Sabbatical

Working on my doctoral dissertation and spending more time with my wife and kids

Sabbatical break to work on my doctoral dissertation

ShareBuilder 401k

•	Led Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Product, Finance, HR, Accounting, IT Infrastructure, & Facilities

•	Crafted a $200M acquisition of a competitor that has generated more than $25 million in profit

•	Drove M&A event from Capital One with an on-time closing, final price 50% under budget, & $3M in year 1 profit

•	Achieved more than 4X EBITDA/Net Income goal for fiscal 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023

•	Grew assets at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 35%

•	Piloted sales increases of more than 20% annually

•	Created a customer success organization that saw FinTech SaaS renewals at a 99% rate

•	Constructed handbooks, manuals, & plan documents in house saving over $2 million at startup

•	Vetted & contracted all vendors (Insurance, HRIS, Payroll, VPN, Security, Salesforce, Five9, Jira, Meraki, etc.)

•	Oversaw modernization of all technological systems savings of more than $3 million annually while leading to greater efficiency, risk mitigation, & business continuity

•	Distilled brand partnership efforts to concentrate on affinity, ISV, strategic, and influencer efforts to dive a 12% increase in partner leads and 12 new national partner agreements

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Capital One

•	Collaborated with 8 Director teams across 6 sites to create the rhythm of the business (ROB), resulting in improved execution alignment for 850+ associate stakeholders including Sales, Presales, Sales Operations, Partners, Marketing, Services, & Customer Success, 52% Y/Y pipeline growth, & an 11% reduction in account whitespace within 9 months

•	Directed cross-functional teams, bringing together small & mid-size (SMB) business customer data, expanding whitespace customer interaction opportunities by 30%, & driving an increase in SMB product penetration by 23%

•	Public relations media spokesperson for radio, TV, & events (SXSW, GROWCO, Dreamforce, etc.)

•	Grew revenue by 32% compounded annual growth rates (CAGR) over 8 consecutive years

•	Increased assets under management (AUM) by 35% CAGR over 8 consecutive years

•	Boosted customer acquisition by 18% CAGR over 8 consecutive years

Vice President, Business Strategy, Acquisition & Retention

•	Saved over $100M in annual spending by moving Capital One from 26 instances of Salesforce to 2 (Business & Consumer) while also increasing whitespace business customer opportunities by 47%

•	Mentored startup founders on business fundamentals, financial discipline, & the FinTech landscape as an advisor in Capital One Lab’s startup accelerator. Three advised companies generated $300 million in profit for COF

•	Delivered on aggressive sales growth of $500M & $750M Y/Y

Senior Director, Business Development & Retention

•	Led a cross-functional cohort to craft Capital One's first diversity, inclusion, & belonging mission (later DE&I)

•	Expanded external sales team to 6 regions capturing $1.5B in mid-market and enterprise accounts over 3 years resulting in $10M in new recurring annual revenue

•	Initiated business banking referral program including crafting all messaging, training, & program details to increase customer whitespace opportunities by 78%

Director, Sales & Customer Services

•	Pushed external sales team to 3 regions & captured $180M in new SMB & enterprise sales in the first 12 months
 
•	Began managing call center customer service teams, quickly solving customer issues & driving an increase in Net Promoter Score (NPS) from +11 to +42 over 12 months

•	Created a Fee Fighters superhero campaign (piggybacking on the superhero movie craze) where employers & employees could receive social badges by uploading newly legislated fee disclosure documents increasing upmarket leads by 29

Senior Manager, Sales & Customer Service

•	Initiated & led a multi-year partnership with Costco resulting in a 57% annual increase in sales

•	Established external sales role to push "upmarket” resulting in the company's first $1M, $2M, $5M, & $10M sales

•	Segmented sales roles by customer type & associate experience creating 5 sales roles & 8 customer archetypes resulting in sales gains of 13% Y/Y & increased revenue of 26%

•	Led partnership acquisition strategy (affiliate, affinity, cross-marketing, distribution, influencer, ISV, strategic, referral, & white label) resulting in 47 agreements in the first 12 months and a 27% increase in qualified leads

•	Launched a reseller program, collaborating with external firms as authorized resellers to increase product reach resulting in a sales boost of 19%

Senior Manager, Sales & Marketing

•	Refined sales process & technique to increase sales by 234% in 12 months

•	Crafted dynamic customer journeys resulting in a 94% conversion increase & a 56% gain in sales Y/Y

•	Reformed product marketing messaging & voice driving a 187% increase in leads, 119% increase in opportunity creation, & a 62% increase in sales Y/Y

Manager, Sales & Marketing

AutoNation

•	Built, optimized, & refined sales processes & engagement framework for internet sales departments across multiple regions & then nationwide, reducing engagement time from days to minutes, resulting in sales increases of 387%

•	Designed & deployed Microsoft Dynamics, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), increasing revenue by 7% & earnings by 15%

•	Led product team that evaluated paper processes for digitization, eliminated $30M in annual spending, & increased on-time financial EOM close by 26%

•	Developed positioning, messaging, & campaign materials to propel AutoNation's $21 billion revenue, including messaging, pitch decks, creative, & datasheets.

