The Heart of Business
"The Heart of Business" podcast, hosted by Mo Fathelbab, is an authentic and insightful exploration of the human side of leadership and professional growth. Through candid conversations with accomplished business leaders, thought leaders, and peer group facilitators, Mo will delve deep into the personal journeys, challenges, and triumphs that have shaped their careers. Mo Fathelbab's skillful and empathetic approach creates a safe space for guests to share their truths and vulnerabilities, revealing the emotional and often unseen dimensions of success in the corporate world. Each episode offers listeners a chance to glean practical wisdom, heartfelt advice, and a profound understanding of the intricate interplay between leadership, authenticity, and personal growth.
The "Heart of Business" is the official podcast of International Facilitators Organization, LLC and hosted by IFO's founder and CEO, Mo Fathelbab. To learn more, please visit www.internationalfacilitatorsorganization.com.
The Heart of Business
Pivoting to Happiness: Entrepreneurship, Simplicity, and the Art of Public Speaking" with Miranda Barrett
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When the world throws curveballs, how do we pivot toward happiness and fulfillment? Miranda Barrett, the trailblazing entrepreneur of Capacity to Scale whose incredible journey from a quaint small-town upbringing to orchestrating global entrepreneurial events exemplifies such a pivot. Miranda's reflections on her father's entrepreneurial influence and her own transformative stint at the White House offer a fascinating backdrop to her decade nurturing the Entrepreneurs Organization's expansion. Her stories of personal growth and seizing unexpected travel opportunities are as enlightening as they are inspiring, painting a vivid picture of the relentless pursuit of development and success.
The serenity of farm life might seem a world away from the entrepreneurial hustle, but this episode proves there's a bridge between the two. Miranda and I discuss the importance of being present, the art of finding joy in simplicity, and the humor that emerges when life takes an unanticipated turn—such as drafting HR memos for farm animals. Together, we share the early moments of a blossoming new business venture, reminding us all that it's the journey, not the destination, that defines the entrepreneurial spirit.
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Resources:
Find Miranda on LinkedIn
Capacity to Scale
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Please visit www.internationalfacilitatorsorganization.com to learn more about Mo Fathelbab and International Facilitators Organization (IFO), a leading provider of facilitators and related group facilitation services, providing training, certification, marketing services, education, and community for peer group facilitators at all stages of their career.
Welcome to the Heart of Business podcast sponsored by International Facilitators Organization. I'm your host, mo Fatalbat, and today's guest is Miranda Barrett. She founded Capacity to Scale to bring together her passion for helping entrepreneurs be their best and her love of events that make an impact, impact being the operative word. And prior to that, miranda was part of the Entrepreneurs Organization, where I also used to work, although we did not ever work together at that organization at the same time. But, miranda, a pleasure to have you with us today. Welcome.
Speaker 2Thank you so much, Mo. I'm so excited to have a conversation.
Speaker 1Well, as am I. Thank you. So, miranda, I always like to start at the beginning, so give us a little bit of where you grew up, and just give us a sense of where you come from.
Speaker 2Absolutely so. I grew up in a small town in Western North Carolina that prior to 10 years ago nobody had ever heard of, and now it's like the hot place to go, just outside of Asheville, north Carolina, and I was ready to get out of small Southern town as quickly as possible. So I ended up here in Washington DC, where I remain to go to school at George Washington University, and I've been here ever since. I met my husband in a motorcade when I was working at the White House, and we have just stayed and we're now raising our kids here.
Speaker 1Amazing, amazing. And, miranda, maybe a little bit about your career path. So what were your early childhood interests and how did they manifest into what you're doing today? And so it's a big question.
Speaker 2Sure, it is a big question. So I am the child of an entrepreneur and the funny thing is that never occurred to me until I was actually interviewing for a job at EO and they asked me you know, did I know any entrepreneurs? And then it's so silly to think about now, but that was the moment where it hit me that, you know, my dad for my entire life had been running a CPA firm together with my grandfather. And I look looking back over that career and especially, you know, during tax season very cyclical he was working 40, 60, 80 hour weeks every weekend. He was always in the business, no tax return, went out the door without his eyes checking on it, and I think that really shaped me just as far as a work ethic and how hard the work it takes to grow a business, and so that was really formative for me.
