CEOs and ABCs

Kevin Rice
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Careers
  • Updated Weekly

CEOs & ABCs is the podcast for high performers who lead at work and show up at home. Hosted by Kevin Rice, this show features candid conversations with executives, founders, and rising leaders about how they’ve advanced their careers while staying present for the moments that matter most... raising kids, building strong partnerships, and prioritizing their health. Each episode dives into executive career advice, leadership development, work-life balance, and the realities of parenting while managing demanding professional lives. Whether you’re navigating promotions, team growth, toddler tantrums, or time management, you’ll find insights and inspiration to lead with intention - both at work and at home. ️ New episodes weekly Topics: Career growth, executive mindset, parenting, burnout prevention, productivity, and more ‍‍‍ For working parents, driven professionals, and leaders building meaningful lives Subscribe now and join the journey from "boardrooms to bedtime stories."

  1. 3d ago ·  Video

    Stacey Pool (Ziggi's Coffee, Vail Resorts, Noodles & Company) won't apologize for her ambition, but she won't sugar coat what it cost her either #053

    In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Stacey Pool, Chief Growth Officer at Ziggi's Coffee and former Chief Marketing Officer at Noodles & Company, to explore what it takes to be unapologetically ambitious and still show up for the people who need you most. They get into why the question "Am I doing the very best I can in this moment?" matters just as much at the kitchen table as it does in the C-suite. Stacey started her career in IT and moved to Vail Resorts in digital product, where a CMO who believed in her handed her the Epic Pass business to learn the commercial side. A stint as chief of staff to the CEO gave her the full view of the company and set up more than nine years in senior marketing leadership. She joined Noodles & Company as CMO two months before COVID and now leads growth at Ziggi's, with her sights openly set on becoming a CEO. Through every chapter, her reason for climbing has stayed the same: she wants her legacy to be the impact she has on people. The turning point came at Vail. After a ski season where her results fell short, she received the first truly hard feedback of her career, went home, and updated her resume that same night. Twenty-four hours later she could see what had happened. The feedback had hit a core value, and the work in front of her was learning to recognize that trigger and come down from it faster. That same regulation is what she now brings home to two teenagers. As she puts it, leading people at work is no different than leading your children. They will trigger you, and what counts is how you show up during and after.Stacey is candid about what that costs. She has missed baseball games, tennis matches, and parent-teacher conferences, and she has been asked by colleagues how her family feels that she's still at the office. Kevin shares that in his years as a single father, no one ever asked him that question. Last week Stacey skipped an important strategy meeting because her daughter showed up at work needing to talk, and she'd make the same call again. This is a conversation about ambition and guilt, and about why doing the very best you can in a given season is a more honest standard than trying to be great at everything at once. In this episode, you'll learn: Why Stacey talks openly about wanting to be a CEO, and the "why" that sits underneath it How a move into chief of staff to the CEO accelerated her path into marketing leadership What happened the night she received the hardest feedback of her career, and what she did 24 hours later How to spot when feedback is hitting a core value, and how to come down from it faster Why leading a team and raising teenagers call for the same emotional regulation The double standard ambitious mothers face when they work past 5 PM The weekend boundary her family has planned vacations around for nearly two decades Top takeaways: Ask for help early. A coach at Outward Bound told Stacey she'd never grow as a leader without it, and that line reshaped how she works at the office and at home. Defensiveness points to a value. When feedback hits hard, find the core value it touched before you react. Regulation is a leadership skill in both places. Kids and teams will both test you, and the recovery is what builds trust. Own your ambition. Stacey's career took off once she stopped trying to fight who she is. About Stacey Pool: Stacey Pool is Chief Growth Officer at Ziggi's Coffee, where she leads franchise expansion and guest traffic growth. She previously served as Chief Marketing Officer at Noodles & Company and at FullSpeed Automotive, and spent more than nine years in senior marketing leadership at Vail Resorts, including running the Epic Pass business and serving as chief of staff to the CEO. She lives in Colorado with her hu... Chapters (00:00:00) - Welcome and Introducing Stacy Poole(00:00:58) - Stacy's Career Path: Vail Resorts to Noodles to Ziggy's(00:03:43) - Becoming Chief Growth Officer and CEO Ambitions(00:06:23) - Judgment and Double Standards for Working Mothers(00:10:14) - Owning Your Ambition as a Woman(00:11:02) - Starting a Family and Building a Village(00:13:03) - The Struggle of Motherhood Not Coming Naturally(00:14:57) - Finding Validation Through Work(00:17:21) - Division of Sacrifice Between Partners(00:18:43) - Mom Guilt and Missed Milestones(00:20:01) - Modeling Partnership and Hard Work for Kids(00:22:39) - Podcast Sharing Request(00:23:13) - Three Career Seasons and Pivotal Moments(00:27:11) - Learning From Hard Feedback at Vail Resorts(00:29:03) - Developing Emotional Regulation and Leadership Skills(00:30:28) - Applying EQ Skills at Home With Kids(00:32:52) - A Story of Regulating Emotions With Her Daughter(00:36:03) - Personal Playbook: Asking for Help and Accepting Limits(00:39:06) - Boundaries, Naps, and Self-Grace(00:41:00) - Closing Thoughts and Advice for Working Parents

