
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


Summary:
What happens when two best friends decide to build a business together? Claire and Lauren met in grad school, both wrote down "loyalty" as a core value, and started meeting at 6 a.m. before their school-based jobs to plan a practice of their own. Today they co-own The Art Room, Center for Creative Healing, an art therapy practice in Washington County, Maryland.
Kimberly Griggs sits down with them to unpack how they built a business around what they didn't want (burnout, client quotas, being a cog in someone else's system), how they narrowed their ideal client, and how a shared language of "tabs" vs. "big picture" keeps their partnership and friendship strong. They also get honest about rupture and repair, protecting against burnout, growing from a team of three to six, and what they're still figuring out behind the confident exterior.
In this episode you'll learn:
Keywords
business partnership, best friends in business, co-founders, art therapy, Maryland art therapy, private practice, small business growth, entrepreneurship, women business owners, burnout prevention, ideal client, niche marketing, referral partners, community marketing, partner communication, conflict resolution, rupture and repair, hiring, team growth, work-life balance, working mothers, imposter syndrome, leadership, Unfinished Business podcast
Chapters
00:00 Cold open
00:50 Welcome, Claire and Lauren
01:06 Meeting in grad school
05:31 The 6 a.m. calls that made it real
06:53 Building on what you don't want
09:12 What is art therapy?
11:34 Art therapy in action
16:09 Entering the field during COVID
18:52 Narrowing the ideal client
24:19 Getting known in the community
28:20 Learning money, insurance and marketing
31:12 Tabs vs. big picture
34:09 Rupture and repair: the hiring debate
38:49 Rules of the partnership
42:07 The shared "buckets" system
45:47 Switching from partners back to friends
49:45 Designing a business that prevents burnout
53:07 Growing from three to six
56:03 The biggest challenge: space
57:24 Advice to their 2023 selves
59:13 What they're still figuring out
1:01:03 Three most valuable lessons
1:03:18 Their unfinished business
More on The Art Room
https://www.theartroomcch.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-art-room-cch/
https://www.instagram.com/theartroomcch/
https://www.facebook.com/theartroomcch/
Music licensed through Soundstripe.
Code: BOC3C01QPV6ZHIT7
Summary
This special episode of Unfinished Business brings together bite-sized lessons from Season 4’s In the Middle of Mastery conversations with Rory Sheppard. Kimberly Griggs revisits the standout moments from her time with Rory, a former operations leader at H-E-B and Whataburger, for owners and leaders who are years in and still feeling far from the vision they started with.
Each short segment delivers one practical lesson: why consistent B-minus service beats a one-time “wow,” how “superhero syndrome” keeps owners stuck as the bottleneck, and how to classify decisions so you can lead like air traffic control. Rory also covers giving every dollar a job, the three traits of influential leaders, building buy-in with “vote and veto,” keeping trust alive on remote teams, and using Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership model to delegate work to AI.
New to In the Middle of Mastery, or need a refresher? This is your highlight reel.
Season 5 of Unfinished Business kicks off November 5th, with Rory returning on November 19th.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Keywords
operational bottlenecks, business operations, delegation for business owners, decision making framework, superhero syndrome, doer to leader, financial clarity, small business finances, influential leadership, leadership traits, humility in leadership, team buy-in, healthy team culture, remote team communication, one-on-one meetings, delegating to AI, agentic AI, AI for professional services, situational leadership, Ken Blanchard, Rory Sheppard, Kimberly Griggs, In the Middle of Mastery, Unfinished Business podcast, Season 4 highlights
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: Special Episode – In the Middle of Mastery
00:23 Operational Bottlenecks: Delivering consistent, predictable results
01:11 Individual Bottlenecks: Letting go of control and learning to delegate
02:23 Decision Trees & Air Traffic Control: Knowing which decisions need you
04:19 Financial Health: Giving every dollar a job
05:26 Influential Leadership: Competence, genuine care, and humility
07:48 Healthy Team Environments: Encouraging participation and buy-in
09:26 Remote Communication: Building relationships beyond business conversations
11:05 Delegating to AI: Moving from doer to director
14:34 Situational Leadership & AI: Management, collaboration, coaching, and support
16:57 Close Out
More on West Texas ActionCoach and Rory Sheppard
https://westtexas.actioncoach.com/firm/
Connect with Rory
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorysheppard/
Music licensed through Soundstripe / Code: ZPJB5ASQKPJDTHVX
Summary:
Dr. Irina Marcoff believes every child deserves a healthy, strong, and bright future, no matter their family's income. But with limited insurance reimbursement, many pediatric clinics rely on private pay, and families who can't afford high out-of-pocket rates go without care. So she built a nonprofit to close that gap, then spent two years with no grants, wondering every month if the doors would stay open.
