Seattle-based lender Melissa Korda funded 209 investor loans / $118M in 2024. After 20 years in collegiate/pro sports (master’s in Kinesiology) and years of flips, COVID ended the “safe” path and she rebuilt from the ground up as a loan officer. Today she holds 3 long-term rentals, invests passively, and teaches women how to use private lending and creative capital to build aligned wealth. We get into the pride-swallowing first step, why joy is the compass, and how our dinner-table talks about college, AI, and success have changed.

📝 Top 3 Takeaways from the Episode:

Learn as you go, with guidance, or you’ll never start:  You will never feel fully “ready.” Get educated, get a mentor or coach, then move. The real growth happens in motion. Melissa’s pivot worked because she took the next honest step and let each rep become tuition for the bigger deals. The gift in every project, regardless of the check you cash, is the capability you build. Those lessons are what make the larger, later deals run smoothly.

Redefine success, for you and your kids: Our households aren’t having the same “college or bust” talk we grew up with. Trades are valuable, entrepreneurship is learn-by-doing, and yes, AI is reshaping what’s needed. We even call out current data around computer-science grads and why the “right path” is the one that fits the human in front of you. 

Traditional paths rarely create real wealth, creative ones do: From Melissa’s lending seat, we unpack why MLS-only hunting and bank-only financing weren’t built to help you break the mold and how alternative lenders and relationship-driven deal flow open better opportunities.

🎧Resource mentioned in this episode:

Get in touch with Melissa: [email protected]

Follow Melissa on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/melissakorda.lender.re/

Wondering how coaching could support you?

Start with the Conscious Business Alignment Assessment. It takes about 10 minutes and pinpoints where you’re out of alignment, what to prioritize next, and where to invest (team, systems, leadership). I personally review every submission and send feedback within 3 business days.

Take the Assessment: www.consciousedge.com/assessment

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Send questions and feedback to [email protected] or DM @aleciastg on Instagram

Running a brick-and-mortar business often means choosing between growth and survival.  Do you hire the team you need or expand into the space your business deserves?  In this episode, I sit down with my client Katie Kim, a visionary developer and educator who has made it her mission to change that story.

Katie shares how she helps entrepreneurs leverage real estate not just as a place to operate, but as a powerful tool for adding income streams, unlocking hidden incentives, and creating long-term wealth—even beyond the day you exit your business. Having closed her first deal at just 15, she’s spent decades making real estate development more accessible for business owners. Her work is deeply purpose-driven, answering her own calling to help others use real estate as a foundation for growth, stability, and legacy.

📝 Top 3 Takeaways from the Episode:

Add income streams through ownership: Stop thinking of rent as just an expense. Owning or strategically structuring your business location can turn your space into a wealth-building asset.

Leverage incentives you didn’t know existed: Katie reveals the economic development and community-based programs most small business owners never hear about—and how they can lighten your debt load and accelerate growth.

Plan for a wealth-building exit: Whether you sell your business or pass it on, holding the real estate keeps income flowing and creates powerful options for your retirement and legacy.

🎧Resource mentioned in this episode:

To learn more about how Katie can support you visit https://www.katiekim.com/.

FREE Real Estate Development Deal Checklist – https://www.katiekim.com/checklist

Follow Katie on Social Media: @TheKatieKim

Interested in Working Together?

Learn more about The Exponential Entrepreneur (www.consciousedge.com/apply):  A full year coaching experience for women in real estate and entrepreneurship who don’t need more strategy and suspect they themselves are the biggest obstacle in the way.  

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Connect with Us:
Send questions and feedback to [email protected] or DM @aleciastg on Instagram

Get full show notes at www.consciousedge.com/ep070

Working with your partner can be incredibly rewarding and incredibly challenging. In this episode, I sit down with my client, coach, and fellow entrepreneur Amanda Rockrohr, who helps couples navigate the unique dynamics of running a business together. She shares not only what it takes to thrive in business with your partner, but also the powerful shifts she’s made in the last year through coaching.

📝 Top 3 Takeaways from the Episode:

Doing business as a couple requires intentional structure: Amanda explains how she and her husband clarified roles, set boundaries, and created annual retreats so they could stay aligned in both love and business.

Confidence comes from doing the inner work: Before coaching, Amanda struggled with indecision and leaned heavily on others for validation. She realized the answer wasn’t going to come from another program or tactic, it was her mindset.  By uncovering her Big Assumptions, she shifted from second-guessing every decision to trusting her voice and leading with confidence.

