Fearless Founders
Fearless Founders podcast is an audio adaptation of a live experience hosted for CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) Program participants across the nation each year. CEO is an entrepreneurship program provided by the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship that is transforming young people across the nation into entrepreneurial thinkers. A part of the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship’s ever-present mission to develop the next generation of thought leaders and innovators, this series was born out of a passion to share valuable life stories with these high school entrepreneurs and invite them to build their network on a national level. In this podcast, you’ll hear a collection of special conversations with highly, successful visionary leaders - from Olympic champions to New York Times bestselling authors - that touch on how they got there, the failures they overcame, and what they learned along the way. To learn more about the CEO Program, visit DiscoverCEO.com.
Episodes
39 episodes
Alumni Panel | Building Their Entrepreneurial Path Post CEO
What does building something after the CEO actually look like?In this episode of Fearless Founders, Ashton sits down with three CEO alumni, Lilly Miller, Leo Krueger, and Levi Zbinden, for an honest conversation about life, busi...
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Brock & Mitch Mammoser | From One Product to an $80M Brand
What happens when two small-town brothers take a single product idea and turn it into an $80 million brand in just five years?In this episode of Fearless Founders, Ashton Shultz sits down with Brock and Mitch Mammoser, the broth...
Manda Goldberg | From Layoff to Agency: The Cella Gold Story
In this episode, Ashton sits down with Manda Goldberg, Founder & Chief Strategist of Cella Gold Media, a social media agency based in South Florida serving real estate and service-based brands. After being laid off, Manda chose to bu...
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Elena DiStefano | Inventing Comfort with the Cozy Clip®
In this episode of Fearless Founders, I sit down with Elena DiStefano, the founder and inventor of the Cozy Clip®—a groundbreaking redesign of the classic claw clip created to eliminate pain and prioritize everyday comfort....
Ashton Shultz - From CEO Student to Founder: The Story Behind Ashton Jo Marketing
In this special episode, the mic flips — and host, Ashton Shultz takes over! 🎙️Hear the story behind Ashton Jo Marketing, from a high school CEO student with a dream to a full-time entrepreneur leading brands and mentoring t...
Blaine Fuhs - Your Platform Is Not Your Purpose
In this inspiring first episode, we sit down with Blaine Fuhs, CEO Alumni, author, speaker, and creator, to explore what true success really looks like. Drawing from his influential book, Your Platform Is Not Your Purpose, Blaine chall...
Jason Thomas – Designing a Life of Adventure
Today’s episode features Jason Thomas, Director of Design and Product Development at RiverSmith USA. Jason is more than a designer—he’s an innovator, a creative force, and a true adventurer. With nearly two decades of experience, Jason has s...
CEO Alumni Panel – Grit, Growth, and God-Given Drive
This episode is something special—a panel featuring three incredible CEO alumni who’ve taken their senior-year startup ideas and turned them into thriving businesses.You’ll hear from:Ben Flath, founder of Exc...
EPISODE 4: Brent Oberlink – Building Businesses That Build Others
In this month’s Fearless Founders episode, we spoke with Brent Oberink, co-owner of Laner Corp and host of The Better Contractor podcast. Brent shared his entrepreneurial journey, from launching a nationwide maintenanc...
EPISODE 3: Katie Clark – Sentiment Meets Strategy in Jewelry
In this month’s Fearless Founders episode, we spoke with Katie Clark, founder of Katie Clark Co., a fine jewelry business based in Houston, Texas. Katie shared her journey from working in corporate America at a jewelry store to leveraging he...
EPISODE 2: Casey Capuano Sarai – Disrupting an Industry with Heart
Today, we’re joined by the fearless and inspiring Casey Capuano Sarai—co-founder of CAKES Body- the company completely redefining the traditional bra industry. With just $10,000 and no investor backing, Casey and her sister launched CAKES Bo...
