Jean Thompson went from owner to CEO of the Seattle Chocolate Company 18 years ago after the Nisqually Earthquake destroyed their factory and left the company in a difficult place. Over the last nearly two decades, Jean has re-branded the company using Pacific Northwest inspiration and ingredients and has more than quadrupled the company’s revenue. In this episode, Jean talks about the steps they are taking towards sustainability, how they are helping feed hungry families through the jcoco chocolate line, their fun R&D process and their incredible partnership with Alaska Airlines. She also shares why she loved experiencing being a stay at home mom in between her years at Microsoft and at Seattle Chocolate, and the encouraging message she’d give to her younger self.

Jean Thompson went from owner to CEO of the Seattle Chocolate Company 18 years ago after the Nisqually Earthquake destroyed their factory and left the company in a difficult place. Over the last nearly two decades, Jean has re-branded the company using Pacific Northwest inspiration and ingredients and has more than quadrupled the company&rsquo;s revenue. In this episode, Jean talks about the steps they are taking towards sustainability, how they are helping feed hungry families through the jcoco chocolate line, their fun R&amp;D process and their incredible partnership with Alaska Airlines. She also shares why she loved experiencing being a stay at home mom in between her years at Microsoft and at Seattle Chocolate, and the encouraging message she&rsquo;d give to her younger self.

Shauna Swerland, CEO of Fuel Talent, launches the What Fuels You podcast, where she sits down with influential, interesting and successful leaders to learn from them. She digs into the stories and choices that made them who they are today, with the goal of sharing the inspiration, perseverance and stories of resilience that are normally only shared within an inner circle. You'll walk away feeling fueled by each episode as Shauna uncovers things like personal hardships and failures, what it’s like to become an entrepreneur and tips on building a successful career.

What Fuels You

Shauna Swerland, CEO of Fuel Talent, launched the What Fuels You podcast to sit down with and learn from influential, interesting and successful leaders. She digs into the stories and choices that made them who they are today, with the goal of sharing the inspiration, perseverance and stories of resilience that are normally only shared within an inner circle. You'll walk away feeling fueled by each episode as Shauna uncovers things like personal hardships and failures, what it’s like to become an entrepreneur and tips on building a successful career.

Shauna Swerland, CEO of Fuel Talent, launched the What Fuels You podcast to sit down with and learn from influential, interesting and successful leaders. She digs into the stories and choices that made them who they are today, with the goal of sharing the inspiration, perseverance and stories of resilience that are normally only shared within an inner circle. You'll walk away feeling fueled by each episode as Shauna uncovers things like personal hardships and failures, what it&rsquo;s like to become an entrepreneur and tips on building a successful career.

Jean Thompson

This is a condensed version of Shauna Swerland’s 2019 interview with Dan Levitan, the co-founder of the venture capital firm Maveron. 

Dan started the firm with Howard Schultz in 1998 after helping the Starbucks team accomplish its IPO. Under Dan’s guidance, Maveron focused on “creating a cauldron of consumer passion” by forming partnerships with non-normal entrepreneurs. These partnerships have included brands like Allbirds, Ebay, Lovevery, and Zulily.

To learn more about Maveron and the team behind their consumer-focused culture, visit maveron.com.

In this recap episode, Dan explains the importance of investing in consumers and relationships, the significance of seeing the opportunity, and how to elevate your aspirations.

This is a condensed version of Shauna Swerland’s 2019 interview with Dan Levitan, the co-founder of the venture capital firm Maveron. 
Dan started the firm with Howard Schultz in 1998 after helping the Starbucks team accomplish its IPO. Under Dan’s guidance, Maveron focused on “creating a cauldron of consumer passion” by forming partnerships with non-normal entrepreneurs. These partnerships have included brands like Allbirds, Ebay, Lovevery, and Zulily.
To learn more about Maveron and the team behind their consumer-focused culture, visit <a href="http://maveron.com">maveron.com</a>.
In this recap episode, Dan explains the importance of investing in consumers and relationships, the significance of seeing the opportunity, and how to elevate your aspirations.

The Impact of Venture Capital with Dan Levitan, Co-Founder & Partner of Maveron

In this condensed version of Shauna Swerland's conversation with Chad Robins from 2019, you'll hear the origin story of Adaptive Biotechnologies, the corporate culture Chad is building there, and what Chad sees as the most important tasks of a CEO.

In this condensed version of Shauna Swerland's conversation with Chad Robins from 2019, you'll hear the origin story of Adaptive Biotechnologies, the corporate culture Chad is building there, and what Chad sees as the most important tasks of a CEO.

Insights and Takeaways with Chad Robins, CEO of Adaptive Biotechnologies

Emily Pesce is CEO of Joon, whose mission is to make mental healthcare and well-being broadly accessible and effective for 13-24 year olds. Emily has over twenty years of experience across healthcare, e-commerce, grocery, supply chain, technology, mobile, and cloud computing. She has led product, marketing, design, technology, forecasting and replenishment teams, among others. Her primary operating experiences were at Amazon (AmazonFresh, Kindle, Gaming, AWS) and Nerdy (Product). Emily has also been an investor, providing early stage capital, sometimes the first money in, to over 30 companies (Working Lab Capital, Pesce Family Ventures, NextGen Venture Partners). 

Emily Pesce is CEO of Joon, whose mission is to make mental healthcare and well-being broadly accessible and effective for 13-24 year olds. Emily has over twenty years of experience across healthcare, e-commerce, grocery, supply chain, technology, mobile, and cloud computing. She has led product, marketing, design, technology, forecasting and replenishment teams, among others. Her primary operating experiences were at Amazon (AmazonFresh, Kindle, Gaming, AWS) and Nerdy (Product). Emily has also been an investor, providing early stage capital, sometimes the first money in, to over 30 companies (Working Lab Capital, Pesce Family Ventures, NextGen Venture Partners).

Jean Thompson

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