Confusion isn’t always what it seems: Amanda realized she was unconsciously using “confusion” as a way to control situations. Once she saw this pattern, she not only gained clarity in her own opinions, but also began communicating more clearly with her husband.  Ultimately, it transformed the way they collaborate and make choices together.

🎧Resource mentioned in this episode:

Doing Business as a Couple Free Resources https://stan.store/doingbusinessasacouple

Follow Amanda on Instagram: @amandarockrohr

Follow Doing Business as Couple on Instagram: @doingbusinessasacouple

Interested in Working Together?

Learn more about The Exponential Entrepreneur (www.consciousedge.com/apply):  A full year coaching experience for women in real estate and entrepreneurship who don’t need more strategy and suspect they themselves are the biggest obstacle in the way.  

Disclaimer (www.consciousedge.com/podcast-disclaimer)

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🌟 Build a business that supports your life, not the other way around.

Get full show notes at www.consciousedge.com/ep069

Motherhood changes everything, including how you run your business. In this episode, I share the lessons I wish I had known before becoming a mom, the hidden assumptions that keep women playing small, and the mindset shifts that make it possible to thrive as both a caregiver and an entrepreneur. Whether you’re planning for kids, raising littles, caring for school-aged children, or supporting aging parents, this conversation will give you perspective and tools to grow a business that truly supports your life.

📝 Top 3 Takeaways from the Episode:

Plan for your stage of life: I wish I had known how much motherhood would impact my energy, time, and business decisions. Each stage—planning, preschoolers, school-age kids, or caregiving parents—requires a different kind of strategy.

Don’t fall for the either/or trap: So many women believe they have to choose between being a good mom and building a thriving business. That assumption keeps you from finding solutions that allow you to design a business that supports both your family and your ambitions.

Support isn’t optional, it’s essential: If I could go back, I’d plan for and invest in help sooner, whether through childcare, business hires, or financial buffers. Support creates freedom, prevents burnout, and allows your business to grow with you.

🎧 Podcast episodes related to this one that might interest you:

Episode 22: The Real Reasons You Don’t Have Time

Episode 24: Creating a Calendar that Feels Fun

Interested in Working Together?

Learn more about The Exponential Entrepreneur (www.consciousedge.com/apply):  A full year coaching experience for women in real estate and entrepreneurship who don’t need more strategy and suspect they themselves are the biggest obstacle in the way.  

Disclaimer (www.consciousedge.com/podcast-disclaimer)

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Send questions and feedback to [email protected] or DM @aleciastg on Instagram

Strengthen your leadership skills and navigate tough conversations with confidence.

Get full show notes at www.consciousedge.com/ep068

As entrepreneurs, one of the hardest leadership skills to master is holding people accountable, especially when you value kindness and worry about coming across as “mean.” In this episode, Jonathan Dugger and I unpack compassionate accountability and how to use it to improve team performance, build trust, and address conflict without burning bridges. You’ll learn how to stay grounded in your values, manage your emotions before a tough conversation, and create a workplace culture where both kindness and results thrive.

📝 Top 3 Takeaways from the Episode:

Compassion isn’t weakness, it’s active leadership: True compassion in business means you pair empathy with accountability. It’s not about being nice, it’s about creating positive change, protecting your standards, and helping people grow.

Be self-aware before you confront: Before giving feedback, take a moment to check in with yourself. Identify your emotions, clarify your expectations, and separate facts from assumptions. A self-aware leader communicates more clearly, stays calm under pressure, and avoids unnecessary conflict.

Assume positive intent, but don’t avoid the truth:You can care about your team and address performance issues directly. Ignoring the problem doesn’t protect relationships, it erodes them.

🎧 Podcast episodes related to this one that might interest you:

Episode 19: What Mindfulness Actually Is and How to Use it Daily

Interested in Working Together?

Learn more about The Exponential Entrepreneur (www.consciousedge.com/apply):  A full year coaching experience for women in real estate and entrepreneurship who don’t need more strategy and suspect they themselves are the biggest obstacle in the way.  

Disclaimer (www.consciousedge.com/podcast-disclaimer)

Connect with Us:

Send questions and feedback to [email protected] or DM @aleciastg on Instagram

Want to feel more confident in who you're lending your money to? Start with the right questions.

