Disruptive CEO Nation

What if addiction recovery was treated with the same compassion, personalization, and whole-person care as any other chronic condition?

We sit down with William McKinney, CEO of Eleanor Health, to discuss a revolutionary approach to addiction recovery that goes far beyond medication. Eleanor Health is transforming how we treat substance use disorders—integrating therapy, peer support, health coaching, and compassionate care rooted in science and dignity.

William shares how Eleanor Health launched just before the pandemic, scaled during volatile healthcare shifts, and is now entering a rapid growth phase with plans to expand into a new state every month. You’ll hear why this work is so personal for William, how the company is navigating stigma and digital marketing barriers, and why he believes Eleanor’s model could extend to other addictions beyond substances in the near future.

Whether you lead a health startup, care about mental wellness, or know someone affected by addiction, this episode is not to be missed.

Here are highlights:

-Revolutionizing Addiction Care: Eleanor Health delivers whole-person, compassionate treatment. They are combining therapy, peer support, coaching, and medication without stigma.

-Mission-Driven Growth: With expansion into nine states and more on the horizon, the company is scaling with discipline, purpose, and community impact at its core.

-Culture That Connects: Eleanor’s fully virtual model fosters transparency, inclusivity, and deep engagement powered by Slack, in-person retreats, and values-first leadership.

-Marketing with Integrity: William reveals the challenges of D2C marketing in a crowded, skeptical online landscape. He shares how Eleanor breaks through with authenticity and real results.

-A Broader Vision: Looking ahead, Eleanor aims to apply its approach to other forms of addiction like gambling, food, or digital dependencies to expand its impact beyond substances.

About the guest:

William McKinney is the Chief Executive Officer of Eleanor Health, an outpatient addiction treatment program. William was most recently the CEO of Sevita (formerly The MENTOR Network), the leading provider of home and community-based specialty health care with 45,000 employees serving over 55,000 individuals. He led Sevita through several years of exceptional top- and bottom-line growth culminating in a successful transaction in 2022. Prior to joining Sevita in 2019, William served as president of the Integrated Care Group for Fresenius Medical Care, where he managed multiple business lines including Fresenius Health Partners, Fresenius Rx, and Fresenius Managed Care. William previously held senior leadership roles at MedSpring Urgent Care and WellCare Health Plans and also consulted for McKinsey & Company. William holds a B.S. in computer engineering and a B.S. in mathematics from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

 Connect with William:

 Website: https://www.eleanorhealth.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-mckinney-9972087/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

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

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/ 

#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast 

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What if your company’s unsellable inventory could become a lifeline for nonprofits instead of ending up in a landfill? In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, host Allison K. Summers talks with Disney Petit, founder and CEO of LiquiDonate, a groundbreaking platform turning excess retail goods and customer returns into powerful tools for social impact. From building the tech to power smarter giving to literally digging through dumpsters to understand waste, Disney shares how she’s creating a new supply chain for good—and why reconnecting to your mission might be the most powerful business strategy of all.

Here are highlights:

-Turning Returns into Resources: LiquiDonate matches excess or returned retail inventory with schools and nonprofits in need, saving goods from landfills and cutting reverse logistics costs by 50%.

-Hands-On, Mission-Driven Leadership: Disney shares how she reconnects with purpose by making deliveries herself, ensuring she stays grounded in the impact of the work.

-Scalable Tech with a Social Impact: From Shopify integrations to a custom-built AI-powered donation platform, LiquiDonate makes giving easier than discarding for retailers and event organizers.

-Culture Over Convenience: Built as the “anti-Amazon,” LiquiDonate empowers nonprofits and educators to “shop” for free essential goods. They offer dignity, choice, and sustainability.

-Growth, Grit, and 11 Million Wins: With over 11 million items already diverted from landfills, Disney reflects on startup challenges, team building, and staying aligned with the mission during hard days.

