What if the thing standing between you and the life you actually want isn't your circumstances — it's still thinking in terms of “or” instead of “and”?

Alex Kuhn, founder of Born Leaders (now rebranding to All In Worldwide), joins me for a conversation about ambition, identity, and what it really means to go all in — on your career and your family, your dreams and your present moment. Alex was the guy who left home at 12 to chase Olympic swimming dreams, became one of the fastest-rising college swim coaches in the country, then lost it all — the job, the relationship, and his sense of self — in the span of a few months. What came out of that rock bottom was a total identity resurrection that has shaped everything he does today.

Whether you're a dad navigating how to be fully present at home while still building something meaningful, a parent wondering if going after your dreams is selfish, or someone stuck in binary thinking about what you can and can't have — this one is for you. And yes, this episode is releasing Father's Day week, but the message is for everyone.

Highlights

• Why Alex chose a $20,000/year swim coaching job in Iowa over a Nike management training offer — and what that decision taught him
• The "or to and" shift: how identifying yourself by your title keeps you stuck in binary thinking
• Getting fired, losing the relationship, and eating bananas and popsicles on his sister's couch — Alex's rock bottom story
• Why the first step out of rock bottom isn't belief — it's action
• What self-trust actually means (hint: it's not about having all the answers)
• The "selfish vision" framework Alex uses with his whole family — including his 7- and 4-year-olds
• Why parenthood doesn't have to be all sacrifice, and the powerful modeling that happens when kids watch you chase your own dreams
• Redefining "juggling it all" — and giving yourself permission to drop a ball
• Boundaries as subtraction, not addition: stop adding to your life and start dumping what doesn't serve you
• Shutting the business down four weeks a year — and why it works
• The story Alex's dad told him at a swim meet that became his life's mantra: fight for yourself

Chapters

1:03 — Meet Alex Kuhn

2:51 — Fatherhood and second acts

3:52 — Early ambition and swimming

5:58 — Chasing legacy and empire

8:29 — From "or" to "and"

11:04 — Getting fired and the identity collapse

13:37 — Climbing out of rock bottom

16:22 — Self-trust and the messy middle

19:04 — Redefining ambition today

20:29 — The family vision weekly ritual

21:18 — Family vision sync

22:17 — Team family mindset

23:50 — Kids follow actions, not words

25:51 — The selfish parenting reframe

28:21 — Juggling without perfection

30:09 — Boundaries and seasons

33:35 — Seasonal business shutdowns

35:35 — Fight for yourself

37:57 — Where to find Alex

Resources

• Alex Kuhn's websites: :https://bornleaders.com/ and  allinwithalex.com

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if your second act isn't about changing your life — it's about finally showing up in the one you already have?

Monica Packer, founder of the About Progress podcast and a certified habits and identity coach, joins me to talk about the version of personal growth nobody talks about: the quiet, internal kind. Monica spent years as a self-described aspiring perfectionist — achieving on the outside while disappearing from herself on the inside. What she discovered in her 30s (after two early midlife crises and a decade of recovery) is that sustainable growth doesn't come from hustle or apathy — it comes from progress. And it starts by asking: do I even know who I am?

We talk about why perfectionism isn't just about striving — it's just as alive in the people who've stopped trying. We explore Monica's "Do Something List," the three Cs of change (curiosity, compassion, and courage), why habits built for men don't work for women, and what it means to stop waiting for arrival and start trusting the process.

Highlights

• Monica's "costume life" realization at 30 — loving the life she'd built but not recognizing herself in it
• Why perfectionism lives on both sides of the spectrum: the overachiever AND the person who's given up trying
• The connection between ADHD, all-or-nothing thinking, and the perfectionism spectrum
• What the "Do Something List" is — and why never completing it is the whole point
• Why there is no arrival, and the mantra that will help you stop waiting for one
• The Three Cs of Change: curiosity, compassion, and courage
• Why popular habit methods fail women — invisible labor, less time, less energy, less predictability
• The inner comparison monster: comparing your current self to a past version of yourself
• Identity isn't static — and that's actually freeing

