CEOs and ABCs

Kevin Rice
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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

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. Aug 11 ·  Video

    Jennie Magiera (Google, US Department of Education & Chicago Public Schools) A Conversation on: Balancing IVF in the Workplace and Transforming Education with AI #045

    In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Jennie Magiera, Global Head of Education and Impact at Google, to explore the six years she spent trying to become a mother while ascending through some of the most demanding roles in education technology, and what that journey taught her about presence, purpose, and raising children in an AI world. Jennie went through multiple rounds of IVF across three different jobs, cancelling keynotes for egg retrievals, writing substitute lesson plans every night not knowing if she would need them, and fielding questions from colleagues who did not understand why she could not reschedule a surgery. When Lucy was finally born, Jennie had to write apology letters in her head to every parent she had ever dismissed as overreacting. She finally understood what was at stake. The conversation also goes somewhere harder. Jennie shares the postpartum depression she experienced with her second daughter Nora, the years she felt she was looking at someone else's baby, and the therapy and one-on-one time that eventually brought them to where they are now. Besties. Kevin and Jennie also get into what intentional presence looks like when you spend a hundred nights in hotels a year. Broadway shows on a Tuesday with Lucy. Nail salon trips with Nora. IHOP at 3am in pyjamas because nobody can sleep. And the moment Lucy told Jennie she was not upset about the travel because when her mum is home, she does more than other mums who never leave. This is a conversation about IVF, postpartum, AI for kids, and what it means to be fully present in the pockets you actually have. In This Episode, You'll Learn: What IVF actually does to your career across six years and three different jobs How becoming a mother reframed every parent Jennie had ever dismissed as overreacting Why being transparent about IVF at work created safety for other women at Google How Jennie uses Gemini with her seven-year-old, always supervised, always debriefed What happened when Lucy asked Gemini to explain crucifixion The four safeguards every parent should put in place before introducing AI to their kids Why social emotional capacity is the skill AI will never replace How to apply an ROI lens to your time at home the same way you would at work Top Takeaways: You cannot have it all and that is not failure. Make peace with what you are prioritising now. Presence is not volume of time. It is what you do inside the pockets you have. Supervised, purposeful, and debriefed is the only responsible way to introduce AI to young children. Technology is a tool, not the answer. Knowing when to use it is the skill worth teaching. Social emotional capacity is what separates humans from machines. Build it early. If you have the capital to name what you are going through at work, use it. You create space for everyone around you. About Jennie Magiera: Jennie Magiera is Global Head of Education and Impact at Google, leading a team that supports educators and students across the world. A former classroom teacher, school district CTO, and contributor to the US Department of Education's Education Technology Plan, she was recognised with the Obama White House Champion for Change Award. She is the author of Courageous Edventures and a TEDx speaker. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters, Lucy and Nora. 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 Jennie Magiera. Follow Jennie Magiera: LinkedIn:  Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction to Jennie Magiera and her role at Google(00:01:35) - Jennie's History in Education(00:04:27) - AI in Education(00:06:52) - How Motherhood Changed Jennie's View on Work(00:09:11) - Undergoing IVF in the Workplace(00:12:17) - How to Balance Career and Parenthood(00:17:00) - How Companies Can Support Mothers Going Through IVF(00:19:59) - How To Stay Connected During Travel(00:25:03) - Can You Be A Workaholic & A Parent?(00:28:38) - How To Balance Career and Family Life(00:30:44) - AI Education at Home(00:44:56) - Skills to Teach Our Kids for the Future(00:47:41) - CEO-ABC Outro MASTER.mp4

    Jennie Magiera (Google, US Department of Education & Chicago Public Schools) A Conversation on: Balancing IVF in the Workplace and Transforming Education with AI #045

  7. Aug 4 ·  Video

    Cameron Herold (1-800-Got-Junk? & COO Alliance) Mastering Work-Life Balance, Healing from Extreme Burnout & The Bucket List Mindset #044