About the guest:

Disney Petit is the Founder and CEO of LiquiDonate, a sustainable social impact software company that matches excess inventory from retailers, brands, and businesses with nonprofits and schools to help recover sunk logistics costs. LiquiDonate combines her years of experience working with tech companies reverse to implement social impact programs that leverage their existing business model and evolving technologies with her love for the work and people of nonprofits.

Prior to LiquiDonate Disney was employee 15 at Postmates. She built the customer service team from the ground up, launched new markets such as Seattle, New York, DC, and Chicago, co-built their sales team, adding a new stream of revenue for the company through the Postmates Partner program. Disney also created the Civic Labs team, Postmates’ social responsibility arm.

Connect with Disney:

Website: https://www.liquidonate.com/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

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

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/ 

#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast

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What if your child could actually learn to manage money—not just play pretend with it?

Teaching kids about money has traditionally involved games, fake dollars, and hypothetical situations. But what if the key to lasting financial habits was giving them real financial experiences?

In this eye-opening episode, we talk to the CEO of Stockpile, a financial platform that helps kids and families learn to save, invest, and spend. Victor opens up about his founder journey, raising $45 million, the company’s mission-driven design, and how Stockpile empowers kids to make real investment choices while giving parents peace of mind. You’ll hear how Stockpile has built a platform that doesn’t just teach financial literacy; helps families live it, building lifelong confidence and smart money behaviors. This one’s a must-listen for parents, educators, and startup founders alike.

Here are highlights:

-Real Financial Literacy for Kids: Research shows kids learn best with real-world experience. Stockpile’s platform uses actual money to teach kids saving, investing, and budgeting in a meaningful, lasting way.

-Mission-Driven Design: Stockpile prioritizes saving and investing over spending, with features like “kids choose, parents approve” to foster smart habits and meaningful family money conversations.

-Lessons from the Founder’s Journey: Victor shares how his entrepreneurial upbringing and multiple startups led him to Stockpile, including the importance of aligning values, culture, and hiring practices.

-Adapting to Market Volatility: The platform encourages resilience and patience by letting kids make real investment choices and experience gains and losses, reinforcing the importance of long-term strategy.

-Team Culture and Leadership Values: Victor reveals how Stockpile builds a strong remote culture by hiring for fit, investing in internal development, and maintaining transparency and trust across a global team.

About the guest:

Victor Wang is CEO of Stockpile, an investing platform empowering the next generation of investors through hands-on learning. With over 25 years as a successful entrepreneur, Victor brings the leadership and passion needed to remove barriers in the financial industry and enable people to own their financial futures.

Victor’s belief that today’s youth deserve the same opportunities he had when his father came to America with just $40 in his pocket inspired his vision of using Stockpile to make investing accessible for all and give children the power to shape their financial futures. With his background partnering with leading brands like Wells Fargo Bank, American Express, Nike, LEGO, Indian Motorcycle and Jamba Juice, Victor provides the strategic vision and innovation to advance Stockpile’s mission of driving financial inclusion.

Connect with Victor:

Website: https://www.stockpile.com/

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

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

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

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/ 

#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast 

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What do you get when you cross a behavioral psychologist with significant experience in the business world? You get the insightful mind and wisdom of Richard Reid.

Richard knows that commanding attention and influence while leading through change is more difficult than ever. He shares that the mind and thought processes of an employee today have more dynamic needs than even a decade ago. This is why he wrote Charisma Unlocked: Science and Strategy behind Presence, Persuasion and Authentic Leadership.

We thoroughly enjoyed this conversation as we think any tip and wisdom that an executive leader can gain that will make their business run smoother. Any increase in profitability while elevating employee satisfaction is a win.

Here are highlights:

-Emotional Intelligence: Self-awareness, particularly in managing stress and improving communication, is critical as the foundation for a leader that others are willing to follow.

-Charisma in Modern Leadership: Richard discusses the importance of charisma in leadership, emphasizing that it’s about connecting with people as individuals and making them feel heard. He explains that modern leadership involves facilitating others, unlocking their potential, and aligning organizational goals with employees’ hopes and fears.

