CEO School with Suneera Madhani

Elena became the CEO in her head before the proof ever arrived. CEO Week is where you build the operating system to back it up: 5 FREE days of live training to get you out of the execution seat and into the role. Save your seat: https://accelerator.theceoschool.com/ceo-week
Welcome back to CEO School! In this powerful and deeply inspiring episode, Suneera Madhani sits down with billionaire entrepreneur, mother, and visionary leader Elena Cardone for a candid conversation about mindset, partnership, success, and the journey from founder to CEO. Elena Cardone built a billion-dollar empire alongside Grant, raised two self-determined daughters, and did it by deciding who she was long before the bank account caught up. She hands Suneera the actual mechanics: how to assume the beingness of the CEO you're becoming, why your reactive brain keeps rerunning old survival decisions, and the be-do-have order most founders get backward.
We also get into the rules that protect an empire: why you stop venting about your partner and your team, how "one team, sky is black" keeps a marriage and a company aligned, and how to raise kids who own their own choices. Grab a pen. This one moves fast and hits identity, money, and motherhood in the same breath.

Time Stamps:
(00:00) Sitting down with a rare billion-dollar powerhouse
(05:27) Punk rock, loss, and leaving New Orleans behind
(11:35) Marrying at 30 and unlearning "I need no one"
(15:04) Why old survival decisions secretly still run you
(24:19) Surviving 2008 by turning marriage into one team
(27:23) "Sky is black": having your partner's back publicly
(31:45) Redefining success beyond your own accomplishments
(37:56) Be, Do, Have: living from your future self now
(47:47) The three freedoms every founder is really chasing
(51:45) Why you stop venting about your partner and team
(58:35) Firing fast and making decisions like a CEO
(1:10:36) Raising self-determined kids who own their choices
Share this with a founder who's still waiting for her bank account to give her permission to act like a CEO.

Connect with Elena at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elenacardone/
Website: https://elenacardone.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenacardone/
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Elena built 10X Ladies because women kept getting left out of the rooms where the real bonding happens. That's exactly why the Millionaire Founders Club exists: a high-proximity room of 7-to-8-figure women who get the whole picture, not just the P&L. Apply: 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/?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 #FounderToCEO #FemaleFounders #WomenInBusiness #WomenEntrepreneurs #The2PercentClub #ElenaCardone #BuildAnEmpire #BeDoHave #CEOMindset #WomenWhoScale #OneTeamOneDream

You can have it all, but not while you're the one answering every question and fixing every problem. CEO Week is 5 free days of live training where Suneera hands you the playbooks, the growth strategies, and the full AI C-suite to build a business that runs without you. Save your free seat: ⁠https://accelerator.theceoschool.com/ceo-week
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How does every mom become a millionaire? Cait Scudder built a seven-figure business through three pregnancies, with a fourth baby on the way, and she did it by refusing the rule that says ambition and motherhood have to compete. This week she joins Suneera to get honest about mom guilt, the trade-offs you don't see coming, and the moment she stopped shrinking her ambition to make everyone else comfortable.If you've ever cried in a hotel room missing your kids while chasing the work that lights you up, this one is for you. You'll hear why the guilt isn't a flaw to fix, how to build your business around what you actually want instead of what looks impressive, and the reframe that lets you have it all without doing it all.Time Stamps:
(01:24) Meet Cait Scudder and the Millionaire Mother brand
(04:26) From Bali laptop dreams to a coaching business
(07:45) Pregnant, terrified, and sure the business would stall
(09:23) Crossing seven figures the year she became a mom
(11:12) The birth story that rewired how she works
(14:46) The sacred third between grinding and giving up
(17:58) The mom guilt talk that refuses to gaslight you
(20:18) The camera analogy that reframes every hard trade-off
(25:15) Giving yourself permission to want success for YOU
(27:25) Trading the martyr operating system for the matriarch
(38:54) Why corporate America still fails working mothers
(44:38) Reverse-engineering the business your real life wantsConnect with Cait:Website: ⁠https://themillionairemother.com/⁠Born for Both Book: ⁠https://bornforboth.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠@themillionairemother⁠ /  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/themillionairemother/⁠Share this with a mama who thinks she needs permission to want it all for herself.---------------------------------------------------
Cait's advice for building something big: resource yourself with a village. The Millionaire Founders Club is that village for founders; the room where seven- and eight-figure women scale together. Come find yours. Apply here: ⁠https://bit.ly/MFCApplication⁠---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-schoolTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theceoschoolLearn 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/.----------------------------------------------SOCIAL Hashtags:#CEOSchool #FounderToCEO #FemaleFounders #WomenInBusiness #WomenEntrepreneurs #The2PercentClub #ElenaCardone #BuildAnEmpire #BeDoHave #CEOMindset #WomenWhoScale #OneTeamOneDream

