145: From Survival Mode to CEO Mode - Breaking the Cycle (ft. Christine Carrillo)

David speaks with Christine Carrillo, an executive coach for early-stage CEOs and founder of The 20-Hour CEO. Christine has built three companies generating over $200M in revenue and now helps founders build lean, profitable businesses without burnout.

They talked about:

🏚 Growing up in poverty and becoming head of household at 14

🛠 Navigating trauma, burnout, and building resilience

💡 Why freedom, not money, was her ultimate definition of success

🚀 Starting and scaling VC-backed and bootstrapped companies

🧘🏽‍♀️ Rewriting productivity rules with the 20-Hour CEO

🧠 The mindset shift from survival mode to CEO mode

📜 Full transcript:

https://theknowledge.io/christinecarrillo-2/

🗣 Mentioned in the show:

The 20-Hour CEO | https://www.20hourceo.com

Butler Health | https://www.butlerhealth.co

Techstars | https://www.techstars.com

Kaiser Permanente | https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org

McKinsey & Company | https://www.mckinsey.com

Deloitte | https://www2.deloitte.com

👤 Connect with Christine:

Website: https://www.christinecarrillo.com/

Twitter: https://x.com/ChristineCarril

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinecarrillo

👨🏾‍💻 About David Elikwu:

David Elikwu FRSA is a serial entrepreneur, strategist, and writer. David is the founder of The Knowledge, a platform helping people think deeper and work smarter.

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