Ep 162: "From Billion User Product Builder to Leadership Whisperer" with Sara Hicks

What if the secret to thriving in chaos, while building your company, isn’t hustling harder—but leading with purpose? How do you build products to serve billions of users, but not lose sight of their individual humanity? In this deep conversation, Rob sits down with Sara Hicks, leadership coach, author and founder of The Intentional Organization. Together, they unpack the rise of LA's tech economy over the last 30 years, the power of community in entrepreneurship, and how leaders can shift from reactive to intentional. Sara shares her career journey from building a few of the biggest, most successful internet products and companies of all time, to building and selling a successful startup, to now coaching founders and writing about leadership with clarity and compassion. Tune in for practical tools, honest reflections, and a fresh perspective on what it really takes to lead well—especially when things get tough. Feel free to follow and engage with SARA here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralouhicks/?trk=public_profile_articles_see_allInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/saralouhicks/Website: https://saralouhicks.com/ We're so grateful to you, our growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors and community leaders interested in the human stories of the Entrepreneurial Thinkers behind entrepreneurial economies worldwide.As always we hope you enjoy each episode and Like, Follow, Subscribe or share with your friends. You can find our shows here, and our new Video Podcast, at “Entrepreneurial Thinkers” channel on YouTube. Plug in, relax and enjoy inspiring, educational and empowering conversations between Rob and our guests.¡Cheers y gracias!, Entrepreneurial Thinkers Team. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Entrepreneurial Thinkers 04:44 The Evolution of Southern California's Tech Scene 13:54 The Importance of Community in Tech 20:52 Building Reaction Commerce: A Journey of Innovation 29:31 Transitioning from Founder to Coach 34:00 Harnessing Technology as a Tool 38:48 Building Intentional Organizations 40:35 Balancing Creativity and Analytics in Leadership 48:16 Intentional Leadership on Bad Days 54:51 The RAD Framework for Intentional Leadership