What Fuels You
221 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 76 ratingsShauna Swerland, CEO of Fuel Talent, launches the What Fuels You podcast, where she sits down with influential, interesting and successful leaders to learn from them. She digs into the stories and choices that made them who they are today, with the goal of sharing the inspiration, perseverance and stories of resilience that are normally only shared within an inner circle. You'll walk away feeling fueled by each episode as Shauna uncovers things like personal hardships and failures, what it’s like to become an entrepreneur and tips on building a successful career.
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Episodes
S2E8: Liz Pearce
June 04, 2019 12:00 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MBLiz Pearce and her daughter Lila join us for this episode of What Fuels You. Liz’s resume boasts impressive companies like Sony, Google, and Amazon, COO and CEO of LiquidPlanner, and even her own consulting company. Most recently, Liz was the Chief Revenue Officer at Streem. Since this recording, Liz has left Streem to start her new company, Fresh Chalk, which helps you find “local professionals with a little help from your friends.” Liz is a self-proclaimed “productivity nerd” and shares so...
S2E7: Scilla Andreen
May 28, 2019 16:33 - 1 hour - 56 MBScilla Andreen’s life lessons and the mission she’s fulfilling through her company, IndieFlix, are compelling and powerful. Scilla shares how she was bullied much of her young childhood and how that has propelled her forward in life in many ways. After high school and a short time at NYU before dropping out, Scilla found herself working on the set of The Wonder Years sorting hangers. She quickly worked her way up, receiving an Emmy nomination for her first episode as the show’s Costume Desig...
S2E6: Todd Bishop and John Cook
May 21, 2019 12:00 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBTodd Bishop and John Cook both found their careers as journalists very early on. They originally met at the Seattle PI and went on to start the PSBJ TechFlash website together before starting GeekWire in 2011. Today, GeekWire receives millions of monthly page views and hosts several signature events that bring the community together each year. Their platform is the go-to source for technology news, with strong roots in the Seattle region. During this episode, Shauna has a free-flowing, fun c...
S2E5: Leslie Feinzaig
May 14, 2019 12:00 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBAbout two years ago, Leslie Feinzaig founded Female Founders Alliance (FFA) after a frustrating experience in the pitching circuit with her own startup, Venture Kits. What started out as a Facebook group for a few female CEOs has grown into a large online network with hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals in just two years. Last year, FFA launched a startup accelerator consciously designed for women and non-binary founders seeking their first round of venture financing. After a ...
S2E4: Matt Oppenheimer
May 07, 2019 12:00 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBThe consistent theme in Matt Oppenheimer’s life has been people and relationships. When asked what he was ‘into’ in high school, he shares how he started a non-profit called the Youth Lobbying Organization to give people under the age of 18 a voice in the political process. Matt went on to attend Dartmouth and Harvard Business School. During his time working in banking, he lived in London and in Kenya and realized how important remittances are for giving people in developing countries more o...
S2E3: Robbie Cape
April 30, 2019 12:00 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MBIf you asked anyone who grew up with Robbie Cape in Montreal, they would all say they knew he was going to run his own business someday. He was constantly learning as a child from the family business and from his parents, who believed he should grow up understanding the value of a single dollar. In 2014, Robbie sold his first company, Cozi, and now is building his second company, 98point6, which is revolutionizing primary care and making healthcare more affordable and accessible to everyone....
S2E2: Nicole Maddox
April 23, 2019 12:00 - 40 minutes - 36.8 MBNicole Maddox shares her knowledge and expertise on scaling a startup on the What Fuels You podcast. Nicole stumbled into tech recruiting with her engineering background post-graduation, and since then has recruited for a range of companies. Most notably, Nicole was the Head of Talent Acquisition at high-growth startup, Convoy, until recently starting her own business to consult companies on all things hiring. This conversation has powerful insights for everyone from startup CEOs to candidat...
S2E1: Kabir Shahani
April 16, 2019 12:00 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MBKabir Shahani, rightfully so, was recently recognized as one of the “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs” by Goldman Sachs. As a child, he got to travel the world playing violin and began attending summer college classes when he was only in sixth grade. Kabir co-founded his first company, Appature, at the age of 24 and successfully sold it in 2013. He is now the Co-founder and CEO of Amperity, which has received $37 million in funding in just three years. Kabir discusses Amperity’s values, how...
S1E12: Fran Dunaway
April 09, 2019 12:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBFran Dunaway, Co-founder and CEO of TomboyX, is an incredible advocate for women and the LGBTQ community. She was raised in a military family from the deep south, and has had many unique pivots in her career. Fran started TomboyX as a clothing company with her wife, Naomi, in 2013. They quickly found success and transformed solely into an underwear company based off of feedback from their customers. In just a few years, they’ve received $6.3 million in funding and have an incredible presence...
S1E11: Brent Frei
April 02, 2019 12:00 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBBrent Frei credits his success to hard work and dedication, which he learned from his parents and from growing up on his family’s farm in Idaho. Though he never felt the need to be in charge, his desire to be in an environment where everyone is sinking or swimming on their own merit, including himself, led him to become the founder of three companies. Brent’s first, Onyx, IPOed in 1999, and his second, Smartsheet, IPOed in 2018. Brent reflects on the early days at Smartsheet, including the t...
