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Brandi reflects on the seed that started her entrepreneurial path: her late husband’s encouragement to work for herself instead of climbing the corporate ladder. That shift revealed her natural curiosity and drive to question systems, even when it made her a “bad employee” in rigid corporate environments.

She opens up about one of the hardest moments of her life; standing at the podium for her husband’s eulogy while her phone buzzed with work calls. That painful disconnect between her values and her reality became the catalyst for reshaping her business and life.

Brandi shares how she now helps founders and small teams untangle their strengths, values, and energy so they can grow without burning out. We talk about the importance of humor, curiosity, and self‑trust, why social media narratives can distort reality, and how she guides clients to “out‑evidence” the limiting stories holding them back.

Her story is a reminder that entrepreneurship exposes every weakness, but it also offers the chance to build businesses that support life, not cost it.

About Brandi Holder:

Brandi Holder is a marketing consultant and coach who helps founders and small teams align their strengths, values, and energy to grow sustainably. She believes peace and joy are not distant goals, but choices we can make today.

Connect with Brandi:

🌐 Website: https://www.brandiholder.com/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bholder1/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bh_explains_it_all/

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Free Gift: The Nashville Method: 5-Day Storytelling Mini-Course

Subscribe to Her Origin Story on your favorite platform. New episodes every week with real, raw stories about the moments that started it all.

Her Origin Story is produced by Toby Myles Copywriting, and podcast editor Ilorah Dela Cruz

All content © 2026 Toby Myles. All rights reserved.

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Kristin reflects on her early years as an art major, moving to San Francisco, and the defining moment when she stepped into the corporate world at McKinsey & Company. That decision shifted her trajectory from art and galleries into business and leadership.

She opens up about the summer of 2023, when she and 1,000 colleagues were furloughed overnight after their company imploded in scandal. The sudden loss of her role as COO left her in a dark season, but ultimately became the catalyst for launching her own business.

Kristin shares how she gave herself permission to grieve, embraced curiosity, and began building work that aligned with her values. Today, she creates spaces and conditions for women and organizations to get honest about what needs to shift, and helps them build bridges into what’s next.

Her story is a reminder that pivots often arrive uninvited, but they can lead us closer to the work and life we’re truly meant to build.

About Kristin Belden:

Kristin Belden is a strategist, coach, and podcast host who helps women and organizations align their work with the lives they want to create. Drawing on her own journey through corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, and unexpected pivots, she empowers others to navigate change with clarity and resilience.

Connect with Kristin:

🌐 Website: https://www.beldenstrategies.com/

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Free Gift: The Nashville Method: 5-Day Storytelling Mini-Course

Subscribe to Her Origin Story on your favorite platform. New episodes every week with real, raw stories about the moments that started it all.

Her Origin Story is produced by Toby Myles Copywriting, and podcast editor Ilorah Dela Cruz

All content © 2026 Toby Myles. All rights reserved.

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Deborah Newton opens up about losing her dad at age five, watching her mom’s resilience, and how those early lessons shaped her drive to succeed. She reflects on the devastating loss of her mom in 2024, the guilt she still carries, and the strength she draws from her mother’s example of perseverance and grace.

She shares her winding career path — from dreams of law and investigative reporting to discovering her true fit in sales and logistics. Along the way, Deborah explains how problem‑solving, grit, and building authentic relationships became the foundation of her success, and why she believes “everything is figureoutable.”

We also talk about the importance of community, the lessons she’s carried from family survival skills into business strategy, and how starting her own company, Newton Steele, became both a leap of faith and a tribute to her mom’s legacy. Her story is a powerful reminder that the hardest seasons often prepare us for the work and life we’re meant to build

About Deborah Newton:

Deborah Newton is a sales and logistics leader and founder of Newton Steele. Known for her gift in building lasting relationships, she helps organizations strengthen their sales strategies while carrying forward the resilience and lessons she learned from her own life journey.

Connect with Deborah:

🌐 Website: https://newtonsteele.com/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahchristinenewton/

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About Me: https://tobymyles.com/about/

Free Gift: The Nashville Method: 5-Day Storytelling Mini-Course

Subscribe to Her Origin Story on your favorite platform. New episodes every week with real, raw stories about the moments that started it all.

Her Origin Story is produced by Toby Myles Copywriting, and podcast editor Ilorah Dela Cruz

All content © 2026 Toby Myles. All rights reserved.

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What do you do when the future you’ve planned since childhood suddenly disappears?

Natalie Hurdley takes us back to her teenage years as a professional soccer player, when a devastating injury ended her career at just 15. With her dad’s tough but fair advice, “Plan A is gone, what’s Plan B?”, she pivoted into coaching and eventually discovered personal training as a way to help athletes across all sports.

She opens up about the depression she faced in her late twenties when her business success came at the cost of her own health, and how that experience taught her the importance of boundaries and self‑care. Today, Natalie helps ambitious women fit strength training into their chaotic schedules without sacrificing family, career, or joy. Her approach is the opposite of cookie‑cutter: she starts by understanding each client’s lifestyle, capacity, and non‑negotiables, then builds realistic routines that stick.

We also talk about how motherhood gave Natalie new perspective on the women she trains, why modeling healthy habits impacts the next generation, and how COVID and networking opportunities reshaped her business model. Her story is a powerful reminder that strength isn’t just about lifting weights, it’s about resilience, balance, and building habits that ripple into every area of life.

About Natalie Hurdley:

Natalie Hurdley is a strength coach, powerlifter, and founder of NH Personal Training. She helps overwhelmed, high‑achieving women simplify their fitness, build strength, and create consistent habits that support both their health and their lives.

Connect with Natalie:

🌐 Website: https://natalie-hurdley.systeme.io/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliehurdley-strengthcoach/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhpersonaltraining?igsh=ZWpoenNnZDJpM25n&utm_source=qr

📹Youtube: https://youtube.com/@nataliehurdley?si=YfDd4HIRsy4Xy-9T

💬 Fitter.Stronger.Healthier.Ladies Fitness Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/728796741105287/

📍 Pinterest: https://pin.it/VWWW2KtKm

🧵 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@nhpersonaltraining?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

🎁 Free Resource: 5 Lift Framework

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Free Gift: The Nashville Method: 5-Day Storytelling Mini-Course

Subscribe to Her Origin Story on your favorite platform. New episodes every week with real, raw stories about the moments that started it all.

Her Origin Story is produced by Toby Myles Copywriting, and podcast editor Ilorah Dela Cruz

All content © 2026 Toby Myles. All rights reserved.

Check Out These Highlights:

What happens when early lessons about speaking up collide with cultural conditioning that tells you to stay quiet?

In this episode, Karen Laos takes us back to a flea market at age six, where her dad taught her the power of asking for what you want. She reflects on the confusing mix of influences she grew up with a father who reinforced negotiation and a mother who modeled silence at home but leadership in the community, and how those experiences shaped her confidence.

Karen shares the moment in a corporate boardroom when she realized she had been asking for permission instead of trusting her instincts, and how that breakthrough set her on a mission to help women overcome self‑doubt. We explore why cultural conditioning often leads women to put others’ needs first, the importance of specificity in networking, and how vulnerability can open doors to deeper connection.

She also introduces her Confidence Cocktail framework, eight ingredients that build what she calls “powerhouse presence” and explains why communication is both a skill and a practice. From coaching executives to helping female founders pitch with influence, Karen shows how clarity, courage, and presence can transform not just your career, but your life.

About Karen Laos:

Karen Laos is a communication expert, executive advisor, and creator of The Confidence Cocktail™. She helps leaders, especially women, find their voice, trust their instincts, and communicate with clarity and courage. 

Connect with Karen:

🌐 Website: https://karenlaos.com/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlaos/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenlaosofficial/

📹Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEwQoTGdJX5eME0ccBKiKng/videos

🎁 Free Resource: 3 Strategies to Speak Up in Meetings

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Free Gift: The Nashville Method: 5-Day Storytelling Mini-Course

Subscribe to Her Origin Story on your favorite platform. New episodes every week with real, raw stories about the moments that started it all.

Her Origin Story is produced by Toby Myles Copywriting, and podcast editor Ilorah Dela Cruz

All content © 2026 Toby Myles. All rights reserved.

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What if building a successful business wasn't about working harder, but about building one that actually supports the life you want?

In this episode, Toby sits down with Angela Greaser, co-founder of Stand for the And, to explore the unexpected path that led her into entrepreneurship. Angela reflects on growing up with a heart for teaching and international missions, preparing to move to Africa before her husband's health challenges changed the course of their lives. Instead of seeing that closed door as the end of the story, she embraced a new one that eventually led to helping entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses.

