Unhinged Founder

LauraAura built a branding agency for 16 years… then sold it and started completely over as a keynote speaker and coach. In this conversation, she and Melinda Jackson go deep on people-pleasing, identity shifts, trusting yourself when it doesn't make sense on paper, and why the pay-to-speak model is garbage. Also: beef in a sports bra went LinkedIn-viral, and it actually says something important about personal branding. Come for the business talk, stay for the chaos.Unhinged Founder Ep. 18 LinksConnect with LauraAura—lauraaura.com— https://www.instagram.com/thatlauraaura/— The Gutsy PodcastConnect with Melinda Jackson: — https://melindajacksonpr.com — https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr — https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonprPodcast Production: — https://airwavearcade.com#WomenInBusiness #CareerPivot #PeoplePleasing #FemaleFounder #TrustYourGut #EntrepreneurMindset

Building a business as a female founder can feel isolating, overwhelming, and misunderstood—but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, Crissy Fishbane, co-founder of Her Healthollective, shares how she built a thriving community for moms while navigating burnout, boundaries, and the emotional weight of entrepreneurship.We dive into the real challenges women in business face: loneliness, people-pleasing, client relationships, and the pressure to be everything for everyone. Chrissy breaks down how to build a community-driven business, create meaningful connections, and lead with intention without losing yourself in the process.Unhinged Founder Ep. 17 LinksConnect with Emily Burnette— https://herhealthcollective.com/— https://www.instagram.com/her_healthcollective/— Mama Needs A Moment PodcastConnect with Melinda Jackson: — https://melindajacksonpr.com — https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr — https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonprPodcast Production: — https://airwavearcade.com#femaleentrepreneur #womeninbusiness #femalefounders #entrepreneurlife #businessgrowth #mompreneur #leadership

Your wardrobe might be saying more about your business than you realize.In this episode of Unhinged Founder, Melinda sits down with personal stylist and color consultant Emily Burnette to unpack how personal style influences confidence, leadership presence, and personal branding for women in business.Emily spent years working in the fashion industry in both New York and Los Angeles, styling clients, working with luxury brands, and navigating the intense world of celebrity fashion. Now she helps women entrepreneurs and professionals develop a style that reflects who they are and where they’re going in their careers.Melinda and Emily talk about the psychology behind clothing, why color analysis has exploded again online, and how women can use style as a tool for visibility and confidence in business.They also get honest about the darker side of the fashion industry, the pressure inside celebrity styling, and why so many people misunderstand what a real stylist actually does.Unhinged Founder Ep. 16 LinksConnect with Emily Burnette— https://emilyburnette.com— https://www.instagram.com/emilyburnettestylist— https://www.tiktok.com/@emilyburnettestylistConnect with Melinda Jackson: — https://melindajacksonpr.com — https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr — https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonprPodcast Production: — https://airwavearcade.com#WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #WomenEntrepreneurs #PersonalBranding#WomenInLeadership #FemaleCEO #EntrepreneurLife

Building a personal brand as a female founder can feel uncomfortable, awkward, and even terrifying. Most women entrepreneurs know they need to show up online, but few actually feel confident doing it.In this episode of Unhinged Founder, Melinda sits down with brand storytelling photographer Roxanne Engstrom to talk about the real reason so many women in business struggle with visibility, personal branding, and showing up confidently online.Roxanne shares how she went from teacher to international storyteller and photographer after living overseas in East Africa, and how that journey shaped her approach to ethical storytelling and brand photography for women entrepreneurs.They dive deep into the reality of building a business while raising kids, navigating burnout, pivoting careers, imposter syndrome, pricing your work, and the pressure female founders feel to look successful online. Roxanne also explains why most brand photos fail, what actually makes personal branding work in 2026, and how female CEOs can show up with clarity, confidence, and authenticity.Unhinged Founder Ep. 15 LinksConnect with Roxanne Engstrom:— https://hawaimages.com— https://www.instagram.com/hawaimages— https://www.instagram.com/roxengstromConnect with Melinda Jackson:— https://melindajacksonpr.com— https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr— https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonprPodcast Production:— https://airwavearcade.com#WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #WomenEntrepreneurs #PersonalBranding #FemaleCEO #EntrepreneurMindset #WomenSupportingWomen

Reinventing your life after divorce as a female founder isn’t reckless — it’s radical self-trust. It’s choosing alignment over comfort, identity over conditioning, and courage over staying small. In this episode, Melinda sits down with Jackie Smythe to talk about what it actually looks like to leave a 13-year marriage, sell everything you own, move to Tulum, and rebuild your life and business from scratch at 41.Jackie shares her journey from building a successful fitness brand in New York and Philadelphia to burning out, discovering human design, and stepping fully into a new chapter as a transformational entrepreneur. They talk about people-pleasing, emotional regulation, self-worth, money mindset, starting over after 40, and why so many women in business stay in situations long after they’ve outgrown them.They also get into identity shifts, nervous system regulation, trusting your intuition, moving abroad, building community as a female founder, and what happens when you finally stop modifying yourself to make everyone else comfortable.Unhinged Founder Ep. 14 Links:Connect:— Jackie Smythe’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/iamjackiesmythe— Melinda Jackson Public Relations: https://melindajacksonpr.com— MJPR’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr— Melinda Jackson’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonpr— Airwave Arcade (Podcast Production): www.airwavearcade.com#WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #WomenEntrepreneurs #FemaleCEO #StartingOverAt40 #DivorceRecovery #EntrepreneurLife