Director, Sales Process & Operations

Younger Kitchens

Founder/Owner

People Leader | COO | CRO | CEO | Creating Efficiency | Accelerating Growth & Revenue | Satisfying Customers | Change Management | GTM Strategy | Fintech | Capital One | ING | AutoNation | Founder

An inclusive hands-on executive focused on finding talented people, optimizing processes, and disrupting markets with winning strategies. This is an approach that has equaled 20 years of explosive sales growth, brand-loving customers, and huge increases in revenue and earnings. Always examining challenges with a creative entrepreneurial approach while also applying business fundamentals through a rigorous financial lens. Utilizing Organizational Change and Leadership expertise acquired through doctoral studies at the University of Southern California to achieve impactful and lasting change!

Known for:

✓ Ability to Get Things Done
    • Always Meeting Deadlines & Quota
    • Providing Targeted Problem-Solving
    • Influencing Cross-Functionally Throughout Organizations

✓ Leading Initiatives that Spark Significant Gains in: 
    • Efficiency
    • Productivity
    • Operational Effectiveness

✓ Leveraging Interpersonal Acumen & Superior Communications Skills to Establish Relationships of Trust that Drive Growth & Exceed Objectives

✓ Bringing Extensive Enterprise SaaS sales, Go-To-Market, Product Marketing, Business Development, Customer Success, Finance, Accounting, & Partnering Expertise to Ignite Transformational Growth

✓ Being an Intellectually Curious Problem-Solver who is Successful in Identifying & Overcoming Business Obstacles

✓ Creating Diverse & Inclusive Cross-Functional Cultures that Empower and Instill a Shared Vision – Aligned with Aggressive Business Objectives & Goals

✓ Managing by the Numbers by Directing the Creation of Ambitions, Concrete, & Aligned OKRs/KPIs to Create Action-Oriented Achievement

✓ Being an Excited Father, Dedicated Husband, Early Adopting Technology Enthusiast, Sports Junkie, Whiskey Connoisseur, Indulgent Epicurean, & Flawed, but Ever-Evolving Man

Specialties: Revenue Growth | Strategy | Profit Optimization | Go-To-Market Leadership | Technology Solution Innovation | Account Management | Growth Strategy | Major Project Management | Sales and Marketing | B2B | B2C | Multichannel | Executive Vision | Organizational Development | Business Turnaround | Customer Acquisition | Customer Retention | Operations | Operational Excellence | P&L | Strategic Planning | Tactical Execution | Digital Transformation | Global Go-to-Market Planning | GTM Leadership | Continuous Improvement | Customer Success Management | Process Engineering | Digital Channels | Brand Strategy | Team Building | Analytics | Business Development | Client Relations

Robert Younger

Wicked Rae's

I founded Wicked Rae's with a passion for bringing the transformative power of art to people of all ages. Through customized workshops and innovative programs, we've successfully enhanced cognitive health, boosted social engagement, and sparked creativity in individuals and teams. Our inclusive and accessible approach has led to proven results in improving well-being, team dynamics, and creative skills.

Founder & CEO

I focus on cleaning up outdated processes and guiding companies through growth transitions. By crafting sustainable, people-centered solutions, I help leaders reclaim their time to lead rather than manage, ultimately driving long-term success through optimized operations and a collaborative culture.

Organizational Psychologist | Consultant 

People Ops Leader | Program Manager | Develop & Scale XFT | Corporate Trainer | Strategic Organizational Dev Specialist | L&D | I/O Psychologist

Transforming spaces into immersive sensory experiences - I've cracked the code on bringing laughter and creativity to diverse groups through the power of art.

With countless smiles sparked, hundreds of canvases splashed, and workshops tailored for all ages and abilities, I can show you how art becomes a catalyst for connection, learning, and team building.

In 2023: I launched Wicked Rae's, bringing vibrant splatter art experiences to the world
In 2024: Expanded to senior communities, schools, and corporate settings

I've crafted and led immersive workshops for:
• Senior care communities: Boosting engagement and motor skills
• Schools: Enhancing learning through multi-sensory art
• Corporations: Uniting teams through shared creative experiences

My proven strategies blend art, play, and purpose to create unforgettable moments and lasting impact.

