Think two days away from work is a luxury? I just spent two days with my Forum.
A couple of years ago, the idea of being away from work for two full days seemed ludicrous to me. I thought I had to be in the business always—leading with my sheer presence. Only when I joined Entrepreneurs’ Organization did I realize: if I’m always in my business, I never get to see it clearly from the outside.
Stepping away gives me the clarity I need to lead with focus and passion.
This time, I spent two days with my EO Latin Bridge Forum, a group of business owners from across Latin America.
How does a Bridge Forum work? We meet every few months in a different part of the world to ask ourselves the bigger questions—together and of each other.
And every time I do this, every time I step away from the day-to-day (still with a little hesitation), I discover the same truth:
-
When I slow down, I speed up.
-
When I get clear, I execute faster.
-
When I ask myself “what’s next in life?” I start moving toward what actually matters.
Doing this work together with my Forum mates makes the experience even more powerful. These two days don’t cost me momentum—they give me more of it. Because when I return to my team with clarity, that clarity becomes theirs too.
Grateful for the reflections, the honesty, and the space held by:
Stephanie Camarillo, Ashish Khera, Takeshi Nobuhara, Vinoo Varghese, Jennifer Cohen, Daniel Levy, Alejandra Leon.
So let me ask you: what’s next in life for you?
-
High Standards Aren’t Harsh. They’re Respect
I believe that as female founders, high standards are our strength.
Women founders often second-guess themselves. We ask for excellence, then wonder if we’re being too demanding. We hold people accountable, then feel guilty for making someone uncomfortable.
But high standards aren’t harsh. They’re clarity. They protect our teams, our clients, and the purpose we’re building toward.
Strong boundaries aren’t unfair. They help the right people rise.
And when someone isn’t aligned, letting go isn’t failure. It’s leadership with compassion.
Because we can be kind and still be clear. We can care deeply and still expect excellence. That’s not a contradiction.
That’s respect — for ourselves, for our vision, and for the people we lead.
So don’t shrink your standards to make others comfortable. They exist for a reason. And they keep you, and your business, aligned with what matters most.
-
EP 03: Hiring with Purpose How Founders Build Teams That Actually Last
In this episode, Rosemary sits down with Yasaman, founder of MIA Migration, to talk about what really goes into hiring and building teams that last, especially in fast moving startup environments.
Yasaman shares lessons from hiring and firing over 500 people across hospitality, tech, and immigration, reflecting on how her early experiences shaped the way she hires today. She opens up about red flags, green flags, trusting your gut, and why passion for the mission matters more than resumes, titles, or paychecks.
From redesigning the interview process to navigating hiring in a world influenced by AI, Yasaman offers honest insights on what works, what doesn’t, and why taking more time to hire often leads to better long term outcomes.
This conversation is a grounded and practical look at hiring, leadership, and decision making, with real world lessons for founders, managers, and anyone responsible for building teams.
-
Hiring a Business Coach Isn’t Weakness, It’s Wisdom
Is hiring a business coach a sign of weakness?
I don’t think so.
As companies grow, so do the problems, and we at Staff4Half are no exception.
More people means more moving parts, and more decisions to make. And suddenly, it’s not about the ideas of the founder anymore (sadly), it’s about how well we can leverage the knowledge of the whole team.
And that’s where it gets hard. Inside the company, we all carry our own baggage:
preconceived ideas entrenched communication styles blind spots we don’t even noticeI believe that especially when we as founders want to create an extraordinary company culture of support and fostering, being open and honest in the interest of the business can become harder.
And that’s where I see an outside coach brings immense value.
A coach challenges us as a team without politics and can help us see things we’d never catch on our own, so that we can stay friends while also doing what is right for the business.
That is, I believe, the beauty of an outside coach.
And it’s not a weakness, it’s a strength!
P.S.: Did you know that women are more likely to hire a business coach than men? I found some reports that suggest that half of business coaching is done in woman-led companies (when women only lead a minority of businesses).
What’s your observation?
