School for Startups Radio

December 2, 2024 – BlindSighted Rich Christiansen and The Entrepreneur Therapist Shulamit Ber Levtov

Rich Christiansen – Co-Founder of 55 Businesses and Author of BlindSighted
Rich Christiansen is a globally-recognized thought leader, educator, mentor, parallel entrepreneur, and humanitarian. He assists people in fearlessly facing their dragons, making peace with them, and navigating the intricate mazes of their lives. Rich is set to release his latest book Blindsighted in October 2024. BlindSighted unfolds a journey of identity, faith, and healing, delving into the intriguing history of Rich’s blind attorney father with an eidetic memory, his artist mother, and Rich’s revelation, at age of 54, of being one of the first donor-conceived children. This book aspires to inspire others to confront their demons, leading them on a path of self-discovery and healing. Rich has founded or co-founded 51 businesses, of which 16 have become multimillion-dollar successes. Each was capitalized with $10,000 or less. He has done business in 14 countries. Rich authored The ZigZag Principle (McGraw Hill, 2011), a Wall Street Journal & USA Today national best-selling book, and co-authored Bootstrap Business. As part of his son Tim’s 16-year-old rite of passage, he co-authored Even If Your Toes Turn Purple. Rich’s most recent contribution has been to launch Legado Family. In 2021, Rich introduced the Legado family framework. This model has sparked hope for families, positively impacting and stabilizing families throughout the world. Together with his family, Rich loves to explore and spelunk slot canyons and crest the summits of high mountain peaks. He has stared up the throat of Mt. Everest three times, summited Mt. Kilimanjaro with his wife and sons. Frisbee golf, playful music, zipping down the ski slopes like a teenager are among his hobbies. He is a passionate golfer, meditates daily, and enjoys creating savory adventures in the kitchen. He and his wife are the parents of five amazing sons and ten grandchildren as well as a daughter who came from Nepal. One of Rich’s significant talents is spotting and mentoring winners, having launched and trained hundreds of young women and men over the years. He founded the Entrepreneur Leadership Center and served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Southern Utah University. He also served on the Utah State Board of Higher Education. Rich is the owner of Mountain Grabbers, his thought leadership company. He is also the founder of HooDoo Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm. Rich’s next stage of thought leadership contribution will be the most vital of his life. Over the next several years, he will clarify, ignite, and lead in helping stabilize and guide humanity back into the balanced, safe middle way.Shulamit Ber Levtov – The Entrepreneur Therapist
Shulamit Ber Levtov is a culture change catalyst speaking and educating at the intersection of mental health & entrepreneurship. She’s The Entrepreneurs’ Therapist, working with women business owners to preserve their peace of mind as they ride the emotional rollercoaster of running a business. Shulamit has been an entrepreneur for over 30 years and has more than 24 years of professional experience applying therapeutic, coaching and somatic tools to support women’s mental health and personal growth. She speaks and teaches about the intersection of mental health, trauma, financial psychology and entrepreneurship locally, nationally and internationally. As an award-winning entrepreneur, masters-level, licensed trauma therapist and trauma survivor, with certifications in the Trauma of Money, Financial Social Work and Nonviolent Communication, Shula brings a unique perspective and approach to supporting women in business.

