What is your favorite childhood memory?
Getting my first set of skis when I was 12 years old. It was the beginning of a lifetime of glorious and unforgettable ski days to come. 

What has been your most defining life experience?
My 3-year “walk about” after college—soaking up everything the world had to offer and (sometimes) throw at me. That experience is ultimately what gave me the courage and life skills to become an entrepreneur.

What has been your toughest life experience?
Living through the secular headwinds of the “dot com” implosion in the early 2000’s. That’s when I truly learned the hard lessons of what it takes to become an “all weather” company.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
GRIT. It is what I appreciate about entrepreneurship—the ability to persevere through fear and failure, knowing it is just part of the journey.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Easy. My daughter—she inspires me every day.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
I was 15 years old at a cottage on the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. I didn’t have a driver’s license, but a little 16’ boat opened the door to a summer I’ll never forget.

What has been your most defining life experience?
The moment as an overwhelmed 25-year-old when I realized that if I was willing to work hard enough, there wasn’t much that wasn’t possible.

What has been your toughest life experience?
When my top customer (55% of sales) decided to kill a product and almost killed my dream with it. That was the first time I realized that opportunities are born from life’s biggest gut punches.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
CAREFRONTATION. If people know you care about them, there is no out of bounds, and they’ll climb any mountain with you.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
My kids—they’re so much cooler than me!

What is your favorite childhood memory?
Riding horses, skiing and hiking with my family in the mountains where I grew up.

What has been your most defining life experience?
I was a private equity investor and made a tough choice to become a CEO. It was as difficult as raising a child for the first time.

What has been your toughest life experience?
I was an athlete growing up and skipped some years after high school, and then I really struggled catching up in college.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
COURAGE. With strength of heart, everything good naturally follows.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Competing as a skier for the United States in the Olympics when I was 17.  It was the first time I really felt patriotism.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
I was 10 years old in Aurelia, Iowa at the CABA World Series. We lived with local families, experienced small town America and played baseball amongst the corn. It was my version of Field of Dreams, which, coincidentally, came out that summer.

What has been your most defining life experience?
Building an award-winning, mid-market investment bank from nothing—because I viewed the entrepreneurial path as too risky. In hindsight, I can look back on that journey and see all the pitfalls and risks that my focus and confidence helped block from sight.

What has been your toughest life experience?
In my first pitching start as a sophomore in college, I suffered a career-ending injury. At 20 years old, I lost a big piece of my identity.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
FOCUS. Leaders are the aperture of an organization and create clarity in vision, strategy and culture.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Marrying my high school sweetheart and raising our three amazing kids!

Favorite Childhood Memory:
My parents didn’t have a lock on our door because “there were too many people coming in and out for it to make sense.”  I’m the “dual-youngest” of six kids (I have a twin sister) and our house was a real sense of place for a lot of friends of the family.  It fostered an awesome community and in all the chaos of the comings and goings, we built a ton of great relationships.

Most Defining Life Experience:
I spent a year abroad on a work visa after my undergraduate degree and it changed my perspective on what life might be and allowed me to understand and appreciate the variety of our experiences.

Toughest Life Experience:
I was rejected from my college of choice and in the irrationality of adolescence, I skipped school and drove my mom’s car down to the admissions office.  I walked in and plead my case and was accepted a few weeks later.  This was my scared-straight moment!

Most Important Leadership Skill:
The ability to foster trust and then build cohesion.

Proudest Accomplishment:
Building a family with Keriann.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
Annual ski trips to Utah with my family! Growing up in Georgia we obviously didn’t have very much skiing nearby, so it was always an exciting time to head out west in the winter and ski a real mountain.

What has been your most defining life experience?
As a young college kid, I made the tough choice to accept an unpaid summer internship with a small, no-name firm in the profession I was interested in rather than a top-paying internship with a Fortune 500 company in a corporate role that was less desirable for me as a full-time job. It was a tough financial decision at the time, but it ended up paying huge benefits for me professionally as I gained an incredible amount of relevant experience that ultimately helped me get where I am today.

