She was Head of Marketing at YPO

Welcome to another Founder Wisdom Pod. We have Linda Fisk with us. Linda is president at CurveUp. She's chairwoman of Leadership Global, 2x Stevie International Business Award. We're going to cover what that one entails. 2x TED speaker, 6x international best-selling author, TV producer, podcast host. You're a lot of things, Linda. Keynote speaker, board advisor in Dallas, Texas. Welcome to the pod. Tell us a bit more about yourself, Linda.

Charles, thank you so much. What a pleasure to be with you. It's, uh, this is an incredible podcast, and the number of guests that you've been able to attract to this platform and the quality and caliber of not just the guests but the conversations is absolutely unmatched. So, Charles, it is a thrill and a pleasure to be here with you. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share this time with you.

Yeah, tell us a bit more about yourself.

So I am, uh, right now I have the good fortune of serving for two different organizations. I hold the title of chairwoman for an organization called Leadhership Global. Leadhership Global is very much like what the name would suggest. It is a leadership organization for women all over the world that are either embarking on their own entrepreneurial journey or they've been hired into their executive role in the C-suite of a major for-profit or nonprofit organization. Our focus in LeadHershipGlobal is to help accelerate the success of women all over the world. I also serve as the president of another organization called Curve Up. Curve Up is an absolutely breakthrough, uh, AI-powered platform. CurveUp is actually kind of the AI-powered ecosystem and the intelligent copilot for entrepreneurs and business builders that are interested in growing, scaling, and exiting their company fast and successfully. It's really designed to help entrepreneurs see more clearly, connect more meaningfully, and move forward with more confidence. So I will tell you that AI is absolutely revolutionizing the way that we connect, the way we access information, the way that we develop community. And CurveUp itself is being built and managed with expert input. So human experience still shapes the system and guides the recommendations so that they remain practical, appropriate, and grounded in real business needs. But AI allows entrepreneurs to get access to funding, to mentors, to coaches, to service providers, resources, tools, everything that they would need in order to accelerate their success. So in plain English, CurveUp helps entrepreneurs understand where they are right now, what matters most in taking that next step, where support might be needed, and where possible gaps or risks might be so that they can begin to prioritize their time and their resources to accelerate their success.

And how does a PhD in clinical psychology go to biz dev and marketing and corporate roles?

Yeah, that's a great question. So before I embarked on my PhD, I went to both Southern Methodist University here in Dallas, Texas, as well as Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. And before I embarked on that PhD program, I had actually served in very senior roles, executive roles in advertising agencies. So I had built a career working at some of the most successful, highly regarded, incredibly successful advertising agencies in the world. Things like, for those of you that are familiar with the advertising industry, you'll know names like Ogilvy Mather, Young Rubicon, Hal Riney Partners. And I really built my career and rose through the ladders in advertising and marketing in my early career. Then I jumped into managing the marketing departments of major organizations So I was the chief marketing officer for Gaylord Entertainment, for Scripps Networks, for Bilo Interactive. These are huge media organizations where I actually ran the marketing and sales development aspect of those organizations before I decided to embark on a PhD. And honestly, I had risen through the ranks so quickly and achieved such success at such an early age and had embarked on sort of the CMO position by the time I was in my 30s. So at that point— early 30s. So at that point, I really wanted to go back and learn. I had felt like my career had led me to some extraordinary experiences and some incredible leadership roles. But I'd really slowed down my own professional development. So I wanted to go back to school to continue learning, and initially I intended to get an MBA, but then I realized that an MBA really didn't distinguish me from all the other people out there that were, um, high-achieving executives. Uh, everybody had an MBA, so I wanted to do something unique and different. So I thought, well, What's most closely related to marketing and sales and really organizational operations is psychology. Psychology underpins the way we are motivated, the way we make decisions, the way we interact with each other, the way that we define success. It really helps underpin every single aspect of human relationships and human motivation, behavior. Thinking, everything. So I thought, OK, well, if I get a master's and PhD in psychology, that will certainly distinguish me from everyone who has an MBA. So I did that. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go to both Southern Methodist University and Vanderbilt University, both on a scholarship. And so the graduate school was paid for me. But as I began really learning about psychology at a master's and PhD level, I realized that, in fact, this opens up huge doors beyond just working in a corporate environment for me. I could be a professor. I could be a therapist. I could be a lot of different things within the realm of psychology. And I felt like that not only gave me huge opportunities outside of corporate America, but it also sharpened my skill set and allowed me to be more effective in my role in corporate America. So that's what happened there, Charles.

