The Founder & The Force Multiplier

The most powerful tool in business and life? Gratitude.Rachel DesRochers is a serial entrepreneur who went from “making brown squares” to building multiple businesses that empower women and other entrepreneurs to achieve their wildest dreams. She explains how gratitude is an essential tool to building businesses and living a fulfilled life, shares some gratitude practices you can implement today, and how letting go of expectations will let your goals and achievements become bigger than you could ever have imagined.Rachel DesRochers is the founder of Grateful Grahams, an artisanal graham cracker company; the Incubator Kitchen Collective, a non-profit providing kitchen space, business support, and mentorship to food entrepreneurs; founder of The Good People Festival, an annual free music festival; and In Gratitude, a podcast of tools, tidbits and chats on living a life in gratitude. Rachel recently launched Head to Heart Mentorship where she is using all the tools she’s learned as an entrepreneur to support other makers & creatives to live a life of joy! Her most recent project is Power to Pursue a one day woman’s empowerment conference.Rachel has received numerous local awards and was a semi-finalist for Martha Stewarts American Made Award, awarded the Local Luminary from Slow Foods Cincinnati, 2020 40 Under 40 from the Cincinnati Business Courier and in 2021 the Emerging Leaders for Outstanding Women of NKY. Rachel is a passionate believer in the power of gratitude and the role of food in creating of community. Her mission goes beyond making a great cookie: she also wants to impact her community with positivity and action. If that wasn’t enough she is also mom to 3 and works side by side with her husband in building these businesses.

This conversation is a MUST listen for aspiring Chiefs of Staff or current Chiefs of Staff looking to further define their role!Clara Ma is the Founder and CEO of Ask a Chief of Staff and has years of experience helping Chiefs of Staff and other Force Multipliers with career development, career planning, matching with the right leader, finding their next role, and much more.Clara spent the first years of her career at a technical recruiting firm, placing engineer talent at early-stage startups like Warby Parker, Dollar Shave Club, and Bonobos. She then worked at AngelList helping startups hire technical talent and placing over 50+ candidates at other early-stage companies. Most recently, Clara has been cultivating a community of over 500 aspiring and current Chiefs of Staff through mentoring, providing resources, and finding their next opportunities for them.During our conversation, Clara shared how she fell into the Chief of Staff role, what distinguishes the COS role from that of the EA or COO, and gives advice to anyone who may be considering the position or looking to grow in their role as Chief of Staff.References and Resources from Today’s EpisodeAsk a Chief of StaffClara’s LinkedInMoleskine Bullet Journal

Today, Adam joins Hallie for a powerful conversation with author, Bonnie Low-Kramen. For twenty-five years, Bonnie Low-Kramen worked as the personal assistant to Oscar-winner Olympia Dukakis and Louis Zorich. From there, she became a sought-after author and speaker on workplace issues. Her new book, Staff Matters: People-Focused Solutions for the Ultimate New Workplace, is a revolutionary and thoughtful approach to bridging the gaps between all staff in the post-pandemic world.We had a great time talking with Bonnie about how the pandemic has changed work, the importance of psychological safety, and building the ultimate workplace. She also shared some awesome examples of real staff stories and some of the research in her book, Staff Matters.References and Resources from Today’s EpisodeStaff Matters: People-Focused Solutions for the Ultimate New Workplace by Bonnie Low-Kramen

Today, we dive deep into a conversation about the power of human connection, the future of AI in the creative industry, and the nuances of entrepreneurship and branding with visionary entrepreneur, Derrick Scarpaci, and passionate writer, Katherine Williams. The couple are the co-founders of Variantista, a bespoke content-writing and brand strategy company. Variantista helps brands build a unique online presence that educates, inspires, and connects them with their audience on a deeply personal level. In this episode, both Founders and Force Multipliers will learn about creating a brand that feels like home. Derrick and Katherine are also offering an exciting bonus to all of our podcast listeners! Head to Variantista.com/contact-us and fill out the contact form with the note “Founder & Force Multiplier Podcast Listener” to receive your free 1,500 word article with the purchase of a content strategy.

