John Machacek, Chief Innovation Officer for the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, has worked with countless startups throughout our community over the years. He knows their ups, and their downs, but most of all, he knows the questions to ask them. Here are John Machacek’s 10 questions for Melanie Rudd, Founder, Ezer.
1. Will you please tell me your elevator pitch for Ezer?
Ezer—formerly She Overcomes— is a strategic planning program empowered by women’s physiology. Our virtual community, curriculum, and productivity program is for high-capacity women who want to biohack their brain and body to optimize their productivity.
Unlike women’s health apps and subscriptions that track data for fertility and period planning, our professional development program trains women how to apply the data they’re already collecting in order to optimize their time, energy, creativity, and focus in business and life.
2. Can you elaborate a bit more on how you mention biohack and empowered by female physiology?
Of course! Here’s a quick biology lesson: men and women both have a daily clock called the circadian rhythm. Men only operate on this clock, which regenerates every twenty-four hours. The work day and most leadership development has been geared toward men, because historically, they are the ones in leadership. It’s not because men are bad; they’re simply different biologically from women. In essence, if we’re talking agriculture, men harvest and regenerate every twenty-four hours. Women are more complex, which is why this is hugely understudied and researched.
Women’s operating system is on a second clock, called the infradian rhythm, which regenerates every 28-32 days. A monthly harvest, rather than daily. Throughout the course of a month, women’s brains are wired to think differently. Ironically, the female experience could be looked at through that agrarian lens. There is a season to plant, one to work, one to harvest, and one to rest. If you try and plant corn in February, it would be ridiculous, and the crop would fail because it’s out of season. If you don’t understand, you’ll waste time on things that don’t matter or don’t work, you won’t nourish your mind and body the way they need, and you’ll compare yourself to people who don’t even biologically reproduce.
Women have been similarly wired. For example, during a woman’s cycle, her brain is extremely analytical. From a leadership standpoint, this is a time when she should be reviewing KPIs, looking back at what’s working, and thinking through what goals need to shift in the next month. It’s a time to reflect on core values and direction. All four phases throughout the month have key strengths. We help women connect their brain and body to track their goals and align those goals to their secondary clock so that they can execute with confidence in their correct season.
That said, I could live every day and eat pizza, drink beer, and go to sleep hours past my bedtime and survive. But if I eat spinach and lean protein, get enough water, and sleep, I will likely live a more optimal life. Women can, of course, do many tasks at any time of that 28-32 day cycle, but it will be an optimal internal experience when they know and understand their personal rhythm and how to adjust it.
3. You have evolved the focus quite a bit from the early days of She Overcomes, which I believe was about five years ago. What has led you to the pivot?
Me and my friend Jennifer started She Overcomes, the non-profit, in 2020 after we read an article in the Forum that indicated female entrepreneurship was increasing across the United States by about 22%, except in North Dakota, where we were on the decline by a percent and a half. It was hard for me to believe, because our community is so amazing at supporting entrepreneurs. The study launched me into research where I discovered that women cited their lack of growth was due to a lack of access to capital, to vertical mentorship, and authentic community.
While we felt good about the pilot, it didn’t feel like what I wanted. Once that first year was completed, me and my business partner from another company I ran, purchased and renovated a 6,000 sq. ft. building just down the street from Brewhalla on 1st Avenue North, which I’ve called the Mosaic District. Practically, the building felt like an extension of what I wanted from She Overcomes, which was to create a community of female entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Taking the time away from the original curriculum also gave me the opportunity to do more research around women in leadership and development. I knew I wanted to work with all women, not only entrepreneurs, because in my research I found a study from Forbes saying that 75% of women experience imposter syndrome. I consumed podcasts, books, and studies from Forbes and Harvard Business Review that tried to address the issues, but not many are successful. In one of those podcasts, a man was talking about how leadership development has predominantly been written by men, for men. That phrase stuck with me, and that’s when I began learning about the female mind and the brainbody connection. Men and women both joke about, minimize, or avoid entirely the physiological differences between hormones, and it isn’t usually something talked about in any professional content.
