About
Meet Karla Murphy
High standards. Human first leadership.
Former U.S. Marine Corps Officer·U.S. Naval Academy Graduate·Author of Be One of Zero·Most Influential Woman of Jacksonville, NC 2026
Leadership under pressure
Led under real pressure.
Karla did not learn high-pressure decision-making from theory alone. She led people in conditions where a bad call had real consequences. That experience shaped the standard she brings to this work: clear thinking, real ownership, high standards, and responsibility for the people doing the work.
Ambition should not require self-sacrifice.
Founders Forge exists because ambitious people should not have to sacrifice their health, family, relationships, identity, or the people they lead to build meaningful success.
The goal is not less ambition. It is a life and leadership system strong enough to hold it.
The method
The Founders Forge OS
The Founders Forge OS helps leaders strengthen the pillars required for the next stage of growth. It is rooted in the six pillars of Be One of Zero.
Obsession
Standards
Ownership
Focus
Resilience
Identity
Professional proof
The record
Leadership experience
- 2026 Most Influential Woman of Jacksonville, North Carolina
- 1,400+ entrepreneurs served
- 403+ high-growth founders and leaders supported
- Author of Be One of Zero: Why the Obsessed Always Win
- Speaker, workshop leader, podcast guest, and media contributor
- Former U.S. Marine Corps Officer and U.S. Naval Academy graduate
Human-first standard
The work is designed for ambitious leaders who want a stronger way to hold responsibility without making burnout the operating system.
In their words
What founders say about the work
“I came in with a prototype and a habit of hiding behind it. I’m leaving with a product that’s live, paying, and pedagogically airtight — and a founder who does the scary revenue work first instead of avoiding it.”
Ways to work with Karla
Founders Forge Cohort
A 24-week live room for founders building the operating system to scale without sacrificing themselves.
Join the Founders Forge CohortPrivate Work
Focused one-to-one support, from a single strategy session through the five-day Founder Immersion.
Work With KarlaSpeaking & Media
Keynotes, workshops, retreats, podcasts, interviews, and leadership conversations built for the room.
Bring Karla to Your TeamBe One of Zero
The six-pillar leadership operating system behind the work, in book form.
Get Be One of Zero