In this episode of The Girl Dad Show, Young Han sits down with Patti Rother, founder of Root + Rise Franchise Dev and a 22-year veteran of franchising, to unpack the move from restaurant operations into franchise development, why sales and operations break the moment they're run as separate departments, and what it took to leave and build her own company. Patti has worked with brands including Panera Bread, Noodles & Company, Blink Fitness, Scenthound and the Head to Toe portfolio, and her argument comes from having actually operated the units she now sells: growth has to be fast and durable at the same time. She talks about building a brand's sales infrastructure from the ground up, where AI genuinely helps, and why she designs every engagement so the brand ends up owning the system rather than renting it. The conversation also gets personal. Patti is candid about building a company while raising kids, and about a parenting choice that runs against instinct: letting her children see the full side of her rather than a composed version, because that's what lets them feel and own their own emotions. She also chairs the IFA's Franchising Pride Council and spent six years on its Women's Franchise Committee, work that connects to the same idea, that people do better when they aren't performing a version of themselves. Expect a practical view of franchise growth, a real case for integrating sales and operations, and a reminder that the most valuable thing you can build is something other people can carry without you. 🔗 CONNECT WITH PATTI ROTHER 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattirother/ 💻 Root + Rise: https://www.franchise.dev/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH YOUNG HAN 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younghan/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/younghan 💻 Website: https://www.alwayshan.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GIRL DAD SHOW 💻 Website: https://thegirldadshow.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGirlDadShow/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirldadshow 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-girl-dad-show All episodes of The Girl Dad Show are proudly sponsored by Thesis, helping founders go further, together.

In this episode of The Girl Dad Show, Young Han sits down with Britt Riley, founder and CEO of Haven, to unpack why she built a company that puts childcare, workspace and fitness under one roof, what her market research turned up about the gaps in the childcare industry, and how Haven went from a single Rhode Island location to a national franchise model. Britt is direct about her view that the industry, left to its own devices, is broken, and about why she thinks a genuinely new model had to come from outside it. She talks about the research that preceded the business, the decision to franchise rather than scale alone, and what it takes to run a multi-location company without losing whatever made the first location work. The conversation also gets personal. Britt started Haven out of her own experience trying to hold a career and parenthood together, and she is candid about what building it while raising two girls has actually required. She talks about how much of entrepreneurship she believes comes down to innate wiring rather than strategy, how she thinks about guiding her daughters' ambitions without steering them, and why she keeps returning to the idea that the first five years matter more than anything that follows. Expect a clear argument for treating early childhood as a societal problem rather than only a parenting one, a useful read on self-awareness as a founder, and the case for building the thing you could not find. 🔗 CONNECT WITH BRITT RILEY 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanyweatherbyriley/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourhavenlife/ 💻 Haven: https://yourhavenlife.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH YOUNG HAN 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younghan/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/younghan 💻 Website: https://www.alwayshan.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GIRL DAD SHOW 💻 Website: https://thegirldadshow.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGirlDadShow/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirldadshow 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-girl-dad-show All episodes of The Girl Dad Show are proudly sponsored by Thesis, helping founders go further, together.

In this episode of The Girl Dad Show, Young Han sits down with Raphael Rajan, co-founder of EZee Assist, an AI platform built for franchising, to unpack the path from industrial engineering to strategy consulting to founding a company, why franchising turned out to be the right problem to go after, and how the first customers came in. Raphael explains what the product actually does giving franchisees and support teams immediate answers and coaching insight instead of leaving them to hunt through documentation and where he thinks AI is heading in work and education. The conversation also gets personal. Raphael parents by asking rather than telling, and he's thought hard about what that does for a kid's confidence including how to handle the questions six-year-olds ask about things like the tooth fairy. He talks about raising twins across three cultures, why he believes storytelling is the one skill AI won't take, and what a serious injury this year taught him about being present when you physically can't do what you normally would. Expect a clear read on where AI actually helps, a useful frame for building confidence and curiosity in kids, and an honest account of what happens when independence is taken away from you. 🔗 CONNECT WITH RAPHAEL RAJAN 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelrajan/ 💻 EZee Assist: http://www.ezeeassist.com 🔗 CONNECT WITH YOUNG HAN 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younghan/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/younghan 💻 Website: https://www.alwayshan.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GIRL DAD SHOW 💻 Website: https://thegirldadshow.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGirlDadShow/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirldadshow 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-girl-dad-show All episodes of The Girl Dad Show are proudly sponsored by Thesis, helping founders go further, together.