Angela shares what it's really like running multiple businesses with her husband while partnering with her best friend, Melissa, and raising two homeschooled children who have grown up immersed in entrepreneurship. Their conversation explores how intentionally involving their children in the family business has given them a completely different perspective on work, responsibility, and what's possible for their future.

Toby and Angela also dive into one of the core philosophies behind Stand for the And: "backwards mapping." Rather than starting with a business idea and hoping it works, Angela explains how entrepreneurs can begin with the life and income they want, then build an offer and business model that intentionally supports those goals.

Whether you're just starting your business or reevaluating the one you've built, this episode offers practical wisdom and an encouraging reminder that your path doesn't have to look like anyone else's, and sometimes the biggest pivots lead to the most meaningful opportunities.

About Angela Greaser:

Angela Greaser is the co-founder of Stand for the And, where she helps entrepreneurs build businesses that create meaningful impact while supporting the lives they want to live. Through coaching, systems, and the Sold Out Offer System, she teaches business owners how to simplify their strategy, build sustainable offers, and grow with intention. 

Connect with Angela:

🌐 Website: https://standfortheand.com/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-greaser-954b4ab6/

🎁 Free Resource: https://standfortheand.com/soldout

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About Me: https://tobymyles.com/about/

Free Gift: The Nashville Method: 5-Day Storytelling Mini-Course

Subscribe to Her Origin Story on your favorite platform. New episodes every week with real, raw stories about the moments that started it all.

Her Origin Story is produced by Toby Myles Copywriting, and podcast editor Ilorah Dela Cruz

All content © 2026 Toby Myles. All rights reserved.

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What do you do when the path you've carefully planned no longer feels like the one you're meant to follow?

In this episode, Ally Berthiaume shares how her lifelong love of writing kept calling her back, even as she explored careers in psychology, forensic work, and mental health. Although she was fascinated by understanding people and human behavior, she realized that writing was the thing that truly lit her up, and ultimately built a business around helping others tell their stories through memoir, editing, and book coaching.

Toby and Ally talk about navigating entrepreneurship as a single mom, raising a son who already sees his mother as both an author and a business owner, and the beautiful full-circle moment of publishing her first memoir when her son was the same age she had been when she first dreamed of becoming a writer. They also explore the realities of building a business that evolves over time and why flexibility has become one of Ally's greatest measures of success.

Ally opens up about the difficult seasons that made her question entrepreneurship, the freedom that keeps her committed to it, and the importance of supporting both family and community while creating a life on her own terms. Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is refreshingly honest: try things, gather data, embrace pivots, and trust that where you begin doesn't have to be where you end up.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that the work we're meant to do often leaves clues throughout our lives, and that sometimes the bravest thing we can do is follow what continues to call us forward.

About Ally Berthiaume:

Ally Berthiaume is an author, memoir coach, editor, and the founder of The Write Place Right Time. She helps aspiring authors transform their stories into meaningful books while empowering them to embrace the natural evolution of both their writing journeys and their lives. 

Connect with Ally:

🌐 Website: http://thewriteplacerighttime.com/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayberthiaume/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayberthiaume/

📹Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewriteplacerighttime

🎁 Free Resource: My free 30-minute call (Story Stroll) https://bit.ly/3HPIQkK

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About Me: https://tobymyles.com/about/

Free Gift: The Nashville Method: 5-Day Storytelling Mini-Course

Subscribe to Her Origin Story on your favorite platform. New episodes every week with real, raw stories about the moments that started it all.

Her Origin Story is produced by Toby Myles Copywriting, and podcast editor Ilorah Dela Cruz

All content © 2026 Toby Myles. All rights reserved.

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What if the very struggles that once made you feel broken became the reason you could help others heal?

In this episode, Cynthia Coufal shares her deeply personal origin story—from growing up as a rebellious teen in a strict religious environment to becoming an educator and coach who helps teens navigate anxiety, self-discovery, and life's biggest transitions. Cynthia opens up about the years she spent believing she wasn't good enough, the impact of religious trauma, and the healing journey that followed divorce and finding a healthier sense of self.

