Accidental CEO Podcast

What if the problem isn’t that LinkedIn is boring?

What if the problem is that you’re trying to use it like Instagram with a blazer on?

In this episode of The Accidental CEO Podcast, Nata sits down with Tara Lassiter to talk about the visibility strategy that too many creative founders are sleeping on: actual human conversations. Not pitch-slapping. Not “Hey girl, I love your vibe” copy-paste nonsense. Not posting into the void and waiting for the algorithm fairy to pay your mortgage.

Real conversations.

Tara brings a refreshing, practical take on LinkedIn, Substack, email, and social selling. After spending 12 years on-air at QVC, she saw firsthand how powerful women in business build more than revenue. They build relationships, communities, and ripple effects. That experience shaped the way she thinks about outreach, generosity, visibility, and business growth.

Inside the episode, Tara explains why so many founders feel slimy in the DMs, and spoiler: it’s usually because they’re moving too fast. Her philosophy is simple but annoyingly effective: treat LinkedIn like a dinner party. Start with curiosity. Ask a real question. Talk to people like people. Revolutionary, apparently.

You’ll also hear why Tara calls her network “buyers and believers,” how she uses LinkedIn search to find aligned connections, why Substack worked beautifully for growth but still needed to feed into her actual email list, and what to do if you’re burned out from Instagram or TikTok but terrified of starting over somewhere new.

This episode is especially good for creative business owners, coaches, consultants, photographers, service providers, and founders who are tired of creating content that gets likes but does not lead to conversations, clients, referrals, or revenue.

Because here’s the truth: content without connection is just noise with a Canva template.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  How to make LinkedIn DMs feel personal instead of pitchy 
•  Why curiosity is a better sales tool than pressure 
•  How to use your existing network for warm introductions 
•  Why LinkedIn can be a goldmine for creative founders 
•  How to repurpose old content for new platforms 
•  Why Substack can grow your audience but should not replace your email list 
•  How to practice your one-liner until it actually sounds like you 
•  What to do with just a few hours a week for visibility 

Your action step: start one conversation today. Not a pitch. Not a funnel. Not a perfectly optimized sequence. One real conversation with one real human.

And if you want a safe place to practice, Tara literally invited you to find her on LinkedIn and send the practice message.

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“I’ll hire when I’m ready.”

Sounds responsible, right? Like you’re being careful with money, protecting quality, and making sure the business is stable before bringing someone else in.

Except sometimes that sentence is not strategy. It is control in a responsible-looking outfit.

In this solo episode, Nata is getting honest about the cost of waiting too long to hire. She shares the story of being at the grocery store when a notification popped up on her phone: a client had arrived at her house for a consultation she had completely forgotten to put on her calendar. And it was not the first time.

That moment forced a hard truth: the problem was not that she did not care. The problem was that she was overloaded and still trying to be the entire system.

This episode is for the founder who has real clients, real revenue, real traction, and is still running almost everything alone. The founder who keeps saying, “Once revenue is more consistent,” “after this launch,” “when things calm down,” or “when I know exactly what I need help with.”

Nata breaks down why those conditions rarely arrive, why the “right time” is usually a feeling tied to control, and why staying in operator mode too long does not protect your business. It makes you the bottleneck.

You’ll walk away with a sharper understanding of the true cost of waiting: not just your time, but your standards, your client relationships, your reputation, and your ability to lead the business you say you want.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  Why waiting to hire can become a capacity trap 
•  How founders accidentally become the single point of failure 
•  Why delegation brings up identity, trust, and worth 
•  What slipping standards are trying to tell you 
•  Why delegation is not a reward for success, but a requirement for it 
•  How to start thinking about your first or next hire before you are drowning 

If you have been telling yourself, “I’ll hire when I’m ready,” this episode is your loving but direct nudge: ready is not a milestone. It is a decision.

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What happens when you put serious founders, operators, coaches, and strategists in the same room for three days?

You start seeing the pattern underneath the pattern.

In this solo episode, Nata is taking you behind the scenes of the Sustainable CEO Summit and sharing what the event confirmed about the real gap so many founders are facing right now. It is not a lack of intelligence. It is not a lack of effort. It is not because they have not downloaded enough templates, listened to enough podcasts, or tried enough productivity hacks.

The real gap is the space between the founder who built the business and the CEO who now needs to lead it.

Nata shares what building the summit taught her about leadership, delegation, standards, and the sneaky ways high standards can become a prison when they are not documented or communicated clearly. She also talks about why so many founders stay trapped in operator mode, even after hiring help, building systems, or knowing exactly what needs to change.

Because knowing the framework does not mean you have fully updated the identity underneath it.

This episode is for the founder who has built something real but still feels like the business depends too heavily on them. The one who knows they need more support, better systems, and more space to think, but keeps getting pulled back into the weeds because letting go feels riskier than staying overloaded.

Inside, Nata breaks down three big lessons from the summit: founders are carrying more than they need to, support structure comes before freedom, and leading as a supported CEO is a decision you make in the middle of the mess, not a destination you arrive at once everything is perfect.

