Maria got rejected from a job.

But instead of feeling disappointed, she felt relieved.

That moment made her question everything.

In this episode of Before the Lights Go On, Maria shares how she went from working as a translator and content creator to starting her own studio after a long, frustrating job search.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Maria's Journey

01:54 From Translator to Entrepreneur

02:47 The Challenges of Freelancing

04:46 Balancing Family and Business

06:49 Redefining Success

08:15 The Role of Failure in Growth

10:09 Finding Your Niche

12:05 Creating Value for Clients

14:05 Pricing Strategies and Client Relationships

14:55 Skills for Entrepreneurial Success

16:22 Looking Ahead: The Future of Work

This episode is for founders, freelancers, solopreneurs, job seekers, introverts, parents, and anyone trying to build something while carrying doubt in the background.

About Maria:

Maria is the founder of Vocaturo World Studio, where she helps B2B founders and solopreneurs clarify their messaging and become more visible online.

Linkedin Maria: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-vocaturo/
Website: https://www.vocaturowordstudio.com/

Watch the full conversation and subscribe for more stories from before the lights go on.

Know someone that has a story to share about the entrepreneurial journey, write the name in the comments section!

Most builders try to force demand.

Theo discovered it by listening.

He made sauces for himself at work.

People tasted them.

Then they asked to buy.

That was the beginning.

—

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why real demand starts before selling
• How to validate a product without overthinking
• Why customer feedback matters more than ego
• How to balance a side hustle with real life
• Why slow growth can be stronger than startup hype
• The 3 skills every builder needs: ask for help, do the math, communicate

—
Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Theo's Journey
06:10 The Path to Culinary Passion
10:26 Overcoming Challenges and Finding Purpose
18:09 The Birth of a Side Hustle
22:16 Defining Success in Business
27:02 Product Development and Customer Focus
31:41 Balancing Business and Family Responsibilities
35:46 Future Aspirations and Long-Term Goals
37:48 Essential Skills for Entrepreneurs


This episode is for:

• Side hustlers
• Early-stage founders
• Food creators
• Builders who feel pressure to scale too fast
• Anyone turning a personal obsession into something real

—

Theo brings together food, research, customer service, IT, and lived experience.

His sauces didn’t start as a brand.

They started because he wanted better food.

Then people kept asking for more.

—

Watch the full conversation.


Connect with Theo
& get a taste of his amazing hand made sauces:

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/thevakorn-lauritsen-73005113b/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thevakorn/

Burnout is not the problem.

It’s the signal you ignored for years.

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In this episode, we break down:

• What burnout actually reveals
• Why pushing through can make it worse
• The hidden cost of “being strong”
• How pain forces clarity
• The moment everything starts to shift

Chapters:
00:00 Early Aspirations and Diverse Interests
03:33 The Entrepreneurial Spark
05:53 Navigating Career Challenges
08:33 Life Lessons from Loss and Burnout
10:41 The Journey of Self-Discovery
12:36 Embracing Change and Courage
15:15 Navigating Vulnerability and Trust
17:23 Finding Purpose and Perspective
19:30 The Value of Energy Exchange
22:44 Self-Worth and Integrity
25:05 Understanding Self-Worth and Value
27:34 Navigating the Challenges of Entrepreneurship
30:26 The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Business
32:47 Mastering Personal Growth and Self-Love


This is for:

• Builders who feel stuck but keep going
• Founders pushing through without questioning
• Anyone who knows something isn’t working

—

About the guest:

Louise Olsson is the founder of Crystalline Consulting AB, where she helps leaders and teams gain clarity, shift perspective, and navigate complex personal and professional challenges.

With over 20 years of experience in business, combined with deep work in psychology, self-leadership, and personal transformation, Louise focuses on helping people reconnect with themselves — not just perform better, but operate from a place of alignment and truth.

Her work sits at the intersection of leadership, emotional intelligence, and inner development — guiding individuals through burnout, identity shifts, and the deeper questions that often come before real success.

Connect with Louise
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiseolsson78/
—

If this resonates, subscribe.

More real conversations coming

Most people are drowning in AI noise.

This episode is about what actually matters.

In this conversation with Emad, we break down what founders, builders, and curious operators are getting wrong right now — and how to think more clearly in the middle of the chaos.



In this episode:

Why chasing every new AI tool is a mistake
Why the OpenAI vs Anthropic drama may be mostly noise
What Emad learned from building, failing, and starting again
Why the right co-founder matters more than people admit
Why human connection becomes more important, not less
The 3 skills builders need in the AI era

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Early Life
04:19 Entrepreneurial Journey and Lessons Learned
09:38 Current Projects and AI Innovations
12:53 The Future of AI and Its Implications
17:26 Human Connections in a Tech-Driven World
22:16 Skills for Future Founders
26:53 Personal Reflections and Identity


This is for:

founders
operators
startup builders
creators trying to stay sharp in the AI wave

Why listen to Emad:
He has built across startups, tech, AI communities, and live events.
He speaks from experience, not theory.

Watch the full episode.
Then go build.

ClawCon Copenhagen 27th April 2026: https://luma.com/clawconcopenhagen
Reach Emad:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emadgnia/
X: https://x.com/emadgnia?s=21
Website: maize.dk

ClawCon: https://luma.com/clawcon

Most people think freelancing is about skill.

It’s not.

It’s about positioning, pricing, and owning your voice.