November 25, 2024 – Product Led Wes Bush and Supply Chain Expert Art Koch

Wes Bush – Product-Led Growth Expert and Author of The Product-Led Playbook: How to Unlock Self-Serve Revenue and Dominate Your Market (With a Tiny Team)
Wes Bush has helped more than 408 SaaS businesses generate $1B in self-serve revenue. He has pioneered product-led growth (PLG) and consulted for hypergrowth and Fortune 500 companies on PLG strategies. His bestselling book, Product-Led Growth: How to Build a Product That Sells Itself, has been read by more than 500,000 people. In his new book, The ProductLed Playbook, he details the exact process that has consistently driven success for SaaS companies at every stage of their journey.Art Koch – Supply Chain Transformation Expert – Author of The Supply Chain Revolution: Unlocking the Sustainable Profit Chain
Arthur Koch has over 20 years of results-oriented business transformation leadership experience gained throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, and Europe. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies for consumer products, top-tier automotive suppliers, aerospace and defense, electronics, electrical and mechanical, as well as wholesale and distribution. Prior to entering consulting, he filled the role of Vice President of Supply Chain Management for companies that are global leaders in their industries. His expertise is in implementation and application of supply chain solutions for ERPs, forecasting and inventory planning, sales and operations planning, organizational re-engineering, and LEAN/synchronous practices. No matter the industry, Art focuses on driving profit with improvements to customer service and inventory and factory management. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration in Supply Chain and Operation Management from the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management at Michigan State University. Art has also served as Supply Chain Operations guest speaker to the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business at Elon University, Florida Atlantic University College of Business and Michigan State University Eli Broad College Business.

November 22, 2024 – Remote Staffing Pranav Dalal and Janitorial Franchiser Tim Conn

Pranav Dalal – CEO & Founder at Office Beacon
Pranav Dalal in 2001 with just $2,000 started Office Beacon. It is now a global leader in remote staffing solutions. We help businesses grow with expert staffing across marketing, administration, and more, with 5,000+ employees in the US, India, Philippines, and South Africa. He has a unique perspective on this trend and has seen countless benefits. These include enhanced productivity, access to a diverse global talent pool, and improved employee satisfaction—key advantages that have proven essential in today’s competitive landscape. With over two decades of experience leading distributed teams, Pranav believes that mandating a full return to the office may cause companies to overlook the significant benefits of remote and hybrid work.Tim Conn – Co-Founder & President of Image One Facility Solutions
Tim Conn is the Co-Founder & President of Image One Facility Solutions, a national commercial cleaning franchise. He is eager to discuss growth strategies, investment opportunities, and more. Tim is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years of business experience. In fact, by the time he finished high school, he had already built a small company, the first of many on his way to establishing Image One USA. Tim’s experience guides him every day in leading his business, which has locations across six states and services over 500 commercial facilities in the Chicago area alone. Tim’s insights on franchising and business growth have been featured in outlets such as Forbes and familyhandyman.com. He was also interviewed for the 1851 Franchise podcast, Meet the Zor, where he discussed the benefits of becoming an Image One cleaning franchise owner.

November 21, 2024 - Canadian Environmentalist Wayne Elliott and Dealing w Negative Emotions Dr. Greg Stewart

Wayne Elliott – Ship Recycling and Strauss Naturals Advocate
Wayne Elliott has been in the ship recycling business for 40 years. His company can take a 1000-foot-long ship and reduce it to a pile to reusable materials. He has grown into other areas such as battery recycling. He recounts his life-changing experience with SHD, a health supplement he stumbled upon after battling angina and its debilitating symptoms. Struggling with leg cramps, shortness of breath, night sweats, and chest pains, Wayne also grappled with anxiety and a lack of energy, resigning himself to the fate of heart-related issues that plagued his family. However, upon learning about SHD through a friend in Vancouver and being inspired by studies from renowned institutions like Harvard, Wayne decided to give it a try. Astonishingly, within two weeks of taking SHD, he noticed improvements in unexpected ways – his hearing returned, and his respiratory system cleared, leading to a significant boost in energy. Over the course of three months, Wayne transformed into a revitalized version of himself, feeling as energetic as he did decades ago. This transformation propelled him into a new phase of life where he actively engaged with others, becoming a spokesperson for Jim Strauss, the creator of SHD. Wayne’s involvement extended to radio shows and lectures, allowing him to share his incredible journey with thousands of people suffering from various health issues. His enthusiasm and dedication to natural health solutions led him to become a regular guest on radio networks in the USA and Canada, where he continued to spread the word about his positive experiences with SHD and its miraculous effects on individuals dealing with diabetes, heart disease, low energy, and clogged arteries. Wayne’s story highlights the power of painless, safe, and affordable health products, emphasizing the beauty of solutions that genuinely work. His gratitude towards Jim Strauss and the Strauss Heart Drops is profound, as he believes that without this intervention, he might not have been alive today, reinforcing the transformative impact of natural health remedies in the face of life-threatening conditions. Strauss Naturals is sponsoring the show with support for our radio-minute segments. Wayne says very simply that their products saved him. He became an advocate for the company and has been working with them for 29 years.Greg Stewart – Counselor, Coach, and Consultant at Becoming More Counseling, Coaching & Consulting, LLC and Author of I3 Information, Interpretation, Intensity
Dr. Greg Stewart lives in Rockwall, TX and is currently a full-time telehealth counselor, executive coach, and consultant. He has a BA in Organizational Leadership (Cornerstone University), a Master of Divinity (Grand Rapids Theological Seminary), a MA in Counseling (GRTS), and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision (Regent U). His dissertation was The Relationship of Emotional Intelligence to Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment. His book is coming out November 19th and the goal of my book is to equip people to have power over their environment, with the key being they need to walk into their negative emotions.