-Psychological Safety in Organizations: The importance of creating an environment where people feel safe to express themselves, offer different ideas, and speak up when struggling was emphasized. Richard notes that many well-intentioned leaders struggle with authenticity and humility, often unintentionally sending mixed messages about psychological safety.

-Constructive Conversations: Allow people to bring fresh ideas, challenge prevailing thoughts constructively, and speak up when employees and projects are struggling. He advises leaders to set intentions before conversations, slow down interactions to create space for reflection, and focus on collaboration rather than talking at each other.

-Wellbeing and Mental Health Advocacy: Richard is a lifelong promoter of wellbeing and that CEO’s need to make considerations for team members’ mental health in the workplace. This care will better equip individuals to navigate and achieve goals and overcome business challenges.

About the guest:

Richard Reid is a highly experienced psychologist, coach, and wellbeing consultant with over 20 years of expertise. He is a former Chief People Officer at a global law firm specialising in Trauma, Resilience, and Psychological Safety. Richard has worked extensively with organisations such as the London Underground, the City of London Police, and the Witness Protection Program. He also runs an international practice providing therapy, coaching, and psychology services to entrepreneurs, high-net-worth individuals, and senior leaders.

As a charisma coach and trainer, Richard focuses on helping people achieve their full potential. His latest book, Charisma Unlocked, was published in March and is available on Amazon.

Connect with Richard:

Website: https://richard-reid.com/

Amazon, Buy Charisma Unlocked: https://amzn.to/42N2pF2

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

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

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/ 

#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast 

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I love discovering founders who are using technology to democratize access to services that have traditionally been out of reach for many people. That’s why I was so excited to speak with Alexander Harmsen, the founder and CEO of Global Predictions.

Alexander created PortfolioPilot, an AI-powered financial advisor that helps individuals take control of their financial lives without the high fees or intimidation factor of traditional firms.

What started as a personal side project has become a platform managing over $30 billion in assets all while helping simplify investing for the everyday person.

In our conversation, Alexander shares how he’s building not just a product, but a movement to empower everyday investors with real, personalized advice. Here are highlights of our conversation:

–   From Side Project to $30 Billion Platform: Alexander built the first version of PortfolioPilot to manage his own finances after selling his previous startup. Today, the platform serves tens of thousands of users and continues to scale rapidly.

–   Designed for Real People: Rather than expecting users to know what to ask, PortfolioPilot delivers a full written assessment based on inputs like income, age, assets, and risk tolerance. It helps people feel confident and in control of their financial future.

–   AI Meets Fiduciary Responsibility: PortfolioPilot provides truly personalized, fiduciary-level financial guidance by asking the right questions and giving users clear, actionable monthly advice based on their actual financial picture.

–   High Output, Lean Team: With a team of just 10 people working remotely around the world, Alexander attributes their efficiency to smart hiring, tight feedback loops, and extensive use of AI tools across development, marketing, and operations.

–   The Future of Financial Advice: Alexander believes we’re entering an era where everyone will have AI-powered advisors in many areas of life. His goal is for PortfolioPilot to become the go-to financial advisor in your pocket, offering clarity, confidence, and convenience.

About the guest:

Alexander Harmsen, a tech entrepreneur passionate about AI, finance, and autonomy. He founded PortfolioPilot.com, an AI Financial Advisor with over $30 billion in assets on platform. Previously, he founded and sold Iris Automation, worked on NASA’s Mars Helicopter, and went through Y Combinator. He’s raised over $30M in venture capital and was recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30.

Connect with Alexander:

Website Global Predictions: https://www.globalpredictions.com/

Website Portfolio Pilot: https://portfoliopilot.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=organic

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

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

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

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/ 

#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast 

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A few years ago we had the pleasure of speaking with Jonathan Ogurchak about the success of his company STACK. Now we have invited him back to see how the business has progressed and learn about his new venture, Zeal Specialty Pharmacy.

As a pharmacist, Jonathan observed significant inefficiencies and a need to modernize processes. This set him on a course to develop and deliver better technology that would ultimately improve patient care. Today, he is a recognized serial entrepreneur, a leader in technology, and a man whose latest endeavor is centered on the delivery of medication to individuals with rare diseases.