Chapters

1:03 — Introduction & episode premise

1:28 — Meet Monica Packer

2:55 — The "costume life" realization: living life on the sidelines

8:35 — Perfectionism as a spectrum — it's not just overachieving

12:40 — Starting the experiment: the internal and external work

14:06 — The Do Something List

18:46 — There is no arrival: the transformation lies in the process

22:30 — The Three Cs of Change: curiosity, compassion, and courage

26:34 — Sticky Habits: the book written for women, not men

31:08 — Comparison and the inner critic

33:52 — Where to connect with Monica

35:02 — Identity keeps evolving — and that's a good thing

Resources

• Sticky Habits: A Woman's Guide to Reclaim Happiness, Ditch Perfectionism, and Create Habits That Last by Monica Packer — pre-order at stickyhabitsbook.com
• Do Something List free training: aboutprogress.com/dsl
• About Progress podcast on Apple or Spotify

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What does it actually take to leave behind everything you've built — your career, your country, your circle — and start over from scratch? Carolina Freeman did exactly that when she moved from Argentina to Wichita, and what she found on the other side is a story about identity, resilience, and the courage to finally live life on your own terms. Carolina is the chef and owner of Argentina's Empanadas in Wichita, Kansas — and she is one of those rare people whose wisdom hits you soul deep. In this conversation, we talk about the grief of starting over, the surprising difficulty of making friends as an adult, and why the journey itself is the actual reward.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Why moving around as a child builds the kind of resilience that sticks with you into adulthood — and how to give kids that same gift without leaving the country
• The emotional reality of immigrating as an adult: leaving behind a career, a neighborhood, a university identity, and friendships — and arriving somewhere no one knows your story
• Why making friends past 35 is genuinely hard (and why it has nothing to do with you)
• The two types of people you'll find after 40: those who are completely settled, and those who are just starting to discover who they really are
• How Carolina left a career in HR to build a business that bridges her past and her present
• Why the second act isn't about age — it's about waking up and taking agency over the life you actually want
• The difference between chasing an end result and learning to find reward in the daily process
• The emotional nakedness of entrepreneurship — and why feeling your emotions is not weakness, it's data
• The concept of "emotional agility" from Harvard psychologist Susan David and how using emotions as information can guide better decisions
• Why success, for Carolina, means freedom, harmony, and peace — not a yacht
• How small, consistent action — a "grain of salt" every day — is what builds something big over time

CHAPTERS

• 0:00 — Welcome
• 1:50 — Second Acts and Identity
• 3:25 — Moving to Wichita
• 4:35 — Culture Shock and Language
• 5:35 — Resilience Through Change
• 7:22 — Making Friends as Adults
• 9:46 — Defining the Second Act
• 10:57 — From HR to Empanadas
• 13:02 — Authenticity and Acceptance
• 14:15 — Loneliness and Starting Over
• 16:22 — Community-Driven Business
• 17:39 — Taking the Leap
• 19:07 — Journey Over Outcome
• 20:34 — Live How You Want
• 22:26 — Show Up Daily
• 24:05 — Support and Emotions
• 27:32 — Emotional Agility Tools
• 29:42 — Redefining Success
• 31:17 — Freedom and Brand Legacy
• 33:09 — What's Next and Where to Follow

RESOURCES MENTIONED

•  Argentina's Empanadas — Instagram | Facebook | Location: Clifton Square, College Hill, Wichita, KS | Food truck at the Saturday Farmer's Market

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if your birthday celebration wasn't really about your birthday at all? Jen Christian turned 40 with one of the most intentional, fun, and friendship-forward celebrations I've ever seen — and it started not with a party plan, but with a personal reckoning. After navigating a postpartum fog that hit during COVID, Jen found herself asking: Who am I now? What do I value? And who are my people for this next decade? The answers led her to create "40 Things for 40" — a curated list of experiences, meals, adventures, and connections she organized into a Google site and sent to the people she loves most. No pressure. No spotlight. Just an open invitation to show up and share life together. If you're approaching a milestone birthday — or honestly any season of life where you're ready to come back to yourself — this conversation is going to spark something in you.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Jen shares how coming out of postpartum and the COVID season prompted her to ask the big questions: who am I, what do I value, and who are my people?
• Why loneliness can sneak up on you even when you're surrounded by wonderful people — and what to do about it
• How Jen's eclectic friend group actually inspired the format of her celebration
• The four "buckets" she used to organize her 40 things: places to dine, things she loves most, things to discover, and an evolution of Jen
• Why she chose a Google Site to host the list (hint: her husband's class reunion inspired it)
• How a Google Form made logistics effortless and her social calendar full for the next decade
• Why celebration isn't about the spotlight — it's about pausing, reflecting, and connecting
• Jen's definition of celebration: "It's about pausing. It's about reflection. It's about accomplishment, and it's about connection and relationship."

