PODCAST · business
Mimir
by Maddie Kelley
Mimir exists to support early-stage founders. The early stage is the most critical, lonely, and underserved moment in a founder's journey, and almost nobody shows up for it. I do, because I'm living it too. Through Mimir the podcast, and The Well on Substack, I bring honest stories from fellow founders who are still operating in this messy middle. Not just the highlight reel, but the unfiltered reality, because no one should build alone.
Episodes
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Growing at a speed you can survive with Eduardo Aguirre
Eduardo Aguirre built a WhatsApp food ordering system for a friend in seven days. Ninety days later he had 300 customers, $450,000 in revenue, and a fleet of motorcycles he'd taken loans out to buy. That's the number that makes you feel like you've made it. It's also the number that almost ended...
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How to build a company VCs chase, with Kristin Oja, Founder of STAT Wellness
Kristin Oja was born in the middle of a thunderstorm. Her mom likes to tell that story, because as Kristin says, raising her was its own kind of storm. Early on Kristin and her mom had a deal. All of her intensity had to go somewhere useful, and here is where it went: in seven years of building a...
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How to build in public without torching your brand – A practical 4 step framework to creating content
Three people warned me off building in public in the span of five days. My fiancé, a fellow founder friend, and a TikTok that landed in my inbox from a founder swearing it off for good. It sent me down a rabbit hole, because I couldn't tell if being transparent about building my skincare company...
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You have nothing without a unique POV, with Neha Shah founder of Diaspora Nutrition
Neha Shah built her business on speaking her truth. When she emigrated from India to the US, her body stopped cooperating. Her digestion suffered, she broke out in cystic acne, and for a while she thought she'd simply become a bad cook. The doctors weren't much help. They sent her to one…
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Lauren Kleban, Founder of LEKFIT, on building a company that’s ruthlessly you
Lauren Kleban started her career as a professional dancer. She moved to Las Vegas and booked a show at the Paris Hotel. But like every Vegas dancer, that wasn't her only gig. She was stacking five jobs at once, showing up to a 10am audition after a job that ended at 3am. As a dancer, no one hands...
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We made it to episode 100
It's been a long time coming. For 100 episodes I've sat across from founders and asked them how they built their businesses. For this one, it's just me, looking back at three years of doing this and asking the question I've been asked a million times: what was it all for? When I started Mimir in…
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You can't pour from an empty cup with Ashley Presti, Founder of Blended Bond
Ashley Presti never set out to build a company. But Blended Bond grew out of a problem she was actively living, blending two families under one roof. Unsurprisingly, her business succeeded for the same reasons her family did: she asked the hard questions, stayed intentional, leaned on the people...
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An overnight success takes 9 years with Connie Lo, co-founder of Three Ships Beauty
Today’s episode is a real pinch me moment. I was a Three Ships customer before I knew Connie Lo's name. I absolutely love their Jelly Drops for the most amazing glow and their soft serve lip balm before bed. I found Three Ships at Credo Beauty, one of my favorite places for truly clean products.…
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What rapid, enviable growth actually costs with Colin McIntosh, founder of Sheets and Giggles
Colin McIntosh started Sheets and Giggles in 2017 and scaled it to $1.4 million per month by 2020. Last November, after eight years of building through COVID, supply chain crises, and a 2025 tariff shock that killed his first acquisition deal three days after Liberation Day, he sold the company.…
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Allie Stark on becoming a relaxed founder who still gets what she wants
I don’t know about you guys but 2026 for me is certainly earning it’s title as year of the fire horse. I truly feel like I’ve been riding a fire breathing horse bareback at full speed. I’m just here holding onto the mane for dear life and he’s burning down what use to be. If you feel the same…
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Danielle Brooks: From the margins to the main thing, on how she grew Honey Truck from one hive to luxury brand.
Today I'm sitting down with Danielle Brooks, the founder of Honey Truck, a boutique honey brand. Danielle and I met through a podcast matching platform. In her pitch to me she told me that Honey Truck was built in the margins of her life. She didn't have the luxury of building fast, so she had to...
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How Your Reformer grew from a COVID workaround to a global business with Emma Stallworthy
If you’re a female founder then you’ll probably know this feeling all too well. You’re trying to launch a business but you’re also thinking about getting married, starting a family and it feels like the sand is slipping through the hourglass knowing that neither is going to stop and wait for you....
