059: Christina Guillen — The Impact of Skipping the Vital Startup Phase

A behind-the-scenes conversation about what it actually looks like to build in the startup phase — and why so much mainstream business advice misses the reality of what early-stage practitioners actually need.In this episode, I’m joined by Christina Guillen, facilitator, community builder, and founder of Thriving Women in Leadership, where she creates spaces for women to connect, grow, and build momentum through conversation, strategy, and support.What we explored:• Why relationship-building still outperforms isolation-based business building• The difference between startup-stage needs and growth-stage advice• Building trust in a world shaped by AI, noise, and digital overwhelm• Using curiosity, pivots, and experimentation to refine an offer in real time• The systems Christina wishes she had built earlierSo many practitioners assume something is wrong when a growth strategy doesn’t work — when often the real issue is that they’re being given advice for a phase of business they haven’t reached yet.Christina’s links:→ Website: https://thrivevive.com/→ Programs: https://thrivingwomeninleadership.com/https://momentumaccelerator.co/https://survivortothriving.com/homeSophie’s links:👁️ Work with me: bio.site/ren.wellbeing👁️ Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ren.wellbeing/👁️ Everything else: https://www.ren-wellbeing.com/🤍