From Fortune 500 to Financial Freedom: How Ramona Cedeno Built a Capital Readiness Empire

The Figure-It-Outer: How Andi Graham Built 20 Years of Agency Authority on Purpose-Driven Work

In this episode of The Authority X-Factor Podcast, host Kelly Schuknecht sits down with Andi Graham, the Founder, CEO, and Managing Partner of Big Sea. With over 25 years of experience in digital strategy and marketing, Andi has evolved from a self-taught freelancer to the leader of a high-impact agency that helps purpose-driven brands and nonprofits move people to action.   Andi’s journey is a masterclass in the long game of personal branding and professional evolution. From navigating the shift to remote work during a global pandemic to narrowing her agency’s focus toward organizations making a real-world impact, she shares how she balanced being a high-level CEO with the grit required to figure it all out from scratch.   In this episode, you’ll discover: * The "Figure-It-Outer" mindset and how Andi’s resourcefulness became her core Authority X-Factor. * The specific catalyst that pushed Andi to move her life to North Carolina and her agency to a fully remote model. * How a $30,000 grant program became the single most effective lead generator for her business. * The reality of "the riches in the niches" and why it took nearly two years to see the full results of their pivot. * The two pieces of advice Andi would give her 2005 self about pricing and decision-making speed. * Andi also reflects on her experience as a survivor of Hurricane Helene and how she balances her role as a leader with being a devoted mom and Green Bay Packers fan.   Resources: * Big Sea: https://bigsea.co/ [https://bigsea.co/] * Andi's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andi-graham/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andi-graham/] * Bureau of Digital: https://thebureau.community/ [https://thebureau.community/] * Association of Fundraising Professionals: https://afpglobal.org/join?msclkid=f147c6ee699214074d06af16956869d4 [https://afpglobal.org/join?msclkid=f147c6ee699214074d06af16956869d4]   Connect with Kelly Schuknecht: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyschuknecht [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyschuknecht] * Buy Unlocking Your Authority X-Factor on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0el8IVIm [https://a.co/d/0el8IVIm] * Website: https://twomilehighmarketing.com [https://twomilehighmarketing.com] | https://kellyschuknecht.com [https://kellyschuknecht.com]   Subscribe to The Authority X-Factor Podcast on your favorite platform and leave a review if this episode added value to you!

The Operations Editor: How Leah Leaves Fixes the Silent Killer Inside Marketing Agencies

In this episode of The Authority X-Factor Podcast, host Kelly Schuknecht sits down with Leah Leaves, founder of Alderaan Enterprise, to explore what happens when a journalist-turned-operations-specialist spends a decade inside marketing and advertising agencies and realizes that creative chaos, not bad strategy, is the thing quietly killing most of them. Leah started her career in technical journalism, went remote at the very beginning of her professional life, and evolved through content marketing into a fractional operations role that eventually became its own company. Since founding Alderaan in 2012, she has embedded seasoned directors of operations, project managers, and fractional COOs directly into agencies that are ready to stop drowning in their own growth.   Leah's story is one of organic evolution, honest self-assessment, and learning to articulate what she had been doing by instinct for years. Her Authority X-Factor is the ability to see an organization from 30,000 feet and from boots on the ground at the same time, and to build the infrastructure that connects those two views into something that actually moves.   In this episode, you'll discover: * Leah's Authority X-Factor: * Why operations is the silent killer inside most marketing agencies, and why so many founders never see it coming until they are already in the weeds * How Alderaan evolved from a solo independent contractor practice into a full fractional team * The difference between a task rabbit hire and a true operations partner, and how Leah helps founders understand which one they actually need * Why Leah compares great operations to great theater * The Alderaan approach and how it systematically addresses an agency's vision, existing systems, and execution layer in a way that respects each agency's unique culture * Leah also shares her honest advice to her day-one self   Resources: * Alderaan Enterprise Website: https://alderaanenterprise.com/ [https://alderaanenterprise.com/] * Connect with Leah Leaves on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/1eah1eaves/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/1eah1eaves/] * Alderaan Newsletter: https://agency.alderaanenterprise.com/newsletter-in [https://agency.alderaanenterprise.com/newsletter-in] * Leah's Podcast Guestings: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/51DXfuBcgsYKfzJKrQuYkJ?si=XDsYZ1TERPqjV0BI8YXw4g&nd=1&dlsi=2763cf11cb9b42d6 [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/51DXfuBcgsYKfzJKrQuYkJ?si=XDsYZ1TERPqjV0BI8YXw4g&nd=1&dlsi=2763cf11cb9b42d6] Connect with Kelly Schuknecht: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyschuknecht [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyschuknecht] * Buy Unlocking Your Authority X-Factor on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0el8IVIm [https://a.co/d/0el8IVIm] * Website: https://twomilehighmarketing.com [https://twomilehighmarketing.com] | https://kellyschuknecht.com [https://kellyschuknecht.com]   Subscribe to The Authority X-Factor Podcast on your favorite platform and leave a review if this episode added value to you!