Building an authentic brand as a woman founder isn’t about beige websites and copy-paste marketing formulas; it’s about unlearning the bro-marketing playbook and showing up fully as yourself. In this episode, Melinda sits down with brand strategist Hunter Myers to talk about what it actually takes to build a business that feels aligned, profitable, and real.Hunter shares her journey from corporate design to launching her own branding agency, the pressure women face in the “girl boss” era, and why so many female entrepreneurs feel stuck trying to follow someone else’s blueprint. They get into imposter syndrome, MLM culture, overpriced masterminds, personal branding, dating-as-marketing analogies, and why relational marketing will outlast every hype trend in 2026 and beyond.Unhinged Founder Ep. 13 Links:Connect with Hunter & Verdure Design Co.:— https://verduredesignco.com/— https://www.instagram.com/verduredesignco/— https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunter-myers-verduredesignco/— https://www.linkedin.com/company/verdure-design-co/— Melinda’s Website: https://melindajacksonpr.com— Melinda’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr— Melinda’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonpr— Airwave Arcade (Podcast Production): www.airwavearcade.com#WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #WomenEntrepreneurs #PersonalBranding #AuthenticMarketing #FemaleCEO #EntrepreneurLife

Building a company isn’t glamorous; it’s chaotic, exhausting, and completely consuming. In this episode, Melinda sits down with agency founder Kristen O’Neall to talk about the real, unfiltered reality of entrepreneurship, scaling a business, and what it actually takes to grow something from nothing.Kristen shares how she went from intern to CEO, built Mirage Media into a global agency, and why she believes founders need obsession, grit, and a strong “why” to survive. They get into burnout, sleepless nights, client horror stories, scaling teams, and the truth behind the “girl boss” internet narrative.Unhinged Founder Ep. 12 Links:Connect with Kristen & Mirage Media:— hhttps://miragemediaco.com/— https://www.instagram.com/_miragemedia/—https://www.linkedin.com/company/mirage-media-co/— https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-o-neall-36a139172/— Melinda’s Website: https://melindajacksonpr.com— Melinda’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr— Melinda’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonpr— Airwave Arcade (Podcast Production): www.airwavearcade.com

What’s it really like writing TV in Hollywood... behind the scenes, on the lot, under pressure, with rewrites happening in real time?In this episode of Unhinged Founder, Melinda sits down with TV writer Will Griffin to talk about his career in film and television, his path into the Warner Bros Writers Program, and what it was like working on Fuller House (yes… that Full House universe).They get into the chaos of Hollywood assistant life, what writing rooms are actually like, surviving the entertainment grind, celebrity stories, and why the industry hasn’t felt the same since the writer strikes + streaming disruption.Unhinged Founder Ep. 11 Links:— Will’s Website: https://will-griffin.com— Will’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-griffin-3aa801221/— Melinda’s Website: https://melindajacksonpr.com— Melinda’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr— Melinda’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonpr— Airwave Arcade (Podcast Production): www.airwavearcade.com#UnhingedFounder #HollywoodWriter #TVWriting #EntertainmentIndustry #WritersRoom #CreativeCareers #fullerhouse

If you run a client-based business, the scariest part of taking time off isn’t the vacation… it’s wondering if your clients will still be there when you come back.In this episode, Melinda sits down with Leisha Thompson, founder of The Traveling Hairstylists, a company that helps appointment-based professionals step away for maternity leave, medical leave, surgery, or unexpected life events… without losing the clients they worked years to build.Leisha shares how she built a travel-based coverage team, why client retention is the real asset, and how she’s creating a whole new model of support for service-business owners across the country.Unhinged Founder Ep. 10 Links:— The Traveling Hairstylists Website: https://www.thetravelinghairstylists.com/— The Traveling Hairstylists Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetraveling.hairstylists— Melinda’s Website: https://melindajacksonpr.com— Melinda’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr— Melinda’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonpr— Airwave Arcade (Podcast Production): www.airwavearcade.com#TheTravelingHairstylist #HairstylistLife #BeautyBusiness #WomenInBusiness#FemaleEntrepreneurship #Entrepreneurship #SalonOwner #MaternityLeave