CHAPTERS

0:00 – Welcome and Meet Jen

1:04 – Why Turning 40 Matters

3:10 – Reclaiming Identity After Motherhood

6:47 – Pulling Back and Finding Your People

9:57 – The 40 Things for 40 Idea

12:07 – Building the List and Buckets

17:03 – Sharing It Out and Timeline

20:11 – Favorite Picks From the 40

21:37 – Why Celebration Matters

23:05 – Template Offer and Wrap Up

RESOURCES

• Jen's "40 Things for 40" Template
• Saltwell Farm Kitchen — between Topeka and Lawrence, Kansas (https://www.saltwellfarmkitchen.com)
• Google Sites — the free platform Jen used to build and share her celebration list (https://sites.google.com)
• Google Forms — used for RSVPs and tracking signups (https://forms.google.com)
• ChatGPT — Jen used this to help brainstorm ideas for her final bucket of five (https://chat.openai.com)
• Pinterest — also used for inspiration while building the list (https://www.pinterest.com)

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the path that didn't work out was actually the one preparing you for exactly where you're supposed to be? Career and leadership coach Jenna Bottolfsen joins me for a conversation about the unexpected pivots, restarts, and pauses that shape us — and why the thing you thought was a setback might actually be the most important step in your story. Jenna went from 25 years in corporate HR to a failed first attempt at entrepreneurship right as COVID hit, back to corporate, and then into the unexpected opportunity of purchasing an established business. She now runs Wallace Associates, helping people navigate career transitions, clarify their value, and take confident next steps. This conversation is full of practical tools and permission-giving perspective for anyone sitting with uncertainty about what comes next.

Highlights

• Why "detours are signs too" — and how Cleo Wade's poem frames the entire conversation
• The difference between a failure and a learning opportunity, and why Jenna refuses to use the word failure
• How letting go of a corporate title is often the hardest — and most necessary — first step
• The role values and purpose play when someone feels stuck or out of alignment in their career
• Why Jenna starts every client conversation with, "What got you into this field in the first place?"
• The power of "five seconds of insane courage" — and how you don't have to be brave for long, just long enough
• Two practical tools: the "You Are Here" exercise and the Worst Case Scenario spiral
• Why "expectations are the killer of joy" — and how loosening them opens the door to forward movement
• The mindset shift from "this has to be forever" to "what's my next right step?"
• How a friend's grief over a missed promotion led to the realization that the job she didn't get was actually protecting what mattered most to her

Chapters

0:00 — Introduction & About Jenna

2:02 — Detours Are Signs (Cleo Wade poem)

2:44 — Milestone Catch-Up

3:44 — Jenna's COVID Leap & Return to Corporate

4:52 — Buying Wallace Associates

6:07 — Resilience After Setbacks

8:10 — Five Seconds of Courage

10:26 — Audra's First Business Lesson

12:35 — Detours & Alignment

15:39 — Questions for When You're Feeling Stuck

20:09 — Letting Go of Identity

24:55 — The "You Are Here" & Worst Case Scenario Tools

28:19 — The Next Right Step Mindset

31:33 — Closing: Loosen Your Expectations

Resources Mentioned

• In a World of Sunrises by Cleo Wade — the book Audra references and from which she reads the "Detours are signs too" poem
• Wallace Associates — Jenna Bottolfsen's career and leadership coaching business
• The Next Right Thing podcast 

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the most powerful lesson from the Olympics has nothing to do with the athletes?

Executive coach Jeana Marinelli joined me for a conversation straight from her last days in Florence, Italy — capping off nearly 90 days abroad that started as a one-week trip to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. What began as a trip to see snowboarding turned into an extended season of rest, community, curiosity, and unexpected self-discovery. We talked about what it really means to be present in an experience, why we're all at risk of being passive consumers of our own lives, and how the smallest act of noticing — and then sharing what you notice — can change everything.