    Stacey Pool (Ziggi's Coffee, Vail Resorts, Noodles & Company) won't apologize for her ambition, but she won't sugar coat what it cost her either #053

  2. Sep 29 ·  Video

    Executive Perspectives On Letting Go of Perfect #052

    In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin pulls together seven conversations with executives who learned what it costs to expect perfection from yourself at work and at home at the same time. It starts with a phrase most leaders grew up on, good is the enemy of great, and asks what happens when a high-pressure job and kids flip it around, so that chasing great becomes the thing that keeps you from being good at either. The first half is the cost. Anncy Rowe, Chief Commercial Officer at Rodan + Fields, looks back on flying red-eyes between London and Paris to be home for her son's birthday, and what she'd tell herself now. Jeff Jenkins was leading a private equity turnaround as a CMO when his five-year-old assumed Dad would just work all weekend. Cameron Herold, founder of COO Alliance, describes breaking down in an elevator and going back to work the next morning, still convinced he was fine. The second half is what changed. Jennie Magiera of Google explains how accepting that she couldn't be 100% everywhere made her better in every arena. Melissa Grady Dias, former CMO of Cadillac, trades a rigid plan for a clear outcome and one question: how much do you care? Doug Zarkin, former CMO of Pearle Vision and Take 5 Oil Change, shares the 80/20 rule he uses for creative work and for his kids. And Brent Cooke, CMO of Driven Brands, recalls the question his therapist asked about his daughter that changed how he talks to himself. Kevin closes with a challenge for the week: pick one thing at work and one thing at home where you're asking yourself to get everything right. What would actually be enough? Chapters 00:00 Great can become the enemy of good 01:01 Anncy Rowe: carrying every role at once 03:14 Jeff Jenkins: the question from his five-year-old 04:24 Cameron Herold: "In my head, I thought I was fine" 05:47 Jennie Magiera: why letting go made her better at both 07:40 Melissa Grady Dias: focus on the outcome, not the process 09:29 Doug Zarkin: the 80/20 rule at work and at home 11:09 Brent Cooke: the compassion you'd give your kids 12:22 What would be enough? Full episoded features: Anncy Rowe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anncy-rowe?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios  Jeff Jenkins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmjenkins?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios Cameron Herold: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronherold?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios  Jennie Magiera: https://www.linkedin.com/in/magiera?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios  Melissa Grady Dias: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gradymelissa?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios  Doug Zarkin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougzarkin?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios  Brent Cooke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-cooke-mktg?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_mediu... Chapters (00:00:00) - Intro: When Great Becomes the Enemy of Good(00:01:14) - Nancy Rowe: The Red-Eye Birthday Story(00:03:52) - Jeff Jenkins: 'You're Just Going to Work All Weekend'(00:05:15) - Cameron Herold: Breaking Down in the Elevator(00:05:54) - Jenny McGarra: Why Women Can't Have It All(00:07:45) - A Quick Ask: Share This Episode(00:08:07) - Melissa Grady Diaz: Letting Go of Control (French Toast)(00:10:14) - Doug Zarkin: The 80/20 Rule for Perfection(00:12:05) - Brent Cook: Being Too Self-Critical(00:13:00) - Closing Thoughts: Letting Go of Perfect

    Executive Perspectives On Letting Go of Perfect #052

  3. Sep 23 ·  Video

    Amber Wendover (Ex-Microsoft & Amazon Leader) A Conversation on: The Line Between Ambition and Self-Sacrifice

