Building Excellence

Mark C Fava - Boeing Chief Counsel on Lessons From the Admiral

May 11, 2026

#261: Mark C. Fava is a career aviation lawyer and retired naval flight officer. He is a prolific writer and entertaining speaker. Mark retired from the US Navy as a captain having commanded three units, including an aviation squadron. He has been a law firm partner and a corporate executive lawyer. He has written numerous articles, including “What I Learned from the Judge” in the SC Lawyer and “Steering Through a Crisis: Lawyers as Leaders” in The Washington Lawyer. As a law school adjunct p...

Jess Ekstrom - Founder of Headbands of Hope & Mic Drop Workshop on Making It Without Losing It

May 04, 2026

#260: Jess Ekstrom is the founder of Headbands of Hope and Mic Drop Workshop, investor in women, best selling author, Forbes Top Rated Speaker and mom.Her first brush with success was selling all of her toys on eBay when she was twelve. Since then, Jess and her companies have been featured on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America and more. More importantly, her companies have helped millions of women and girls around the world.She’s the bestselling author of Chasing the Bright Side and Making ...

Tony Schell - Co-Founder & Partner Escalate Capital Partners on the Real Mark of Success

April 27, 2026

#259: Tony Schell is the co-founder and general partner at Escalate Capital Partners, a leading private credit and growth equity firm based in Austin, Texas. Since co-founding the firm in 2005, he has helped build Escalate into a prominent provider of flexible, non-dilutive capital solutions for growth-stage companies across technology, software, services, and healthcare sectors.With decades of experience in venture lending, structured finance, and growth investing, Schell has played a centra...