Speaker 2And then, coming to Washington DC, I was in a dorm that was just about three blocks from the White House, right and 18 years old, and I got it in my head, you know, I was like, you know I'd like to work there and I didn't realize, you know, that it's kind of a big deal, right, and I just sort of started talking to people and, through a series of just remarkably good luck, landed myself an interview and kind of got ushered into the White House intern program without going through the formal application that everyone else and you know. At the age of 18, coming from a tiny little town in North Carolina, suddenly found myself, you know, walking the halls of the White House. So pretty surreal combination of just hard work and good luck that got me to that point.
Speaker 1That is amazing. That really is impressive as well. What was? It like being at the White House at such a young age and maybe what kind of lessons did you learn from that?
Speaker 2You know, looking back, I almost cringed, just because I was so immature and didn't realize how incredibly fortunate I was to be in that place, right, and it was unpaid. I was so immature and didn't realize how incredibly fortunate I was to be in that place, right, and it was unpaid. I was working as hard as I could. I absolutely loved it. I mean the feeling of just walking in the doors and seeing you know where you were. But again, I was so young and I was just ready to learn. And after a few years my junior year I got put in the White House travel office, which was an incredible opportunity. It's the office that manages all the travel.
Speaker 2When the president goes anywhere, you know, be it. You know, russia, africa, anywhere in the world. And one day I came in to do my job of sending faxes, like we did back then, and they said that someone had appendicitis. And could I go to Germany right now? Like plane leaves in two and a half hours? And I had never.
Speaker 2I had never left the country, I had never flown internationally. I happened to have a passport, I was in the middle of my midterms at school and I literally dropped everything. I'd never been to Dulles airport before it was terrifying and dropped everything, ran back to my dorm, packed a suitcase and flew to Germany and from that point on, you know they let me choose. Anytime the president left the country, I had the opportunity to go out two weeks ahead of time and be part of the team that would set up for the visit, and in doing that I got to travel the world. It was an incredible opportunity. I missed about half my classes and still managed to graduate on time, but it really infused that just love of global travel in me and working with different cultures and team building and a group of people coming together to create something so complicated and choreographed these big events and it was just the best kind of ruins you for any job after that getting to work in the White House in that kind of capacity.
Speaker 1So working at EO was not better than working at the White House.
Speaker 2It definitely had its highs too. You kind of get used to traveling. We would charter 747s and then put 100 people on them, so Flying Coach. You're sort of ruined for Flying Coach after that experience. But yes, working at EO, I'm so grateful for that experience. I was at EO for 10 years. During that time, as we've discussed Mo, the organization grew from about 5,500 members to about I think it was about 12,000 when I left and I was so privileged to get to help launch about 15 chapters around the world that are now thriving today. So fun to see that. But yeah, I mean, eo was very much my professional growing up, like getting to be in the room with all of those incredible speakers. Like it was kind of an MBA experience in entrepreneurship.
Speaker 1And for the audience who may not be aware of EO, please tell us what EO is.
Speaker 2Absolutely so. Eo is, of course, the Entrepreneurs Organization. It's a global membership organization for people who are actively leading and owning and founding seven-figure revenue businesses, and I started there as a recruitment director at a time when the whole membership department at EO was one part-time person who would print out emails and put them in a binder and that was the CRM right. Who would print out emails and put them in a binder and that was the CRM right. So I was brought on to grow out the whole member recruitment side of EO so that we were being much more proactive about finding entrepreneurs who really fit the DNA of EO and launching a new chapters. And then later I also took on new member integration. Then I took on overall renewals and retention and then I also got to lead the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards program.
Speaker 1Oh, and that must have been amazing. That program, I know, has made a difference for so many people.