In this episode of The Girl Dad Show, Young Han sits down with John Francis, better known as Johnny Franchise, founder of Next Level Franchise and of Father's Eve, to unpack how a nickname turned into a business, what running and then selling a family company taught him, and why he now measures success in freedom of time rather than anything on a balance sheet. John explains where the name actually came from and what a personal brand people remember is genuinely worth. He's also direct about the stretch that reshaped everything: losing his father when he was 26 and his older brother three years later, and how those losses ultimately led to the sale of the family business. The conversation also gets personal. John's advice to parents is deceptively simple: parent the child you have, not the child you wish for, and he walks through what that has actually looked like raising two daughters. He talks about the moment his youngest, Anna, was surprised with her school's highest honor, an award voted on by the entire staff for the senior who best embodies its values across academics, athletics, and character. And he makes a case for why discipline around health matters more the longer you intend to be around. Expect a working definition of success built on time and giving back, and a reminder that the version of your kid in your head is not the one sitting in front of you. LINKS 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN FRANCIS 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnyfranchise/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejohnnyfranchise/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJohnnyFranchise/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH FATHERS EVE 🐦 X: https://x.com/fatherseve 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fathers-eve/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fatherseve 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatherseve/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH YOUNG HAN 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younghan/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/younghan 💻 Website: https://www.alwayshan.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GIRL DAD SHOW 💻 Website: https://thegirldadshow.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGirlDadShow/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirldadshow 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-girl-dad-show All episodes of The Girl Dad Show are proudly sponsored by Thesis, helping founders go further, together.

In this episode of The Girl Dad Show, Young Han sits down with Danessa Itaya, president of Maid Brigade and a franchise leader with more than three decades in the industry, to unpack the climb from accounting clerk to brand president, leading a team you rarely see in person, and what it took to stop needing everyone to agree with her. Danessa learned franchising from the ground up and now serves as Vice Chair of the International Franchise Association's Women's Franchise Committee. She's candid about the hardest thing she's had to overcome — a people-pleasing instinct that made her good at relationships and slow to speak up — and about the difference between caring how a decision lands and needing approval for it. The conversation also gets personal. As one of ten children, eight of them adopted into her family, Danessa brings an unusually direct perspective on belonging and on how much of a parent's influence actually lands. She talks about going back to work four weeks after having a baby, traveling to franchisees with a breast pump, the Pinewood Derby races she missed — and the answer her sons gave when she finally asked whether they had noticed. Expect a case for setting goals bigger than feel comfortable, a definition of balance as seasonal rather than fixed, and a leadership philosophy built on listening hard and then deciding anyway. 🔗 CONNECT WITH DANESSA ITAYA 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danessa-itaya-cfe-87397615/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danessa.itaya/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH YOUNG HAN 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younghan/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/younghan 💻 Website: https://www.alwayshan.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GIRL DAD SHOW 💻 Website: https://thegirldadshow.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGirlDadShow/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirldadshow 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-girl-dad-show All episodes of The Girl Dad Show are proudly sponsored by Thesis, helping founders go further, together.