What has been your toughest life experience?
Shortly after starting my first job out of college, I began recruiting for a job in private equity. I found myself in a highly competitive job market with an education pedigree that was well below most of my competition. It was really tough to try and prove myself & stand out, and I probably was unsuccessful interviewing with over 15 different firms before I finally landed the job I was looking for. It definitely took a lot of determination to keep trying despite all the failures, and I think it ultimately made me not just a better candidate, but a stronger person, by the time it was all over.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
INTEGRITY. Before success comes trust, and without integrity, there is no trust. “With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt.” – Zig Ziglar

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Becoming an Eagle Scout. It’s a rank only 2% of all Boy Scouts reach, and it takes an incredible amount of hard work and determination, particularly at an age when you’re not exactly winning any popularity contests with your peers along the way. Looking back though, few things teach you so much about leadership, teamwork and integrity at such a young age.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
Exploring Colorado with my family.  Growing up in this incredible State was such a privilege.  My parents frequently planned backpacking trips in all corners of Colorado, and I will never forget all of those special adventures where I began to appreciate the beauty and majesty of the Rocky Mountains.

What has been your most defining life experience?
Being a Dad and Husband.  While my professional career is very central to my identity, working to be the best parent to my girls, Lila and Caroline, and the best partner to my wife, Elizabeth, will always be my main driver and motivator.

What has been your toughest life experience?
In the eighth grade, I went through a severe bout of depression.  My parents had to pull me from school for several months, and I went through intense counseling.  It was a traumatic period in my life, but one I am grateful for as it taught me a lot about working through adversity and always focusing on my own wellness.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
Positivity – The road to any achievement worth pursuing is fraught with hardship.  A leader with a positive approach is more likely to elicit and inspire greatness in those around them to tackle challenges.  As the great Maya Angelou said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Building the Colorado Impact Fund (“CIF”).  I returned to Colorado from New York City to join the founder at CIF, an innovative investing platform focused on backing early-stage impact platforms in Colorado.  During my time co-managing CIF, we raised two funds, invested in 15 companies and scaled several strategic impact companies.  CIF will be a great asset for Colorado for years to come.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
Boating on the Niagara River. Taking in the sun, swimming, wakeboarding, sharing a few laughs with family and friends - those days are unforgettable.

What has been your most defining life experience?
I’ve been fortunate to live in Denver, Boston, Buffalo, and Portland over the past few years.  Exploring each city has shaped my view of the world and given me an appreciation for the breadth of culture & geographic diversity across the US.

What has been your toughest life experience?
I pivoted from a career path in the physical/life sciences to the investing arena.  It was a challenging transition that taught me a lot about grit and persistence.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
High-agency leaders take initiative, reframe challenges as opportunities, and ultimately bend outcomes to their favor.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
After years of academic chemistry research with an incredible group of colleagues and advisors, I co-authored multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
I’m a first generation Asian American. My parents immigrated in their late 20s and worked in Chinatown sweatshops to make ends meet when I was growing up. I never got to see them much, so my favorite childhood memories were the mundane weekly Sunday errands because this is when I got to spend the most time with them.

What has been your most defining life experience?
Moving to Denver. It was quite a change from being born, raised & living in NYC at the time!

What has been your toughest life experience?
Making the decision to pursue and accept an investment banking job. It was long hours and very demanding to work for a number of different characters. It tested my grit, mental, and physical capacity but overall, it was a rewarding experience. I learned a lot and when I think back on the experience, I have some fond memories and a few good chuckles.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
TRANSPARENCY. Leading with transparency requires a willingness to be honest and open and results in stakeholder trust, engagement, and better performance.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Landing my first full-time job out of college.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
Teaching and playing tennis on hot Denver summer days. Getting paid to have fun alongside lifelong friends is something I will never forget!

What has been your most defining life experience?
Choosing to pursue a career working closely with founders, their management teams, and other talented professionals has introduced me to some of the smartest, most passionate people and seeing their accomplishments personally and professionally has been an inspiration.

What has been your toughest life experience?
A person very close to me has struggled with alcoholism. This experience put life into perspective for me, taught me to learn to trust again, showed me that life still moves on, and tomorrow is always a new day.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
TRUST. Leadership is needed most in tough times, and without trust in one’s decision making, intentions, and rationale, tough times can lead to the end of something formerly promising. Conversely, tough times with trust can turn into extraordinary outcomes with trust and commitment.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
My relationship with my father, mother, and sister. Throughout many ups and downs, we remain very close, and they keep me centered when life throws curveballs.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
Every summer my parents entered my brother, sister and me in a local kids fishing derby. They took the competition very seriously and seeing their reaction when one of the Carman kids won the derby was priceless.

