In this episode of The Heart of Business, Mo Fathelbab sits down with Justin Ricklefs, founder and CEO of Guild Collective, to explore the entrepreneurial journey behind building a successful customer-first marketing agency. Justin shares how early ventures—including selling concert tickets in college and recovering from a costly $30,000 business mistake—taught him resilience, accountability, and the importance of learning from failure rather than avoiding it.

Justin reflects on the pivotal moments that shaped his career, from navigating debt and difficult job transitions to launching Guild Collective with a clear mission: helping brands tell stories where the customer—not the company—is the hero. He explains why focusing on a defined niche, simplifying service offerings, and staying relentlessly customer-centered have been key drivers of the company's long-term success.

The conversation also dives into the realities of leadership, including managing payroll anxiety, adapting to client changes, and recognizing when it's time to bring in complementary leadership. Justin discusses the impact of hiring an integrator COO, joining a CEO peer forum, and surrounding himself with trusted advisors who challenge his thinking and help him make better decisions.

Throughout the episode, Justin emphasizes that sustainable leadership extends beyond business strategy. He shares how prioritizing family, cultivating strong support systems, and resisting the constant pressure to chase "what's next" have helped him build not only a stronger company, but a more fulfilling life. It's an honest conversation about resilience, purpose, and leading with both ambition and perspective.

Please visit www.internationalfacilitatorsorganization.com to learn more about Mo Fathelbab and International Facilitators Organization (IFO), a leading provider of facilitators and related group facilitation services, providing training, certification, marketing services, education, and community for peer group facilitators at all stages of their career.

Most people don’t need more advice. They need a place where they can tell the truth. On this episode of Heart of Business, Nancy Koleda, Vice President of the International Facilitators Organization (IFO), joins us to explore how forum peer groups create that space. Drawing on her experience helping grow EO in Europe, Nancy shares why confidentiality, structure, and a shared commitment to showing up honestly can build connection across cultures.

Nancy explains what happens inside a forum group and the practices that help people feel safe: no competitors, no advice giving, and speaking from personal experience. We discuss how vulnerability is modeled over time, why emotional check-ins can reveal that “I’m not the only one,” and how that sense of belonging carries into leadership, work, and life at home.

We also look at practical ways to put the model to work. Nancy describes how “stir fry” sessions can renew established groups, how associations can use forum to deepen member connections, and how companies can break down silos by training internal facilitators. For anyone considering facilitator certification, she explains why the skills can be useful far beyond the meeting room.

Please visit www.internationalfacilitatorsorganization.com to learn more about Mo Fathelbab and International Facilitators Organization (IFO), a leading provider of facilitators and related group facilitation services, providing training, certification, marketing services, education, and community for peer group facilitators at all stages of their career.

A powdered donut in a minivan sounds like a throwaway moment until you hear what it became. I’m Mo Fathelbab, founder of the International Facilitators Organization, and I sit down with Gary Thompson, chief story catcher and the self-proclaimed donut guy, to unpack how love, loss, and human connection can turn into a mission with real impact.

We start with Gary’s path from Ohio to Apple in the early personal computing days, where he meets Maureen, the architect who becomes the love of his life. From there, we move into the work Gary and I did around confidential executive peer groups, including “vaults” built on the same core principles as forum: structure, trust, and what happens in the room stays in the room. We also tackle a question leaders keep asking now that AI is everywhere: if I can get an answer in 10 seconds, why do I need a group? Human intelligence, empathy, and lived experience give these groups their value, creating connections that go far beyond getting an answer.

Then Gary shares the story that reshaped everything: Maureen’s breast cancer diagnosis, years of treatment and remission, and the heartbreak of metastatic breast cancer. Out of that grief comes Team Powder Donut, a monthly ritual that becomes a three-year journey to shine a light on all 74 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers, capturing stories from patients, caregivers, nurses, oncologists, and researchers inside a Frank Lloyd Wright Airstream recording studio. We also explore what it could look like to bring forum-style support into cancer communities, care teams, and workplaces that are trying to care for employees through the hardest season of their lives.

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Please visit www.internationalfacilitatorsorganization.com to learn more about Mo Fathelbab and International Facilitators Organization (IFO), a leading provider of facilitators and related group facilitation services, providing training, certification, marketing services, education, and community for peer group facilitators at all stages of their career.