CEO School with Suneera Madhani

Lock in your spot for the Unicorn CEO Summit today at https://mntr.ai/unicorn-ceo-summit-early-invite What would change in your leadership if you honored your inner child instead of suppressing it? In this episode, you’ll hear Jess King open up about her unconventional career path, her inner-healing journey, and the spiritual principles that guide her life. You’ll learn how to reconnect with yourself, find stillness in chaos, and build confidence rooted in authenticity—not perfection. This conversation invites you to step into your own light, trust your gifts, and embrace the version of yourself you’re becoming. Jess King is a Peloton superstar, spiritual athlete, DJ, and creative force who empowers people to step into their light. From dance and Cirque du Soleil to digital fame and mindful coaching, Jess uses movement, storytelling, and honesty to help others rise into their most expansive lives. What you’ll learn in this episode: (02:46) How Jess’s dance career, early rejections, and determination set the foundation for her Peloton journey. (05:14) Why healing her inner patterns and reconnecting with her inner child transformed every area of her life. (08:23) How saying “yes” to possibility helped Jess step into bold new opportunities. (14:49) Why Jess confidently told Peloton to “just hire me” and how self-belief shifts outcomes. (19:06) What authentic leadership means to Jess. (26:09) How to create calm and self-connection even in the busiest seasons of life. (33:43) Why surrender—not control—is the true path to ease, trust, and aligned action. (48:47) How Jess is building Mindfull3, her coaching and wellness company, to help others transform from the inside out. Lock in your spot for the Unicorn CEO Summit today at https://mntr.ai/unicorn-ceo-summit-early-invite Thank you to Jess King for being on our show! Learn more about Jess and Mindful3: https://mindfull3.com/ Check out Jess Kind On The Record: https://getontherecord.com/ Join the CEO School Founders Club: https://theceoschool.com/membership. We're building a table where every female founder has a seat. Subscribe to the CEO School podcast because only 2% of female founders ever break $1 million in revenue, and we’re changing that: * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast//id1525261018 * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06KIvFFJP0yJv67N9ugigU * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CEOSchoolPodcast/?sub_confirmation=1 Learn more about CEO School because nothing bad ever happens when women make more money: * Website: https://theceoschool.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceoschool/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/ Learn more about how Suneera Madhani is paving the way for badass female CEOs like you to take center stage not just in your industries but in your whole life. * Website: https://suneeramadhani.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/ This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lisa Jauregui, beauty entrepreneur and CEO of BK Beauty, shares her inspiring journey from a $30,000 startup to a $30M beauty brand. She emphasizes the power of organic creator collaborations that fueled her brand's initial growth. Lisa reveals how the name 'BK Beauty' reflects her mission of teaching kindness through beauty, inspired by her daughters. She discusses the challenges of scaling, maintaining customer connections through personal outreach, and her experience navigating TikTok Shop's explosive impact. Lisa also touches on balancing work and family dynamics as co-founders.

Founders, what steps can you take to understand your retail category better than anyone else in your space? In this episode, you’ll learn how Michelle Razavi built a capital-efficient consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand that broke into major retailers through resilience, community building, and strategic iteration. You’ll hear the real story behind pivots, failed first products, fundraising hurdles, and the discipline required to scale a product into big-box stores. Michelle Razavi is the founder and CEO of Elavi, the protein-rich snack taking over Costco and major retailers. Michelle is on a mission to reinvent nostalgic treats with clean, functional ingredients, and to empower women to fuel their bodies with strength, confidence, and protein. What you’ll learn in this episode: (01:26) How Michelle scaled Elavi from a homemade concept into nationwide retail distribution. (05:56) Why protein matters deeply for women and how to rethink your relationship with nutritional products. (08:05) How Michelle navigated early failures and high-pressure pivots in year one. (12:55) Why building a digital community is now table stakes for every founder. (15:11) What it takes to commercialize a kitchen prototype into large-scale manufacturing. (19:38) Why founders must embrace social media. (26:46) The biggest mistakes founders make when pitching retail buyers. (31:30) Why getting onto retail shelves is only the beginning and what sell-through really requires operationally. Thank you to Michelle Razavi for being on the show! Michelle’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellerazavi/ Michelle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellerazavi/ Elavi: http://www.elavi.co Join the CEO School Founders Club: https://theceoschool.com/membership. We're building a table where every female founder has a seat. Subscribe to the CEO School podcast because only 2% of female founders ever break $1 million in revenue, and we’re changing that: * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast//id1525261018 * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06KIvFFJP0yJv67N9ugigU * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CEOSchoolPodcast/?sub_confirmation=1 Learn more about CEO School because nothing bad ever happens when women make more money: * Website: https://theceoschool.