Winning Season

What does it take to go from answering phones to running one of the largest convention centers in the country? In this episode, Jacqueline sits down with Joyce Leveston, president and CEO of the Javits Center in New York City, to share her blueprint for women and leadership.Joyce grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to San Diego at 19. She watched a convention center being built and talked her way into a job there as a telephone operator. She tells the story of the bold conversation that changed her path, and how a mentor taught her to take her seat at the table. Along the way she shares what she has learned over 38 years in the industry about persistence, representation, and making room for others.What you'll hearHow a college student's persistence led to her first job at a convention centerWhy she told a new CEO, "I don't think San Diego is ready for you," and what happened three days laterThe mentor who taught her to sit at the table, not on the sideMoving from event coordinator to senior event manager in three yearsWhat it meant to walk into the DC Convention Center and see leadership that looked like herHer vision for Javits 2.0: a rebrand, a people-first culture, and a goal of being one of the best places to work in AmericaAdvice for listeners in a season of transition: your skills are transferable, and who you are is enoughPersistence and showing up can open doors.Mentors and sponsors can see what you don't yet see in yourself.Lift as you climb. Make room for others and build your circle.Ask yourself what impact you want to have.Key takeawaysQuote of the episode"When you light someone else's candle, it only illuminates the room."About the guestJoyce Leveston is the president and CEO of the Javits Center in Manhattan, where she oversees about 3,000 employees. She has worked in convention centers for 38 years, across seven states.

How do you manage over 32 AI agents to build a new business when you don't have a technical background? Welcome to Part 1 of a special Winning Season mini-pod series!In this kickoff episode, Jacqueline Twillie pulls back the curtain on the exact mindset and strategy she uses to run a fleet of AI agents using Gumloop and Claude. Using plain English (zero tech jargon!), Jacqueline explains how her background in media transformation, sales, and executive leadership taught her to build an "AI Org Chart"—and why you should treat setting up an AI agent just like onboarding a human employee.In This Mini-Pod, You’ll Learn:The 2 Platforms Driving the Business: Why Jacqueline uses Gumloop and Claude Agents.The "Clarity First" Rule: Why you must write down your business goals before touching ChatGPT or Claude so you don't waste time and tokens.The AI Org Chart: How to map out departments and delegate tasks to agents.Plain-English Definitions: The real difference between a basic chatbot and an end-to-end AI agent using connectors (CRMs, calendars, email).The Onboarding Secret: How to write agent instructions so they deliver work the exact way you like to receive it.📝 Your Homework Before Part 2:Write down your core business goals without using AI.Sketch out a simple organizational chart of where AI agents could sit in your workflow and why.⏱️ Episode Breakdown:(00:01) Introduction to the 32+ AI Agent Series & Gumloop/Claude overview(01:28) How leadership, sales, and past tech shifts prepare you for AI(03:20) Setting goals first: Avoiding the "generic LLM strategy" trap(04:56) Designing your AI Org Chart (Preview of Part 2)(06:40) What is an AI Agent? (Instructions, Connectors & Onboarding)🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned:Try Gumloop: Get a 2-week free trial + 20% off your first month at https://www.gumloop.com/?via=smbiz | promo code "1STAGENT"Website & Free AI Agent Build Sessions: https://bnedai.com/agent-labConnect with Jacqueline on LinkedIn: Search Jacqueline Twillie and send your questions for upcoming episodes!

Jacqueline sits down with Cameron Hardesty, CEO and founder of Poppy Flowers, to talk about building a nationwide e-commerce wedding florist, raising venture capital, and the mindset shifts that helped her keep going through years of rejection. Cameron shares how curiosity, industry insight, and a steady nervous system helped her spot an overlooked market opportunity and scale a business serving 10,000 couples with 1,100 floral designers.We also get into the cultural forces that shaped both women as elder millennial founders, from girl boss era ambition to the realities of fundraising, motherhood, and entrepreneurship. Cameron’s perspective is both practical and grounded, with a memorable framework from her coach Mo called awareness relax.Key topicsCameron Hardesty introduces herself as the founder and CEO of Poppy Flowers, a company that has raised $13 million in venture capital and served 10,000 couples nationwide.Cameron explains how she built her company over 11 years, starting part time in 2013 and full time in 2015.Cameron describes the market gap she saw in wedding florals: independent florists struggling with pricing, profitability, and limited weekend capacity.Poppy’s business model is built to scale across thousands of weddings, allowing lower minimums and more competitive pricing for couples in major cities.Cameron talks candidly about fundraising being mostly rejection, including her early angel round, Techstars Atlanta, a $1.65 million first priced round, and a Series A led by a female VC.Chapters00:00 - Cameron Hardesty and the story behind Poppy Flowers00:42 - Founder introduction and Poppy’s scale across the wedding industry01:23 - Southern identity, Dallas vs New Orleans, and regional personality02:13 - The Southern woman vs Texas woman lesson Cameron learned in college04:18 - Millennial pink, elder millennials, and cultural references that shaped a generation05:49 - How career-first messaging from moms and the Lean In era shaped ambition07:34 - Girl boss culture, The Hills, and postponing life decisions until later09:23 - Venture capital tailwinds and why timing mattered for fundraising10:40 - Building during the zero interest rate era and the 2022 bubble shift11:41 - The hard work behind making fundraising look easy12:18 - Starting the entrepreneurial project in 2013 and going full time in 201513:07 - Learning fundraising and market dynamics from the inside13:58 - Finding the floral industry gap through curiosity and observation15:18 - Side quests, canning, preserving, and following curiosity wherever it leads16:18 - Why Cameron thrives in both creative and competitive work17:08 - Poppy’s business model and the economics of wedding florals18:52 - Serving high budget clients without forcing overspend19:53 - Customer feedback, transparent pricing, and removing pressure21:25 - Why referral growth and organic traffic are compounding over time22:25 - Fundraising lows, highs, and the reality of hearing no repeatedly23:20 - Early angel investors, friends and family, and a major floral industry backer24:14 - Techstars Atlanta and the first priced round of $1.65 million24:40 - What a SAFE note is and why it is founder friendly25:51 - Series A funding and the role of a female lead investor26:35 - Mindset, belief, and seeing opportunity that others miss27:26 - Mo the coach and the spiritual side of founder support28:28 - Awareness relax as a framework for staying grounded29:49 - Using awareness relax to handle money stress and operational pressure31:17 - The value of movement, events, dinners, and showing up in person32:14 - Mo Technologies and the reminder that you are okay33:32 - How to connect with Cameron and Poppy Flowers34:07 - Supporting women founded businesses and sharing Poppy with your network

