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Legacy, Leadership, and the Art of Reinvention: Lessons from Maeve Chocolate

In the world of business, few stories are as rich and layered as a good piece of chocolate. That’s exactly what I uncovered in this Small Business Success Talk episode with Jean and Ellie Thompson—the powerhouse mother-daughter duo behind Maeve Chocolate (formerly Seattle Chocolate).

Jean didn’t set out to run a chocolate company. She started as an investor. But when a literal earthquake shook the business (yes, an actual earthquake), she stepped up, bought the company, and rebuilt it from the inside out. Over the next 22 years, she transformed not just the brand but her entire leadership philosophy. Enter Ellie, her daughter, who would eventually help reimagine the brand for the next generation—thus birthing Maeve Chocolate.

But this episode wasn’t just about rebranding. It was a masterclass in strategic thinking, intergenerational leadership, and the kind of visionary adventure that entrepreneurs need if they want to build something that lasts.

Here’s what we can all learn from their journey:

1. Reinvention is not a pivot—it’s an adventure.

Jean didn’t just “update” Seattle Chocolate—she questioned everything. The name, the brand, the packaging, the purpose, even the audience. That level of reinvention takes guts. It requires a high tolerance for risk, a deep sense of purpose, and a willingness to explore uncharted territory.

Sound familiar?

That’s exactly what I teach in the Being Super / Being Villainous framework—using the Hero’s Journey as a strategic lens. Maeve’s story follows it beautifully: a call to adventure (the failing company), trials and mentors (distribution challenges, imposter syndrome, learning the industry), transformation (purpose-driven philanthropy, Gen Z-friendly branding), and now—expansion.

Takeaway: You’re not “starting over.” You’re starting the next level. Strategic reinvention IS the adventure.

2. Business can be a force for global good—without sacrificing fun.

This episode is a powerful reminder that impact and joy don’t have to compete. Maeve Chocolate:

    • Pays farmers equitably and reinvests in their communities
    • Uses compostable packaging and runs a carbon-neutral plant
    • Gives 10% of profits to frontline causes
    • Created a brand that feels like “Willy Wonka meets social justice”

That’s the magic formula—do good, feel good, taste good. Ellie even likened their marketing approach to building an immersive world like The Gorillaz music group. In other words, branding as a creative escape.

Their customers aren’t just buying chocolate—they’re joining a movement. A lifestyle. A story.

Takeaway: Impact is more powerful when it’s embedded in your identity—not tacked on as a feature.

 

3. Strategy isn’t about spreadsheets—it’s about alignment.

Ellie didn’t rebrand just to be trendy. She studied the market, analyzed their competitors, and asked the deeper questions: Who is our audience now? What matters to them? How do we meet them with both joy and substance?

Maeve’s strategy wasn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It was tailored, layered, and intentional.

This mirrors the way I teach strategic clarity: using tools like the Life Wheel, the Quest, and the Adventure Map to help leaders align their decisions with their purpose, values, and future impact.

When Jean said, “If we don’t keep reinventing, we’ll become irrelevant,” it hit hard. That’s not fear talking—that’s a leader who understands that clarity is an ongoing commitment.

Takeaway: True strategy isn’t about making a plan. It’s about making sure every plan aligns with your purpose.

 

4. Passing the torch is an act of legacy AND leadership.

The mother-daughter dynamic between Jean and Ellie was not only heartwarming—it was instructive. Ellie didn’t join the business out of obligation. She chose it. And Jean didn’t hand her the reins without intention—she’s actively mentoring her through each stage of growth.

Leadership succession is often messy, especially in legacy businesses. But their approach—rooted in curiosity, trust, and mutual respect—is a model for how to do it with grace.

It also highlights an often-overlooked truth: Mentorship IS strategy. Training your next leader is just as important as training your next marketing funnel.

Takeaway: Scaling your business means preparing the next hero—not hoarding the cape.

 

Final Thought: Build a brand that feels like a journey worth taking.

Maeve Chocolate is more than a product—it’s a sensory, sustainable, soul-aligned experience. And the Thompsons are proof that with vision, values, and just enough boldness, you really can turn chocolate into a movement.

As you build your own adventure—whether you’re in a reinvention season, gearing up for expansion, or just trying to stay sane in the chaos—remember this:

You are the mapmaker. You are the adventurer. You are the legacy.

The world is waiting for your flavor. Make it unforgettable.

🎧 Listen to the full episode: HERE
🍫 Explore Maeve Chocolate: https://maevechocolate.com

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5 Ways Marketing And Marching Band Are Similar

5 Ways Marketing And Marching Band Are Similar

I spent 16 years in marching band, only 4 of those was when I was a student in high school. When I graduated, I marched one season with the Indiana University Marching Hundred in the Flag Corps, and continued to choreograph and teach other high school groups for years.

 

The number of shows, themes, costumes, props, charts, sunscreen, instruments, and early Saturday morning wake-ups is too many to count. Each season was new and exciting – until it wasn’t – then it required more commitment to excellence to show up for the audience and judges.

 

I loved my marching band life!

 

How does this relate to marketing?  Here are 5 ways.

1. The fundamentals are reviewed often and drilled to near perfection.

When a new season started, all the kids would be on the pavement in single file lines learning their left from right, how to turn on command in unison, and how to move succinctly while playing music on their instrument (not just sounds).

Marketing works the same. If you are not reviewing your foundation on a regular basis, your efforts in the channels you are advertising and spending money in are going to miss the mark. Your marketing foundation is your brand identity that includes your strategic statements, your mission, your ideal client definition and target audience, and your main objectives for your marketing efforts (making money is NOT the only objective).

2. Making noise is not the same as making music that moves someone.

When a student tries to play and march the first time, it’s a noisy hot mess.  The beginning of the season tends to be very piecemeal of random notes and lucky landings on the right yard line. Over time, with guidance from the director, practice, and a commitment to the music, the band develops as a unit that produces the kind of music that gets an audience off their seats cheering for more and the judge’s high praise shows in the scores.

Marketing works the same. Without guidance, practice, and a commitment to the audience’s experience, you are just a noisy hot-mess in your messaging.  Even if you are the marketing leader in your company/organization, you still don’t know everything or you may have gotten into a rut. Get a guide to help you see things in a new way. Then practice. Keep studying the art of marketing, and other examples of great marketing, to potentially emulate. Then commit to your target audience’s experience with your marketing.  Don’t just push noise, pull them in with something that moves them to action.

3. Preparation from leadership keeps everyone going.

By the end of every marching band season (which is from June to November for most schools with parades, games, and contests), every director I have ever worked alongside has said, “This is the last time I ever do this!”  Until January and they have been refreshed over the holidays and listening to fun music again. That’s when I get a call, “You gotta listen to this!  What if we did something a little extra this year?”  And we’d be planning and preparing for June.  The amount of preparation we as leaders did set-up every student for a successful season. WE had to be ready for THEM to get excited about what we wanted to accomplish for the audience.

Marketing is no different. Have you done the necessary preparation and planning for your audience’s experience with your business?  Do you have a strategic plan in place? Do you have a messaging strategy? Content plan? Channel objectives? Conversion flow charts? People in the right seats to do the work? Enough people to do the work? A budget for media to grow an audience faster? And so on.

4. One clarinet is not a whole marching band show experience.

If you’ve ever seen a live marching band in a parade or football game, you know how many different instruments it takes to play a song in its totality.

The same works for your marketing. One post on Facebook isn’t going to be a complete message. You need to incorporate a fully integrated marketing plan that is strategic and suitable for your target audience.

5. Your distinctiveness is solidifying your reputation out in the world.

When I got the real spark of marching band it was from watching a Drum Corps International band competition. I loved the pageantry, the traditions, the live heart-thumping music, and the entertainment of flying colors and dancing on the green. Each band’s show was a different theme ranging from classical to Broadway and everything in-between.  I loved so many of the bands, but one stood out the most to me then:  The Velvet Knights of California.  These people didn’t have marching uniforms, they wore tuxes with converse shoes. They didn’t just play the classics, they acted it out humorously. They weren’t the band with the highest score, but they were the band the audience engaged with the most. They were KNOWN FOR THEIR ENTERTAINMENT.

What is your business KNOWN for? I have had plenty of conversations with sales reps over the years about “best customer service” or “lower prices.”  Not enough to be KNOWN for something. What goes with that? Walmart claims lowest prices, but it’s KNOWN for your ability to show up in that store as your worst-looking self and no one cares. Buccee’s is KNOWN for the clean restrooms and massive amount of fueling stations with a shopping experience to be able to get you in-and-out with everything you could possibly need to fill you and your vehicle up to get back on the road while getting you to share their now iconic beaver character on your social feeds.

Out of the two examples, one was not planned, the other was. Don’t let the world create a “people of Walmart” about your business. Design your brand experience on purpose and fully integrate that into the audience experience.

__________

Marching band has its complexities, but when the final result is energizing to both the audience and the band members, everyone wins. You may not always feel like doing the work required to make marketing work in your favor and feel energizing, but the results are rewarding in so many ways.

As I write this, I am reminding myself that my own brands of business need a revisit and refresh.  Time to get to work – while I play some marching music in the background.

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My Inner Badass

My Inner Badass

Recently, I did something powerful. I stepped away from the noise, the pressure, and the constant doing to spend a few days at a retreat focused on clarity—clarity for myself, and for my business.

We breathed. We connected. We shared parts of ourselves that don’t always get air.

We did an escape room where I figured out a crazy-complicated puzzle on my own—and for a moment, I felt unstoppable. Like all the best parts of me were firing at full strength.

And then came the moment that will live in me forever:

We each wrote down the blocks we carry—the beliefs, the fears, the old stories—and pressed the tip of an arrow to our throats. Tiffany, our facilitator, braced the other end.

And then I walked through it.

I broke the block. With nothing but my own forward motion.

That arrow cracked… and so did something inside me.

But clarity comes at a cost.

Because when I got home, I had to do the hard things that clarity demands.

I had to make painful decisions—decisions that protect the vision, but break the heart.

I had to have devastatingly hard conversations. I had to let people go.

I had to face the fact that the dream I’m building isn’t just beautiful—it’s brutal.

And then, my body hit the wall.

After chiropractor, physical therapy, dry needling, emotional release, and soul-deep bravery, I just crashed.

So here I am: on the other side of the arrow.

Tired. Tender. Real.

But also… still moving forward.

This isn’t the end of the story.

This is the middle.

And in the middle, we rest.

We cry.

We break and rise, sometimes in the same breath.

And we remember:

I am the one who walked through the arrow.

I am the one who makes the hard calls.

I am the one who gets back up.

Again. And again. And again.

And so can you, my friends, because there’s a little badass inside each of us. 

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Definiteness of Purpose – A Journey of Discovery and Growth

Christy Smallwood talks definiteness of purpose, a Napoleon Hill concept
 

 

In a world filled with distractions and daily routines, finding your true purpose can seem like an elusive quest. Drawing inspiration from timeless success principles and personal growth strategies, this guide will help you navigate the path to understanding and embracing your life’s purpose.

 

The Power of Definite Purpose

Success is not about grand, unattainable goals, but about creating intentional milestones that align with your core values. Inspired by Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich,” the concept of a “definite purpose” is about being intentional and committed to your personal growth. It’s not about having a single, overwhelming life mission, but about creating meaningful, purposeful steps that move you forward.

 

Claiming Your Purpose: The First Bold Step

Owning your purpose requires courage and conviction. Think of it like claiming the last piece of chocolate – it’s yours, and you’re unapologetic about it. This means:

  • – Recognizing your unique potential
  • – Believing in your ability to create change
  • – Committing to your personal journey

 

Listening to Your Inner Voice

Your soul speaks to you through intuition, gut feelings, and quiet moments of reflection. To truly understand your purpose:

    • – Create space for silence and meditation
    • – Pay attention to your inner guidance
    • – Trust the whispers of your intuition

 

The Transformative Power of Sacrifice

Sacrifice isn’t about giving up something fun – it’s about letting go of comfort zones that no longer serve your growth. For me, this meant eliminating self-doubt and embracing a new mindset of possibility and potential.

 

Key Sacrifices to Consider:

– Negative self-talk

– Limiting beliefs

– Unproductive habits

– Fear of failure

 

Practical Action Items:

1. Spend 15 minutes daily in quiet reflection

2. Journal about your dreams and potential purposes

3. Identify one comfort zone to step out of this week

4. Create a list of personal values that guide your decisions

5. Develop a growth mindset that embraces challenges

 

Finding your purpose is a continuous journey of self-discovery, intentionality, and personal growth. It’s not about perfection, but about progress. By claiming your path, listening to your inner voice, and being willing to sacrifice what no longer serves you, you can create a life of meaning and impact.

 

Your purpose is not a destination, but a dynamic, evolving path of personal transformation.

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