The Business of Joy

What do delivering blood in Rwanda and your Chipotle order have in common? Zipline - the largest automated delivery system on Earth! And they do it with drones, not trucks! You may or may not have heard of this company… but with a $7 Billion valuation, you will soon! I had the honor of interviewing founder/CEO Keller Rinaudo Cliffton on The Business of Joy show! Here are some of my favorite parts:...

Joie de vivre. It's a French phrase that translates to "the joy of life." And when I sat down with John Dillon, CEO of La Madeleine, it was clear that joy isn't just a concept for this brand. The brand has been carrying joy in its DNA for 43 years. John's gift was seeing it and turning it up a notch. When John took over as CEO, one of the first things he did was create “Spark Joy Sessions” - conve...

Most executives don’t put the word "joy" in their personal brand statement. John Goss does! As President of Sally Beauty, a global brand with over 2,400 stores in the US and Canada, John has built his career around the idea that joy and culture aren’t separate from results - it produces them. In this conversation, we talked about what it really means to lead with joy. Not as a feel-good concept, b...

Gravy-powered rocket ship. 12x EBITDA. His dad made him write a P&L for his lemonade stand, even though Brandon Coleman III couldn't pronounce the word "quarters" yet. Same kid. Forty years later. Now he's leading major brands. Another story that shaped his leadership style: Early in his career, he walked into a restaurant and ordered his own promotion. His server looks at him and says: "I wou...

“That’s a really good question…” when I hear this during my podcast, it really brings me joy and reminds me why I LOVE doing these! Kelli Valade, President and CEO of Women's Foodservice Forum, and I go off-script on this one. That’s when the magic happens, and what comes out of those moments is what makes it worth your time to watch and listen in! A few things you’ll walk away with: 🎙️ Why most p...

There’s a misconception that restaurant brands are built by big ideas, big campaigns, or the next big menu innovation. But the truth is much simpler and much harder. Restaurants don’t succeed because of one big home-run moment. They succeed because of thousands of tiny ones. In this episode of The Business of Joy , Lisa Miller sits down with Robin Blanchette, Founder and CEO of Norton Creative, to...

This is NOT OK: If a child is not reading on grade level by 3rd grade, they are 4x LESS LIKELY to graduate high school, and if living in poverty, 13x LESS LIKELY! Carol Goglia, CEO of Catch Up & Read is focused on one of America’s most urgent challenges: early literacy. She has spent her career turning strategy into impact, from her early days at Frito-Lay to leading one of the country’s most...

What happens when you get really good at performing joy…but realize you’re not actually living it? We reward performance in business. The ability to “turn it on.”
It’s the drive, charisma and energy that fuels us. But what if the skills that build our success disconnect us from ourselves? Chadwick Boyd grew up in a farming community and has spent nearly 30 years shaping how America experiences foo...

The restaurant industry is under pressure: rising costs, labor challenges, tighter margins, and more data than ever before. But what if some of the tools meant to help are stripping away what matters most? JOY In this episode of The Business of Joy , Lisa W. Miller sits down with restaurant industry leader Melissa Doolin Koehne to explore the tension operators are facing right now: how to protect...

THIS podcast conversation is one you won’t forget! I met Arshay in 2019 through my rowing team. He is an entrepreneur and speaker who shares his message around the world. His full-length documentary, A Most Beautiful Thing, tells the story of growing up on the West Side of Chicago and how rowing and an entrepreneurship class changed his life. Since it debuted in March of 2020, it’s been a joy to w...

For Toni Ronayne, her journey started as a 13-year-old coat check girl… staying up late, learning the value of tips, hospitality, and connection long before she ever stepped into the C-suite. Today, Toni is the Founder & CEO of The C Society, and her story is one of courage, reinvention, and leading with authenticity in an industry that’s changing faster than ever. A few of my favorite insight...

“I’m going to need some tissues. It’s a difficult story… but a beautiful one… because we can turn darkness into light.” -NASA’s Michael Ciannilli Season 7 launches today! 🎙 Big news coming tomorrow too! Hint: It’s a space (pun intended 😉) to spotlight every guest, every story, and every spark of joy we uncover together. This premiere is one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve ever had. It’s...

From growing up in her family’s Black-owned grocery store in Memphis to leading major brands across CPG, nonprofits, and higher ed… this is a story of grace, grit, and growth! This was fun to sit down with my good friend, Dorothy Jones, Chief Marketing Office, to talk about the moments and lessons that shaped her life and career! We talked about: 🛒 Early jobs that build confidence 💪 Resilience l...