Here are highlights of our conversation:

-An Update on STACK: The business has expanded its product offerings including a new product called On Queue, an operations workflow platform to enhance the pharmacy patient journey and capture valuable data. They now have customers in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Dubai.

-Healthcare Compliance: STACK software helps organizations manage compliance by providing easy access to regulations for different states and purposes and automating processes for accreditation, compliance, and training for pharmacies.

-Zeal’s Branding Strategy: Jonathan explained the origin of the company name “Zeal” as a play on the term “zebra” in the medical community, representing rare and orphan diseases. The zebra also represents an effort to connect with patient communities through tasteful and purposeful branding.

-Advice for Founders: Finding a mentor and maintaining a network for personal and professional growth is critical for new founders. He shared his experiences as a business owner and entrepreneur, highlighting the need to foster a healthy balance between work and personal life. He shared the significance of family and prioritizing time with loved ones, as businesses and jobs can change but family remains constant.

-Building Culture:  Jonathan discussed the pharmacy’s leadership development initiative, which includes a book club focused on customer service and growth. He mentioned the book “Unreasonable Hospitality” and the Disney Institute program. Jonathan also shared that he encourages team members to explore different industries for innovative ideas.

About the guest:

Jonathan Ogurchak, PharmD, CSP, CPHIMS, is a specialty pharmacy veteran, having served in numerous roles across pharmacies, associations, and education for the last 15 years.

Currently, he is the CEO & Founder of STACK, a software firm with two commercially available platforms: its namesake, STACK, a pharmacy information management platform designed to curate and organize information necessary to run successful pharmacies, professional associations, and higher education institutions; and OnQueue, a workflow platform built to optimize the patient journey for pharmacies and clinics. He is also the CEO and co-founder of Zeal Specialty Pharmacy, an independent rare-disease pharmacy leveraging both the above technologies to create the best experiences possible for patients, prescribers, and pharma partners across the country.

Jonathan is an adjunct faculty through Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh, precepts pharmacy students virtually at 25 schools of pharmacy nationwide, focused on specialty pharmacy programs and processes, and his specialty pharmacy textbook is in pre-publication.

Connect with Jonathan:

Website: https://www.managewithstack.com/

Website: https://www.zealsp.com/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

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

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/ 

#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast 

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We always say your best business partner can be in the most surprising places. Today, we discuss why holding a global mindset and helping new companies with their first funding boost, regardless of location, makes for a healthier business ecosystem.

Jenny Fielding, the co-founder and managing partner of Everywhere Ventures, is a big believer in the game-changing impact of global entrepreneurship. From her own journey as an accidental entrepreneur turned venture capitalist, she stresses the importance of backing founders in the early stages with key resources like mentorship, funding, and connections.

With investments spread across the world, Jenny pushes for a global perspective in entrepreneurship, urging entrepreneurs to embrace diverse cultures for resilience and adaptability. Her “everywhere mindset” highlights the potential of dynamic startup scenes globally, motivating entrepreneurs to broaden their horizons and expand their knowledge to thrive in an interconnected world.

These are the highlights of our conversation:

-Jenny’s global network of 500+ founders and operators helps source early-stage companies from all over the world. These founders act as her eyes and ears on the ground.

-Why she invests at the pre-seed stage and focuses more on the people than the ideas. She looks for visionary, resilient founders who are building for a future that doesn’t exist yet.

– Her new book, Venture Everywhere, follows the journey through 12 countries where Jenny interviewed founders who overcame major obstacles to build billion-dollar companies. It’s all about having a global, open-minded, resilient mindset.

-Jenny became a founder accidentally, starting her first company while still working full-time. Her second company failed, but that experience taught her valuable lessons she now uses to support other founders as a venture capitalist.