    In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Amber Wendover, Founder & President of Thinking People, to explore why capable, high-performing people keep sacrificing themselves for work long after the cost outweighs the reward, and why that pattern shows up in a boardroom exactly the same way it shows up at the dinner table. Before starting her own coaching practice, Amber held leadership roles at Microsoft and Whole Foods and was part of the team that helped launch Amazon Go. She now works with executives and leadership teams at Fortune 100 companies and startups pushing toward an IPO. The thread that connects all of it is simple: she doesn't coach from theory, she coaches from having lived the exact tradeoffs she now asks her clients to examine. Nine days before she went to the ER, Amber noticed blood in her stool and told her husband she'd make a doctor's appointment. That appointment came after a three-day business trip to San Jose, three holiday parties, and a flight to New York to deliver a keynote. She collapsed in her kitchen in front of her 17-year-old daughter before she ever made it to the doctor. The same math plays out at a smaller scale every night a parent logs back online after dinner instead of closing the laptop. Amber's most useful reframe isn't a productivity trick, it's a question: what's the cost? She asks it of every executive she coaches, and she's direct about the fact that it took her three years and a hospital visit to ask it of herself. It's the same question behind her "five is an A" exercise: rating every role in your life, from mother to HOA committee member, on a scale where a five, not a ten, is the passing grade. This is a conversation about identity, burnout, and the cost of being indispensable, and why the version of success that actually holds up at home starts with deciding what "enough" looks like before anyone else gets to weigh in. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: - Why Amber waited nine days to see a doctor after noticing a symptom she now says she can't believe she ignored - The real story behind the Amazon executive offer she turned down, and why she still keeps the framed offer letter - Why Amber asks every executive she coaches "what's the cost of this decision" before anything else - How to tell whether a 6 a.m. email response is a real emergency or a habit built on feeling needed - The "five is an A" exercise Amber uses to stop leaders from grading every role in their life against a 10 - Why her 23-year-old son's approach to fitting in a workout after work is the legacy she actually wanted to leave - The five-second pause one Microsoft executive built into his pocket, literally, to interrupt a spiral before a meeting - Why Amber believes most people don't need an ER visit to reprioritize, just a clear line for their own "enough" TOP TAKEAWAYS: - Burnout doesn't always look like a collapse. Amber's was physical. Kevin's was an emotional disconnect his kids could sense long before his colleagues ever noticed anything was wrong. - "I don't have time" is usually a habit, not a fact. Amber's own 6 a.m. inbox routine was built on the feeling of being needed, not on any actual emergency. - A five out of ten is a passing grade. Amber's coaching exercise argues that chasing a ten in every role in your life is the fastest way to lose all of them. - The biggest decisions rarely come with a framework. Amber turned down a life-changing Amazon offer on instinct, and only built her "facts versus assumptions" tool for clients afterward. - Small physical rituals interrupt a spiral faster than a vacation can. One executive sewed corduroy fabric into his pocket. Amber engraved "it starts with you" onto a bracelet. ABOUT AMBE... Chapters (00:00:00) - Introducing Amber Wendover and Her Story(00:02:00) - Collapsing in the Kitchen: The Burnout Crisis(00:03:31) - Ignoring Warning Signs Before the ER(00:05:58) - Years of Hidden Symptoms and Exhaustion(00:07:28) - Identity Tied to Being the One Who Gets It Done(00:09:14) - Redefining Identity Through Kids' Eyes(00:11:37) - Negotiables, Non-Negotiables, and Family Dinner(00:13:10) - Coaching Executives Out of Martyr Syndrome(00:15:09) - Turning Down the Big Amazon Job(00:18:31) - How the Decision Shaped Family and Confidence(00:21:19) - Happiness vs. Fulfillment vs. Legacy(00:25:11) - Rediscovering Joy Through Childhood Habits(00:28:10) - The Illusion of Time and 6am Emails(00:30:35) - Breaking Bad Habits With Forcing Functions(00:32:43) - The Five-Second Pause and Grounding Rituals(00:35:47) - Pattern Interrupts and Changing Your State(00:37:22) - The Zero-to-Ten Life Roles Exercise(00:41:52) - Bringing Career Intentionality Home(00:44:39) - Career Lessons From Intel, Microsoft, Whole Foods, and Amazon(00:47:42) - Closing Thoughts: It Starts With You