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Why your social media "strategy" isn't working with Emma Tessler, Founder of Ninety Five Media
Most founders sit down to post on social media and go completely blank. But I have good news! You don’t actually have a content problem, you have a clarity problem. At my 9-5 creating content is easy because someone handed me the mission, I’ve learned the market well enough to know exactly what...
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How to validate your idea with zero technical experience, with Rashmi Aimiuwu founder of Givva
Rashmi Aimiuwu moved from Canada to Silicon Valley. The literal epicenter of tech, and spent months quietly wondering if she had any business being there. No engineering degree. No startup experience. Just 17 years in commercial real estate marketing and a growing frustration with birthday…
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The uncomfortable truths of entrepreneurship with Irene Saliendra
Today’s conversation is about the uncomfortable truths of entrepreneurship. Something every early stage founder needs to get familiar with. I’m sitting down with Irene Saliendra, a serial founder who has built across multiple industries, from sustainable fashion to women’s health tech, and now…
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Turning empathy into industry disruption with Samantha Diamond, Co-Founder of Bird&Be
Today’s guest is Samantha Diamond, co-founder of Bird&Be, a reproductive health company built alongside fertility doctors to help people be proactive about their fertility — from “trimester zero” through pregnancy and postpartum. What I learned from Sam is that empathy, when embedded into how you...
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Why productivity hacks won’t save you (habits need more than discipline)
I originally wrote this piece as a Substack essay, but as we head into 2026, aka the season of vision boards and productivity hacks, I wanted to bring it to the podcast too. This topic has been sitting with me for a long time because I think so many of us struggle with the same fear: Why am I not...
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Why your email list should be a top priority in 2026, and how to build it with Kieryn Wang, Founder of ALLMOST
I once heard one of my favorite founders say that despite her huge social following, the channel that actually moves her business forward is her email list. Most of us already know email matters. But how many of us truly understand why? I brought Kieryn Wang, Founder of ALLMOST, to the podcast to...
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Turning “mission-driven” from a tagline into an operating system with Kat Dey, Co-Founder of Ettitude
If you’re building something mission-driven, you know the real challenge isn’t choosing between purpose and profit, it’s learning how to honor both at the same time. We talk about “values” and “purpose” like they’re complicated strategies. But one of the things that really landed for me in this...
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The founder’s guide to building consistency, online community, and trust with yourself, featuring Jon Levesque, Founder of Seeq
Jon Levesque spent three years posting every single Tuesday and Thursday without missing a day. If he had vacations, he’d plan ahead. If he wanted a break, he built a backlog. That level of consistency grew into a global community and a career at Microsoft and DocuSign. But what happens when the...
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The moment the dream becomes real: How to grow into the role your business asks of you with Bryce DeCora, Founder of CloseBot
Something I’ve come to learn about founders is that, for most of them, even if this path wasn’t their first choice, they’d still tell you they wouldn’t trade it for anything. They’ll also be the first to admit it’s really hard — that this path asks more of them than they thought they had to give....
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The investigative mindset every founder needs with Tamara Laine, Founder of MPWR
Dinner dishes soaking in the sink, kids tucked into their routines — that’s where my conversation with Tamara Laine began. Which felt fitting, because so much of her story is about weaving the everyday chaos of life with the wild, exhilarating act of building something new. Before she was a...
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The art of becoming your own expert with Eleanor Mooney, Co-Founder of Verdant
Some businesses begin with a market analysis or a spreadsheet. Verdant began with a friendship, a love of lingerie, and a belief that what we wear closest to our skin should move with us through every version of ourselves. My guest today, Eleanor, co-founded Verdant in New York alongside her…
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Bringing soul back to scale with Shahd Asaly, founder of Blue Meets Blue
In this episode, I sit down with Shahd Asaly founder of Blue Meets Blue, a slow-fashion line that employs refugee artisans and weaves humanitarian values into every stitch. Shahd’s journey, from a background in psychology and trauma research to building a purpose-driven fashion company, quickly...
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Why doing good is a good business plan with Christian LeFer, Founder of Instant Non-Profit
I am passionate about entrepreneurship because business is more than a product or chasing profit. I believe entrepreneurship is a vehicle for shaping the world we want to live in — because every choice we make as founders, from the products we create to the cultures we build, has a ripple effect....
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The business case for trust, with Arielle Loupos, Founder of Flower Girl
This episode is about what happens when you trust yourself enough to do things differently. At the most fundamental level — your body, your intuition, your customers — it’s all about trust. I’m sitting down with Arielle Loupos. Her founder journey is a masterclass in restraint and trust. Where...
