Disruptive Ceo Nation

Show Notes Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Episode 126 Jillian Michaels, International Entrepreneur and World’s Leading Fitness Expert Welcome to 2022! To kick off the new year, we have a conversation with the remarkable and brilliant entrepreneur Jillian Michaels, as well as provide some tips to set yourself up for success in the new year. As the world’s leading fitness expert, Jillian Michaels is committed to helping people to be the best versions of themselves and live their happiest and healthiest lives. Jillian has dominated the health and wellness space in every realm of media–apps, podcasting, streaming, television, print, publishing, and social media with a collective community of over 100 million strong. The Fitness App created by Jillian is the top-rated diet and exercise app for women, having won best-of awards from both Google and Apple. In 2008, Jillian launched her company, Empowered Media, LLC, with her business partner Giancarlo Chersich. Over the past decade, Empowered M

Show Notes Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Episode 125 Sagi Eliyahu, CEO & Co-founder, Tonkean, Israel Sagi Eliyahu, CEO and co-founder of Tonkean, has created a software that is known as the operating system for business operations. Tonkean AI autonomously coordinates, executes and manages business workflows across data and people, so nothing falls through the cracks. Tonkean is a platform that allows companies in different industries and sizes to take ownership of how they solve problems in their organization and improve their business processes.  Instead of buying software products that don’t integrate with each other, Tonkean offers a solution that enables teams to build and compose their own customized solutions that is easy to execute and does not require coding.  In our conversation, we discuss:  The importance of recognizing that business processes are about people, not data. The concept of how the software works as a composable building block. Sagi’s journey in the software ind

Show Notes Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Episode 124 Alex Young, Founder & CEO Virti, U.K. & USA Alex Young, Founder and CEO of Virti, is a former surgeon turned human performance expert, who specializes in revolutionizing the way people learn, train and perform through immersive technology. His company is unique in how it builds training tools to improve how employees learn and retain skills. Virti is a cloud-based training platform which incorporates AI, computer-generated avatars, videos, gamification techniques, experiential learning and virtual reality. The backend includes measurement of employee engagement and retention.  Virti has being named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2020 and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2021.  The company started with a focus on healthcare, but clients are using the technology in a variety of settings, leading the company to grow from a team of 10 to 50 people in six months.  Highlights of our conversation include: Alex’s thoughts on wh

Show Notes Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Episode 123 Zak Holdsworth, Co-founder Hint Health In both technology and vision, Zak Holdsworth’s story is inspirational on how he went from a small farming community in New Zealand to fulfilling his dream of making it in Silicon Valley. Today he is working on democratizing the world of primary care physicians to free them from the complex world of US insurance carriers. Zak is a change maker, helping physicians cut out the insurance process by going direct to consumers and using the new model for direct primary called subscription as a service.  Prior to co-founding Hint, Zak was VP Business Development at WellnessFX, the first direct-to-consumer clinical diagnostics/telemed company in the US, a startup he invested in during his time at Voyager Capital. Zak holds a BE (Honors) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  Highlights of our conversation in

Show Notes Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Episode 122 Salil Pande, CEO & Founder, VMock, Chicago, USA and New Delhi, India Salil Pande, CEO and Founder of VMock, has a passion to use AI and machine learning to create better career systems for candidates and corporations. The SMART Career Platform technology provides students and professionals with instant feedback and guidance. The company employs 120 people and operates between Chicago and New Delhi, India. Before founding VMock, Salil was the Head of Emerging Markets for Siemens, where he led the firm’s emerging market strategy. Prior to that, he was Director of Sales at the Corporate Executive Board, where he worked with Fortune 2000 clients. He is a frequent speaker at the Kellogg School of Management.  In our conversation, Salil shares his founder’s journey, including a focus on: How VMock helps individuals in their ‘learning to earning’ journey by harnessing technological ‘tutoring’ through automated tools for resumes, interview