    Amber Wendover (Ex-Microsoft & Amazon Leader) A Conversation on: The Line Between Ambition and Self-Sacrifice

  4. Sep 15 ·  Video

    Kipp Bodnar (CMO Hubspot) A Conversation on: How to Leverage Your Time More Effectively at Work and at Home #050

    In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Kipp Bodnar, Chief Marketing Officer at HubSpot, to explore what ambition actually costs and what it takes to stay present in spite of it, and why that discipline matters just as much at home as it does in an industry that's changing faster than ever. Kipp joined HubSpot running the company blog and was named Chief Marketing Officer five years later, growing the business twenty times over and helping define an entire category of marketing along the way. But while his career kept accelerating, something else was happening at home. Kipp is divorced and sees his son, Bo, every other week. During the weeks he has him, he says no to nearly everything else, projects, speaking opportunities, work he estimates would add up to hundreds of things over the years, so that time stays protected. It's the same instinct that shaped his career: decide what's essential, then let go of the rest without guilt. Kipp doesn't pretend the balance always worked. He says there were early years at HubSpot when he got lost chasing problems and missed time with Bo that, in hindsight, would have gotten him to the same lessons about presence years sooner. If he could redo those years knowing what he knows now, he says that's the one thing he'd change. This is a conversation about what ambition can build, what it can cost, and what it means to stay present when the world, and your industry, is changing faster than ever. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: • Why Kipp says no to nearly everything that isn't essential • How Kipp went from running HubSpot's blog to Chief Marketing Officer in five years, and the one instinct behind every step • The exact reason HubSpot's marketing engine broke once AI changed how people search, and the four-stage Loop framework he built to replace it • How Kipp separates his identity from his job title, and what he'd do the day after losing it • The specific lesson about presence Kipp's son taught him that has nothing to do with marketing at all • Why Kipp says it gets a little easier every year, and what's changed for him as Bo has gotten older TOP TAKEAWAYS: • Protecting time costs something real. Kipp says no to hundreds of opportunities every year and he's clear that's a real trade-off, not a shortcut. • Delay has a price, even when you catch up eventually. Kipp admits getting lost in work early on pushed back lessons about presence he wishes he'd learned years sooner. • Clear expectations build resilience faster than help does. Stating what's expected instead of stepping in, is the model Kipp credits most for raising a capable kid. • Purpose can survive a title change. • AI didn't tweak the old marketing playbook, it broke it. Losing over 100 million visits in a year forced Kipp to rebuild HubSpot's approach instead of patching the old one. ABOUT KIPP BODNAR: Kipp Bodnar is the Chief Marketing Officer of HubSpot, where he has led marketing through the company's growth to twenty times its size since joining to run its blog. He co-hosts the podcast Marketing Against The Grain with Kieran Flanagan, and the two just co-wrote the book Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow. Kipp is divorced from Bo's mother, and shares custody – he has Bo every other week. He's remarried to Kimberly, and he mentions having "an amazing stepdaughter" through that marriage. Share this episode with a parent who's trying to lead well at work and still show up fully at home, and comment below with the biggest lesson you took from Kipp. FOLLOW KIPP BODNAR ON: LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/in/kippbodnar⁠ Podcast: Marketing Against The Grain — ⁠marketingagainstthegrain.com⁠ Book: ⁠ Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction to Kip Bodnar(00:00:54) - Balancing AI-Era Demands with Family Presence(00:02:54) - Parenting a Son with Autism as He Grows(00:03:56) - Compartmentalizing Work and Presence at Home(00:05:47) - Teaching Foundational Values in a Changing World(00:07:14) - Building Resilience and Setting Expectations(00:09:03) - Letting Kids Struggle to Build Independence(00:10:01) - Career Growth Lessons from HubSpot(00:11:20) - Focusing on High-Leverage Activities in Marketing(00:13:09) - HubSpot's Inbound Marketing Origins and AI Disruption(00:14:23) - High-Leverage Parenting and Avoiding Guilt(00:17:23) - Intentionality in Parenting and Shared Passions(00:19:46) - Parenting as a Path to Better Leadership(00:20:54) - Single Fatherhood and Translating Work Skills Home(00:22:01) - Switching Between Executive and Dad Mode(00:23:50) - Ambition, Sacrifice, and Career Trade-offs(00:26:24) - Saying No to Protect Parenting Time(00:27:22) - Watching Inbound Marketing Be Disrupted by AI(00:29:56) - Identity, Purpose, and Letting Go of Titles(00:33:09) - Defining Personal Purpose Beyond a Job Title(00:35:03) - Why Kip Wrote the Loop Book(00:37:00) - How AI Broke the Old Marketing Playbook(00:39:19) - Explaining the Loop Framework(00:41:29) - How AI Has Transformed Software and HubSpot Usage(00:45:19) - Lessons Learned Writing Loop(00:47:49) - Closing Thoughts on Legacy and Fatherhood

