Host Trevor Schmidt chats with Amber Melanie Smith, founder of Change Kit, and Danny Rosin, co-founder of Brand Fuel and Band Together, about the unique challenges and "soul" required to lead in the nonprofit and social entrepreneurship space. Amber shares her journey from a cross-country volunteering road trip to founding Activate Good, while Danny discusses his "prankster" roots and his mission to use business as a force for good through his B Corp.

They dive deep into the burnout crisis facing the sector, with Amber highlighting that 70% of nonprofit staff are considering career changes, and Danny explaining how to break the "starvation cycle" of fundraising by investing in leadership as mission-critical infrastructure. The pair also explore the technical side of doing good, discussing the importance of choosing the right legal structure and finding a donor’s "love language" through AI and collaboration. Plus, Amber and Danny share moving stories of impact—from a homeless volunteer to a parent seeing their child’s life changed through music—proving that anyone can be a change-maker with the right support.

Hosted by Trevor Schmidt, Founder Shares is brought to you by Hutchison PLLC.

Host Trevor Schmidt chats with Hutchison law partner and former D1 athlete Anna Tharrington and Mike Halpert, CEO of Ver Coaching, about Mike's journey fueled by a sense of "calling" to develop an app that uses VR headsets for athlete vision training. Mike explains that the technology improves hand-eye coordination and performance by training the eye muscles to work better in sync with quick, measurable results. He highlights the impact on mental confidence, citing the vast improvement one athlete made; going from struggling at the plate to hitting an at-bat home run after using the app. Mike shares the honest challenge of being a founder, stressing the need for a strong support community and the mindset that you "have to be okay with failure". Plus, Anna tries out the Ver Coaching app and the results are impressive!

Hosted by Trevor Schmidt, Founder Shares is brought to you by Hutchison PLLC.

On this episode of the Founder Shares podcast, host Trevor Schmidt is joined by Chelsey Warren, Founder and Principal of Spark People Advisory, and employment lawyer Ashley Pittman (Hutchison PLLC), who tackle the critical "people" aspect of any growing company. Chelsey shares her strategic approach to hiring, retention, and knowing when to bring in HR expertise, while Ashley provides the essential legal perspective on compliance, noting how rules change as a company crosses employee count thresholds. The discussion covers practical, tough topics for founders, including best practices for consistent interviewing to avoid costly mishires, why candid feedback is more effective than formal performance improvement plans (PIPs), and the legal best practices for termination, emphasizing the value of severance and non-disparagement agreements to mitigate risk.

Hosted by Trevor Schmidt, Founder Shares is brought to you by Hutchison PLLC.