About the guest:

Jenny Fielding is one of the most active global pre-seed investors in the world, having invested in 300+ companies as the first money in. As the Co-founder and Managing Partner of  Everywhere Ventures, Jenny has built a thriving community of 500+ founders and operators who help source, diligence, and invest in the next generation of startups across 3 core verticals: money, health, and work.

Prior to launching her own fund, Jenny spent 7.5 years as the Managing Director of Techstars where she invested in a portfolio of companies with a current market cap over $10B. Jenny is a 2x founder, a lawyer by training, and an adjunct professor at Columbia University and Cornell Tech.

Connect with Jenny:

Website: https://www.jennyfielding.com/

Website: https://everywhere.vc/

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

Twitter/X: https://x.com/jefielding

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

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

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/ 

#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast 

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 What if you could look into a crystal ball and see exactly what your family’s long-term care needs will be in the future?

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Lily Vittayarukskul, the brilliant CEO and co-founder of Waterlily, an AI-powered platform that uses over 500 million data points to help families plan for the financial and emotional realities of aging. Lily is a World Economic Forum Top Innovator, a patented inventor, and someone who turned a heartbreaking personal experience into a mission-driven company that is disrupting the way we think about long-term care.

As someone with two parents in their 80s, this topic hits close to home for me—and I know it will for many of you too. We talked about everything from how she built Waterlily and earned the trust of major investors to the importance of planning so families aren’t torn apart in times of crisis.

These are the highlights of our conversation:

– Waterlily Predicts Long-Term Care Needs with AI: Waterlily uses over 500 million data points to help families predict their future long-term care needs based on lookalike families. It’s like looking into a data-driven future mirror.

-A Personal Family Crisis Sparked the Mission: Lily was only 16 when a long-term care event involving her aunt devastated her family emotionally and financially. That experience inspired her to shift from a career in aerospace to founding a company focused on preventing that same pain for others.

– Bold Pivot from B2C: Originally aimed at consumers, Waterlily pivoted to serve the financial services industry, empowering advisors to have better long-term care conversations with clients. This B2B strategy became the core of their scalable, subscription-based model.

– Built for Impact, Not Just Speed: Instead of rushing a product to market, Lily spent two years building a strong technical and data foundation before launching. That decision paid off with major partnerships, including Prudential and several Fortune 100 companies.

– Culture of Trust and Smart Scaling: Despite impressive growth, Lily keeps her team intentionally lean, leveraging large language models and automation to scale efficiently. She emphasizes trust and alignment with all at her company as the foundation for sustainable success.

About the guest:

Lily Vittayarukskul, Waterlily’s CEO and Co-Founder, started college at 14, and by 16, she was venturing into a career in aerospace engineering as an intern at NASA. However, that same year, her life took a dramatic turn when her Aunt, who raised her and was a cornerstone in her first-generation immigrant family, was diagnosed with terminal stage colon cancer. The ensuing financial and emotional devastation, exacerbated by their family’s lack of preparedness, tore permanent rifts in her family, and compelled her to pivot her career from aerospace to a lifelong dedication to building solutions in healthcare.

Fueled by personal tragedy and a resolve to forge change, Lily graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in Genetics and Data Science and led product and engineering at multiple startups before founding Waterlily.

Connect with Lily:

Website: https://www.waterlily.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-vittayarukskul/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

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

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/ 

#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast 

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In this episode, I am happy to introduce you to a great mind from my circle here in Chicago.

Lisa Guillot, a best-selling author and expert in personal branding, offers a transformative perspective on the significance of a clear vision framework for achieving success. With a rich background in design and branding, Lisa specializes in helping leaders craft vibrant and purposeful personal and professional brands. Her approach is encapsulated in her book, “Find Your Clear Vision,” and the CLEAR methodology, which stands for Clear Concept, Legit and Long Lasting, Expanded Energy, Aspirational Success, and Rooted in Celebration.

By promoting self-awareness, authenticity, and intuition, Guillot’s framework empowers individuals to align their values and goals, fostering sustainable engagement and passion in their personal and professional endeavors.

Lisa unleashes her high energy and insights in this conversation, touching on:

– Energizing Teams: A leader must invest in a team member’s vision and development to build trust.

