『A Founder's Life』のカバーアート

A Founder's Life

A Founder's Life

著者： Leo Gestetner
無料で聴く

【Amazonプライム会員限定】今ならプレミアムプランが4か月 月額99円。

10月19日まで。※適用条件あり

Join me as I explore the powerful intersection of entrepreneurship, health & wellness, and parenthood. In each episode, I’ll be interviewing inspiring individuals who excel in one or more of these areas, sharing their stories, insights, and lessons. My goal is to provide valuable takeaways that can help you thrive both personally and professionally.

© 2026 A Founder's Life 個人的成功 自己啓発
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  • Build on What Works, but Never Stop Testing | Jessica Hawthorne | S7 - E11

    Build on What Works, but Never Stop Testing | Jessica Hawthorne | S7 - E11
    2026/09/24
    Entrepreneurship isn’t about finding one successful idea and never changing it. Sustainable growth requires knowing what already works, protecting that core, and continuously testing new opportunities without overreacting to every new trend.In this episode of A Founder’s Life, Leo Gestetner sits down with Jessica Hawthorne, CEO and owner of Hawthorne Advertising, to discuss entrepreneurship, business leadership, marketing, career reinvention, family, personal development, and the principles that have helped her company reach its 40th anniversary.Jessica’s career didn’t begin in advertising.After growing up in Iowa and moving to the West Coast for university, she entered the entertainment industry and became a talent agent in Hollywood. She represented writers, directors, and producers working in television during the era of shows including Entourage, Law & Order, Heroes, and Lost.Then came a major career transition.Jessica was recruited to join Hawthorne Advertising, the agency originally founded by her father. Although it was a family business, Jessica and her father never actually worked together, and he wasn’t the person who recruited her into the company.Once Jessica entered marketing and advertising, however, she knew she had found the right industry.She loved the pace, the client relationships, and the constant evolution of marketing. Approximately 15 years ago, Jessica purchased the agency herself. Today, Hawthorne Advertising is celebrating 40 years in business.That longevity has required constant evolution.Jessica explains why her team pays close attention to major developments—from the rise of data analytics to today’s artificial intelligence revolution—but avoids dramatically changing strategy simply because something new becomes popular.Instead, the philosophy is to stay ahead of the curve, understand how emerging technology can improve performance, and integrate it thoughtfully.But this conversation goes beyond marketing.Jessica discusses how raising children changed the way she approaches responsibility and time. With a company, employees, clients, and family depending on her, she learned to streamline her days and focus intensely on whatever deserves her attention at that moment.For Jessica, work life balance isn’t necessarily about creating strict boundaries between every part of life. It’s about being fully present.In this episode you’ll learn:Why entrepreneurship requires patience and long-term thinkingHow Jessica transitioned from Hollywood talent agent to advertising CEOWhat she learned from completely reinventing her careerHow Hawthorne Advertising has remained relevant for 40 yearsWhy businesses should stay ahead of trends without overcorrectingHow AI is changing the marketing and advertising industryWhy being fully present can create a more integrated lifeHow family responsibilities can make leaders more intentional with timeWhy entrepreneurs need enough runway to give their ideas time to workWhy having a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C creates resilienceHow to protect what works while continuously testing new opportunitiesWhy successful teams need collaboration rather than individual egoJessica also shares one of the most important principles behind her approach to business growth: if something is already producing results, don’t abandon it simply because another opportunity appears more exciting.Keep the successful core. Then allocate resources toward testing new ideas, markets, strategies, and channels that could create the next stage of growth.That same mentality applies to entrepreneurship itself.Things rarely happen overnight. Entrepreneurs need enough time, money, and resources to survive the experimentation required to discover what works. They also need multiple paths forward so they can adapt when circumstances change.If you enjoy conversations about entrepreneurship, founder mindset, business leadership, marketing strategy, personal development, resilience, business growth, work life balance, and building companies designed to last, you’ll enjoy this episode.This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent.Email founders@thankz.com with the subject A Founder’s Life for preferred pricing.Connect with Today’s Guest – Jessica HawthorneWebsite: HawthorneAdvertising.comLinkedIn: Jessica HawthorneLinkedInlinkedin.com/in/leogestetnerWebsiteleogestetner.com/leoSubscribe Now!youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1
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    15 分
  • Don't wait to build the life you want | Karen Siciliano | S7 - E10

