Kirsten, co-founder of Cloverleaf, breaks down how a simple belief—that work should be meaningful—shapes everything from hiring to product design.

Cloverleaf was built to solve a specific gap: personality assessments create awareness, but rarely change behavior. Their AI coach brings that insight into daily work, helping people navigate feedback, conflict, and team dynamics in real time. At the core is a focus on self-awareness as the foundation for how people work together.

The conversation goes beyond product into operating decisions. Kirsten explains why they hire for belief alignment—not just values—how culture is built through small, repeated interactions, and how systems like Bonusly reinforce those behaviors. She also shares the harder tradeoffs: building an AI category before the market was ready, resisting easier paths to revenue, and navigating layoffs while maintaining trust.

This is a case study in designing a company where beliefs show up in how work actually happens.

What You’ll Learn

00:46 – How Cloverleaf turns personality insight into daily behavior change
Why most assessments fail in practice—and how real-time coaching helps people navigate feedback, conflict, and team dynamics.

03:16 – Why self-awareness is the foundation for better teams
How understanding your own tendencies—and others’—reduces friction and improves how work actually gets done.

06:55 – Why culture is built in small moments—not values on a wall
How everyday interactions (meetings, 1:1s, feedback) shape psychological safety and team performance.

08:30 – Work as a gift: the belief driving how Kirsten leads
How viewing work as meaningful—not a slog—changes expectations, energy, and how people show up.

11:08 – Why you can’t train people to care
What breaks when you hire for skills alone—and why belief alignment matters more than “values fit.”

14:30 – How to hire for belief alignment
The interview approach Cloverleaf uses to identify whether candidates already live the values.

16:42 – How to turn values into repeatable behavior
How systems like Bonusly make values visible, measurable, and reinforced across the company.

26:35 – Mission vs. market reality in a venture-backed company
The tension between building what’s right for users vs. what’s easiest to sell to buyers.

28:45 – What layoffs reveal about culture and trust
How two rounds of layoffs impacted employee perception—and how leadership responded with transparency.
32:15 – How leaders create psychological safety in practice
Why inviting dissent, asking for opposing views, and allowing anonymous questions changes team dynamics.

34:38 – Why mission doesn’t always belong in your marketing
When leading with purpose confuses buyers—and why clarity on what you do comes first.
35:32 – The cost of being early to a category
What it took to build an AI coaching product before the market understood it—and why they stayed the course.

42:42 – AI that serves human relationships—not replaces them
Why Cloverleaf rejects AI as a substitute for human coaching—and where it actually adds value.
46:15 – The role of resilience in mission-driven growth
Why staying committed to a long-term vision requires personal discipline, not just strategy.

Resources & Links

Kirsten Moorefield – LinkedIn
Cloverleaf
Bonusly
Anne Oudersluys: Core Impact Strategy
Anne's LinkedIn - LinkedIn
Anne's Newsletter - Core Impact Newsletter - Get monthly in-depth articles about marketing and growth strategy for purpose-driven brands

Ben Colvin, founder of Devil’s Foot Beverage, shares how he has built a growing beverage company without following the typical “scale fast” playbook. Devil’s Foot is a craft soda company that makes non-alcoholic beverages using real fruit and herbs sourced directly from regional farms.

From day one, he made a set of decisions that limit how the business can grow—using real fruit instead of concentrates, working directly with regional farmers, and choosing distribution partners that prioritize relationships over reach. Those choices show up everywhere: in cost structure, in how they enter new markets, and in how they spend marketing dollars.

Instead of flooding new regions or optimizing for efficiency, they expand by building local partnerships, supporting community organizations, and hiring people who are already embedded in those markets.

