Eleanor Knight: From Kayaking the World’s Toughest Rivers to UW Law at 19
Release Date: 11/11/2025
Tait Covert on Building Sentry Computing and Practical IT Leadership
The Jason Cavness Experience
In this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, Jason sits down with Tait Covert, President and CEO of Sentry Computing, to talk about building a service-first managed IT company and what it really takes to support small and mid-sized businesses. Tait shares his path into entrepreneurship, how his background in retail sales, graphic design, and project management shaped his approach to IT, and why clear communication and transparent guidance matter more than technical jargon. He explains how Sentry Computing delivers contract-free managed IT services, prioritizes cybersecurity and...
info_outline
Shonta Riles on Building Poppin Notary, Community Trust, and Expanding a Local Service Business
The Jason Cavness Experience
In this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, Jason sits down with Shonta Riles, CEO and founder of Poppin Notary, to talk about building a trusted local service business, expanding beyond traditional notary work, and staying deeply connected to the community. Shonta shares how he launched Poppin Notary in 2016, what it took to earn trust in an industry built on accuracy and reliability, and why customer service is the real differentiator for small businesses. He explains how his background hosting the Deprogram Talk Radio Show sharpened his communication skills and helped him connect with...
info_outline
Taylor Black on AI, Startups, Microsoft, and Building a Life Through Foster Care and Adoption
The Jason Cavness Experience
In this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, Jason sits down with Taylor Black for a wide-ranging conversation that spans AI, startups, big tech, and family life. Taylor shares his experience working at Microsoft, where he’s been close to how AI is being built, adopted, and misunderstood inside large organizations. He talks about how startups and founders should think about AI realistically not as hype, but as a tool that rewards clarity, discipline, and execution. Beyond tech, Taylor opens up about his family’s journey through fostering and adoption, what it’s taught him about...
info_outline
Scott Strong on Sales Discipline, Customer Service and Building a Service-First Business
The Jason Cavness Experience
In this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, Jason sits down with Scott Strong, founder of Strong Fiber Systems, to talk about building a service-first business in the telecom industry and why sales discipline and customer service still matter in a world obsessed with automation. Scott shares his journey into entrepreneurship, how he built Strong Fiber Systems by focusing on relationships and trust, and why doing the unscalable work, personal outreach, follow-ups, and real conversations creates a lasting competitive advantage. He explains the difference between motivation and discipline in...
info_outline
Brandie Henry on Communication, Dance, Hip Hop, Leadership and Serving Youth and Families
The Jason Cavness Experience
In this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, Jason sits down with Brandie Henry. A communication coach, consultant, educator and community advocate whose work bridges personal development, professional leadership, youth services and creative expression. Brandie runs S4S Management, where she coaches leaders on communication, clarity and emotional intelligence, while also serving the community through her work with Southwest Youth and Family Services (SWYFS). Brandie shares how her early foundation in dance shaped her understanding of expression, confidence and presence long...
info_outline
Liz Galloway on Adventure, Branding, Storytelling and Building a Life Without Limits
The Jason Cavness Experience
In this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, Jason sits down with Liz Galloway a global brand strategist, PR pro, experiential marketer, storyteller, TEDx curator, wellness advocate, and adventure-driven entrepreneur. Liz’s work spans luxury hospitality, wellness retreats, publishing, consulting, media production and high-impact brand development across Central America, Europe and the U.S. Liz shares how she built a life and career around curiosity, creativity and courage blending strategy with soul to help brands cut through noise and connect with people on a deeper level. She and Jason...
info_outline
HR Laws Every Small Business Owner Must Follow: A Practical Breakdown for Companies with 49 or Fewer Employees
The Jason Cavness Experience
In this solo livestream episode, Jason Cavness walks small business owners through the HR laws you must follow when you have 49 or fewer employees. Jason draws from more than 30 years of HR experience, 25 years as a retired U.S. Army officer, and over a decade working with startups to explain complicated HR rules in a simple, practical way. Jason covers what federal government actually requires, why most HR mistakes come from confusion rather than bad intent, and how ignoring even one rule can lead to fines, audits, lawsuits, and massive headaches for small business owners. Using...