Highlights

• Jeana packed for one week and stayed for 86 days — following curiosity, awe, and wonder every step of the way
• Milano Cortina 2026 was the first gender-equal Winter Olympics (and Paris 2024 was the first gender-equal Summer Olympics) — and Jeana attended both
• The Olympic spectator experience is completely different from watching on TV: no commentators, no play-by-play, just raw emotion and crowd energy
• Jeana reframes "spectator" — she wasn't watching the Olympics, she was participating in a community
• The difference between consuming community and contributing to it is one of the episode's central threads
• A chance encounter with Jaelin Kauf's family at dual moguls — sparked by offering to take their photo — turned into a full day of celebration
• How "noticing + sharing what you notice" is a simple, accessible way to build connection anywhere
• Why slowing down is always the starting point for meaningful change — whether in personal life or organizational leadership
• Turning 40 and the lessons of living in the gray (not everything is black and white)
• The National Equity Project's definition of leadership: taking ownership over something that matters

Chapters

2:35 — Birthday Reflections

5:35 — From One Week to Ninety Days

7:52 — What the Trip Gave Her

10:29 — Handling Transition Seasons

12:37 — Spectator Experience Reframed

16:58 — Gender Equal Olympics

18:30 — Bringing It Home Through Writing

21:37 — Consumption Versus Contribution

29:38 — Noticing Wonder Daily

34:09 — Final Threads and Farewell

Resources Mentioned

• 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if becoming a mom didn't just change your schedule — it changed you at your core? 

I sat down with Taryn Zweygardt, a therapist specializing in perinatal mental health and co-owner of Flourish, to talk about the identity shifts, the mental load, the perfectionism, and the ADHD diagnoses that so many of us didn't see coming — until motherhood cracked us open and showed us what was really there.

This is a conversation for anyone who has ever wondered why it feels so hard, why they feel so different, or why the life they carefully organized before kids suddenly feels like it belongs to a stranger.

Highlights

• Motherhood often doesn't feel "natural" at first — and the shame that comes with that is real and incredibly common
• Becoming a mom can act like a rock thrown into a still pond, bringing everything that's settled at the bottom rising to the surface
• Society sells us a timeline — married, then kids, then house — but the cost of following that script without self-reflection can be high
• Both Taryn and Audra were diagnosed with ADHD after becoming mothers, and motherhood was the thing that illuminated it
• The mental load isn't just "feeling busy" — it's a specific and invisible weight that needs to be named, shared, and actively redistributed
• Asking for help requires being direct — "I'm overwhelmed" isn't enough; specific asks like "Can you handle dinner on Tuesdays?" are what actually shift the load
• The "hell yes or hell no" framework is a powerful filter for deciding what deserves your limited capacity
• Not every ball is glass — knowing which ones are plastic (and can bounce if dropped) is a game-changer for managing motherhood and business simultaneously
• Standards can and should shift with seasons — giving yourself permission to let the grass grow a little longer isn't failure, it's wisdom

Chapters

1:03 — Motherhood Changes Everything

2:08 — Expectations vs. Reality

3:02 — When It Doesn't Feel Natural

4:42 — Normalizing the Hard Parts

7:03 — Social Media and Real Life

8:45 — Identity After Becoming Mom

10:23 — Perfectionism and ADHD Revealed

11:53 — Her Motherhood Timeline

17:27 — The Pond Rock Metaphor

20:49 — Choosing Your Parenting Path

22:51 — Trust Your Parenting Gut

23:17 — ADHD Meets Business

24:38 — Capacity and Boundaries

26:48 — Hell Yes or Hell No

28:43 — Mental Load Reality

29:31 — Asking for Direct Help

31:36 — Sharing the Invisible Work

34:09 — Fair Play in Practice

36:58 — Glass vs. Plastic Balls

38:13 — Standards for This Season

39:06 — Closing Advice and Where to Find Her

Resources Mentioned

• Reproductively Speaking podcast — hosted by Taryn Zweygardt
• TZ Therapy — Taryn's therapy practice
• Flourish — Taryn's collective (also on Instagram: @flourishict)
• Taryn on Instagram: @tztherapy

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What does it actually take to wake up, choose differently, and become someone new?

