Actually, I Can.

Not every piece of advice is right for your business, even when it comes from someone who wants to see you succeed.

In this episode of Actually I Can, host Lindsay Tjepkema sits down with Michael Kravchuk, co-founder and former CEO of LumiQ, a podcasting and software platform that helps accounting professionals earn continuing professional development (CPD) credits.

Michael shares a pivotal moment in LumiQ’s journey: an investor encouraged the company to expand into the United States before it had truly found product-market fit. The advice came from someone supportive who wanted to see the business succeed. But Michael and his team recognized that their early revenue growth depended heavily on sales effort—and that the underlying product still needed work.

Instead of expanding too soon, they stayed focused, pivoted within their existing market, and eventually found the product-market fit they needed. When they did expand into the U.S., it became more than half of the business.

So how do founders know when to trust their instincts, when to listen to advice, and when to challenge what everyone else seems to think is the obvious next move?

Michael and Lindsay explore the art of founder discernment: balancing confidence with humility, listening closely to customers (especially the critics), building trust with co-founders, and surrounding yourself with people who will tell you the truth—even when it’s uncomfortable.

His advice for early-stage founders is refreshingly simple: tune out the distractions and focus on validating your product with customers.

Because building a successful business isn’t about taking every opportunity. It’s about recognizing which opportunities are right for you—and knowing when you’re ready.

What You’ll Learn

* Why expanding into a new market before product-market fit can distract a startup

* How to recognize when revenue growth is masking deeper product challenges

* Why supportive advice can still be the wrong advice for your business

* How Michael and his team found product-market fit before expanding into the U.S.

* How founders can balance confidence in their instincts with openness to feedback

* Why conversations with unhappy customers can be more valuable than praise

* How to build a trusted circle of advisors who will challenge your assumptions

* Why candor and trust between co-founders and team members matter

* What early-stage founders should prioritize before pursuing growth

* How to develop the discernment to know when to listen, pivot, or stay the course

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Founders are surrounded by advice. Coaches, consultants, advisors, podcasts, books, boards, mentors—the list goes on. But what happens when the people giving you advice don't actually know your business, your customers, or what it takes to live with the decisions you're making every day?In this episode of Actually I Can, Lindsay Tjepkema sits down with Dale Dupree, founder of The Sales Rebellion, to unpack one of the biggest traps founders face: treating generic advice like it’s a universal truth.Dale challenges the familiar advice to “make mistakes and take action,” arguing that the real question isn't whether you're taking action—it's whether you're using action to learn from reality or simply using it to escape discomfort. He also explores why perfectionism can sometimes be less about high standards and more about staying comfortable.From discernment and audacity to authenticity and vision, Dale makes the case for asking harder questions, seeking out people who genuinely want you to succeed, and learning to trust your own experience.Because the goal isn't to find the perfect answer.It's to become better at knowing which questions to ask—and whose answers are worth listening to.What You'll Learn- Why generic founder advice can be more dangerous than helpful- How to recognize when someone giving advice has an agenda- Why “take action” isn't always the answer- The difference between productive iteration and simply chasing comfort- How real-world experience builds discernment- Why founders should question advice before accepting it- How audacity and authenticity shape a founder's vision- Why financial outcomes aren't the only reason to build something- Dale's father's powerful approach to asking better questions- How to surround yourself with people who genuinely want you to succeed📩 Subscribe to the newsletter https://lindsaytjepkema.substack.com/🔗 Follow Lindsay on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaytjepkema/🔗 Follow Dale on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/copierwarrior/🌐 Learn more about The Sales Rebellion http://www.thesalesrebellion.com/

For founders, “just hustle harder” can sound like the ultimate formula for success. Work longer. Push through. Do more. Figure it out.

But what happens when hustle stops creating momentum—and starts creating diminishing returns?

In this episode of Actually I Can, Lindsay Tjepkema sits down with Jennie Blumenthal, CEO of Corporate Rehab Leadership, to challenge one of the most deeply ingrained pieces of founder advice: just hustle harder and everything will work itself out.

Jennie shares how growing up in an immigrant family shaped her relationship with hard work and helped her develop the drive that eventually led her to running a $200 million business unit. But she also learned that the mindset that helps you survive isn't necessarily the mindset that helps you thrive.

As companies, teams, and responsibilities grow, more effort isn't always the answer. Jennie explores what happens when founders shift from effort to leverage, from constant pushing to intentional leadership, and from proving themselves through exhaustion to operating from a place of growth.

She also breaks down her six-dimensional framework—vision, mindset, habits, connection, resilience, and expansion—and explains how founders can use AI, simple prioritization practices, and even body-based techniques to create more space for better leadership.

Because the next stage of your growth may not require you to work harder.

It may require you to lead differently.

