The Heartbeat

As the Co-Founder and CEO at Rise Science, Jeff Kahn discusses the challenge of being emotionally present as a leader, the power of gratitude, and the two levers of sleep that are essential to high-performing leaders. Have you been enjoying these Heartbeat episodes, lately? If so, it'd mean the world to me if you wrote us… Read the full article

As the author of “Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps” and the CEO of Cultivating Leadership, Jennifer Garvey Berger discusses the hesitancy most leaders have around power, our relationship to conflict, and the most common mindtraps we find ourselves in as leaders. Have you been enjoying these Heartbeat episodes, lately? If so, it'd mean the world to me if… Read the full article

As COO at 1Password, Matt Davey talks about eschewing perfectionism, being an empathy-led business, why it’s important that everybody in the company does customer support (even with 220+ employees!), and what exactly has helped them maintain their “organizational soul.” Have you been enjoying these Heartbeat episodes, lately? If so, it'd mean the world to me if… Read the full article

As a leading conflict expert who’s worked with leaders and teams at organizations such as IBM and the United Nations, Dr. Jennifer Goldman-Wetzler, Ph. D., talks about embracing hard work, freeing yourself from conflict, resolving conflict, and ideal values vs shadow values. Currently, Dr. Goldman-Wetlzer is the Author of Optimal Outcomes and Founder + CEO… Read the full article

As Founder of Farnam Street, Shane Parrish talks about leaders’ tendencies to ignore positive outcomes and focus on the negative ones, being receptive to feedback, and the important concepts of “living life backwards,” and “outcome over ego.” Have you been enjoying these Heartbeat episodes, lately? If so, it'd mean the world to me if you wrote… Read the full article

This week, Jason Fried, CEO and Co-Founder of Basecamp and I, your host, Claire Lew, CEO of Know Your Team, interview each other for this special milestone episode #50 of The Heartbeat. We talk about learning how to be like yourself earlier, thinking about long-term views as leaders, how leadership roles change over time, and… Read the full article

As CEO and Co-Founder of Lullabot , Matt Westgate talks about starting a company from scratch, teaching himself what he needed to know about business, leading with authenticity, and encouraging his company to talk openly about mental health. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one question to a founder, CEO, or… Read the full article

As Co-Founder and Head of engineering at Gusto, Edward Kim talks about transitioning from a developer to a leader and the difficulty he had doing so, how founders see your company versus how early employees see your company, and failing as a learning opportunity. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one… Read the full article

As VP Platform Engineering at Stitch Fix, Former VP Engineering at DocuSign, Pooja Brown talks about how every experience is a learning opportunity, people management, and why it’s important to “keep your listening ears on as a leader.” Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one question to a founder, CEO, or… Read the full article

As Founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, Tim O’Reilly talks about valuing your financial people, the fact that leadership isn’t just about your own company, and considering how leadership creates context for other people to act. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner… Read the full article

As Head of Foundation Engineering at Stripe, and Author of An Elegant Puzzle, Will Larson talks about that not all decisions are final and/or permanent, being self- aware, and modeling your behavior in a way that you would like to personify your organization. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one question… Read the full article

As an Organizational Dynamics Expert, Consultant, and Author, Esther Derby talks about the fact that organizations should not strive to become well-oiled machines and that in order to be listened to, you must listen to others. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner… Read the full article

As an Entrepreneur and NYTimes Best-Selling Author, Chip Conley talks about how your emotions as a leader are contagious, candid confidence, and his belief that a great leader is a kind of servant leader. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect… Read the full article

As the Senior Vice President of Engineering at Salesforce, Ritu Bhargava talks about learning to say no, preparing for hard meetings, and being loyal to your organization. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect about their biggest leadership lesson learned. This… Read the full article

As the CEO and Co-Founder of Help Scout, Nick Francis talks about being self-aware of all the things that you don’t know as a leader, hiring people in a remote culture, having and recognizing your own flaws, and that the real measure of a good leader is what happens when you’re not around. Every few… Read the full article

As the CEO and Founder of Pipeline, Katica Roy talks about knowing your own values as a leader, the delineation between worthiness and confidence, and being intentional about the type of leader that you want to be. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one question to a founder, CEO, or business… Read the full article

As the CEO and Founder of Gumroad, Sahil Lavingia talks about the presumption of success and defying statistical odds, the fact that success and failure are contextual, and getting yourself to a place where you are able to do what you love confidently, openly and authentically. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I… Read the full article

As the founder of Indie.vc, and Co-Founder of O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, Bryce Roberts talks about the importance of accepting your mediocrity when you first start out as a leader, not relying on having a mentor to save you, and being open and honest with yourself in order to evolve in a leadership role. Every few… Read the full article

