I currently live in Brooklyn with my three little boys and husband. What can I say, I’m the unofficial -but official - Queen in my house. I love weird combinations of food (more on that later), going out (MOMS CAN DANCE TOO), and seeing the "A-HA" look on a founder's face when they unleash the story that has been buried in them and their business for way too long.
I had a totally different email planned for today -a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like inside my storytelling programs -but I don’t feel compelled to write that today.
Last night, while trying (and failing) not to rage scroll🥴 I kept getting caught up in the courage of so many people (looking at you Minnesotans.)
But one reel LITERALLY stopped me in my scroll.
It was Rachael -a Founder’s Fire alumni who had me welling up in tears at the controlled anguish and plea she had about what is happening in her communities in Minnesota.
A few scrolls later, I landed on a different reel.
A clip of Jamie Dimon -CEO of JPMorgan Chase- on stage at Davos, talking to the editor-in-chief of The Economist and dodging questions he had no business dodging.
The contrast was stark.
**Fun Fact, I worked at Bloomberg TV before I went to NBC and used to write about all of these people and the Asian Markets🫨 (which I had no business writing about because I knew JACK SH*T but that’s for another newsletter).
This is me at a company party on Governor’s Island circa 2010.
An everyday American mom and business owner speaking from the depth of her lived experiences and soul.
And a billionaire on the biggest stage in the world right now with nothing but power to wield….saying absolutely nothing.
It was the difference between someone who’s done the inner work -and someone who’s only ever held power.
And if these were two founders pitching me their business?
Two people asking for my trust, my money, my attention?
It would be a no-brainer which one I’d choose.
Earlier this month I was on a podcast that focuses on tech & business leaders.
Paul asked me what I’m REALLY trying to achieve with all this storytelling work.
Or rather, what is the point of all my work?
And last night watching those two videos back to back gave me the answer.
I’m trying to create MORE Rachaels – and fewer Jamies.

Because the Jamie Dimon’s of the world can afford to stay vague.
They can afford to play it safe.
They can afford to say nothing.(although I’d like to think they have PROBLEMS SLEEPING🤬)
But you can’t.
If you’re building a business without a trust fund backing you…
If you’re a woman or from a marginalized community trying to get your voice heard in spaces that weren’t built for you…
If you don’t have an Ivy League network or a last name that opens doors…
Your story IS your access.
Your perspective – shaped by everything you’ve lived through, everything you’ve overcome, everything you’ve had to figure out on your own – that’s not just “nice content.”
It’s your competitive advantage.
But only if you’re willing to go deep enough to find it.
And brave enough to say it out loud.
Rachael didn’t always speak with that kind of SOUL power I saw in her video yesterday.
In 2022, after she completed Founder’s Fire, she recorded this:

Rewatching this after not seeing this for years, I almost get the chills…
Because even back then, she was already finding her voice – early in the journey, but you could see it starting.
“While you enter one of her classes and courses thinking that you are going to become a better storyteller, you are going to drive sales, you are going to increase momentum in your business—you will do all those things—but what you don’t realize you’ll get is the beauty of humanity and the connections that she creates, and the energy that is put out into a classroom and a room that attracts more good humans doing really good things in this world.”
I’ve watched Rachael evolve over the years.
Finding your voice.
Speaking from that depth of conviction and raw power.
It doesn’t just happen.
It’s not even a 12-week program and boom, you’re done.
It’s practice.
It’s reflection.
It’s evolving.
It’s being in community with other people who are also sharing their personal stories and digging into the hard stuff.
That’s how you go from having a story to being able to speak from your soul on the topics that matter most to you.
That’s what I witnessed last night in Rachel’s video about Minnesota.
If any of this is resonating with you…
If you’re sitting here tired of rage scrolling…(it’s me lately!!)
Tired of not being able to say how you feel or get the words out…
Maybe you’ve tried before and it didn’t land the way you wanted…
This is the type of work we’re doing at the end of February in Founder’s Fire – Big Idea edition.
You should apply.
Founder’s Fire exists for this exact moment we’re all collectively experiencing.
When having a platform isn’t enough, and clarity, conviction, and voice actually matter.
Because here’s what I know:
We are at such a critical juncture right now.
People are TIRED of ****GESTURES WILDLY AT this.
We don’t want to be led by people who stay silent because they feel like they have nothing to lose.
Who won’t use their voice to defend the most vulnerable or at the very minimum, denounce it.
We need more Rachael’s.
We need more people like YOU.
People who stand for something good and who want to do good in the world.
But if you don’t go out there and talk about it – if you don’t share your ideas, your perspective, your story – no one is going to know.
And we can’t afford for you to stay silent anymore.
The application is here when you’re ready and if you have any questions about this program, please reply to this email.
XO
Patrice