What has been your most defining life experience?
Moving to Chicago after graduation and living on my own for the first time. This experience helped me gain independence, forced me to be self-reliant, and empowered me to tackle new challenges on my own. I developed a newfound confidence during this time and am proud of where it has led me to today.

What has been your toughest life experience?
Completing both my undergraduate and MBA degrees in 5 years. This accelerated program was incredibly demanding and pushed me to further develop my academic, personal, and professional skills. Looking back, I am grateful to have spent another year in Bloomington and I met some of my closest friends through the program.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
COMMUNITY. A strong leader has the ability to bring different groups of people (i.e. employees, investors, customers, partners, stakeholders) together to foster a harmonious community aligned around common goals. An impeccable leader will also engage with the broader communities in which they work in to leave a lasting positive impact.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Being a sister. I’m the middle child of the family and consider my older sister Brynn, and younger brother Cole to be some of my biggest inspirations and best friends!

What is your favorite childhood memory?
As a child, I loved spending time with my grandma (Meme) and grandpa. I attended half day kindergarten just so I could spend the rest of the day going to parks, baking, playing dress up, beauty shop, and so much more. Grandparents are truly the best! I also loved growing up on a lake in Okoboji, Iowa. Days were filled with fishing, jet-skiing, waterskiing, camping, catching snakes and frogs, and all things outdoors.

What has been your most defining life experience?
My most defining life experience was making the decision to move out to Denver five years ago. The first three years were filled with lots of hardships and let downs, but I was beyond determined to experience the greatness that Denver has to offer. I am beyond thankful I made the decision to stay here. I now have a profound appreciation for investment in workplace culture and finding a team that makes going to work fun.

What has been your toughest life experience?
Although moving to Denver has been rewarding in so many ways, being away from friends and family when they are severely ill has been extremely tough. With every hardship, you gain a new sense of gratitude for life and the people that are in it and I truly do believe these experiences did just that.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
Authenticity. I believe to be an effective leader you have to be authentic; you really have to know yourself. Know your strengths, know your weaknesses and be willing to be a lifelong learner.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Choosing to study abroad my Junior year of college. I had never lived more than 2 hours away from home but decided to move to Australia. Not only were those the best days of my life, but the lessons learned throughout those six months, along with the adventures gained have provided me with a wider lens on how I want to live my life. It also gave me the courage to make the move to Denver!

What is your favorite childhood memory?
Tours to the beach. Residents of my small Ecuadorian community would pool together funds to rent a bus to take us to the beach every year. The anticipation always kept me up the night before!

What has been your most defining life experience?
Leaving the security and stability of my corporate job just months after receiving a promotion I had been working toward in search of my true passion. I sold most of my belongings and traveled the world for a year. That experience served as the wakeup call that led me to move to Denver, reinvent my career, and build the life I envisioned for myself.

What has been your toughest life experience?
Moving to New York City at 14 years of age. I left behind my family and life as I knew it in pursuit of a better life.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
The ability to teach and mentor, one cannot expect A+ results from one’s team without taking the time to lead and coach.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Becoming Ander’s mom. I dreamt of being a mom my entire life, and for a while, it felt like an unattainable dream. He makes me want to be better every single day.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
Overhearing my parents discuss whether I was reading too much.

What has been your most defining life experience?
Establishing a new career in finance while working full-time and enrolled in the Executive MBA program at Denver University focused on developing entrepreneurial skills.

What has been your toughest life experience?
Accomplishing all of the above as a single mom to two teenagers!

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
INITIATIVE.  Always looking for opportunities to learn and to lead.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Seeing my two daughters establish successful careers in healthcare – one as a nurse and the other as a director of patient advocacy.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
Every summer growing up I attended an all-girls summer camp on Lake Ossipee in Freedom, New Hampshire. From sailing and water skiing to horseback riding, there were endless activities and opportunities for fun.  Having lots of family in the Northeast, this felt like my very own piece of identity in such a familiar and meaningful place. Not to mention the lifelong friends that came out of the experience!  Fun fact:  My current roommate is a friend from camp and both of our mothers went to this same camp!