Show Notes Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Episode 121 Lindsey Allard, CEO & Co-Founder Playbookux, New York Lindsey Allard, CEO and co-founder of PlaybookUX, knows the importance of finding unbiased user research. Lindsey is a former product manager for three innovation-based startups and has built a product that primarily serves product managers and user researchers.  Her software is a video-based user feedback application that streamlines the user feedback process. The company started by serving small and medium-sized businesses, freelancers, and nonprofits and offers multiple price points. Major corporations are now part of the company’s growing portfolio.    Highlights of our conversation include: The importance of user research democratization. How AI can provide a new level of user testing to companies of all sizes.  Using AI can also remove creeping bias in user testing results. The slow and steady approach to building the company with her co-founder spouse led them to be fully

Show Notes Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Episode 120 Brian Roland, Rounder and Social Entrepreneur Brian Roland is a natural entrepreneur who immediately started by building new sales methods by looking for gaps and figuring out to fill them. Following that method, his first clients included the US Army, Walt Disney Company and Oracle. Abenity, his privately funded company, co-founded with his brother, helps businesses large and small bring perks and benefits to employees and coordinates the complex partnerships on the backend. The technology handles data, privacy, changing tax rates, corporate compliance and more.  The social mission for the business is a long-time partnership with World Vision that now exceeds $1-million in giving to fight extreme poverty.  Highlights of our conversation include: The incredible partnership with his brother and why it works. Leading a remote team across 30 States. How being a people first company contributes to its success. The importance of giving te

Show Notes Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Episode 119 Shawn Harper, International, corporate motivational speaker Shawn Harper is a seven-year former NFL offensive lineman who played with the Rams, Oilers, Colts, and NFL Europe. He now owns and operates American Services and Protection, a multi-million-dollar security services firm headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Shawn is a leading motivational speaker whose lessons from the NFL locker room to the corporate culture of the boardroom prove that one can win both worlds by using the same principles and strategies. Shawn has a high energy and spirit that makes our conversation so memorable. He shares his journey of overcoming adversity and deciding to win in life. That decision took him from barely making it out of high school, to the NFL and outstanding success in business. Our conversation includes Shawn’s journey from being a silent investing partner in a security business, to becoming a leader, taking personal responsibility and ownersh

Show Notes Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Episode 118 Robert Kaul, Founder and CEO Cloud DX, Canada and USA Robert Kaul is founder and CEO of Cloud DX, a leading North American provider of virtual care and remote patient monitoring solutions. The Cloud DX tech platform uses virtual care to address chronic illness, post-surgery care and maternal/natal care.  Chronic illness is the number one healthcare challenge worldwide and is the largest cost in healthcare budgets. The company’s mission is to deliver quality healthcare that improves outcomes for patients on a large scale, is easier for clinicians to use and is less expensive.  Robert has nearly 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and operations leadership, including a successful 17-year track record of leading early stage technology companies. Founded in 2014, Cloud DX is Robert’s sixth startup. Robert has a BSc in Biology and a certificate in Operations Strategy from MIT-Sloan. In our conversation, Robert shares how Cloud DX

Show Notes Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Episode 117 Muna AbuSulayman, Saudi Arabian Entrepreneur and Media Icon It’s a privilege to have a conversation with one of the most influential woman from Saudi Arabia, a serial entrepreneur and media superstar, Muna AbuSulayman. Muna continues hosting the seven years running, number on television show in the Arab world that centers on social issues.  Muna is internationally recognized as an expert in management, education, sustainable development, female empowerment, and has spoken at the World Economic Forum, UN, and The World Bank. Muna created five centers of Islamic Studies at Harvard, Georgetown, Edinburgh and Cambridge Universities. She has also launched, managed, and scaled multiple businesses and is running a consultancy that focuses on solving problems in education, gender issues, media, and entrepreneurship. Muna’s mission is to transfer outside knowledge to Saudi Arabia, especially to female entrepreneurs who are bringing transforma