Joy, soul, and hospitality aren’t soft words… they're a growth strategy! That’s the message from Brett Schulman , CEO & Co-Founder of CAVA , who joined me on The Business of Joy podcast this week. Before leading one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands in America, his early jobs of washing cars and chopping firewood built his work ethic: discipline, pride, and the power of showing up! A fe...

🎙️ We’re Baaaack! The Business of Joy Podcast 🔥 What if the biggest myth in leadership is the idea of the superhero CEO ? My guest, John Blakey, is one of the UK’s leading CEO executive coaches and the author of four books. He’s worked with FTSE 100 CEOs, entrepreneurs, and even coached gold-medal Team GB rowing squads. But what struck me most in our talk wasn’t his client list, it was his humani...

At 13 years old, Joe Davis wrote a list of life goals. Fast forward decades later… it turned out to be the blueprint for his life! For this episode of the Business of Joy, I had the pleasure of interviewing Joe Davis, Former Head of BCG North America and author of The Generous Leader! We talked about the kind of leadership that actually moves people (and the needle): humble, curious, and human. So...

Imagine working 16 hours a day… and paying yourself in quarters from a jukebox! That’s how Bruce Dean’s journey began. In this episode, Bruce, co-founder of Black Bear Diner, shares stories (and leadership lessons) I’ll never forget: 🍳 Why staying true to who you are matters more than ever 🥓 How double-smoked bacon became a signature of quality 🐻 The roadside woodcarver who helped shape Black B...

There’s a difference between reporting sports... and sharing the stories of sports. That’s what makes Newy Scruggs, the 15-time Emmy-winning Sports Director at NBC DFW, stand out. For over 30 years, he hasn’t just covered games, he uncovers the human lessons inside them. Lessons we can carry into work, leadership, and life. From sit-downs with former TCU head coach Gary Patterson and UT Athletic D...

While most brands are chasing tomorrow’s sales, Chris Hoyle, Chief Marketing Officer of Simple Modern, focuses on driving brand connections and loyalty through generosity. If you don’t know this brand, you should: >Their purpose in the crowded drink-ware and consumer goods space is clear: “We exist to give generously.” >On their website it even says “generous prices” - meaning affordability...

“Everyone wants to just ‘let the data speak.’ But data without a question is just noise.” Right? AI seems to be taking over a lot of our “mind share” these days. So I decided to sit down with an expert, Mike Lukianoff, CEO of Signal Flare AI, to get down to the brass tacts. I could have talked with Mike for hours about this stuff! Here are just a few of my favorite quotables from this episode: 📊...

What if the right jacket didn’t just fit, but helped you own your seat at the table? In this week’s episode of The Business of Joy, I sat down IN PERSON 🎥 in New York City with fashion icon and entrepreneur Nina McLemore, founder of the brand worn by senators, CEOs, and powerhouse women across America. Her mission?
 To design clothing for professional women that commands respect, radiates confide...

“You’re not burned out because of your job. You’re burned out because you’re doing someone else’s job.” That line stood out to me when I sat down with Monica Rothgery, former COO of KFC and one of the most joyful, no-BS leaders I know. Monica was the first woman in the US to hold that position and the first member of the LBGTQ community to get to the C-suite at YUM! For the fiftieth episode of the...

🧠 “I knew right away I wasn’t going to be happy just executing someone else’s plan.” -Mark Brezinski That mindset shaped decades of restaurant innovation, from the King Solomon Burger at age 16, to concepting Velvet Taco, Pei Wei, Tin Star, EatZi’s, and more. This week’s episode of the Business of Joy features Mark Brezinski, restaurant conceptor, consultant, & author of Food Fight!
 In our c...

What’s the mistake too many young leaders make? 🚫 Skipping steps. 🚫 Skipping the struggle. This week’s episode of The Business of Joy podcast features Andrew K. Smith, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Savory Fund! From cleaning kennels at 14 to co-founding a $500M fund, his story is a playbook for gritty, joyful leadership. We talked about: 💸 The truth about today’s fundraising climate—and wh...

❌ Innovation by committee. ❌ Waiting for approval.
 ❌ Endless alignment meetings. It’s not working. And Rita McGrath, C-suite strategist, professor at Columbia Business School and Founder of Valize, says it’s time to stop pretending it is! In our latest Business of Joy episode, she breaks down what happens when teams go permissionless—and why it leads to: ✅ 75% faster execution
 ✅ Smarter, mo...