While She Builds

What if the job you already have is the best place to start building an audience? In this episode, Joel Marlinarson, known as the weatherman of marketing, breaks down how he forecasts where social media and the creator economy are heading next, and why the professionals who win online aren't the ones posting the most, but the ones with a clear point of view.Joel is the founder of Coldest Creative, working with brands like British Vogue, Coach, Marks & Spencer and Sephora on strategy, campaigns and content. He pitched himself onto Chicken Shop Date at 17, graduated from the University of the Arts London with a client list and 100,000+ followers already in place, and was selected for the Creator Fund at Cannes Lions. His audience is his live testing ground, and what he learns in the comments feeds straight into the work he does for brands.In this episode, we cover:

• How to turn the expertise from your day job into content people actually want
• Why the lifestyle influencer era is fading and the expert creator is rising
• The personal brand myths holding people back, from posting every day to chasing virality
• Building an audience first versus building a product first
• How to run your personal brand like a strategist would, even with five hours a week

One idea to try this week:Write down three things you explain to colleagues or clients again and again.Pick one and turn it into a 60-second explanation someone outside your industry would understand.That's often the first post worth making.Connect with the guest: @coldestcreativeFollow While She Builds:🎧 Spotify: While She Builds📺 YouTube: @whileshebuilds📍 Host: Himani Kothari: LinkedIn & Instagram @himanikothari_

What happens when AI can build in a day what used to take you a week?

In this episode, Ethan Cajigas shares why he dropped out of college, how he built CutCoach with no coding background, no team and no funding, and how it hit $20K a month in just six months. This conversation explores spotting a real problem, building fast with AI, and turning a niche audience into paying customers. Ethan Cajigas is the Founder of CutCoach, a weight-cutting app for combat athletes, from wrestlers to MMA fighters and boxers, that gives users science-backed, personalised plans to make weight safely ahead of competition. He now teaches others how to find a niche, build fast with AI, and turn it into a real business.

In this episode, we cover:

Dropping out when the old path stopped making sense Building an app with AI and zero coding background

Why a small, underserved niche beats a big market • Going from idea to $20K a month in six months

Turning a real problem into paying customers

One idea to try this week:

Write down one problem you or people around you deal with every week that nobody has solved properly. Now ask yourself what the smallest version of a fix would look like if you built it in a weekend. The best ideas often start with a problem you already understand.

Connect with the guest: @aureliuscajigas

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YouTube: @whileshebuilds

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In this episode, I sit down with Ramsri, a builder who's turned AI into a full-time income machine, making almost a crore a year by using AI tools to build and ship applications completely on his own.Ramsri's story is a bit different. He didn't quit his job to make this bet. He built alongside it, using his evenings and weekends to ship real applications while holding down a 9-to-5. Along the way, he realized AI had quietly become powerful enough to let one person do the work of an entire dev team. And he used that leverage to turn a side pursuit into a serious income stream. Today, he's built and shipped five applications, sourcing most of his ideas straight from X (Twitter), where he keeps a pulse on what people actually want built.In this conversation, we talk about:● How he finds winning ideas on X and validates them before building● His process for going from idea to shipped product using AI, end to end● What it really takes to make consistent money building with AI on the side● Lessons for anyone thinking about starting but stuck overthinking itWhether you're a developer, a founder, or just curious about how far AI tools have come, this episode has something for you.

In this episode, I sit down with Nicola Gunby, co-founder and CMO of CLIQ. The fast-growing social networking app helping people build real, in-person friendships around shared interests and hobbies.

Nicola's story starts with a familiar struggle: moving to London after the pandemic and feeling completely isolated in a city of millions. That personal pain point turned into CLIQ, a platform now connecting over 100,000 users worldwide through communities built around running, reading, pilates, faith, and more.

This isn't her first venture either.Nicola previously founded a beauty-tech startup that was acquired by Revolution Beauty PLC before she pivoted to tackling loneliness through technology.

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In this conversation, we talk about:

What it was really like feeling isolated in a new city, even one full of people.

The idea behind CLIQ and how it's different from typical social media.

Building and scaling a startup as a second-time founder.

The challenges of being a female founder in a male-dominated tech industry.

Why real-life, offline connection matters more than ever in a hyper-digital world.

Lessons from selling her first company and starting again from scratch.

Whether you're a founder, someone navigating a new city, or just curious about the future of social connection, this episode has something for you.

