Stephen Kopshaw, an entrepreneur with 17 years of experience, who started his first business in high school shares key lessons from his journey, emphasizing self-accountability and the value of relationships.

In this episode of the Relentless Pursuit of Winning podcast, host Rick Meekins engages with Stephen Kopshaw, who shares his journey from a challenging upbringing to becoming a successful entrepreneur and consultant. The conversation delves into the importance of learning from failures, the role of luck in success, and the significance of effective communication in business. Stephen introduces his 'Freedom Framework,' a structured approach to achieving personal and professional freedom, emphasizing the need for clarity in goals and the importance of empowering oneself and others. The episode concludes with parting thoughts on the importance of being intentional about one's life choices and the value of giving back to the community.

• Learning from failures is crucial for success.
• Luck plays a significant role in business outcomes.
• Effective communication is essential in today's marketplace.
• Understanding your version of freedom is key to success.
• The Freedom Framework helps entrepreneurs achieve their goals.
• Empowering yourself and your team leads to better outcomes.
• Defining success is important for measuring progress.
• Optimizing resources can lead to increased profits.
• Creating a unique brand identity is vital in a crowded market.
• Giving back can lead to greater personal fulfillment.

• 00:00: Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
• 03:09: The Journey of Learning from Failures
• 06:05: From Struggles to Success: Personal Background
• 09:51: Key Moments in Business Growth
• 17:07: The Importance of Communication in Business
• 21:52: Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make
• 27:55: The Freedom Framework Explained
• 42:53: Parting Thoughts and Conclusion

Megan Dimmer is a founder, CEO, Coach, and peer advisory group leader. She helps people achieve next level success in their careers. With over two decades of experience in breaking the glass ceiling as a sales leader, CRO, and CEO, she has a passion for empowering other women to take control of their career journey, advocate for themselves, and climb the corporate ladder with confidence and clarity. Through her coaching and advisory work, she has enabled many executives and organizations to achieve their goals, increase their revenue, and enhance their impact. Her mission is to stomp on the glass ceiling, shatter it, and help other women achieve greatness beyond what they imagine they are capable of.

In this conversation, Rick Meekins interviews Megan Dimmer, a fractional executive, about her work in sales leadership and general management. Megan shares her passion for helping individuals and businesses grow, particularly focusing on supporting women in achieving next-level success. She explains the role of a fractional executive and the importance of setting boundaries and expectations in these engagements. Megan also discusses the stages of an engagement, including the assessment phase and the process of building trust with the existing team. She emphasizes the need for open communication and authentic connection to foster successful partnerships. In this conversation, Megan Dimmer discusses the importance of allowing functional leaders to do their thing and the challenges of shifting from a do-it-all mentality to a fractional leadership model. She emphasizes the need for open communication, mutual accountability, and a shared vision to achieve success. Megan also highlights the role of KPIs and the importance of aligning the team and processes to accomplish business goals. She advises founders to seek help when feeling overwhelmed and to vet potential team members based on their personality and expertise.

• Fractional executives provide part-time leadership and expertise to organizations that need specific support but don't require a full-time executive.
• Setting boundaries and expectations is crucial in fractional engagements to ensure clarity.
• Building trust with the existing team is essential for a fractional executive to effectively lead and make an impact.
• Open communication and authentic connection are key to successful partnerships between fractional executives and organizations.
• Assessing the organization and understanding its goals and challenges is an important first step in an engagement.
• Fractional executives can help organizations achieve sustainable growth by providing expertise, coaching, and building high-performing teams. Allow functional leaders to do their thing and focus on what they're good at.
• Open communication and mutual accountability are crucial for success.
• Align the team and processes to achieve business goals.
• Seek help when feeling overwhelmed and vet potential team members based on their personality and expertise.

