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On his very first day as CEO of the Lexington Leadership Foundation, Christian walked into his 22,000-square-foot community center to find an inch of standing water from a burst pipe. Before he was leading a massive non-profit, he had to survive the collapse of his athletic identity and process the tragic loss of a mentee he had poured into for over a decade.

In this episode, we peel back the curtain on the daily grind of non-profit leadership and creative entrepreneurship. Christian opens up about the reality of scaling a business in the non-profit sector, from navigating the delicate dance with a 15-person board of directors, to managing a volatile cash runway, to the mental weight of ensuring 20 families on his staff get fed. We explore why unchecked pride will destroy your leadership and why the best leaders are ultimately the best followers.

00:03:13 - A Resilient Mother

00:08:42 - Mowing Lawns and the Lesson of Excellence

00:18:25 - Where Egos Fall

00:22:48 - Loss and Resilience

00:29:02 - Day One as CEO: Welcome to a Flooded Building

00:48:37 - The Hardest Part of Running a Non-Profit

"When you have 20 people on your team and you're thinking about them being fed and their families being fed, that weighs on you... My job doesn't keep me up at night, but it gets me out of bed for him every day." - Christian

Connect with the Guest: Learn more about Christian's work at the Lexington Leadership Foundation.

Nominate a Builder: Do you know a founder or leader who pushed through the messy middle until it worked? Send an email to UntilItWorksPodcast@gmail.com to nominate them for an interview.

Presented By: This episode is brought to you by Make Something Media. Let's Make Something Together.. Visit MakeSomethingMedia.com.

Before she was designing ultra-luxury destination weddings for NFL players and other high-profile clients, Krissy Campbell was sitting in the messy reality of losing her job. Her position at a community foundation was cut, leaving her burnt out, stressed, and forced to figure out her next step from scratch.

In this episode, we peel back the curtain of the luxury event industry to talk about the gritty reality of creative entrepreneurship. Krissy shares her unvarnished story of surviving layoffs, navigating the early days of cold sales, and slowly scaling a boutique business into an ultra-luxury wedding planning agency. We dive into what it actually takes to build a business from nothing, why trusting your gut is essential for founders, and how to identify the "threads" in your life that could lead to your next massive pivot.

Chapter Markers

00:01:26 - The Roots: Growing Up in a Family Catering Business

00:06:50 - The Grind of Cold Sales and Severe Burnout

00:14:34 - The Lowest Point: Getting Laid Off

00:26:22 - Working for Free & Landing the First $500 Client

00:38:05 - Pitching "Fake" Weddings During COVID to Break into Paris and Italy

00:52:01 - The Blind Panic and Chaos of Wedding Day Execution

01:06:18 - Following the "Threads" to Your Next Business Pivot

"Don't be afraid to just follow a thread. Like, if there's something that catches your attention... not being afraid to follow something when you don't really know how it’s going to pan out" - Krissy Campbell

Links & Resources

Connect with the Guest: Check out Krissy's work and connect with her on Instagram at krissycampbell.com.

Nominate a Builder: Do you know a founder or leader who pushed through the messy middle until it worked? Send an email to UntilItWorksPodcast@gmail.com to nominate them for an interview.

Presented By: This episode is brought to you by Make Something Media Visit MakeSomethingMedia.com.

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You might see the title "Creative Director of Character Design for Sesame Street" and assume it was a straight shot to the top. But for Lewis Henry Mitchell, the path was paved with relentless naysayers, including his own father and a college professor who told him his dreams of working for the Muppets would only break his heart. Before he ever drew a character professionally for the studio, he endured eight straight months of dropping his portfolio off only to be told they had no work for him.In this episode, we talk about the unvarnished reality of building a creative career and pushing past the voices that tell you your goals are impossible. We dive into the grit required to land your dream job, the power of persistence in the face of continuous "no's", and how trusting your inner voice is the ultimate key to true creative entrepreneurship.Chapter Markers00:00:00 - The Seismic Jolt: Seeing Jim Henson on TV00:03:02 - Navigating the Naysayers vs. The Champions00:16:34 - The High-Stakes Critique at Neal Adams' House00:30:11 - "You're Aiming Way Too High"00:32:05 - Eight Months of Rejection at the Muppet Studio00:34:04 - The Answering Machine Message That Changed Everything00:49:15 - Why Cookie Monster is the Ultimate Character00:58:31 - Tapping Into Your Inner Six-Year-OldThe Raw Truth"We don't decide who we're going to become. We discover it." - Lewis Henry Mitchell"I always think the naysayers are wrong because how do they know? ... the only way for you to really know if something's for you is to try it." - Lewis Henry MitchellLinks & ResourcesConnect with the Guest: Find Lewis Henry Mitchell on LinkedIn.The Book: Pick up a copy of Lewis's book, Creative Evolution, to dive deeper into his philosophy on trusting your inner voice. (Leave a comment with where you listen—YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts—for a chance to win one of three free copies!)Nominate a Builder: Know someone leading a business who pushed forward until it worked? Email us at untilitworkspodcast@gmail.com to nominate them for the show.Presented By: This episode is brought to you by Make Something Media. makesomethingmedia.com