Real Leaders

Backyard Peace Story

It was a warm California afternoon, the kind that hums with possibility. I was sitting in a circle of extraordinary leaders in Los Angeles — people I had admired from afar for years. The energy in the room was electric yet deeply peaceful, like every heart had been cracked open. I felt like I had […]

Defying Chocolate’s Dark Side: Alter Eco Foods

There’s a better way to bring consumers their cocoa fix — and it can be profitable. Consuming chocolate is an ancient ritual long savored as a delectable treat — but it has a dark side. A majority of the world’s cocoa beans are grown in West Africa due to optimal growing conditions, where there’s a […]

Wellness Leader Hugh & Grace Named Most Transformative Company of 2025

At the 2025 Real Leaders UNITE gathering in San Diego, Hugh & Grace was awarded the Most Transformative Company Award, a recognition that highlights organizations achieving extraordinary growth while creating a lasting, positive impact on people’s lives. Hosted at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, the event brought together 150 top CEOs and purpose-driven executives to […]

Business Broke My Soul, But I Took it Back

Every time I was asked to retouch a photo of a woman beyond human capacity, something inside me fractured. I blurred out scars that tell stories, smoothed skin that didn’t get society’s permission to age, cinched waists, erased bellies, polished people into fiction. At a certain point I stopped seeing the work as creative and […]

Q&A with Matt Armanino, CEO of Armanino

Armanino ranked No. 8 on the 2025 Real Leaders Top Impact Companies list for balancing the planet’s lefts and rights.  Armanino is a B-Corp certified, top 20 accounting and consulting firm dedicated to empowering businesses through innovative solutions in audit, tax, consulting, and technology. Armanino’s purpose is to be the most innovative and entrepreneurial firm […]

From Emptiness to Fulfillment

I made the leap from a draining career to a purpose-led life. Here’s how you can too. I was fortunate to have had plenty of coveted career opportunities — from a young marketing trainee with a fast-tracked curriculum to becoming a business unit head in a C-suite position in a prime A-list market. I had […]

Q&A with Brandon Schwertner, CEO of Priority Power

Priority Power ranked No. 7 on the 2025 Real Leaders Top Impact Companies list in recognition of lighting the way to a clean energy world. Priority Power is a leading independent energy solutions provider focused on lowering energy costs, meeting sustainability goals, and removing growth impediments for large corporate and industrial customers. Priority serves over […]

Q&A with Don Wenner, DLP Capital Founder and CEO

DLP Capital ranked No. 6 on the 2025 Real Leaders Top Impact Companies list for building dreams and thriving communities one home at a time. DLP Capital is a private real estate investment firm focused on transforming lives by building thriving communities. Through its sponsored funds comprised of accredited investors, DLP finances, develops, constructs, and […]

Why Fear Became My Best KPI

I learned fear is the real signpost showing if I’m building something meaningful. I was genuinely upset the day my first book became a bestseller. The book, based on an idea I’d been passionate about for a full year, was now flying off shelves — but someone else had written it. About a year earlier, while […]

My Realignment Journey

When I was preparing to raise my first fund, the accelerator I joined pushed hard for me to follow the playbook: Move fast, create momentum, close early. I was operating on fear of missing out, and I’ve never liked that energy. If something is aligned, the decision should feel clear; if it’s not, you wait […]