Best Bootstrap Connect Podcasts (2025)

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Babba Rivera (Ceremonia) on Making Business Personal, Winning Retail, and Convincing Investors to Bet on Latinx Communities 59:49

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3d ago59:49

59:49

Building a beauty brand that celebrates Latin culture while competing on a global stage is no small feat—but for Babba Rivera, it’s not just business— it’s personal. Babba founded Ceremonia to create a haircare brand rooted in Latin heritage, ritual, and community. Today, Ceremonia is one of the fastest-growing brands at Sephora, has raised over $1…

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Inside Rhode’s $1 Billion Deal: How e.l.f. Exposed Every Secret Behind Hailey Bieber’s Brand 13:23

7d ago13:23

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Celebrity brands never release their numbers — until now. Beauty brand e.l.f. didn’t just acquire Hailey Bieber’s Rhode… they published every single line item of the company’s P&L. From shockingly low cost of goods sold to a 9x marketing efficiency ratio, Sammi unpacks why Rhode operates more like a billion-dollar conglomerate than a three-year-old…

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Episode 247: Daughtership and Destiny | Keys Unlocking the Confidence the World is Waiting For: with Elaine Lankford ❖ 247 54:40

7d ago54:40

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70 Miles for a Mentor? Mary walked 70 miles just to connect with Elizabeth. Stop waiting for affirmation—find the woman who will empower the miracle you're carrying. This is how women raise up women. —Elaine Lankford SHOW NOTES EPISODES HIGHLIGHTS The Power of Divine Interruption: God will intentionally disrupt a comfortable, successful life (e.g.,…

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The Bad Episode 54:41

7d ago54:41

54:41

This episode went a little off the rails towards the end, but not before we cover a lot of ground. It is messy, honest, sometimes awkward, and exactly why we love doing this podcast. We talk about why we refuse to brand Odysi as an “AI consultancy,” even though they we AI every day. We unpack what a product studio really is, how we think about the …

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Julia Cheek (Everlywell) on Revolutionizing Diagnostics, Shark Tank and Biohacking 1:06:56

7d ago1:06:56

1:06:56

Many people say the healthcare system is broken. Julia Cheek, is trying to fix a key part of that system: diagnostics. Julia is the founder and CEO of Everlywell, the pioneering at-home health testing company that turned diagnostics from something that happened to you into something you control. Since launching in 2015, Everlywell has become one of…

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Episode 246: Mastering the Dance | Divine Boundaries, Self-Care, and Your Hidden Treasure | MANNA MASHUP a soul food collection ❖ 246 1:11:51

9d ago1:11:51

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"Imagine your spirit as a hidden reservoir of energy waiting to be tapped into... with the right mindset and tools, we can draw from it endlessly." —Kristen Wambach EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Your Strength is a Treasure: Understand that your hidden strength is a divine reservoir waiting to be tapped, and it's defined by the T.R.E.A.S.U.R.E. acronym. Self-C…

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The Row’s Quiet Luxury Gets Loud: Sample Sales, Influencer Drama, and the Future of Fashion’s Most Mysterious Brand 14:20

14d ago14:20

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Today Sammi unpacks the silent spectacle of The Row—Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s luxury label. Known for its “no logos, no advertising” ethos and a fiercely minimalist aesthetic, The Row has built its brand on mystique. But when a chaotic, viral sample sale hit New York this past October—drawing TikTok influencers and 9 hour+ lines—the brand’s care…

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Episode 245: You Can Never Be More Co-Raised: The Radical Truth That Ends Self-Striving ❖ 245 38:18

4d ago38:18

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"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?" — Marianne Williamson SHOW NOTES EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS You are already complete:…

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The M&A Playbook: How to Build $2B+ Without Venture Capital 45:43

15d ago45:43

45:43

Most people chase investors. Tom Shipley built billion-dollar businesses by buying them instead. In this episode of Founder to Founder, I sit down with Tom — serial entrepreneur, Special Forces vet, and founder of multiple $2B+ brands — to break down how acquisitions, not VC, can create generational wealth. From $100 startups to $100M roll-ups, thi…

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Jaclyn Johnson and Marina Middleton (Create & Cultivate) on How To Sell Out a Live Event, the Future of Community, and Whether Virtual Events Are Dead 45:38