    Kipp Bodnar (CMO Hubspot) A Conversation on: How to Leverage Your Time More Effectively at Work and at Home #050

  5. Sep 8 ·  Video

    The Playbook On Career and Family: Six CEOs Independently Reached the Same Verdict #049

    In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin pulls together six conversations he's had with CEOs and CMOs over the past year to answer one question almost none of them answered directly: how do you actually manage a career and a family without one costing the other? Instead of one new interview, this is the chorus, and then the answer that finally clicked once Kevin heard all six side by side. Deena DePhilips, CTO of Red Robin, spent a decade as a self-described "corporate athlete," working eighty-hour weeks and sleeping under her desk, before becoming a parent forced her to rebuild how she worked entirely. Kyle Lacy, CMO of Docebo, doesn't pretend he's solved anything, and says so on camera. Jennifer Prince, who leads commercial strategy for the LA Rams, replaced the word "balance" with "rhythm" after a single moment with her daughter changed how she thought about her career. Anthony Valletta, CEO of Bartaco, runs his calendar like a second job. And Linda Bethea, former CMO of Danone, built her entire leadership philosophy around integration after raising her daughter as a single mom. None of them agreed to sound the same. They just did anyway. Deena calls the term "work-life balance" something she hates saying out loud. Kyle says he doesn't have it, full stop, no fix attached. Jennifer swapped the word for "rhythm." Linda swapped it for "integration." Different companies, different industries, same conclusion, reached without hearing each other say it first. This is a conversation about intentionality, presence, and integration, and why the executives who've actually built something that works stopped trying to balance their lives and started designing them instead. TOP TAKEAWAYS: - Balance implies a fixed point. Rhythm and integration allow for movement, and movement is closer to how real careers and families actually work. - Intentionality means deciding what's non-negotiable before the week starts, not finding time for it after. - Presence isn't complicated, it's just hard. It means giving something up in the moment instead of holding onto everything at once. - Integration isn't a compromise between work and family. Done right, each one makes you better at the other. - Perfection isn't the goal. The goal is staying committed enough to recalibrate when you get it wrong. CHAPTERS: 0:00 — The Claim: Why ""Balance"" Is the Wrong Goal 1:02 — Kevin's Framing: Three Things That Actually Work 1:50 — Real Stories From Boardroom to Bedtime 2:01 — A Decade of Sleeping Under Her Desk 3:44 — The CMO Who Stopped Apologizing 5:33 — The Airport Moment That Changed Everything 7:15 — What Replaces Balance 7:34 — The Calendar System Built Like a Traffic Light 8:45 — Presence in Three Words 10:07 — Why She Puts Her Phone in a Box 10:52 — The Thread: What Six CEOs Agree On 12:58 — Where to Find the Full Conversations FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE: - Jennifer Kattula, CMO, Microsoft Advertising — https://youtu.be/xSBI9XM6CA8 - Deena DePhilips, CTO, Red Robin — https://youtu.be/-yd7sw75hqk - Kyle Lacy, CMO, Docebo — https://youtu.be/tpBVzqI6114 - Jennifer Prince, Commercial Strategy, LA Rams — https://youtu.be/eP7AOjjfp7w - Anthony Valletta, CEO, Bartaco — https://youtu.be/gOTRtqL1g-4 - Linda Bethea, CMO, Danone North America — https://youtu.be/dMvOE1xF0Dw Follow our host Kevin Rice on: LinkedIn: ⁠⁠LinkedIn/KevinMRice⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠ceosandabcs.com⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠Instagram/ceosandabcs⁠⁠ Follow the CEOs & ABCs Podcast and stay updated: ... Chapters (00:00:00) - How to Build a Balanced Life With a Parent(00:01:02) - Work Life Balance: The Wrong Goal(00:01:50) - Top Execs on Work-Life Balance(00:06:45) - How to Balance Your Career and Family Life(00:08:40) - How to Be More Present With Your Family(00:09:55) - The 3 Rules of Work-Life Integration(00:12:47) - CEO and ABCs: Growing Your Career