Today, TheraYouth Foundation provides physical, occupational, and speech therapy and counseling to New Jersey families at a substantially reduced cost, with plans to expand nationally. By 2024, just three years in, it had delivered nearly 1,700 therapy sessions, with 125 children in treatment and 59 graduates, and its waitlist has since grown past 400. Kimberly and Irina talk about hearing "no" dozens of times, the cash-reserve catch-22 of grant funding, building a working board, and the personal cost of keeping the mission alive.
In this episode you'll learn:
Keywords
nonprofit, pediatric therapy, physical therapy, healthcare access, Medicaid, fundraising, board of directors, leadership, delegation, entrepreneurship
Chapters
00:00 – Cold open: will the ship sink or float?
00:37 – Welcome: meet Dr. Irina Marcoff
01:06 – The "babies to boomers" therapist
01:52 – The school that changed her perspective
03:58 – NICU lessons: don't give up
05:52 – Inside NYC public school therapy
08:48 – Families follow her to New Jersey
10:07 – Why Medicaid can't sustain a clinic
10:56 – The documentary that sparked a nonprofit
11:32 – A year-long road to nonprofit status
13:06 – Her first believers
15:48 – Dozens of no's and "you will fail"
16:28 – You're asking for kids, not yourself
17:58 – Surviving two years without grants
19:05 – Building the first board
21:36 – Why some donors don't trust nonprofits
24:26 – The cash reserve catch-22
25:52 – Impact and a 400-child waitlist
28:30 – When she realized she was the leader
29:58 – The anxiety behind the calm
33:42 – Delegating and letting go of control
35:33 – Why a working board matters
36:31 – The board advisor process
40:42 – Be a chocolate chip cookie
42:16 – The personal cost: no college fund
43:48 – What this country gave her
46:00 – How she defines success now
47:23 – The next three years
48:52 – A message to younger therapists
50:48 – Irina's unfinished business
More on TheraYouth
https://therayouth.org/about-therayouth-foundation/
Donate to TheraYouth’s Mission:
https://therayouth.org/#donate
Music licensed through Soundstripe Code: RUZ6YMIY1YPOFP1G
Summary
Brittany Garcia knew by fifth or sixth grade that she wanted to be the support she didn't have as a child. She went on to specialize in trauma as a licensed clinical professional counselor, then left a group practice in 2022 to go solo, with no plans to ever hire anyone. A month later, she was diagnosed with cancer.
Today she leads Restorative Connections Counseling, a trauma-informed, LGBT-affirmative group practice in Billings, Montana. In this episode, Kimberly and Brittany talk about going from solopreneur to leading a team of six clinicians: learning to delegate, hiring lessons learned the hard way, protecting the practice's voice, and knowing when it's okay to stop building, at least for now.
In this episode you'll learn:
Keywords
group practice, private practice, trauma therapy, mental health, entrepreneurship, delegation, leadership, boundaries, burnout, business growth
Chapters
00:00 – Cold open: when caring too much leads to burnout
00:25 – Welcome: meet Brittany Garcia
01:09 – Becoming the support she never had
03:49 – Signs of unresolved trauma
05:13 – What clients said about past therapists
06:30 – Why trauma needs more than CBT
07:53 – What "Restorative Connections" means
09:24 – How that shapes her team and culture
10:52 – What school didn't teach her about business
12:38 – From waitlist to first hire
14:51 – A hiring nightmare: slow to hire, quick to fire
17:34 – Building structure into onboarding
19:43 – The business work no one expects
21:28 – Delegating marketing without losing your voice
25:39 – Learning to let go of control
27:30 – What her team needed from her
30:03 – Trusting other clinicians with client care
31:56 – When caring becomes overextending
34:46 – Why it's okay to pause growth
36:24 – How she takes care of herself
38:26 – The hidden costs of building a practice
42:21 – How cancer changed her definition of success
47:15 – What's next: retreats and speaking
48:10 – Brittany's unfinished business
49:06 – Parting advice: trust that you can figure it out
More on Restorative Connections:
https://www.restorative-connections.com/
Social Media:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/restorative-connections-counseling/
https://www.instagram.com/restorativeconnectionscoun
https://www.facebook.com/RestorativeConnectionsCoun/
Music licensed through Soundstripe Code: RUZ6YMIY1YPOFP1G
Summary
Amelia Zephyr spent years as a special education teacher helping young children with developmental delays, autism, dyslexia and dysgraphia. She saw the same problems repeatedly: bureaucratic delays, kids expected to learn "in one box," and families left to figure out a complicated education system on their own. When her own daughter was diagnosed with autism at 18 months, and she began navigating the early intervention process as a parent, that's when she decided to do something about it.