What You'll Learn

• Why “just hustle harder” can become a trap for founders
• How hustle can help you survive but eventually prevent you from thriving
• Why more effort doesn't always create more growth
• The identity shift that happens when founders move into a new stage of leadership
• Jennie's six dimensions for building a stronger leadership operating system
• How to create healthier boundaries with investors, boards, and other stakeholders
• Why AI should be used for leverage—not simply to help you do more
• How to use AI for brain-dumps, prioritization, and creating mental space
• Two practical practices you can start using immediately
• How to move into the “growth zone” without tipping into burnout

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🔗 Follow Lindsay on LinkedIn

🔗 Follow Jennie on Linkedin

🌐 Learn more about Corporate Rehab

What if the advice to “find work-life balance” is actually making you feel like you’re doing something wrong?

In this episode of Actually, I Can., Lindsay Tjepkema sits down with Hope Horner, founder and CEO of Lemonlight, to unpack one of the most common pieces of advice founders hear: that success requires maintaining a healthy balance between work and life.

For Hope, that advice created more guilt than clarity. In the early years of building Lemonlight, she was working 70–90+ hours a week, sacrificing much of her social life, and wondering why her experience didn't look like the balanced founder life everyone seemed to recommend. Eventually, she realized something important: balance isn't one-size-fits-all. The right balance depends on what you're building, what you want your life to look like, and what you're willing to prioritize in a particular season.

Hope shares what changed when she stopped apologizing for her ambition, how she navigated the impact of entrepreneurship on her relationships, and why being honest with the people around you matters when you're choosing to go all in.

The bigger lesson? You don't have to build someone else's version of success. You get to decide what you want—and then build a life that supports it.

What You’ll Learn

• Why “work-life balance” can become a source of guilt for ambitious founders
• How Hope spent years working 70–90+ hours a week while building Lemonlight
• Why balance looks different depending on your goals and definition of success
• The moment Hope realized she needed to embrace her ambition instead of apologizing for it
• How to have honest conversations with friends, family, and partners about entrepreneurial demands
• Ways to integrate relationships into an ambitious life instead of treating work and life as completely separate
• Why there isn't one correct formula for building a successful company—or a fulfilling life
• How books, podcasts, and other entrepreneurs can help founders navigate the messy middle
• Why defining success for yourself is more important than following someone else's blueprint

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🔗 Follow Hope on Linkedin

🌐 Learn more about Lemonlight

In this episode of "Actually I Can," host Lindsay Tjepkema sits down with leadership coach Steven “Shed” Shedletsky to unpack a piece of bad advice that taught him a powerful lesson about toxic positivity, organizational politics, and the importance of speaking up.

Shed shares how he was once encouraged to coach a team member by deflecting an interpersonal problem with the advice, “Enough about them, let’s talk about you.” What sounded like a positive, forward-looking approach was actually a way of avoiding a difficult problem—and ultimately contributed to a valued team member being let go.

Years later, Shed experienced the same tactic from the other side. When he raised concerns about leadership and morale, the conversation was redirected back toward him. Shed describes the experience as gaslighting and says it ultimately became part of what pushed him to leave.

Lindsay and Shed explore what toxic positivity really looks like in leadership, why founders can fall into the trap of trying to fix people's emotions instead of listening to them, and how leaders can respond with compassion while still moving toward a bigger vision.

They also tackle what to do when you're on the receiving end of unhealthy leadership. Shed introduces the idea of “Jedi leadership”—finding ways to influence ego-driven leaders without directly triggering their defenses—and explains why sometimes the most effective way to create change is to work within the system rather than fight it head-on.

Shed shares a framework for healthier organizations built around mindset, actions, and systems, including the importance of consistent one-on-ones, creating genuine speak-up cultures, and designing systems that make empathy and psychological safety part of how a company operates.

Because sometimes what looks like positivity is actually a strategy for avoiding the truth.

What You'll Learn

• What toxic positivity really looks like in leadership
• How “positive” advice can become a way to avoid difficult conversations
• Why validating someone's emotions should come before trying to change their perspective
• How organizational politics and unhealthy power dynamics can silence concerns
• What to do when you're the person experiencing toxic leadership
• How “Jedi leadership” can help you influence defensive or ego-driven leaders
• Why founders need to recognize their own blind spots
• Why people should never be reduced to KPIs
• Shed's Mindset → Actions → Systems framework for organizational change
• Why consistent one-on-ones matter
• How to build a culture where people actually feel safe speaking up
• How leaders can turn empathy into an organizational system rather than an individual personality trait

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🔗 Follow Shed on LinkedIn

🌐 Learn more about Shed Inspires

What if the reason you haven't started isn't because you're not ready—but because you're waiting for a story that proves you deserve to?

In this episode of Actually I Can, host Lindsay Tjepkema talks with Monica Stewart, CEO of MSP Consulting, about the advice that kept her from starting her business: that she needed a "hero story" to establish her expertise.

