Christene Marie shares why entrepreneurial excellence is not about chasing growth, tactics, or outside validation, but about vertical alignment—living and leading from an ideal you consciously choose, not from everyone else’s opinions. She explains why misalignment is so costly, how leaders lose their way when they constantly chase the next strategy, and why the real work begins when you are willing to face uncomfortable truths, especially when the data, the mirror, or your team is telling you something you do not want to hear.

Christene is the CEO and founder of The Knowing Group and a thought leader in empathy-driven branding, measurement marketing, and audience psychology. Her agency has worked with global brands such as Toyota, Amazon, and Fortune 50 healthcare companies to clarify identity, understand audiences, and build emotional resonance that drives real business results. She is also part of a 100-plus-year family business, giving her a grounded perspective on legacy, long-term relevance, and what sustains brands across generations.

In this episode, Christene breaks down why emotional intelligence is the missing layer behind many leadership and team problems, how brand is really the emotional expectation of an experience, and why the strongest advantage in today’s market is knowing who you are, what you stand for, and how you want people to feel. She also shares practical clarity practices—like writing your eulogy, removing external inputs, and creating daily “no-noise” time—so leaders can stop living horizontally and start leading from their own internal compass.

Key Topics

• Defining entrepreneurial excellence through vertical alignment

• Why misalignment is expensive in leadership, business, and life

• Emotional intelligence as a core leadership skill, not a soft one

• Brand as the emotional expectation of an experience

• Building trust through experience, not just marketing spend

• Why clarity of identity is your true competitive advantage

• Creating daily space for courage, focus, and real creation

03:08 What Entrepreneurial Excellence Really Means

04:41 Horizontal Living vs Vertical Alignment

05:51 Why Misalignment Is So Costly

09:48 The Mirror Moment Leaders Avoid

10:54 Emotional Intelligence as the Missing Skill

15:43 Legacy Is Built Daily, Not Just Financially

16:57 The Eulogy Exercise for Clarity

20:21 Becoming the Author of Your Own Life

31:52 Psychological Safety and High-Performance Teams

36:53 Brand Defined as Emotional Expectation

50:33 The CEO Habit of Creating Space

1:06:18 The Work Is Not Glamorous, But It Is Real

1:16:12 The One Practice Leaders Need Every Day

Connect with Christene Marie

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christenemarie

Website: theknowingagency.com

Personal Site: christenemarie.com

Connect with Entrepreneurial Excellence Podcast

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

YouTube: youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website: levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

Lisa Carmen Wang shares how entrepreneurial excellence isn’t about winning early, but about holding a big vision and continuing when failure, rejection, and doubt show up again and again. She opens up about the moments when success still didn’t feel like enough, and why resilience, not talent or credentials, is what actually sustains long-term growth.

Lisa is a founder, investor, author, and creator of Bad Bitch Empire, a global brand and movement built to challenge the invisible rules that keep women playing small. With a background spanning elite athletics, Wall Street, venture capital, and now music, she brings a rare perspective on identity, confidence, and what it really takes to build something bold without losing yourself in the process.

In this episode, she breaks down how good girl conditioning quietly shapes ambition, why women are judged on past proof while men are rewarded for future vision, and how fear can become a compass instead of a stop sign.

Key Topics:

-Build entrepreneurial excellence through vision, resilience, and repeated failure

-Break free from good girl conditioning that limits confidence and ambition

-Redefine confidence by separating self-worth from outcomes and perfection

-Use fear and discomfort as signals for growth and expansion

-Create impact by aligning your work with identity, values, and truth

01:55 The Question That Instantly Reveals True Entrepreneurial Excellence

02:04 Big Vision With No Quit Even After Repeated Failure

03:31 The Realization She Was Still Playing by Patriarchal Rules

04:22 The 2 Percent Funding Reality That Women Are Expected to Accept

04:35 Good Girl Brainwashing and the Silent Rules That Keep Women Small

06:52 Why Women Are Asked About Past Proof While Men Are Asked About Future Vision

08:24 The Moment She Stopped Chasing Approval From People Who Didn’t Understand Her

11:05 After the Exit Why Success Still Didn’t Feel Like Enough

12:00 The One Question That Redefined Her Identity and Confidence

15:09 Why She Actively Chooses Discomfort as a Growth Strategy

22:11 The Truth Behind Confidence Fear, Breakdowns, and Doing It Anyway

24:15 How She Rewired Her Inner Critic Into a Cheerleader

27:26 The Hard Truth Your Greatest Freedom Is Past Your Deepest Fear

31:22 Why Being Loud, Proud, and Assertive Is Still Punished in Women

1:12:50 The One Line That Defines Entrepreneurial Excellence Focus on Who You’re Becoming

Connect with - Lisa Carmen Wang:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/lisacarmenwang

Website: https://www.lisawang.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisacarmenwang/

Instagram: @lisacarmenwang

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

Jonathan Shroyer shares why most “10x ideas” fail in practice, how founders get stuck by protecting ego instead of adapting, and why the biggest growth lever is often customer experience, not more features or funding.

Jonathan Troyer is a multi-time founder and customer experience leader in gaming innovation. He’s built and scaled companies across gaming and e-commerce, including Officium Labs, and he’s known for turning CX into a revenue engine through systems, empathy, and smart use of AI.

In this episode, he breaks down how to validate a 10x value idea through testing and iteration, what it really takes to build a moat in an AI-first world, and the mindset that separates winners from everyone else, know who you are, stay flexible, and don’t quit.

Key Topics:

-Build 10x value by solving real problems, not ego

-Test fast, iterate, get traction before scaling

-Build an AI moat with clear switching value and the right segment

-Make CX a revenue driver through speed and issue resolution

-Scale with grit, strong systems, and protect 10x work

Connect with - Jonathan Shroyer:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/chiefcxofficer

Website: foresiteads.com

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence