Mary-Catherine Lader is the Chief Operating Officer of Uniswap Labs. She previously was a Managing Director at BlackRock, and Chief Operating Officer of the firm’s Digital Wealth business and head of its climate tech business, Aladdin Sustainability. She began her career as an investment analyst with Goldman Sachs’ Special Situations Group and served on the staff of the World Economic Forum’s Davos gatherings for a decade.

In our talk, you'll hear about:

➡️ Decentralized Leadership: How Uniswap's unique autonomous governance structure influences their products and corporate journey.

➡️ The Uniswap Approach: How they balance the drive for building public infrastructure with the demands of running an equity-focused business, all while maintaining a hands-off approach to the governance community.

➡️ Cultivating Company Culture: Rituals, Transparency, and Empowerment. Learn how Uniswap Labs is fostering a learning-rich environment and driving employee engagement through university sessions and regular updates.

Learn more about Uniswap | Website
https://www.uniswap.org

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Gregory Galant is the co-founder and CEO of Muck Rack, a platform enabling PR teams to work together to find the right journalists for their stories, send customized pitches, build meaningful relationships with the media, monitor news and quantify their impact. It’s used by thousands of organizations, including Taco Bell, Pfizer, Golin, International Committee of the Red Cross, Knight Foundation, Kauffman Foundation and Penguin Random House. Muck Rack is also the solution of choice for journalists, who use Muck Rack’s free, automatically updated portfolios to showcase their work and provide information about what stories they’re looking for. Greg is also the co-creator and executive producer of The Shorty Awards, which honor the best of social media. After being rejected by countless secret societies, Greg secured membership in Twitter and Instagram's exclusive first name club -- follow him at @gregory on both platforms.

In this discussion Greg and I go deep on his experiences.

Listen to our conversation to learn all about:

➡️ Co-founder dynamics: The power of complementary skills and the dangers of too much similarity.

➡️ Hiring: How to know when it’s time to hire someone and what to look for when you’re running lean.

➡️ Managing challenges: How to handle the stress that comes with building a startup - or doing anything challenging.

Learn more about Greg's company Muck Rack | Website
https://www.muckrack.com

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• Website: http://www.alisacohn.com

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Kristi Herold is the CEO of JAM, a global business connecting people through play, and one of the largest recreational sports leagues in the world. Since 2020, JAM has produced 3,500+ corporate team-building events in over 30 countries. Kristi consults and speaks on how to move a culture from surviving to thriving. Her bestselling book, "It Pays to PLAY," is a rich resource to help organizations playfully connect with their teams and improve retention, engagement, and overall workplace culture.

Here are three takeaways from our talk:

- Pivot with Purpose

When faced with adversity, like the 18-month revenue hit from the pandemic, Jam Group's shift to virtual events and culture consulting didn't just salvage the business. It highlighted how play can create bridges and bolster morale even in the toughest times.

- Create Joy at Work

Kristi’s entrepreneurial wisdom reminds us that injecting playfulness into the workplace—be it through music sessions, sports teams, or creative meetings—can significantly uplift employee engagement and translate into happier customers and improved profitability.

- Lessons in Leadership

Embracing vulnerability, from owning up to mistakes to combating imposter syndrome, Kristi's approach underscores the power of radical candor and the significance of building social connections within teams for a stronger and more resilient organization.

Learn more about Kristi | Website
https://www.kristiherold.com

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• Website: http://www.alisacohn.com

Download her 5 scripts for delicate conversations (and 1 to make your life better)

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If you've ever found yourself stumbling over words in a high-stakes presentation or wondering how to turn a dinner party into a deeper connection, this is the conversation you need to hear. Plus, for all the leaders out there, we have expert insights on managing emotional reactions to feedback and fostering a culture of open dialogue for transformative organizational growth.

Prepare to enrich your entrepreneurial toolkit and communicate with confidence, empathy, and a little bit of small talk finesse.

Matt Abrahams is a leading expert in communication with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach. As a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting. He received Stanford GSB’s Alumni Teaching Award in recognition of his teaching students around the world.

Outside of the classroom, Matt is a sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant. He has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered IPO road shows as well as Nobel Prize, TED, and World Economic Forum presentations. He also consults for the United Nations’ Secretary General’s Strategic Planning and Communication Office. His online talks garner millions of views and he hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart The Podcast.

His new book Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot provides tangible, actionable skills to help even the most anxious of speakers succeed when speaking spontaneously, such as navigating Q&A sessions, shining in job interviews, providing effective feedback, making small talk, fixing faux pas, persuading others.

Learn more about Matt | Website
http://mattabrahams.com

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• Website: http://www.alisacohn.com

Download her 5 scripts for delicate conversations (and 1 to make your life better)

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Get pumped for this episode of From Start-Up to Grown-Up!

I sat down with Sal Di Stefano, the co-founder of Mind Pump Media. You’ll learn how he and his co-founders propelled a fitness podcast into a multifaceted business empire.

I loved his perspective on embracing the journey, how authenticity drives growth, and the importance of NOT being right.

This is a health-conscious conversation for your body and your mind, you’re going to gain so much from it!