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Above the Line: Leading with Love, Truth, and Courage with Carolyn Cooper
If you’re tuning in today and you’re feeling stuck, heavy, or unsure about your next step… this conversation could change it all. And I’m not saying that to be hyperbolic. That’s exactly what Carolyn Cooper did for me. Carolyn is a love-inspired leader — and when I say that, I don’t mean it in…
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When You’re Thrown In, You Swim: How Amy Zalneraitis Scaled We Feed Raw into a Category Leader
It started as a small kitchen operation, hand-delivering meals to local dog owners in the Texas heat. No fancy warehouse. No marketing team. No plan to take on the billion-dollar pet food industry. Then, in an instant, everything changed. Amy Zalneraitis found herself holding the keys to a…
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Accidentally on purpose: Starting a PR agency by trusting your gut with Liv Dellanno of Mystik PR
Most founders spend months trying to figure out how to “get press.” But when Liv Dellanno stumbled into PR, it wasn’t part of a polished business plan—it was a gut feeling, a TikTok following, and a Google search. Liv is the founder of Mystik PR, a modern press agency that works with emerging...
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The unexpected lessons entrepreneurship teaches us with Anya Cheng, Founder of Taelor Style
Founders who leave an already successful career often surprise people. Why walk away from the comfort of a strong corporate trajectory? Why step into the unknown—into something most people shy away from? Entrepreneurship is one of the hardest paths you can take. It’s all-consuming, sometimes...
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When doing it alone stops working: hiring, modern leadership, and letting go with Emily Bronaugh
As a founder, you’ll inevitably hit the point where you realize: you can’t do this alone. Maybe your customer base has outgrown you. Maybe you need expertise beyond your own. Either way, what comes after that realization is often daunting. So, I’m sitting down with Emily Bronaugh, founder of…
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Branding Without the Bullsh*t: Stacy Thal on Storytelling, Strategy, and Saying What You Mean
Stacy Thal is the kind of person you want in your corner—clear, grounded, and honest in a way that cuts through the noise. She’s built a career most people only dream about: writing for Francis Ford Coppola, working inside brands like Google and Walmart, and eventually buying a home for herself…
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The Power of a Good Question: Kate Terentieva on Curiosity, Founder Fit, and Building Off the Record
This episode is about the question that could change everything. I sit down with Kate Terentieva, the founder of Off the Record, a conversation card game that’s become a cult favorite among creatives, teams, and founders alike. But this isn’t a story about going viral or scaling fast. It’s a…
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How to Build a Loyal Community When You’re Starting from Zero with Elina Panteleyeva, founder of Dood Woof
Every founder knows that community is important. But building one—from scratch, without funding, and without an already loyal group of Instagram followers—is easier said than done. Speaking from years of being an influencer wannabe, I can say with confidence that this is one of the hardest…
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How Founders Can Use ChatGPT to Offload Low-Value Work and Focus on What Matters
You’ve probably heard that ChatGPT can help you write an email or brainstorm ideas—but what if I could show you that it can do so much more? In this solo episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on how I use GPT as a second brain—not just for productivity, but for clarity. When you’re juggling a...
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The Truth for 99% of Founders: Cindy Ip, Founder of Habitude, on Building Slowly, Honestly, and On Your Own Terms
If you’ve ever worked late, poured your own money into something you believe in, and still felt like you’re screaming into the void—this one’s for you. In this episode, I sit down with Cindy Ip, the founder of Habitude, a skincare studio in Toronto that’s part beauty bar, part emotional reset...
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Scaling Isn’t Sexy—But Here’s How To Build Great Startups
I think we can all agree—startups get glamorized. Social media makes founder life look effortless. Making your own hours? Working from the beach? Making enough money to do both of those things? It sounds amazing. But most of what it takes to actually get to that point is not sexy. It’s hard...
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Why Founders Are Wired Differently—And How to Use It to Your Advantage—with Marina Morgan
If you’ve ever felt like your brain just works differently as a founder—like the highs are higher, the pressure is heavier, and your decision-making never really turns off—you are not imagining it. This week’s episode dives into exactly why that is. We hear it all the time: founders are built...
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Building a Business (and Life) You Actually Love with Jennifer Tsay, Co-Founder of Shoott
What does it really take to build a business that flips an entire industry on its head—and survive the emotional rollercoaster that comes with it? In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Tsay, co-founder of Shoott, a platform that’s radically changing how photographers—and eventually, all kinds...