  6. Aug 28 ·  Video

    Barbara Perry & Harry Hutson (Co-Authors of Hope at Work) Hope as a Strategy for Results in Work and Life #048

    In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Barbara Perry and Harry Hutson, co-authors of Hope at Work, to explore why hope isn't a soft, passive emotion but an active, strategic capability, optimism combined with agency, and why that same combination is what moves a leader, a team, or a family from merely surviving to truly thriving. Barbara Perry is a cultural anthropologist who has spent 35 years running ethnographic research inside companies like Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Johnson & Johnson, uncovering possibilities those organizations couldn't see from the inside. Harry Hutson spent 25 years as a senior HR and organizational development executive at Cummins, Avery Dennison, Global Knowledge, and Devon Energy before becoming an executive coach profiled by Inc Magazine, and now teaches at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School. Their research together spans five decades and lands on one throughline: hope only functions as a strategy when optimism is paired with agency, the gritty, actionable belief that you can actually influence what happens next. The clearest proof of that distinction shows up in a story Barbara tells about a company that had just been sold to a private equity firm. The leadership team wasn't short on optimism, people kept telling themselves things would work out, but they had quietly given up their agency: everyone backed off, decided the situation was too big to touch, and started acting like victims of circumstance instead of people who could still shape what happened next. That's optimism without agency, and Barbara and Harry are clear that it isn't hope, it's just waiting. Harry ties the same mechanic straight to parenting with a memory of teaching his son to drive on narrow New England roads, gripping the door handle and resisting the urge to grab the wheel, because agency a person never gets to use isn't agency at all. Give a team or a kid the belief that things could work out with no real room to act, and you get exactly what that private equity company got: people who quietly stop trying. Barbara doesn't dress this up. She still carries a specific memory of missing her son's third grade play because she was traveling for work, and at fifty-one, he still brings it up. She calls it a way for him to stick the knife in mother once in a while, not a lifelong wound, just proof that showing up has a real cost and the ledger doesn't disappear because your intentions were good. That's the honesty running under the whole conversation: grace for yourself doesn't mean the missed moments didn't happen. This is a conversation about the difference between hoping for the best and building the capability to act on it, and why that same combination, optimism plus agency, is what decides whether a struggling team, or a struggling family, ends up surviving or actually thriving. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: Why hope is optimism plus agency, and why optimism on its own is just a feeling with nothing behind it What happened inside a company right after it was sold to private equity, when the leadership team's optimism stayed intact but their agency quietly disappeared The five specific elements that turn hope into something you can act on: possibility, agency, worth, openness, and connection Why "we've always done it this way" is the exact sound of the possibility principle going quiet inside a successful company How Kevin's own experience selling his company to private equity tested his sense of agency in real time, and what he lost when the autonomy went away Why praising a kid for winning and praising a kid for trying are both traps, and what worth looks like when it's not tied to performance The difference between transparency and oversharing, and how Kevin decided what to tell his ten-year-old about his mother's absence Why connection at work and at ho... Chapters (00:00:00) - Hope vs. Optimism(00:00:54) - Meet Barbara Perry & Harry Hutson(00:01:48) - Why They Wrote "Hope Is the Strategy"(00:02:48) - The Five Principles of Hope(00:04:53) - What Hope Actually Is (It's Not Positivity)(00:06:42) - The Blind Spot Even Successful Companies Miss(00:08:19) - Agency: What Separates Hope From Optimism(00:10:25) - Kevin's Story: Losing Agency After Selling His Company(00:11:36) - Bringing Hope Into a Room of 150 Executives(00:13:11) - Translating Hope From the Boardroom to the Home(00:17:23) - The Conflicting Advice Every Parent Gets(00:19:07) - What Accidentally Teaches a Child to Give Up(00:22:22) - Why Kids Can Smell Fake Encouragement(00:23:23) - Walking Through the Five Principles, One at a Time(00:26:37) - How to Diagnose an Organization's Blind Spot(00:30:07) - Possibility at Home: Passion Over Probability(00:32:22) - Hope Doesn't Promise Certainty. It Builds Capacity.(00:35:09) - Agency vs. Autonomy: Where the Line Actually Is(00:39:28) - Worth: Are You Only as Good as Your Last Win?(00:39:58) - Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Value(00:42:37) - Kevin on Losing His Identity After the Acquisition(00:45:02) - Openness: The Line Between Learning and Oversharing(00:48:36) - What Kevin Tells His Son About a Hard Truth at Home(00:49:29) - Connection: The Cost of Leading Without It(00:51:30) - Kevin's "Robot Mode" Story(00:52:10) - How to Build Hope Like a Muscle(00:54:23) - The Five Principles in 60 Seconds

