Breaking the Bottleneck Podcast

Makena Finger Zannini, Founder of The Boutique COO, joins Breaking the Bottleneck for a grounded conversation on values-driven leadership and the gray areas founders have to navigate as they grow. She opens up about her three core non-negotiables: Integrity: doing the right thing even when no one’s looking Transparency: direct, honest communication without weaponizing “directness” Mutual respect:...

“Go through your day today, write down everything that's taking up time on your calendar and everything that's on your to-do list that you didn't get to.” That’s the invitation Ashley Chang, Founder of Sundays , leaves with founders in this episode of Breaking the Bottleneck — and it hits especially hard coming from someone who was the bottleneck in her own business while pregnant and running a fa...

This episode of Breaking The Bottleneck is a gut check for every founder who’s ever wondered, "Can doing business with integrity really payoff?" Join us as CoHosts Charlie Birch and Laurel Carpenter sit down with Terri Maxwell, to discuss her commitment to purpose-driven business and conscious capitalism. You’ll hear: • What it takes to earn, scale, and focus differently • Confirmation t...

This episode of Breaking The Bottleneck, Co-Hosts Charlie Birch and Laurel Carpenter go behind the scenes with Zach Messler as he recounts his transition from “Good Corporate Soldier” to agency owner to strategic advisor. It’s a story about clarity and the courage to do the right thing and deliver your best work, despite cultural pressure to cut corners and step-in-line. You’ll hear: - The key to...

In this episode of Breaking The Bottleneck, Co-Hosts Charlie Birch and LaurelCarpenter sit down with Dr. Joanne Chu, co-founder of Strelo Group. You’ll hear: How to scale purpose and values What a "Conscious Contract" is and why you need one How to navigate honorable compensation and fair market price The true value of a best-fit client Why the most powerful brands have to master two voi...

In this inaugural episode of Breaking The Bottleneck, Co-Hosts Charlie Birch and Laurel Carpenter sit down with guest Chris Dyer to discuss what it truly takes to move from founder-led to team-driven. You’ll hear: How he lost 40% of his clients in an instant and what it taught them about resilience Why, when it comes to delegation, “integrity” matters more than control The Ego strength required to...