After beginning to write a new program, I met with an intellectual property lawyer, who recommended I write the program as an S-Corp, sole proprietor, or LLC because a nonprofit wouldn’t have ownership of the content. That’s when I founded She Overcomes as a brand-adjacent LLC. This most recent decision to move the program to Ezer was because I felt there was some brand confusion. The other thing is that some of the program can absolutely be consumed by men—and it should be
Ezer comes from an ancient Hebrew word meaning ‘help in time of need’, and it’s often used in reference to military support. When paired with another ancient word, Ezer Kenegdo can be interpreted as men and women are equally powerful, yet distinctly different. I don’t think women’s empowerment is about silencing men. I think empowerment is supporting each other in ways that help others shine in their strengths.
BCG did an interesting study and discovered that startups founded or co-founded by women are significantly better financial investments. For every dollar of funding, these startups generated 78 cents, while exclusively male-founded startups generated just 31 cents.
Women and men need each other, and it impacts the bottom line. It felt more accurate to have a brand identity around those biological similarities and differences in ways that we complement each other and how to work together. Ezer has more clarity in vision and purpose, and ultimately hope for change in a system that needs some disruption.
As a woman who has struggled to ‘be in my body’ and present with myself and others, when I began to learn about the biological differences as they relate to my work and personal life, things clicked. It built so much self-trust that I didn’t need to outsource my own validity. I want to help women see themselves from a new, more positive viewpoint and help them embody their strengths.
Pivoting can feel uncomfortable, and it has been! As I’ve grown personally and professionally, I’ve discovered that sometimes I want the business to run a certain way, but if it isn’t working, I have to evolve and move on. Sunsetting She Overcomes as a non-profit and the LLC wasn’t an easy or quick decision, but it was the right choice to make to simplify my life, the work, and its impact
4. I recall that you participated in an ILT Academy cohort this past year. Did exercises and activities like that play into refining your business plan?
Yes, it played a role. When I joined ILT, I thought I knew how my business should be structured, but it shifted. I also discovered that the problem I was solving wasn’t clear and I struggled communicating with clarity. ILT helped me refine my problem and to stop wasting time on what wasn’t working. Sometimes I’m really hard on myself because I want things to be perfect, but that’s simply not realistic. ILT helped me see that failure in a business doesn’t mean I am a failure. They encouraged me to see the problem from so many different angles. In a way, it depersonalized what I thought failure is and is not.
I started working with Bisblox at the beginning of 2025, and they conducted a DNA review of the business. We spent multiple hours talking about how to scale, what I had that was real, and what we’d need to succeed. I realized that I couldn’t be doing all the teaching and coaching because the program wouldn’t be scalable and would lead to my own burnout. What I loved the most about Bisblox was the 35-page report that walked through each layer of my business, and it basically can become a road map for the future. It is also so affirming to have such a high-level, non-emotional point of view. I pitched for funding and didn’t get the first round. I was talking to Shawn Riley, the Co-Founder of Bisblox, and his first question was, “What did you learn?” I was so embarrassed and thought not getting the funds was a reflection of me, my idea, or my worth.
That “failed” pitch helped me see that my message still was not clear. I’m not solving the imposter syndrome—that is a symptom of a greater problem. The problem I realized after that failed pitch was that women have disconnected their brains and bodies, and it’s affecting them at work, at home, and in their everyday lives. The problem is that no one is holistically helping them understand that when the two are intrinsically in sync, it will shift how they see themselves, how they see others, and the lasting impact that will make when partnering hormonal balance with the mindset shifts. The body and brain can be rewired, but if women are constantly comparing themselves to men or other women in a different phase of life, they will always feel like they’re behind or failing.
Shawn’s response was so thoughtful and simple when he said, “Well, that sounds like a great pitch!”