Monica had watched other leaders build credibility through big-name credentials, impressive growth stories, and marquee clients. Compared to those stories, her own experience didn't seem extraordinary enough. That doubt led to false starts and years of questioning whether she had earned the right to build the business she wanted.

Eventually, she realized she had been looking at expertise all wrong.

The customer is the hero.

Monica's value isn't that she has one spectacular success story. It's that she's seen patterns across dozens of companies and knows how to help B2B SaaS founders build sustainable sales teams.

Lindsay and Monica explore the confidence dynamics behind claiming expertise, why some people seem comfortable stepping into authority while others wait for permission, and how building a "success bank" can help founders recognize the experience they already have.

Because you don't need to become a hero before you're qualified to help someone.

You just need to know what you know—and keep learning what you don't.

What you'll learn: 

• Why waiting for a "hero story" can keep founders from starting
• How comparison can distort your perception of your own expertise
• Why the customer, not the founder, is the hero
• Why pattern recognition can be more valuable than one big success
• How gendered confidence dynamics can influence who claims authority
• How to build a personal "success bank" to combat self-doubt
• Why staying current requires curiosity and critical thinking
• How to evolve your methods while staying committed to the outcome
• Why your existing experience may already qualify you to take the next step

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🔗 Follow Monica on LinkedIn

🌐 Learn more about MSP Consulting

We've all heard the advice: wake up at 5 a.m., time-block every minute, and stick to a rigid routine if you want to be successful. But what if that advice is actually holding you back?

In this episode of Actually I Can, Lindsay Tjepkema sits down with Jen Spencer, Chief Growth Officer at Booth and author of Lead Anyway, to unpack why one-size-fits-all productivity advice doesn't work for everyone.

Jen shares how she spent years trying to force herself into someone else's version of success before realizing that great leadership starts with understanding your own energy, strengths, and values. Together, they explore the importance of self-awareness, creating space for creativity, leading through changing seasons of life, and building a career that aligns with who you are—not who you think you're supposed to be.

Whether you're a founder, manager, or individual contributor, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on leadership, productivity, and giving yourself permission to lead your own way.

What you'll learn: 

• Why rigid productivity routines don't work for every leader
• The difference between managing time and managing energy
• How an honest energy audit can reshape your workday
• How to build flexibility around your life instead of forcing your life around work
• Why creativity requires intentional white space
• How to stay fully present by defining your role in every meeting
• How self-awareness creates better leadership
• Why founders should invest in understanding themselves before scaling a company

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🔗 Follow Jen on LinkedIn

🌐 Learn more about Booth

There are few pieces of career advice more damaging than the idea that success requires sacrifice.

For Sam Yarbrough, that message came during a job interview. When she explained that she was committed to both her career and her family, she was told, "Well...you chose to work."

It was a mindset she'd encounter again and again—that ambitious professionals, especially working moms, should expect to trade time with their families for career success. But instead of accepting that belief, Sam used it as a filter. If an organization couldn't respect her values, it probably wasn't where she wanted to lead.

That perspective eventually led her to walk away from a prestigious executive role, navigate an unexpected identity crisis, and co-found Arcadia—a leadership community built on a different philosophy: you don't have to choose between building a meaningful career and living a meaningful life.

In this episode, Lindsay and Sam unpack the myths we've accepted about ambition, boundaries, and leadership—and why the best leaders are whole humans, not just high performers.

What You'll Learn

• Why "you chose to work" is one of the worst pieces of career advice working parents receive
• How boundaries reveal whether a company's culture truly aligns with your values
• Why leaving a prestigious role led to an unexpected identity crisis
• How to separate your worth from your title and paycheck
• What "whole-human leadership" really means
• Practical ways to identify your priorities before making career decisions
• Why harmony—not balance—creates more sustainable leadership
• How Arcadia is helping leaders grow without sacrificing what matters most

About Sam Yarbrough

Sam Yarbrough is the co-founder of Arcadia, a leadership community that helps executives and go-to-market leaders build successful careers while staying connected to what matters most. After years leading high-growth teams in the corporate world, Sam left a prestigious executive role to create a new model of leadership—one that prioritizes career, family, health, relationships, and purpose instead of forcing people to choose between them. Through Arcadia and its immersive Leadership Experience, she helps leaders grow as whole humans, not just professionals.

This episode is for anyone who's ever felt like they had to choose between career success and the life they wanted outside of work. Whether you're a working parent, an aspiring leader, or simply questioning what success should look like, this conversation is a reminder that you really can have both.

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🔗 Connect with Sam Yarbrough

🌐 Learn more about Arcadia

🏔️ Learn about the Arcadia Leadership Experience

When Kristi Candela started building BeeCene, she thought she already knew the first step.

Find a technical co-founder.