Whether you're staring down a milestone birthday or quietly sensing it's time for a change, this conversation with Damon Young will meet you right where you are. Damon is a civic leader, executive mentor, public speaker, and founder of DK Young Consulting — and he sat down to talk candidly about what it looked like to go from heads-down in construction to stepping fully into his purpose as a connector of ideas and people. We covered the grief of letting dreams die, the power of writing something down with a shaking hand, and why 10% improvement might be the most radical thing you can do.

Highlights

• The "roots before fruit" framework — why focusing on the fruit actually prevents it from growing
• Why 10% improvement is more transformative than trying to nail it 90% of the time
• The real cost of living with intention — and what you have to let go of to get there
• How the 12 Week Year changed the trajectory of Damon's life and career
• The shaking-hand moment: writing down a buried dream for the first time in 15 years
• Why regret is a powerful motivator — if you let it illuminate instead of sink you
• Letting fantasies and alternative lives die so you can fully choose the one in front of you
• What Damon's son said at his rehearsal dinner that made all the intentional living worth it
• The Kia story: a small, symbolic decision that said everything about who Damon was becoming

Chapters

0:00 – Choosing to Wake Up

1:18 – Meet Damon Young

2:58 – Turning 40 and 50

4:30 – Kids Grow Fast

7:38 – Roots Before Fruit (don't focus on the fruit — get in the soil)

11:22 – Shiny Objects and Grace

13:37 – The Power of Ten Percent

16:17 – Advice for Your Forties

19:42 – Damon at Thirty-Five

27:40 – Stress and Self-Soothing

31:13 – The Cost of Intention

33:54 – Letting Dreams Die

35:48 – Marriage and Becoming

24:57 – Facing Regret in New Decades

25:56 – Regret and Finite Time

26:42 – Heidi and the 12 Week Year

27:52 – Writing Down the Dream

29:34 – From Baby Steps to Paid Speaking

31:15 – Assessments and Finding Your Magic

33:57 – Regret as Motivation and Experiments

36:28 – Letting Go of Comparison

42:35 – The Kia Identity Shift

44:30 – Kids Notice Your Growth

45:52 – Where to Find Damon

Resources Mentioned

• The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran & Michael Lennington — the goal-setting framework that helped Damon write down his dream for the first time: https://www.12weekyear.com
• Arthur Brooks — author and social scientist; Damon references his concept of the "reverse bucket list": https://www.arthurbrooks.com
• When Everyone Leads — https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/when-everyone-leads/
• Designing Your Life — Stanford framework referenced for experimenting and "renting" ideas before committing: https://designingyour.life
• DK Young Consulting — Damon's boutique consultancy focused on vision casting, executive mentoring, and public speaking: https://dkyconsulting.com
• Lead Wichita — civic leadership organization where Damon serves as contract CEO: https://leadwichita.org

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the most creative thing you ever did had nothing to do with a paintbrush? Creativity isn't reserved for the artists with the fancy titles — it's a way of moving through the world, and it might be the most powerful form of self-trust you have. I sat down with Wichita-based multidisciplinary artist Jill Nicole Luten to talk about what happens when you stop performing creativity and start practicing it honestly. We covered everything from how she stumbled into photography through a food blog, to why play is non-negotiable for a creative life, to the one-word-a-month self-portrait practice that changed how she sees herself.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Jill shares how she didn't recognize her own creativity until her late twenties — and why that's more common than we think
• The food blog that accidentally launched a photography career (and what her mom's unused camera had to do with it)
• Why other people's belief in you can unlock what you can't yet see in yourself
• How motherhood and therapy led Jill to claim the identity of "artist" for the first time
• The difference between seeing your own creativity and noticing creativity in the world around you — and why both matter
• Creativity isn't just for visual artists: Jill's definition — "something didn't exist, and now it does" — changes everything
• Why play is scientifically backed to improve self-confidence, intuition, and problem-solving — and why our culture makes it a battle to prioritize
• The pressure vs. play distinction: you can create under both, but only one fills you up
• How Jill gives herself big, bold projects (like a solo art show or a year of self-portraits) to force herself to share her work
• The one-word-a-month self-portrait practice — and how non-photographers can adapt it
• The biggest creative advice for anyone stepping into a second act: go after it loosely, boldly, and with low expectations