Here's how we can collaborate:

1. Schedule a tailored workshop for your senior community, school, or corporate team
2. Visit our in-house splatter studio for a one-of-a-kind creative adventure
 3. Follow along for inspiration on bringing more color and creativity into everyday life

Whether you're looking to energize your team, engage students, or bring joy and healing to seniors, our workshops adapt to your unique needs. 

Let's splash some color into your world! 

For bookings and inquiries: wickedraesinfo@gmail.com

🦋 Jules M.

I have to share this moment because it captures something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately: joy, in its purest form.

Zak’s expression says it all, "this" is what living fully looks like.

We met this weekend during an adult birthday party we hosted, and the entire group was unforgettable. 

Zak walked in ready to experience everything (and did) with the kind of laughter that fills a room and reminds everyone around them to loosen their shoulders and breathe again.

🧡 Some people make others feel important simply by being themselves. Zak is one of those people.

As we approach the end of our second year in business, I’ve been reflecting on the humans who’ve shaped this journey. 

Two years may not seem like much, but when you’re bootstrapping a small business, every day you stay standing is a milestone. 

🦋 Every person who believes in you is part of the foundation.

Here are a few of the remarkable people we’ve met this past year... people who took a chance on us and showed up with generosity, leadership, and heart:

Janell Dean - Exceptional at what she does, and a joy to collaborate with. The conference room transformation was stunning.

Chester Parrott, Ph.D. - One of our first major team-building experiences of the year. He brought unmatched energy and encouraged his team to hurl paint at him. Priceless.

Robert Nussbaum - When I needed help two weeks after emergency surgery, he didn’t hesitate. A steadfast friend and supporter of so many.

Mike Andring, CHA - We connected instantly during a team-building event, bonded by a shared mission to help others. Excited for what we’ll build together.

Christy Garrard - From the moment we shook hands at Café Ladro, we felt like we were in the right company. She opened doors that changed our world within 24 hours.

And to everyone who roots for us, shares our name when we’re not in the room, introduces us to new communities, and helps us grow with integrity... 

Thank you 🥂

We have so many programs ready to launch, and your support is the reason we’re able to keep creating space for joy, expression, and community.

If you don’t know the humans above, consider this your invitation. 

They’re the kind of people with stories that make you laugh until your ribs hurt - and the kind who show up without being asked.

As always, remain uncommon. 💜
Jules

(Image: Zak at Wicked Rae’s, covered in neon paint and glow bracelets - fully alive.)

#gratitude #communityinvestment #leadership #womenownedbusiness #teamdevelopment #experientiallearning #communityleaders #pnwbusiness #seattlesmallbusiness

Jules McVey

Viktor Frankl wrote: "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is your power to choose your response."

But when you're waking up at 3 AM with your heart pounding, when the nightmares won't stop, when your body remembers what your mind is desperately trying to forget - that space feels impossibly small.

You've tried thinking your way out.

Being stronger.
More disciplined.
More productive.

Yet? The trauma lives in your shoulders. Your shallow breath. In the way your mind screams danger when everything looks safe.

You're not broken.

Your body is doing exactly what it was designed to do.

Peter Levine discovered something revolutionary: trauma doesn't live in your thoughts. It lives in your tissues. You don't heal it by talking about it. You heal it by moving through it.

Stephen Porges' polyvagal theory reveals your nervous system has three gears: social engagement, fight-or-flight, and shutdown. When trauma hits, you get stuck in a gear. Your body keeps running survival software for a threat that's already passed.

But here's where hope enters, through what Levine calls pendulation - the gentle oscillation between pain and presence that allows stored trauma to finally discharge.

When you're hiking and your breath finds rhythm.

When you're painting and time disappears.

When you're laughing and your chest finally opens - your body isn't being distracted from trauma. It's literally releasing it through patterned movement and sensory integration.

This is bottom-up healing. 
Not top-down control.

Tedeschi and Calhoun call it post-traumatic growth (PTG) - developing new strength, purpose, and connection after adversity. Where growth happens by engaging with it differently.

You take what tried to destroy you and you create with it.

Not because some expert told you to.

Because the body, when given freedom and safety, knows what it needs to heal.

Resmaa Menakem says: "Healing doesn't just feel good - it spreads."

You don't have to heal alone.

When you move with others, when you create alongside someone whose nervous system has found regulation - you're activating mirror neurons and triggering oxytocin-rich bonding.

