Before the pink boxes and corporate orders came the pre-dawn grind and very real sacrifice. In this Before 9AM conversation, Kristy Valentine traces the arc of Dr Dough—from lonely founder days and 4AM starts, to a pandemic pivot that reframed donuts as gifting, to the emotions and lessons of selling her “baby” and moving into a portfolio of new ventures.

You’ll hear:

• The calm morning routine Kristy uses now vs. the grind years

• Early-day trade-offs, self-doubt, and the mental game of competition

• The gifting insight that unlocked scale (and kept the lights on)

• How she knew it was time to sell, what was hardest, and what she’d do differently

• Life post-exit: choosing projects, guardrails, and energy management

• A grounded message for founders still in the messy middle