Danielle Mulvey's entrepreneurial journey begins in Nashville, where early roots shaped her Maverick mindset. From founding her first agency to taking risks that most would shy away from, she carved her own path with bold decisions and relentless drive. That spirit would ultimately fuel her transition from scrappy beginnings to leading multiple companies valued at over $50 million—all while working just ten hours a week.

A defining lesson came from the infamous “Larry” mishire, which taught Danielle the cost of compromising on talent. Out of that experience grew her unwavering standard for five-star employees, backed by objective assessments and scorecards instead of traditional resumes. This shift not only elevated her team’s performance but also transformed company culture, margins, and her own time freedom.

Her discipline didn’t stop at people—it extended to money. Adopting Profit First gave Danielle financial clarity, stronger partnerships, and the ability to scale without chaos. Pairing this with daily huddles kept her teams aligned, accountable, and agile, enabling fast course corrections that protected momentum and morale. Mapping ideal weeks became another tool to accelerate onboarding and embed focus into daily operations.

Looking ahead, Danielle is doubling down on her mission to revolutionize hiring. With Five-Star Central, she envisions replacing resume-driven roulette with smarter, skills-based matching that could one day unseat Indeed. Along the way, mentors, peer forums, and collaborations with leaders like Mike Michalowicz (on All In) have sharpened her strategies. Danielle’s story is a playbook on scaling smarter—proving that the right people, processes, and priorities can create extraordinary results with far less grind.

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.

What if the soft stuff is actually the hardest—and most valuable—work leaders do? We sit down with Stephanie Ford, director at Warren Whitney and IFO-certified facilitator, to explore how a career built on banking rigor, board governance, and deep facilitation turns messy conversations into decisive progress. Stephanie shares how early years in commercial banking taught her to see the whole system—operations, financials, risk, and relationships—and why that end-to-end perspective makes strategic planning and succession work sharper and more humane.

We walk through her pivot from saying “no” in a regulated world to saying “yes” as a consultant who helps leaders think. You’ll hear tangible facilitation moves: one-on-ones to map the room, explicit trade-offs to unclog decisions, and a conductor’s mindset to manage pace, voices, and depth. She opens up about mentors, including the late John Steele, and the boardroom lessons that only show up when organizations hit turbulence—how consensus is built before meetings, why agendas must guard strategy time, and when to slow down so teams can actually align.

Rooted in Richmond and renewed by the river, Stephanie credits faith, partnership, and constant learning for the steadiness required to guide complex groups. From privately held companies and family businesses to nonprofits, her throughline is consistent: clear thinking precedes smart action. If you care about strategic planning, succession planning, board governance, and the craft of facilitation, this conversation offers a toolkit and a mindset you can use on Monday morning.

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.

Dusty Holcomb’s story begins on a farm, where the simple truth that “cows need milking 365 days a year” instilled an unshakable work ethic. Those early lessons in responsibility and persistence carried into his entrepreneurial ventures as a child—creating a town newspaper at eight and running a landscaping business by eleven. These formative experiences shaped a lifelong commitment to connecting hard work with meaningful purpose.

After spending 21 years at AAA and nearly three decades in corporate leadership, Dusty developed a leadership philosophy centered on “connecting the dots” between what people do and why it matters. He emphasizes that clarity comes first, followed by alignment, and only then can execution succeed. This clarity-first approach helps leaders address common pain points such as feeling isolated, becoming bottlenecks in decision-making, or struggling with gaps between vision and reality.

Throughout his journey, forum groups provided Dusty with critical support during times of challenge and transition. These peer groups not only offered perspective but also helped him refine his own path as a leader. He also draws on timeless insights like Viktor Frankl’s reminder that, regardless of circumstances, leaders can always choose their response.

Today, through The Arcus Group, Dusty is focused on multiplying leadership impact at scale, aiming to empower 100 million leaders around the world. By equipping leaders with the tools to connect purpose, clarity, and execution, he is helping reshape how organizations inspire and engage their teams. His journey serves as both a reminder and a roadmap: leadership rooted in values can transform not only organizations but the lives of the people within them.

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.