This video features a discussion with Grace Hardy, the founder of Hardy Accounting, regarding her career journey, the importance of financial education, and how to build a business from the ground up.Journey to Entrepreneurship

In this episode, we cover:

1.⁠ ⁠Alternative Path: After struggling in school due to dyslexia, Hardy opted for an apprenticeship at 18 rather than attending university, valuing practical, on-the-job learning.

2.⁠ ⁠Overcoming Bias: While networking, Hardy frequently faced condescending assumptions from senior men who questioned if she was a student or an assistant, leading her to eventually abandon those events in favor of more intentional networking.

3.⁠ ⁠Financial and Business Insights: Hardy notes that a healthy business requires a clear understanding of cash flow, startup costs, and the importance of having a financial buffer.

4.⁠ ⁠Advice to Aspiring Founders: The hardest part is going from zero to one. Focus on building your own path rather than worrying about the opinions of others. Your internal voice is a vital data point that should not be ignored.

What if the burnout everyone talks about is not about working too hard, but about who you became to keep up? Lucy Scarlett spent years performing a version of herself society approved of, until her body forced her to stop. Founder of Blurred, she now helps high achievers move from pressure to flow using nervous system work and breath. This conversation is about the good girl syndrome, the flower analogy that explains why you are not the problem, and what it actually takes to come home to yourself.

In this episode, we cover:

• What burnout actually is and the three symptoms most people miss
• How to tell the difference between burnout and being tired
• The flower analogy: why the environment matters more than willpower
• Lucy's story of being diagnosed with dyslexia at seven and what it shaped
• What the good girl syndrome is and why millennials carry it hardest
• The Embodied Change Framework
• A breathing technique you can use before any high pressure moment
• Why breathwork is not meditation rebranded
• The one message Lucy would give her fourteen year old self

Chapters
(00:00) Intro

(02:14) What Burnout Actually Is

(03:30) The Three Symptoms Of Burnout

(05:31) Am I Burned Out Or Just Tired

(08:34) The Flower Analogy Explained

(13:19) Lucy's Story: Diagnosed With Dyslexia At Seven

(19:51) What Is The Good Girl Syndrome

(26:25) The Embodied Change Framework

(35:06) The One Thing To Do Before A High Pressure Meeting

(37:10) The Breathwork Reset You Can Do Right Now

(38:03) Why Breathwork Is Like Going To The Gym

(42:14) No Filters

(49:13) Message To Her 14 Year Old Self

(51:10) Wrap Up

Connect with the guest: Lucy Scarlett
Follow While She Builds:
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📍 Host: Himani Kothari: LinkedIn & Instagram @himanikothari__

What if you were told your dream was too big, and you believed it for years? Done Ogretici built a luxury fashion brand, convenes founders and policymakers in parliament, and runs a restaurant. But before any of that, she was a girl who stitched clothes for her Barbie doll and was told she would never make it. This conversation is about reclaiming ambition, finding your superpower, and building rooms for yourself when no one invites you in.

In this episode, we cover:1. Why culture and family can silence ambition before it starts2. How Done went from events to fashion to rooms with high stakes3. The difference between influence and power: and which one gets things done4. Soft power as the most underrated tool5. Building a luxury brand as a one-woman army against fast fashion6. How belief and credibility are built through proximity and consistency7. Why confidence is the outcome, not the prerequisiteChapters(00:00) Intro (01:44) The Girl Who Stitched Clothes For Her Barbie(03:27) When Culture Tells You To Dream Smaller(08:30) The Moment Everything Shifted Five Years Ago(10:51) What She Does In Parliament And Why(13:44) How To Make People Believe In What You Bring(15:04) Finding Your Superpower And Using It(16:52) Building Credibility Through Consistency And Proximity(19:10) Power vs Influence(21:00) Soft Power vs Hard Power(23:24) Inside Done London(25:18) Competing Against Fast Fashion As A One Woman Army(28:54) Why Getting Out There Is Still The Best Strategy(39:04) When You Truly Want It You Find A Way(41:48) Women Who Are Told Their Ambition Is Too Much(43:27) Key Takeaways And ClosingConnect with the guest: Done OgreticiFollow While She Builds:🎧 Spotify: While She Builds📺 YouTube: @whileshebuilds📍 Host: Himani Kothari: Instagram @himanikothari__

