Forcing Function Team
CHRIS SPARKS
Founder | CEO
Chris Sparks teaches performance frameworks to a select group of twelve investors and executives in meaningful companies. Chris’s clients perform at their peak, achieve superior returns on time and capital, and design lives of freedom and purpose.
Chris is the author of Experiment Without Limits, a comprehensive workbook for achieving world-class performance. Chris leads workshops on decision-making, systems thinking, and peak performance to organizations and investment teams. He also hosts Forcing Function Hour, a podcast revealing principles, systems, and strategies for a competitive edge in business.
MARIANNA PHILLIPS
Partner | Head of Operations
Marianna Phillips is Head of Operations and Writer at Forcing Function. Marianna co-founded Math Plus Music (Math+Music), an international public art series that combined live musical performance and math education. Marianna is a visual artist creating under the name Weird Little Lines.
Her interview series On Creativity explores patterns in successful creative process.
Her art and writing explores how we learn, and why innovation blossoms at the intersections of fields.
TASHA CONTI
Director of Education, Project Manager
Tasha Conti, Director of Education at Forcing Function, develops curriculum, manages our online courses, content, and projects, and is the Managing Producer of Forcing Function Hour.
Tasha is also an actor and educator. After coordinating an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at a low-income high school in Arizona, she went back to school for her MFA in Acting and moved to NYC to pursue the stage. Her recent credits include The Glass Menagerie and The Necklace at the Educational Theater of New York, and touring China with the Montana Repertory Theatre’s To Kill a Mockingbird. She has her own writing project called Postcards from New York.
MELANIE CRAWFORD
Executive Technical Assistant
Melanie Crawford, Executive Technical Assistant at Forcing Function, ensures that the software systems that assist our team and clients function seamlessly.
Melanie is a software developer and travel blogger. After transitioning to software development in 2020, she relocated to Portugal. She now specializes in SEO optimization and Content Marketing Strategy. Melanie works remotely while traveling and eating her way around the world.