CEO School with Suneera Madhani

Lions don't own the jungle alone; they run in a pride. The Millionaire Founders Club is that room: application-only, built for fearless, seven-figure women operating at the same level and ready to move together. We're opening 30 spots for new members at the MFC Retreat in New York. Apply to see if you're a fit. https://bit.ly/MFCApplication

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How do you actually go OOO without your business falling apart?

In this episode of the CEO School Podcast, entrepreneur and CEO Suneera Madhani shares powerful leadership and business lessons from spending three weeks completely unplugged in Africa and discovering that her businesses could continue thriving without her.

Suneera breaks down three unforgettable leadership lessons inspired by the African wilderness: what a lion, an elephant, and a leopard named Dai Dai teach every CEO about building a business (and a life) that can actually hold. Lions rest 20 hours a day and still own the jungle. Elephants move slowly and carry the force to knock down anything in their path. And Dai Dai spent a whole evening stalking one zebra with perfect patience and total precision. Three animals. Three rules for leading without burning out.

If you're an entrepreneur trying to transition from founder to CEO, build scalable business systems, improve your leadership mindset, prevent burnout, and create a company that can operate without your constant involvement, this episode is for you.

Time Stamps:

(00:00) The Triumphant Return

(04:59) Your Vision Should Keep Evolving

(06:39) Three Weeks Unplugged in Africa

(07:50) Building a Business That Runs Without You

(09:50) Returning to Tanzania With Family

(13:45) Business Lessons From the African Wilderness

(14:21) Lesson #1: Build a Business That Lets You Rest

(15:35) The Lion Lesson: Rest and Still Rule the Jungle

(17:20) The Elephant Lesson: Slow Down Without Losing Power

(20:28) The Leopard Lesson: Focus Before You Strike

(25:10) Bringing the Lessons Back Into Business

(26:20) Why Fall Is the Season to Accelerate

(27:20) Millionaire Founders Club NYC Retreat

(28:18) The New AI-Powered Founder to CEO Accelerator

(31:19) Rest, Focus & Rule Your Jungle

Because your next level doesn't require you to chase everything. Sometimes it requires you to rest like the lion, move like the elephant, and focus like the leopard.

Share this with the founder who hasn't taken a real vacation in years.

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Suneera left for Africa for three weeks and came back to a business that never missed a beat. Her CEO Operating System made that possible. If yours can't run without you for a week, let alone three, that's your sign to become a CEO. Take the FREE quiz and find out exactly where you're still running your business instead of leading it: https://bit.ly/FounderOrCEOQuiz

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Only 2% of female founders ever break $1 million in revenue. We're on a mission to change that. Subscribe to the CEO School and join the movement.

Watch and listen to us at:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1525261018

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06KIvFFJP0yJv67N9ugigU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CEOSchoolPodcast/?sub_confirmation=1

Learn more about CEO School because nothing bad ever happens when women make more money:

Website: https://theceoschool.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceoschool/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-school

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theceoschool

Learn more about how Suneera Madhani is paving the way for powerhouse female CEOs like you to take center stage, not just in your industries but in your whole life.

Website: https://suneeramadhani.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/

This episode was produced by Hi Hello Labs: https://www.hihellolabs.com/.

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SOCIAL Hashtags:

#CEOSchool #SuneeraMadhani #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #CEOMindset #RestToRule #AfricaLessons #FounderToCEO #WomenEntrepreneurs #BusinessGrowth #LeadershipLessons #Entrepreneurship

Tonya said it best: "You've curated this community where you can see every possibility and be inspired in any direction." That's the Millionaire Founders Club. And this October, we're taking that to NYC for our fall retreat. Only 20 spots open for new members. Apply here: https://bit.ly/MFCApplication

Welcome back to CEO School!

In today's inspiring episode, Suneera Madhani sits down with powerhouse entrepreneur Tonya Turrell, founder and CEO of Technology Match. With nearly 30 years of experience revolutionizing how technology is bought and sold, Tonya shares the highs, lows, and pivotal moments of her journey, including building and selling two companies, landing on the Inc. 5000 and Female Founder 250 lists, and overcoming bankruptcy.

We dive deep into her story of resilience, the challenges and advantages of being a woman in tech, scaling with AI, and her game-changing insights into building successful sales machines. Plus, hear how Tonya prioritized family and freedom after her first business exit, embracing worldschooling with her kids for five years.