What if the system you trusted failed you, and building your own became the only option? At 22, Krish Bajaj turned the chaos of international student migration into a company, leading teams older than him and making decisions without a playbook. This conversation is about ownership, signal vs noise, and building before you feel ready.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why international student mobility is structurally broken
• How founders often misunderstand the real problem
• Leading teams that are older and more experienced
• Signal vs noise as a decision-making filter
• Why boredom and “doing nothing” unlock clarity
• How habits and identity shape resilience
• A practical framework to validate ideas early

Chapters

(00:00) Intro

(01:03) What Roam Does and Why It Exists

(06:24) Why Student Migration Is Broken

(08:29) The $500 Billion Market Nobody Talks About

(13:13) The Hidden Cost Of Moving Abroad Alone

(15:32) Leading A Team Older Than You

(17:02) How To Make Experienced People Want To Follow You

(20:19) Signal vs Noise: How To Filter Ideas That Actually Work

(23:31) How To Manage Ideas Across A Team

(27:20) Pattern Recognition and Storytelling As Founder Skills

(29:59) Why Boredom Is A Superpower For Builders

(33:29) Solving Problems In Your Sleep

(35:12) Neuroscience, Habits and Keeping Your Head Straight

(38:26) How To Validate An Idea By Talking To Real People

(40:26) Go To Ground Zero With Your Customer

(42:14) Final Advice: Find Your Interest and Let It Compound

(43:21) Closing Thoughts

Connect with the guest: Krish Bajaj

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📺 YouTube: @whileshebuilds

📍 Host: Himani Kothari: LinkedIn & Instagram @himanik13

Building does not always start with confidence. Sometimes it starts with energy, curiosity, and a willingness to test before you feel ready. In this episode, Karan Kapoor shares how he thinks about risk, momentum, and taking action without waiting for perfect clarity, and why starting small often tells you more than overthinking ever will.

Karan Kapoor is the Founder of Vividh. In this conversation, Karan talks about early stage decision making, testing ideas through action, and how momentum is built by moving before certainty arrives.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why confidence often comes after action
• How to think about risk in the early stages
• Using energy and curiosity as signals
• Avoiding paralysis through overplanning
• Why small experiments matter more than big intentions
• Learning through movement rather than theory

Chapters

(00:00) Intro
(02:21) Why Success Still Feels Empty
(05:40) The Moment You Realise This Isn’t Enough
(09:12) The Problem With Following The Right Path
(13:55) Why We Ignore Our Gut Instinct
(18:30) How To Start While Working Full-Time
(23:48) Why Playing Safe Is Risky
(29:10) What It Takes To Reinvent Yourself
(34:52) Stability vs Ambition Trade-Off
(40:15) The Identity Shift That Comes With Growth
(47:05) How To Start Before You’re Ready

One idea to try this week

Set a 30 minute decision timer.

Pick one decision you have been thinking about for more than a week.

Set a timer for 30 minutes.

Use that time to write down:

• what you know
• what you do not know
• what would change if you delayed it another month

When the timer ends, decide with the information you have.

No more research and waiting.

Connect with the guest: Karan Kapoor

Follow While She Builds:

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📺 YouTube: @whileshebuilds

📍 Host: Himani Kothari: LinkedIn & Instagram @himanik13

What do you do when the safest career move is not the right one? In this episode, Henry Wandsworth shares how being offered a role at Number 10 Downing Street forced him to rethink success, walk away from certainty, and build How Social on his own terms. This conversation explores choosing alignment, trusting your timing, and building something sustainable without burning out.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why the safest option is not always the right one
• The decision to walk away from a role at Number 10
• Moving from corporate structure into self employment
• How Henry built How Social step by step
• The emotional reality of choosing independence
• What early stage founders misunderstand aboufreedom and stability
• Building a business that fits your life, not theother way around

Chapters

(00:00) Intro

(02:44) How Henry Built His Career From Scratch

(07:42) The Moment He Knew Freelance Was Next

(10:56) Career Milestones That Changed Everything

(13:08) The 20 Percent Rule For Personal Branding

(14:08) How Henry Built His Personal Brand

(19:25) Going On This Morning Live On TV

(25:00) Juggling Multiple Roles Without Burning Out

(28:29) How To Rest, Recharge And Say No

(30:13) Skills Corporate Taught Him That Freelancing Needs

(32:46) How AI Is Going To Change Social Media

(33:55) Three Ways To Bulletproof Yourself Against AI

(34:45) Closing Thoughts And Final Message

Connect with the guest: Henry Wandsworth

Follow While She Builds:

🎧 Spotify: While She Builds

📺 YouTube: @whileshebuilds

📍 Host: Himani Kothari: LinkedIn & Instagram @himanik13