From Rock Bottom to CEO (S1 -E9 )

Host: Kathryn Lancioni

Guest: Maggie Rose Macar

Episode Overview:

In this episode, Kathryn Lancioni sits down with Maggie Rose Macar, CEO and founder of Zant and No Pressure Networking. Maggie’s story is an honest exploration of resilience: from an isolated, challenging upbringing and the loss of a close friend, to building her companies amidst tremendous adversity. Maggie opens up about her struggles with depression, navigating the stigma surrounding mental health, and the pivotal moments that fueled her drive to help others. Together, Kathryn and Maggie dive into the real gut punches of entrepreneurship and personal growth—proving that it’s possible to turn pain into passion, learn from setbacks, and keep moving forward. Whether you’ve faced your own life-altering moment or are feeling stuck, this episode offers raw wisdom and motivating strategies for finding your path forward.

5 Key Lessons from This Episode:

𝟭. 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗜𝘀 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

Maggie Rose Macar shared how reaching out for therapy during a time of isolation was a turning point in her healing journey. Even when faced with stigma and lack of resources, she found a way to get support, which ultimately helped transform her pain into passion. Her story underlines that recognizing the need for help and acting on it is a crucial act of self-awareness and bravery.

𝟮. 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹—𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵

In business and life, Maggie reframes failure as a necessary part of the journey, not the end goal. She explains that failing quickly and iterating is essential for growth: setbacks are opportunities to learn, recalibrate, and move closer to success, not reasons to quit. Adopting this mindset makes the challenges of entrepreneurship both survivable and instructive.

𝟯. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺

Both Kathryn and Maggie emphasize the importance of community—whether it’s fellow founders, supportive friends, or a “girl gang.” Sharing challenges with peers who have experienced similar struggles can quickly get you unstuck, foster creativity, and provide much-needed encouragement. You don’t have to go it alone.

𝟰. 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀

Coaching emerged as a game-changer for Maggie, helping her untangle complex feelings and strategic decisions. She attributes part of her resilience and business growth to working with a coach, which offers an unbiased perspective, structure, and actionable steps forward when the way ahead feels unclear.

𝟱. 𝗣𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲: 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

Maggie’s recounting of a major business setback—losing an investment to a failed development team—shows the power of quick pivots and resourcefulness. Instead of giving up, she found cost-effective alternatives, rebuilt the company’s MVP, and turned calamity into a learning opportunity. Her approach underscores the value of pausing, reevaluating, and adapting when faced with dead ends.

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