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The Founder Trap & The Illusion Of Progress
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| With Cate Luzio (Founder/CEO, Luminary), Gia Lowe (Dir. Strategic Partnerships & Experiential, Glowe Group), Zanade Mann (CEO, Zanade Enterprises). |
| Venue, 1204 Broadway |
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Feb 17 (Tue) , 2026 @ 06:30 PM
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FREE |
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| DETAILS |
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This Ugly Talk explores one of the most common & least discussed challenges in entrepreneurship: the founder trap. When founders spend all their time working in the business instead of on the business, activity can start to feel like progress, even when it's not.
Being busy becomes a comfort zone, & real leverage gets postponed.
Why You Should Attend
You feel constantly busy but unsure what's actually moving the business forward
You're the bottleneck & know it, but don't know how to step out
You've hired people but still do most of the important work yourself
You want to grow without burning out or losing control of the company
You'll walk away with clearer signals to recognize the founder trap early & real examples of how others escaped it.
Who You'll Meet
Founders & small business owners navigating growth
Operators & side hustlers transitioning into leadership roles
Investors & funders who've seen this mistake up close
Builders who care more about progress than optics
Named Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 100 Women of Impact, Zanade Mann is a marketing strategist who helps leaders & institutions across brands & government become consistent, trusted by their communities, & impossible to ignore. With over 17 years of experience at the intersection of education, economic development, & stakeholder engagement, she brings a rare depth of perspective, seeing patterns & possibility others miss. In 2025, she began building a creator pipeline that future-proofs professionals with 10+ years of expertise, positioning them to profit from the creator economy. Her work & perspective have been featured across national platforms including NBC, Fox, Cheddar TV, & Black Enterprise.
Gia Lowe - Founder & Dir. Strategic Partnerships & Experiential at The Glowe Group
Named one of Essence Magazine's 50 Founder's to Watch', Gia Lowe is a purpose-driven, serial entrepreneur.
As a business leader, she designs dynamic event experiences & lucrative partnerships that span across beauty, lifestyle, tech, & entertainment industries. As a social-impact entrepreneur she's the founder of The Glowe Group - an experiential marketing & strategic partnerships agency, co-founder of CGC - a community of 250,000 women & co-founder of CURLFEST, a beauty festival with nearly 30,000 attendees.
In the midst of transition, Gia is launching the Stop Stalling on Your Calling movement - a collective clarion call to disconnect from distractions & focus on flourishing.
This thought-leader & innovative founder has been featured in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, ABC's Nightline & Forbes to name a few. A Meta alum with over a decade of expertise, Gia has designed activations & executed partnerships with industry leaders such as Unilever, Target, Netflix, Coppertone, & Disney.
Announcing additional panel speaker soon. Stay tuned!
Cate Luzio - Founder & CEO of Luminary
Cate Luzio is the Founder & CEO of Luminary, a global professional education & networking platform addressing & impacting the systemic challenges faced by women throughout their professional journeys.
What We'll Talk About
The difference between being busy & building leverage
When founders become the biggest constraint to growth
Why delegation feels risky but doing everything is riskier
The mindset shift from operator to leader
What working on the business actually looks like in practice
Luminary is a global, membership-based professional education & networking platform founded with the mission to uplift, up-skill, & propel women & their allies forward through all phases of their professional journeys.
GREY Journal - Media partner spotlighting modern entrepreneurs (featured on Apple News + Google News).
About Ugly Talk:
Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough aha! moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons & insights.
With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, & Miami, we've built a vibrant community of thousands of founders & industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.
Official Website: UglyTalk.com
Important Notice for Ugly Talk Attendees
Admission & Confirmation
Attendance is by approval only. Approved guests will receive a confirmation email along with a calendar invite. Invitations are non-transferable. Additional event details will be shared as the event approaches.
Code of Conduct
By attending, you agree to:
Maintain respect & professionalism, adhering to all venue rules, policies, & applicable laws.
Refrain from harassment, discrimination, unwelcome sexual advances (verbal or physical), intimidation, or inappropriate photography/recording.
Report any violations to the event hosts immediately.
Violations may result in immediate removal from the event & exclusion from future invitations.
Liability & Risk
Participation is voluntary & at your own risk. The event organizers, hosts, sponsors, & venue are not liable for personal injury, lost or stolen belongings, or any other damages incurred during the event.
Media Consent
By attending, you grant the event organizers & affiliated entities the right to capture, use, & distribute photos, videos, & audio recordings of you for promotional, marketing, & other lawful purposes, including digital & print media, advertising, & social media. You waive any right to inspect or approve the final materials & release all claims related to their use.
Communications
By registering, you agree to receive marketing & promotional communications from Ugly Talk & its co-hosts, partners, & sponsors. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Agreement
If you do not agree to this Code of Conduct, please refrain from attending the event.
Official Event Page: [Link]
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