You’ll also hear about the Audacity Bridge Scholarship, why it was created, and what it represents for female founders who are ready to implement, not just consume inspiration.

If you have been feeling the weight of being the glue in your business, this one is for you.

Visit AccidentalCEO to find your next step.

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What if your business was not built around what everyone else is doing, but around how you actually work?

In this episode of The Accidental CEO Podcast, Nata Salvatori sits down with Jordan Gill, founder of Systems Saved Me, to talk about done-in-a-day offers, VIP days, automation, systems, speaking opportunities, and what it really looks like to build a business that fits your life.

Jordan has spent the last 10 years in online business, and her approach is refreshingly clear: your business should be a vehicle for the life you want, not the thing that quietly drains the life out of you. She shares why VIP days are such a powerful offer model, especially for clients who want the fast lane, and why speed does not automatically mean lower quality.

Nata and Jordan also get into the emotional side of systems. Because yes, we can talk about Airtable and ManyChat all day, but the real conversation is this: why do so many founders believe that caring means doing everything manually?

Jordan makes the case that automation is not cold. In many cases, automation is respectful. It protects your time, your client’s time, and your ability to actually show up where it matters.

They also talk about authority-driven content, quiet platforms that create real opportunities, what event hosts are actually looking for in speakers, and why copying someone else’s system is usually a fast track to frustration.

If you have ever thought, “I want more freedom, but my business needs me too much,” this conversation will feel like a loving call-out with a systems spreadsheet attached.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  Why done-in-a-day offers and VIP days work so well 
•  How to use systems to create more freedom in your business 
•  Why automation can be a sign of care, not laziness 
•  How to use tools like ManyChat and Airtable without making your business feel robotic 
•  Why your systems should match your personality, goals, and capacity 
•  What event hosts look for when booking speakers 
•  How to shift your business model when your life changes 

Connect with Jordan:

Website: systems.com
Instagram: @systemssavedme

Loved this episode? Subscribe to The Accidental CEO Podcast, leave a review, and share it with a founder who is still manually doing way too many things in the name of “personal touch.”

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You’ve hired people. Built systems. Taken the courses. Cleaned up the backend. And somehow your business still needs you way more than it should.

In this episode, Nata gets into the uncomfortable truth most founders do not want to hear: the problem is not always the process. A lot of the time, it’s the identity underneath the process.

She breaks down why delegation keeps slipping back onto your plate, why decisions drag on forever, and why growth can still feel chaotic even when things “should” be working by now. Because when the founder is still at the center of every decision, every handoff, and every standard, it is not just an ops issue. It is a leadership issue rooted in beliefs about control, value, trust, and safety.

This episode explores the three places this shows up most:
 capacity, team, and decision making.

If you’ve ever felt like your business keeps reconstructing the same problem in a slightly different outfit, this one will put language to what’s really happening.

You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of:

•  why your systems are not sticking 
•  what identity has to do with delegation and growth 
•  how to spot the deeper pattern underneath your operational stress 
•  what a practical shift actually looks like 

If you are ready to stop being the thing your business cannot grow past, Nata shares how to work with her through the CEO Reset VIP Day and longer-term coaching support.

Learn more:

•  CEO Reset VIP Day 
•  accidentalceo.co/coaching

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PR has a reputation problem.

Most small business owners hear “PR” and immediately think: expensive agency, impossible gatekeeping, or one more thing built for brands with a giant budget and a publicist on speed dial.

Gloria Chou is here to kill that myth.

In this episode, Gloria shares how founders can get featured in media, podcasts, and digital publications without hiring a PR firm, buying sketchy placements, or waiting until they feel “big enough.” She breaks down her CPR pitching method, explains why specificity and relevance matter more than a flashy story, and shows how AI tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT can help you research angles and write stronger pitches faster.

We also talk about the shift that every founder needs to be paying attention to: AI visibility. Gloria makes the case that PR is no longer just about credibility with humans. It is also about building the trust signals that AI tools use to recommend businesses, experts, and products. Translation: if you want to be found in the next era of search, this matters now.

Inside this episode:

•  Why founders do not need an agency to start getting press 
•  Gloria’s CPR framework for better media pitches 
•  The truth about paid features and fake credibility 
•  Why PR supports trust, discovery, and long-term growth 
•  How to use Perplexity to uncover timely, relevant pitch angles 
•  The biggest mistakes people make when pitching themselves 
•  Why the current PR + AI moment is a massive opportunity for small businesses 

Connect with Gloria on Instagram! @gloriachoupr

This one is for the founders who are tired of being brilliant in private.

Hit play. Then go get visible.

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What if the thing slowing down your business growth isn’t your strategy, your offers, or your calendar… but the identity running the show underneath all of it?

In this episode, I’m joined by my “airport friend” Mindi Huebner for a conversation that every high-achieving business owner needs to hear. We’re talking about burnout, over-responsibility, self-worth, subconscious patterns, and why so many smart women keep doing everything “right” but still feel stuck, exhausted, or weirdly resistant to the next level.

