EP 23: Leading with Vulnerability: Max Yoder & Tiffany Sauder on Life’s Toughest Choices

In this episode of Harder Than It Looks, Brian sits down with Max Yoder and Tiffany Sauder. In segment one, Max Yoder (author, entrepreneur, and CEO) shares his repertoire of experiences, from co-founding Lessonly in 2012, to sharing personal stories from his upbringing, including his parents' divorce and remarriage and his motivations rooted in financial security. Max also dissects the importance of company culture, core values, and vulnerability in leadership.To explore the medicinal retreat in Vermont that Max referenced, visit their webpage.Brian switches gears to talk with Tiffany Sauder, CEO of Element Three and host of Scared Confident, along with five other commitments.Tiffany discusses how she balances several high commitment and high-stress roles, including motherhood, entrepreneurship, leadership, public speaking, and her podcast (which highlights lessons learned through her first 20 years in her career) through effective prioritization and outsourcing.Scared Confident is available on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Google Podcasts, as well as on her website https://www.tiffanysauder.com/podcastHere are some key takeaways from this episode:The importance of company culture and valuesLeadership is vulnerabilityLiving with compassion, balance, and purposeImproving time managementHow strategies in business and life can overlapLearn to “make friends with hard”Be sure to check out these great clips from Segment 1 with Max Yoder:00:00 Introducing Max Yoder00:32 Max Yoder's Background and Achievements03:16 Personal Insights and Early Life06:28 Entrepreneurial Journey and Lessons Learned14:23 Core Values and Company Culture32:33 Post-Lessonly Life and Personal Growth41:16 Transition to Lightning Round41:34 The Concept of 'See It, Be It'41:54 Embodying Virtues and Self-Compassion43:42 The Complexity of Parking44:44 Charity and Grace47:16 Lightning Round Begins47:59 Facing Fears and Personal Growth51:03 Selling a $30 Million Software Company52:44 Helping Others and Family LoveSegment 2 with Tiffany Sauder:55:50 Introducing Tiffany Sauder01:00:16 Balancing Family and Career01:12:37 Funny Laundry Episode01:13:07 Outsourcing Household Chores01:15:21 Handyman Hacks01:17:20 Financial Choices and Support01:19:28 Journey to Element Three01:23:50 Leadership Lessons01:39:44 Transitioning Roles01:42:56 Making Friends with HardConnect with Parker Technology.While delivering an excellent customer experience is indeed harder than it looks, we’re the experts. It’s all we do, every day, and we’re darn good at it. If you’d like to learn more about how we make managing the parking experience look easy, visit our website at www.parkertechnology.com, or shoot a note to [email protected]