In January 2024, she founded Creative Foundations, an early intervention agency serving young children and families across the New York City area. In this episode, Kimberly and Amelia talk about what it really takes to turn a skill you're good at into a business: earning trust as a brand-new company, hiring people who care about the work, handling hard conversations with employees, and how Creative Foundations is using AI to reach busy parents.
In this episode you'll learn:
Keywords: early intervention, education, entrepreneurship, child development, community support, special needs, leadership, business growth
Chapters
00:00 – Cold open: what parents of kids with special needs want from their community
00:18 – Welcome: from educator to CEO
01:45 – The kids she served: developmental delays, autism, dyslexia
02:52 – Why she left the school system to build her own agency
05:38 – The moment frustration turned into fuel
06:59 – Starting Creative Foundations (and being nervous)
09:07 – What she underestimated about starting a business
11:57 – The hardest part: building a supportive team in a "cutthroat" industry
13:50 – How to earn trust fast as a new business
15:01 – What excellent communication actually looks like
17:11 – A family's story: finding community at the local library
18:45 – What outsiders misunderstand about early intervention
19:42 – Growing visibility: social media, referrals and word of mouth
21:32 – From doing the work to leading: hiring for heart
22:16 – "What song describes your personality?"
24:03 – Skill fit vs. culture fit
24:56 – How to handle difficult performance conversations
27:50 – Redefining yourself as educator, entrepreneur, wife and mom
28:53 – The hidden costs of building a business
30:08 – The 5-year vision: expanding Creative Foundations nationwide
30:48 – How Creative Foundations uses AI
33:23 – One idea to steal: employee recognition
35:04 – Advice to her younger self
35:47 – Amelia's unfinished business
More on Creative Foundations: https://www.creativefoundations.net/
Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: SD6D4DH5OKP9WSLL
Summary:
What if your stress isn't just a willpower problem, and it's really your nervous system stuck in overdrive? Ellyn Ito has spent 25+ years bringing new technology to market. When her 15-year-old son was struggling during the pandemic, she went looking for something that could help. His first session on a gentle neuromodulation device shifted things, and within months she had co-founded InnerStill to work toward bringing Mindvybe technology to everyone. Ellyn and Kimberly discuss how chronic stress has become "normal," how the vagus nerve moves us from fight-or-flight into rest-and-recover, and why calm spreads from person to person just like stress does. Ellyn also gets candid about building a startup in a brand-new category: educating a market used to taking a pill, raising mission-aligned capital, and quieting the inner voice that says you're not good enough.
In this episode:
Keywords:
neuroscience, neuromodulation, stress relief, nervous system, wellness technology, MindVibe, Ellen Ito, health innovation
Sound bites:
"Loosened stress in the neck and improved mood."
"Stress eclipses our higher cognitive functions."
"Vibing becomes a verb for wellness."
Chapters:
Takeaways
More About Mindvybe
https://www.mindvybe.com/
Connect with Ellyn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellynito/
Music licensed through Soundstripe.
Code: RZHO3DHUGECDPUHF
Summary:
If your customers can ask AI the same question you'd normally charge them for, what are they actually paying you for?
That's the question driving this month's "Middle of Mastery" conversation with business consultant Rory Sheppard. As AI gives customers direct access to the same research, plans, and answers service providers have always sold, Rory and Kimberly dig into what's still worth paying for — and it isn't the answer itself. It's the expertise to know if the answer's right, the judgment to challenge it, and the relationship a client trusts enough to act on.
Keywords
AI, Pricing, Value, Expertise, Agents, Automation, Leadership, Delegation, Consulting, Accountability, Strategy, Productivity
In This Episode:
Sound bites
"I never trust the first answer."
"It's not a question of did you use AI? It's how did you use AI?"
"You're selling the relationship and trust between you and the person you're doing the work with."
Chapters
00:01 — Intro to "Middle of Mastery" with Rory Sheppard
01:24 — If Customers Can Use AI Too, What Are They Paying You For?
01:48 — How Legitimate Is the Fear About AI Replacing Services?
04:15 — Why a 40-Page AI Business Plan Still Isn't Enough
08:37 — Repositioning the Value of Your Expertise
08:57 — Price vs. Value: Why Deliverable-Based Pricing Is the Shift
12:03 — Should You Disclose How Much AI You Used?