    Don't wait to build the life you want | Karen Siciliano | S7 - E10
    2026/09/17
    Entrepreneurship doesn’t have a secret password. For Karen Siciliano, success comes down to hard work, dedication to purpose, strong relationships, and intentionally planning the life you want to live.In this episode of A Founder’s Life, Leo Gestetner sits down with Karen Siciliano, founder of the Mariani Premier Group, to discuss entrepreneurship, reinvention, family business, business leadership, health, personal development, and why some of life’s most difficult experiences can completely reshape how we define success.Karen’s career began far away from entrepreneurship in the landscape industry.After graduating from college, she pursued a career on Wall Street and became a mortgage-backed securities bond broker, eventually working with major financial institutions including JP Morgan and Chase.But in 2001, Karen’s life changed dramatically.At 40 years old, she was already considering whether there might be a second career ahead of her. Then September 11 happened. Karen lost 26 friends in the attacks and found it incredibly difficult to return to her previous life and career.Over the following months, she reinvented herself and transitioned from Wall Street to Main Street.Karen took the helm of her family’s highly regarded residential landscape business, originally founded in 1935. Over the next two decades, she expanded the company beyond landscape maintenance into design, installation, and landscape architecture.Eventually, Karen faced another difficult entrepreneurial question: how could she create an exit for herself while protecting the company’s employees, clients, culture, and nearly century-long family legacy?The answer came through a partnership with Mariani Premier Group.Karen joined the organization in 2023 as its 12th founder and its only female founder at the time. Today, the organization includes more than 30 companies, generates over $1 billion in revenue, and is working toward becoming the nation’s premier outdoor living company.But this conversation goes far beyond business.Karen explains why relationships remain at the center of entrepreneurship. Customers aren’t simply purchasing products and services—they’re choosing people they like, trust, and believe they can count on.She also shares how she has approached health and longevity at 65, including strength training, nutrition, preventative healthcare, sleep tracking, golf, tennis, and spending time in nature.In this episode you’ll learn:- Why entrepreneurship and success don’t have a secret formula- How Karen reinvented herself after an 18-year Wall Street career- How September 11 completely changed the direction of her life- Why preserving culture matters when transitioning a family business- How strong relationships create long-term business value- Why planning is essential for achieving personal and professional goals- How Karen intentionally schedules travel, wellness, friends, and philanthropy- Why health becomes increasingly important as entrepreneurs get older- How difficult experiences can change your relationship with time- Why entrepreneurs shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes- How failure creates some of our most valuable lessons- Why playing it safe can prevent you from doing truly meaningful workKaren’s approach to work life balance is built around intentional planning. She uses lists and her calendar not only for business obligations but also for wellness, travel, relationships, and the experiences she wants to have.Because without a plan, she believes goals and desires rarely materialize.Her perspective has also been shaped by loss. Karen lost her mother to breast cancer when her mother was only 60. Three years later, she lost 26 friends on September 11. Those experiences created a lasting awareness that time isn’t guaranteed.Instead of postponing the life she wants, Karen plans for it and acts accordingly.If you enjoy conversations about entrepreneurship, founder mindset, business leadership, family business, personal development, professional growth, resilience, work life balance, and building a meaningful life, you’ll enjoy this episode.This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent.Email founders@thankz.com with the subject A Founder’s Life for preferred pricing.Connect with Today’s Guest – Karen SicilianoLinkedIn: Karen SicilianoIf you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe for more interviews with founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business leaders sharing the real stories behind building meaningful businesses and meaningful lives.LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/leogestetnerWebsiteleogestetner.com/leoSubscribe Now!youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1
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    17 分
  • Entrepreneurship, AI and Finding the Courage to Go All In – Maria Walley | S7 E9