17d ago45:38

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Today, Sammi sits down with Jaclyn Johnson and Marina Middleton—the powerhouse duo behind Create & Cultivate. Long before every brand wanted a “community,” Jaclyn and Marina built one that actually mattered: a movement where founders, Fortune 500 leaders, and creators came together to build what’s next. After selling the company in 2021, Jaclyn stu…

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He Lost $500M in One Minute — Then Bought 17 Amazon Brands Back 1:02:27

21d ago1:02:27

1:02:27

What happens when your $500M fund collapses on a single Zoom call? Brian Burt, founder of Canopy Management, lived it — and came back stronger. In this episode of Founder to Founder, we talk about scaling an Amazon agency, managing 100+ people with zero micromanagement, and what it really takes to win in e-commerce in 2025. 🔥 You’ll learn: • Why Am…

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The “PayPal Mafia” Lore: Inside the Elon Musk Coup and the Beginning of Founder Culture 13:15

21d ago13:15

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Today, Sammi uncovers one of the most iconic origin stories in tech: how a scrappy, chaotic startup from the late ’90s — PayPal — became the launchpad for a generation of founders who went on to build Tesla, LinkedIn, Yelp, Affirm, Palantir, SpaceX, and more. Before they were billionaires or household names, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Ma…

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Episode 244: Stop Just Praying | The 5 Daily Steps to Fix Your Body, Mind, & Spirit with Dr. Len Lopez ❖ 244 59:26

21d ago59:26

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“Your habits and attitude are your spiritual DNA, the genetic code that determines the trajectory of your growth and achievement.” —Dr. Len Lopez SHOW NOTES 💡 EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS The Temple of God is Whole: True Christian spiritual growth requires caring for the entire temple—Body, Mind, and Spirit—to achieve holistic health. The Power of Vision (Sl…

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Marina and Ricardo Larroudé (Larroudé) on Innovative D2C Models, Betting on Brazil and Trading in the 9-to-5 57:39

24d ago57:39

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When the world shut down, Marina and Ricardo Larroudé hit go. Out of their Manhattan apartment, the former Teen Vogue fashion director and her financier husband built Larroudé—a shoe brand that went from zero to millions in sales in just a few years. In this episode, Sammi dives into how they turned job loss into rocket fuel, built their own factor…

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The 90s Microdrama Revolution and Ghost of Quibi 22:46

19d ago22:46

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Hollywood is changing—and its future might be vertical. Today, Sammi dives into the explosive rise of “microdramas,” the ultra-short, ultra-addictive scripted shows that are pulling in billions and leaving traditional studios scrambling to survive. From Chinese-backed apps like ReelShort to Hollywood execs betting on AI-powered storytelling, this i…

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Episode 243: The Single Question that Mulitplied My Answered Prayer By 1,000% with Tony Stoltzfus ❖ 243 56:16

18d ago56:16

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"He doesn't want to talk about what I'm trying to do. He wants to talk about how He sees me and transfer His picture from heaven of me into my heart." —Tony Stoltzfus SHOW NOTES EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Your identity in Christ isn't a future promise; it's a present reality seen from heaven's timeline. The most profound prayers focus on receiving God's im…

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Gwen Whiting (The Laundress) on Acquisition Cautionary Tales, Bootstrapping, and The Fill 1:01:18

1M ago1:01:18

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Gwen Whiting co-founded The Laundress, the luxury laundry brand that transformed washing clothes into a lifestyle statement. What started as a passion project funded by credit cards became a cult favorite—and eventually caught the attention of Unilever, which acquired the company for a reported $100 million. But the dream deal didn’t go as planned.…

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Episode 242: The TRUST Test | walking through a season of Deep Faith ❖ 242 39:44

27d ago39:44

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"God is always "Gooder "than my current bandwidth about him. He's always better." —Kristen Wambach SHOW NOTES EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Trust is Active and Practical: It's a blend of spiritual disciplines (prayer, communion) and physical self-care (rest, movement, making your bed). Small Wins Build Confidence: Creating immediate momentum through simple, a…

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Spirit Halloween: The Billion-Dollar Pop-Up That Can’t Be Beat 15:32

1M ago15:32

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Today’s episode is all about the billion dollar business built on a business model that defies every rule of traditional retail; they occupy buildings for just three months a year, hire around 50,000 seasonal workers, carry zero inventory for nine months, and somehow they're not just surviving— they are thriving. The business? Spirit Halloween, of …

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RH’s Luxury Mountain and House of Cards: Part 2 23:59