CHAPTERS

1:03 — Creativity as Self-Trust

1:54 — Meet Jill Nicole Luten

2:57 — Early Signs of Creativity

4:39 — Food Blog to Photography

6:46 — Others Reflect Your Gifts

9:39 — Motherhood, Therapy, and Core Self

11:26 — Seeing Creativity Everywhere

14:50 — Redefining What Counts

16:48 — Why Play Fuels Creativity

19:01 — Play as an Adult and Mom

20:14 — Books That Spark Play

21:34 — Pressure vs. Play

24:05 — Making Creativity Sustainable

26:39 — Trust Yourself and Share

29:36 — Going Big to Be Seen

30:16 — Year of Self-Portraits

30:54 — One Word a Month Method

32:30 — Non-Photographer Options

35:16 — Small Creative Practice

37:04 — Where to Find Jill

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert — https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/big-magic/
• Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee — https://aestheticsofjoy.com/the-book/
• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield — https://stevenpressfield.com/books/the-war-of-art/
• Jill Nicole Luten on Instagram: @sincerelyjill and @jillnicoleluton
• Jill Nicole Luten's website: jillnicoleluton.com

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What does it look like when a leader stops splitting herself in two?

Ashley Bowen Cook, owner of Alpha Charlie — an aviation-focused marketing firm based in Wichita, Kansas — stepped into full business ownership in January 2026 after nearly 23 years with the agency. The moment she did, something unexpected happened: a candid photo of her and her 10-year-old son Charlie, taken on a snow day in her office, ended up on the cover of the Wichita Business Journal — and it sparked something much bigger than a rebrand announcement.

Women who saw it exhaled.

In this conversation, Ashley walks us through her three-year transition into ownership, the meaning behind the Alpha Charlie name (hint: it's deeply personal on multiple levels), and what it truly means to hold motherhood and ambition and leadership all at once — not in separate boxes, but together, exactly as they are. She shares how becoming a mom completely rewired her definition of success, why she leads her team with grit, grace, and gratitude, and the practical, tactical wisdom she's gathered for ambitious women who refuse to leave any part of themselves at the door.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ashley purchased Greta Group — now rebranded as Alpha Charlie — from founder Sonya Greta after a deliberate three-year ownership transition plan
• The name Alpha Charlie carries layers of meaning: Ashley's own initials, a nod to "Air Capital," the concept of being a leader and a new beginning, a faith reference, and a tribute to her son Charlie
• A spontaneous snow-day photo with her son became the cover of the Wichita Business Journal — and sparked an outpouring of gratitude from women who felt seen
• Ashley shares how the photo communicated "permission to stop splitting ourselves in two" — a message she didn't even know she was sending
• Success, post-motherhood, looks like raising a kind human being who contributes positively to the world
• She reflects on the shift from women competing against each other to genuinely cheering each other on — and why that matters for leadership
• Motherhood has directly shaped how Ashley leads her team: empowerment over micromanagement, flexibility with accountability
• The Wichita Children's Business Fair became an unexpected classroom for teaching her son that losing is part of entrepreneurship
• Her non-negotiables: Sunday church, morning workouts with a mom friend group, and unstructured time just for herself
• Final wisdom: You don't have to own a business to be a leader — leadership is about impact, not management

CHAPTERS

0:00 — Meet Ashley Bowen Cook

2:05 — Second Act Ownership Leap

3:42 — The Three-Year Transition Plan

6:27 — Alpha Charlie Rebrand Story

7:06 — The Cover Photo With Charlie

9:50 — Permission to Be Whole

13:39 — Redefining Success as a Mom

15:06 — Dropping the Instagram Myth

16:16 — Women Supporting Women Shift

18:39 — Men and Caregiving Culture

22:12 — Raising a Leader Son

23:25 — Grit, Grace & Gratitude Lessons

26:03 — Flexibility With Accountability

28:36 — The Ambitious Motherhood Toolkit

32:06 — Non-Negotiables and Self-Care

35:07 — Final Leadership Wisdom

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Alpha Charlie — Ashley's aviation-focused marketing agency (formerly Greta Group), based in Wichita, Kansas
• Wichita Aero Club 
• WIBA (Wichita Independent Business Association)

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.