Enpowered Clients
.jpg)
Carly Middleton, Co-Founder
Carly is an alumna of Murray State University, where she received a B.S. and M.S. in Organizational Communication and Leadership. During her two years as a graduate teaching assistant for 16 public speaking courses, she learned how to help students manage anxieties and stressors to prepare and deliver outstanding speeches. This experience of helping over 250 students improve their public speaking competence and confidence has forever impacted Carly’s heart and career trajectory.
Today, Carly is a professor at Butler University teaching courses in public speaking and business communication. Her teaching style instills confidence in students through creative, hands-on activities and personal coaching. Carly’s impact extends beyond the collegiate classroom, as her experience in pitch coaching and summer program administration has allowed her to help entrepreneurs and business professionals tell the story of their success.
.jpg)
Jeff Varrone, Co-Founder
Jeff has been an entrepreneurship faculty member at Northern Kentucky University since 2005. His passion for teaching innovative concepts contributed to NKU’s entrepreneurship curriculum being recognized by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers as one of the top five programs in the country.
In addition to teaching and developing courses, Jeff is the Assistant Director of NKU’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. His entrepreneurial mindset and effective coaching have led to students and alumni receiving over $7 million in funding for their businesses. Most notably, Jeff’s students have competed in the Entrepreneurs’ Organization Pitch Competition, Rice Business Plan Competition, and CEO Global Pitch Competition. Jeff also spent seven summers as the instructional coach for Kentucky’s Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs, where he worked with over 700 high school students to create and deliver business pitches.