November 20, 2024 – WordPress SMS Texter Phillip Dane and Change Leader Siobhan McHale

Phillip Dane – Co-founder and CEO of Odd Market, Los Feliz Flea, Vintage Land, and LACC Swap Meet. Founder and CEO of Ultimate WP SMS Support
Phillip Dane is a seasoned entrepreneur with a passion for innovation and a deep love for WordPress. Alongside his wife, Shelly Dane, he is the Co-Founder of a successful event company that has made a significant mark in the industry. Recognizing the limitations of traditional email marketing, Phillip’s curiosity led him to explore the potential of SMS technology, which soon became a game-changer for their business. This journey inspired Phillip to take a leap into the tech world, where he founded Ultimate WP SMS. His drive to improve communication tools for businesses led him to acquire and completely overhaul the Joy of Text plugin, transforming it into a powerful and intuitive platform that now sets the standard for SMS marketing on WordPress.Siobhan McHale – Change Leader and Author: The Hive Mind at Work and The Insider’s Guide to Culture Change
Siobhan McHale has worked across four continents, helping thousands of leaders to create more agile and productive workplaces. She also has been on the “inside” as the executive in charge of culture change in a series of large, multinational organizations. One of these inside jobs was a radical seven-year change initiative at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) Bank that transformed it from the lowest-performing bank in the country into one of the highest-performing and most admired banks in the world. Professor John Kotter used her work with ANZ as a Harvard Business School case study designed to teach MBA students about managing change. She is the author of “The Hive Mind at Work.”