And I see you worked in health and disabilities and cancer as well. Why did you pick these specific industries?

So in all of those industries, I was still serving in a marketing role. I was, you know, in Advertising, I grew all the way from, you know, assistant account executive all the way to group director, senior vice president, group director. And when I hopped over to the corporate side, I began running big marketing teams for some of the largest organizations out there, including, as you noted, Susan G. Komen, the disability group, several different organizations. But what was a theme, I think, throughout all of those positions— CRC Health Group, the disability group, Susan G. Komen— was my passion for helping disadvantaged or in any way sort of marginalized people, people that were in need of significant help and simply didn't have access to the same opportunities as others. So in CRC Behavioral Health, it was all about mental healthness. In disability, it was just that— those people that were dealing with a, a life-changing disability, and the disability group gave them legal protections. In Susan G. Komen, this is a nonprofit fully dedicated to helping eradicate breast cancer off planet Earth, and they gave people that were diagnosed with breast cancer opportunities to get the kind of care that they needed, the kind of support they needed. And they fund— funded research in the breast cancer arena and really were the architects of some of the biggest breakthroughs in breast cancer care over the last two decades. So in all of those roles, I was very much focused on trying to help marginalized or disadvantaged groups get access to the kind of resources and tools and support that they needed to live fulfilling and productive lives. And after that juncture, I began working with big leadership organizations. And in the last part of my career, I've really been focused on how you are able to tackle any big challenge in your life, any obstacle, any roadblock by locking arms with like-minded leaders. And what I learned over the last decade of working in senior roles for from CMO all the way to CEO at some of the largest leadership organizations in the world is that leaders coming together with a common vision, a common mission, common purpose can literally overcome any systemic issue, cultural issue, industry issue, or it could be much more personal, personal or company issues that you could be facing. The power of a network of extraordinary leaders coming together to solve a problem, to overcome an obstacle, is absolutely mind-boggling. And I saw it firsthand where some of the world's most daunting problems are being solved and have been solved by think tanks of leaders that come together with a single focus mission of solving a problem. So I will tell you that I became a convert after I experienced that. I really began looking at the multiplier effect of leadership and bringing leaders together to focus on a common issue. And it was absolutely transformative. And when I started recognizing the power of leaders being able to come together, I realized this is something that I want to do uniquely for women.

And I saw you were part of YPO as well, like, uh, not part as a member, but like literally head of global marketing for 4 years. YPO is a pretty cool organization. What did you learn from your time there?

Yeah, you know, YPO is an amazing organization. And again, I served as the head of marketing for YPO. So in that role of Chief Marketing Officer, my position was really about member acquisition, member retention, programming for members, really understanding why members joined YPO, the value that they found in that leadership organization, what meant the most to them in their YPO experience, and how to attract more members into that incredible dynamic group of extraordinary leaders all around the world. And really what I found is more so than the programming, the events, more than the connections and community that YPO offered, it was really this deep sort of community that YPO fosters through something called Forum that really transitions someone from a member into an advocate, into a world champion of the organization. Forum is the opportunity for about 10 to 15 members to come together in a trust-based relationship, really being very transparent, very open, very honest about the struggles that they're facing, either in their private life or their professional life or something that maybe their region of the world is struggling with, and to be able to tap into the collective wisdom of all of their other forum members. And the neatest thing about that is, again, that sense of bonding, that sense of trust that YPO was able to foster within the forum experience really was transformational for all the members. They felt seen, they felt heard, and they felt like they had a safe place to be able to voice their concerns, their their apprehensions, even their failures without judgment. And with this idea that they would be supported along the way, that they would be championed, they would be supported, and they would receive real guidance in real time about anything that they could be struggling with.

And yeah, what came after YPO, I think that was Susan J. Komen, right? And then I think you launched your own initiative at some point. How— when did you actually pivot from corporate to owning your own stuff?