info_outline
Marketing, Mindset, and Modern Strategy with Nicholas White
The Jason Cavness Experience
In this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, Jason sits down with Nicholas White. A Seattle-based marketing strategist, startup advisor, entrepreneur, and operator with experience at Amazon, Microsoft, and multiple early-stage ventures. Nick has led digital marketing programs for major B2B/B2C brands, driven pipeline expansion, advised early-stage founders, and built systems that blend creativity, data, and practical execution. His approach to modern marketing is shaped by curiosity, experimentation, and a deep understanding of customer psychology. Jason and Nick dive into how marketing is...
info_outline
Inside the Founder Grind: HR Laws, Wefunder, Startups, and Building in Public — Jason Cavness Live
The Jason Cavness Experience
In this solo episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, Jason goes live to break down everything he’s building across CavnessHR, the Wefunder campaign, HR law education, livestreaming strategy, and the behind-the-scenes founder grind people rarely talk about. Jason talks through his work on the HR Laws Livestream Deck, what small businesses keep getting wrong about HR compliance and why he’s pushing hard to create accessible education for founders who can’t afford expensive consultants. He also gives an update on the CavnessHR Wefunder campaign, the ebooks rollout, the Builders Club,...
info_outline
The Legend Behind 300+ Games: Culturalization, Creativity & Courage with Kate Edwards
The Jason Cavness Experience
In this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, Jason sits down with Kate Edwards. An award-winning 30+ year leader in the global game industry, culturalization pioneer, former Executive Director of the IGDA, former head of the Global Game Jam, CEO of Geogrify, and CXO/Co-Founder of SetJetters. Kate has worked on more than 306 games across genres including RTS, FPS, racing, horror, and AAA franchises like Age of Empires, Battlefield, Mad Max, Jade Empire, and Indiana Jones. She is widely known for establishing the discipline of game culturalization, helping studios navigate geography,...
info_outlineEleanor Knight: From Kayaking the World’s Toughest Rivers to UW Law at 19
In this episode, Jason Cavness talks with Eleanor Knight, a world-class whitewater kayaker, entrepreneur, and soon-to-be law student at the University of Washington. From running her first summer camp at 11, to building a swim school at 15, to earning a bronze medal on the world stage Eleanor’s story is one of grit, curiosity, and relentless focus.
She shares what extreme kayaking taught her about fear, leadership, and discipline and how those same lessons drive her toward a future in business and law. About the Guest Eleanor Knight is a professional kayaker, entrepreneur, and University of Washington student heading to law school. She has represented the U.S. at the World Championships in freestyle kayaking, finishing 3rd globally.
A lifelong athlete and founder of Droplet Swim School, Eleanor has balanced sports, academics, and entrepreneurship with an uncommon clarity of purpose. She’s also a writer for The Daily UW and part of Young Tech, a Seattle-based founder network connecting early-stage entrepreneurs.
We Talk About
• Getting accepted into law school at the University of Washington
• Starting Droplet Swim School at 15 and building early business instincts
• Lessons learned from competing at the Kayak World Championships
• How to balance risk, performance, and passion
• The beauty and danger of kayaking the world’s most intense rivers
• What entrepreneurship and extreme sports have in common
• Mental toughness and staying calm under pressure
• The rescue story that changed how she approaches life and leadership
• Young Tech and community-building in Seattle’s startup scene
• Networking advice for introverts who want real connections •
The discipline behind elite athletic performance •
Building confidence as a young woman in high-pressure environments
• Her transition from athlete to future attorney
• Why leadership is about precision, not control
• Preparing mentally for law school and future challenges
Guest Advice “Being calm under pressure is something kayaking taught me. If you can stay focused when the river turns against you you can handle anything in life.
Connect with Eleanor Knight
• Instagram → @eleanorrknight
• LinkedIn → Eleanor Knight
Free Resources & Ways to Support CavnessHR
• Invest in CavnessHR on Wefunder: https://wefunder.com/cavnesshr
• Download 7 Free eBooks: https://www.buildcavnesshr.com/ebooks
• Join the Builders Club: https://www.buildcavnesshr.com