13:20 — How Fast AI Models Are Improving in 2026
14:56 — From Doing the Work to Directing AI Agents
16:35 — What Skills Should Service Providers Build Now?
19:01 — Why You Still Have to Check Every Word AI Gives You
22:15 — Situational Leadership, Applied to AI Agents
24:25 — How to Actually Check an AI Agent's Work
27:53 — When Is a Business Ready to Fully Integrate AI Agents?
31:02 — Why Scaling AI Use Gets Messy Fast
32:30 — Start With Non-Value-Added Work: What to Automate First
35:06 — Why Rory Demands Citations for Every AI-Generated Fact
36:31 — How Do You Track Whether AI's Data Is Even Accurate?
39:18 — Better Prompting: What Actually Improves AI Output
43:59 — Why Talking to AI Might Beat Typing to It
45:34 — Debunking the Myth That Being Mean to AI Helps
48:16 — Three Things Every Service Business Should Evaluate Now
51:50 — The Coming Crisis: Entry-Level Workers Losing "Grunt Work" Training
54:27 — Why Rory's Actually Optimistic About AI and the Workforce
57:50 — Rory's Anchor Points Journal and Why He Still Uses Pen and Paper
01:02:12 — The Focal Practice: Finding What Fully Occupies Your Mind
Special offer! Receive 10% off Rory's Anchor Points Journal
when you mention "Unfinished Business"
Call Now! 806-557-2240
More on West Texas ActionCoach and Rory Sheppard
https://westtexas.actioncoach.com/firm/
Connect with Rory
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorysheppard/
Music licensed through Soundstripe.
Code: IJK9BTLAHSCAHRKJ, K2MXQ9VB4ERWWCG2, GMGMB6DLMDWK5CGC
Summary:
Nearly 20 years ago, David Mitchell was working at West Texas A&M and doing landscaping on the side. What started with projects for friends and family eventually grew into Mitchell Landscaping, a full-service company serving the Texas Panhandle.
In this episode of Unfinished Business, David talks with Kimberly about growing from doing every job himself to leading a team, his passion for creating outdoor spaces where people gather and enjoy life, and why quality and lasting customer relationships remain at the heart of his business.
He also opens up about what growth looks like nearly two decades in—learning to delegate, developing his team, building better systems, and creating a business that doesn’t always depend on him.
It’s a conversation about building something you’re proud of, learning as you go, and realizing that even 20 years in, there’s still unfinished business.
Keywords
Landscaping, Business Growth, Outdoor Living, Texas, Entrepreneurship, Customer Satisfaction, Business Systems, Scaling a Business
Key Topics
Decision to go full-time with landscaping
Importance of quality and customer satisfaction
Scaling challenges and delegation
Designing outdoor living spaces as an extension of home
Trends in outdoor kitchens and fire pits
Training and systems for business growth
Lessons learned and advice for entrepreneurs
Sound bites
"Bought out part of a business to go full time"
"Success is a company that can run without me"
"Building relationships with customers is key"
Chapters
00:00 — Meet David Mitchell, Co-Founder of Mitchell Landscaping
00:57 — Who David Was Before Mitchell Landscaping Existed
02:23 — Was Entrepreneurship Always the Plan?
03:04 — The Moment David Decided to Go All In
04:26 — What Success Looked Like in Year One
05:06 — What Kept Him Going on the Hard Days
05:44 — What People Don't Realize About Starting a Service Business
06:31 — Setting Non-Negotiables Before Hiring Your First Employees
07:37 — What "Quality" Actually Means in Landscaping
09:53 — What Building a Business Teaches You About Staying Humble
11:01 — What People Get Wrong About What Landscaping Really Is
12:52 — The Backyard Project David Will Never Forget
14:58 — What the Design Process Looks Like for a New Customer
16:54 — The Backyard Trends Everyone's Asking About Right Now
18:28 — What a Backyard Transformation Actually Costs
19:05 — Financing Options for Bigger Backyard Projects
20:36 — Rapid Fire: Success, Investments, and a Few Fun Facts
24:54 — The Biggest Challenge of Wearing Every Hat in the Business
26:16 — Passing Knowledge Down to the Next Generation of Leaders
27:02 — Rating His Own Systems on a Scale of One to Ten
28:32 — What Success Means to David Right Now
30:06 — If He Could Change One Thing About the Business Tomorrow
30:58 — The Advice He'd Give His 2006 Self
32:09 — What's Still Unfinished for Mitchell Landscaping
32:44 — What He Hopes Customers Remember 20 Years From Now
34:48 — His Best Advice for Any Aspiring Entrepreneur
More about Mitchell Landscaping
Website - https://www.mitchelllandscaping.net/
Music licensed through Soundstripe.