Hallie interviews best-selling author, executive consultant, speaker, and Silicon Valley veteran, Ann Hiatt, on how she has built confidence over the course of her career as a naturally introverted person, and has bet on herself to create breakthrough opportunities in her life, like creating the first Chief of Staff role at Google and now stepping out onto her own as a founder.Ann has 15+ years of experience reporting directly to high-profile CEOs such as Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and Eric Schmidt of Google and Alphabet. She now consults with CEOs and their leadership teams across the globe on c-suite optimization, has been a featured speaker at major conferences such as SXSW, The Growth Faculty, and the Valencia Digital Summit. Her bestselling book, Bet On Yourself, was published by HarperCollins in 2021.References and Resources from Today’s EpisodeAnn HiattBet on Yourself by Ann HiattBet on Yourself PodcastFollow Ann on LinkedIn, Instagram, Youtube, and TwitterView full show notes here.

On today's episode, we speak with our first Force Multiplier! Chief of Staff, Brenda Rogers, shares about her experience transitioning from Executive Assistant to Chief of Staff and how important it is to communicate openly with your executive to grow in your career. We discuss how letting go may be hard but it helps us grow, why mental fitness and emotional intelligence are necessary skills for Force Multipliers, and ways you can grow in your career with training, mentors, and believing in yourself.Resources from Today’s EpisodeBrenda RogersChief of Staff RoundtableNow Discover Your Strengths by GallupThe Inner Circle NewsletterThe Founder & Force Multiplier CommunityRead the full show notes here.Join The Founder & Force Multiplier Community for free!

The founder of Braid, Michael Abramowitz shares about his entrepreneurial journey, and how entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. Michael and Manal discuss the benefits of a disruptive app like Braid, how we can’t forget our human side while we run our businesses, and that balancing the many facets of a busy life is not easy, but it’s not supposed to be, and we’re better people for it.Resources from Today’s EpisodeBraidTraction by Gino WickmanDrive by Daniel H. PinkJoin The Founder & The Force Multiplier Community!Join The Founder & Force Multiplier Community for free!

Q4 is almost over - are you ready to close the loops on 2022? Manal shares 9 tips on how leaders and Force Multipliers can close out the year strong and hit the ground running in 2023.In today’s episode you will learn about these 9 practices:Goal Setting & Business PlanningUtilizing a Weekly Execution PlanAnnual Calendar Review & PlanningClosing the Loops & Tying up Loose EndsCreating a Personal Growth PlanCreating your NOT to-do listPersonal Behavior AssessmentsTracking Your Wins and Updating Your ResumeOrganizing & Cleaning HouseJoin The Founder & The Force Multiplier Community!Business Meets Spirituality PodcastEnd-of-Year Checklist for Leaders and Force MultipliersFree FFM Resources Join The Founder & Force Multiplier Community for free!

Have you tapped into your creative side recently? This week, Manal interviews an old colleague of hers, Randy Mills. Their conversation dives deep into the power of creativity and diverse experiences in leadership, the value of helping your team see the vision, and creating an ecosystem of empathy and trust within your organization.Resources from Today’s EpisodeJoin The Founder & The Force Multiplier Community!Think Like a Monk by Jay ShettyLeaders Eat Last by Simon SinekJoin The Founder & Force Multiplier Community for free!

Manal interviews the founders and co-hosts of the A Leadership Beyond podcast, Tom Rosenak and Adrienne Guerrero. The two share how what started as a pandemic project grew into something greater, how their Force Multiplier helps BOTH of them execute their vision, and how “graceful assertiveness” can help you find balance and boundaries in both your career and personal life.References from Today’s Episode:A Leadership Beyond:https://aleadershipbeyond.com/connect@aleadershipbeyond.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/a-leadership-beyond/Diamond Mind (Tom)https://www.digdiamondmind.com/linkedin.com/in/tom-rosenakPostive Delta (Adrienne)https://embracethedelta.com/linkedin.com/in/adrienneguerreroJoin The Founder & Force Multiplier Community for free!