November 18, 2024 – Passion! Shadan Capri & Mellow Money Mick Heyman

Shadan Capri – Attorney/Founder of Kapri Law & Consulting and the Author of The Red Movement: Social and Environmental Justice in the 21st Century
Shadan Kapri (pronounced Shadawn Capri) is a trailblazing human rights attorney, activist, and bestselling author. Her book, “The Red Movement: Social & Environmental Justice in the 21st Century” has been called a “beacon of light” and a “must-read” for its revolutionary approach to fighting modern day injustices. It has been a Human Rights and Civil Rights Bestseller on Amazon and received the International Impact Book Award in March 2024. She has been recognized on the local, national, and international level for her commitment to public service and issues impacting women and children. She was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar on human rights and human trafficking which led to her bestselling book, “The Red Movement.” She founded Kapri Law & Consulting, a boutique international law firm that focuses on women’s rights, children’s rights, family law, international, and human rights. She has been recognized by the White House when she received the Daily Point of Light Award. The award was created by a former U.S. President to recognize people and organizations dedicated to public service. She has also been recognized by the United Nations when her team received the United Nations Development Programme Online Team of the Year Award in 2007. She has devoted her life to increasing awareness about human trafficking and human rights issues through public speaking, writing, and advocacy. She holds advanced degrees in law, international relations, and journalism. She is an alumni of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She has also been included in the Top 100 National Advocates and received two “Attorney of the Year” Awards from her local bar association.Mick Heyman – Author of Mellow Your Money: How to Surf the Market and Build Wealth without Stressing Yourself Out and the Founder of Heyman Investment Counseling
Mick Heyman, CFA and Founder of Heyman Investment Counseling, has a 40-year career in wealth management, helping individuals and institutions of all sizes to build and preserve wealth with his stress-free method for mellowing your money. Mick started his career at a small firm in Cincinnati before moving to Louisville to focus on equities with a team of top equity managers, managing billions in assets for clients. His career came full circle when he moved to San Diego to work with individual investors, some of whom have remained loyal to him for more than 30 years. Mick received a Bachelor of Economics from Northwestern and is a designated CFA. Despite a formal education in economics, it was really his interest in philosophy and psychology which showed him that human emotion is ultimately what drives the market. This realization has helped him make better money decisions for himself and his clients, using an understanding of human nature and an appreciation for long-term trends. Mick writes articles showing how to mellow your money on LinkedIn and has appeared in the Wall Street Journal as well as other financial publications. His writing and speaking focuses on sound money management as the path to health, wealth, and wisdom. Now settled in San Diego, Heyman takes full advantage of his proximity to the mountains and the sea. He spends his free time playing tennis and golf or surfing with his kids. He enjoys reading mysteries and Russian literature, and dedicates time to meditation, yoga, qigong, and juggling.

November 15, 2024 – MITO Haley Marie Keith and Tax & Tariff Talk Bryan Riley

Haley Marie Keith – CEO and Co-Founder of MITO Material Solutions
Haley Marie Keith is the CEO and co-founder of MITO Material Solutions, a science company focused on building a more sustainable world with high performance materials. MITO® is the first to market functionalized graphene products that deliver lab verified improvements in strength, durability, and flexibility in composite materials allowing manufacturers to make lighter, longer-lasting products. Haley discovered her passion for business at a young age. She graduated early from high school and completed her undergraduate at age 20. During her MBA studies, she uncovered a technology commercialization opportunity which she and her engineer husband were the perfect team to launch into a ground-breaking business. To fund the business, Haley has raised over $8 million in venture capital and over $3 million in dilutive grants. She has successfully balanced the development of MITO with her growing family, which includes two young daughters and a dog. Haley is among the few female leaders in the materials space and was named a featured honoree in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Manufacturing & Industry List. Her mission is to empower others through her work at MITO® Material Solutions where her team is committed to material improvements as life improvements.Bryan Riley – Director of National Taxpayers Union
Bryan’s background includes years of research on the impact trade has on people in the United States. He has led grassroots campaigns in support of initiatives like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and in opposition to special-interest efforts to get the government to pick winners and losers in the U.S. economy. Bryan has been quoted in publications including the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He is also an in-demand speaker who travels the country explaining the benefits international trade and investment bring to Americans. Bryan Riley grew up in Manhattan, Kansas. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Southern California. Bryan first came to Washington, DC as an NTU intern during the Reagan administration, and he continues to champion President Reagan’s pro-trade vision for America.

November 14, 2024 – Canadian Environmentalist Wayne Elliott and Executive Producer of the “Sound of Freedom” Movie Paul Hutchinson