Yeah, I will tell you that I served as both CMO, head of marketing for YPO, and then I served as CEO for another leadership organization. Called Collective54. And about the time that I was the chief executive officer for Collective54 is about the time that I started recognizing that women, even here in the US, face the kind of roadblocks and challenges that men typically don't experience. So women receive less than 2% of all venture capital funding. They receive less than 8% of all speaker opportunities on stages. They receive less than 10% of every media interview ever done in the United States. They receive less than 5% of Fortune 500 board seats. And across board director positions nationally, they receive less than 10% of board positions. So again, women often face the kind of cultural, socioeconomic, and political obstacles and barriers that men typically don't. So it was at that time that I really started recognizing that creating a leadership organization specifically for women was my natural next step to help ensure that they have access to the same sort of resources and tools and opportunities that men take for granted. I, I have nothing against men. I work with men. I have been mentored and coached by men. Many of my supervisors have been men. I happen to be married to a man, but I find that women around the world face all kinds of implicit and explicit biases and, um, intentional and unintentional discrimination that men typically don't. In many areas of the world, women don't have equal access to education. They don't have equal access to, um, being able to make decisions in their own life. They don't have decisions over who they marry. They don't have decisions over their own body. And often in other places in the world, women still can't drive a car. They can't own property. They can't open up their own business. They can't even open up their own bank account without someone cosigning on that bank account with them and for them. So in that way, I feel like we still have a lot of work to do to level the playing field for women. And looking back now, I can see that the challenges I've faced throughout my career have been the launchpad for my biggest success teaching me the power of perseverance, tenacity, steadfastness, combined with attributes like forgiveness, kindness, and grace. And all of that has led to the culmination of being able to step into my own entrepreneurial journey with LeadHershipGlobal. And I will tell you, all the happiest and the most successful people I've been able to work with throughout my entire career had one thing in common. They found a way to contribute value to the world, and they are very well rewarded for their efforts. So that's really what I took with me in the creation of LeadHershipGlobal is that I found a way to contribute value to the world, and I had the confidence to believe that I would be well rewarded for serving women all over the world. And I have found, honestly, that the seeds of your wealth are tucked away in a very surprising place, your greatest interests and passions. And of course, simply following your passions isn't going to be enough. You have to find a way to make your passions pay because otherwise, that's a hobby and not a business. So that means finding a way to use your interests and talents to contribute value to the world. And I feel like we've done that in both Curve Up and LeadHershipGlobal.

And what's missing for women to have more equal opportunities?

So I feel like this is, again, it's a very complicated issue because it's socioeconomic, it's political, it's cultural. But, you know, it was only about 100 years ago that women were given the right to vote. It's only 200 years ago that women were given the right to open up their own bank account. To be able to sign their own checks. And so when you think about even the progress that we've made in the last 100, 200 years here in the United States, we have just been able to attain some of the very basic rights that men have always had available to them. And there are still cultural, socioeconomic, and I think ways of thinking and behaving towards women that are still kind of a throwback to those times. And so I think that being able to be on a level playing field with men isn't going to happen overnight. Some of this is changing minds and hearts. Some of this is making systemic changes in organizations. Some of this is creating real revolutions, like when women won the right to vote. And so I feel like corporate board seats are a place where we have an opportunity to have an equal voice in the decisions being made in corporate America all over the nation and, honestly, all over the world. Women are the number one largest consumer of any household product or service. And yet we are not at the table when those decisions are being made. Around products and services for the household, for the family. And we are the largest consumer of those products and services. And so I think that it's going to take time, but it's also going to take advocacy. It's going to take championship. And that's absolutely what we stand for. LeadHERship Global is a place where women of extraordinary accomplishment can come together for growth that transcends titles. This is a private curated community that's committed to purpose, profit, and personal legacy. And part of that personal legacy is to stand up for other women around the world and demand change where change is needed.

How does that stand against groups like Chief.com that has been incredibly successful?