1M ago23:59

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In part two of her Restoration Hardware deep dive, Sammi pulls back the curtain on what’s really at the top of “Luxury Mountain.” From the troubled Aspen expansion and RH’s sky-high ambitions in Europe, to eyebrow-raising governance decisions, failed ventures, and Warren Buffett’s very public goodbye— you have to wonder: is the RH foundation starti…

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Episode 241: BREAKTHROUGH | Why You Must Cast Your Net AGAIN to Unlock Your Personal Blessings | MANNA MASHUP a soul food collection ❖ 241 1:19:18

1M ago1:19:18

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"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." — Marcel Proust You've waited long enough for that promise. Are you ready to cast your net again? ✨ Episode Highlights 🎣 Believing in the One with Breakfast Waiting: We use the story of Peter casting his net again to show you what it takes to have ignited…

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Yachts, Private Jets and The Restoration Hardware CEO Lore: Part 1 30:10

1M ago30:10

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Today, Sammi delivers the most requested episode topic yet: the lore of Restoration Hardware and its CEO, Gary Friedman. Gary Friedman is part visionary, part provocateur and part illusionist. He is the CEO who took a nearly bankrupt furniture company and convinced Wall Street that it was building the LVMH of America. And for a while everyone belie…

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Episode 240: BEYOND SUNDAY: How to End Spiritual Malnutrition in Your Life with D'wayne J. Louard ❖ 240 1:06:26

1M ago1:06:26

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If your spiritual health crumbled when the last storm hit, Pastor D'wayne Louard reveals the 3 clear signs you're running on empty and the one divine technology that changes everything. SHOW NOTES EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Prayer is Responsibility: Stop treating prayer as a religious routine; embrace it as the conversational responsibility God gave you to…

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Bootstrapping a Tech Agency in the age of AI 1:20:10

1M ago1:20:10

1:20:10

After a busy summer, I Think Tomorrow is back and we are having an informal conversation about what it's like to build a tech agency from the ground up. From working with AI and new technologies to the challenges of selling your own expertise, this conversation digs deep into the emotional and practical realities of bootstrapping, finding your firs…

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Jim McKelvey (Square) on How to Out-Compete a Goliath, Advice for “Wantrepreneurs,” and Economizing Drug Trials 1:05:29

1M ago1:05:29

1:05:29

Building something that lasts is rare. Building something that rewires an entire industry? That’s almost unheard of. But that’s exactly what Jim McKelvey did when he co-founded Square (now Block) with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. Today, Jim and Sammi talk about how Square went head-to-head with Amazon and won, why Jim believes most startups don’…

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The Future of Shopping Is Here— And It’s AI 11:47

2M ago11:47

11:47

What if you never had to click “Buy Now” again—because your AI did the shopping for you? Today, Sammi breaks down the partnership between OpenAI and Stripe that could rewrite the rules of e-commerce. With the launch of the Agentic Commerce Protocol, AI can now recommend, purchase, and process transactions entirely within ChatGPT—no links, no websit…

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Episode 239: From Bootstrap to Beloved: Redefining Purpose When You're Forced to Surrender with Tanya Prince ❖ 239 52:06

1M ago52:06

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"The beautiful thing about going through crisis is that you're forced to pause. The Lord uses those experiences to burn everything away that’s not necessary and needed in our life and leaves us really clinging to Him." —Tanya Prince SHOW NOTES EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Your "Rubble" is Sacred Ground: The moments of absolute failure are where true faith be…

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Tracy Anderson (Tracy Anderson Method) on Building a Fitness Empire, Debunking Wellness Trends, and IP in Fitness Routines 1:08:51

2M ago1:08:51

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From small studios to celebrity status, Tracy Anderson has built one of the most influential—and imitated—fitness empires in the world. Today, Sammi sits down with the fitness icon whose method has shaped some of the most famous bodies in Hollywood to peel back the layers of the brand, the science, and the woman behind it. Tracy opens up about the …

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Episode 238: Exclusive Access Doesn't Mean Elusive | Unlocking Supernatural Wisdom to Rewrite Your Life ❖ 238 30:32

1M ago30:32

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"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SHOW NOTES EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Exclusive Access is Available: The door to God's heart is always open. Access is not hierarchical or based on performance; it’s an inheritance given by grace through Jesus. Authenticity…

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Why I Shut Down My Matcha Business 15:54

2M ago15:54

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Have you ever built a business around something you love—only to realize it’s draining your passion? In this episode, Sammi shares her full founder story: launching a matcha brand during business school, fighting to scale it, surviving the 2020 lockdown, and finally deciding to shut it down. She breaks down the unglamorous side of entrepreneurship,…

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Neil Parikh (Casper, Slingshot AI) on Using AI for Emotional Wellbeing, Lessons from Cofounding Casper and Finding Winning Angel Investments 56:47

1M ago56:47

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By Social Currency

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Episode 237: ENCOURAGEMENT | The Transformative Power of Personal Stories | MANNA MASHUP a soul food collection ❖ 237 1:17:06

2M ago1:17:06

1:17:06

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself. –Alan Alda EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Confront the Source of Doubt: When you question if your prayers are working, stop and ask, "Who told me it wasn't working?" The answer is fear, and your perf…

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Episode 236: How God and You Celebrate YOU: In a World that is Distracted and Oblivious ❖ 236 30:18

2M ago30:18

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You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop." — Rumi, 13th-century Persian Sufi mystic, poet, and scholar. SHOW NOTES 🎙️ Episode Highlights Divine Delight vs. Worldly Approval: Your intrinsic worth is established by God's choice to "take great delight in you," an unconditional joy that completely overrides the world's distra…

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Jeep’s Flop Era? 14:50

2M ago14:50

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Today, Sammi unpacks the dramatic meltdown of the Jeep brand. Once a cultural symbol that survived world wars and recessions, Jeep’s market share has now plunged to historic lows. Behind the scenes: a billionaire family dynasty, leadership obsessed with margins over customers, and a string of decisions so poor they’ll likely become a business schoo…

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Julia Hartz (Eventbrite) on Taking a Company Public, Leading Through Crisis and the Future of Live Events 1:08:58

2M ago1:08:58

1:08:58

Julia Hartz co-founded Eventbrite in 2006 with a bold vision: make ticketing accessible for anyone creating an event. Nearly two decades later, she’s still at the helm as CEO, having taken the company public in 2018 and steered it through one of the toughest crises imaginable—the pandemic, when live events disappeared overnight. In this episode, Ju…

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Inside the Protein Boom: The $1.2 Billion Bet Reshaping What We Eat 12:22

2M ago12:22

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Why is everything from your Starbucks drink to your popcorn now enhanced with extra protein? With 61% of Americans increasing their protein intake last year, cottage cheese sales skyrocketing 20%, and Starbucks rolling out drinks with 36 grams of protein, it’s clear this isn’t a fad—it’s a seismic shift in how we eat. Sammi explores the cultural, m…

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Episode 235: The GOSPEL of IMMORTALITY : Michael C. King on Living a "Curious" Faith ❖ 235 1:04:37

2M ago1:04:37

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"If the thief is for death, loss, and destruction, but Jesus is after life, it is elsewhere said that death is an enemy. We're seeing that's the work of the thief. Then Jesus is only about life. That's all he's ever been about." —Michael C. King SHOW NOTES Episode Highlights Death is an enemy: Do not be complacent with death or decay in any form. J…

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Maria Davidson (Kojo) on Record-Breaking Fundraising, Building a $4B Platform and Breaking Barriers in Construction 1:04:20

2M ago1:04:20

1:04:20

Maria Davidson is making construction procurement cool— and a billion-dollar business. After studying philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford and a stint in venture capital, Maria set her sights on one of the least “sexy” industries imaginable: construction. What started with her hustling for meetings by showing up at job sites with pizza has…

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Episode 234: Having PEACE | stories of Triggers, Trust and Taming the Inner Life | MANNA MASHUP a soul food collection ❖ 234 1:12:34

2M ago1:12:34

1:12:34

"Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away." — Robert Fulghum EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Peace Requires Surrender: True peace is achieved when we surrender our need to be right in favor of living in a state of peace, both with God and with others. The Power of Understandin…

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Are Membership Clubs Dead? 11:09

2M ago11:09

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From London’s 17th-century gentleman’s clubs to the meteoric rise of Soho House, private membership clubs have always been about more than cocktails and couches—they’re cultural status symbols. But as Soho House goes private again in a $2.7 billion deal, the playbook for exclusivity is being rewritten. Today, Sammi unpacks the cracks in the traditi…

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Episode 233: BEYOND REACTION: Don't Underestimate the Kindness of God ❖ 233 39:18

2M ago39:18

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"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." — Martin Luther King Jr. SHOW NOTES EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS You can be spiritually brave without being spiritually venomous. True power is found in choosing love over fear. A "Clarence" mentality—steadfast, kind, and traditional—is the spiritual antidote to a chaotic world. "Keep Y…

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Vanessa Dew (Health-Ade Kombucha): From Farmers' Markets to a $500M Empire, Life After an Exit and Fundraising 101 52:13

3M ago52:13

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From hand-bottling kombucha in an apartment kitchen to building a $500 million brand sold in tens of thousands of stores across the country, Vanessa Dew didn’t just build a company— she built a movement. As the co-founder of Health-Ade Kombucha, Vanessa turned a niche wellness drink into a household name, all while keeping true to the company’s art…

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Episode 232: Hope The Lifeline We Need Now | MANNA MASHUP soul food collection ❖ 232 1:05:38

2M ago1:05:38

1:05:38

“With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.” —Dr. Martin Luther King Episode Highlights Hope as a Lifeline: The episode frames hope not as a passive wish, but as an active, vital force—a lifeline that is more essential now than ever before. The Power of Spiritual Truth in History: The discussion explores…

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Episode 231: The Secret PASSWORD in God | a Listener Comment ❖ 231 32:10

3M ago32:10

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"The true password is not a secret. It's a person." —Kristen Wambach SHOW NOTES Episode Highlights Doubt vs. Proof: Our desire for a "password" can be a way of trying to control God, rather than trusting in Him. Jesus Is the Password: The true password isn’t a secret; it’s a person, Jesus, who has been openly revealed as the way to God. Praise Is a…

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3 Lessons from Amazon That Changed My Business 12:15

3M ago12:15

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Today, Sammi’s doing something a little different. She’s pulling back the curtain on her five years at Amazon—and the lessons she’s bringing with her as she builds Social Currency. Sammi breaks down the three Amazon frameworks that really work: customer obsession (yes, the empty chair in meetings is real), the fiery but brilliant “disagree and comm…

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Alli Webb (Drybar) on Selling for $255M, Second Acts, and Embracing the Messy Truth 1:03:34

3M ago1:03:34

1:03:34

What do you do after creating a $255 million brand that reshaped an entire industry? If you’re Alli Webb, founder of Drybar, you sell it, rebuild, and then launch something even more personal. Sammi and Alli go deep into the scrappy early days of Drybar, the chaos of scaling to hundreds of locations, and the bittersweet reality of selling your life…

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Episode 230: The Alabaster Box of CHANGE | MANNA MASHUP: a Soul Food Collection ❖ 230 1:19:09

3M ago1:19:09

1:19:09

"We can change. We can allow our spirits, our bodies, our souls to embrace change." —Kristen Wambach MANNA MASHUP HIGHLIGHTS Change as a Spiritual Journey: Seasons of change, whether difficult or exciting, are opportunities for Christian spiritual growth. They can lead us into the very answers we've been praying for. The Power of Worship: Mary's an…

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The Denim War: How American Eagle, Gap, and Lucky Brand Turned Jeans into Culture and Controversy 11:22

3M ago11:22

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This summer, denim wasn't just a fashion statement—it was a battlefield. Today, Sammi unpacks how American Eagle, Gap, and Lucky Brand launched three wildly different campaigns that turned jeans into a referendum on identity, controversy, and cultural capital. From American Eagle’s headline-grabbing Sydney Sweeney campaign to Gap’s inclusive girl-b…

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Episode 229: Resilience and Faith: The Journey of a Single Mom with Gail Showalter ❖ 229 51:56

3M ago51:56

51:56

"The strongest women I’ve met are single mothers. Their resilience is a testament to what courage looks like in real life." – Gail Showalter SHOW NOTES EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Gail's journey as a single mom showcases resilience and faith. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Single mothers can find support through community and education…

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Bill Ready (Pinterest) on Social Media’s “Big Tobacco” Moment, Growing Pinterest to 578M Users, and What Gen Z Really Wants 1:04:52

3M ago1:04:52

1:04:52

Bill Ready has never been afraid to make big bets—and at Pinterest, those bets are paying off. Since becoming CEO, he’s doubled down on building a healthier internet: one where all accounts under 16 are private by default, AI is tuned for positivity, and users come away inspired instead of exhausted. Today, Sammi sits down with Bill to trace his jo…