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The Executive Connect Podcast

The Executive Connect Podcast

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The Executive Connect Podcast Executive Connect is a leadership and business podcast for operators, builders, and executives focused on real-world execution, growth, and long-term value creation.

Hosted by Melissa Aarskaug, the show brings together founders, investors, and senior leaders to unpack what actually works across business strategy, wealth building, AI, and leadership. These are not theoretical conversations. Each episode is grounded in experience, hard-earned lessons, and practical insight from people actively building, scaling, and investing.

From navigating complex markets to leading teams, allocating capital, and adapting to technological change, Executive Connect explores how high-performing leaders think, operate, and make decisions in real environments.

If you are building a company, leading a team, or designing your next chapter, this podcast will challenge how you think and help you move with greater clarity and intention.Copyright Executive Connect Direction Economie Management Management et direction
Épisodes
  • Why Smart Business Owners Choose Employee Ownership | Matt Middendorp

    Why Smart Business Owners Choose Employee Ownership | Matt Middendorp
    Jun 25 2026
    What if the biggest mistake a business owner can make is not getting the wrong multiple, but exiting without thinking deeply about what happens to the people and the company after they leave?

    In this episode of Executive Connect, Melissa Aarskaug sits down with Matt Middendorp to talk about ESOPs, employee ownership, and why business exits should be deliberate, not accidental. Matt shares how working at an employee-owned company changed the way he thought about culture, performance, and long-term value, and how that perspective stayed with him through banking, business ownership, and advising founders through transitions. He explains what an ESOP actually is, why it often competes well against private equity, where the tax advantages really show up, and what owners should consider if they want an exit that protects control, legacy, and employee impact.

    This episode is for founders, owners, advisors, and leaders thinking about succession, liquidity, or how to leave a company in a way that creates a win for more than just the seller. Press play before you treat your exit like a transaction instead of a decision that shapes everything after you.


    What You Will Learn
    • What an ESOP is and how employee ownership actually works
    • Why employee-owned companies often outperform non-ESOP companies
    • How Matt’s background in banking and business ownership shaped his view of exits
    • Why most owners are not deliberate enough about selling their business
    • How ESOPs compare with private equity and third-party buyers
    • Where sellers and companies can benefit from tax advantages
    • What kind of company is a strong ESOP candidate
    • Why valuation discipline matters so much in ESOP planning
    • How employee ownership can protect legacy and local communities
    • What owners should start doing five to ten years before an exit


    Chapters

    (0:34) Why most exits miss the bigger question
    (2:01) What working at an ESOP felt like
    (5:06) When Matt realized ESOPs really worked
    (7:54) Why employee ownership stayed with him
    (11:08) The case for a deliberate exit
    (13:05) What makes a company a strong ESOP fit
    (15:28) ESOP versus private equity or strategic sale
    (17:26) Where the tax advantages show up
    (20:09) Why ESOPs get misunderstood
    (24:26) What ESOPs really cost
    (25:39) What happens if the company underperforms
    (27:29) What separates successful ESOPs from weak ones
    (29:29) How to think about legacy the right way
    (33:28) What owners should do years before an exit
    (35:15) Matt’s final story on ownership mindset


    Guest Bio

    Matt Middendorp helps business owners think more strategically about succession, ownership transitions, and employee ownership. His perspective comes from working at an ESOP-owned company while putting himself through college, spending years in banking and commercial lending, and later owning and selling his own business. Today, he advises founders on how to evaluate ESOPs alongside more traditional exit paths, with a focus on helping sellers think clearly about control, value, legacy, and what happens to employees after a transaction.


    Connect with Matt Middendorp

    Website: https://www.esopready.com/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattmiddendorp/

    Connect with Executive Connect

    Website: https://www.executiveconnectexperience.com
    LinkedIn: Melissa Aarskaug
    YouTube: Executive Connect
    Instagram: @executiveconnectpodcast
    TikTok: @executiveconnectpodcast
    Facebook: Executive Connect
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    37 min
  • Building Tech That Serves, Not Just Scales | Preston Zeller

    Building Tech That Serves, Not Just Scales | Preston Zeller
    Jun 23 2026
    What happens when growth stops being the main goal and impact starts calling louder?

    In this episode of Executive Connect, Melissa Aarskaug sits down with Preston Zeller, growth architect, venture studio founder, and builder at the intersection of tech, AI, faith, and community. Preston shares what separates real growth from lucky timing, which metrics actually matter when evaluating long-term business health, and why so many founders misjudge the complexity of marketing. He also talks about using AI as a revenue multiplier, why storytelling is still one of the most powerful business skills, and what led him to build Psalm Log, a faith-based technology product designed to help people feel less isolated and more connected to Scripture.

    This episode is for founders, marketers, operators, and leaders who want to build something meaningful, not just bigger. Press play before growth becomes the only thing you worship.