    In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Cameron Herold, the COO who helped scale 1-800-GOT-JUNK from $2 million to $106 million, to explore what happens when someone who built their identity around business finally decides to build a life instead. Cameron did not slow down quietly. He left 1-800-GOT-JUNK and spent four months not returning a single email. He journaled every day, made lists of everything he was good at and everything he was not, and came out the other side knowing exactly what he loved. Five years ago, he and his wife sold the house, the cars, and the furniture, packed two carry-on bags each, and have been living as nomads across 80 countries ever since. But the more honest part of this conversation is what came before all of that. The stress score of 435 on a scale where 250 means a 90 percent chance of a heart attack. The second son he barely connected with in the early years because a toddler was easier to take skiing than a newborn. The long road back to a relationship where that same son now texts him every few hours and spent the whole day with him in London this week. Kevin and Cameron also get into the moment Cameron realised he did not want his kids to describe him by what he did to make money. He wanted them to talk about his hobbies, his cooking, his travels, his sense of adventure. That reframe changed everything. This is a conversation about burnout, bucket lists, building real relationships with your kids, and why your business is not your hobby. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why Cameron scored 435 on a cardiac stress scale and what it forced him to confront How four months of journaling after leaving a hyper-growth company clarified the rest of his life What it cost him to prioritise his older son over his youngest and how they rebuilt Why being the first executive with kids changes a company's culture for everyone who follows How Cameron uses visualisation to transition out of work mode before walking through the front door What a Vivid Vision is and how to write one for your life, not just your business Why your kids will not want to spend time with you if work is your only hobby Top Takeaways: Your to-do list does not have your name on it. Delegate, automate, or stop doing it. You do not have to take care of your kids tonight. You get to. No kid wants to be friends with a parent whose only identity is their job. Build a bucket list now. Do not wait until you have earned the time to live. Reframe everything. Crumbs under the table mean your kids are still home. Presence is a practice. Phone away, transition ritual in place, eyes on the people in front of you. About Cameron Herold:Cameron Herold is the founder of the COO Alliance, a global community of second-in-commands operating across 17 countries. As COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, he helped scale the company from $2 million to $106 million. He is the author of seven bestselling books including Vivid Vision and Second in Command, and has been paid to speak in 30 countries over 800 times. He lives nomadically with his wife, travels with a bathroom scale in his carry-on, and wants his sons to describe him by his hobbies. Share this episode with a colleague navigating work-life balance, and comment below with the biggest lesson you took from Cameron Herold. Follow Cameron Herold: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronherold/ ⁠ Website: ⁠https://cameronherold.com/about/⁠ Books: ⁠https://cooalliance.com/camerons-books/⁠ Company: Chapters (00:00:00) - Cameron Herold on Ambition and Boundaries(00:01:21) - Former 1-800-Got Junk CEO Cameron Herold on Life(00:07:37) - The Importance of Fun in Life(00:09:06) - Tim Ferriss on Running Companies in His 20s(00:14:28) - Teaching Skills to Your Leaders(00:18:48) - While at 1-800-Got Junk, You Had Your First(00:20:17) - How To Get Through A Period of Burnout(00:23:49) - Having a Child Made Me a Parent(00:26:27) - Fathers Reflect On The Relationship With Their Kids(00:30:26) - George Clooney on Chores For Kids(00:34:17) - How to Transition From Professional Mode to Parenting Mode(00:40:00) - Cameron Herald: On Intentionality(00:43:29) - What If Your Life Ends Tomorrow?(00:45:06) - How Do You Want Your Kids To Describe You?