In this episode of The Girl Dad Show, Young Han sits down with Mike Harvey, founder of SkyeVantage, powered by The Roof Resource, to unpack walking away from corporate America, rebuilding one of the least transparent corners of home services, and what it means to commit with no backup plan. Mike traces his path from a corporate career to launching the company in 2020 as a local concept, then growing it into a national licensing platform serving homeowners, insurance professionals, and real estate partners across multiple states. He shares the thinking behind a hybrid model that pairs technology with service, why he replaced traditional markups with flat fees, and what changes for a homeowner when the pricing on one of the largest purchases they will ever make is finally legible. The conversation also gets personal. Mike is candid about the role faith has played in how he's handled adversity, what he's trying to model for his two daughters, and why purpose and giving back are built into the company rather than bolted onto it. Expect a clear-eyed take on challenging an entrenched business model, practical advice for anyone weighing the jump from a salary to their own thing, and a working reminder of what the building is actually for. 🔗 CONNECT WITH MIKE HARVEY 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-harvey-77193225/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mike.harvey.54772 💻 SkyeVantage: https://theroofresource.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH YOUNG HAN 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younghan/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/younghan 💻 Website: https://www.alwayshan.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GIRL DAD SHOW 💻 Website: https://thegirldadshow.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGirlDadShow/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirldadshow 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-girl-dad-show All episodes of The Girl Dad Show are proudly sponsored by Thesis, helping founders go further, together.

In this episode of The Girl Dad Show, Young Han sits down with TJ Schier, founder and CEO of SmashSwing, to unpack building a new category in golf entertainment, validating an idea against real customers instead of your own conviction, and what eighteen years at Chuck E. Cheese's taught him about designing experiences. TJ traces his path from Chuck E. Cheese's, where he left as VP of Field Support, through two decades as a speaker and consultant in franchising and competitive socializing, to COO of BigShots Golf, and now founding SmashSwing. He shares why he insists the product is something other than a golf simulator, how he worked through early resistance to a product people had no reference point for, and what long-term strategy looks like when you're selling something the market doesn't have a category for yet. The conversation also gets personal. TJ talks about involving his family in the business, why he'd rather give his kids experiences than things, and his approach to parenting: set the guardrails, then let them do their own thing. He draws the line himself between that and delegation — the instinct that makes a good manager is the one that makes a good parent. Expect a practical view of market validation, a non-traditional career path worth studying, and a working definition of success from someone who has built inside large companies and from scratch. 🔗 CONNECT WITH TJ SCHIER 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjschier/ 💻 Website: https://tjschier.com/ 💻 SmashSwing: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smashswing-immersive/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH YOUNG HAN 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younghan/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/younghan 💻 Website: https://www.alwayshan.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GIRL DAD SHOW 💻 Website: https://thegirldadshow.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGirlDadShow/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirldadshow 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-girl-dad-show 📚 MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson All episodes of The Girl Dad Show are proudly sponsored by Thesis, helping founders go further, together.

In this episode of The Girl Dad Show, Young Han sits down with Rob LoCascio, founder of LivePerson and now Uare.ai, to unpack building AI that serves people instead of replacing them, surviving the failures that come with three decades of running a company, and raising kids who can stand on their own. Rob traces his path from founding LivePerson and taking it public on NASDAQ, through nearly thirty years as its CEO, to launching Uare.ai and KID Company — ventures built on the idea that an AI model should be trained on a real person's life story rather than the whole internet. He shares what the hardest stretches actually taught him, why he thinks human-centered AI is the only version worth building, and how he learned to treat constant change as the operating condition rather than the disruption. The conversation also gets personal. Rob is direct about putting God at the center of his life and how that reframes decisions that used to feel like his alone to carry. He talks about relocating his family to Silicon Valley, the values he's tried to hand his kids, and why he sees his job as a parent as uplifting their independence rather than managing it. Expect a grounded read on where personal AI is actually headed, a usable way to think about resilience after something you built doesn't work, and a reminder that family and faith tend to outlast whatever's on the calendar. 🔗 CONNECT WITH ROB LOCASCIO 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rlocascio/ 🐦 X: https://x.com/RobLoCascio 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roblocascio/ 💻 Uare.ai: https://www.uare.ai/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH YOUNG HAN 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younghan/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/younghan 💻 Website: https://www.alwayshan.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GIRL DAD SHOW 💻 Website: https://thegirldadshow.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGirlDadShow/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirldadshow 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-girl-dad-show All episodes of The Girl Dad Show are proudly sponsored by Thesis, helping founders go further, together.