Speaker 2I absolutely loved it and you know it's funny, I'm in a WhatsApp group from our 2017 global finalists when we brought together students from 52 countries in Bangkok, thailand, kept them all alive for a four day period, which I think might be my greatest accomplishment in those 10 years. I can't say students now because they're, all you know, well-graduated, but they're all still talking to each other and visiting each other and I love that. I got to play a role in forming that community right that now that there's a woman entrepreneur in Rwanda who is besties, you know, with someone in Australia because of connections that we help them make, and I just love. It's not often we get to see our impact so clearly and the work we did expanding GSEA to so many countries and looking at where it is now, which is even miles beyond that is just so rewarding.
Speaker 1How many countries is it spanning today?
Speaker 2Well, it's funny, when I took it over it was in about 25. And the EO Global Chairman at the time came in my office and said we're going to double this to 50 and I need you to do it in six months and we're not going to give you any more budget. Probably said it a little bit, a little bit nicer than that, and and it was such a fun challenge we literally unrolled a map in my office, said okay, where do we want to go and how are we going to get there? So I think you know now. I'm sure it's in the sixts 70s. It was featured on a National Geographic documentary, own the Room, which was just. I bawled through the whole thing and it's incredible just to see where it is now and there's a wonderful team that has taken it and run with it, but myself and a few other wonderful EO members Alex Reed, stephen Short, people like that really helped us get to the point where we are now.
Speaker 1So your career sounds amazing and what a great place to be. I know, having been at EO myself for seven years much earlier than you were there, of course how much it was life-changing for me and how much it was incredible in terms of building a global community. Really, so, along your wonderful career, any hiccups.
Embracing Change and Finding Happiness
Speaker 2Oh, so many hiccups, mo. So many hiccups, right Like I love that. This show is all about honesty and vulnerability and telling like the real stories. So you know for sure, there's always hiccups. There are always things you wish you could go back and do differently. There's always hiccups. There are always things you wish you could go back and do differently.
Speaker 2I mean, for me the pandemic was a huge career upender right, like for many of us, and I was in a job that I really loved, but it was very intense and I had kids home full time and my husband was working as a journalist. He was working extremely full time. We had relocated to a farm in rural Virginia and I just realized that we couldn't, as a family, continue on with both my husband and I working so hard and it felt like a failure and kind of very anti-feminist and everything for me to be the one that left. But at the same time, it was a huge relief that I could spend 18 months really focusing on taking care of the family during the pandemic and making sure that we had this wonderful experience together, this unique time living on a farm and different kind of lifestyle. But it did at the time it just felt letting go of career for an undetermined period of time definitely felt like a hiccup.
Speaker 1Yeah, and gosh being a globetrotter and starting all these chapters and all these you know trips and all these conferences, to living on a farm. That must have been an adjustment.
Speaker 2It was a huge adjustment and I think I hadn't taken for granted what a social animal I was. You know, living here in the city where you can, you know, just walking my dogs this morning, running into three people I knew, and suddenly we were on a hundred acre farm where we didn't know a lot of people, certainly not many people my age that I was friends with and yeah, it was a. It was a big change and to amuse myself, I started writing HR memos to the farm animals and posting those on LinkedIn. We called it notes from the pandemic house manager. So you know, one of the chickens got a performance improvement plan.
Speaker 2You know, some apologies to other animals for our just complete ineptitude.
Speaker 2You did not know what we were doing as farmers, but I mean, for many of us, complete ineptitude. You did not know what we were doing as farmers, but I mean, for many of us, the pandemic forced us to really look at what we need to be happy in our lives, and I really I mean losing the global travel, like when I left EO. It was like losing an arm for a period of time. But I think you can also make your own happiness wherever you are right, and so once I, when I left my job and I suddenly had all this energy and free time, I was like you know what? We're just, we're all in here Like we're going to, we're getting a tractor, we're getting some four wheelers. I said yes to the goats. I think if we, if we had the pandemic had gone on any longer, I was starting to look at alpacas, which would have been such a disaster right For us and the alpacas. So it was good that we moved back to the city when we did.
Speaker 1Well, I want to just repeat what you said you make your happiness wherever you are. I think so many people that I know are so wed to something, whether it's a career or a place that they live or whatever, and when change comes, it can really affect them negatively. And to be able to find your happiness wherever you are is a true gift and a treasure. Did you just happen to stumble upon that notion or did you learn it somewhere?