Chapters:
00:00 The Journey to Entrepreneurship
02:46 Navigating Personal and Professional Identity
04:47 Embracing Quirkiness and Uniqueness
07:16 The Catalyst of Change: Becoming a Parent
09:34 Taking Responsibility and Accountability
11:57 Redefining Success
14:15 Family Dynamics and Entrepreneurship
16:48 Overcoming Doubt and Fear
19:10 The Challenge of Self-Promotion
22:02 Adding Value in a Competitive Market
24:14 Learning from Mistakes
27:04 The Future of Content Creation


In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why most freelancers underprice themselves
• How to get clients without chasing them
• Why showing your work beats talking about it
• How to turn doubt into an advantage
• What AI actually changes (and what it doesn’t)

—
This is for:

• Freelancers stuck at low-paying clients
• Creators trying to stand out
• Builders figuring out their path

—

Simone Engbo Hansen is a content strategist and solopreneur who built her business from scratch, navigated uncertainty, and redefined success on her own terms.
Connect with Simone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-engbo/
—

Watch the full episode.

Then go build.

Most founders chase ideas.
This one chased a problem.
And it changed everything.

In this episode:
• Why understanding is more important than execution early on
• How co-founders are chosen before the startup exists
• The real problem in energy nobody talks about
• Why combining old tech beats inventing new
• What building in the “messy phase” actually looks like

This is for:
• Builders early in the journey
• Engineers thinking about startups
• Anyone tired of surface-level startup advice

Hampus is building a solar-powered thermal battery that stores energy in sand targeting one of the biggest hidden problems in Europe’s energy system.

How to find Hampus:
Hampus: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hampushammarback/
Solstice: https://www.linkedin.com/company/solstice-storage/

She didn’t start a company for money.

She started it because nothing made sense anymore.

After losing her job… and her mother… Jacqueline had to rebuild from zero.

This episode breaks what “success” actually looks like.

What you’ll learn:

• Why success can destroy your health
• How pain can force clarity
• Why entrepreneurship is harder than corporate
• The truth about women’s health no one talks about
• How to build something that actually matters

Why Jacqueline matters:

She’s worked at senior levels in Fortune 500 companies
Now building an AI health solution for women
Solving a problem most systems ignore

If you’re building something — or questioning everything — this one is for you.

How to reach Jacqueline:

Linkedin:   / jnuwame  
Minimal App: https://www.minimalapp.co/

Most people talk about success like it is a straight line.

It is not.

During the day, Trim works as an innovation advisor at Almi helping startups secure funding through grants, loans, and venture capital.

But that’s only part of the story.

In this episode, we go deeper into what ambition actually looks like when identity, migration, creativity, and business collide.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why innovation usually starts with discomfort
• Why most people chase money before understanding value
• How curiosity shapes better entrepreneurs
• What “home” really means when you’ve lived in multiple worlds
• Why success changes the moment you reach it

This episode is for:

• founders
• builders
• students figuring out their path
• anyone building a life across cultures

Why listen to Trim:

Polyglot. *5+
Innovation advisor at Almi.
Helps startups unlock funding and growth.

BSc in International Business + MSc in Entrepreneurship & Innovation from Lund University.

Football during the day.
DJ at night.

And someone who built his path while helping his family move to Sweden.

This is not a conversation about success.

It’s about what happens before it makes sense.

Before it looks clean.
Before the lights go on.

Watch now.
And tell me what stayed with you.


How to connect with Trim:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trimbiba/
Almi: https://www.almi.se/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCEBUoRGChgjQcSzVQ2Z5Ttg

She had two master's degrees in medical science. Then she walked away from it to learn to code from scratch.

Most people would call that a mistake. Sorana calls it the most important decision she's ever made.

In this episode of Before the Lights Go On, Sorana breaks down the story nobody sees: what it actually costs to rebuild your career from zero, why academic thinking almost killed her startup, and what she'd do differently if she started over today.
What you'll learn:

Why being comfortable in a career is sometimes the biggest red flag
The real reason entrepreneurship is lonely — and why no one warns you
The 3 skills Sorana says every founder needs before they raise a single euro
How she validated her AI tool with 30 experts before writing a line of pitch deck

What "success" actually means when performance is taken off the table

About Sorana: Sorana is a researcher-turned-AI builder working at the intersection of medical science and artificial intelligence. She studied at Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences and now runs workshops, builds tools, and advocates for interdisciplinary thinking in the AI space.

Subscribe to Before the Lights Go On for honest conversations about the story behind the story — before the lights go on.

Most people only see the moment when something works.

They don’t see the part before.

In this episode of Before the Lights Go On, Mariana shares the early story behind her entrepreneurial journey — from arriving in Denmark without speaking English to building two startups.

Before the success, there were small experiments, uncertainty, and a lot of learning along the way.

We talk about:

• learning a language while studying abroad
• starting a bakery without knowing how to cook
• selling pastries on the streets of Copenhagen to test demand
• the pressure and responsibility of building something from scratch
• why Mariana says entrepreneurship is organized anxiety

Today Mariana is building two ventures:

Natuga – bringing authentic Portuguese Pastel de Nata to Denmark
https://natuga.lovable.app/

Fusee – a platform designed to connect skills inside companies and help colleagues learn from each other
https://www.linkedin.com/company/fuseeapp/

This conversation is about the part of entrepreneurship most people never see.

The uncertainty.
The messy beginnings.
The moment before the lights go on.


🎙 About the podcast

Before the Lights Go On is a podcast about the early stages of building — before success becomes visible.

Founders, builders, and creators share the part of their journey that usually stays behind the scenes.

Subscribe if you enjoy real stories about building things from zero.