In this episode of The Girl Dad Show, Young Han sits down with Jessica Yarmey, president of Squeeze Massage and seasoned franchise leader, to unpack building brands, trusting teams during acquisitions, and balancing career with parenthood. Jessica traces her path from global brand roles to founding and scaling KickHouse Fitness, then leading Club Pilates marketing, and now accelerating Squeeze’s national expansion. She shares how passion kept her going after a career setback, the playbook for rebuilding franchise systems, and why relationship trust is the core of successful acquisitions. The conversation also gets personal. Jessica reflects on commuting through her child’s early years, the tradeoffs of pursuing professional goals while parenting, and a proud moment when her son created a sizzle reel for her agency. Expect practical frameworks for work life integration, ways to create trust quickly in business deals, and actionable habits for leaders who want growth without losing family connection. 🔗 CONNECT WITH JESSICA YARMEY 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicayarmey/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicayarmey/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.yarmey.98/ 🐦 X: https://x.com/JessicaYarmey 🔗 CONNECT WITH YOUNG HAN 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younghan/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/younghan 💻 Website: https://www.alwayshan.com 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GIRL DAD SHOW 💻 Website: https://thegirldadshow.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGirlDadShow/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirldadshow 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-girl-dad-show All episodes of The Girl Dad Show are proudly sponsored by Thesis, helping founders go further, together.

In this episode of The Girl Dad Show, Young Han talks with Drew Chalfant, VP of Legal & Compliance at HomeFront Brands and co‑owner of HAWKs Charlotte–Lake Norman, about work‑life integration, franchise ownership, and parenting with purpose. Drew shares the risk that reshaped his family life, the discipline behind choosing the right hard things, and how unstructured outdoor play is helping his kids become confident leaders. Expect practical lessons on building systems for business, nurturing entrepreneurial kids, and creating community through meaningful work. Key takeaways include that work and life are interconnected and true balance is integration, choosing your hard builds discipline, children learn more from example than words, pursuing challenging but manageable goals creates fulfillment, and community is central to lasting happiness. Connect with Drew Chalfant 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewchalfant/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewchalfant/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drewalanchalfant Connect with Young Han 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younghan/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/younghan 💻 Website: https://www.alwayshan.com Connect with The Girl Dad Show 💻 Website: https://thegirldadshow.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGirlDadShow/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirldadshow 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-girl-dad-show All episodes of The Girl Dad Show are proudly sponsored by Thesis, helping founders go further, together.

n this episode of The Girl Dad Show, Young Han sits down with Vijay Rajendran—executive coach, entrepreneur, investor, startup advisor, UC Berkeley instructor, and author of The Funding Framework: Secure Startup Funding with Confidence. Drawing from more than 20 years of experience helping founders grow into effective CEOs, Vijay shares valuable insights on entrepreneurship, leadership, raising capital, and balancing the demands of family life. From supporting startups in over 80 countries to coaching leaders through pivotal moments, Vijay offers a unique perspective on what it takes to build successful businesses while remaining present at home. Young and Vijay discuss why leadership is one of the most valuable resources in any organization, how entrepreneurs can develop resilience and grit, and the importance of communication with both business partners and family members during challenging seasons. They also explore how AI is changing the way professionals work and how founders can leverage technology to focus on higher-value activities. Whether you're a founder, business leader, parent, or someone striving to balance ambition with family, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom and actionable takeaways. In This Episode: Why leadership is the ultimate competitive advantage Lessons from coaching hundreds of founders and CEOs Building resilience as both an entrepreneur and a parent The role of communication in strong relationships and teams How AI is reshaping work and creating new opportunities Strategies for balancing business growth with family life 🔗 CONNECT WITH VIJAY RAJENDRAN 🌐 Website: https://startupsystem.substack.com/ 🌐 Website: https://www.mystartupsystem.com/ 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijayarajendran/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH YOUNG HAN 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younghan/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/younghan_ 💻 Website: https://www.alwayshan.com 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GIRL DAD SHOW 🌐 Website: https://thegirldadshow.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGirlDadShow/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGirlDadShow 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirldadshow 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-girl-dad-show