Speaker 2You know, I think for us having two homes, you know, having the farmhouse is a blessing, but it also means, like you know, your heart's in two different places, right, like when we are at the farm.
Speaker 2You know we have this wonderful outdoor space and it's a giant house and it's wonderful to be there, you know.
Speaker 2And then here in the city we have we can walk to all of our favorite coffee shops and friends are nearby and everything, and so you can either spend your time in each place wishing you were at the other one, or you can just choose to be present and make the most of where you are at the time and not worry about you know we're going home in three days, whatever it is just really be present with where you are and what's so wonderful about it, and not spend too much time wishing you were somewhere else or that something was different.
Speaker 2And you know, honestly, that's the approach I'm trying to take with my business right now, mo, because, being in the EO environment, you know I've seen incredibly successful entrepreneurs, by most definitions, who have scaled the businesses and taken them there, and I'm at the very, very beginning of that journey, right, and it's easy to wish that I was three, four more years, in that I had started this sooner, that I had used my pandemic time differently. But at the same time I'm also just trying to be present in the journey and make the most of where I am right now, and I've got a wonderful team on this journey with me and we're just trying to have fun and help people.
Speaker 1And you have a great attitude and a great disposition and great experience and it's going to take off like a rocket ship. So tell us about your new business.
Public Speaking Entrepreneurship Success and Challenges
Speaker 2Yeah, absolutely so. Capacity to Scale exists to help entrepreneurs who want to get more ROI out of public speaking but don't want to deal with all the commotion that comes sort of before and after the stage. Right, like, as a public speaker yourself, you know very well it's much more than just striding confidently on stage and grabbing the microphone. Right, there's a lot of. There's marketing, there's proposals, there's understanding the conference landscape, there's all the materials that you have to build to be ready and for a lot of people who love to speak, they don't love that part of the process. Right, and we strongly believe in placing great, helping amazing speakers find the right events. Right.
Speaker 2For me, going to so many events, both through EO and other industry conferences and things, a bad speaker or a bad event just feels like this massive violation of trust. Right, like, you have all these people who have paid time and, more importantly, paid money, and then their time and their time away from their family and travel to be there, and as a conference organizer, you owe it to them that they have trusted you with this precious time of theirs, and so we're so passionate about not just helping speakers succeed but the audiences that they're going to impact. Right and making the most of that audience's time. And so, with my background kind of spanning both the association industry my 10 years as an association professional and then on the entrepreneurship side, we just love bringing those two things together to help really great speakers get on those stages and impact those audiences.
Speaker 1I love that, I love that mission and, as a speaker, I absolutely appreciate what you do because, yeah, I just want to stride on stage and do my thing.
Speaker 2Do your thing right. You do it so well.
Speaker 1There's a whole lot. At our stage, that's got to happen. Absolutely, I get it, and so, having worked with so many speakers, have you seen any themes in terms of what makes for success?
Speaker 2Any themes in terms of what makes for success. You know it's funny, but I'm always constantly surprised by the lack of confidence in so many of these great speakers who have compelling stories to share and they just start questioning themselves like who would want to hear this? Is this really going to help anybody? And they're really not embracing their own greatness and the value that they can bring to audiences. You know, even when I was working at EO, I figured out quickly that entrepreneurs need that reassurance sometimes, right, because maybe they're not getting it from employees.
Speaker 2They're at the top of the business and so, working with them, I always try to look for, you know, helping them see the value in themselves and the content that they're delivering. You know, helping them see the value in themselves and the content that they're delivering. And so that's definitely something that I'm seeing with speakers. I mean, topics are always hot, topics are always changing and evolving, and conference organizers don't always love the selection process that they have in place for choosing speakers. They know that it's not always going to give them the best outcomes, and so, you know, for me, relationship building is so important. I'm not someone who's going to buy a list of 4,000 names and start marketing to it right. Like I would much rather have really great relationships with 50 people who are organizing events and they trust me to make recommendations, and that's more of the model that we're growing into.
Speaker 1I think that is absolutely brilliant. More of the model that we're growing into. I think that is absolutely brilliant. So, amanda, looking back on everything you've done thus far, what would you say is the one highlight? And what would you say other than the pandemic? Maybe is one challenging time.