Wayne Elliott – Ship Recycling and Strauss Naturals Advocate
Wayne Elliott has been in the ship recycling business for 40 years. His company can take a 1000-foot-long ship and reduce it to a pile to reusable materials. He has grown into other areas such as battery recycling. He recounts his life-changing experience with SHD, a health supplement he stumbled upon after battling angina and its debilitating symptoms. Struggling with leg cramps, shortness of breath, night sweats, and chest pains, Wayne also grappled with anxiety and a lack of energy, resigning himself to the fate of heart-related issues that plagued his family. However, upon learning about SHD through a friend in Vancouver and being inspired by studies from renowned institutions like Harvard, Wayne decided to give it a try. Astonishingly, within two weeks of taking SHD, he noticed improvements in unexpected ways – his hearing returned, and his respiratory system cleared, leading to a significant boost in energy. Over the course of three months, Wayne transformed into a revitalized version of himself, feeling as energetic as he did decades ago. This transformation propelled him into a new phase of life where he actively engaged with others, becoming a spokesperson for Jim Strauss, the creator of SHD. Wayne’s involvement extended to radio shows and lectures, allowing him to share his incredible journey with thousands of people suffering from various health issues. His enthusiasm and dedication to natural health solutions led him to become a regular guest on radio networks in the USA and Canada, where he continued to spread the word about his positive experiences with SHD and its miraculous effects on individuals dealing with diabetes, heart disease, low energy, and clogged arteries. Wayne’s story highlights the power of painless, safe, and affordable health products, emphasizing the beauty of solutions that genuinely work. His gratitude towards Jim Strauss and the Strauss Heart Drops is profound, as he believes that without this intervention, he might not have been alive today, reinforcing the transformative impact of natural health remedies in the face of life-threatening conditions. Strauss Naturals is sponsoring the show with support for our radio-minute segments. Wayne says very simply that their products saved him. He became an advocate for the company and has been working with them for 29 years.Paul Hutchinson – Executive Producer of the “Sound of Freedom” Movie, Author, Speaker and Founder of Child Liberation Foundation 
Paul Hutchinson retired in 2017 from his professional career as a business partner and entrepreneur to focus entirely on rescuing children enslaved in sex trafficking. In 2017, Paul founded the Child Liberation Foundation, and has led or held a critical role in over 70 undercover rescue missions in 15 countries. Through his foundation, and others that he has helped to start and fund, over 5,000 children have now been liberated. Paul is the primary investor and Executive Producer of the film “Sound of Freedom”. The film highlights one of the largest child rescue missions in history – with over 120 victims being liberated – in which Paul himself held a pivotal role. He has been the keynote speaker to royalty and at family office conferences on six continents. Paul Hutchinson is known and respected worldwide for his professional accomplishments and for the profound impact he is making in the lives of millions. After leading over 70 undercover rescue operations, Paul realized that the only way to end child trafficking was to fight the problems in society that create supply and demand for this heinous crime: abuse, addiction, trauma, broken homes, etc. That’s when Paul founded Liberating Humanity.

November 13, 2024 – New Designer Gift Co. Founder Ashley Gould and Parenting w Patricia McGann

Ashley Gould – Founder & CEO of Âme Atendre
Ashley Gould is the founder of Âme Atendre. Ashley started out practicing law in California and she also served in leadership positions at extremely successful startups such as JUUL and 23andMe. The pandemic led her to move to Utah with her family where she reflected on the lack of communication and empathy between people and started musing on the importance of dining tables…which quickly led to her turning her focus onto household goods in general. From this interest, Âme Atendre was born! In 2022 Ashley began work on a project to link physical objects with increased human connection, which would eventually become Âme Atendre™. After working as a lawyer and executive for over a decade, in public and private companies, and experiencing and observing increasing detachment and misunderstanding among people, she felt a void in the ability for people of differing ideas to come together with the goal of understanding and empathy. Growing up with a mother who cultivated community through food and joyful gathering led Ashley to launch Âme Atendre™ as a tabletop brand with an emphasis on quality and a goal of reintroducing fulfilling forms of connection into our families and into our world.Patricia McGann – Author of Steadfast Parenting: How to Raise Children of Character
Patricia McGann is an educational consultant at the McGann Group, which she established to provide professional development to schools and support to parent school communities. She has master’s degrees in counseling and educational administration and has been a nurse, a counselor, a teacher, an administrator, and a principal. Mrs. McGann is the mother of five adult children and grandmother of fourteen (soon to be fifteen in July). She has been married to Terrence for over fifty years, and they live in Bethesda, Maryland.

November 11, 2024 - Mac and Cheese Entrepreneur Erin Wade and Israeli Publisher Yehuda Niv

great show!