S1E10: Raja Mukerji
March 26, 2019 12:00 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBRaja Mukerji, Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer of ExtraHop Networks, learned empathy at a young age. His yearning for a sense of belonging while growing up in the UK and India taught him to understand the nature and meaning of connection, which he channels into everything he does today. During this episode, Fuel Talent’s Senior Tech Recruiter, Byron, joins Shauna to dig deep into the technology behind ExtraHop, the types of employees they look for, and the emphasis they place on culture...
S1E9: Scott Swerland
March 19, 2019 12:00 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBScott Swerland was born to be an entrepreneur. He incorporated his first business at age 15, and ever since, continues to build and add more companies to his portfolio. He currently is the Founder and CEO of Seattle Sun Tan, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Urban Float and Washington Co-founder and CEO of TruFusion. You may have even seen him on a recent episode of Shark Tank! During this special episode, Shauna sits down with her big brother, Scott, to discuss their childhood, the biggest c...
S1E8: Ambika Singh
March 12, 2019 12:00 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBAmbika Singh is the Founder and CEO of Armoire, a high-end clothing rental service that’s evolving the way women shop and dress. The idea was born during her time getting an MBA at MIT and the company launched in 2016 after she spent time at impressive companies like Microsoft, The Boston Consulting Group and Rover. Ambika shares her thoughts on mentors, molding your definition of success as you progress in your career and the importance of family. She’s been recognized on the 40 Under 40 Li...
S1E7: Richard Tait
March 05, 2019 13:00 - 50 minutes - 46.1 MBIncredible storyteller, Richard Tait, shares unforgettable moments from his lifetime as a connector and inventor. Born and raised in Scotland, he came to the US for entrepreneurial opportunities, and it didn’t take long for him to see unbelievable amounts of success, particularly with his popular board game, Cranium. As a result of Richard’s tenacity, Cranium became the first game sold at Barnes & Noble and Starbucks. He talks about both of these stories and several others where “a door that...
S1E6: Greg Gottesman
February 26, 2019 13:00 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MBGreg Gottesman, a major influencer in the Seattle startup community, sits down and shares his knowledge about entrepreneurship, his passion for the early stage of building companies, and the story behind what sparked the idea for Rover, where Greg is a co-founder. Greg serves as a Managing Director and co-founder of Pioneer Square Labs, both its studio and fund. He was a partner of Madrona Venture Group for 20 years and founder of Madrona Venture Labs. In this episode, he also discusses th...
S1E5: Amy Nelson
February 19, 2019 13:00 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MBAmy Nelson founded the co-working space, The Riveter, under two years ago and already has five offices with eight more on the horizon across the US. Before The Riveter, Amy grew up in the Midwest and then became a lawyer in New York City for many years. Find out why Amy pivoted from her law career to get behind supporting female entrepreneurs, what the interesting twist in her love story is, and hear about the fascinating work she’s done in politics and with The Carter Center. Amy is a power...
S1E4: Chad Robins
February 12, 2019 13:00 - 54 minutes - 50 MBChad Robins is the CEO of Adaptive Biotechnologies. His company, which he co-founded with his brother Harlan, has received over $400 million in funding as it drives ground-breaking research in cancer and other immune-mediated diseases. Chad simplifies his role as a CEO into three categories and breaks down this complex industry for everyone to understand. Listen to this riveting episode and hear how he moved from investment banking to biotech, what working with his brother is like and how 10...
S1E3: Jane Park
February 05, 2019 13:00 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBFrom being the daughter of an orphan immigrant, to getting into Princeton because a stranger paid for her SATs, to proposing to her husband, Jane Park’s narrative is unlike any other. Every bit as passionate as she is sweet, Jane founded nail salon turned beauty empire, Julep, because of an experience (or lack thereof) with her girlfriends. Listen as she shares how she built this multimillion-dollar business, what the process of being acquired was like and what this new phase means for her. ...
S1E2: Jonathan Sposato
January 29, 2019 13:00 - 55 minutes - 50.6 MBSerial entrepreneur, Jonathan Sposato, was the first person in history to sell two companies to Google. Since then, he's become chairman of Geekwire and PicMonkey and has recently made waves in the Seattle community by announcing he will only invest in female-founded companies moving forward. Hear from Jonathan firsthand on how he’s always felt like an outsider but hasn’t let it stop him from achieving incredible success. His unique childhood and growing up as an Asian-American in a predomin...
S1E1: Shauna Swerland
January 22, 2019 13:00 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBOn the first episode of What Fuels You, Shauna is interviewed by executive coach, author and friend, Teri Citterman. Shauna Swerland, a Seattle native, is the CEO and Founder of recruiting firm, Fuel Talent. In just five years, Fuel Talent has been recognized as one of the Fastest-Growing Companies, Largest Women-Owned Companies and Best Places to Work in Washington, among many others awards. Hear how her recruiting career came to be, how it’s evolved and her process on finally deciding to b...
S1Season One Preview
January 11, 2019 06:15 - 2 minutes - 1.97 MBThe What Fuels You podcast launches on Tuesday, January 22nd featuring the following guests. Shauna Swerland Greg Gottesman Jane Park Brent Frei Richard Tait Amy Nelson Jonathan Sposato Scott Swerland Fran Dunaway Chad Robins Raja Mukerji Ambika Singh Here’s a teaser of Shauna's conversations from the Season One episodes. Be sure to share, subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts or Spotify, and follow us on social media for the latest news and updates! See omnystudio.co...