - Fractional C-Suite Sara Daw and Second Son Rob Calvert

Sara Daw – CEO of Liberti & CEO of The CFO Centre Group
The beauty about fractional leadership is that you can make that change.
Sara Daw Entrepreneur, Researcher, Writer, & Speaker Sara Daw is Group CEO of The Liberti Group and The CFO Centre Group. Operating in 18 countries, it is the global number one provider of fractional and part-time C-suite portfolio professionals to entrepreneurial, owner-managed, mid-tier businesses, and larger organisations. Listed in the 2024 and 2025 E2E Female 100, Sara is passionate about designing the future of work for C-level talent and organisations. As well as publishing the first research on the Access Economy for C-suite professionals in her second book, Strategy and Leadership as Service, she has helped thousands worldwide build successful team-based portfolio careers in the access economy. Sara is a graduate in Chemistry from Oxford University, a Chartered Accountant, holds an MBA from The London Business School, and a Mastère Spécialisé® in Consulting and Coaching for Change, run jointly by Oxford University (Saïd Business School) and HEC Business School in Paris. She is currently pursuing a part-time Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) at Warwick Business School.Rob Calvert – Founder of Second Son Consulting
Otherwise you don’t get freedom. You get inconsistency, and whenyou have inconsistency, that becomes very costly for leadership.
Rob Calvert is the Founder of Second Son Consulting, an IT consultancy he built from his den that’s designing tech ecosystems that co-evolve with a business’ people, workflows, and culture. For 25+ years, Rob has helped leaders turn IT from a cost center into a growth strategy, rooted in one core belief: most tech problems are really culture problems. With his deep field expertise that goes far beyond troubleshooting or quick fixes, he works with businesses – from startups to hybrid teams, and mature companies – to create systems that scale with purpose and impact. He started his firm in the early 2000s after being laid off, and today, has grown it into the largest member of the Apple Consultants Network in LA and among the top 10 nationwide, which works across 15+ industries supporting Apple-first and mixed-device workplaces.

February 3, 2026 – Lazy Investor Method Melissa Nash and Future Begins with Z Tim Elmore

Melissa Nash – Real Estate Investor, Entrepreneur, Mentor, and Host of the Passive Real Estate Investing for Her podcast
I can finally sleep through the night, because I knowthat I’m not relying on anybody else. My properties aredoing their thing. They’re creating cash flow.
Melissa Nash is a seasoned real estate investor, entrepreneur, mentor, and host of the Passive Real Estate Investing for Her podcast. She has built a successful career helping women achieve financial freedom through strategic passive real estate investing. With over a decade of experience at one of the largest real estate investment companies in the United States, Melissa has guided thousands of clients toward financial independence and helped investors purchase hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate assets. Her own journey includes building a real estate portfolio that secured her family’s future in under six years, and she uses her firsthand experience to empower others through coaching programs, educational resources, and turnkey investment solutions. Driven by a mission to increase representation of women in real estate, Melissa believes that when women earn and invest, positive change ripples outward. Her Passive Real Estate Investing for Her podcast offers actionable strategies, expert interviews, and practical advice designed to inspire and equip listeners to take control of their financial futures.Tim Elmore – Founder of Growing Leaders
Inside of every Gen Z’er, and probably every young adult in anygeneration, there is two tugs at their heart. On the one side, I wantto be me. On the other side, I want to belong.
Dr. Tim Elmore is first and foremost a family man. He has been married to Pam for 44 years, and they have two adult children, both married and in their careers. His other loves include their dog Sadie (CEO of their home), reading, sports and popcorn, not necessarily in that order. He not only leads Tim Elmore, Inc. as he speaks to businesses, sports teams & non-profits, but he is the Founder of Growing Leaders, a non-profit organization, created to develop emerging leaders. His passion for leader development and for the emerging generation grew out of his work alongside best-selling author Dr. John C. Maxwell since 1983. Growing Leaders and Maxwell Leadership Foundation merged in 2023. Over the last decade, Tim has spoken to 500,000 leaders in corporations, such as The Home Depot, Chick-fil-A, Ford Motor Company, Cox Communications, Cici’s Pizza, Coca Cola Bottlers Association, and Delta Global. His curriculum has been used by sports teams like the Kansas City Royals, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Rockets, San Francisco Giants, as well as athletic departments at the University of Alabama, Ohio State, Stanford and Duke University. He is committed to building the next generation of leaders all over the globe. Tim Elmore’s expertise on the emerging generation and generational diversity at work has led to national media coverage on CNN’s Headline News, Fox Business, Newsmax and Fox & Friends. A TEDx speaker, his blog is read by 100,000 people weekly. Tim writes a column for Inc. and Psychology Today and was listed as one of the top 100 leadership speakers by Inc. magazine. Tim has written 40 books, including the best-selling Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Their Future, Habitudes®: Images that Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes, Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership and A New Kind of Diversity. His latest book, releases November 2025, is The Future Begins with Z: Nine Strategies for Leading Generation Z as They Disrupt the Workplace.

