Best Manager Ever

Mari Nazary is the CEO of App Academy, and brings a strong background working at the intersection of product, operations, and learning science at several ed tech companies across different stages.  Her team praises her as the best leader they’ve ever had, citing her strengths in systems, process, and talent development.  In this episode, Annie Riley, Founder of Fort Light dives into Mari...

In this special New Year's episode of Best Manager Ever, Founder of Fort Light, Annie Riley dives into self-management for leaders. Drawing from personal experience and past interviews with top managers, Annie shares insights on how to set yourself up for success in 2025. Key strategies include taking necessary breaks to avoid burnout, identifying daily activities that bring joy and recharge you,...

In this special holiday spoof episode of Best Manager Ever, Annie Riley, host and founder of Fort Light, chats with the one and only Santa Claus! Known for spreading holiday cheer and managing a diverse team at the North Pole, Santa gives a rare interview about life behind the scenes. His direct reports, including elves and reindeer, praise Santa for his leadership, though they note he's thei...

Alan D'Souza is the Director of Analytics at Credit Karma, and formerly led teams at Lending Club and Upgrade Inc.  Known for fostering a culture of fun, hard work, and results, Alan's direct reports recall his empathetic and direct feedback style, along with his ability to inspire and motivate with humor.  In this episode, Annie Riley, founder of Fort Light sits down with Alan to discus...

Sara Romero-Heaps is the Chief Product Officer at Seesaw Learning. She has built her career at the intersection of education and technology, and previously led product and content at Nearpod. Sara is known for aligning her team's individual aspirations to business goals, and her direct reports describe her as a visionary and empathetic leader. In this episode, Annie Riley, Founder of Fort Light, d...

Thianh Lu is the Chief Product Officer at Autograph and is a 3x founder, with one company acquired by WordPress and another by Blockchain.com. He has a unique and well-rounded perspective on leadership, having been in the roles of early employee, later-stage executive, and founder/CEO.  Thianh's direct reports praise his empowering and collaborative style, and remember him for building high-t...

Katie Corder-Paul is a beloved leader. She’s currently building a portfolio career, as the Head of Operations and Customer Success at early-stage startup levelheaded and the first-ever Executive in Residence at Fort Light. Previously, KCP was an early employee at Guild Education and held leadership roles in ops and customer success at Proof, Nomad, and Sondermind.  Katie’s past direct re...

Doug Hanna, President & COO at Kustomer and former COO at Grafana Labs, is renowned for his expertise in customer service and operational excellence, having significantly contributed to the growth of companies like Help.com and Zendesk. During his tenure, he helped scale Grafana Labs from a team of 70 to over a thousand employees.  Doug's direct reports praise his hyper-rationality, excep...

Lauren Werner is the COO of Shop Shops, a live stream shopping app with a talented team of 50-60 employees across five countries. She is an experienced operations executive with a record of piloting, scaling, and managing new businesses and marketplaces. Lauren is lauded by her direct reports as a stabilizing force with an unflappable presence, known for her empathy, clear communication, and metho...

Sean Twersky is Head of Business Operations at Even Up, and previously Instacart. He has 15+ years of experience that thrives on bringing structure to even the most chaotic situations and scaling for long term success.  Sean’s direct reports across various companies describe him as a bright, adaptable leader and a great equalizer who successfully manages diverse teams. On this episode, host A...

Brittany Hall is the Head of Customer Experience at ReMatter, a series A startup. She is also known for her notable work at companies like GoGuardian, People.ai and DataGrail. Over the past decade, Brittney has built a reputation for her outstanding ability to build and scale customer-facing teams from scratch.  Brittany's direct reports describe her as an exceptional leader who is clear...

Zayd Badwan is a founding team member and VP of Enterprise at Uplimit. Before joining Uplimit, Zayd scaled the Customer Success team at Coursera. With 15+ years of experience in learning and development startups, he brings insights from working closely with global governments and nonprofits, and industry-leading companies including Google and Salesforce.  Zayd is described by his direct repor...

Morgane Palomares is the VP of Marketing at Vercel, and is known for her significant roles at GitHub, Zendesk and Change.org.  Morgane's direct reports praise her exceptional leadership, high standards, and ability to create a trusting and safe environment. They describe her as 'superhuman,' 'aggressive,' and 'a winner,' highlighting her unique ability to balance high demands with personal ca...

Best Manager Ever reveals the secrets of successful management and empowers leaders to build winning teams. Join a community dedicated to sharing insights and stories from the most successful and beloved leaders in the startup world. All guests have been nominated as the “best manager ever” by a recent direct report. Before each interview, we go behind the guest’s back to collect feedback and stor...