Mimir

As a founder, you’ll inevitably hit the point where you realize: you can’t do this alone.

Maybe your customer base has outgrown you. Maybe you need expertise beyond your own. Either way, what comes after that realization is often daunting.

So, I’m sitting down with Emily Bronaugh, founder of Worth of Work, to unpack why hiring feels so hard, why we avoid it, and why scaling a business isn’t just about increasing revenue—it’s about leadership.

But this isn’t another checklist about job descriptions or Upwork hacks. We talk about trust, control, and rethinking what it means to be “a boss.”

Emily didn’t set out to become a leadership expert—she simply wanted to build a business while raising her son. But along the way, she saw a pattern: founders like her weren’t just struggling to find help… they were struggling to let go.

Hiring brings up questions we don’t always talk about:

• Can I really trust someone else with this thing I built from scratch?
• What does it mean to empower—not micromanage—a team?
• How do I become the kind of leader I wish I’d had?

Emily and I get into all of it: how to create space, articulate expectations, and relinquish control in a way that feels intentional.

We discuss modern leadership, and how it’s about more than climbing a ladder—it’s about building human-to-human relationships where trust, empathy, and shared purpose come first.

I hope this conversation reaches the founders who know their business can’t grow unless they grow too, and the founders who want to build more than a company—but a culture that lasts beyond them.

As early founders, leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about creating the conditions for others to thrive.

Connect with Emily:

Feeling ready to hire? Check out Emily’s free customizable course

Website

Stacy Thal is the kind of person you want in your corner—clear, grounded, and honest in a way that cuts through the noise. She’s built a career most people only dream about: writing for Francis Ford Coppola, working inside brands like Google and Walmart, and eventually buying a home for herself in San Francisco—one of the most expensive cities in the world to do so.

But Stacy’s story isn’t about flashy success. It’s about figuring out what you’re made of. Betting on yourself. And building something real—on your own terms.

In this episode, we talk about what founders need to build a brand that lasts: clear positioning, an emotionally resonant story, and the courage to not water it down. Stacy shares how to create a “minimum viable brand” (MVB), why most messaging falls apart under pressure, and how to make sure your creative work connects—with investors, customers, and teams alike.

Together, we cover:

• The brand mistakes that still make her cringe
• Why niching down isn’t a risk—it’s a differentiator
• How to listen to your customers without losing yourself
• The danger of rinse-and-repeat marketing (and how to stay sharp)

Stacy also shares how she found her way back to entrepreneurship—after layoffs, burnout, and years of chasing stability. Her story is a reminder that reinvention is always possible. That honesty is a superpower. And that “having your shit together” can look like showing up, day after day, with clarity, courage, and compassion.

This episode isn’t just for founders working on brand. It’s for anyone trying to carve a path that feels true—even if it takes a few tries to get there.

Connect with Stacy:

Website

LinkedIn

This episode is about the question that could change everything.

I sit down with Kate Terentieva, the founder of Off the Record, a conversation card game that’s become a cult favorite among creatives, teams, and founders alike. But this isn’t a story about going viral or scaling fast. It’s a story about building something rooted in real connection—and trusting your gut, even when it goes against every playbook.

Kate didn’t plan to launch a product. She was working behind the scenes as a creative director, helping founders tell better stories. But in asking them thoughtful questions, she accidentally unlocked a bigger insight: people are craving more honest, layered conversations—in their work, relationships, and communities.

So she turned the 450 questions in her Notes app into a product. And then turned that product into a movement.

In this episode, you’re going to learn:

• Why conversation is a crucial founder skill—and how to get better at it
• The benefits of ditching digital virality in favor of in-person feedback
• The loneliness epidemic and what it’s costing us
• How to know if you’re the right founder for what you’re building
• How to show you care about your customers—not just talk about it

Kate also shares her counterintuitive go-to-market strategy (spoiler: it started with $11.5k worth of free product and 400 DMs). We talk about slowing down, trusting what feels light, and letting the business evolve based on real-world traction—not hype.

As founders, you’ll be networking all the time so I highly recommend getting yourself a pack of Off the Record. Kate was kind enough to share a special discount code for Mimir listeners. So be sure to listen all the way through to grab the code—and check the episode description for a direct link.

This episode is for the founder who’s questioning the blueprint. Who’s not trying to copy someone else’s path. Who just wants to build something meaningful, even if it takes a little longer.

Because sometimes, one really good question can change everything.