Having people who understand entrepreneurs, risk, and failure support you while going through the vulnerable phases of growth is such an amazing gift. I’m so grateful for the support!
5. With these refinements and pivots to your business model and products, how do you envision what the engagement from the enduser will look like?
The future of Ezer is so exciting! Right now, we’re finalizing the curriculum to submit for medical review. An OBGYN from Sioux Falls has offered to audit it for review on the biorhythmic data and the practices around neuroplasticity. Additionally, I’m sending it to a Ph.D in California to review because I referenced a lot of his research on imposter syndrome and identity.
My goal is to offer the curriculum to women in leadership positions who can be facilitators, rather than me training each one. Once we have our medical legitimacy, we’ll seek licensure for distribution.
As of now, I do have a beta online community that will operate as a SaaS model, but it is currently rudimentary. My goal is to have women input certain data and have our program offer them a schedule for each month that aligns with the Becoming Bold program, which focuses heavily on building new pathways and realigning our mindsets.
6. In my next few questions, I want to talk about some other endeavors of your work that are outside of the technology and data you’re working on, but are parallel to the mission of your work. First, I’ll ask about the Metamorphosis conference you organized in March. With that 4-5 months have passed since the event, what are your reflections on those efforts?
’m so grateful to our community, attendees, volunteers, and speakers who made Metamorphosis such an awesome event! The event theme was about understanding what season of life you’re in—there are seasons of rest, planting, work, and harvest. If I compare my chapter two to someone else’s twenty-two, I’ll always feel like a failure. But if I can be present, in my season without comparison or competition, I notice I’m the best version of myself. This theme of metamorphosis was about embracing a life of evolution and transformation throughout each season. The caterpillar could be filled with self-hatred for her body, her lack of movement, or whatever, not even realizing she’ll be a butterfly soon enough. Sometimes I think we, as a culture, are so focused on what’s next that we forget to embrace the beauty of where we are today.
What I loved about the theme was that it also reflected the biorhythms I’ve been studying and working with women to discover. We were able to introduce conversations about menopause and the effects it has on women in leadership, as well as digging deeper into the hormonal impact of our cycles and how we show up in the places that matter the most to us.
I was so proud of the panels and the diverse industries they represented. I especially loved the one where they discussed the importance of community and belonging. We had leaders from Microsoft, Concordia, Fargo Center for Plastic Surgery, Folkways, Sanford, ND Blue Cross Blue Shield, among so many others.
7. Next, let me ask about your podcast, which is obviously a great way to market more content but also allows for a deeper dive into the topics and guests you have on. What can you tell me about operating a podcast over the past year?
Forum Communications and WDAY have been remarkable to work with in collaboration with the podcast. The production team and marketing manager, Maddy Rinehart, were so professional, thoughtful, and thorough. Forum Communications was one of She Overcomes first stakeholders. It’s awesome to see a family-owned organization like theirs put their financial and practical resources together to support the community and small businesses like mine.
It has been really fun to push the boundaries with the podcast, see what people want to talk about, and what they’re listening to. I adore interviewing people and finding the gold in their stories. Most recently, we posted the panels and talks from Metamorphosis if anyone wants to catch up!
Right now, the podcast is still listed as ‘She Overcomes: Becoming BOLD with Melanie Rudd’ and as we roll out Ezer, listeners can expect some rebranding, but the content is truly about living fearlessly and courageously in community.
I’ve considered doing a couple of other themed podcasts to deep dive into other work I’ve done, but more will be shared at a later date.
8. The third adjacent thing I wanted to talk about was how you also wrote a book. And now I’m just realizing, too, what a crazy-busy past year or two this must have been for you. I recall reading about it in an InForum story, and it sounds like a deeply personal narrative from you. Aside from its title, so they know where to find it, what would you like the readers of this interview to understand about your book?