Get ready for actionable advice, honest conversations, and a behind-the-scenes look at building businesses (and lives) on your own terms.

Time Stamps:

(00:00) Meet Tonya Turrell: Two-Time Founder and Inc. 5000 CEO(04:00) AOL Came Calling, and She Said Yes With No Contract Signed(10:39) Losing 80% of Her Revenue the Week Before Christmas(12:50) She Shut Down on a Friday and Launched Again on Monday(13:43) How a Team of 6 Outperformed a Team of 60(16:00) Making the Inc. 5000 and Selling the Company Anyway(19:04) Pulling the Kids From School and Worldschooling for 5 Years(27:03) No Pretty Privilege in Tech: What Sexism Actually Looks Like(32:12) You're Not Too Much. You're Just Too Much for Them(39:44) How to Break Out of Founder-Led Sales and Build a Real Engine(43:52) Same Leads, Two Clients: One at 0%, One at 50%(49:12) What Happened When She Finally Stepped Into the CEO Seat

Share this with a founder who is still closing every deal herself. This episode is the wake-up call she needs.

Connect with Tonya

Website: https://technologymatch.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyacoxturrell/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyaturrell/

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Tonya's biggest unlock this year was finally putting on her CEO hat, and new business ideas immediately followed. If this episode hit close to home, it's time to find out in which areas you are still operating like a founder. Take the quiz: https://bit.ly/FounderOrCEOQuiz---Only 2% of female founders ever break $1 million in revenue. We're on a mission to change that. Subscribe to the CEO School and join the movement.

Watch and listen to us at:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1525261018
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06KIvFFJP0yJv67N9ugigU
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CEOSchoolPodcast/?sub_confirmation=1

Learn more about CEO School because nothing bad ever happens when women make more money:

Website: https://theceoschool.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceoschool/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-school

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theceoschool

Learn more about how Suneera Madhani is paving the way for powerhouse female CEOs like you to take center stage, not just in your industries but in your whole life.

Website: https://suneeramadhani.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/

This episode was produced by Hi Hello Labs: https://www.hihellolabs.com/.

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SOCIAL Hashtags:

#CEOSchool #SuneeraMadhani #WomenInBusiness #FounderStory #WomenInTech #SalesStrategy #AIForBusiness #FounderToCEO #TechFounder #WomenEntrepreneurs #BusinessGrowth #SalesEngine #MillionaireFoundersClub #UnicornSummit #Inc5000 #ExitStrategy #TeamBuilding

You just spent 17 minutes learning why the decision you keep avoiding is the one that will take you to the next level. The MFC Fall Retreat in New York is that decision. Get in the room with women building at the level you're working toward, and who will hold you accountable for actually moving. 👉 https://bit.ly/MFCApplication

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Every successful entrepreneur eventually realizes one truth:
Avoidance is costing you more than failure ever will.

In this episode of CEO School, entrepreneur and founder Suneera Madhani breaks down why founders stay stuck; not because they lack strategy, but because they're avoiding the conversations, decisions, and uncomfortable actions that create real business growth.

Whether you're avoiding firing an employee, raising your prices, asking for help, making a difficult leadership decision, or finally launching the business you've been dreaming about, this episode will help you identify what's really holding you back.

You'll discover:

✔ Why avoidance drains your mental energy

✔ The psychology behind procrastination and perfectionism

✔ How fear keeps entrepreneurs stuck

✔ Why CEOs are paid to make decisions (not perfect ones)

✔ Five common areas founders avoid, and how to overcome them

✔ A simple framework for making faster, better business decisions

If you're building a business, leading a team, or growing as a founder, this conversation will challenge you to stop waiting and start leading.

Follow for weekly conversations helping entrepreneurs build profitable businesses, stronger leadership skills, and lives designed with intention.

Time Stamps:

(00:00) Why Avoidance Is Costing Your Business More Than You Think

(02:28) The Hidden Energy Tax Every Founder Pays

(04:37) Name the Fear That's Really Holding You Back

(07:57) Why Decisions Create Momentum (Not Perfection)

(10:19) CEOs Get Paid to Decide, Not to Wait

(10:49) 5 Things Founders Avoid Most

(11:15) 1. Difficult Conversations With Your Team

(12:20) 2. Raising Your Prices With Confidence

(13:21) 3. Letting Go of What's No Longer Serving You

(13:51) 4. Asking for Help Isn't Weakness

(14:26) 5. Investing in Your Own Growth

(15:11) The 5-Step Framework to Stop Avoiding and Start Leading

(17:00) Your Next Level Starts With One Decision

Share this with a founder who has a pile of decisions sitting on her desk right now.