Show Notes Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Episode 116 David Wood, Founder, Focus CEO Who would think that so much wisdom could be shared from discussing and smiling about Dracula and The Gong Show! This episode is with the world’s number one life coach David Wood, founder of Focus CEO. David has thousands of coaching hours with high-performers from around the world. He explains his philosophy of what it means to be “living in” business by moving from a pure money and systems focus to being more “human.”  David shares relatable examples, plus thoughts from his new book, The Mouse in the Room. Highlights from our conversation include:  ·        A framework for courage-if you wait for competence, nothing happens. ·        Overcoming the imposter syndrome and being more courageous. ·        Prep like a bad ass and get the win! ·        How focus propels you to succeed faster. ·        The importance of a coach and what to consider when hiring yours. ·        Why you need to be aware of the

Mitch Russo has been featured in Forbes, Inc. Entrepreneur and Fortune throughout his career as a CEO and thought leader. In 1989 and 1991, he was nominated for Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year.  In 1985, Mitch co-founded Timeslips Corp, which grew to become the largest time tracking Software Company in the world. Ten years later, Timeslips was sold to Sage Plc. and while at Sage he served as Chief Operating Officer, a division with 300 people with a market cap over $100-million.  Mitch also worked behind the scenes as CEO with Chet Holmes and Tony Robbins. Together they created Business Breakthroughs, Int’l, a company serving thousands of businesses a year with coaching, consulting and training services, generating over $25-million a year in revenue.  Today, Mitch serves world-class leaders who want to take their business to the next level with his coaching and wisdom. Here are some highlights of our conversation: ·        The most important role when you’re a CEO. ·        How to build your team cul

There’s a wealth of information in this episode for start-up entrepreneurs building consumer brands, and those who value using automation and quantitative analysis in marketing tools. David Fink gives insights to both worlds, first from being a founding partner at Science Inc. and working with over 75 consumer internet companies, including the Dollar Shave Club, Jessica Simpson and other top brands. Today he is CEO and Co-Founder of Postie, where his team uses direct mail to transform brands including Lyft, Casper, Warby Parker and more.  The conversation starts with David giving a great perspective in explaining the difference between a new business being opportunistic versus a disruptor or problem solver, and which has a better chance of succeeding. We also cover other topics, including: ·        The elements that predict a successful startup: Solution, TAMS (Total Addressable Market Size) Clear business model, Team players. ·        The rise of social media as a transformative place and the Dollar Shave Cl

Nora Herting, CEO and Co-founder of ImageThink, is a pioneer in using visual imagery as a method to create personal and organizational change. Nora and her entrepreneurial team work primarily with Fortune 100 companies, using a design thinking method as a catalyst to help unlock human potential.  In our conversation, Nora gives examples of how the process works and how it leads to easier facilitation of ideas and moving a company’s vision forward.  Nora is an international thought leader and has presented at Cannes Lions, SXSW Interactive, WBENC, and is often featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and MSNBC. Highlights include:  ·        The neuroscience of how the brain is wired to process visual thinking. ·        How imagery can expedite forward movement and change. ·        How visual thinking can move teams from different realities to shared understanding. ·        How the ImageThink Method™ is a great diagnostic and storytelling tool for leaders to engage internal and external

Dan McGaw, CEO of McGaw.io, is an award-winning entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in marketing technology and marketing analytics. Dan was formerly the head of marketing at Kissmetrics and was head of growth at CodeSchool.com which was acquired by Pluralsight. He’s also a 500 Startups Mentor. Dan has been called one of the original growth hackers and godfathers of marketing technology. He has helped thousands of companies over his career, and in today’s episode he helps to demystify marketing tech. His company helps customers choose their tools, integrate and operate them, and then leverage their tech stack to grow their business.  Check out the notes below as Dan is giving listeners a free download of his latest book, Build Cool Sh*t. Think of it as a short executive guide on how to use your tech stack to grow your business. Highlights of our conversation include: ·        Being an entrepreneur is tough, but you get to Build Cool Sh*t. ·        An entrepreneurial ecosystem requires building a cul