Get Off The Record: playofftherecord.com/MIMIR10

Connect with Kate: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@katarinaterentieva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateterentieva/

Off The Record: https://www.instagram.com/playofftherecord/

Every founder knows that community is important. But building one—from scratch, without funding, and without an already loyal group of Instagram followers—is easier said than done.

Speaking from years of being an influencer wannabe, I can say with confidence that this is one of the hardest problems to solve in business. We’ve all seen how influencers reverse the traditional playbook: they build a community first, and then whatever they sell works because people trust them. We know the community is valuable, so I wanted to get into the weeds with someone who’s actually pulled it off.

So, I sit down with Elina Panteleyeva—founder of Dood Woof, an e-commerce brand for doodle dog owners—to unpack exactly how she built a high-converting, hyper-loyal customer base with no outside funding, no big audience, and no prior experience in ecomm.

Interstingly, Elina didn’t launch a product and then go find people to buy it. She found people first. She listened to them. And then she built something with them—not for them.

In this episode, you’ll learn the tools you need to apply this to your own business. Everything from:

• The simple outreach tactic that helped Elina turn total strangers into her first superfans
• How to use Instagram DMs and Facebook groups to build your initial list
• Why documenting the process (not just selling) is key to community trust
• How to turn followers into buyers

We get real about what it’s like to bootstrap a business—from the emotional toll of building without a safety net to the tactical how-tos that helped Elina stay a full time entrepreneur. And finally, one of my favorite parts of our conversation centered around why believing in yourself sometimes comes after you start, not before.

If you’ve been stuck trying to “build an audience” or wondering why no one’s engaging with your product—this one’s a must-listen.

Connect with Elina:

Instagram

LinkedIn

Dood Woof

You’ve probably heard that ChatGPT can help you write an email or brainstorm ideas—but what if I could show you that it can do so much more?

In this solo episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on how I use GPT as a second brain—not just for productivity, but for clarity. When you’re juggling a business, a 9–5, and a life, it’s easy to drowned in your to-do list. Building my GPT in this way has helped free up mental space to focus on what only the things that I can do.

In this episode, I walk through:

• The biggest myths about ChatGPT (and why most people use it wrong)

• Step by step how I trained “Sage,” my personalized GPT assistant so you can too

• What I delegate—and what I don’t

• How GPT helps me write, strategize, reflect, and stay on track

• A dead-simple 30-minute plan to build your own version

Whether you’re a founder, freelancer, or just trying to keep your head above water—this episode is your blueprint for making ChatGPT work for you.

Connect with Maddie

• Join the Mimir newsletter

• DM me if you build your own Sage—I’d love to hear how it’s going!!!

If you’ve ever worked late, poured your own money into something you believe in, and still felt like you’re screaming into the void—this one’s for you.

In this episode, I sit down with Cindy Ip, the founder of Habitude, a skincare studio in Toronto that’s part beauty bar, part emotional reset button. Cindy’s not here to glamorize the founder journey—she’s here to tell the truth. The parts we don’t always see. The ones that feel messy, discouraging, and sometimes hilarious in hindsight.

Together, we talk about what it happens when you start from zero:

• Spending your own money on ads that go nowhere
• Wondering if anyone will ever care about what you’re building
• Straddling two worlds—being amazing at your 9–5 while building a dream after hours
• Showing up online when it feels vulnerable (and not super cute)

Cindy also shares why she’s choosing to slow down. Why she restructured her pricing. Why she’s pivoting intentionally. Not because she’s failing—but because she’s listening. To herself, to her audience, and to the world around her.

She’s building a business designed to make people pause. And in doing so, she’s redefining what growth can look like: quiet, grounded, human.

We laughed a lot during this one. We also said the quiet parts out loud. The things founders feel but don’t always share.

And if you’re in the thick of it—wondering why it feels so hard, or when things will finally click—this episode is here to remind you:

You’re not behind. You’re just building something unique to your journey.

Connect with Cindy:

Habitude Beauty:

• https://habitudebeauty.com
• Instagram.com/habitudebeauty

Cindy:

• cindy-ip.com
• linkedin.com/in/cindyip

Join the newsletter

I think we can all agree—startups get glamorized. Social media makes founder life look effortless. Making your own hours? Working from the beach? Making enough money to do both of those things? It sounds amazing.

But most of what it takes to actually get to that point is not sexy. It’s hard conversations, long hours, scary choices, and a whole lot of rolling up your sleeves to do the work no one else is willing to do.

In this episode, I sit down with Wade Lowe—a seasoned operator, founder, and fractional executive—to talk about the early-stage decisions that make or break a business. One of the biggest questions we tackle is what the heck is a fractional exec, and when should you actually bring one in?

