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F'ing Up
F’ing Up is a podcast that peels back the highlight reel of success. Hosted by Deanne Rhynard, each episode features accomplished guests who share the messy, real, and often uncomfortable parts of their journeys—the moments that shaped their eventual success.
In a world where social media sells the illusion of overnight success, F’ing Up reminds listeners (especially those early in their careers or considering a major pivot) that growth is never linear. Deanne invites guests to drop the polished narrative, explore their stumbles, and reflect on what those experiences taught them in real time.
Because the truth is: what we often label as failure is usually just part of the climb.
After all, we’re all F’ing Up.
ABOUT THE HOST
Deanne Rhynard is a Success Mentor and the Host of The F’ing Up Podcast, where she translates failure into clarity, confidence, and momentum. Known for her grounded honesty and sharp emotional intelligence, she helps people cut through noise, confront blind spots, and define success on their own terms.
Before launching F’ing Up, Deanne spent nearly two decades as a Chief People Officer and startup advisor, helping companies navigate the messy, high-pressure stages of growth and scale. She shaped culture and leadership at organizations including Performio and Olo—the restaurant-tech pioneer where she scaled the team more than 30x, led the company through an IPO and two acquisitions, and built a remote-first culture well before the rest of the world caught up.
Her background spans people operations, corporate relations, and management roles at the UVA Darden School of Business, KKR, Marriott, and several early-stage startups. This breadth gives her an uncommon ability to read people quickly and understand what unlocks their potential—whether they’re early in their career or leading from the C-suite.
Deanne holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Walla Walla University and lives in Washington State with her husband and three children.
F'ing Up
I Was Set Up to Lose [Emily Ellis - S1 Ep7]
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Emily Ellis has worked at many cool-kid tech companies such as Living Social, 2U, Social Code and Lyft. Despite the appeal of those popular names, Emily, like us all, experienced F’ing Up along the way. She shares many stories including being thrown into management, managing a team that needed more than she had by way of experience, and dealing with the emotional journey of infertility while aiming to build on her career success.
About Emily Ellis:
Emily Ellis is a People and Operations enthusiast, a Mom of two, and a resident of the DC-area, where she has lived and worked in various start-up settings for 10+ years. She is currently the Head of People at DriveWealth, an innovative FinTech firm - this position represents a major pivot in both role and industry, which Emily dove into after reflecting on previous experiences and passions.
Prior to DriveWealth and a focus of People and Talent, Emily worked primarily in Operations. She was most recently at Lyft, where she led Market Operations for the Mid-Atlanic and was the GM for Washington, DC. Prior to that she worked in AdTech, EdTech and in the then-boomed daily deal space. All of these roles and experiences - good and ‘bad’ - led her to where she is today, and inform her decision making on a daily basis.
In addition to ‘day jobs’, Emily co-founded an app, Posy Fertility, to support women and families navigating fertility struggles. Posy was created and designed to remove some of the stressors and complexities that often go hand-in-hand with fertility treatment.
In addition to work, Emily loves to read, be outside, eat amazing meals and spend time with her adorable but crazy kids. She is passionate about advocating for causes she cares about, going out for overpriced coffees and cocktails, and making situationally-appropriate playlists.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers’ own and do not represent the
views, thoughts, and opinions of the companies or individuals referenced during this recording. The material and information presented is for general information purposes only.