Yeah, Chief has been incredibly successful. CHIEF's focus is primarily on those women that lead in a corporate environment. So CHIEF has been incredibly successful gathering women around a table who are from a corporate environment. So these are vice presidents and above that work for a larger corporate entity. In LeadHershipGlobal, we invite women certainly in a corporate leadership role, but also those women that are on their own entrepreneurial journey. They're creating their own legacy by changing industry, by changing products and services, by really creating something unique and differentiated in the world. So our members tend to be definitely purpose-driven, but very heart-centered because they're trying to create impact in the world by bringing a product or service into the marketplace that hasn't been there before. And in LeadHershipGlobal, we don't just promise access to other members in leadership organizations. We promise transformation for every single member. At LeadHershipGlobal, every single aspect of our membership is designed to elevate your leadership, expand your visibility, accelerate your business success, and ensure that you never lead alone. So we transform women in leadership from the inside out. Again, not with formulas, but with frameworks, not with hustle, but with alignment. Because in my opinion, the world doesn't need more busy women. It needs more values-driven leaders that are recognized and remembered. And at LeadHership Global, we help women become that— recognized and remembered.

And don't you think that corporations are actually not helping the cause of women, just like keeping them in nice golden handcuffs and not ever having them reach, uh, life-changing wealth, which is, uh, owning and running your company, and most importantly, owning your destiny, owning your words, right? Not being under NDAs. What are your thoughts on that?

Yeah, Charles, such a good thought. I would say two things. One, entrepreneurship, it's not for everyone. It is definitely not for the faint-hearted. As an entrepreneur, you, at least when you're starting out, you really are the chief everything officer. In a corporate environment, you normally have staff and other departments and divisions that are there to support the organization's overall mission and vision. So you're part of a very intricate web of teams. And hierarchies all sort of there to support you. In entrepreneurship, you have to be confident enough to know that I may not know everything about marketing, but I know enough. I may not be the best salesperson, but I can learn. I may not know everything there is to know about operations, but I can learn. So as an entrepreneur, you have to have the confidence to know that you may not be an expert in all things, but you know enough to be able to execute and implement and then hire to those positions where you really need support and help. And now in today's marketplace, there's so many opportunities to hire fractional talent, fractional CFOs, fractional COOs, fractional CMOs, that now as an entrepreneur, you have access to the highest level of talent. At a fraction of the cost, and that's really helpful. But the numbers for entrepreneurship can be really daunting. Only 1 in 10 businesses ever truly scale. So think about that. You could go into business believing that at some point you're going to be able to build this large organization, this significant team. You're going to be able to step out of the role of having to do everything yourself And yet, because the systems, the processes that you've created don't allow the business to scale, you're stuck in this role of doing a little bit of everything. Or maybe you feel as though you need to have ultimate control. And so everything has to run through you and by you. If you do that, you are going to be a statistic that I just mentioned. That only 1 in 10 businesses ever truly scale. And Charles, you know this, there's more than 60% of entrepreneurial ventures here in the United States alone that will fail before they've even been in business 5 years. So think about that. Before you've started your business and hit your 5-year anniversary, more than 60% of entrepreneurial ventures will fail. Now, that is why we believe that everyone needs to be part of a community like Curva, because it is designed to help entrepreneurs see more clearly, connect more meaningfully, and move forward with confidence. And when I say that Curva is an intelligent copilot, I don't mean Curva replaces the entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs are still the visionaries. They're still the decision makers. They're still the ones carrying the courage, the creativity, the responsibility of building something really meaningful. CurveUp is not AI in isolation. The entrepreneur remains central. The entrepreneur brings the lived reality of the business, the customer conversations, the market pressure, the timing, opportunity, risk, and judgment. But CurveUp itself is being built and managed with expert input. So the human experience still shapes the system, guides the recommendations so that they remain really practical. And it provides the kind of support to ensure that 60% of entrepreneurial ventures don't fail moving forward. It provides the personalized hub, the guided next steps, the readiness support, and access to trusted experts and services and a way of being able to move from, I think I know how to do this, to actually executing successfully. And we think that that's going to make the biggest difference and the biggest impact for entrepreneurs just like you, Charles.

I love it, Linda. Thanks for being on today. Where can people find out more about you?

You're welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn. I'm Linda Fisk on LinkedIn. Or you're welcome to drop a note to Leadhership Global. On LinkedIn, and I'm happy to get back in touch. And certainly both websites are available too, so you can get in touch with CurveUp.io or LeadHership Global on— through email, and I am happy to be in touch with you.

That was Linda and Charles Cormier, founder