From Fortune 500 to Financial Freedom: How Ramona Cedeno Built a Capital Readiness Empire

In this episode of The Authority X-Factor Podcast, host Kelly Schuknecht sits down with Ramona Cedeno, Founder and CEO of FiBrick, capital readiness expert, keynote speaker, and author of Simple Choices, Big Rewards in Money, to explore how a young woman from the Dominican Republic who fell in love with accounting at 19 built a 20-year career spanning Bloomberg, Time Inc., and a thriving fractional CFO and tax advisory practice she leads today. Ramona's journey is one of passion-led reinvention, deliberate visibility, and an unwavering belief that financial freedom is not just for the wealthy few. What makes Ramona a true authority is not just her technical depth as both a CPA and Certified Financial Planner, it is the way she has used speaking, writing, and advocacy to bring financial literacy out of the boardroom and into the lives of everyday business owners and students alike. From working with the New York City Department of Education to advocating for statewide financial literacy requirements, Ramona is a living example of what happens when expertise, passion, and purpose collide.   In this episode, you'll discover: * Ramona's Authority X-Factor * Why she combined her CPA background with a Certified Financial Planner certification, and how that combination creates a uniquely powerful lens for her clients * The five core speaking topics Ramona built her platform around * How she went from dreading public speaking to actively seeking paid stages * What led her to launch FiBrick 10 years ago after stints at Bloomberg, Time Inc., and a tech startup * The story behind Simple Choices, Big Rewards in Money Resources: * FiBrick Website: https://fibrick.com [https://fibrick.com] * Connect with Ramona Cedeno on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonacedeno [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonacedeno] * Book: Simple Choices, Big Rewards in Money (available on Amazon) * Schedule a consultation: https://fibrick.com [https://fibrick.com]   Connect with Kelly Schuknecht: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyschuknecht [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyschuknecht] * Buy Unlocking Your Authority X-Factor on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0el8IVIm [https://a.co/d/0el8IVIm] * Website: https://twomilehighmarketing.com [https://twomilehighmarketing.com] | https://kellyschuknecht.com [https://kellyschuknecht.com]   Subscribe to The Authority X-Factor Podcast on your favorite platform and leave a review if this episode added value to you!

The Intrapreneur's Edge: How John Scott Built a Law Firm CFO Practice from the Inside Out

In this episode of The Authority X-Factor Podcast, host Kelly Schuknecht sits down with John Scott, Tax Partner at Anders and leader of the firm's virtual CFO division for the legal industry, to explore what it looks like to build a personal brand and a thought leadership platform entirely within an organization you have called home for nearly 35 years. John didn't leave his firm to start something new. He built something new inside a firm that already trusted him, leveraging decades of law firm relationships to create a specialized VCFO practice that is becoming a defining part of Anders' legacy. John's story is one Kelly tells on stages: an expert who was already doing the work, who simply needed the world to see him the way his clients already did. This episode is the full, unfiltered version of that story, including the beekeeping, the chickens his wife swore she would never feed, and why John believes the best personal brands are built by people who simply refuse to leave their personality at the door. In this episode, you'll discover: * John's Authority X-Factor * Why John chose to build within Anders rather than go out on his own, and the team-first philosophy that made the VCFO practice possible in the first place * The 12-step thought leadership plan Kelly built for John * John's advice to his day-one self * John's reflections on wanting to be relevant in the fall and winter of his career, and why building something that would thrive beyond him mattered more than coasting toward retirement Resources: * Get the Judicial Dollars and Cents on Amazon: https://go.anderscpa.com/judicial-dollars-and-cents [https://go.anderscpa.com/judicial-dollars-and-cents] * Anders Website: https://anderscpa.com [https://anderscpa.com] * Connect with John Scott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-c-scott-cpa/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-c-scott-cpa/] * Follow John on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdc.vcfo/ [https://www.instagram.com/jdc.vcfo/] * Follow John on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jdc.vcfo [https://www.tiktok.com/@jdc.vcfo] * Follow John on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jdc.virtualcfo [https://www.youtube.com/@jdc.virtualcfo] * Discover your Business' Financial Health: https://anders-virtual-cfo.scoreapp.com/p/profit-focused-accounting-maturity-assessment [https://anders-virtual-cfo.scoreapp.com/p/profit-focused-accounting-maturity-assessment] * Meet with John: https://calendly.com/jscott-kdjjcs/chat-with-john-about-vcfo-services?month=2026-02   Connect with Kelly Schuknecht: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyschuknecht [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyschuknecht] * Buy Unlocking Your Authority X-Factor on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0el8IVIm [https://a.co/d/0el8IVIm] * Website: https://twomilehighmarketing.com [https://twomilehighmarketing.com] | https://kellyschuknecht.com [https://kellyschuknecht.com]   Subscribe to The Authority X-Factor Podcast on your favorite platform and leave a review if this episode added value to you!