February 2, 2026 – Elon Musk’s Brain Charles Steel and Get Agile Ines Garcia

Charles Steel – Author of The Curious Mind of Elon Musk: 9 Ways He Thinks Differently 
Confront the fear, accept that there is an outcome in whichyou completely fail, and then channel that feeling and try andmake sure to do your dullness, to make sure it never happens.
Charles Steel is a British investor, author, and thinker with more than twenty years of experience working with management teams to grow and build businesses. He began his career at Goldman Sachs in London in 1997, later moved into private investing with The Carlyle Group, and went on to launch the European private equity business for Ares Management. His professional journey broadened beyond finance when he served as an adviser to former British prime minister Tony Blair during Blair’s role as Middle East envoy to the Quartet in Jerusalem. After returning to London, Steel became deeply involved in the nonprofit sector, including serving as chair of Save the Children in the United Kingdom. These varied experiences sparked a fascination with purpose and human motivation that ultimately led him to writing. Educated at Cambridge University in history and philosophy, Steel’s approach to understanding people and their ideas is informed by a belief in examining subjects in their own terms and within their broader context. He is the author of The Curious Mind of Elon Musk, an ideas-driven exploration of Elon Musk’s defining qualities that is set for publication in early 2026, and he has plans to write future works on figures such as Albert Camus.Ines Garcia – Founder and CEO of Get Agile & Author of Nature’s Blueprint for Business: Harnessing the Hidden Power of Edges
We’re moving from that competitive advantage to collaborativeadvantage. We want to go far. We better go together.
Ines Garcia is an organisational coach, author, and sustainability thinker who helps individuals, teams and organisations deliver better value while reducing waste and focusing on meaningful impact. She is the founder and CEO of Get Agile, where she works with clients around the world on Agile practice, circular economy principles, carbon accounting, biomimicry, regenerative design and sustainable value creation. Through her work she encourages businesses to evolve their practices in ways that support communities and the planet as well as financial performance. Ines is the author of Nature’s Blueprint for Business: Harnessing the Hidden Power of Edges, a book that applies lessons from nature’s long history of innovation to organisational resilience and growth. She also offers talks, workshops and coaching programmes that integrate Agile, sustainability and whole-systems thinking to help professionals and organisations thrive in an increasingly complex world. Ines’s approach reflects her belief in designing with purpose and creating positive impact across product, people and planet.

January 30, 2026 – Branding Strategic Enemy Laura Ries and The Institute for Wow John Dwyer

Laura Ries – Leading Positioning Strategist at Ries Positioning Pioneers  and Author of  The Strategic Enemy: How to Build and Position a Brand Worth Fighting For
What you say you’re against, what you say no to,is actually instantly believable.
Laura Ries is a leading positioning strategist and bestselling author who has shaped how brands define themselves in competitive markets. As chairwoman of Ries Positioning Pioneers, the global consulting firm her late father Al Ries founded, she has spent over three decades advising companies around the world on positioning strategy and helping them create memorable, category-defining brands. Laura is the author of The Strategic Enemy: How to Build and Position a Brand Worth Fighting For, a book that expands on her long practice of sharp differentiation and outlines how identifying a clear strategic enemy can drive brand focus and consumer loyalty, and she has co-authored several influential marketing titles with her father, including The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding and The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR. Based in Atlanta, she is also a respected keynote speaker and frequent commentator on modern branding and marketing strategy.John Dwyer – Marketing & Advertising Expert at The Institute of Wow
It’s a low cost at a high perceived value. So therefore, if you’re gettingsomething for less than $50 but you’re giving it away to someoneand their perceived value is $1,000 you’re cooking with gas.
John Dwyer is a celebrated marketing and advertising expert and the driving force behind The Institute of Wow, a consultancy known for helping businesses attract customers and boost sales with creative, incentive-based strategies that make audiences take notice. Known to many as JD, he has built a reputation as a “direct response customer attraction expert” whose unconventional ideas have generated billions in additional sales for companies across industries and helped brands stand out in crowded markets by focusing on compelling offers that go beyond price competition. Dwyer has worked with a wide range of clients, from major global companies to small businesses, and is widely recognized for high-impact campaigns, including one that brought comedian Jerry Seinfeld out of retirement to promote a banking client’s home loan offer, resulting in record breaking results. With deep experience in traditional and digital marketing channels and a focus on practical, results-driven solutions, he also offers coaching, programs and speaking engagements that guide business owners in creating powerful marketing that delivers measurable growth.