What has been your most defining life experience?
Making the move to Denver, Colorado. I had my sights set on Denver for years before I even graduated college and I always knew it is was where I wanted to end up. After graduating, I set out to find a job, find a house, and move my whole life several states away. I could not be happier with the decision I made and feel incredibly thankful for the people and opportunities that have come into my life since.

What has been your toughest life experience?
The two years right in the middle of my college career. Covid took place, college went on-line, I faced some difficult losses, and I dealt with a severe health crisis all within that two-year period. Although this was a very challenging time, I learned so much about myself, and gained perspective on the world and everyone around me that I wouldn't trade for anything.

What do you believe to be the most important leadership skill?
INTEGRITY. A strong leader acts in every way with integrity which inspires trust throughout the organization and a safe space to be authentic and do your best work. 

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Looking back on the past year and seeing how much growth, progress toward goals, and change I have undergone. From moving to a new state, to finding a job and team that align with my beliefs, to moving into my dream house, this last year has been full of positive change. And for that I am beyond grateful and also very proud!

Why are you inspired to work with Rallyday Partners as a Strategic Jedi? 
I'm inspired to work with Rallyday Partners for one simple reason: the people. Their mission to revolutionize the private equity landscape resonates with me – a commitment to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with clients, turning their aspirations into tangible realities. I feel fully alive being part of a team that dreams big and is determined to change the game. 

Where do you think you can add the most value to companies as an individual and as a company? What is the secret sauce?
At the core of our value proposition is our identity as former operators who've experienced the same challenges our clients now face. This shared experience enables us to provide reliable guidance and approach our work with a human touch, understanding the intricate challenges of scaling. We are true thought partners to our clients on a range of topics, recognizing the nuanced journey of entrepreneurship. It's from this place that we offer both strategic insights and support for founders navigating this often demanding (and sometimes lonely) path. 

How would you describe the best kind of client you enjoy working with?
My sweet spot lies in working with clients who dream big, appreciate the strategic significance of working in close collaboration and have huge amounts of grit.

What leadership skills do you admire and why?
I admire leaders who are self-aware: demonstrating a genuine curiosity about how they move through and impact the world around them. And those leaders that take 100% responsibility for what’s occurring in their life. In hard moments (especially when we get uncomfortable), leaders who show up with a genuine curiosity about what’s unfolding and take 100% responsibility for their role in it, become a guiding light for their team and set a high standard. 

Why are you so passionate about people? What drives you?
My passion for people stems from the belief that every individual has untapped potential waiting to be unleashed. Witnessing human growth is incredibly rewarding to me. I am driven by the idea that by investing in people, we not only elevate individual lives but also the collective success of teams and organizations, and ultimately society.

Why are you inspired to work with Rallyday Partners as a Strategic Jedi? 
Rallyday truly is a different kind of private equity firm.  At Rallyday, we care as much about people, culture, and purpose as we care about financial results.  It is a privilege to serve the Rallyday mantra of investing inspired capital in inspired companies by working with the leaders and teams at our awesome portfolio companies.

Where do you think you can add the most value to companies as an individual and as a company? What is the secret sauce?
When we talk about go-to-market, we talk about things like brand, pricing, sales ops, and product management.  These things are important, but the essence of building a best-in-class go-to-market system is delivering incredible customer experiences.  Happy customers stay longer, spend more, refer others, cost less to serve, and provide valuable feedback.  I love helping companies identify the most attractive customer segments and figure out how best to delight them.  The secret sauce is that excellent customer experiences start with excellent employee experiences – employees who are engaged, empowered, well-trained, and thoughtfully incented will drive much better customer experiences.

How would you describe the best kind of client you enjoy working with?
The best part of my job is that I get to work with lots of different types of clients.  I am intrigued by the unique qualities and experiences of each person and love figuring out how to work with new and different people.  I enjoy meeting clients where they are and determining how best to collaborate with them to solve challenging problems.

What leadership skills do you admire and why?
There are so many leadership skills I admire!  One of my favorites is the skill of building self-awareness.  Leaders who spend the time to understand themselves – strengths, challenges and everything in between – are better able to build high performing teams by surrounding themselves with others who have different, complementary skillsets.  Self-awareness also helps leaders make better decisions, better influence outcomes, and build better relationships with others.