• 00:00: Introduction and Background
• 02:01: Fractional CRO and CEO Services
• 05:17: Day-to-Day and Setting Boundaries
• 08:23: Engagement Stages and Assessment
• 10:20: Building Trust and Leading the Team
• 13:19: Successful Leadership Teams
• 15:46: Building Trust and Authentic Connection
• 18:33: Challenges with Control and Growth Mindset
• 20:54: Successful Mindset and Collaboration
• 25:29: Allowing Functional Leaders to Do Their Thing
• 28:09: Aligning the Team and Processes for Business Goals
• 31:28: Defining Success and Accomplishing Goals
• 36:38: Dealing with Resistance and Maintaining Team Alignment
• 38:59: Knowing When to Seek Help and Vetting Team Members

Sharissa Sebastian Deppen is the CEO of Leadership Mastery Alliance; a company specializing in supporting introverted servant leaders who are women in corporate leadership. She's a leadership and executive coach with an MBA, MSc in Technology Leadership and her PCC Certification from the International Coaching Federation (ICF), as well as a Myers Briggs Certified Practitioner. She has 15+ years of corporate leadership experience in addition to coaching several Fortune 100 leaders and executives.

In this episode, host Rick Meekins interviews Sharissa Deppen about making a massive impact as an introverted servant leader. Sharissa shares her background in the tech industry and how she transitioned into coaching and leadership. She discusses the struggles introverted leaders face and how they can excel by embracing their strengths. The conversation also covers the definition of introversion and servant leadership, the importance of setting boundaries, and navigating difficult conversations as a leader. Sharissa emphasizes the need for self-awareness and seeking external help when necessary. In this conversation, Sharissa Deppen discusses the challenges and strengths of introverted leaders. She emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and self-care for introverts, as well as the need to reach out for help when needed. Sharissa also highlights the superpowers of introverted leaders, such as empathy, deliberate communication, and strong personal connections. She encourages introverts to embrace their unique qualities and not minimize their value. Additionally, she addresses the identity of being a servant leader and the importance of defining it for oneself. Sharissa also discusses the specific struggles and needs of women introverted servant leaders. The conversation concludes with a giveaway of a TED Talk on finding happiness in the workplace and ways to get in touch with Sharissa for coaching support.

• Introverted leaders can make a massive impact by embracing their strengths and aligning with their purpose. Introversion is about where you get your energy from, and introverts tend to recharge by being alone and reflecting.
• Servant leadership is about valuing others, empathy, and focusing on service. Setting boundaries is crucial for introverted servant leaders to avoid burnout and prioritize their well-being.
• Difficult conversations are a part of leadership, and it's important to focus on the best interest of everyone involved while maintaining respect and empathy.
• Recognizing the need for external help and seeking coaching or mentorship can provide valuable guidance and support for introverted leaders. Introverted leaders need to be self-aware and honest with themselves about what is and isn't working for them.
• Self-care is crucial for introverted leaders to recharge and maintain their well-being. Introverted leaders have superpowers such as empathy, deliberate communication, and strong personal connections. It's important for introverted leaders to embrace their unique qualities and not minimize their value.
• Defining one's identity as a servant leader is personal and can help guide one's actions and values.
• Women introverted servant leaders often struggle with self-doubt and questioning their value, and they need support and encouragement. Finding happiness in the workplace is possible by bringing joy, purpose, and connection back into one's work.
• Introverted leaders should reach out for coaching or mentorship to gain clarity and find fulfillment in their careers.
• It's never too late to find a career path that aligns with one's passions and strengths.

• 00:00: Introduction and Background
• 05:11: Understanding Introversion
• 07:51: Defining Servant Leadership
• 09:14: Balancing Boundaries and Services
• 13:07: Overcoming Perceptions and People-Pleasing
• 21:13: Embracing the Superpowers of Introverted Leaders
• 23:16: Defining Identity as a Servant Leader
• 26:11: Supporting Women Introverted Servant Leaders
• 36:48: Seeking Help and Support as an Introverted Leader
• 37:44: Finding Fulfillment in Your Career as an Introverted Leader