Mindi breaks down the four survival identities she sees most often in CEOs, from the woman who believes control equals safety to the one who ties performance to worthiness. We also talk about why mindset work doesn’t always create change, how your subconscious drives most of your daily choices, and what it actually looks like to become the version of you your next phase of business requires.

This one is packed with truth bombs, practical shifts, and the kind of insight that makes you stop mid-walk and go, “Well… damn.”

In this episode, we cover:

•  The identity patterns that keep ambitious women overworking 
•  Why rest does not need to be earned 
•  The real difference between conscious goals and subconscious alignment 
•  How self-talk shapes habits, results, and leadership 
•  What Mindi calls your 24 Karat Identity 
•  A simple awareness practice to start shifting old patterns now 

Resources:

•  Mindi Huebner
•  CEO Identity Quiz

If this episode hit home, share it with a friend, tag us on Instagram, and take one honest look at the identity you’ve been leading from lately.

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If your business is growing but somehow you feel more stretched, more needed, and more tired than ever, this episode is for you.

In this solo episode, I’m finally sharing what I’ve been building behind the scenes: the Sustainable CEO Summit, happening April 28–30, 2026. This is a free online summit created for founders who are done being the nervous system of the entire business and ready to build something that can actually hold growth.

Over three days, we’re focusing on three things that matter more than another clever idea or color-coded productivity hack: protecting your CEO energy, building a business that can support expansion, and leading as a supported CEO. Because you cannot system your way out of burnout if your boundaries are trash. You cannot scale cleanly if your business is still running on duct tape and vibes. And you definitely cannot keep growing if every new level still depends on you holding everything together.

I also share why I created the Audacity Bridge Scholarship and why this matters so deeply to me. The summit is free, but a portion of VIP proceeds will go toward helping women founders access real business support, tools, education, and resources that move the needle.

Inside this episode:

•  Why success can feel heavier at the exact moment things start working 
•  The three summit themes and how they build on each other 
•  What founders actually need to grow without burnout 
•  Why leadership, support, systems, and capacity all belong in the same conversation 
•  What the VIP experience includes 
•  How the scholarship fund works 

This summit was built for actual CEOs with actual responsibilities. The kind who are capable, high-performing, and quietly carrying too much.

Register here: The Sustainable CEO Summit

Grab your free spot, send this to a founder friend, and come build a business that supports your life instead of consuming it.

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You’re not lazy. You’re not disorganized. And you probably don’t need another color-coded productivity hack.

Sometimes what looks like a growth problem is actually a safety problem.

In this episode, I’m unpacking what really happens when your business starts expanding, but your body, leadership patterns, or identity don’t quite feel safe holding it yet. Because here’s the truth: a lot of founders say they want growth, but when it arrives as more clients, more visibility, more responsibility, or more people depending on them, their nervous system reads it as danger.

That’s when things get weird.

You procrastinate. You overwork. You get snappy with your team. You freeze on decisions. Or you start fantasizing about burning the whole thing down and starting over. Not because you’re broken — because growth is asking for a new version of you, and the old one is fighting to stay in charge.

Inside this episode, I break down the three places this usually shows up:

Your capacity — when your body becomes the bottleneck
 Your team — when growth triggers control and micromanagement
 Your decision-making — when every choice starts feeling way too expensive

We’re also talking about the identity shifts that make sustainable growth possible, including this one: you do not need more hustle. You need more support, more structure, and a version of leadership that doesn’t rely on you gripping every detail to feel safe.

If success has started to feel heavier than you expected, this episode will help you understand why — and what to do next.

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You say you want support.

But then the help arrives, and suddenly it feels too slow, too messy, too off. So you do what a lot of high-capacity founders do: tighten up, take it back, and tell yourself it’s just faster if you handle it.

In this episode, Nata breaks down the real reason support feels hard — and it’s not because you’re bad at delegation or secretly impossible to work with. It’s because control is often a coping strategy. For founders who’ve built success by being the one who catches everything, fixes everything, and keeps standards high, support can feel less like relief and more like risk.

This conversation gets into the emotional and operational side of delegation: why your nervous system treats support like a safety event, why getting help can increase your anxiety before it lowers it, and why most founders think they’re delegating ownership when they’re really just handing off tasks with invisible expectations attached.

Inside this episode, Nata shares:

• Why receiving support is a skill, not a personality trait
• The difference between delegating tasks and delegating ownership
• Why your standards need to live somewhere other than your head
• How to stop being the safety net in your business
• What to do in the moment you feel the urge to take everything back
• How to calibrate support without collapsing into micromanagement

If you’ve ever said, “I tried support and it didn’t work,” this episode is your loving reality check. Maybe support didn’t fail. Maybe you were just still in the training phase.

Grab the Identity Shift Pack and start building the version of leadership that lets you be supported without spiraling.

And send this episode to the founder friend who needs to hear it.

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