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How to Compete with Giants: Dexory’s Oana Jinga on Grit, Growth, and Gaining Market Trust
I first met Oana Jinga at Manifest, where she was speaking on a panel about women in supply chain—and I immediately knew I needed to bring her on the show. Her story isn’t just impressive—it’s a masterclass in reinvention, resilience, and bold thinking. Oana started her career in PR, then moved...
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Can AI Fix Fashion? Rethinking Over-Consumption with Couth’s Founder, Sajna Massey
The fashion industry has historically faced challenges like: overproduction, waste, and surface-level sustainability, that have thus far been somewhat impossible to fix. These issues are baked into the system—and new brands often unknowingly repeat the same harmful patterns. But with the…
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What Retail Can Learn from Tech with Nina Ligon, Founder of Generation Sport
This one’s for the builders who care about more than product-market fit—who want their work to make people feel understood. Nina is the founder and CEO of Generation Sport—a performance apparel brand designed specifically for women athletes. She’s also a former Olympic equestrian, a product...
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How Great Leaders Build Scalable Companies (Without Losing Their Vision) with Karen Betancourt
How do you build a company that runs like a well oiled machine—without falling into the common startup traps of bad hiring, unnecessary tech, and chasing VC money that derails your vision? Karen Betancourt has seen it all. She’s led billion-dollar logistics operations at Amazon, Walmart, and...
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INTERACTIVE SOLO EPISODE: Break Through Imposter Syndrome
Today we’re going to be talking about the biggest reason many businesses fail… and it isn’t funding, competition, or even the product—it’s their founder not believing they deserve to succeed. And don’t just take it from me—the numbers back this up. 78% of business owners report experiencing...
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How to Build a Financially Sustainable Business from Day One with Phil McGilvray
Managing money as an entrepreneur isn’t just about making sales—it’s about ensuring you can actually keep the money you earn. This struggle is REAL for early founders which is why I’m sitting down with Phil McGilvray. He’s on a mission to help business owners get their finances in order, using...
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SOLO EPISODE: The reality of conferences - lessons from my first event
I’m taking you behind the scenes of my first-ever conference experience! Manifest is a major supply chain and logistics event focused on innovation, and I attended not just to learn but to grow Mimir, make valuable connections, and test the power of in-person events for early-stage founders. I’m...
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Beyond The Art of Shaving: How Eric Malka Built a Brand, Sold It, and Found a New Purpose
When Eric Malka co-founded The Art of Shaving, he wasn’t just launching a brand—he was reshaping an entire industry. With a relentless drive and a deep belief in natural skincare, he built one of the most recognizable luxury grooming brands, ultimately selling it to Procter & Gamble. But after...
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How Gary Arndt Built a 1.5M Monthly Download Podcast Without Chasing Social Media Clout
When the pandemic shut down the travel industry overnight, most travel bloggers scrambled to pivot—but few did it as successfully as Gary Arndt. With over a decade of experience as a travel photographer and blogger, Gary had already built a massive social media following. But when he launched his...
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SOLO EPISODE: Creating Systems To Save Time, Reduce Stress, and Move The Needle
Today, we’re diving into a topic that has completely transformed how I work and how I manage my time as an entrepreneur: creating systems for success. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to juggle it all—emails, content creation, client work, finances, or just keeping track of your…
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The Supply Chain Has Never Been Sexier with Katie Date, Founder of Women in Supply Chain
COVID-19 changed everything for everyone, but no industry was as dramatically impacted as the supply chain. The pandemic brought supply chain issues to the forefront, helping people understand not just what the industry is, but also how stagnant it had become. Now we're in an exciting time where...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Mimir exists to support early-stage founders. The early stage is the most critical, lonely, and underserved moment in a founder's journey, and almost nobody shows up for it. I do, because I'm living it too. Through Mimir the podcast, and The Well on Substack, I bring honest stories from fellow founders who are still operating in this messy middle. Not just the highlight reel, but the unfiltered reality, because no one should build alone.
HOSTED BY
Maddie Kelley
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Mimir have?
Mimir currently has 106 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Mimir about?
Mimir exists to support early-stage founders. The early stage is the most critical, lonely, and underserved moment in a founder's journey, and almost nobody shows up for it. I do, because I'm living it too. Through Mimir the podcast, and The Well on Substack, I bring honest stories from fellow...
How often does Mimir release new episodes?
Mimir publishes regularly with 106 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Mimir?
You can listen to Mimir on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Mimir?
Mimir is created and hosted by Maddie Kelley.
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