January 29, 2026 – AI Agent Builder Rafsan Bhuiyan and Entrepreneur Wealth Mgmt David Wilson

Rafsan Bhuisan – Founder & CEO of OrionQ 
When you have an idea, it’s so unique, and you know it’s unique, maybethat idea generated years and years of failed startups and those, all thoselessons that you’ve learned from the failures. You’ll be surprised. If youkeep going, they end up making you very, very successful.
Rafsan Bhuiyan is an American entrepreneur, decorated U.S. Army veteran, and the founder and chief executive officer of OrionQ, a unified AI revenue operations platform built to help enterprises and growth teams unlock previously missed revenue at scale. Based in Erie, Colorado, he combines deep technical expertise with leadership experience gained from both military service and high-impact roles in the private sector. Before founding OrionQ, he played a key role in architecting CarMax’s personalization engine that supported nearly 800,000 vehicle sales annually and led large-scale AI adoption initiatives at T-Mobile, where he helped expand GPT usage across thousands of executives. At OrionQ he focuses on creating practical, human-centric AI agents that automate repetitive tasks such as lead qualification, follow-up, and scheduling while ensuring seamless handoffs to human teams to preserve trust and drive results. An advocate for ethical AI and broader access to advanced tools, Rafsan also shares insights on AI adoption and growth strategy with business leaders and coaches teams on leveraging AI to augment rather than replace human skills. He holds a background in computer science from Colorado Technical University and leverages his varied experiences to shape how organizations apply AI to real business challenges.David  Flores Wilson – Managing Partner of Sincerus Advisory & Editor of Planning to Wealth
Exit planning should be done and is effective throughout the life cycleof a business owner, from formation to growth until the actualtransaction or transition towards the end of the business.
David Flores Wilson, CFP®, CFA, editor of Planning to Wealth, has a passion for being a helpful resource to friends, colleagues, and clients. In an effort to find new ways to better serve his clients and provide the best, easily-accessible information, Planning to Wealth was born.  From financial planning tips to wealth management guidance, Planning to Wealth aims to be a valuable resource for top financial planning considerations. Named to the Investopedia Top 100 Financial Advisors in 2019 and 2020, and WealthManagement.com 2019 Thrive list of fastest-growing advisors, David is a Managing Partner and Financial Planner at Sincerus Advisory in New York City.  He advises business owners and entrepreneurs as they make financial progress towards their goals and dreams. He has specialized expertise in qualified small business stock (QSBS) planning, business exit planning, strategic philanthropy planning, and equity compensation planning (ISOs, NSOs, and RSUs). Prior to joining Sincerus Advisory, David was a Vice President in the Fixed Income Division at Barclays Capital.  He received a BS from the University of California, Berkeley and holds the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Certified College Financial Consultant (CCFC), Enrolled Agent (EA), and Accredited Estate Planner (AEP®) designations. David enjoys traveling, reading, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, yoga, and snowboarding and is on the board of the Lower East Side Girls Club.