As the CEO of Sparktoro, author of “Lost and Founder”, and former CEO of Moz, Rand Fishkin talks about the economic and power structure that comes with financing a business, and discovering a solid understanding of yourself: what you like to do, what you don’t like to do, and how you want to (or don’t… Read the full article

As the co-author of the book, “No Hard Feelings,” and senior organizational designer at IDEO, Mollie talks about over and under emoters, vulnerability as a leader, and how it is okay to talk about your feelings at work. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one question to a founder, CEO, or… Read the full article

As the founder of the leadership consultancy Practical Works (and former VP of Design at Buzzfeed, to boot), Cap shares what he wishes he would’ve learned earlier about our reliance on instincts instead of tools as a leader, and how being “people first” can actually be a pitfall. Every few weeks as part of The… Read the full article

As the CEO and Co-Founder of a $35MM+ revenue company with over 2 million users, Wade shares what he wishes he would’ve learned earlier about intellectual honesty in management, feedback, and running a remote company. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I… Read the full article

Running a $19MM+ remote company with 82 employees, serving millions of people, Joel shares his greatest leadership lesson. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I ask one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect about their biggest leadership lesson learned. This week, I interviewed Joel Gascoigne, CEO and Co-Founder of Buffer. Joel Gascoigne is… Read the full article

With over 13 million customers all over the word, Amir talks about his motivations as a leader and the importance of constant learning. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I asks one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect about their biggest leadership lesson learned. This week, I interviewed Amir Salihefendić is the… Read the full article

A second-time founder who scaled a business to $5MM+ annual revenue and appeared on SharkTank (getting an offer from Mark Cuban, no less), Desiree shares her greatest challenges as a leader. Every two weeks as part of The Heartbeat , I asks one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect. This week, I interviewed Desiree… Read the full article

As the founder + CEO of a company serving 75 million people worldwide, Kathryn shares her biggest leadership lessons around trusting your gut. Every two weeks as part of The Heartbeat podcast, I asks one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect. This week, I interviewed Kathryn Minshew, Founder + CEO of… Read the full article

As the founder of a company that's helped 850,000 people learn to code, Ryan talks about the value of trust as a leader . Every two weeks as part of The Heartbeat , I asks one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect. This week, I interviewed Ryan Carson, Founder and CEO of Treehouse. Watch & read… Read the full article

As a serial entrepreneur who has been featured on CNN, USA Today, BBC, and the Wall Street Journal, Wayne talks frankly about self-awareness and depression as a leader in our interview. Claire: Hi everyone, I'm Claire, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. Today, I am super excited to have with me, Wayne Sutton, who is a… Read the full article

As the founder of multiple successful SaaS companies, Hiten shares the pitfalls of being too nice as a leader. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I asks one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect about their biggest leadership lesson learned. This week, I interviewed Amir Salihefendić is the founder and CEO of Doist.… Read the full article

As a Forbes 30 under 30 founder of a two-year-old snack company now sold in Whole Foods, Jordan shares the importance of vision. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I asks one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect about their biggest leadership lesson learned. This week, I interviewed Amir Salihefendić is the… Read the full article

An expert on employer brand and recruiting at the 900+ person company, Mailchimp, Aynn shares what she wishes she learned earlier. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I asks one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect about their biggest leadership lesson learned. This week, I interviewed Amir Salihefendić is the founder and… Read the full article

As the creator of a luxury chocolate empire exceeding $35MM annually, Katrina shares insights on what not to forget as a leader. Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I asks one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect about their biggest leadership lesson learned. Katrina Markoff is the Founder and CEO of Vosges Haut-Chocolat,… Read the full article

Rob Walling is the Founder of Drip, an email automation platform. A serial entrepreneur who has published books, runs MicroConf, and hosts a podcast, Rob shares the importance of deliberate hiring, and focusing on trust instead of loyalty in teams. Claire: Hey everyone, I'm Claire Lew, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company, and today I have a really special guest. I… Read the full article

David Cancel is the CEO of Drift, a conversational sales platform that has over 100,000 customers. Having started five companies previously, David shares lessons learned as a leader – including the importance of people, one-on-ones, and “no consensus” in teams. Claire: Hi, everyone. I'm Claire Lew and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. Today we have a super special guest… Read the full article

An acclaimed nonprofit leader featured on the TODAY show, Steve shares his biggest lessons learned around empathy, self-care, and self-awareness as a leader. Claire: Hi everyone. I'm Claire Lew, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. I am here in Chicago with honestly one of my favorite people in this city. We have Steve Larosiliere, whose… Read the full article