You can have it all, but not while you're the one answering every question and fixing every problem. CEO Week is 5 free days of live training where Suneera hands you the playbooks, the growth strategies, and the full AI C-suite to build a business that runs without you. Save your free seat: https://accelerator.theceoschool.com/ceo-week

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How does every mom become a millionaire? Cait Scudder built a seven-figure business through three pregnancies, with a fourth baby on the way, and she did it by refusing the rule that says ambition and motherhood have to compete. This week she joins Suneera to get honest about mom guilt, the trade-offs you don't see coming, and the moment she stopped shrinking her ambition to make everyone else comfortable.

If you've ever cried in a hotel room missing your kids while chasing the work that lights you up, this one is for you. You'll hear why the guilt isn't a flaw to fix, how to build your business around what you actually want instead of what looks impressive, and the reframe that lets you have it all without doing it all.

Time Stamps:

(01:24) Meet Cait Scudder and the Millionaire Mother brand

(04:26) From Bali laptop dreams to a coaching business

(07:45) Pregnant, terrified, and sure the business would stall

(09:23) Crossing seven figures the year she became a mom

(11:12) The birth story that rewired how she works

(14:46) The sacred third between grinding and giving up

(17:58) The mom guilt talk that refuses to gaslight you

(20:18) The camera analogy that reframes every hard trade-off

(25:15) Giving yourself permission to want success for YOU

(27:25) Trading the martyr operating system for the matriarch

(38:54) Why corporate America still fails working mothers

(44:38) Reverse-engineering the business your real life wants

Connect with Cait

Website: https://themillionairemother.com/Born for Both Book: https://bornforboth.com/Instagram: @themillionairemother / https://www.instagram.com/themillionairemother/

Share this with a mama who thinks she needs permission to want it all for herself.

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Cait's advice for building something big: resource yourself with a village. The Millionaire Founders Club is that village for founders; the room where seven- and eight-figure women scale together. Come find yours. Apply here: 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/?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 #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #WomenEntrepreneurs #WomenWhoLead #MillionaireMother #AmbitiousMoms #MomGuilt #WorkingMom #MotherhoodAndAmbition #FounderMom #HaveItAll

Ready to actually make the shift instead of just nodding along? Suneera is hosting CEO Week: a FREE five-day workshop where she'll walk you through four pillars of her CEO Operating System and hand you the playbooks (plus her entire AI C-suite) to plug straight into your business. Be one of the first in the room, and go VIP for the deeper AI sessions.

Register here: https://accelerator.theceoschool.com/ceo-week

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Welcome back to CEO School! In this solo episode, Suneera tells the story of the day the business crossed eight figures. She thought she'd feel unstoppable, but instead, she felt trapped. She was the founder who built the whole thing, walking in every morning to firefight for 400 people and realizing she'd become the reason it couldn't grow. And she learned it the hard way: the skills that get you to a million are not the skills that get you to ten.

This is the operating system she used to scale Stax to a billion dollars and CEO School right alongside it: her 6P framework for going from founder to CEO. Power, product, pitch, people, profit, process. Six systems, each one a skill you can learn, and your business only ever grows as far as your weakest one. If you're capped, doing all the work, and more hustle keeps landing you back where you started, consider this your personal playbook. Grab a pen and let's go!

Time Stamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:00) The day eight figures started to feel like a trap

(02:53) Founder mode: The Tuesday that runs you ragged

(05:31) Power: Lead the day before it leads you

(10:00) Product: The clarity everything downstream depends on

(14:30) Pitch: One clear message for the right buyer

(18:37) People: Hire owners who own the outcome

(23:18) Profit: Revenue is vanity, profit is sanity

(25:45) Process: Build the machine that runs without you

(31:38) Your business grows only as your weakest pillar

(34:10) CEO Week: five free days to make the shift

Share this with a founder who's playing whack-a-mole all day and calling it leadership.

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Suneera said it straight: No one can scale alone. The Millionaire Founders Club is the room where we build together: application-only, curated for women building at +7 figures, operating at the same level, and ready to scale. A few spots are left for new members at the MFC Retreat in New York. Apply before September 7 to join us. 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.

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 #FounderToCEO #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #WomenEntrepreneurs #ScaleYourBusiness #SmallBusinessGrowth #Foundermode #CEOMindset #BusinessSystems #ProfitFirst #WomenWhoLead

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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