Toby and Cynthia explore why so many teens feel misunderstood, how parents and children can learn to see situations from each other's perspectives, and why confidence often grows from self-awareness rather than achievement. Cynthia also shares insights from her coaching work, including the importance of meeting teens where they are, helping them regulate emotions, and supporting students as they transition into college and adulthood.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that our hardest experiences can become our greatest source of empathy, and that sometimes the people best equipped to guide others are the ones who've walked through the struggle themselves.

About Cynthia Coufal:

Cynthia Coufal is a teen anxiety coach, former educator, and host of The Teen Anxiety Maze podcast. Through one-on-one coaching, she helps teens and young adults build self-awareness, manage anxiety, strengthen confidence, and navigate major life transitions with greater clarity and resilience. 

Connect with Cynthia:

🌐 Website: https://www.betterregulatethannever.com/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-coufal-836a2236/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cynthiacoufalcoaching/

💬 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthiacoufalcoaching

🎙 Podcast: https://www.betterregulatethannever.com/podcast

📹Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO9WBijdxeYpQSekM7RZYvA

🎁 Free Resource: https://cheerful-writer-462.kit.com/f48953fbed

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About Me: https://tobymyles.com/about/

Free Gift: The Nashville Method: 5-Day Storytelling Mini-Course

Subscribe to Her Origin Story on your favorite platform. New episodes every week with real, raw stories about the moments that started it all.

Her Origin Story is produced by Toby Myles Copywriting, and podcast editor Ilorah Dela Cruz

All content © 2026 Toby Myles. All rights reserved.

Check Out These Highlights:

What happens when the life you planned for yourself evolves into something completely different?

In this episode, Cindy Liebel shares her origin story, from dreaming of becoming a fashion designer as a child, to serving in the military, climbing the corporate ladder, and eventually building a successful career as a jewelry artist and entrepreneur. Cindy reflects on how travel, architecture, art, and fashion shaped her creative perspective, and why she believes it's okay if the path you choose at 20 isn't the one you follow forever.

Toby and Cindy also have an honest conversation about the realities of entrepreneurship, including the importance of accountability, the pressure of running a business alone, and the challenges of balancing work while navigating personal loss. Following the recent passing of her father, Cindy opens up about grief, resilience, and the practices that help her reconnect with creativity when life feels overwhelming.

This episode is a reminder that success isn't about having everything figured out; it's about continuing to grow, adapt, and create through every season of life.

About Cindy Liebel:

Cindy Liebel is the founder and designer behind Cindy Liebel Jewelry. Drawing inspiration from travel, architecture, art, and fashion, she creates handcrafted jewelry while sharing her passion for creativity, craftsmanship, and lifelong learning. 

Connect with Cindy:

🌐 Website: https://cindyliebel.com/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindyliebeljewelry/

💬 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindyliebeljewelry

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About Me: https://tobymyles.com/about/

Free Gift: The Nashville Method: 5-Day Storytelling Mini-Course

Subscribe to Her Origin Story on your favorite platform. New episodes every week with real, raw stories about the moments that started it all.

Her Origin Story is produced by Toby Myles Copywriting, and podcast editor Ilorah Dela Cruz

All content © 2026 Toby Myles. All rights reserved.

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Randi Kest’s story is about resilience, identity, and the courage to pivot midlife. After a layoff from her media career, she faced the challenge of redefining her path while navigating perimenopause, divorce, and self‑doubt. What began as uncertainty turned into a calling: supporting women through coaching, writing, and connection.

In this episode, Randi shares how mentors and communities helped her see strengths she couldn’t recognize on her own, why she views her layoff as both painful and liberating, and how she reframed shame into possibility. We talk about the winding path of career pivots, the importance of routines and community, and the power of staying open to what comes next.

About Randi Kest:

Randi Kest is a writer, coach, and former media professional who helps women navigate midlife transitions with purpose and connection. She blends her background in media with her passion for coaching to support identity shifts, resilience, and reinvention.

Connect with Randi:

🌐 Website: https://www.randikest.com/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randi-kest/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randikest/

💬 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/randi.k.wheeler.9

📑 Substack: https://randikest.substack.com/

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About Me: https://tobymyles.com/about/

Free Gift: The Nashville Method: 5-Day Storytelling Mini-Course

Subscribe to Her Origin Story on your favorite platform. New episodes every week with real, raw stories about the moments that started it all.

Her Origin Story is produced by Toby Myles Copywriting, and podcast editor Ilorah Dela Cruz

All content © 2026 Toby Myles. All rights reserved.