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceoschool/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/ Learn more about how Suneera Madhani is paving the way for badass female CEOs like you to take center stage not just in your industries but in your whole life. * Website: https://suneeramadhani.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/ This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lock in your spot for Unicorn CEO Summit today at https://mntr.ai/unicorn-ceo-summit-early-invite What are the five essential shifts you need to make to become a seven-figure or eight-figure CEO? In this episode, Suneera breaks down the five patterns she sees among seven-figure and eight-figure CEOs at the Millionaire Founders Club retreat. She walks you through the mindset and operational shifts required to move from doing to leading—including clarity, systems, team, visibility, and alignment. What you’ll learn in this episode: (1:13) Why shifting your language from “Can I?” to “Who can?” accelerates your path to scalable leadership. (2:18) How founders achieve total clarity in their business model and ideal customer profile (ICP). (3:55) Why scalable systems and repeatable processes are essential for growth. (4:48) How team leverage—human or AI—becomes the catalyst for moving from doing to leading. (7:02) Why visibility is directly tied to your brand valuation and market share. (8:02) How leveraging owned media channels gives you unprecedented access to your customers. (8:39) Why alignment becomes a non-negotiable filter for clients, teams, and decisions. Lock in your spot for Unicorn CEO Summit today at https://mntr.ai/unicorn-ceo-summit-early-invite Join the CEO School Founders Club: https://theceoschool.com/membership. We're building a table where every female founder has a seat. Subscribe to the CEO School podcast because only 2% of female founders ever break $1 million in revenue, and we’re changing that: * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast//id1525261018 * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06KIvFFJP0yJv67N9ugigU * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CEOSchoolPodcast/?sub_confirmation=1 Learn more about CEO School because nothing bad ever happens when women make more money: * Website: https://theceoschool.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceoschool/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/ Learn more about how Suneera Madhani is paving the way for badass female CEOs like you to take center stage not just in your industries, but in your whole life. * Website: https://suneeramadhani.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/ This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lock in your spot for Unicorn CEO Summit today at https://mntr.ai/unicorn-ceo-summit-early-invite What if the secret to success wasn’t more hustle—but better alignment? This episode of CEO School features Erin Gallagher, author and CEO of Hype Women, discussing the importance of women supporting and hyping each other rather than competing. Erin shares her personal journey of reclaiming her intuition and self-worth after years in corporate America, and explores the challenges women face from both societal systems and internalized scarcity mindsets. The conversation highlights the power of transferring different forms of capital—human, social, political, and financial—to uplift women and create meaningful change. Get your copy of Hype Women today: https://www.amazon.com/Hype-Women-Breaking-Patriarchy-Silencing/dp/1394329504 💬 Your Turn: What was your biggest takeaway this season? Tag @ceoschool and let us know! 📢 Love the show? Share with a business bestie and leave a review to help more women scale with confidence. (00:00:00) Reclaiming Intuition and Self-Worth (00:05:30) The Power and Pitfalls of "Mean Girl" Culture (00:08:00) Scarcity Mindset vs. Abundance for Women (00:15:45) The Hype Women Economy: Transferring Capital (00:22:30) Vulnerability, Motherhood, and Breaking the Mold  (00:35:00) Embracing Dualities and Building Community  Lock in your spot for Unicorn CEO Summit today at https://mntr.ai/unicorn-ceo-summit-early-invite Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lock in your spot for Unicorn CEO Summit today at https://mntr.ai/unicorn-ceo-summit-early-invite What if the secret to success wasn’t more hustle—but better alignment? In this special kickoff episode, CEO School host Suneera Madhani welcomes you to the future of CEO School. In this episode, she celebrated 5 years of the podcast and shares why the movement is just getting started. This episode embraces the Big Business Energy and teaches you how to redefine your success on your journey toward freedom, impact, and authenticity.  Only 2% of female founders surpass $1 million in revenue - which has to stop. This next season of CEO School is sure to bring you conversations and guidance you need to reach your next million.  💬 Your Turn: What was your biggest takeaway this season? Tag @ceoschool and let us know! 