Critical Mass Business Talk Show | Orange County’s Longest-Running Business Talk Show

Sam Naghshineh is the Founder of Leaniar , a software services and solutions company focused on process automation for global Fortune 1000 companies. Leaniar leverages Human Emulation Software otherwise known as Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning to remove the inefficiencies resulting from manual, repetitive and high-volume tasks. Sam has over 25 years of...

Deb Shrider is an award-winning writer who has written for a wide range of clients for more than twenty-four years. In 1998, she founded ‘Put It In Writing', providing writing and marketing services for various businesses and industries but with the specialized niche of real estate. Deb's client roster reads like a Who’s Who in real estate, including former Presidents of the California Association...

Rebecca Hall, APR is a thought leader and celebrated entrepreneur in the public relations, branding and marketing industries. A visionary, Rebecca founded Idea Hall in 2003 as a fusion agency bringing together branding, marketing and PR – a model that is gaining industry favor today. Throughout the years Rebecca has attracted world-class talent to Idea Hall, ensuring the spirit of entrepreneuriali...

Susan Wright Kenny is the Founder and Chief Do GOODer of Do GOODer Partners , a consulting firm that empowers companies to engage their teams and customers in doing GOOD in the communities where they live and work. Prior to founding Do GOODer Partners, Susan worked for close to 20 years a professional fundraiser supporting the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), Ronald McDonald House Charities (...

Marlene Sheehan Dandler is the Founder of Seashore Academy . Marlene graduated from the Lakeside School in Seattle, WA in 1994 and Dartmouth College in 1998. During her time at Dartmouth, she studied at the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany as well as at the Beijing Normal University in Beijing, China. While at Dartmouth, Marlene worked as a German language instructor for Professor John Rassias, t...

Mara James is Founder & CEO of the Extraordinary Lives Foundation . Originally from New York, Mara James relocated to California with her husband and her three children in 2007. They established Dr. James’s OBGYN practice, and for seven years, Mara managed the busy office. Then, in 2014, Mara unexpectedly experienced a manic episode and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Through her battle with...

Ben Olbon is the Founder & CEO of Outcome Elite Coaching , and helps student-athletes overcome fear, anxiety, and self-doubt in order to help them maximize their potential in sports and life. Ben has 20 years of leadership and development experience from his time as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps, to his time in the financial and pharmaceutical industries. He has an extensive history...

Garrett Day is the owner and operator of The Wellness Approach and Fitness and Wellness Inc, a holistic Sports Therapy practice in San Clemente that incorporates several methods of structural integration tools, separating him from other rehabilitation programs and wellness treatment centers. A wellness consultant of 20 years, Garrett's individual program designs have captured quick rapid results o...

Ramin Sedehi is passionate about closing the gaps between science, education, society, and policymakers to understand better the depth and breadth of the challenges facing humanity. To impact the health of communities, improve educational markers, and, most importantly, uphold democratic values and build inclusive societies, we must disrupt the status quo. Ramin’s career is highlighted by his thre...

Rocky Foroutan is the Founder and Visionary behind LenderHomePage.com . He founded the company from his small home office in 2003 by building turnkey websites for mortgage brokers and loan officers. Sixteen years later, the company has grown to serve over 2,000 clients with an innovative, multi-channel digital platform that helps customers enhance borrower experience while gaining efficiencies and...

Sheryl Utal is the Founder & CEO of Japa Health . Sheryl had a ten-year corporate career with senior roles in private equity, real estate development and management consulting, before she burned out and had to make a change. Sheryl has been the owner of two successful lifestyle businesses both with profitable exits. Although she had successful exits the journey wasn't easy or linear and included t...

Dina Miller is the Founder & CEO of Electi Management Inc . A highly motivated, self-directed and results-driven CEO of a business management company, Dina attended MIT and subsequently earned my B.S. in Business from Johns Hopkins University. She later completed her MBA at the University of Delaware. For over twenty years, Dina has built a “hands-on” track record of leadership, team-building and...

A 20-year award-winning Broadcast Journalist with an emphasis on Public Relations, Kelly Bennett has been a reporter, anchor, senior assignment manager, TV host, and Radio Host, then transitioned into public affairs managing community/public relations for two major cable companies. She worked with many programmers within the industry, CNN, Court TV, Bravo, Lifetime, Oxygen Networks, and more, to b...