With a focus on diversity and inclusion, the CEO of a Chicago-based media company focused keeps it real about the myths and struggles of leadership. Claire: Hi everyone, I'm Claire Lew and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company and it is my honor today to introduce a very good friend of mine who is on the heartbeat, the… Read the full article

Daniel Houghton is the CEO of Lonely Planet, the largest travel guide book publisher in the world. As a 29-year-old CEO with almost 400 employees across five different continents, Daniel shares how it is personal skills, more than anything, that has helped him survive and thrive as a leader. Claire: Hi everyone! I'm Claire Lew, and I'm… Read the full article

As a creative leader who's worked with everyone from Apple to ESPN, Dan shares his biggest leadership lessons on servant leadership and how to ensure teams work well together. Claire: Hi everyone. I'm Claire Lew and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. Today, I've got a good friend of mine with me that I'm so excited to… Read the full article

Laura Roeder is the founder and CEO of MeetEdgar, a social media scheduling platform tool with over 7,000 customers. As a founder who bootstrapped her company to $4MM in annual recurring revenue in 2.5 years, Laura shares her biggest leadership lessons around letting go as a manager. Claire Lew: Hi everyone, my name is Claire Lew and I'm… Read the full article

As a prominent expert who wrote the book on workplace conflict (literally), Amy shares her biggest leadership lessons learned on healthy work relationships and working with conflict. Amy Gallo is a Contributing Editor at Harvard Business Review, and the author of the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict. Claire Lew: Hi, everyone. My name is Claire Lew, and I'm… Read the full article

Running Olark, a company with 12,000+ customers, Ben shares the biggest leadership lesson he wishes he learned: The importance of self-awareness and emotional intelligence as a leader. Claire: Hi everyone, I'm Claire Lew and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company, and today I've got a really special guest. We have here Ben Congleton who is the… Read the full article

As the VP Engineering of Slack and prolific author on technical leadership, Michael discusses why being busy is a bad thing as a leader and how to delegate well. Claire: Hi everyone. I'm Claire Lew, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company, and today I've got a very special guest. I have with me Michael Lopp, who might… Read the full article

As the founder + CEO of a 100+ person remote company, Sara reveals the importance of gut instinct in leadership, and how she learned that the hard way when starting her first company at 21 years old. Claire: Hi, everyone. My name is Claire Lew, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company and today I have a really special… Read the full article

As the CEO of Jellyvision, a 400-person software company, Amanda Lannert has won just about every “best CEO” award in Chicago, and is someone I've admired for years. In this 12 minute interview, Amanda admits the one lesson she wishes she learned earlier as a leader. Watch or listen to the full interview… Claire: Hi, everyone! I'm Claire Lew,… Read the full article

As the Creator of Ruby on Rails and Founder & CTO of Basecamp, David Heinemeier Hansson shares with me what he wishes he learned earlier as a leader. We chat about empathy, illusions of disagreement, and why best intentions are bullshit. Listen or watch the full interview… Claire: Hi, everyone. I'm Claire Lew, and I'm the CEO… Read the full article

As the Founder of Copy Hackers and Airstory, Joanna gets real about her biggest struggles as a leader. Joanna Wiebe is the founder of Copy Hackers – an acclaimed site + service that helps businesses write better. She also most recently co-founded Airstory. I'm a big fan of her work. In this interview, she opens up about what she… Read the full article

As an acclaimed nonprofit leader and public speaker, Halleemah Nash reveals what “authentic leadership” really means… Claire Lew: Hi everyone! I'm Claire Lew, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. Today, I am incredibly excited because I have a very special guest and dear friend with me today. I have Halleemah Nash, who is the Executive Director… Read the full article

As the founder of a 300+ software company, Des talks about the silence cost to being nice, the pitfalls of transparency as a leader, and the power of consistency. Claire Lew: Hi everyone, I'm Claire and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. I'm really excited today to have a special guest with me, Des Traynor, the founder of Intercom. Des… Read the full article

As the CEO and co-founder of Stripe, a payments company processing billions of dollars each year, Patrick Collison shares with me what he wishes he learned earlier as a 28-year-old leader of an almost 900-person company. You cannot be all things to all people. This is true of building products, socializing with others — and true of leading a company. Patrick Collison,… Read the full article

Every few weeks as part of The Heartbeat, I asks one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner I respect about their biggest leadership lesson learned. In the inaugural interview, I spoke with Jason Fried. As CEO and co-founder of Basecamp and a NYTimes best-selling author, Jason shares three things he wish he learned earlier in running Basecamp for the past 18 years. Watch or listen to the full… Read the full article