The book is “Irreverent: A Memoir of Reckless Hope, Unexpected Love and Finding My Voice.” I’m currently recording the audible, which will hopefully be available at the end of August or early September. I was amazed to find out the book hit #1 for Deconstruction on Amazon and is currently in the top 20% of Amazon-listed books!
The theme of the book is finding hope and forgiveness. It’s gritty and honest. For much of my life, I felt powerless and broken, and much of that was related to my femininity. My family grew up in a spiritually abusive cult near Lake Park, MN, that weaponized scriptures to control people. I don’t blame my parents at all—they love me and my seven siblings and would do anything for us. The problem was they were controlled and manipulated and felt stuck there too. What happened during those formative years was that I felt I was always to blame and would stay stuck in cycles of shame, self-sabotage, and I would act out in ways that were incongruent with who I truly am. I didn’t feel that women had a place or a voice because we were inherently less valuable than men.
It took several years to deprogram from the cult and the mindsets that were so automatic. What happened was that I realized I was worshipping certainty or a formula, not God. In my unraveling, I learned that God is way better than I imagined, and the experience restored my faith and deepened my identity as a woman.
My favorite chapter is actually about learning to love and forgive myself and my body—I used to hate how I looked and would wish that my mind didn’t operate the way it does. That chapter was about breaking off the old lies from my past and blessing my mind, body, and soul. That is the beginning of learning that my body wasn’t something to be consumed, controlled, or abused, but it’s actually what makes me uniquely feminine-this is why I’m so passionate to help women see that nothing is ‘wrong’ with them. We’ve been conditioned to believe the lies and filters online of everyone else’s highlight reels that we’re bombarded with, feeling insufficient, insecure, and insignificant. The story is heavy at first because my life was complicated. But there is hope… and a second book coming!
But to your point: I’m taking a season of rest to create a more patterned rhythm for my life. I realized after our event that I haven’t rested in a really long time and need to honor my body and mind. As an entrepreneur, parent, and author, I’m recognizing the absolute need to pause, reflect, and practice what I preach. I’d like to look back at the season I’m in today and think of it as my revival. It will focus on simplification, discarding what doesn’t bring joy and creating a more consistent rhythm of life. It’s a rebirth of forgotten passions, while working on business and books from a more balanced capacity
9. If you could go back in time to talk to Melanie from several years ago, what kind of hindsight advice would you give yourself about your entrepreneurial efforts?
There are five things I can immediately think of:
- Done beats perfect.
- Failing doesn’t mean you’re a failure; it means you tried and learned. Stop placing unrealistic expectations on yourself.
- My favorite quote from “Meet the Robinsons” is “keep moving forward.
- Don’t let what you think people are thinking about you hold you back. (P.S. They’re not even thinking about you).
- You can have everything you want. You just can’t have it all at the same time – focus on the next right thing, especially when it’s hard.
10. What can we do as a community to help you and Ezer succeed?
I love this community and have been truly blessed by the generosity, encouragement, mentorship, and people here. There are a few things I’d love:
- Listen to the podcast
- Buy the book…and soon the audible!
- Follow us on social media – @ms_melanie_michelle and @sheovercomes
- If your organization wants training, reach out—I’d love to learn how I can serve our community
I’m working on getting on a national circuit for speaking engagements where I can share my experience, strength, and program to inspire and equip today and tomorrow’s leaders. Where there are opportunities where I could add value and hope to women (and men), I’d love a chance to see if my message would resonate. I’m looking to do corporate events, inspirational sales and leadership conferences, and other areas where highcapacity people need to remember not to get in their own way.
About John
John Machacek has been helping local startups with the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation since prior to his position with the GFMEDC. Before joining the team, Machacek was the VP of Finance & Operations at United Way of Cass-Clay and a business banker at U.S. Bank.
Ezer
ezerco.co (coming soon)
Melanie Michelle Rudd
melaniemichelle.co
Facebook | /melanie.m.rudd
Insatgram | @ms_melanie_michelle
[email protected]