    Barbara Perry & Harry Hutson (Co-Authors of Hope at Work) Hope as a Strategy for Results in Work and Life #048

  7. Aug 25 ·  Video

    Adam Vasallo (HSN & Big Brothers Big Sisters America) A Conversation on: The Power of Mentorship and Human Connection for Success #047

    In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Adam Vasallo, chief marketing officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, to explore what actually happens when you set out to mentor someone, and why the person doing the giving so often ends up changed the most. Adam has spent his career building stories that move people, from local television news, to the Home Shopping Network, to leading brand strategy across more than 230 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies serving 5,000 communities nationwide. His campaign, It Takes Little to Be Big, earned recognition from Fast Company, PR Week, and the Engage for Good Golden Halo Award, and he was named Nonprofit Marketer of the Year for his work. The through line across all of it traces back to a single sentence: a colleague once stuck her head over his cubicle wall and told him he'd make a great mentor. He signed up that week, and has been matched with a little brother, in one form or another, for the better part of two decades. The centerpiece of this conversation is what Adam calls the two-way street of mentorship, the idea that showing up for a young person you've never met ends up teaching you as much as anything you learned in a boardroom. He talks about Adrian, his first little brother, matched when Adam was in his twenties, now a father of two who referees flag football games in Adam's own son's league. He talks about Giovanni, matched for eight years, about to start his senior year of high school. And he traces it back to his own father, who at thirteen left Cuba alone, lived in an orphanage in Madrid, and made it to the United States because adults who weren't his family made sure he was safe along the way. That same thread runs through Adam's house today, down to a school project his oldest daughter brought home years ago that turned into a nightly question at the dinner table: what were your three favorite things that happened today? Adam also gets specific about the discipline behind showing up, including the manager who once pulled him aside and called his own ambition insane, the answer he gives his team when a school pickup collides with a deadline, and what changed the year his oldest daughter asked him, for the first time, to coach her flag football team instead of just his son's. This is a conversation about mentorship, legacy, and why the people you pour into rarely leave you the way they found you. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why the person being mentored often teaches the mentor more than the reverse The exact sentence that redirected the entire course of Adam's career Why presence and persistence matter more than credentials or life experience What Adam's father's escape from Cuba taught him about the adults who show up when you're not their responsibility How a school project became a nightly ritual Adam's three kids still ask for What changed the year Adam went from mentoring other people's kids to coaching his own daughter's team Top Takeaways: Mentorship is a two-way street. The person you set out to help usually ends up shaping you just as much. The two qualities that matter most in a mentor are presence and persistence, not expertise. You don't need to feel ready to make an impact on someone's life. Nothing disqualifies you less than you think it does. The mentors from your twenties become the parent you are decades later. Small, repeated moments, like a dinner question or a Tuesday pickup, build more trust than any single grand gesture. About Adam Vasallo: Adam Vasallo is chief marketing officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, where he leads brand strategy and fundraising across more than 230 local agencies serving 5,000 communities nationwide. Before joining Big Brothers Big Sisters, he built his career in brand marketing at the Home Shopping Network after a... Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction(00:02:00) - How mentorship found Adam Vasallo(00:07:45) - The lifelong impact of being a Big Brother(00:12:50) - The legacy of family and mentorship(00:13:45) - Inspiring the next generation and leadership values(00:15:30) - The importance of persistence and presence in parenting(00:20:00) - Balancing work and family life(00:27:30) - Supporting mental health and work-life balance(00:32:50) - Building authentic relationships with teams(00:34:00) - Passing values to children and community impact(00:37:30) - Coaching, mentorship, and life lessons in sports(00:41:40) - How organizations can get involved in mentorship

