Meet Marnie Stockman & Nick Coniglio

We recently connected with Marnie Stockman & Nick Coniglio and have shared our conversation below.

Marnie Stockman &, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Short answer? We tripped over it while trying to outrun burnout and bad bosses.

Longer answer? Our purpose didn’t arrive with a marching band and banner. It snuck in somewhere between a school hallway (Marnie was teaching math to teenagers, bless her) and a server room (Nick was in tech, with more dashboards than daylight). We collided in the world of EdTech. Through multiple acquisitions it felt like the company we worked for had sold its soul to the devil. So we decided to do something about it.

We un-sold our souls.

We looked at each other, and said, “Let’s build something that actually reflects who we are.”

Enter: a business built on core values, raving fans, and leadership lessons we learned from Ted Lasso. (Yes, the mustached football coach turned accidental therapist.)

That show didn’t inspire us to write a book—it gave us permission to tell the truth: Leadership isn’t about job titles. It’s about who you are when no one’s watching, and especially when everyone is. We wrote Lead It Like Lasso to help people lead themselves first—because you can’t fake character, and charisma won’t carry you forever.

Our purpose now? Help people become the best version of themselves—no jargon, no ego, no five-step funnels. Just honest leadership, a few biscuits, and a whole lot of belief.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Hi, we’re Marnie and Nick—founders, leadership nerds, and accidental authors who believe the most important project you’ll ever work on… is you.

After scaling and selling an EdTech company, we realized our secret sauce wasn’t our software—it was our leadership culture. So we wrote a book called Lead It Like Lasso, inspired by the antics of Ted Lasso in AFC Richmond. It’s part leadership guide, part character study, and part gentle kick in the pants. (Yes, there’s a quiz to find out if you’re a Ted, a Rebecca, a Roy, a Sam, or a Keeley.)

But we didn’t stop there.

We’re building Blue: The Business of You—a personal leadership app that helps people treat their lives the way CEOs treat companies. That means defining your values, building your board of advisors, navigating setbacks, and actually enjoying the process. It’s fun, gamified, and coming this fall.

And because we believe growth should come with laughter, we also publish a satirical newsletter called Work In ProgMess. It’s like The Onion went to therapy and got a leadership coach. Every issue delivers leadership wisdom wrapped in humor, rants, and just enough truth to sting (in a good way).

What’s special about all of this? We’re not trying to be gurus. We’re building tools and stories for people who want to lead with character—and have a little fun doing it.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Character (The Real Résumé)
Anyone can look impressive on paper. But character is your actual résumé—the one people remember when you’re not in the room. Integrity, empathy, and follow-through will outlast any job title. Want to develop it? Reflect often. Apologize well. And don’t ghost people. (Seriously, don’t.)

2. Knowing Who You Are (and Who You’re Not)
Self-awareness isn’t optional—it’s leadership oxygen. The earlier you figure out what you stand for (and what you absolutely won’t tolerate), the less time you’ll spend shapeshifting to impress people who don’t matter. Start by asking better questions: What energizes me? What drains me? Who do I want to be in the hard moments?

3. Tell Stories, Not Just Facts
Facts inform. Stories transform. We’ve learned that data might win the argument, but story wins the room. Whether you’re leading a team, pitching an idea, or trying to explain how Ted Lasso taught you servant leadership, narrative sticks. So practice telling real stories—about mistakes, moments of clarity, and people who made an impact. If your facts don’t move hearts, they’ll just gather dust in a slide deck.

Advice for beginners?
Multiple studies show that self-awareness is one of the strongest predictors of leadership success. Leaders who know themselves make better decisions, build stronger teams, and earn more trust.
Don’t wait until you “have experience” to act with character. You build it by how you show up now. Know yourself. Share your story. And remember: people don’t follow perfect leaders—they follow real ones.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

We’ve always had a soft spot for the Diamond Dogs. In Ted Lasso, they’re the messy, mismatched brain trust that somehow always manages to deliver wisdom between the jokes and awkward silences. And honestly? That’s exactly what we’ve needed.

Our Diamond Dogs have shown up in different forms over the years—friends, colleagues, former bosses, a surprise mentor or two, even each other. What mattered wasn’t their job titles. It was that they saw us clearly, told us the truth, and believed in us at just the right (and wrong) times.

As our work evolved, so did our mindset. We started treating this informal group like a personal board of advisors—a crew we could rely on for honest feedback, strategic thinking, and the occasional “you’ve got spinach in your metaphor” reality check.

The best part? You don’t need to wait to be successful to build one. You build success with them.

Pro tip: Build a board that challenges you, not just cheers for you. You need someone who’ll clap when you win—and someone who’ll ask why you played small when you could’ve gone bold.

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