Sal Di Stefano is a personal trainer and co-founder of Mind Pump Media and co-host of Mind Pump, an online radio show/podcast that is dedicated to providing truthful fitness and health information. He is also the designer of the Muscular Adaptation Programming System (MAPS Fitness Products).
Sal is dedicated to prioritizing health over appearance, and he aims to shift the direction of the fitness industry from aesthetic- and insecurity-based to one based in self-love and self-care.

Learn more about Sal | Website
www.mindpumpmedia.com

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Follow Alisa Cohn on

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• Website: http://www.alisacohn.com

Download her 5 scripts for delicate conversations (and 1 to make your life better)

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My guest for the latest episode of From Start-Up to Grown-Up is Rob Ryan, Co-Founder of Ascend Communication. Ascend was acquired by Lucent Technologies in 1999 by Lucent Technologies.

Rob is a fount of knowledge about entrepreneurship and courageous leadership. He’s also a great story teller and a hoot! Check out this clip for a sneak peek into our talk where Rob talks about something important for your company’s long term success: profits.

As an early internet pioneer, Rob Ryan served as principal architect in developing the V.32 Modem. He also developed the ethernet blue book standards for the first ethernet chips used in server farms as well as establishing the first decentralized network while working at DECNET.

Ryan is the founder, past chairman and CEO of Ascend Communications. Ryan earned national attention when he grew his 1989 start-up company, Ascend Communications, to more than $2 billion in sales. Lucent Technologies acquired Ascend in 1999 for approximately $22 billion in what was termed at the time the "largest technology merger ever."

Effectively, Ascend helped create the modern Internet by building all of the infrastructure equipment that powered the Internet worldwide. At the end of 1995, Rob won the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Northern California (including Silicon Valley). Rob also was selected as the Cornell University Entrepreneur of the Year for 2002. Following Ascend’s success, Rob has helped build several start-up and early-stage ventures into multi-billion dollar companies, including Right Now Technologies and Silicon Spice, among others. His entrepreneurial successes have transformed businesses using his Sunflower Model®.

In 2020 Rob co-founded SunVia, a metaverse infrastructure management company helping to usher in the new age of the internet. Rob also is the co-founder of Sunflower Academy, a non-traditional mentorship platform that utilizes the Sunflower Model® to help startup companies and entrepreneurs realize their full potential.

Follow Rob on LinkedIn | Website

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Follow Alisa Cohn on

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• Website: http://www.alisacohn.com

Download her 5 scripts for delicate conversations (and 1 to make your life better)

Grab a copy of From Start-Up to Grown-Up by Alisa Cohn from Amazon

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This new episode of From Start-Up to Grown-Up features a dynamic tag team of David Meltzer, the Co-Founder of Sports 1 Marketing, and Peter Goldstein, entrepreneur and the author of “The Entrepreneur’s IPO”!

You’ll hear about David’s complete rebirth in his life and career journey as he shares the surprising ways that money impacts your life, and Peter shares solid gold advice about how you can prepare to take your company public.

David Meltzer is the Co-Founder of Sports 1 Marketing, and a legendary sports executive. He formerly served as CEO of the renowned Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment agency, which was the inspiration for the movie Jerry Maguire. He is one of the world's top Entrepreneurs, Investors and Business coaches. David has been recognized by Variety Magazine as their Sports Humanitarian of the Year and awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Learn more about David | Website
https://dmeltzer.com/

Peter Goldstein is a seasoned entrepreneur and capital market expert with over 30 years of experience. His diverse background in international business has equipped
him with valuable insights across various markets and industries.
Peter began his entrepreneurial journey as the Founder and CEO of a specialty food distributor, pioneering the farm-to-table organic produce industry in renowned New
York City restaurants. He is also the author of The Entrepreneur's IPO: The Insider's Roadmap to Taking Your Company Public.

Learn more about Peter | Website
https://pgoldstein.co/

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Follow Alisa Cohn on

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• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisacohn/
• Website: http://www.alisacohn.com

Download her 5 scripts for delicate conversations (and 1 to make your life better)

Grab a copy of From Start-Up to Grown-Up by Alisa Cohn from Amazon

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How do you find your new idea?

What does it take to attract a team of true believers?

And what does glass-blowing have to do with entrepreneurship? Hint: the key is timing.

All of these questions are answered in my newest episode of From Start-Up to Grown-Up with Jim McKelvey, the Co-Founder of Block (previously known as Square)!

Jim McKelvey is best known for co-founding Square, now called Block. He also founded LaunchCode.org, which has provided free training and jobs for thousands of aspiring programmers. He is the former Chair of the St. Louis Federal Reserve and a trustee of Washington University. Jim is also an artist/designer. Art of Fire is the world’s top textbook on glassblowing and his industrial designs are in both the Smithsonian and Museum of Modern Art. He co-founded Third Degree Glass Factory, one of the top centers for glass artwork. He is currently working on a plastic-free diaper. Jim’s book, The Innovation Stack, explains how industry-creating innovations actually happen.

Learn more about Block | Website
https://block.xyz/

Connect with Alisa!

Follow Alisa Cohn on

• Instagram: @alisacohn
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• Facebook: facebook.com/alisa.cohn
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisacohn/
• Website: http://www.alisacohn.com

Download her 5 scripts for delicate conversations (and 1 to make your life better)

Grab a copy of From Start-Up to Grown-Up by Alisa Cohn from Amazon

Love the show? Subscribe, Rate, Review, Like, and Share!