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If the decision you've been avoiding is what to do next with your business, start here. Take the free Founder or CEO Quiz to get clarity on where you are and what move comes next. 👉 https://bit.ly/FounderOrCEOQuiz

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Only 2% of female founders ever break $1 million in revenue. We’re on a mission to change that. Subscribe to the CEO School and join the movement.

Connect with our Guest at:
Website: https://technologymatch.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyacoxturrell/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyaturrell/

Watch and listen to us at:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1525261018
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06KIvFFJP0yJv67N9ugigU
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CEOSchoolPodcast/?sub_confirmation=1

Learn more about CEO School because nothing bad ever happens when women make more money:
Website: https://theceoschool.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceoschool/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-school
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theceoschool

Learn more about how Suneera Madhani is paving the way for powerhouse female CEOs like you to take center stage, not just in your industries but in your whole life.
Website: https://suneeramadhani.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/

This episode was produced by Hi Hello Labs: https://www.hihellolabs.com/

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SOCIAL Hashtags:

#CEOSchool #Entrepreneur #Leadership #WomenInBusiness #FounderLife #BusinessOwner #BusinessGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #MindsetMatters #DecisionMaking #FemaleFounder #Entrepreneurship #ScaleYourBusiness #Productivity #CEO #BusinessCoach #SuccessMindset #LeadershipSkills #SmallBusinessOwner #PersonalGrowth

Are you operating like a founder or leading like a CEO? Take the quiz, find out where you stand, and get a custom workbook to start fixing the area that's holding you back. → bit.ly/FounderOrCEOQuiz

Welcome back to the CEO School Podcast!

This week, we flipped the script. Lisa Morel puts Suneera in the hot seat... and takes you all the way back. The immigrant household in Dallas. The sticker gun that taught her care scales. Getting laughed out of the room at 25. And the family dinner where her dad asked the question that built everything: why not you?

Then we get into the part nobody prepares you for: building a billion-dollar company with her brother Sal, and doing it without torching the relationship. Suneera shares her approach to dividing and conquering, staying out of each other's lanes, and having the conversation you're avoiding before it hardens into resentment.

If you've ever been told "never go into business with family," consider this your permission slip to do it right. Because less than 2% of women founders ever cross a million, and nobody should have to make that climb alone.

No one’s journey is perfect, especially in family business; but with humble courage, clarity, and intentional communication, you can create something truly lasting.

Time Stamps:

(00:00) The co-founder rule that protects a billion-dollar partnership

(01:04) Plot twist - Suneera takes the hot seat

(01:44) The immigrant household that was secretly an MBA

(08:21) The sticker-gun lesson: why care in the small things scales

(10:47) Eldest daughter, first to college - the weight of expectations

(16:00) How Fattmerchant started: the problem she couldn't unsee

(18:59) Laughed out of the room at 25

(21:06) The family-dinner question: "Why not you?"

(24:18) $5M in year one to a billion-dollar exit — the receipts

(26:36) Building with your brother: divide, conquer, trust the outcome

(33:12) The third-founder move that breaks the stalemate

(44:28) The tab-keeping trap: how resentment actually starts

(47:15) Humble courage: the conversations families avoid (and pay for it)

(53:37) Her real relationship to money, and the fear underneath it

(1:00:21) What she tells her daughters: do your passion, but own it

(1:04:25) Lisa's playbook: run the business like a business, the family like a family

Connect with Lisa at:

Website: https://www.openwithlisamorel.com/

Share this with your favorite co-founders!

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As Suneera said, entrepreneurship is too hard to do alone, and the best thing she has is partners who care as much as she does. If you're a 7- or 8-figure woman founder who's done climbing solo, this is THE table: a vetted room of women CEOs who refuse to play small. Pull up a seat: https://bit.ly/MFCApplication

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Only 2% of female founders ever break $1 million in revenue. We’re on a mission to change that. Subscribe to the CEO School and join the movement.

