Leading with Values with Rachel Formaro

Feminist Founders

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SUMMARY: Today we are joined by Rachel Formaro, a seasoned entrepreneur who navigated the tumultuous journey from overwhelmed solopreneur to thriving CEO. Rachel shares her profound insights on transitioning from the solopreneur mindset to embracing empowering business leadership. We delve into the fear of delegating and the essential mindset shift necessary for sustainable business success. Rachel illuminates the distinction between leadership and management, advocating for values-driven decision-making and building a supportive work culture. She emphasizes the importance of investing in a team for sustainable business expansion and shares strategies for navigating short-term challenges while prioritizing long-term gains. Moreover, Rachel candidly discusses prioritizing self-care, overcoming imposter syndrome, and setting boundaries to maintain work-life balance during periods of growth. Join us as we explore Rachel's empowering journey of resilience, growth, and redefining success as a values-driven CEO.

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Rachel Formaro (she/her) is the founder, CEO and a senior consultant at Blu Pagoda. With more than 25 years of broad career experience, Rachel is a top-performing communications and business management professional. She is known for her creativity, compassion, and commitment to achieving results.

While Rachel’s specialty is financial services, she also has experience with technology and consumer goods. She has assisted Fortune 500 with their business and communications challenges—particularly in the area of complex programs. Rachel has experience in both the United States and Canada and has assisted companies with initiatives in both countries, including mergers and acquisitions.

Outside of her work at Blu Pagoda, Rachel loves being a mom, wife, cook and avid reader. She stays engaged with her local community through volunteering and is a board member with the Chrysalis Foundation for Girls and Women.

Website | LinkedIn

Discussed in this episode:

• Rachel’s relationship with feminism and how it became more intersectional
• Her journey from Corporate America to self-employment, back to Corporate America, and finally starting Blu Pagoda
• How Rachel balances her anti-capitalist beliefs with serving clients in Corporate America
• The ways Rachel is trying to buck capitalist norms inside her business
• Getting comfortable with the CEO title by redefining what it means
• The importance of enlisting experts to help you grow as a CEO
• Modeling the self-care behaviors she wants her employees to feel empowered to do
• Setting boundaries around time and not making assumptions about others’ needs
• The weight of responsibility for other people’s livelihoods
• Navigating an economic downturn without losing sight of people-first values
• Creating a legacy and owning the word “philanthropist”
• Navigating aging and ageism as a woman business owner

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• “Hood Feminism” by Mikki Kendall
• Sister.is
• Clifton Strengths
• Drive to Survive on Netflix
• “Rest is a Resistance’ by Tricia Hersey
• Moms Demand Action
• Chrysalis Foundation for Women and Girls
• “This Chair Rocks” by Ashton Applewhite

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com