richmonroe 
The Left Lane of Empathy As our business started growing, Seattle became a second home.Video shoots. Developer pitches. Quick turnarounds. We even helped one of the biggest firms there win an architectural achievement award—with a full project that had to be completed in just seven days. That story’s for another time. But if you’ve ever … Read more
Sometimes an Act of Kindness Is Sweeter Than Cake I wasn’t planning on going to McDonald’s that day.Honestly? I had my sights set on Starbucks—thought I’d sneak in a little caffeine and quiet before diving into work. But when I got there, the place had been downsized into a kind of ghost kiosk. No tables. … Read more
Why Empathy Is a Business Strategy: Elise’s Story It’s fitting that our final character, Empathetic Elise, bookends the Stride Squad alongside Systematic Seth. Seth asks: “What’s the one revenue-generating action you could take today rather than simply focusing on tension-relieving activity?” He brings clarity and structure to the chaos. But Elise… She brings you back … Read more
Flip the Switch – Energy, Amplified Most people think energy is something you either have or you don’t. But what if I told you it’s something you can build—on command? Seriously. You can practice it, train it, even trigger it like a switch. Let’s prove it right now. Quick Challenge Everyone reading this—unless you’re flying … Read more
The Skagit21 Origin Story You ever walk into a place and immediately know the system was built by people who stopped caring a long time ago? That was Skagit County’s Channel 21. One camera in the back. Three officials up front—mic’d like they were whispering through a pillow. Each meeting slapped end-to-end on a six-hour … Read more
How a Lazy River and a Wedding Gig Launched My Career Years ago, I worked at a small-town Chamber of Commerce nestled in a quiet farming valley. A lazy river meandered through town, and right in the center, a concrete parking lot jutted out over the water about 20 yards. The locals called it *the … Read more
Hurt or Injured? Some lessons shape your whole life. One of mine started with a trumpet, a baseball field, and a father’s quiet wisdom. During my senior year in high school, I was invited to compete in my state solo contest.One of my dearest friends, a phenomenal piano player, agreed to accompany me.We picked an … Read more
Fix the Machine. Then Scale the Dream. If entrepreneurship is a horse race, then StridePreneur is for all the jockeys who blasted out of the starting gate like a bat out of hell—riding high on hope, dreams, and the fire of financial freedom. You were probably a technician. Great at what you did. And one … Read more
Behind the Curtain: What You Didn’t See While the STRIDE Squad Took the Spotlight By Rich Monroe | April 4, 2025 This week, you met six animated characters.But what you were really meeting… was me. Each one of them—Ren, Indy, Seth, Elise, Dash, Tess—was designed with intention.They weren’t just colorful personalities or brand mascots. They … Read more