January 27, 2026 – Gigster Credit Tamara Laine and VA Guru Frank Olis

Tamara Laine – Founder of MPWR & MPWR Money
Our financial system was created mainly back in the 50s, when work wasa W-2 and women didn’t have bank accounts, and we’ve really evolvedway past that, but our system for tracking credit worthiness has not.
Tamara Laine is an Emmy Award winning journalist, fintech founder, and business growth strategist focused on expanding access to credit and capital. She is the founder and CEO of MPWR and MPWR Money, where she leads the development of AI driven financial tools that use alternative data to serve gig workers, women, and historically underserved communities. Drawing on her own experience as a former gig worker, Tamara built MPWR to address the real world gaps she saw in traditional financial systems and to create more inclusive pathways to financial stability and growth. Before launching MPWR, Tamara built a successful career in media and technology, combining storytelling, data, and strategy to drive impact. She has helped launch and scale multiple technology ventures and is widely recognized for her work at the intersection of financial inclusion, ethical AI, and economic innovation. In addition to her work as a founder, Tamara co hosts the podcast What the Frac?, where she explores startup growth, innovation, and the realities of building modern businesses.Frank Olis – Executive Producer of School for Start-ups Radio & Operations Manager of Maximize VA
For the VA, the important thing is the fulfillment that the VA neededworking for a client is not just about pay, but for the trust that youare giving to the VA.
Frank Olis is an experienced media and operations professional with a strong background in radio production, business systems, and virtual support management. He serves as Executive Producer of School for Start-ups Radio, where he oversees the development and execution of show content, production workflows, guest coordination, and the overall listener experience from planning through broadcast. In addition to his work in radio, Frank is the Operations Manager of Maximize VA, where he leads operational strategy and supports the delivery of virtual assistant services and business support solutions. His work at Maximize VA includes optimizing internal processes, managing client engagements, and ensuring high standards of execution for teams supporting growing businesses. Frank combines his skills in production, strategy, and operations to help organizations run efficiently and create high-quality content that serves their audiences.

January 26, 2026 – Restaurant Digital Ops Kevin Rice and Big Book of HR Cornelia Gamlem

Kevin Rice – Angel Investor & Founder of Theorem One Capital
Complexity is the enemy of scale, and so once we got really simpleabout like, focus on who we were and the industry we wanted to serveand the market opportunity we wanted to go after, everything startedto operate more efficiently.
Kevin Rice is a seasoned entrepreneur, angel investor and founder of Theorem One Capital, a firm that invests in and advises early-stage, AI-first companies with the potential to reshape business across operations, go-to-market, finance and customer experience. Before launching Theorem One Capital, he co-founded Hathway, a digital consultancy that grew from a garage startup into a leading partner for restaurant and convenience brands, eventually joining forces with Bounteous in 2021 where he served as a leader helping guide digital strategy and transformation for major clients. Throughout his career he has built and scaled businesses, led teams and worked closely with founders to drive growth and innovation. In addition to his work as an investor and operator, Kevin hosts the “CEOs & ABCs” podcast where he explores leadership, identity and the real challenges of navigating ambitious careers while showing up for family. His professional journey reflects a commitment to building meaningful ventures, mentoring founders and fostering leadership that balances success at work with presence at home.Cornelia Gamlem – Co-Author of The Big Book of HR
Probably one of the most important things about employee engagementis making sure that people have the opportunity for input and that thatinput is really being heard. It’s not just doing surveys and then puttingthe surveys away in the proverbial file cabinet. It’s really listening andacting on their input.
Cornelia Gamlem is an award-winning author, consultant and thought leader in human resources best known as co-author of The Big Book of HR, a comprehensive resource she wrote with Barbara Mitchell to help HR professionals managers and business leaders get the most from their people and talent. She draws on decades of real-world experience in HR leadership including roles with major employers and extensive involvement with national workplace equality and diversity initiatives. Cornelia left a senior HR leadership position with a Fortune 500 IT services company to start her own consulting practice, The Gems Group, Ltd, where she helps organizations develop and maintain respectful inclusive workplace cultures. She holds a master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Marymount University and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from California State University Sacramento and has achieved Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from the Human Resource Certification Institute. In addition to writing multiple books and contributing to industry publications she regularly speaks to business groups contributes to online HR platforms and serves on the board of SouthWest Writers in Albuquerque New Mexico where she lives and writes.

