Critical Mass Business Talk Show | Orange County‘s Longest-Running Business Talk Show | Hosted by Ric Franzi Ric Franzi | Critical Mass Business Talk Show

Julie Hudash has a passion for empowering children to become catalysts for positive change. She is the visionary Founder & CEO of Team Kids, a non-profit organization established in 2001, which has been woven into the educational tapestry for over two decades. A devoted social entrepreneur, Julie’s innovative vision has given rise to a transformative organization that profoundly impacts the lives of young people across diverse communities, ranging from Irvine & Compton to Tempe & Harlem. Guided by Julie’s vision, Team Kids measures success not in earning profit, but in lives changed & communities strengthened.
During her college career at USC, Julie volunteered in schools in South Central Los Angeles. Struck by the academic disparities & lack of exposure to leadership opportunities, she became determined to inspire children to see themselves as leaders capable of making meaningful contributions when they feel safe, valued, significant, & connected to their communities, challenging the notion that children are "too young" to make a difference in the world.
Drawing from her experiences & expertise in the corporate sector, Julie pursued her dream of making a tangible difference & empowering the next generation of youth leaders, entrepreneurs, & philanthropists after witnessing the power of young people’s empathy & determination to raise funds for a local boy’s life-saving operation. She spearheaded the creation of the flagship Team Kids Challenge (TKC), a comprehensive 5-week, school-wide intervention program that actively engages teachers, public safety mentors, & community stakeholders. The TKC is now empirically validated with peer-reviewed research published in the American Psychological Association Journal of Psychology, Public Policy, along with three other top academic publications.
Specializing in driving systemic community change for & with youth through innovative partnerships with business, government, education, & public service organizations, Julie's lifelong dedication is evident through her achievement of transforming Team Kids’ early groundbreaking work into a national model for youth empowerment, as reflected in widespread school participation from California to Arizona to New York.
Julie is also a writer who tackles complex issues on behalf of children & has had several pieces published in The Los Angeles Times & Orange County Register. Her focus is on youth advocacy issues, including youth development, child safety, & the importance of youth-led activities to help kids thrive. She continues to evolve & partner with several organizations to extend the reach & impact of Team Kids, which has always included social & emotional learning.
Julie’s commitment & passion to protect & empower youth has resulted in her receiving several public agency & private foundation awards.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Melissa Rimoldi, CEO/Founder of Legion Force, has a unique automotive journey that spans over three decades, driven by her unwavering dedication to helping companies navigate the complexities of the automotive industry.
Melissa graduated from California State University Long Beach with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Marketing. She has worked directly for Mazda USA, Volkswagen Group of America, Innocean Worldwide on Hyundai USA, and has provided B2B/B2C/SaaS, digital technology, and vendor services across 15 OEMs in the automotive space. Her positive spirit has allowed her to develop valuable insights across the entire spectrum, from remanufacturing and quality assurance to engineering, warranty, aftersales, sales, marketing, advertising, and even starting three new start-up companies.
At a certain point in her career, Melissa took a risk and started her next journey with a commitment to make an impact. Due to her diverse background, she is on a mission to challenge the status quo by prioritizing the needs of dealers, OEMs, and everything in between. Her core focus is on creating niche partnerships within the vast automotive and retail network.
In the upcoming months, Legion Force will be launching a new platform that highlights their trusted experts. These experts will consult with real-world knowledge, experience, and unbiased insights to help clients and partners with a larger focus on the untapped opportunities in the industry. Melissa also plans to expand efforts to further support women in the automotive industry through various forums.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Perryn Holtrop is the CEO and Founder of PayNation, a payments technology company that focuses on Accounts Receivable/Accounts Payable automation for B2B companies. He is a serial entrepreneur and visionary who started his first business at the young age of 19 and holds 5 patents outside of payments. He was introduced to the payments industry over 10 years ago, and his passion for entrepreneurship, developing winning strategies, and helping businesses succeed led him to start PayNation.
Perryn has developed profitable solutions for thousands of B2B merchants and helped agents build their portfolios with solution-based selling and integrations with the most widely used accounting and ERP software. Perryn also has a passion for sharing winning strategies, experiences, and insights that contribute to the success and growth in the payment industry.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Lexi Kaz is a former Division I soccer player and the CEO and Founder of AK Infinite, which specializes in placing clients in national media. Lexi started AK Infinite in the summer of 2022. After staying consistent and building a mental framework, AK Infinite has now worked with 100 + campaigns, and now has a team of 11 plus working all over the world.
Lexi is now living the digital nomad life, traveling while leading her team and helping clients get wider reach and marketing promotions.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Lisa Anderson is the founder and president of LMA Consulting Group Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in manufacturing strategy and end-to-end supply chain transformation that maximizes the customer experience and enables profitable, scalable, dramatic business growth.
Lisa has been named in the Top 46 most influential in Supply Chain by SAP, a Top 15 Supply Chain & Logistics Expert by RateLinx, and a top 40 B2B Tech Influencer by Arketi Group. She recently published SIOP (Sales Inventory Operations Planning): Creating Predictable Revenue and EIBTDA Growth on how to successfully navigate the supply chain chaos with superior customer service and profitable growth.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Jeff Gable is an embedded software consultant for the medical device industry, where he helps medical device startups develop bullet-proof software to take their prototypes through FDA submission and into production. Combining his expertise in embedded software, FDA design controls, and practical agile methodologies, Jeff can help existing software teams be more effective and efficient, or handle the entire software development and documentation effort for a new device.
Jeff has spent his entire career doing safety-critical product development in small, cross-disciplinary teams. After stints in aerospace, automotive, and medical, he founded Gable Technology six years ago to focus on medical device startups. He also co-hosts the Agile Embedded podcast, where he and Luca Ingianni talk about how device developers don't have to choose between time-to-market and quality.
In his spare time, Jeff enjoys rock climbing, woodworking, and spending time with his wife and two small children.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning