Yarrow of Tomorrow

Presented by Learn to Swim Collective: https://ltscollective.com

La Colombe co-founder Todd Carmichael spent 30 years building a coffee company, then lost it after COVID. This is the story of what he planted next.

The loss came in stages. Todd describes La Colombe during the pandemic as a plane with four jet engines and 2,000 people aboard, and one by one the engines went out. He was unwilling to throw anyone out, so he kept paying everyone, and by the end the company needed investors who didn't want partners. So he stepped away from the thing he had woven into his personality. In his words: "When I tried to pull the plants apart, I just ripped all my roots out."

Those roots held more than a job. Todd lost his routine, the colleagues who were also his friends, and the red hot obsession he had lived inside since he was 14. He tried to replace it right away and built a new factory in about a year, and in his soul he still felt empty. Then a stroke put him in a hospital bed, looking at the ceiling, unsure he would ever talk again.

That hospital room is where his older sister's advice reached him: "Honey, you got to learn how to flounder." Todd and Dr. Kimberly McGlonn talk about what floundering makes possible. You let go of the past, you watch for the clues that show up once you stop forcing the next thing, and you give yourself the time it takes to become the next version of yourself.

What grew in that soil is Cold Brew Foundry, and a new sense of where Todd belongs. He has already climbed the coffee mountain. Now he wants to be the Sherpa, making sure the tent is waiting at 26,000 feet for Philadelphia roasters like Rival Bros and Bean to Bean.

Along the way he shares the rule that carried him solo across Antarctica, his formula of energy times aptitude, and why he finally added time to the equation. If you are standing in the ash of something you built, this conversation is for you.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

2:32 The Loneliness of the Pioneer

11:34 Staying Present in Antarctica

14:31 Forced to Sell La Colombe

18:58 A Stroke and Learning to Flounder

22:06 From Climber to Sherpa

37:08 Energy, Aptitude and Time

42:01 Gunning It and Painting the Canvas

53:14 Advice for Anyone in the Fire

GUEST LINKS:

Cold Brew Foundry: https://coldbrewfoundry.com

ABOUT YARROW OF TOMORROW:

Yarrow of Tomorrow is a cinematic podcast hosted by award-winning author and social entrepreneur Dr. Kimberly McGlonn. Named for the wildflower known for its resilience after a wildfire, the show sits down with founders, artists, and pioneers who have built something enduring after a major disruption or loss. Each conversation explores the harder, more human story underneath: the fear before the pivot, the cost of conviction, and the deliberate work of acceptance and beginning again. A Build It Boldly production, equipping leaders to lead with clarity, courage and care.

SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every other week.

CONNECT:

Follow Yarrow of Tomorrow - https://linktr.ee/yarrowoftomorrow

Dr. Kimberly McGlonn Website: https://www.drkimberlymcglonn.com/

Dr. Kimberly McGlonn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlymcglonn/

Build It Boldly: https://builditboldly.com/

Welcome to Yarrow of Tomorrow, a podcast for people building bold, legendary lives in the aftermath of personal fires.

Hosted by Dr. Kimberly McGlonn, and in each episode of Yarrow of Tomorrow, we sit down with a pioneer who’s faced a major loss, undergone a really hard transformation, and chose to plant something powerful despite it all.

So, the question we're asking is this: We all experience difficult endings, but like the yarrow, what can we plant that inspires us to begin again?”

Make sure you like, follow and subscribe, on YouTube, Apple and Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.