You don't have to just survive. You can actually heal it. Not perfectly.

Remnants will surface.

But you can reach a place where looking back feels like watching a movie - you remember living it, but it no longer lives in you.

That's not survival. That's transformation.

Move today. Not exercise - movement. Let your body shake if it needs to.

Create something. 
Paint badly. 
Write messily. 
Express.

Find your people.

Who co-regulate with you.

Whose regulated presence reminds your nervous system: this is what safety feels like.

The space between stimulus and response?

It's bigger than you think.

In that space lives your power to transform pressure into portal. Agony into art. Trauma into testament.

Your body has been waiting for permission.

This is it. Start today. Five minutes. One breath.

Jules

Today was one of those rare reminders that the work you do can ripple far beyond the moment.

We were invited to host several art workshops at two different Thanksgiving events - families from across the U.S. and Europe gathering to reconnect, honor their traditions, and create something meaningful together. 

We helped them make keepsakes they’ll carry home and treasure for years. 

Watching people step into joy, curiosity, and presence… it’s exactly why we built Wicked Rae’s.

Truth I keep coming back to:

Don’t chase your dreams. Run toward them like your life depends on the choices you make.

Because it does.

To the families who invited us into your holiday traditions, thank you, for trusting us with your memories.

Wicked Rae’s will be fully closed tomorrow, Friday, November 28, as we celebrate Oakley’s birthday with zero inbox or phone access. 

We’ll be back early Saturday, November 29, continuing our mission to help people rewrite their stories through creativity and connection.

Wishing you all a meaningful and intentional holiday weekend.

#community #leadership #womenownedbusiness #liveartactivations #pnwbusiness

(Image: Oakley & Jules in their car after traveling all day to provide art workshops at private events)

Wicked Rae's owners smiling in their car after a fun fulfilling day being art to families at their homes. 

When Teams Stop Talking and Start Creating

Here’s a truth we overlook in leadership circles:

Innovation doesn’t come from more meetings.
It comes from more moments.

When a team creates together - without agenda, slides, or metrics - something shifts.

Neuroscience calls it inter-brain synchrony.
Art calls it flow.
Leadership calls it trust.

Shared creation regulates cortisol, synchronizes brainwave patterns, and improves memory formation.

Translation: people remember what they feel, not what they hear.

This is why I tell leaders - add art to your agenda.

Once a week, bring in air-dry clay, textured papers, markers, or sculpting foam. Invite your team to build, doodle, or mold something during your strategy meeting.

Skip the icebreaker; let curiosity do the work.

Watch what happens when people sketch a forest, a home, or a single eye on paper.

 When the meeting ends, ask one question:
👉 “Why did you choose that?”

You’ll learn more about your team in five minutes of reflection than in an hour of PowerPoint.

Laughter surfaces.
Walls drop.
Ideas connect that never did before.

And the meeting, finally, means something.

Because creativity doesn’t just decorate culture.

It develops it.

The teams that play together build psychological safety faster.

The teams that create together innovate longer.

Art isn’t a break from business.

It’s a blueprint for it.

Ask yourself:

If your next meeting looked more like a studio than a boardroom, what might your team finally say without words?

#experientialart #neuropsychology #leadershipdevelopment #teambuilding #organizationalpsychology

(Image: Coraline Mini-me Workshop at Wicked Rae's)

Have you ever seen the movie Coraline? If you haven't, I highly suggest you do. 

Today, we finished our Mini-Me Workshop. Everything was hand-made. The wire frame, clay heads, the stitched and stuffed bodies - everything.

Ages present were 16 to 70 years old. All women. Different walks of life. Different cities. Unique lived experiences.

We listened to classic jazz. Every single person knew every song. It was brilliant hearing their voices sing in a circle of comfort.

One woman reminisced watching her parents dance in the 1960s to Frank Sinatra when they thought know one was looking. The love in her eyes said it all.

At one point, we all lifted our sleeves to tell stories of our tattoos and learned we really aren't that different after all. 

Yep, 6 hours later and we all have a little left to finish on ourselves. But good lord, I'm so proud of what we made together. 

Right after this, we hosted a birthday party for a 5 year old named Michelangelo - and we taught a group of young boys to experiment, laugh, and literally dance in paint. Their neon green grins said it all. 

One of the greatest things I've learned the last few years - creating something from scratch is liberating. Doing that amongst friends - even better. 

I hope you turn on jazz and dance with someone you love. 

Cheers, 
Jules

PS. Which doll is mine? Can you guess?