    Adam Vasallo (HSN & Big Brothers Big Sisters America) A Conversation on: The Power of Mentorship and Human Connection for Success #047

  8. Aug 18 ·  Video

    Douglas Zarkin (Take 5 Oil Change, Pearle Vision, Avon & Victoria's Secret) Notebook Not Playbook: What Brand Love Teaches You About Leadership and Fatherhood #046

    In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Doug Zarkin, former CMO of Pearle Vision and Take Five Oil Change, to explore what happens when you stop arriving with a playbook and start arriving with a notebook, and why that shift matters just as much at home as it does in the boardroom. Doug has led transformational marketing agendas at some of the most recognisable brands in America. Avon. Victoria's Secret Pink. Pearle Vision for over a decade. The through line across all of it is the same: understand the people before you draw the strategy. You cannot run a pass offense without a quarterback. You cannot parent a sixteen-year-old the same way you parented a six-year-old. And you cannot build brand love by treating every customer like a transaction. Doug also gets honest about navigating life after a restructuring, working harder than he ever has, and still carving out barbecues and Sunday brunches because his daughter and son are only home for the summer and the clock is moving fast. This is a conversation about brand love, leadership, the 80/20 rule applied to parenting, and why there is no right or wrong way. There is just a way. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why coming in with a notebook instead of a playbook builds better teams and better brands The exact difference between a manager and a leader in one sentence How Doug transformed Pearl Vision from transactional to relational and why it became a Harvard Business Review case study What becoming a father did to the pressure Doug put on himself professionally Why the 80/20 rule is one of the best frameworks you can bring from business into parenting How humour becomes the entry point for the serious conversations as your kids get older What entitlement looks like in practice and how to counter it before it sets in Top Takeaways: Come in with a notebook, not a playbook. You cannot know the strategy until you know the people. A manager requires. A leader inspires. The difference is whether someone learns while things get done. Brand love is built between purchase cycles. The same is true for family connection. There is no right or wrong way to parent. There is just a way. Give yourself grace to be a work in progress. Small moments are what your kids will remember. Gratitude, recognition, showing up without being asked. Take your me time. It is not selfish. It is what makes every other version of you possible. About Doug Zarkin: Doug Zarkin is a transformational marketing leader and the author of Moving Your Brand Out of the Friend Zone. He has served as CMO at Pearl Vision, where his work became a Harvard Business Review case study, and as the first-ever CMO of Take Five Oil Change. Earlier in his career he helped grow Victoria's Secret Pink nationally and reinvented direct selling at Avon. He is a TED speaker, keynote speaker and proud husband and father to his wife and two children. If this episode made you rethink leadership, career growth, work-life balance, or working parenthood, subscribe to the CEOs & ABCs Podcast for more conversations with CEOs, founders, and global executives. Share this episode with a colleague navigating work-life balance, and comment below with the biggest lesson you took from Douglas Zarkin. Follow Douglas Zarkin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougzarkin/  Website: https://www.dougzarkin.com/ Book: https://www.dougzarkin.com/ Follow our host Kevin Rice on: LinkedIn: LinkedIn/KevinMRice Website: ceosandabcs.com Instagram:

    Douglas Zarkin (Take 5 Oil Change, Pearle Vision, Avon & Victoria's Secret) Notebook Not Playbook: What Brand Love Teaches You About Leadership and Fatherhood #046
See All (53)

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

CEOs & ABCs is the podcast for high performers who lead at work and show up at home. Hosted by Kevin Rice, this show features candid conversations with executives, founders, and rising leaders about how they’ve advanced their careers while staying present for the moments that matter most... raising kids, building strong partnerships, and prioritizing their health. Each episode dives into executive career advice, leadership development, work-life balance, and the realities of parenting while managing demanding professional lives. Whether you’re navigating promotions, team growth, toddler tantrums, or time management, you’ll find insights and inspiration to lead with intention - both at work and at home. ️ New episodes weekly Topics: Career growth, executive mindset, parenting, burnout prevention, productivity, and more ‍‍‍ For working parents, driven professionals, and leaders building meaningful lives Subscribe now and join the journey from "boardrooms to bedtime stories."

Information

  • Creator
    Kevin Rice
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    53
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    CEOs and ABCs

You Might Also Like