It wasn't just advice she heard once. It was embedded in startup culture. Investors asked about it. Accelerator applications reinforced it. Other founders repeated it. Everywhere she turned, the message was the same: if you weren't technical, you needed someone who was before anyone would take your company seriously.

So she waited.

She searched for the right partner. She built a manual version of her product instead of a technical one. She convinced herself that hiring technical talent wasn't enough—and that building without a technical co-founder wasn't an option.

The longer she waited, the more momentum she lost.

Everything changed when an advisor introduced her to the possibilities of AI-powered development. Using tools like ChatGPT and Atlas alongside today's growing ecosystem of no-code platforms, Kristi realized she didn't need permission to start building. Instead of waiting for the perfect co-founder, she began rapidly testing ideas, learning directly from customers, and iterating faster than she ever thought possible.

In this episode of Actually, I Can, Kristi shares how one piece of conventional startup advice became a founder trap, why waiting can be more expensive than building imperfectly, and how questioning "prerequisite" advice can unlock momentum for entrepreneurs everywhere.

What you'll learn:

• Why "you need a technical co-founder" isn't true for every founder
• How startup culture reinforces beliefs that can keep entrepreneurs stuck
• The hidden cost of waiting instead of building
• Why co-founder relationships shouldn't be rushed
• How AI and no-code tools are changing what's possible for nontechnical founders
• Why rapid learning matters more than building the perfect product
• How customer feedback accelerates better products and better decisions
• Why founders should question advice that creates unnecessary prerequisites
• Why some investors still require technical co-founders—and what that signals
• How BeeCene is helping founders find the right funding instead of chasing the wrong investors

About Kristi Candela

Kristi Candela is the founder and CEO of BeeCene, a funding intelligence platform helping early-stage founders identify the right funding opportunities based on their business, goals, and stage of growth. Rather than encouraging founders to "spray and pray," BeeCene equips entrepreneurs with the research and intelligence they need to pursue capital that actually fits their business.

Before founding BeeCene, Kristi spent more than 15 years in financial services, where she saw firsthand how access to capital often favors the same types of founders. Today, she's working to democratize access to funding by helping entrepreneurs navigate fundraising with greater confidence, clarity, and strategy.

This episode is for anyone who has ever believed they needed one more credential, one more connection, or one more person's permission before they could begin. If you've ever delayed pursuing an idea because you thought you weren't ready, this conversation will challenge what you believe it really takes to build something meaningful.

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🔗 Follow Kristi Candela on LinkedIn

💼 Learn more about BeeCene: https://www.beecene.com/

When Leslie Venetz decided to leave a successful corporate sales career and start her own business, she expected people to have opinions.

She didn't expect so many of those opinions to sound exactly the same.

If you're going to start a company, they told her, it needs to scale.

You need employees.

You need growth.

You need a bigger vision.

Otherwise, what's the point?

The advice came from people she respected. People who had built successful careers. People who genuinely believed they were helping. And because Leslie was leaving a 15-year career in sales leadership during the peak of the SaaS industry's "growth at all costs" era, the message was everywhere.

For a while, she wondered if they were right.

Today, Leslie runs a successful business built around something very different: freedom.

No investors.

No pressure to hire.

No obsession with growth for growth's sake.

Just a business intentionally designed to support the life she wants to live.

In this episode of Actually, I Can, Leslie shares why the pressure to scale almost pulled her away from her own vision, how burnout helped her rethink success, and why discernment may be the most important skill a founder can develop.

What you'll learn:

Why advice can be well-intentioned and still be wrong for you

How to recognize when someone else's fear is disguised as guidance

Why the "growth at all costs" mindset became so dominant in business

How burnout pushed Leslie to question her definition of success

The role discernment plays in entrepreneurship and leadership

Why building a business around freedom can be just as ambitious as building one around scale

How Leslie designed a four-day client workweek and protects time for herself

Why serving the person you used to be can become a powerful business strategy

The question every founder should ask before accepting advice

About Leslie Venetz

Leslie Venetz is the founder of the Sales-Led Go-To-Market Agency, where she helps organizations build effective outbound sales strategies that create meaningful conversations and measurable revenue. Before launching her own company, Leslie spent more than fifteen years leading sales teams and revenue organizations throughout the SaaS industry.

Today, she is a consultant, speaker, and author of Profit Generating Pipeline. Her work focuses on helping companies build sustainable growth through modern sales practices while challenging conventional wisdom around success, scaling, and entrepreneurship. Leslie is a vocal advocate for intentional business ownership and building a company that aligns with your values instead of someone else's expectations.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt pressure to chase a version of success they didn't actually want. If you've ever wondered whether your goals were ambitious enough—or whether you're allowed to define success differently—this conversation will help you trust your own vision.

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🔗 Follow Leslie on LinkedIn

📖 Learn more about Profit Generating Pipeline

💼 Learn more about the Sales-Led Go-To-Market Agency