What does it take to become CEO of a four-generation family business when no one hands you the roadmap? Melanie White, President and CEO of Hellwig Products and current Chairperson of SEMA, joins Winning Season to share how she went from cold-calling in outside sales to the C-suite by doing the job first and asking for the title later.Melanie gets honest about the moments that shaped her: crying in her car after a brutal cold call and finding her grit on the drive home, negotiating for the president title by proving she was already doing the work, and showing up at 5 a.m. on the operations floor during COVID because that's what the business needed.We also go deep on something rarely discussed: business travel safety for women. Melanie and I trade real stories and practical rules, from hotel floors and elevator instincts to why The Gift of Fear should be required reading for every woman on the road.In this episode:- Why Melanie did the job first, then negotiated the title and pay- The follow-up habit that can carry an entire sales career- Travel safety rules every woman in business should know- What leading a 4th-generation, 80-year-old company actually requires- Why your inner world shows up in your outer resultsConnect with Melanie: Hellwig Products (hellwigproducts.com) | LinkedIn linked in show notesCHAPTERS00:00 – Welcome: Meet Melanie White, CEO of Hellwig Products & SEMA Chairperson 01:00 – Life on the road as a busy executive and mom 03:10 – Hotel safety: first floors, motels, and the "upgraded room" she turned down 05:30 – The Gift of Fear and trusting your gut as a woman traveler 06:50 – The elevator story: exiting gracefully when your intuition speaks 09:00 – Jacqueline's 3 travel rules: hotels over Airbnbs, the door stop, ride-share location sharing 10:30 – Melanie's 3 rules: higher floors, fully charged phone, carry-on only, never land after 9pm 13:10 – From French bakery to cold calling: how the journey started 14:30 – Crying in the car after a brutal cold call — and the grit that followed 16:45 – Cold calling lessons that still apply: preparation and knowing your product 17:15 – The most underrated sales skill: follow-up (and the 7-touch rule) 21:10 – What Hellwig Products makes: sway bars, helper springs & the "no saggy bottoms" policy 22:30 – The path to CEO: do the job first, ask for the title later 24:00 – Negotiating for president: "Go ahead, tell me no" 26:20 – Why the path wasn't calculated — and why that made her more invested 28:20 – 5 a.m. on the operations floor during COVID: learning through challenge 30:20 – Lifelong learning: Traction, Who Moved My Cheese, and the Audible library 33:10 – The Susie Batiz connection: Alive OS and inner work for business leaders 36:35 – "Your inner world is reflected in your outer world" 39:20 – AI, the future of work, and why human connection can't be replaced 41:40 – Melanie's parting wisdom: sometimes we are our own biggest hurdle 43:50 – Closing: emulate excellence, eliminate excusesConnect with MelanieLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melaniehellwigwhiteInstagram: @melaniehellwigwhiteHellwig Products (company)Website: hellwigproducts.comInstagram: @hellwig_productsFacebook: facebook.com/HellwigProductsYouTube: youtube.com/@HellwigProductsX/Twitter: @HellwigProductsSEMA (her chair role)Instagram: @semashow / @sema.org

Most high-achieving women are taught to keep their heads down, do the work, and wait to be noticed. Julia Rock says that mindset quietly kills careers. In this conversation, she reveals the moves that took her from working at ExxonMobil for 12 years to leading a global business, coaching more than 1,000 professionals, and writing Uncomplicated Leadership.Jacqueline and Julia break down the moments that changed everything from learning that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness, to using self-advocacy to finally get promoted after a held-up cycle. Julia also shares how a leader at ExxonMobil told her she was not a robot and should challenge what did not make sense, a lesson that reshaped how she showed up in rooms where billions of dollars were on the line.You’ll discover:Why “take up space” is not selfish, but strategicHow to build the courage to ask sharper questions in corporate settingsWhat it really takes to lead a massive team through uncertaintyWhy hiring support early creates growth instead of burnoutThe five C’s of Uncomplicated Leadership: clarity, consistency, connection, courage, and celebrationJulia also gets honest about the faith, timing, and surrender behind leaving a corporate paycheck, and how her TEDx talk unexpectedly took off after she decided to close one chapter and step fully into the next.If you’ve ever felt stuck, under-recognized, or overwhelmed by the pressure to prove yourself, this episode is a masterclass in leadership, clarity, and career reinvention.Connect with Julia Rock on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-rock/ and Threadshttps://www.threads.com/@thejuliarock , or email her at [email protected]. For bulk book orders, contact [email protected].