Nicole Riehl proves that leaving a six-figure corporate banking career to open a coffee stand isn't reckless — it's the ultimate act of reclaiming your time, your sanity, and your definition of success. Hosts Shana Ayabe and Kisha Imani Cameron sit down with the Nicole Riehl, the Cowgirl Barista, a former Chase Bank branch manager who walked away from a six-figure job and corporate life to build a drive-through coffee business from scratch in her small Oregon hometown — with zero coffee-making experience. From spending 10 years climbing the corporate ladder and managing business clients to realizing she was missing her daughter's childhood for meetings and late nights, to quitting six months before opening and learning to pull espresso shots by practicing on her dad's excavating crew, Nicole unpacks her journey of radical reinvention — how she went from helping everyone else build their businesses to finally building her own, why COVID nearly destroyed everything just months after opening, and how one viral TikTok video featuring a 34-ounce lemonade bucket turned into lines out the door and customers driving from out of state.

Nicole reveals why her decade at Chase gave her an insider's advantage most entrepreneurs never get — understanding business lending requirements, knowing you can't get a business loan without two years of operating history, learning how to coach and lead teams, and watching firsthand which mistakes sink small businesses before they start. She shares raw truths about why she cashed out her 401(k) to invest in herself, how her parents supported her, and why the community showed up during COVID when the world shut down and she wasn't sure they'd survive. Plus, the strategic decision to bring her 11-year-old daughter to work during the pandemic — teaching her how to take orders, handle money, make drinks, and deal with customers — because she wanted to raise a coachable member of society who understood that work ethic and respect matter more than entitlement.

But the real game-changer? Understanding that going viral is just the beginning — you have to immediately ask yourself what's next, how you keep people engaged, and how you turn one moment into sustained momentum. Nicole breaks down how she leveraged her viral bucket video to promote the entire food cart lot, the concert venue, and the bar she opened in 2022, why she started posting educational content breaking down the real costs of running a small business, and how being raw, transparent, and real on social media built trust and loyalty that keeps customers coming back months later. She discusses why her definition of success shifted from bonuses and promotions to happiness, community impact, and being present for her daughter, how she navigated the mental and emotional drain of being "on" for social media while still running the business, and why she tells every aspiring entrepreneur that if you don't have moments of doubt once a month wondering if you made a mistake, you're probably not pushing hard enough.

Whether you're stuck in a corporate job wondering if there's more, recently let go and wondering if entrepreneurship is for you, trying to figure out how to leverage social media without losing yourself, or teaching the next generation what real work ethic looks like, this episode offers battle-tested wisdom on courage, community, and why the only person who needs to believe in you is you.

Hosts: Shana Ayabe x Kisha Imani Cameron

Guest: Nicole Riehl | Founder, Cowgirl Barista | Former Chase Bank Branch Manager | Small Business Owner & Entrepreneur

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cowgirlbarista

IG: https://www.instagram.com/cowgirlbarista/

Produced by: Grace Media Digital

The Exit Interview | On-Air — Real conversations. Escaping corporate to build community through coffee.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:01:08 From Chase Bank to Coffee Stand: The Corporate Escape
• 00:01:47 The Viral Bucket Moment: How One Video Changed Everything
• 00:04:48 The Decision to Quit: Trading Security for Sanity
• 00:07:11 Building from Scratch: No Coffee Experience Required
• 00:08:42 COVID Hits: Surviving the Shutdown as a Brand New Business
• 00:09:39 The Banking Advantage: Inside Knowledge on Business Lending and Operations
• 00:12:21 Social Media Strategy: From Awkward to Algorithm Expert
• 00:18:07 Family Business Dynamics: Working with Parents and Setting Boundaries
• 00:20:58 Raising a Daughter with Business Acumen: Coaching
• 00:22:17 Capitalizing on Virality: What Comes After the Trend Dies
• 00:25:50 Overcoming the Dark Moments: Divorce, Second Jobs, and Questioning Everything
• 00:36:24 Redefining Success: From Bonuses to Community and Freedom