The Hot Mess Boss Adventure with April Palmer: Embracing Curiosity and Authenticity in Sales

Celeste Berke

Welcome to The Sales Edge! In this episode, April Palmer and Celeste Berke share their funny and heartwarming story of connecting through the mother of all business networking platforms, LinkedIn. Celeste admits to initially feeling intimidated by April's big personality but soon realizes that the stories she had created in her head were far from the truth. They eventually meet in person and bond over being two down-to-earth women, breaking down barriers and going with the flow.April introduces herself, sharing her role as a "hot mess boss" and her day job at Duckbill Group, where she helps companies optimize their AWS costs. She also works part-time as an adjunct professor at VCU's da Vinci Center, teaching product innovation and nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs. April's ability to juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, including being a mother to three kids and traveling the globe, leaves Celeste in awe.They discuss the importance of overcoming impostor syndrome and being real with others. April emphasizes the value of surrounding oneself with people who provide honest feedback and shares her approach to sales: being genuine and helping others reach their goals.Join us as April and Celeste dive into the world of sales, entrepreneurship, and the art of giving a fuck about other people's success. Get ready for some real talk and valuable insights on this episode of The Sales Edge!

About your host:

Short Bio:

Celeste, a self-proclaimed “Sales Growth Strategist” is a natural collaborator and partner to executives who easily pinpoint gaps in strategy and creates road maps to implement plans and achieve targets. Passionate about creating cross-functional collaboration, team development, and delivering results across top-performing teams.

Celeste has over twenty-one (21) years of experience within the non-profit and for-profit arenas; holding both a B.S. and M.S. degree. In her last corporate role, Celeste held the position of Regional Director of Sales and Marketing for a privately held hospitality management company overseeing 19 properties, a sales team of 50+, and $105M in annual sales. Her accolades include the Director of Sales of the Year award, 2x Manager of the Year, and being named 40 under 40 for the Triad Business Journal. Celeste also holds a certified sales designation from Marriot International and in 2023 was named one of the Top 15 LinkedIn Experts in Denver by Influence + Digest.

In early 2020, Celeste branched out on her own to scale a female-owned consulting and training business. Celeste holds the designation

Get in touch with Celeste on LinkedIn