From landing your first enterprise customer to hiring your first leadership team, we unpack what founders tend to overlook when chasing growth—and how to avoid the most common (and expensive) missteps.

Wade’s got receipts from building and scaling early stage businesses across industries—and he’s refreshingly honest about what you need to build a high-performing team and a culture that prioritizes growth, trust, and people are excited to be a part of.

In our conversation we also cover:

• Why being respected is your most valuable KPI
• What culture is not (ahem, snacks or unlimited PTO)
• And the mindset shift every founder needs to grow with their company

If you’re scaling—and want to protect what makes your startup special—this one’s for you.

Connect with Wade:

LinkedIn

Website

If you’ve ever felt like your brain just works differently as a founder—like the highs are higher, the pressure is heavier, and your decision-making never really turns off—you are not imagining it. This week’s episode dives into exactly why that is.

We hear it all the time: founders are built different.

But what if that’s not just a saying—what if it’s science?

In this episode, I sit down with Marina Morgan, a business psychologist, founder, and researcher who’s spent the last 20 years exploring what makes the entrepreneurial mind so unique—and how to work with it instead of against it.

Marina works with founders around the world to help them navigate high-stress decision-making, burnout, and emotional resilience while building category-defining companies. She’s incredibly driven, deeply data-oriented, and—on top of all that—is developing a new framework to measure how psychologically ready employees are for AI integration. (Yes, it’s as cool as it sounds.)

For years, I’ve been talking about the psychology of entrepreneurship—why founder brains work the way they do, how to harness that, and how to stay healthy in the process. So meeting someone who could actually back that up with research had me genuinely giddy.

In our conversation, Marina shares:

• What neuroscience tells us about how founder brains actually work—and how they differ from the average
• Why entrepreneurship comes with emotional highs and deep lows—and how to manage both sides of the coin
• The real reason burnout creeps up on you (and how it shows up in your decision-making before you even realize it)

But this isn’t just theory. Marina also breaks down how to create personalized, science-backed systems to protect your energy, support your mental health, and lead with clarity. Oh—and why surfing or dancing might literally make you a better CEO.

If you’ve ever wanted to understand your own brain a little better—or felt like no one really gets what it’s like to build something from scratch—this episode will leave you feeling seen, supported, and equipped with new tools to keep going.

Connect with Marina:

LinkedIn

YouTube

Website

Marina’s guide for System & Devices for Business Leaders Productivity

What does it really take to build a business that flips an entire industry on its head—and survive the emotional rollercoaster that comes with it?

In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Tsay, co-founder of Shoott, a platform that’s radically changing how photographers—and eventually, all kinds of artists—can build sustainable careers.

Jennifer’s path is anything but traditional:

From corporate finance to acting, to producing a documentary, to being a co-founder—her journey is a masterclass in how diverse experiences can shape sharper entrepreneurs.

We’re diving into not just how Shoott cracked a problem that had stumped others but also the hidden emotional battles founders face.

Jennifer is sharing how she learned to process the negativity online instead of letting it derail her. Her tips really surprised me and I think she has a fresh perspective in this space that all founders need to hear.

You are also going to learn:

• The importance of not being “married to theory” when building something new
• Why self-awareness is a founder’s most important (but least talked about) skill
• How to test ideas fast, course-correct without ego, and stay open to unexpected opportunities along the way.

If you’re actively building or trying to find your way—you’re going to get so much out of this conversation.

Listen in—you’ll feel seen, energized, and a little bit braver.

Connect with Jennifer:

• Shoott - @shoottphotos on IG and Tiktok
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-tsay/
• IG: @jenjentsay

I first met Oana Jinga at Manifest, where she was speaking on a panel about women in supply chain—and I immediately knew I needed to bring her on the show.

Her story isn’t just impressive—it’s a masterclass in reinvention, resilience, and bold thinking. Oana started her career in PR, then moved into partnerships at Google… and today, she’s the co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Dexory, a robotics company that’s transforming how warehouses operate.

In this episode, Oana and I dig into the real side of building something new—especially when you’re entering a space where no one knows your name. You’ll learn:

• How to pivot when your go-to-market strategy isn’t working
• The power of getting early champions to back your vision
• Tactics for gaining traction when you’re the underdog
• What it actually takes to break into male-dominated industries—and thrive
• How her storytelling background became a superpower in the world of robotics

Whether you’re building in tech, logistics, or a completely different space—this is a conversation about how to stay grounded, get creative, and make your mark.

Connect with Oana:

LinkedIn

Dexory