Speaker 2Wow, tough question, challenging time. Wow, tough question. Highlight, I'm going to have to say, is just where I am right now. I mean, I still like it cracks me up walking to work every day here at the fancy WeWork that that I'm getting to do this and I'm in this space and that, you know, people are coming to me now and I'm reaching the point where people I don't know are reaching out, which is really amazing and exciting. So I think, even if I were to just fold up the business tomorrow, I would say this is the highlight that I'm in right now, just feeling all the opportunity and energy and the fact that I have such amazing people along with me for the ride, like we choke up.
Lessons in Passion and Success
Speaker 1So yeah, yeah, I'm going to say Before you get to the second part, I just want to tell you I really connect with that. When I started Forum Resources Network, for a year and a half we had I don't know how much in sales, but so much that I had $30,000 in credit card debt and I was living in my mom's basement in 1997, 98. And here's the thing even then I wouldn't trade it for the world Even then. So I hear that passion from you and it warms my heart.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, and I have to remember that next time I look at like my software bill this month, what we're paying for. But yeah, I just, I just it feels like such a privilege that I get to be doing this and experimenting and trying, you know, trying new things, and you know my team is so tolerant of my, you know constant. You know now we're going to do this, now we're going to do that and and really focus on growing the business. And so, yeah, this is, this is absolutely high, you know it's funny low we. I think we learned so much from the lows. Right, like the lows send us a lesson about what our values are and what we need to be happy.
Speaker 2And before I worked at EO, I was in a job that, by all definitions, should have been like a great fit for me, right, and I lasted six months and you know it was in tears on the way to work every day.
Speaker 2I had someone suggest that I maybe could think with three brain cells instead of the usual two. Actually, say that out loud, right, yeah, right, and very, you know, prestigious place to work. You know should have been, should have been a good fit. But it also just taught me, you know it's not what you're doing, but who you're working with is so much more important. Right, and the other things are just details, like your title, the fancy office I had, the beautiful building that I was in, the perks of the job, all those other things. If you're working with people in an environment where there's no trust and it's just toxic, get the heck out. I mean, life is too short to be miserable every day, and my only regret is that I hung in as long as I did and it was through that job that I that I ended up at EO, so there was something much better waiting on the other side.
Speaker 1It's all meant to be right. It's. It happens as it should, and what a lesson I mean. Again, to be crying every day on the way to work is a sign I shouldn't be there.
Speaker 2A little bit. I mean, I'd say it's more than a sign, it's a smack in the face.
Speaker 2It's a smack in the face and it's silly that it took me so long to see that. But when you're at a certain age and a certain point in your career, you worry about things like how's it going to look on my resume that I was at this place for six, seven months? What do I do? Quitting a job without having one lined up? You know all those things and it it freaked out you know people around me that I was doing that, um, but it ended up being. You know I need. I took me. I had three months of just decompressing and and running every day and working on the house and then I started job hunting and I had two job offers on the same day.
Speaker 1Wow, there you go, there you go, there you go. Well, it's a success story as far as I could see, and there is no success story without some dip along the way.
Speaker 2Absolutely.
Speaker 1I think your attitude is beautiful. Your outlook is amazing. I know your work is brilliant and anybody who works with you will be lucky to benefit from your services. And you know, being a speaker, they say, is more scary for people than dying. So most people would rather die than get up and speak on stage, and so I'm connecting with that as well. I certainly remember one of my first gigs and finding myself with you know, a shirt that's drenched from my sweat. So, yeah, it takes a little time to get over that stuff, but thank you so much for all you do. It's been absolutely wonderful speaking with you and knowing you for all these years. Thank you so much, miranda, for joining us.
Speaker 2Thank you so much. It was lovely. Thank you, mo, knowing you for all these years. Thank you so much, miranda, for joining us.
Speaker 1Thank you so much. It was lovely. Thank you, mo. Thank you so, as always, you can find the Heart of Business podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Also, reviews are really important to help our visibility. If you enjoyed today's episode, please leave a review to help others find the show. And thank you all very much. Once again, have a wonderful day.