Benjamin Talin is truly a technology disruptor and digital futurist. Based in Switzerland, Benjamin is the founder and CEO of More Than Digital.info, which helps companies survive the tech future by providing access to knowledge about technology trends.  Benjamin and his team have over 1.7 million people in 100 countries sharing expertise about the digital world. His team is also working on highly scalable solutions to help companies and individuals with new technologies and services. Their goal is to be sure that no company is left behind and that every individual has access to education and knowledge sharing.  Benjamin promotes the topics of digitization, digital transformation and innovation internationally. He is an Advisory Board Member for the University of Digital Science in Berlin and a member of the Digital Society Initiative, University of Zurich. As a Member of the Global Panel of Massachusetts Technology Review and the Harvard Business Review, he works with leading executives around the world to s

Achal Patel, Co-founder and CEO of Cabinet Health Brand, has a vision to provide high-quality medicine with environmentally sustainable packaging that makes people feel cared for. Along with his co-founder, they started with two over-the-counter products on Amazon, and within a year became an eight-figure healthcare digital brand. Achal attributes part of the company’s early success to listening and communicating directly with customers. Cabinet Health is committed to showing transparency that every medicine sold is free of carcinogens, toxic metals and allergens such as gluten and soy. Both partners have previous experience in the supply chain process, which gives Cabinet the advantage to oversee quality control, purity and traceability of ingredients. In our conversation, we discuss:  ·        Growing and serving customers with a product first mentality. ·        Communicating to consumers that Cabinet’s products have extra quality controls, including third party testing. ·        The responsibility of a B

Everything about the Boxabl story is disruptive and unconventional. It answers the problem of the major housing shortage in America. It is being funded by investors sourced from social media. It has multiple patents because of how it’s constructed and shipped, developed and launched with team members found on freelance Internet sites, and that’s just part of the story!  Galiano Tiramani is the co-founder of Boxabl, a patented system that delivers factory-built rooms, all fabricated and ready to open on-site in just hours. Boxabl is the world’s most advance modular house that provides versatile residential and commercial solutions, with floor plans and architectural styles chosen by the customer at extremely competitive prices.  Galiano started Boxabl with just ideas on paper, doing Internet research and is now ready to open the manufacturing facility in Las Vegas. Galiano shares his incredible story, including: ·        How Boxabl solves a major problem in the US. ·        How the California market immediatel

The advancements of healthcare technology are changing the way people have accessibility and affordability to healthcare. Tess Cosad has tremendous insights into the disruptive health tech space. She is a FemTech founder based in the UK, the CEO and co-founder of Bea Fertility, a venture-backed startup which brings fertility treatment that’s affordable, safe and administered at home. Tess previously founded Emberson Ventures, a B2B marketing agency specializing in tech sectors. She also created Hers By Design, a female-led, female-focused FemTech brand, and in 2018 was the first woman to lead a digital marketing-focused accelerator program in Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the Growth Velocity Academy. In our conversation, Tess shares her passion for being able to solve anything that doesn’t strike her as fair, the behind-the-scenes work required in a startup, marketing insights and more. We discuss:  ·        The co-founder’s responsibility to sell and keep the vision. ·        Being a medical device company goin

Marina Tran-Vu is an environmental super hero based in Viet Nam. She is the founder of EQUO, a company that creates better solutions for plastic and paper products. Marina has an incredible story of being a female founder, a Viet Nam TechStars and Shark Tank contestant, and a marketing expert who understands what it takes to innovate and bring eco-friendly products to market. For over 10 years, Marina worked in brand management, including Unilever, Bacardi, LG Electronics and Spin Master. She is a recipient of the SME100 Fast Moving Companies Award, featured on FORBES, admitted as the first Vietnam-based company backed by TechStars, named to Vegpreneur’s 25 Vegan Companies You Need to Know, and is one of Flik’s 21 Women Entrepreneurs to watch in 2021.  Our conversation covers a range of topics from Marina’s initial product idea to global execution, including: ·        The path to innovation, starting EQUO, and manufacturing opportunities in Viet Nam. ·        The Viet Nam TechStars and Shark Tank experiences.