Get full show notes at www.consciousedge.com/ep067

I’m Alecia St. Germain, founder of The Conscious Edge and host of this podcast. If you're using private lending to grow your wealth, you need to know this: even savvy investors can fall for a polished pitch. In this episode, I talk with Melissa Palmer, former federal agent and behavioral scientist, who now dedicates her work to protecting investors from fraud and fuzzy facts. 

After losing a significant sum in a deal gone sideways, she used her investigative training and firsthand experience to build a safer system for evaluating lending opportunities. This is a must-listen if you're handing over cash and want to do it with confidence.

📝 Top 3 Takeaways from the Episode:

What you don’t know can cost you: Melissa shares how even with deep experience, she lost money and how that moment reshaped her entire approach to investing.

 Create your own “safe lending system”: Learn the framework Melissa uses to help her clients vet borrowers, structure due diligence, and reduce emotion-driven decisions.

Purpose protects your profits: Start with your vision. Know what kind of impact you want your money to have because clarity creates boundaries that keep you (and your wallet) safe.

🎧Resource mentioned in this episode:

Connect with Melissa Palmer on Instagram @melpalmer.me

To learn more about Capital Verified services visit https://capitalverified.com/

Interested in Working Together?

Learn more about The Exponential Entrepreneur (www.consciousedge.com/apply):  A full year coaching experience for women in real estate and entrepreneurship who don’t need more strategy and suspect they themselves are the biggest obstacle in the way.  

Disclaimer (www.consciousedge.com/podcast-disclaimer)

Connect with Us:
Send questions and feedback to [email protected] or DM @aleciastg on Instagram

Want to create sustainable wealth without sacrificing peace of mind?

Get full show notes at www.consciousedge.com/ep066

I’m Alecia St. Germain, founder of The Conscious Edge and host of this podcast. If you caught last week’s episode on mid-year money check-ins, you know I’ve been thinking a lot about the mindset behind our financial decisions. So I invited Whitney Elkins-Hutten to join me and take that conversation even further.

Whitney helps high-income earners and business owners transform their active income into long-term, passive wealth. In this episode, she shares how to shift from reactive decisions to a proactive, aligned investment strategy, especially in unpredictable markets. If you're a woman building wealth through business or real estate, this conversation will help you play smarter, not just harder.

📝 Top 3 Takeaways from the Episode:

Invest with alignment, not urgency: Whitney shares why hitting pause on investing isn’t failure, it’s wisdom. A strong investment strategy starts with your values, not the latest trend.

Understand your capital stack: Don’t let industry jargon keep you from making empowered decisions. Whitney breaks down how understanding where your money sits in a deal helps you reduce risk and protect your future.

Preservation fuels peace of mind: Cash flow, liquidity, and capital preservation may not sound sexy, but they’re what let you sleep at night and show up strong for your business, family, and goals.

🎧Resource mentioned in this episode:

Read Money for Tomorrow with the author herself!

Whitney Elkins-Hutten, author of Money for Tomorrow, is hosting a special book club this August to help you take aligned, confident steps toward financial freedom.

Join the book club to read Money for Tomorrow alongside other purpose-driven investors and get exclusive access to live discussions with Whitney where you can ask questions and go deeper into the strategies from the book.

👉 Sign up now at www.ashwealth.com/bookclub and start building wealth that lasts on your terms.

Learn more about The Exponential Entrepreneur (www.consciousedge.com/apply):  A full year coaching experience for women business owners and real estate investors who don’t need more strategy and suspect they themselves are the biggest obstacle in the way.  

Disclaimer (www.consciousedge.com/podcast-disclaimer)

Connect with Us:

Send questions and feedback to [email protected] or DM @aleciastg on Instagram

Now’s the time to pause, assess, and realign your financial goals for the second half of the year.

Get full show notes at www.consciousedge.com/ep065

We’re halfway through the year and if things aren’t going the way you planned financially, this episode will be a breath of fresh clarity. Alecia walks you through her mid-year budget review, shares where mindset derailed revenue goals, and highlights why cutting costs isn’t always the answer. You’ll learn how your spending and earning patterns often mirror your beliefs and how to take back control without sacrificing your vision.

📝 Top 3 Takeaways from the Episode:

Your financials reveal your mindset: Alecia shares how over-preparing and over-delivering stemmed from scarcity, not strategy. If you’re feeling stuck, your spending might tell you why.

