Episode 201: Building Trust, Leadership & Legacy through BNI with Mary Thompson
Release Date: 02/05/2026
Episode 216: How to Build a Powerful Network That Creates Wealth and Opportunity
Business by Referral Podcast
Michael Rebelo's BIO: Michael Rebelo is the Founder of Ever Forward Capital Partners, a multifamily real estate investment firm focused on helping investors build long-term wealth through apartment investing. After becoming passionate about financial education and entrepreneurship at a young age, Michael chose to pursue business and real estate instead of the traditional college path. His journey was inspired by watching his mother work tirelessly while facing many of the same financial challenges millions of Americans experience today, including retirement uncertainty and inflation. That...
info_outline
Episode 215: How to Build a Business That Thrives Without You with Todd Krause
Business by Referral Podcast
Todd Krause's BIO: Todd A. Krause is the owner of The Cleaning Authority – Fishers, where he grew the business from $1.8 million in revenue to more than $4 million while building a diverse team and a thriving workplace culture that prioritizes people, performance, and long-term success. His leadership approach has earned multiple industry recognitions, including Franchisee of the Year honors. Todd holds an MBA and is a Certified Public Accountant, with more than three decades of experience leading and growing businesses across multiple industries. Over the course of his career, he founded...
info_outline
Episode 214: How to Build Wealth, Resilience, and Demand for Your Business with Joel Salomon
Business by Referral Podcast
Joel Salomon's BIO: Joel is a Finance, Mindful Money Expert and Prosperity Coach who helps others overcome obstacles standing in the way of their financial freedom. He’s an award winning TEDx speaker, workshop facilitator and frequent television and podcast guest. As a former manager of a $700 million portfolio, the creator of his own successful hedge fund and the author of three best-selling books, he has learned that the true foundation of wealth is a mindset of gratitude, love and service. In this episode, Virginia and Joel talked about How Joel became a professional money manager...
info_outline
Episode 213: Aligning with Your True Energy to Build a Business That Works for You with Carla Wainwright
Business by Referral Podcast
Carla Wainwright's BIO: Carla Wainwright is a Holistic Wellness Coach and Midlife Alchemist who supports women 40+, including entrepreneurs and leaders, to sustain vitality, clarity, and resilience through midlife transitions. Her work weaves metabolic and hormonal health, nervous system regulation, and embodied self-awareness to help women feel strong, connected, and at home in their bodies while navigating full, demanding lives. With a background in biology, homeopathy, and over two decades in the healing arts, Carla bridges evidence-informed science with lived, somatic experience. She...
info_outline
Episode 212: Leadership Success Tools with Denice Hinden
Business by Referral Podcast
Dr. Denice R. Hinden's BIO: Denice R. Hinden, PhD, MCC, is a leadership coach, mentor coach, and organizational advisor who has built a 25+ year consulting and coaching practice largely through trusted professional relationships and referrals. She is co-founder of Managance Coaching, where she partners with mission-driven leaders and organizations to strengthen leadership capacity, navigate complex transitions, and build healthy organizational cultures. Her work integrates brain capacity frameworks, neuroscience-informed practices, and a neurodiversity-informed lens grounded in inclusive...
info_outline
Episode 211: Creating a Business That Supports Your Life with Debra Russell
Business by Referral Podcast
Debra Russell's BIO: Debra Russell is 5’ of Heat!” exclaimed one participant after seeing her speak. An MBA and business coach with over 2 decades of experience, she has helped hundreds of passion-based entrepreneurs create profitable businesses doing what they love. Working with arts and entertainment industry professionals, professional athletes and entrepreneurs doing what they love as a business, she helps them systemize their business and improve their productivity so they are running their business and their business isn’t running them! As a speaker, she’s appeared at...