EPISODE 1: Anthony Masterlasco – From Boat Cleaning to Brand-Building
In this episode, I sit down with Anthony Masterlasco, founder of Bad Boy Boating — a digital marketing agency laser-focused on the marine industry. Anthony’s entrepreneurial story started not with a business degree or a grand plan, but with a s...
Episode Seven - What’s Next? Karis Hortin l Owner, Social Media Made Simple, and Austin Brooks l Executive Director, Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship
At CEO, we are a community of people who are always learning and evolving. Life changes, but part of being in the CEO family means celebrating each other’s journeys as it happens!The final episode of this season’s Fe...
Episode Six - Anne Beiler l Founder, Auntie Anne’s® Pretzels
In this month's Fearless Founders conversation, we sat down with Anne Beiler, speaker, author, and entrepreneur who founded the world's largest pretzel franchise, Auntie Anne’s®. For years, she has inspired audiences with her authentic stori...
Episode Five - Bethany Leonardo l YouTuber & Entrepreneur
In this month's Fearless Founders conversation, we sat down with internationally recognized style mastery coach and content creator, Bethany Leonardo. Known for her YouTube channel, Dearly Bethany, Bethany commands a following of over 1 mill...
Episode Four - CEO Alumni Panel featuring Ashley Leman l Owner, Revive Coffee Roasters, Ashton Hemminger l Owner, AJ & CO, and Drake Roach l Owner, SI Pressure Washing, LLC
In this month's Fearless Founders conversation, we sat down with a special panel of alumni business owners who shared their insight into individual business creation with current CEO participants. Tune in to hear what advice they have to giv...
Episode Three - Amanda Owen l Author & Founder, Puzzle Pieces
In this Fearless Founders conversation, we sat down with author, founder, and advocate, Amanda Owen. As the founder of Puzzle Pieces, Amanda always knew her life would involve caring for and opening doors for those with disabilities. Little did...
Episode Two - Kevin Miller l Podcast Host & Author
In this week’s Fearless Founders conversation, we sat down with podcast host and author, Kevin Miller. As a former pro athlete turned personal development guide, Kevin is no stranger to pivoting his life's direction and finding new opportunitie...
Episode One - Derek Laliberte l Founder & CEO, Distrupur
In this interview, we sat down with disrupter, founder, author, and creator, Derek Laliberte. As the brains behind the brand engagement agency, Disruptur, Derek gave us a glimpse into how he's shaking up the world of sales & marketing. ...
How to Leverage CEO l Emma Schoth & Nick Smith
The CEO experience is one that is incredibly unique. It leaves its participants with tools and skills that many of their peers don't have. So how do they use those skills to the max? In this episode, we’re joined by two successful CEO alumni...
Dan Chancellor l Co-founder, So iLL
In this week's conversation with Dan Chancellor, co-founder and owner of So iLL climbing, we peel back the curtain into what it takes to build a product-based company completely from scratch. From insight into the value of selling direct to ...
Lindsay Boccardo l Speaker l Millennial Coach l Drummer
In this conversation, Lindsay Boccardo, a professional drummer turned millennial coach, shares her journey of how she got to where she is today. This episode is packed with valuable takeaways - from insights into how to find your passion at ...
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Sam Rowen & Sam Abrahamson l Founders, Onomy
In this conversation, Sam Rowen & Sam Abrahamson, founders of Onomy, share why they're so passionate about demystifying the "secrets" of adulthood by creating the educational content "we all wish we had growing up." From free courses to ...
Dan Miller l New York Times Bestselling Author l Podcast Host
Dan Miller, world-renowned author of 48 Days do the Work and Life You Love, joined us for this episode to share how he created a life and work that he loved - from the ground up. Expect to hear insight from Dan about what he has seen to be t...
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Ainsley Britain l Author l Enneagram Coach l Podcast Host
Ainsley Britain has built a movement around helping young adults embrace their confidence, date healthy, and discover their true identity. In this episode, hear how Ainsley found - and followed- her passion to where she is today, how s...