Why are you so passionate about people? What drives you?
There’s an album by singer-songwriter Phil Cook called “People Are My Drug”…that title pretty much sums up my passion for people.  My most fulfilling personal and professional moments have been those where I’m interacting with others – understanding them better, helping them be successful, growing with them, learning from them, and solving problems together.  I also believe that people are the secret sauce.  The success or failure of any organization comes down to people (team members and customers); getting the people portion of the equation right is essential since everything else flows from there.

Why are you inspired to work with Rallyday Partners as a Strategic Jedi?
The chance to work with an aligned team of absolute committed rockstars — within client companies and the Rallyday team.

Where do you think you can add the most value to companies as an individual and as a company? What is the secret sauce?
My craft and my gift is to simplify the complexity around leadership, culture, and personal behavior. Simple wins because simple executes and improves.

How would you describe the best kind of client you enjoy working with?
A client who does the work, not just of the business, but of improving themselves and the way they operate their business.

What leadership skills do you admire and why?
I admire aggressive humility and patient urgency in a leader.

Why are you so passionate about culture? What drives you?
I am passionate about culture because of (1) how misunderstood it is and (2) how subtly powerful it is to build or crush a business. What drives me is to make the truth obvious and outlast the cynics.

Why are you inspired to work with Rallyday Partners as a Strategic Jedi?
Haven’t you met them?! Their passion and commitment to doing whatever it takes to help purpose-driven organizations fulfill the promise of their purpose is inspiring, catalytic, and audacious. I’m all in!

Where do you think you can add the most value to companies as an individual and as a company? What is the secret sauce?
There’s a saying that explains the value of an anthropologist: sometimes it’s hard to read the label from inside the jar. What I try to do is get inside the hearts and minds of the people that make up the company and help them to see who they are when they’re at their best and what they’re capable of achieving together that changes the world for the better! When we get crystal clear on what a company is built to do, what their people love to do, and what the world needs them to do – we arrive at a deeply authentic and meaningful Purpose that becomes the “secret sauce” of extraordinary success.

How would you describe the best kind of client you enjoy working with?
Sincere and serious. Deeply sincere about the difference they want to make AND dead serious about doing the hard work it will take to deliver. And Silly. A good dose of silliness is always appreciated. As Herb Kelleher always used to say, “take the work seriously, but not yourself.”

What leadership skills do you admire and why?
There’s a level of self-transcendence I see in truly extraordinary leaders. They get that it’s not about them—their fame, their charisma, their glory. They seem to have a profound sense of responsibility for their people, for the wake they leave behind them in the world, and for ensuring the fulfillment of a worthy Purpose.

Why are you so passionate about people? What drives you?
For me, one of the fundamental purposes of life is to learn how to love. How do we do what we’re called to do: love one another. Every human being, every relationship, is a little love experiment—giving you the opportunity to see what your roadblocks are to love and explore how you might move thru them.

Why are you inspired to work with Rallyday Partners as a Strategic Jedi?
The word “Partners” is super meaningful to me. Rallyday is passionate about helping companies succeed. They are driven to make the relationship meaningful and rewarding. When you have a true “partnership”, the sky is the limit. There is no judgement. Nothing but trust and a common goal. Participating in this type of environment is authentic.

Where do you think you can add the most value to companies as an individual and as a company? What is the secret sauce?
I can add value from prior experiences. I’ve been in the trenches, I have worked long and dreadful hours. I want others to work smarter, not harder and help companies scale their business. If I can give someone that ingredient to limit their stress and drive greater success, I am all in. The secret sauce is to listen. Listen to what associates are telling you and adapt! They are instinctive. Be truthful and honest to the business and guide your decisions based on that foundation.

How would you describe the best kind of client you enjoy working with?
The best client is one that is customer oriented and driven for growth and success, is openminded for change, and values the growth in individuals.

What leadership skills do you admire and why?
I most admire honesty and integrity. That is a guiding principle that has never failed me. When you are principled to do the right thing for the right reasons, good things will follow.

Why are you so passionate about people? What drives you?
We all have gifts and talents. Some are more visible than others. I am passionate about finding what someone can bring to me to make me a better person but most importantly, how that person can bring out the best in themselves. I love to watch others succeed, especially when I can help navigate that success with them. That is the ultimate reward.