Code: RMMDYEM9P6HSGWUK
Summary
Most families don't think about neuropsychology until an unexpected injury, illness, or diagnosis changes how someone they love thinks, remembers, or moves through daily life. When that happens, knowing who to call — and what to expect — makes all the difference.
In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Caussade Rodríguez, licensed clinical psychologist and Clinical Director of the Dallas Neurorehab Center, breaks down what neuropsychological testing actually involves, how to tell normal aging from something that needs attention, and why family input during an evaluation can completely change a diagnosis.
She also shares practical, doable habits — from the MIND diet to staying socially active — that protect brain health long before any symptoms show up, plus hard-won lessons from building a referral-based practice as a clinical director.
In this episode:
Quotable moments:
"There is no such thing as this can wait."
"We have a picture of the house, but we don't know what's going on inside."
"We cannot help them if we're burned out."
Keywords:
brain health, caregiver support, neurological conditions, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's diagnosis, dementia caregiving, neuropsychological testing
Links: Dallas Neurorehab Center — https://dallasneurorehabcenter.com/
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Unfinished Business and the focus on neurological health
74:55:20 Guest introduction: Dr. Jennifer Caussade and her role
299:55:22 Jennifer's journey into neuropsychology and what fascinates her about the brain
8666:35:41 Variability in neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
13777:42:38 The journey to Dallas Neuro Rehab and what neurorehabilitation entails
16027:42:45 Understanding neurorehabilitation for a lay audience
19527:42:57 Assessments and diagnostics in neurological conditions
23388:49:51 How tests inform treatment and real-life implications
25666:36:37 Behavioral and psychiatric aspects of brain conditions
29333:16:48 Family involvement in assessment and treatment
34388:50:17 The importance of accurate diagnosis and testing
392777:43:50 Differentiating types of Parkinson's and other movement disorders
456388:50:51 What success looks like in neurorehabilitation
836944:26:34 The ideal world: curing neurological conditions
853611:06:40 Supporting families and caregivers through neurological health
881111:06:40 Lessons for entrepreneurs and clinicians in neuropsychology
Music licensed through Soundstripe.
Code: ATJLM6ZLIV566AOL
Burnout doesn't always look like exhaustion. Sometimes it looks like a woman who's checked every box — the career, the family, the house — and still can't shake one question: am I really okay inside?
That's the question that changed everything for Jenna Eastvold, a former nurse who left healthcare after COVID reshaped what she valued, and who now coaches women through the same reckoning. In this conversation, she breaks down how to tell a real feeling from anxious noise, how her Hard Stops Framework turns values into actual decisions, and why asking for help is a sign of strength — not a failure to cope alone.
Jenna Eastvold is a certified coach and founder of EnergizeWell, where she helps women reconnect with their values and make confident, values-based decisions.
In this episode:
Quotable moments:
"Am I really okay inside?"
"Are my feelings signals or just noise?"
"Trust yourself and live in alignment."
Keywords:
self-trust, career reinvention, burnout recovery, personal growth, values-based decision-making
Connect with Jenna Eastvold on Instagram: @energizewell
Visit Jenna’s Website: https://www.energizewell.com/
Purchase Jenna’s 30 Day Devotional: https://www.amazon.com.be/-/en/Jenna-Eastvold/dp/B0H2TS41DG?language=en_GB
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Unfinished Business and Guest Introduction
05:38 Understanding Behavioral Change in Health
08:48 The Women Jenna Serves: Needs and Aspirations
11:10 Unblocking Decision-Making: The Initial Steps
12:08 The Importance of Slowing Down
13:55 Identifying Core Values and Decision-Making
16:59 The Role of Identity in Values and Decision-Making
19:04 Societal Expectations and Personal Identity
21:10 Consequences of Ignoring Personal Needs
24:17 Advice for Women Seeking Change
26:26 The Challenge of Asking for Help
26:53 The Power of Coaching and Support
33:00 Navigating Personal Challenges and Asking for Help
35:45 Overcoming Setbacks in Business
38:09 Prioritizing Self-Care in Entrepreneurship
40:00 Proud Moments and Transformative Journeys
41:43 Future Aspirations for Energize Well
42:55 The Impact of Jenna's Book
47:15 Empowering Women to Trust Themselves
48:57 Lessons for a Greater Life
Music licensed through Soundstripe.
Code: Y9QHYIKW0B85JE7F
From the publisher's feed
Unfinished Business is a weekly show for entrepreneurs, professionals, and leaders who are building something meaningful and real.
We explore the lessons, mindset shifts, struggles,…