    Cameron Herold (1-800-Got-Junk? & COO Alliance) Mastering Work-Life Balance, Healing from Extreme Burnout & The Bucket List Mindset #044

  8. Jul 28 ·  Video

    Jeanniey Walden (Liftoff Enterprises, Rakuten, Rite Aid) The Sole Breadwinner Who Quit Her Job on a Gut Feeling and Why the AIR Method Works at Home Too #043

    In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Jeanniey Walden, CEO of Liftoff Enterprises, bestselling author of The Trust Threshold, and TV host reaching 81 million households, to explore what a substitute teacher turned CMO learned about earning attention, building trust, and why the same principles that grow businesses are the ones that keep families together. Jeanniey's career defies a straight line. From JCPenney to email marketing pioneer to CMO at Mercer, Rite Aid, and Rakuten, she kept jumping toward whatever was new, uncomfortable, and unproven. She did not have a business degree. She had a teaching credential and the instinct that if you can earn the attention of a room full of kids who do not want to listen to you, you can earn it anywhere. That instinct became the AIR framework: authenticity, inspiration, relatability. And she applies it everywhere including at home with a blended family of five. The stories in this episode are the ones that stick. Her eight-year-old raising her hand at a packed industry conference to tell the room she had no idea what her mom just said, but she was really proud of her. The Walden Weekends, built to turn ordinary Saturdays into adventures worth remembering. The birthday chair. The red plate. The dollar store scavenger hunts. And the moment she came home as the sole breadwinner and told her family she was quitting her job to try something she had never done before. This is a conversation about traditions, trust, and the quiet belief that when you open yourself up to good things, good things tend to come. In This Episode, You'll Learn: What the AIR framework is and why authenticity, inspiration, and relatability build trust faster than any strategy Why Jeanniey's teaching background became the foundation of every campaign, keynote, and leadership decision she has ever made How she brought her kids into her work world and what it gave them both Why she quit her job as the sole breadwinner to chase an opportunity she was not sure would work What Walden Weekends are and how one family turned ordinary time into lasting tradition How to stay connected with kids across distance, different ages, and unpredictable schedules Why empathy and strategic thinking are the two skills that will matter most in an AI-driven world What it looks like to take risks when you have a family counting on you Top Takeaways: Trust builds belief and belief builds business. That sequence does not change whether you are selling a product or raising a kid. Your kids are not an excuse. Make thoughtful commitments at work and honour them. Ask for support at work before you desperately need it. Most people want to help. Do not let having a family talk you out of a risk worth taking. The world opens up when you do. Traditions are not just rituals. They are proof that your family is worth showing up for, every single time. It does not get easier when your kids get older. It gets better. And they still need you. Take the adventure path. Turn the ordinary thing into the one they will talk about for years. About Jeanniey Walden: Jeanniey Walden is CEO of Liftoff Enterprises, host of Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden reaching 81 million households, and bestselling author of The Trust Threshold. She has held CMO roles at Mercer, Rite Aid, and Rakuten, and has spoken at the World Economic Forum and TEDx. She lives in New Jersey with her husband Vince and is mom to a blended family of five, grandmother to one, and celebrates every weekend with a Walden Weekend. 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 exe... Chapters (00:00:00) - Build Trust, Not Fear(00:00:12) - CEO of Liftoff Enterprises Jeannie Walden on(00:01:27) - Tim Ferriss on His Disciplined Career(00:04:03) - Exploring the Air Method(00:07:58) - The Importance of Working Mom(00:12:16) - How to Cope Through a Difficult Moment(00:17:47) - What Does Life Look Like For Your Daughter When She's Grown(00:23:14) - How to Balance a Career and Family Life(00:25:28) - How to Manage the demands of Motherhood(00:28:59) - How to Stay Connect with Your Child During Hectic Times(00:30:44) - Walden Weekends(00:35:11) - Five Family Traditions(00:39:20) - Employee Traditions(00:42:15) - How to Prepare Your Kids for(00:46:32) - Jeannie On Working Motherly Style

    Jeanniey Walden (Liftoff Enterprises, Rakuten, Rite Aid) The Sole Breadwinner Who Quit Her Job on a Gut Feeling and Why the AIR Method Works at Home Too #043
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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
    50
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    CEOs and ABCs

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