Watch and listen to us at:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1525261018

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06KIvFFJP0yJv67N9ugigU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CEOSchoolPodcast/

Learn more about CEO School because nothing bad ever happens when women make more money

Website: ⁠https://theceoschool.com/

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/ceoschool/

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-schooll

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@theceoschool

Learn more about how Suneera Madhani is paving the way for powerhouse female CEOs like you to take center stage, not just in your industries but in your whole life.

Website: https://suneeramadhani.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/

This episode was produced by Hi Hello Labs: https://www.hihellolabs.com/.

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SOCIAL Hashtags: #CEOSchool #SuneeraMadhani #WomenFounders #FemaleFounders #FounderToCEO #WomenInBusiness #EntrepreneurMindset #FamilyBusiness #SiblingCofounders #BuildingWithFamily #GenerationalWealth #CoFounderGoals #ImmigrantFamily

PE introductions, C-suite connections, companies exiting because of one conversation; that's what happens inside the MFC. We're opening spots for ambitious women at the 7-figure mark who are ready to be in the room where the best deals happen.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/MFCApplication

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Welcome back to the CEO School podcast!

In today's episode, our host Suneera Madhani sits down with powerhouse executive and proud Latina mom, Vivian Gonzalez. With nearly 30 years in executive search—20 of which were spent deep in private equity—Vivian brings a wealth of insider knowledge on scaling companies, strategic exits, and the art of assembling world-class leadership teams.

Together, they dive into the realities of selling to private equity, what it takes to build truly exitable enterprises, and the unique challenges and opportunities for women in the male-dominated world of finance and leadership.

Plus, Vivian shares actionable insights on retention, hiring, and the mindset shifts women founders need to unlock the next level of growth. Whether you're building your first company or preparing for a big exit, this episode is packed with must-know strategies and inspiration for ambitious women in business.

Time Stamps:

(00:00) Introducing Vivian Gonzalez: 30 Years Placing C-Suite Talent in PE-Backed Companies

(05:20) From Law School Dropout to Running a Firm at 25

(07:44) Private Equity 101: What It Is, What It Isn't, and Why It Got a Bad Rap

(12:17) The Gender Gap in PE: 15% on Deal Teams, 2% as Operating Partners

(13:45) Vivian's Rule: No Woman on Your Deal Team? No Introduction.

(19:49) No Is a Gift: How Rejection Builds Better Founders

(23:50) What PE Buyers Actually Grade You On: Retention, Scalability, and Letting Go

(25:50) The Mindset Shift: If the Business Can't Run Without You, It's Not Sellable

(28:00) "I Can't Afford to Hire"... Here's How to Think About It Instead

(33:47) The $1M, $5M, and $10M Inflection Points And What Breaks at Each One

(39:17) The Case Study Hiring Method That Removes Risk and Gets You to Yes

(44:19) The 30/60/90 Framework: Why Hires Fail Without It

(46:00) — Where to Find Vivian and the MFC

Follow Vivian and discover her ventures:

Instagram: @viviangonzales.parkcapital

LinkedIn: Vivian Gonzales

Remember, every "no" is just a step closer to your "yes". Keep building businesses that create wealth and impact!

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Vivian just told you the business that can't run without you isn't sellable. The 6P quiz will show you exactly which pillar is holding you back. Take it, get your weakest area, and get the custom workbook to fix it → https://bit.ly/FounderOrCEOQuiz

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Only 2% of female founders ever break $1 million in revenue. We're on a mission to change that. Subscribe to the CEO School and join the movement.

Watch and listen to us at:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1525261018

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06KIvFFJP0yJv67N9ugigU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CEOSchoolPodcast/?sub_confirmation=1

Learn more about CEO School because nothing bad ever happens when women make more money:

Website: https://theceoschool.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceoschool/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-school

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theceoschool

Learn more about how Suneera Madhani is paving the way for powerhouse female CEOs like you to take center stage, not just in your industries but in your whole life.
Website: https://suneeramadhani.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/

This episode was produced by Hi Hello Labs: https://www.hihellolabs.com/.

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SOCIAL Hashtags:

#PrivateEquity #ExitStrategy #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #WomenInLeadership #FounderToCEO #CSuiteRecruitment #BusinessGrowth #CustomerRetention #HiringStrategy #ScaleYourBusiness #CEOSchool