info_outline
Episode 210: The Importance of You Being You with Melissa Bishop
Business by Referral Podcast
Melissa Bishop's BIO: Live RAW with Melissa Bishop a trauma-informed coaching space built on my RAW Methodology—inspired by my own trauma journey and the wisdom I earned through lived experience—focused on Real Talk, Authentic Growth, and Lasting Wellness. I help you cut through the fluff, get honest about what’s really going on, and release what’s been keeping you stuck—mind, body, and spirit. You’ll get practical tools you can use in real life, plus tailored support so your growth is sustainable and actually sticks. In this episode, Virginia and Melissa talked about ...
info_outline
Episode 209: Building Your Tribe for Business Growth with Fabienne Marneau
Business by Referral Podcast
Fabienne Marneau's BIO: Fabienne Marneau is an intuitive business strategist, transformational mentor, and Healing Soul Alchemist with over four decades of experience helping entrepreneurs and leaders uncover the hidden patterns that silently sabotage success. Known as the “Ghostbuster of Hidden Patterns,” she helps clients release unconscious blocks, reclaim clarity and confidence, and align their business with their authentic purpose. Fabienne blends deep healing practices with practical strategy to support sustainable growth and meaningful impact. Through her Emotional Self-Care...
info_outline
Episode 208: The Power of Choice in Business with Zen Benefiel
Business by Referral Podcast
Zen Benfiel's BIO: Zen Benefiel is a transformational leadership coach and organizational strategist who helps leaders turn purpose into measurable performance. A former aerospace operations lead managing $7M in monthly shipments by age 26, he specializes in simplifying complex systems into practical leadership habits that build trust, improve decisions, and drive results. Zen is the host of the One World in a New World interview series and author of 40+ books. Through his work with Be The Dream and Team Partnering, he equips leaders with frameworks that align strategy, culture, and...
info_outline
Episode 207: Be the Trusted Voice of Choice with Mitch Axelrod
Business by Referral Podcast
Mitch Axelrod's BIO: A 47 year entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, advisor and 5 time #1 Wall St. Journal, Barnes & Noble and Amazon best-selling author of The NEW Game of Business™, The NEW Game of Selling™ and the forthcoming book, The NEW Game of Service™. Mitch has delivered 4,000 seminars, workshops, keynotes, executive briefings, webinars and coaching clinics to a million people on business, entrepreneurship, sales, leadership, values, life skills and intellectual property. His clients include IBM, AT&T, Citibank, Prudential, MetLife and thousands of small, medium and...
info_outlineMary Kennedy Thompson's BIO:
Mary Kennedy Thompson has more than 30 years in franchising. She has led businesses and franchises of all sizes. She has extensive experience in global expansion, high-growth organizations, integrations, and leadership. Prior to starting at BNI in 2024, she served as the Chief Operating Officer at Neighborly, the world’s largest home services company, where she worked since 2006. Her tenure at Neighborly included roles as the Executive Vice President and the President of Mr. Rooter, their largest brand.
Her career began as a multi-unit franchise owner at Cookies By Design (formerly Cookie Bouquet), where she excelled in market penetration and sales—essentially becoming the brand’s corporate president after successfully selling her locations. While a multi-unit franchisee, she joined BNI in 1994, just a few years before Virginia.
Her passion for helping business owners completely aligns with Business Network International’s mission to support its members and franchisees, marking her appointment as CEO as a transformational opportunity for BNI—and it has been.
In this episode, Virginia and Mary talked about:
-
Mary’s entrepreneurial journey
-
How to create operational excellence
-
The power of trust for generating referrals
-
Keys to pinnacle leadership
-
How to build trust
Takeaways:
-
Be operationally excellent!
-
Be clear on your customer and put them first
-
Deliver consistently
-
Building trust builds your business
-
Lead yourself first—then others.
-
Consistency and discipline drive referrals.
Connect with Mary on her LinkedIn account to learn more about her work and insights into networking effectively:
LinkedIn URL : https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-thompson-cfe-22074410/
Connect with Virginia: