Former Chief of Staff Turned Founder & CEO: Helping Leaders and Chiefs of Staff Optimize Workflows
Larissa Licha didn’t follow a traditional path. From tattoo artist to Google Ads support to tech executive, she built a career by adapting quickly. After years as a Chief of Staff at a fast-growing company, she became a founder herself, launching Joyn to help Chiefs of Staff and busy leaders work smarter.
Key Takeaways
Good Chiefs of Staff are impartial, strategic, and excellent at building cross-functional relationships.
Scaling information without creating endless meetings or lurking in Slack is critical.
Joyn was created to help Chiefs of Staff gather context and act faster without getting bogged down.
Notable Quotes
"The chief of staff's success—it's all relationships. You can have the best processes or upskilled but in the end it comes down to whether or not you understand people, their goals, their motivations, and you can build trust with them."
"I see so many CEOs seeing the chief of staff as the person that does the things they don't want to do, but the chief of staff is actually very strategic and if you apply them that way, they can be such a force multiplier."
"I always say I feel the chief of staff role probably prepared me better than any role to now be a CEO...from the pace and keeping track of so many things and concentration."
Real-World Applications
Be the Bridge, Not Just the Enforcer
Example: She worked hard to gain trust from teams and showed she wasn't just a voice for leadership—she also represented them upward.Prioritize Face Time to Build Trust
Example: Lissa built real relationships with new execs during leadership transitions, despite remote work barriers.Use Tech to Support People, Not Replace Them
Example: Joyn helps Chiefs of Staff surface critical updates from across systems like Slack, Jira, and Notion, cutting down on surprises.
Larissa Licha shows that the Chief of Staff role isn’t about chasing credit—it’s about making sure the right work gets done, the right way. Now, through Joyn, she’s helping others skip the busywork and focus on real leadership. Work smarter, not just harder.
Time Stamps:
00:37 Meet Larissa Licha: From Tattoo Artist to CEO Tech Leader
01:29 The Journey to Chief of Staff
05:06 Navigating Different Leadership Styles
09:51 Building Trust in a Remote Environment
10:59 Introducing New Executives to the Team
16:18 Advice for Chiefs of Staff and CEOs
19:43 Solving Chief of Staff Challenges with Joyn
22:11 How Joyn Works
Links Mentioned:
Joyn's Website: https://www.joyn.one/
About The Author
Emily Sander is an ICF-certified leadership coach with more than 15 years of experience in the business world and the author of Hacking Executive Leadership. She’s been featured in several print publications, online articles, and podcasts, including CEO Today Magazine, Leading to Fulfillment, and Leadership Powered by Common Sense.
Emily has a passion for helping business leaders reach their full potential. Go here to read her story from seasoned executive to knowledgeable coach. If you want to send Emily a quick message, then visit her contact page here.