January 23, 2026 – Int’l Real Estate Darius A. Ross and Hire, Train, Retain Mike Matalone

Darius A. Ross – Author of Success DNA: Mastering Persistence in Leadership and Life
There was no such thing as being half-assed at anything. Everythingwas, you gotta be the best, you gotta excel, you gotta exceed.
Darius A. Ross is a serial entrepreneur who has faced some of life’s toughest challenges, from homelessness to urban warfare. These experiences have shaped his tactical and strategic skills, enabling him to succeed in both small businesses and Fortune 500 corporations. Ross has built and scaled multiple businesses, some thriving, others failing—each providing invaluable lessons. Drawing on these experiences, he now runs a consulting practice focused on high-net-worth individuals, families, and aspiring entrepreneurs. Ross offers three core programs: Urban No BS, Grind, Refine, and Lootnomics, and HGDR (Hustle, Grind, Define, Refine). These programs are not for everyone; they’re designed for individuals who are determined to achieve greatness, massive profits, and sustainable success. Whether as a coach, consultant, author, or speaker, Ross provides the tools, mindset, and strategies to help clients reach their full potential and excel in both business and life.Mike Matalone – Author of Hire • Train • Retain 2nd Edition: The art—and science—of building high-performing teams that drive success
The number one reason employees aren’t more successful thanthey should be is managers are typically bad at defining whatsuccess looks like for them. People should always knowwhat’s next for them and how to get there.
An award-winning speaker and nationally recognized talent authority, Mike Matalone is the Founder and Chief Talent Officer of the XP3 Talent System and Leadership Academy. A highly-sought-after trainer, workshop leader, and keynote speaker, he’s published 100’s of articles on the importance of having the right people in the right roles. Mike’s engaging personality and uncanny ability to translate tricky concepts into easy-to-grasp “nuggets” of information have made him a prized addition to any talent initiative; in the past 17-plus years, he’s delivered more than 500 workshops and keynote presentations to business groups throughout the United States, Canada, and the U.K.

January 22, 2026 - Wall Street Best-Selling Author Peter Economy and Multiculturalism Joycelyn David

Peter Economy – Wall Street Journal best-selling Business Author, Ghostwriter, Developmental Editor, and Publishing Consultant
Every one of those three, all three of those, those sources they had sent me that they had found via AI were wrong. AI had hallucinated them. They looked real. They looked legit. But when I tried to track them down, they did not exist.
Peter Economy is a Wall Street Journal best-selling business author, ghostwriter, developmental editor, and publishing consultant with more than 135 books to his credit and over three million copies sold. His work spans a wide range of genres including leadership, management, technology, entrepreneurship, and memoir, and he has collaborated with founders, executives, coaches, and thought leaders to bring their ideas to life in print. Peter’s own books include Wait, I’m Working With Who?!?, and he has played key roles in The Leadership Gap, Managing For Dummies, User Story Mapping, The Management Bible, and many others. He is known as The Leadership Guy on Inc.com, where he has published hundreds of articles on leadership and business topics, and he served for more than a decade as Associate Editor for Leader to Leader magazine, published by the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum. Peter has lectured on creativity and innovation at San Diego State University, serves on the National Advisory Council for The Art of Science Learning, and is a founding board member of SPORTS for Exceptional Athletes. A graduate of Stanford University with majors in economics and human biology, he has worked closely with some of the most respected thinkers in business and leadership.Joycelyn David – CEO of AV Communications & Author of The Multicultural Mindset: Driving Business Growth in a Borderless Era
Embracing the multicultural mindset begins, actually, outside of the boardroom. It begins at home, you know, with experiencing and being open to trying new things and culture in your everyday activities.
Joycelyn David is a trailblazing entrepreneur and thought leader in multicultural marketing, technology and cross-cultural business leadership. With 20+ years of experience in corporate marketing, Joycelyn has worked with  global brands and clients in a variety of roles including go-to-market, product marketing and communications. In 2019, she acquired AVC, one of Canada’s leading multicultural marketing agencies. And in 2023, she founded Tulong Technologies, a martech start-up focused on AI-powered B2B solutions for the marketing industry. Joycelyn was named one of the “Most Influential Filipinas in the World” in the category of Thought Leadership, and in 2023 and 2024, her companies ranked as “Top Growing Companies” by the Report of Business, Globe and Mail. With a marketing background spanning 20 years at global organizations, Joycelyn is the quintessential big-picture thinker who brings her signature “anything’s possible” approach to every strategic challenge. Prior to acquiring AVC in 2019, Joycelyn served as Global Head of Customer Go-to-Market Strategy, Digital Business Leader and Product Marketing Director for Western Union, where she spearheaded the company’s fastest-growing digital business unit. An active industry voice, Joycelyn serves on the boards of POCAM (People of Colour in Advertising and Marketing) and the Multicultural Marketing Alliance Canada, while frequently contributing as a speaker and guest lecturer. She holds degrees from the University of Alberta and York University and resides in Toronto with her husband Abe and son Lorenzo.