A reformed 'Corporate Rat' turned Entrepreneur in 2017, Traci Shirachi is the CEO & President of The Mark USA Inc . (“The Mark” or “the Company”). The Mark is a data analytics applied research and evaluation company comprised of about 15 employees that work with organizations nationally and internationally to define and articulate community and social impact focused on helping the underserved thri...

Peggy Knauft is the Founder of Primary Pacific Properties. Peggy's incomparable customer service provides the optimal real estate experience for buyers and sellers and has helped her rank in the top 1% of all agents in Orange County, California. Peggy’s clients value her genuine care and ability to deliver outstanding results, underscored by her honesty, helpfulness, and desire not to take herself...

Dita Shemke is a highly-proficient financial executive with a wealth of experience in private and public companies, public accounting, angel investing and founding start-ups. Her biggest strength lies in her ability to think strategically and put the right people together to bring an idea to fruition. Dita is a passionate advocate for women. Her support for women to be more self-sufficient is both...

Dr. Shahrzad Nooravi is a business psychologist, Master Certified Coach (MCC) and Founder and CEO of Strategy Meets Performance, a business consulting firm that partners with leaders of mid-sized to Fortune 500 organizations to help them create engaging, innovative, and productive cultures. Dr. Nooravi has been named “Trailblazer of the Year,” “Citizen of the Year,” and “A Voice to Listen to” for...

Stewart Gandolf, MBA, is the Chief Executive Officer of Healthcare Success, one of the nation’s leading healthcare and digital marketing agencies. Over the past 20 years, Stewart has marketed and consulted for over 1,000 healthcare clients, ranging from practices and hospitals to multi-billion dollar corporations. A frequent speaker, Stewart has shared his expertise at over 200 venues nationwide....

Yuko Tsuchida, CPA, MBA, is a Certified Public Accountant with over 10 years of tax consulting experience advising multinational corporations on value-added tax strategies. Her career started with KPMG's Japanese tax practice where she provided audit, tax, and advisory services to Japanese companies operating in the United States. After KPMG, she co-founded Think, LLP , a strategic tax advisory fi...

During an extraordinary four-decades in international business, William (Bill) Edwards, CEO & Global Advisor, Edwards Global Services, Inc. (EGS), has played a leadership role in the successful global growth of more than 40 small, INC 5000 and Fortune 100 companies. He is widely recognized as an International Problem Solver, strategist, advisor and specialist on global cultures. His career covers...

John Mendola is the Founder of the University Curriculum for Independent Learning , Founder & Chief Financial Officer of the Irvine International Academic Academy , Founder of Johnny Rock Music Group , and Managing Director of IRM Consulting Group, Inc. Additionally, John serves as a Professor of Business & Education at Westcliff University in Irvine, and has experience teaching at University of C...

Mark A. Herschberg is the author of The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You . Educated at MIT, Mark has spent his career launching and fixing new ventures at startups, Fortune 500s, and academia. He’s developed new software languages, online marketplaces, new authentication systems, and tracked criminals and terrorists on the dark web. Mark helped create the Undergr...

Ashley Harris serves as Chief Financial Officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast leading all finance and accounting operations to ensure the fiscal strength of the Club. As CFO, Ashley oversees financial reporting, cash management, forecasting, GAAP compliance and audit readiness. Ashley is committed to maximizing the Club’s budget to ensure the continued growth and success of the Cl...

Dr. Kathryn Hamel is the Chief Executive Officer at the Hecht Trauma Institute . Before she transitioned into non-profit leadership, she worked in higher education and served her community for nearly 25-years as a law-enforcement professional for two mid-sized municipal police departments. Dr. Hamel is a certified trauma and resilience professional and educator and author of Body Mind & Badge: Str...

Ashley Vallett is a recruiting professional with almost a decade of experience in the staffing industry and the owner of her own firm, Technacity Group , which she started in 2019. After working for a variety of different staffing firms over the years, Ashley felt the companies she was working for were not serving the needs of her candidates and client communities, so she went out on her own and h...