This episode is a look at what it actually takes to scale a business while holding the line on product quality, sourcing decisions, and how you show up in the communities you enter.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Why they chose real fruit and direct farm relationships despite higher cost and complexity
• How “farm to can” decisions impact margins, supply chain planning, and brand positioning
• The tradeoff between USDA organic certification and maintaining long-term farmer relationships
• How they evaluate new supplier opportunities that could lower costs but shift the product
• The role of weekly leadership discussions in pressure-testing decisions against company standards
• Why they avoided large-scale distribution early and instead partnered with beer distributors
• How beer distribution created stronger on-the-ground relationships and better account penetration
• Their approach to entering new markets through local nonprofits and community partnerships
• Why marketing dollars are spent in communities instead of on traditional advertising
• How they hire local operators to build credibility and relationships in new regions
• The tension between scaling production capacity and maintaining sourcing standards
• Why they prioritize depth in a market before expanding reach

TIMESTAMPS

02:00 – Patagonia story and early influence on business philosophy
04:40– Founding Devil’s Foot and identifying the product gap
10:39 – Real fruit sourcing and cost tradeoffs
17:35 – How decisions are filtered internally
22:00 – Marketing approach and storytelling choices
28:40 – Rejecting traditional scale strategies
31:20 – Distribution through beer networks
33:45 – Entering new markets through community partnerships
35:15 – Hiring locally to support expansion
36:30 – Scaling challenges and operational tradeoffs
42:50 – Advice for founders on staying aligned

RESOURCES & LINKS

• Devil’s Foot Brewing
• Ben Colvin LinkedIn
• Devil’s Foot Brewing LinkedIn
• Core Impact Strategy
• Anne Oudersluys LinkedIn
• Core Impact Newsletter

This Episode features Jeff Wiguna, co-founder and CEO of Kuju Coffee, to explore how honesty, ownership, and long-term thinking shape the way a company grows.

Kuju pioneered the single-serve pour-over coffee category and has grown from a Kickstarter campaign into a brand carried by retailers like REI and Walmart. But Jeff explains that the company’s growth has been guided less by chasing distribution and more by understanding where the product truly belongs.

In this conversation, Jeff shares why Kuju walked away from grocery after achieving national placement, how he evaluates whether a channel fits the business, and why he believes “ownership determines destiny.” He also explains why radical honesty with buyers and partners has become a strategic advantage. For founders navigating pressure to scale quickly, Jeff offers a thoughtful perspective on building companies designed to last.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why Jeff believes radical honesty creates stronger relationships with retail buyers
• What Kuju learned after initially being rejected by REI
• Why timing often matters more than pushing harder when entering a channel
• How Kuju grew from outdoor specialty retail into Walmart without chasing mass distribution
• Why grocery turned out to be a strategic misstep, even after national placement in Whole Foods and Sprouts
• The difference between products people like and products that behave like staples in grocery
• Why Jeff believes ownership determines destiny for every company
• How avoiding venture funding helped Kuju maintain long-term decision-making
• Why Jeff is skeptical of performative success signals like press and distribution milestones
• How Kuju’s brand focuses on real customers and real moments rather than curated brand imagery
• Why Jeff believes companies should serve human lives rather than consume them
• What founders should clarify early about their personal definition of success

TIMESTAMPS:

00:33 – The idea behind Kuju’s pocket pour-over
03:40 – The gap in camping coffee that started the company
05:18 – Getting rejected by REI the first time
09:10 – Why timing matters more than pushing harder
12:18 – Choosing not to chase every retail opportunity
13:14 – Why grocery became a strategic misstep
15:59 – What grocery taught him about staples vs novelty
19:13 – Ownership determines destiny
24:08 – Why Kuju never pursued venture funding
28:13 – Radical honesty with buyers and partners
32:55 – Building a brand around real customer moments
42:14 – Jeff’s advice on defining your own version of success

RESOURCES & LINKS

• Jeff Wiguna LinkedIn
• Kuju Coffee
• Kuju Coffee LinkedIn
• Anne's Newsletter - Core Impact Newsletter - Get monthly in-depth articles about marketing and growth strategy for purpose-driven brands
• Connect with Anne Oudersluys and learn about creating a marketing strategy that delivers business growth.
• Work with Anne: Core Impact Strategy
• Anne's LinkedIn - LinkedIn