– Workplace Culture: Senior leaders need to understand that they are in charge of the ‘cultural protection’ of the workplace. Maintaining a fast-paced work schedule is challenging and unsustainable. A leader must have self-awareness and both give and receive feedback.

– Clear Vision Framework for Leadership: Crafting a clear concept for the vision ensures it is legit and long-lasting. The framework aims to help individuals identify their blind spots, develop self-awareness, and share their vision with their teams.

– Vision, Energy, and Aspirational Success: One must embrace a vision that excites and motivates them as it will be their guiding force over time. Leaders also need to build an “aspirational success” approach to their careers where they create new ideas and realities for the future and then build milestones to achieve them.

– Intuition, Self-Trust, and Celebration: Lisa discusses the importance of trusting oneself and making clear decisions. She suggests a simple coin-flip technique to help strengthen intuition and trust in decision-making. It is also important to have fun in work and life, and celebrate small wins regularly rather than waiting for big rewards at the end of long-term goals.

– Managing “Brilliant Jerks” in Teams:  In terms of a healthy culture, Lisa emphasized the need to recognize and manage “brilliant jerks” or “brilliant assholes”. Also discussed was how senior leaders can protect themselves from being perceived as such by seeking honest feedback from an external coach.

Connect with Lisa:

Website: bebrightlisa.com 

Instagram: instagram.com/bebrightlisa

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisagguillot/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

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

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/ 

#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast 

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From buying property while in his Harvard dorm to starting a business with his wife, Derrick has made it his life’s mission to improve the process for and access to real estate investing.

Derrick Barker, the co-founder and CEO of Nectar, is at the forefront of transforming the real estate finance landscape through innovative technology solutions. Based in Atlanta, his company provides liquidity to commercial real estate owners with low-leverage, cash-flowing assets, enabling them to grow their portfolios and contribute to community development. 

Derrick envisions a future where rapid property closings become the norm, empowering medium-sized real estate sponsors to create strong, balanced communities by enhancing their access to capital. 

Here are the highlights of our conversation:

– Nectar stands out in the finance and real estate technology industry by providing liquidity to owners of commercial real estate, specifically focusing on low-leverage, cash-flowing assets to support strong real estate operators. 

– Derrick envisions a future where commercial real estate deals can be closed in a week or less, with the ultimate goal of achieving one-day closings through technological advancements. Their vision is to be a tech-first company and in that, drive more efficiency than anyone else in the market.

– By empowering medium-sized real estate sponsors, Nectar aims to equip them with the necessary tools and resources to build thriving communities and meet the demands of the housing market, ultimately tipping the balance of power in their favor for a more robust and sustainable housing market.

– The company’s commitment to sustainable business practices sets it apart in the market, offering high return, consistent cash-flowing investment products that mitigate risks associated with construction, lease-up, or refinance.

– With a vision to leverage technology and capital for the greater good, Nectar aims to empower developers and small to medium-sized companies to address the pressing issue of affordable housing. 

– The success of Nectar is attributed to its well-structured team functionality, with key roles such as underwriting, product development, origination, and servicing playing crucial parts in the company’s operations. While there is a core team based in Atlanta, Nectar also utilizes a distributed team for specific roles that do not require in-person presence. This structured approach enables Nectar to efficiently deliver its unique fast and flexible capital solutions to its customers and investors.

– As a leader and business owner, Derrick believes there is no better learning than experience, so take action and get it done.

About the guest:

Derrick Barker is the co-founder and CEO of Nectar. He started buying real estate from his dorm room at Harvard. After Harvard, he spent 3 years trading complex securities at Goldman Sachs while simultaneously building a 500+ unit real estate portfolio in his hometown of Atlanta. He left Goldman Sachs to focus on real estate full-time, eventually growing his portfolio to more than 4,700 units and $400 million in asset value.

Connect with Derrick:

Website: https://www.usenectar.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-barker-3b1590a/ 

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/ 

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

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/  

#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast 

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