From Visual Journalist to Seven-Figure Agency Founder: Storytelling as Strategy with Madia Brown

From Visual Journalist to Seven-Figure Agency Founder: Storytelling as Strategy with Madia Brown

Madia Brown has built a career most people only dream about. As the CEO, founder, and chief storytelling strategist of Brandire, she has grown her agency from a passion project into a seven-figure business named to the Inc. 5000 list, recognized as Small Business of the Year by the DC Chamber of Commerce, and named alongside the Washington Business Journal's 40 Under 40. Her client roster reads like a who's who, spanning major hospital systems, global consulting firms, more than 20 DC government agencies, and global beverage brands. In this episode, Madia joins Healed and Chilled to talk about what it actually takes to build a brand that creates fierce loyalty rather than passive recognition, why cultural resonance matters more than ever for organizations trying to reach diverse audiences, and how her years as a visual journalist shaped the way she sees brand storytelling today. She also shares what is next for her with HelloBrand, a branding co-pilot built to bring strategic brand development within reach for startups, nonprofits, and small teams who need it most. As a fellow member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., I loved getting to sit across from Madia and talk soror to soror about what it means to build with purpose. If you have ever wondered what it takes to build something that lasts and scales at the same time, this conversation is full of answers. Links: Website: https://brandireagency.com/ [https://brandireagency.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brandireagency/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/brandireagency/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandireagency [https://www.facebook.com/brandireagency]

Build It to Last: Operational Discipline for Entrepreneurs Who Are Playing the Long Game with Lewis C. Powell

Growth without infrastructure is just organized chaos. Lewis C. Powell has spent his career helping business owners fix that. As a business advisor, operator, and board-level leader, Lewis works with growth-stage companies to align strategy, systems, and execution so their business can actually hold the weight of its own expansion. In this episode of Healed and Chilled, we get into what operational discipline really looks like for entrepreneurs who are serious about scaling, why the gap between strategy and execution is where most businesses quietly stall, and what founders need to put in place before growth becomes a liability instead of an asset. Lewis brings decades of hands-on operating experience and board-level governance to this conversation, and he delivers every insight with the kind of directness and clarity that leaves you ready to take action. If you are building something and you want it to still be standing five years from now, this episode is for you. Connect with Lewis at lewiscpowell.com [https://www.lewiscpowell.com] or find him on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/lewiscpowell [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewiscpowell/].

Trust, Respect, and Cultural Fluency: Leading with Purpose with Greta Franklin

Twenty years is a long time to do anything. But when you have spent two decades helping leaders build workplaces rooted in trust, respect, and cultural fluency, you start to see patterns that most people miss. In this episode, I sit down with Greta Franklin Okomo, founder and CEO of Collaborative Change Consulting, LLC, to talk about what it actually takes to lead with authenticity and create spaces where people genuinely feel seen and valued. Greta has spent her career working with higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations, advancing multicultural leadership and inclusion from the inside out. She is a coach, a facilitator, a keynote speaker, and someone who delivers hard truths with warmth and clarity. We talk about what cultural fluency really means in practice, why so many leaders struggle to build trust on their teams, and what it looks like when women stop shrinking and start leading from a place of full authenticity. This one is for every leader who wants to do better and every woman who is ready to stop waiting for permission to take up space. Learn More - https://www.collaborativechangeconsulting.com/ [https://www.collaborativechangeconsulting.com/] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretafokomo/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretafokomo/] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/collaborativechangeconsulting?igsh=eDBmOG85OHNib3c2 [https://www.instagram.com/collaborativechangeconsulting?igsh=eDBmOG85OHNib3c2]

3 Ways Gaming Can Help Build Confidence in Your Child

In this episode I am reading the second edition of The Executive Mom Project, my biweekly LinkedIn newsletter written for high achieving mothers raising children who are capable of more than the world has seen from them yet. This edition is called 3 Ways Gaming Can Help Build Confidence in Your Child and it is one I am really excited about because it challenges something a lot of parents believe about screen time. We are talking about Connection, Courage, Creativity, and what it actually looks like when a child finds all three inside a game they already love. Plus one simple thing you can do today that will build your child's confidence without them even realizing it. If you have ever told your child to put the controller down, this one is for you. Subscribe to the newsletter here [https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7455842903937073152]

Your Story Is the Strategy: Building a Business Worth Talking About with Kristen Noelle

What does it look like when a marketing strategist, a community builder, and a former cheerleader are all the same person? You get Kristen Noelle, and you get Venture to Bloom. In this episode, Kristen joins Healed and Chilled to talk about what she has learned helping business owners figure out what makes them magnetic and then actually building content around it. We talk about why so many founders overthink their content and underestimate their story, what it feels like to be in a room where everyone is showing up for themselves and each other on the same day, and how Kristen's years of living across three countries and five cities gave her a way of seeing people that most marketers never develop. She is the kind of person who will hype you up and tell you the truth in the same breath, and this conversation is proof of that. If you have been waiting for the right moment to let people actually see you and what you do, Kristen is here to tell you the moment is already here. Her next Content Day is July 18th in Lanham, MD. You get three edited reels and ten headshots ready to go to work for your business from day one. Grab your spot at venturetobloom.com [http://venturetobloom.com/] and connect with Kristen anytime you want to talk marketing, traveling, or your thoughts on The Traitors (she's obsessed). LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-noelle/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-noelle/]   VTB IG: https://instagram.com/venturetobloom [https://instagram.com/venturetobloom]  Personal IG: http://instagram.com/getkrissed [http://instagram.com/getkrissed] Grab our free guide, 5 Videos Every Business Owner Needs: https://videosguide.netlify.app/ [https://videosguide.netlify.app/]