From Hedge Fund to Mindful Money: How Joel Salomon Broke a Board and Found His Purpose

In this episode of The Authority X-Factor Podcast, Kelly Schuknecht sits down with Joel Salomon, a finance and mindful money expert who walked away from managing a $700 million portfolio to help others achieve true financial freedom. Joel shares his transition from the intense world of hedge funds to becoming a prosperity coach who believes that the numbers in your bank account are deeply tied to the abundance in your mindset. Joel reveals how his unique Authority X-Factor combines rigorous financial strategy with deep mindset work, a pairing rarely found in the world of traditional investing. By bridging the gap between spiritual entrepreneurs and the technical world of finance, Joel provides a roadmap for anyone looking to increase their net worth without losing their soul.   In this episode, you’ll discover: * Joel’s Authority X-Factor and the specific moment he realized he was meant for a different mission * The literal "board-breaking" experience that convinced Joel to return his investors' money and shut down his hedge fund * Why traditional financial advice often fails to account for the "belief score" of an investment * The specific technique Joel uses to help clients move from low-vibration fear to a state of empowerment * How a simple shift in how often you check your bank account can drastically change your relationship with money * Joel also explains why he co-authored a book specifically designed to help couples eliminate money-related conflict and prevent divorce   Resources:   * Schedule your Breakthrough Blueprint Call: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/fa93ee09/appointment/8774948/calendar/2407980 [https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/fa93ee09/appointment/8774948/calendar/2407980] * Salaurmor Website: https://www.salaurmor.com/ [https://www.salaurmor.com/] * Social media links: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-salomon/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-salomon/] * Joel's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoelProsperitySalomon [https://www.facebook.com/JoelProsperitySalomon] * SaLaurMor's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ [https://www.facebook.com/]thejoelsalomon [https://www.facebook.com/thejoelsalomon] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ [https://www.instagram.com/]joelprosperitysalomon/ [https://www.instagram.com/joelprosperitysalomon/] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joelprosperitysalomon [https://www.tiktok.com/@joelprosperitysalomon] * The Nine Money Rules Millionaires Use by Joel Salomon: https://www.amazon.com/Money-Rules-Millionaires-Use-Unconventional/dp/0999280422 [https://www.amazon.com/Money-Rules-Millionaires-Use-Unconventional/dp/0999280422] * Mindful Money Management by Joel Salomon: https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Money-Management-Memoirs-Manager-ebook/ [https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Money-Management-Memoirs-Manager-ebook/] * Infinite Love and Money by Joel Salomon and Molly Singh:  * https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Love-Money-Financial-Practical-ebook/  [https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Love-Money-Financial-Practical-ebook/]   Connect with Kelly Schuknecht: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyschuknecht [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyschuknecht] • Buy Unlocking Your Authority X-Factor on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0el8IVIm [https://a.co/d/0el8IVIm] • Website: https://twomilehighmarketing.com [https://twomilehighmarketing.com] | https://kellyschuknecht.com [https://kellyschuknecht.com]   Subscribe to The Authority X-Factor Podcast on your favorite platform and leave a review if this episode added value to you!