    What You Will Learn
    • What separates real growth from temporary spikes
    • Which business metrics matter most for long-term health
    • Why founders often misunderstand marketing complexity
    • How AI can improve revenue operations and internal workflows
    • Why churn data can reveal what your business really needs to fix
    • How storytelling shapes better products, marketing, and leadership
    • Why Preston shifted toward faith-based technology
    • What it takes to build real community in isolated times
    • How leaders can stay grounded in uncertain environments
    • Why success means more than money, scale, or attention


    Chapters

    (0:33) When impact matters more than scale
    (2:06) Real growth versus lucky timing
    (5:01) Metrics that show business health
    (8:08) Building marketing from scratch
    (11:31) Why leaders misread marketing
    (16:09) AI as a revenue multiplier
    (20:57) Storytelling that moves people
    (27:21) Why he built faith-based tech
    (33:17) Building community in isolated times
    (39:22) Staying grounded in uncertainty
    (44:56) Redefining success beyond money
    (50:13) Where to connect and explore


    Guest Bio

    Preston Zeller is a growth architect, venture studio founder, and product builder who has helped scale startups and high-growth tech companies to as much as $300 million in ARR. His background spans growth strategy, marketing, revenue operations, AI-driven systems, and product development. Through Zeller Haas and projects like Psalm Log, Preston is now focused on building technology that serves people more deeply, especially at the intersection of faith, personal growth, and community.


    Connect with Preston Zeller

    Website: https://psalmlog.com/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prestonzeller/

    Connect with Executive Connect

    Website: https://www.executiveconnectexperience.com
    LinkedIn: Melissa Aarskaug
    YouTube: Executive Connect
    Instagram: @executiveconnectpodcast
    TikTok: @executiveconnectpodcast
    Facebook: Executive Connect
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    51 min
  • How Emotional Intelligence Fixes Broken Workplace Culture | Jevon Wooden

    How Emotional Intelligence Fixes Broken Workplace Culture | Jevon Wooden
    Jun 22 2026
    What if the real reason teams are stressed, disengaged, and underperforming has less to do with talent and more to do with leaders missing the human side of the data?

    In this episode of Executive Connect, Melissa Aarskaug sits down with Jevon Wooden, CEO of Bright Mind Consulting Group, U.S. Army veteran, and Bronze Star recipient, for a powerful conversation on emotional intelligence, trust, and culture change. Jevon shares his remarkable journey from poverty and facing seven years in prison to military leadership and executive coaching, and explains how those experiences shaped his approach to self-leadership, empathy, and transformation. He also breaks down the blind spots that damage culture, why surveys are not enough, and how his 5Y framework helps leaders build trust, create stronger teams, and guide change in a way people can actually follow.

    This episode is for leaders, managers, and professionals who want to reduce turnover, improve trust, and lead people with more clarity, humanity, and intention. Press play before you try to fix culture with metrics alone.


    What You Will Learn
    • How Jevon’s personal story shaped his leadership philosophy
    • Why emotional intelligence is essential, not optional
    • How military leadership translates into trust and teamwork at work
    • What the biggest culture killers are inside organizations
    • Why leaders miss the mark when they only rely on surveys
    • How uncertainty, stress, and poor communication damage performance
    • What the 5Y leadership framework is and how it works
    • How to lead change by involving people instead of imposing it on them
    • Why EQ directly affects retention, engagement, and results
    • How to coach “uncoachable” teams by listening first


    Chapters

    (0:16) Meet Jevon and his leadership journey
    (1:29) From prison risk to personal transformation
    (4:27) When emotional intelligence became essential
    (7:00) What military leadership teaches about trust
    (8:52) The biggest culture killers at work
    (11:21) The blind spots leaders keep missing
    (14:39) Jevon’s 5Y leadership framework
    (22:01) A real-world culture change success story
    (29:24) Why EQ affects the bottom line
    (33:00) Coaching people who resist coaching
    (36:49) Final thoughts and where to connect


    Guest Bio

    Jevon Wooden is the CEO of Bright Mind Consulting Group, a U.S. Army veteran, Bronze Star recipient, transformational speaker, coach, and leadership expert. His work focuses on emotional intelligence, self-leadership, culture transformation, and helping organizations build healthier, more effective teams. Drawing from his military experience, personal adversity, and years of leadership development work, Jevon helps leaders improve trust, reduce turnover, and create cultures where people can perform and grow.


    Connect with Jevon Wooden

    Website: https://jevonwooden.com/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jevonwooden/

    Connect with Executive Connect

    Website: https://www.executiveconnectexperience.com
    LinkedIn: Melissa Aarskaug
    YouTube: Executive Connect
    Instagram: @executiveconnectpodcast
    TikTok: @executiveconnectpodcast
    Facebook: Executive Connect
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    38 min
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