#womenownedbusiness #somatichealing 
#seattleartstudio #womenentrepreneurs

Yesterday, we mixed paint - but what really happened was deeper. 

Teens blended acrylic with baking soda and sand, creating textured layers that held more than color. They held stories, grit, and the quiet courage it takes to keep showing up. 

As we continue partnering with the Department of Social and Health Services, we’re reminded that healing rarely unfolds in smooth lines. It unfolds in ridges - honest, imperfect, and beautifully real.

In every workshop, we see resilience take shape in small moments: a teen taking a risk on a new texture, a caregiver catching their breath after a long day, a staff member guiding with patience that only comes from deep purpose. 

These touches of humanity - subtle, easy to miss - are often the very sparks that change a trajectory. Progress shows up as a laugh, a brushstroke, a conversation someone wasn’t ready to have last month. 

Tiny steps becoming turning points.

The truth is, growth is rarely tidy. 

Sometimes it takes adding sand, grit, and weight before something meaningful emerges. And what we’ve seen in these young people - what DSHS professionals nurture every day - is that even the rough patches can be transformed into something powerful when someone chooses to stay, support, and believe.

To the youth who trust us with their creativity, to the DSHS teams who show up with unwavering commitment, and to the professionals who hold space through both challenge and triumph - you are the backbone of change. 

It’s an honor to walk alongside you and to witness what happens when community becomes possibility.

#DSHS #youthempowerment #communityhealing #artforchange #wickedraes

(Images: Workshop with DSHS at Wicked Rae's in Seattle)

Creative workspace with colored sand (yellow, orange, red), feathers, printed images, and purple paint. Paintbrushes and scattered glitter showing an experimental art activity involving baking soda reactions and mixed media at Wicked Rae's

Reflective art table covered in vibrant painting supplies including acrylic paint tubes, brushes, feathers, and paper towels. A central paper features thick, textured layers of blue, green, yellow, and red paint, suggesting a dynamic, hands-on art session at Wicked Rae's in Seattle.

Art table with multiple painted sheets, including a prominent purple and white circular design resembling an eye. Other papers show bold orange, black, and red strokes. Paintbrushes and supplies are scattered across a reflective gold surface at Wicked Rae's in Seattle. 

I've known Hana Skomra for several years now, and I'm consistently impressed by her content, drive, innovation, and tenacity to challenge the status quo. 

If you haven't connected with her yet, do yourself a favor and change that.

I had to mull over her post today and gather my thoughts appropriately.

Here's what she's documented - along with countless other women on this platform - and why it matters more than you might think.

This isn't just about LinkedIn algorithms or gender bias. It's about how systems maintain themselves through our collective refusal to see them clearly. 

I've spent two decades in sleep medicine and psychology and now run a business that deliberately rejects conventional wisdom. One pattern I've observed: the strongest resistance to truth rarely comes from ignorance. It comes from people whose identity is invested in the existing structure.

Hana didn't just measure engagement metrics. 

She measured epistemic trust - who gets believed, who gets dismissed, whose observations are treated as legitimate data. 

The fact that she disclosed everything upfront and people still called it "catfishing" reveals something profound: when findings threaten our worldview, we attack the messenger's character rather than examine the message.

Here's what fascinates me: the people claiming her probe "isn't valid science" are confusing precision with validity. She ran an observational study. She documented a pattern. She was transparent about limitations. That's honest inquiry. 

The irony? 

Their dismissal based on methodological purity is itself unscientific. In legitimate research, an unexpected pattern is a signal to investigate further, not dismiss outright.

She mentioned the strongest pushback came from people who'd already climbed the ladder. People who've succeeded in a broken system have a psychological need to believe it was merit alone - because acknowledging systemic tilt means confronting uncomfortable truths about luck and circumstance. 

It's not malicious. It's human. But it keeps broken systems intact.

The quality of discourse around her probe is diagnostic. The whataboutism. The virtue signaling. The refusal to engage with what she actually said. These aren't intellectual disagreements, they're avoidance behaviors. 

We're still at a stage where naming certain patterns is treated as more problematic than the patterns themselves.

Hana made the invisible visible. 

That's the foundational work of anyone who's ever pushed understanding forward. The backlash she's experiencing? It's proportional to the importance of what she's revealed. Systems don't defend themselves against irrelevant observations.

The work she and others are doing isn't just noble. It's necessary. 

It shows us exactly where we are: still uncomfortable with reflection, still defaulting to defense, but slowly, incrementally, beginning to see.

Res ipsa loquitur, indeed my friend.

Thoughts?

Her post is in the comments.

taplio

The Battle

Robert Younger

🦋 Jules M.

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