📢 Love the show? Share with a business bestie and leave a review to help more women scale with confidence. (00:01:54) The Origin of CEO School Podcast (00:03:21) Breaking the Million Dollar Barrier (00:07:21) Navigating Venture Capital & The Boys Club (00:09:03) Motherhood, Mindset, and Scaling During the Pandemic (00:10:11) Claiming the CEO Title & Building a Legacy Lock in your spot for Unicorn CEO Summit today at https://mntr.ai/unicorn-ceo-summit-early-invite Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special bonus episode brought to you in partnership with Mastercard, Suneera Madhani explores one of the biggest opportunities in fintech today: open banking. If you're a fintech founder building tools for small businesses, this episode is packed with insights to help you create more impactful, data-driven solutions. With over 33 million SMBs in the U.S. powering nearly half the workforce, the demand for modern financial tools is only growing. Inside the episode: The real reason small businesses struggle with cash flow—and how fintech can help A breakdown of what open banking is and why it matters right now Five powerful ways to leverage open banking APIs—from payments and lending to fraud prevention and financial visibility How to get started: choosing the right partners, using AI for better insights, and staying up-to-date on compliance needs This conversation is especially for founders building the next generation of fintech products that support small business success. This episode is sponsored by Mastercard. #MastercardAmbassador Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens after the billion-dollar milestone? In Part Two of her powerful conversation with Jay Shetty, CEO School founder Suneera Madhani opens up about what came after the unicorn valuation—from the health crisis she didn’t see coming to the identity loss that followed stepping away from the company she built from scratch. This episode is a masterclass in honest leadership, conscious entrepreneurship, and redefining success after burnout. Suneera shares the emotional, mental, and physical toll of scaling a business at all costs—and the healing journey that led her to build again with intention. Whether you're building your first business or your fifth, this conversation is a reminder that success without alignment isn’t success at all. — In this episode, you’ll learn: 🧠 The mindset shifts required to scale from $1M to $1B📉 Why everything breaking at each level of scale is normal—and necessary❤️‍🔥 What burnout taught Suneera about health, hustle, and identity💸 How she walked away from a billion-dollar company to prioritize purpose👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 How her Sunday “zoom-out” meetings keep her business, family, and marriage thriving🧘🏽‍♀️ Why your real power lies in choosing peace—and what’s next — 💬 Your Turn: What resonated most from this conversation? Share your thoughts and tag @ceoschool on Instagram! 📢 Love the show? Send this episode to a business bestie, and keep tuning in all summer for the very best of CEO School. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it really take to scale a billion-dollar business—and still have time for what matters most? In this summer school replay of her interview on On Purpose with Jay Shetty, CEO School founder Suneera Madhani shares her powerful journey from corporate employee to unicorn founder. In this wide-ranging conversation, she opens up about redefining success, learning to reclaim time, and building a business rooted in purpose and presence. From her immigrant roots to the early days of pitching a fintech idea out of the trunk of her car, Suneera’s story is proof that confidence, clarity, and community can change everything. This episode is packed with practical takeaways and hard-earned wisdom for any founder ready to scale on their own terms. 🎧 Whether you're tuning in for the first time or revisiting this fan-favorite, get ready to be inspired—and reminded that women do, in fact, have it all. — In this episode, you’ll learn: 🕒 Why time—not money—is the real currency of success🧠 The mindset shifts that helped Suneera evolve from solopreneur to CEO💡 Her do–delegate–delete method for reclaiming time and energy📉 What social media gets wrong about entrepreneurship🧭 How to build a business by focusing on purpose over pressure — ✨ Loved this episode? Share it with a business bestie and tag @ceoschool to let us know your favorite takeaway. And don’t forget—new episodes return this fall. Until then, enjoy the best of CEO School, all summer long. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the secret to success wasn’t more hustle—but better alignment? In this heartfelt solo finale, CEO School host Suneera Madhani reflects on five years of podcasting and the powerful lessons from this season. With themes of energy, alignment, and evolution, she walks listeners through the mindset shifts that helped her grow a billion-dollar business and build a new one—all while protecting her peace. From running a tech startup to creating the Millionaire Founders Club, this episode is a deeply personal (and strategic!) look at what it really takes to thrive as a woman in business. Whether you're entering your next season or finding your way in this one, this finale is packed with wisdom that will stay with you long after summer school ends. In this episode, you’ll learn: ✨ Why alignment—not hustle—is your most important strategy🗓️ How your calendar can (and should) reflect your real priorities⚡ The surprising truth about energy: it is the business plan🌱 Why you don’t have to choose between ambition and boundaries🎯 How to stop chasing the finish line—and start embracing the cycle 🎧 Plus: Suneera shares which episode went viral this season (hint: it’s the one with her mom!) 💬 Your Turn: What was your biggest takeaway this season? Tag @ceoschool and let us know! 📢 Love the show? Share with a business bestie and leave a review to help more women scale with confidence. (00:02:14) Personal Alignment for Business Success (00:05:41) Harnessing Positive Energy for Business Success (00:09:31) Achieving Stillness and Scale in Business (00:13:55) The Dynamic Entrepreneurial Journey: Embracing Growth (00:14:50) Finding Purpose in Business Scaling Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices