Update Your Operating System - Building a Resilient & Sustainable Business
Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026 Time: 12:00–1:30 PM ET Format: Live Virtual (Zoom) + Expert-Led Workshop + Applied Learning
As foodtech ventures grow, founders are required to make complex decisions under uncertainty while managing personal energy, leadership demands, and long-term vision. Session 5 is a skills-focused workshop designed to help founders strengthen the internal systems that support sustainable growth.
This session brings together mindset frameworks, founder reflection, and applied coaching tools to help participants build resilience, align business strategy with personal values, and lead with clarity through the challenges of commercialization and scale.
In this session, you will:
- Explore mindset frameworks that support resilience, adaptability, and effective leadership
- Learn strategies for navigating uncertainty while staying focused on priorities
- Reflect on how your personal values, goals, and vision align with your business direction
- Gain insights from a food founder turned coach who successfully built, scaled, and exited a CPG business
- Apply practical tools to support long-term sustainability and decision-making as a founder
Speaker Profile
Christine Manning – Mindset & Business Alignment Coach Christine is a former CPG founder who built, scaled, and exited her food company, Mannings Cannings, in 2024. She now works with entrepreneurs to develop clarity, resilience, and alignment so they can grow their businesses sustainably. Her coaching approach is grounded in lived founder experience and practical tools that support both personal and commercial success.
Session Format
- Welcome & Framing the Session
- Update Your Operating System Christine Manning introduces mindset frameworks and leadership tools for resilience, clarity, and values-driven growth, drawing on lessons from her founder journey
- Applied Mindset Coaching Workshop Guided reflection and interactive exercises to help founders identify alignment gaps, limiting beliefs, and opportunities for growth
- Open Discussion & Q&A Cohort dialogue focused on applying mindset strategies to real commercialization challenges
- Wrap-Up & Looking Ahead Key takeaways and preview of Session 6: Crafting the Food Technology Story: How to Make Technical Innovation Compelling with William Johnson, Jelly Academy
Looking Ahead
This session is a turning point in the cohort, helping founders strengthen the leadership foundation required for scaling, fundraising, and long-term execution. Participants are encouraged to arrive ready to reflect, engage, and apply insights directly to their business and personal leadership approach.