    Entrepreneurship, AI and Finding the Courage to Go All In – Maria Walley | S7 E9
    2026/09/10
    Entrepreneurship can be incredibly difficult—but for Maria Walley, fully embracing it also created a powerful sense of purpose. After years of balancing startups, motherhood, and career decisions, the pandemic became the pivotal moment that made her realize just how important entrepreneurship and meaningful work were to her identity.In this episode of A Founder’s Life, Leo Gestetner sits down with Maria Walley, Co-Founder of Creatium, to discuss entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, founder mindset, family, health, personal development, and how AI can help make people smarter instead of encouraging them to stop thinking.Maria grew up around entrepreneurship. Her father built his own law firm before joining the technology startup Bandwidth.com, where he served as President and played an influential role as the company moved toward eventually becoming publicly traded.Seeing entrepreneurship succeed gave Maria confidence that building something of her own was possible.By her mid-twenties, she was already working in startups. Her first company, Candidly, participated in Techstars in 2016. That experience also introduced her to the person who would eventually become her co-founder at Creatium.The idea for Creatium emerged during the pandemic.Watching their children struggle through online education built around Zoom calls and Google Slides, Maria and her co-founder saw an opportunity to create more interactive learning experiences. The company initially focused on K-12 education before discovering a growing opportunity in teacher training and eventually workforce development.As artificial intelligence rapidly improved, so did the possibilities.Today, Creatium is building interactive AI-powered coaching experiences designed to help people develop their skills through conversations, role-playing, assessments, simulations, and personalized learning.But Maria believes there is an important distinction between using AI and becoming dependent on it.Her philosophy is that AI should make the human brain stronger—not weaker. Instead of simply providing answers or confirming what users already believe, technology can challenge people, help them practice difficult situations, and develop skills they can apply in the real world.In this episode you’ll learn:Why entrepreneurship was part of Maria’s life from an early ageHow Techstars influenced her entrepreneurial journeyHow the pandemic led to the creation of CreatiumWhy AI should strengthen human thinking rather than replace itHow AI coaching can make personalized development more accessibleWhy outsourcing too much thinking to AI can backfireHow Maria manages entrepreneurship while raising three young childrenWhy scheduling health and exercise makes them non-negotiableHow simplifying everyday decisions creates more mental capacityWhy founders need to give themselves grace when things don’t go perfectlyHow the pandemic changed Maria’s relationship with work and motherhoodWhy fully embracing entrepreneurship can create a sense of purposeMaria also shares the realities of returning from maternity leave to an AI startup after only four months away and feeling as though the industry had advanced by years.For her, integrating entrepreneurship, family, health, and personal fulfillment isn’t about doing everything perfectly. Some things will inevitably get dropped. What matters is building systems that reduce unnecessary decisions, surrounding yourself with people who understand your reality, maintaining a sense of humor, and protecting the priorities that keep you functioning at your best.Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs reflects her own experience: there may be nothing harder than taking the leap, but once you commit to the journey, something changes. You stop wondering whether you should do it and begin embracing the path ahead.If you enjoy conversations about entrepreneurship, founder mindset, artificial intelligence, business leadership, personal development, work life balance, startup growth, and building meaningful businesses, you’ll enjoy this episode.This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent.Email founders@thankz.com with the subject A Founder’s Life for preferred pricing.Connect with Today’s Guest – Maria WalleyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariacwalley/Website: creatium.comEmail: maria@creatium.comLinkedInlinkedin.com/in/leogestetnerWebsiteleogestetner.com/leoSubscribe Now!youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1
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    14 分
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