Cutting costs isn’t always the answer: You can only trim so much before it starts costing you more. Sometimes, the real solution is to focus on making more money, not doing more yourself.

Budgets should reflect your vision: Whether your goal is a steady salary or more personal time, your budget can be your guide, but only if you set it up intentionally and review it often.

🎧Podcast episodes related to this one that might interest you: 

Episode 64: Overcommitted and Overwhelmed? How to Steady Yourself Without Burning Down Your Business www.consciousedge.com/ep064

Learn more about The Exponential Entrepreneur (www.consciousedge.com/apply):  A full year coaching experience for women business owners and real estate investors who don’t need more strategy and suspect they themselves are the biggest obstacle in the way.  

Disclaimer (www.consciousedge.com/podcast-disclaimer)

Connect with Us:
Send questions and feedback to [email protected] or DM @aleciastg on Instagram

🎧Check out our private bonus episode “EDGE Unlocked” where I walk you through how to uncover what’s really holding you back and how to get back into momentum fast.

👉 Listen to the secret bonus episode here: www.consciousedge.com/secret

Get full show notes at www.consciousedge.com/ep064

When everything hits at once: deadlines, family emergencies, client needs, and unexpected personal stuff, it’s easy to feel like the only solution is to burn it all down. In this episode, I share what to do when overcommitment leads to overwhelm and how to unravel it without blowing up everything you’ve worked for.

📝 Top 3 Takeaways from the Episode:

Burnout starts with good intentions: Your desire to be helpful and supportive is genuine, but without limits, it can backfire. When you overcommit, you risk dropping the ball and appearing flaky or unreliable, which is the exact opposite of how you want to show up.

Boundaries without flexibility don’t work: While strong boundaries are important, rigid ones can backfire. Learning to pause, prioritize, and renegotiate allows you to recover your time without damaging relationships or your reputation.

Communicate Before You Cancel: Whether it’s a missed deadline or needing to transition a client, how you handle overwhelm matters more than avoiding it entirely. Communicating clearly and offering solutions can build trust, even in the hard moments.

🎧Podcast episodes related to this one that might interest you: 

Episode 3:What to Do When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed (www.consciousedge.com/ep003)

Learn more about The Exponential Entrepreneur (www.consciousedge.com/apply):  A full year coaching experience for women business owners and real estate investors who don’t need more strategy and suspect they themselves are the biggest obstacle in the way.  

Disclaimer (www.consciousedge.com/podcast-disclaimer)

Connect with Us:

Send questions and feedback to [email protected] or DM @aleciastg on Instagram

🎧Check out our private bonus episode “EDGE Unlocked” where I walk you through how to uncover what’s really holding you back and how to get back into momentum fast.

👉 Listen to the secret bonus episode here

Get full show notes at www.consciousedge.com/ep063

In this follow-up to last week’s conversation, Jonathan and I share practical tools we use to stay productive and grounded as neurodivergent entrepreneurs. From non-traditional to-do lists to reframing your “quirks” as business superpowers, this episode is packed with real talk, compassion, and relief that you’re not doing it wrong, you just need a different approach.

📝 Top 3 Takeaways from the Episode:

You don’t need to fix yourself, you need better strategies: Rigid routines and “success formulas” may not work for your brain. That doesn’t mean you can’t thrive. It means you need your own rules.

Mindfulness is a powerful tool:  Being aware of what works for you (and what doesn’t) without judgment creates the freedom to build a life and business that feels good.

Neurodivergence is a business asset: Inattentiveness can fuel imagination, impulsivity leads to bold action, and hyperactivity supports multitasking and creativity. The key is to channel it well.

🎧Podcast episodes related to this one that might interest you: 

Episode 19: What Mindfulness Actually Is and How to Use it Daily

Episode 62: Why Focus Feels So Hard: Entrepreneurship, ADHD, and Getting Things Done (Part 1)

📃Resources mentioned in this podcast:

Study: Verheul et al. (2016). ADHD Symptoms and Entrepreneurial Orientation of Small Firm Owners. 
Article: “How To Harness Neurodiversity: ADHD, Focus And Multitasking” by Luciana Paulise (Forbes, March 21, 2024)

Learn more about The Exponential Entrepreneur:  A full year coaching experience for women business owners and real estate investors who don’t need more strategy and suspect they themselves are the biggest obstacle in the way.  

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Connect with Us:

Send questions and feedback to [email protected] or DM @aleciastg on Instagram