From Law to Leadership: Building a Culture of Growth with Mark Schwartz

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, host Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with Mark Schwartz, CFO, attorney, and transformation leader, to explore how authentic leadership and curiosity create lasting organizational growth.

Mark’s career journey spans finance, corporate law, and large-scale manufacturing and supply chain transformation — leading companies from single-site operations to billion-dollar enterprises. Now, as CFO of a private equity–backed machine learning company in the retail supply chain space, he’s helping consumer brands recover lost revenue and drive efficiency through transparency and trust.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
● How to lead through complex change and transformation
● Why culture always wins over blame
● The power of perspective in leadership communication
● Lessons from scaling manufacturing operations to global success
● How curiosity, clarity, and collaboration redefine high-performance leadership

Key Takeaway: True leadership isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about creating alignment, learning from mistakes, and inspiring your team to grow.

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell welcomes Elena Leonova, a global product executive and entrepreneur whose work in platform product management bridges technology and humanity. Elena reminds us that even in the most technical roles, “there’s a human side to everything we do — that matters.” Her approach brings people and purpose into spaces often dominated by systems and code.

Dr. Pernell highlights Elena’s rare enthusiasm for coaching — a leader who doesn’t just endorse it, but embodies its transformative impact. Elena shares how coaching helped her “become more of herself,” a shift that reshaped her leadership and deepened her connection to her work and team.

Born and raised in Ukraine, Elena’s journey took her from studying math and physics to leading major global tech initiatives at eBay and beyond. Her story captures courage, curiosity, and the power of self-reinvention. Today, she’s building OneRank.io and writing a book on Platform Product Management, offering insights into how scalable ecosystems are built — and how true leadership always starts with people first, then process, then product.

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Matt Schalsey and host, Dr. Wayne Pernell, dive into the mindset and mechanics of high-performance leadership, exploring how clarity fuels extraordinary outcomes. They discuss how leaders can elevate their presence, align actions with purpose, and stay grounded through rapid growth.

Jump in to learn more about

• Building trust through authenticity
• Sustaining success through personal development
• Leading with both confidence and compassion
• Embracing challenge as the path to growth