In this episode of Behind the Build, Curtis Forbes sits down with Ali Kraus, CFE and Chief Marketing Officer at Benetrends Financial, to explore her journey from autism educator to franchise industry leader. Alishares how her passion for people, culture, and community fuels both her marketing career and her nonprofit, Furry Frans, which brings comfort to children in crisis. She opens up about navigating stereotypes, fostering inclusive workplaces across generations, and why scaling culture takes more than HR—it takes energy, empathy, and shared leadership. Whether you’re growing a business or growing as a leader, Ali’s perspective on empowerment and authenticity will leave you inspired.

About Ali:

Ali Kraus, CFE, is the Chief Marketing Officer at Benetrends Financial, where she leads brand strategy, marketing, and growth initiatives for one of the franchise industry’s most trusted funding partners. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the International Franchise Association’s Women’s Franchise Committee, championing empowerment and leadership for women across franchising. Ali is the co-founder of Furry Frans, a nonprofit bringing comfort to children in crisis, and is passionate about building community, creating impact, and helping entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality.

Building Culture, Breaking Barriers: Ali Kraus on Leadership in Franchising

Kate Halfwassen spent years leading organizations through transformation before teaming up with her husband to co-found their boutique consultancy. Together, they help businesses sharpen their focus, align their teams, and pursue ambitious growth goals. Kate joins Curtis to discuss what it’s really like to mix marriage and entrepreneurship, how family values shape their client work, and why leading with clarity and empathy makes all the difference.

About Kate:

Kate Halfwassen is a proven thought partner, having held key operations and finance roles throughout her career. Her C-Suite experience provides her with a deep understanding of business from the inside. She is known for championing empowerment and guiding teams toward achieving their growth goals. Kate excels at navigating the challenges of overwhelm by offering clear, actionable insights that align strategic vision with action steps across all levels of the organization.

Turning Shared Strengths into Growth with Kate Halfwassen

Curtis sits down with Rachel Aleknavicius to explore how Nava is reshaping the benefits landscape. From tackling outdated brokerage practices to creating AI-driven tools that simplify HR’s toughest challenges, Rachel sheds light on how benefits can transform from a source of frustration into a competitive advantage. She also shares why listening, transparency, and pushing back on “the way it’s always been done” are critical for organizations that want to attract and retain top talent.

About Rachel:

Rachel Aleknavicius is a benefits consultant with a passion for helping organizations turn their employee benefits into a true competitive advantage. With years of experience supporting large national organizations, public sector entities, and small-to-mid-sized businesses, she’s known for simplifying complex benefits challenges and delivering strategies that save money while enhancing employee satisfaction. As a proud single mother by choice, Rachel brings a deep sense of empathy and advocacy to her work, drawing on her own experiences navigating healthcare and workplace complexities. She partners closely with HR and executive teams to create innovative, sustainable benefits strategies that drive both talent retention and organizational success.

Beyond the Status Quo: Rachel Aleknavicius on Reimagining Benefits

In this episode of Behind the Build, Curtis Forbes sits down with Meghan Focht, Human Capital Director at Concurrency, to explore the intersection of people, culture, and technology. With over 15 years of HR leadership across industries, Meghan shares candid insights on guiding organizations through digital transformation, from embracing AI tools to managing cultural resistance and fostering psychological safety. She unpacks how leaders can empower employees, build trust, and drive adoption while keeping human connection at the center of work. If you’re curious about the future of HR, organizational change, and the skills tomorrow’s leaders need most, this conversation is packed with perspective and practical takeaways.

About Meghan:

Meghan Focht is the Human Capital Director at Concurrency and has over 15 years of HR experience. With experience in Education, manufacturing, hospitality, and IT, Meghan has experience in various areas of HR and across multiple industries. Meghan is married to her husband Brian. She has 3 kids: John, Kate, and Jane, and a 12-year-old chocolate lab, Clarence.

Building Culture in the Age of AI with Meghan Focht

In this episode of Behind the Build, host Curtis Forbes chats with Kim Walters, founder of Yes…And, LLC and cultural engagement specialist. With a background in education, leadership, and consulting, Kim shares how her journey — from teaching literacy to guiding organizations through cultural assessments — shaped her mission to help leaders “close the gaps.” Together, they explore how trust, belonging, and self-awareness drive retention and engagement, the pitfalls of minimization, and why inclusive hiring practices and reverse mentoring are critical for the future of work.

About Kim:

Kim Walters has been involved in education and consulting for over 20 years, working at the intersection of learning, leadership, and belonging. Her career has spanned middle-school literacy instruction, K–12 instructional coaching, and most recently, serving as Director of the Center 4All at CESA 6, where she led system-wide efforts to build inclusive, equity-centered educational environments. She is now the owner of Yes…And, LLC, where she acts as a cultural engagement specialist and helps organizations to close the gaps.

Closing the Gaps: Kim Walters on Belonging and Leadership

Curtis sits down with Christine Devane, CEO and founder of Brightfin, to talk about her path from English major and pie maker to fintech entrepreneur. Christine shares how her own money lessons shaped Brightfin’s simple, swipe-based budgeting app, why features like “Debt Crusher” and “YOLO” resonate with users, and how employers can play a bigger role in supporting financial wellness. She also reflects on leadership lessons around listening, vision-setting, and building strong teams.

About Christine:

Christine Devane is the CEO and founder of Brightfin, a fintech company dedicated to making money management simple and accessible. With a background spanning writing, marketing, and product management, Christine brings a unique perspective to building financial tools that resonate with everyday users. Her entrepreneurial journey began with launching a pie business, but it was her firsthand experience with the financial challenges of running that venture that inspired her to create Brightfin. Founded around the 10th anniversary of the financial crisis, Brightfin reflects Christine’s mission to equip people with practical, easy-to-use tools that help them take control of their finances and build lasting financial wellness.

Swiping Your Way to Financial Wellness with Brightfin’s Christine Devane

Change doesn’t have to mean burnout or disengagement. In this episode of Behind the Build, Curtis Forbes talks with consultant and educator Summer Miller about why real growth starts with people, not processes.

From her journey in jazz composition to leading people-centered consulting, Summer shares why curiosity, critical thinking, and two-way communication are the keys to thriving workplaces and how leaders can build cultures where connection beats compliance.

About Summer:

Summer Miller helps businesses navigate change and growth without leaving people behind. Through her work as an advisor, educator, facilitator, and speaker, she helps leaders and teams integrate people-centered practices and design to support their growth strategy. Summer holds a doctorate in organizational leadership and teaches master’s courses through the University of Minnesota and the University of Denver. She is a life-long learner with a passion for building capability and confidence in others.

People Over Process: Summer Miller on Building Cultures That Last

In the second part of this two-part series, Curtis and Travis dive deeper into leadership, company culture, and what it really takes to scale an agency without losing sight of your values. Travis reflects on the challenges of moving from designer to CEO, how to build trust within teams, and why authenticity matters more than ever in today’s market. Packed with honest lessons and practical takeaways, this episode is a must-listen for anyone leading creative teams or growing a purpose-driven business.

About Travis:

Travis McAshan is founder and CEO of GLIDE, an Austin-based digital agency that creates impactful, user-centered web experiences. With nearly 20 years in the industry, he leads a team focused on ethical design and strategic innovation for startups and nonprofits. Travis combines creativity with measurable results, championing transparency and positive social impact.

Culture by Design with Travis McAshan (Part 2): The Playbook for Building Teams

Curtis Forbes sits down with Travis McAshan, founder of Glide Design, to explore how design can do more than just look good: it can change businesses. Travis shares his journey from freelance creative to building a respected agency, opening up about the lessons learned along the way. From the importance of simplicity in branding to aligning design with strategy and purpose, Travis explains why great design is always about people, not pixels.

About Travis:

Travis McAshan is founder and CEO of GLIDE, an Austin-based digital agency that creates impactful, user-centered web experiences. With nearly 20 years in the industry, he leads a team focused on ethical design and strategic innovation for startups and nonprofits. Travis combines creativity with measurable results, championing transparency and positive social impact.

Culture by Design with Travis McAshan (Part 1): From Pixels to Purpose

In this episode of Behind the Build, Curtis Forbes sits down with O’Brien McMahon, Executive Vice President at Lockton and host of People Business. O’Brien shares his unique perspective on why every business is a people business—whether you’re running a global company or a neighborhood shop. From writing a children’s book inspired by leadership lessons, to helping hundreds of organizations shape total rewards strategies, O’Brien offers practical insights into compensation, benefits, communication, and culture. Together, they explore what employees truly value, how small businesses can compete for talent, and why great leadership always comes back to remembering the fundamentals of being human.

About O’Brien

O’Brien is an Executive Vice President with Lockton, helping HR and business leaders build better employee benefits, compensation, and retirement programs. He hosts “People Business w/ O’Brien McMahon”, a podcast exploring the human element of work. O’Brien has met with over 300 companies in the last decade and enjoys helping leaders make the most of themselves and the people around them.

From Benefits to Belonging: The Future of Work with O’Brien McMahon

Explore what truly creates workplace happiness, builds a better culture, and drives greater engagement for the entire workforce — from the suits in the C-suite to team members on the frontlines. Get real-world insights and practical strategies to recognize, retain, elevate, and empower teams. From engaging interviews with thought leaders in our Voices web series to step-by-step how-tos, MustardHub helps you operationalize great culture and design the workplace of tomorrow... today. MustardHub Voices: Behind The Build addresses these hot topics and more with business leaders, entrepreneurs, HR professionals, consultants, coaches, researchers, and other brilliant minds committed to building, engaging, and elevating culture-driven, high-performing teams.

Fireside Chats: Behind The Build

MustardHub Voices: From the Frontlines takes you inside the businesses where great leadership happens in real time. Hear from owners, operators, and managers who aren’t behind closed doors — they’re right there with their teams, serving customers, solving problems, and setting the tone. From healthcare and childcare to retail, hospitality, home services, and more, our guests share what it really takes to keep people engaged, operations running smoothly, and customers coming back. You’ll walk away with actionable ideas, inspiring stories, and a deeper look at how leaders make an impact where the work and the magic  happen

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