Lynda Leonce, founder of Live From Your Truth, shares how she walked away from a high-paying IT career and a life that looked perfect on paper to build a business rooted in authenticity, intuition, and alignment. In this episode, Melinda and Lynda unpack what it really means to live from your truth, why so many women feel disconnected even when they “have it all,” and how small mindset shifts can completely change your life.They talk about intuition, inner alignment, manifestation, boundaries, healing old patterns, and how to stop running on autopilot. Lynda also shares tools for staying present, breaking out of old programming, and reconnecting with who you really are especially during stressful seasons like the holidays.Unhinged Founder Ep. 9 Links:— Lynda’s Website: https://www.livefromyourtruth.com— Lynda’s Book: https://amzn.to/3NGOv1Q— Melinda’s Website: https://melindajacksonpr.com— Melinda’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr— Melinda’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonpr— Airwave Arcade (Podcast Production): www.airwavearcade.com#LiveFromYourTruth #AuthenticityCoach #WomensGrowth #PersonalDevelopment #SelfAlignment #Intuition #Mindset

Stephanie Hall (Occupational Therapist) and Tisha Shah (Speech-Language Pathologist), co-founders of TheraFriends Community Partnership, share why they launched a nonprofit to fix the gaps in pediatric therapy access. They break down what occupational therapy and speech therapy really are, how insurance creates massive barriers for families, and why early intervention is critical for child development.In this episode, Melinda Jackson talks with Stephanie and Tisha about building a nonprofit healthcare organization from scratch, the realities of insurance vs. private pay, neurodiversity-affirming care, and why schools alone often can’t meet kids’ therapy needs. They also discuss virtual therapy in North Carolina, sliding-scale goals, fundraising challenges, and how communities and businesses can support families who need care the most.Unhinged Founder Ep. 7 Links:— TheraFriends Community Partnership: https://therafriendscommunity.org— TheraFriends on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therafriendscommunity— TheraFriends on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therafriendscommunity— TheraFriends on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/therafriends-community-partnership— Melinda’s Website: https://melindajacksonpr.com— Melinda’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr— Melinda’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonpr— Airwave Arcade: www.airwavearcade.com#OccupationalTherapy #SpeechTherapy #PediatricTherapy #EarlyIntervention #NeurodiversityAffirming #NonprofitHealthcare #TherapyAccess #ChildDevelopment #DisabilityAdvocacy #InclusiveHealthcare #HealthcareReform #TheraFriends #WomenFounders #CommunityCare

Lauren Courtney, an energy healer, medium, and author, shares the moment everything shifted: from losing her first love to discovering her spiritual gifts, healing deep-rooted trauma, and learning how the body holds decades of fight-or-flight. Lauren explains her journey from corporate life to Holy Fire Reiki, mediumship, sobriety, and the medical revelation that unlocked her intuition after 41 years.Melinda and Lauren dive into religious trauma, spiritual deconstruction, and how Christianity, Judaism, intuition, and “woo woo” culture overlap more than people think. They talk about boundaries with the spirit world, healing through food, emotional regulation, and the hidden cost of ignoring your body’s signals. Lauren also reveals how she built a six-figure healing business, why she self-published her book Glow Up Your Chakras, and the spiritual guidance that told her: “God handles my algorithm.”Unhinged Founder Ep. 7 Links:— Lauren’s Website: https://laurencourtneyheals.com— Lauren’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamlaurencourtney— Lauren’s Book: Glow Up Your Chakras: https://amzn.to/3Mk3Sg7— Melinda’s Website: https://melindajacksonpr.com— Melinda’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/melindajacksonpr— Melinda’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/melindajacksonpr— Airwave Arcade: www.airwavearcade.com#SpiritualAwakening #ReikiHealing #IntuitionDevelopment #MediumshipJourney #TraumaHealing #HolyFireReiki #EnergyHealing #ReligiousTrauma #MindBodyConnection #MelindaJackson #LaurenCourtney

Lisa Huff, founder of Stylist Soul Tribe, shares her wild journey: from making only $8,000 a year at a Walmart salon to becoming a successful Mastermind CEO and business coach. Hear how Lisa, a hairstylist by trade, built her online mastermind membership for beauty professionals over seven years. Melinda and Lisa discuss the mindset blocks around money, the power of "fast, messy action", and the transition from trading time for money to building an empire. Lisa details her vision for scaling Stylist Soul Tribe using a “Board of Support” and why she believes visibility is currency.Lisa started her business journey doing $17 haircuts at a Smart Style in Lincoln, Illinois, and quickly grew a steady clientele by getting serious and networking in the online world. Now, she coaches and jams with beauty professionals, focusing heavily on mindset work.Links to Today’s Show Notes:— Lisa’s Instagram: / lisahuffhair — Stylist Soul Tribe: / stylistsoultribe — Melinda’s Website: https://melindajacksonpr.com— Melinda’s Instagram: / melindajacksonpr — Melinda’s LinkedIn: / melindajacksonpr — Airwave Arcade: www.airwavearcade.com#StylistSoulTribe #LisaHuff #HairstylistCoach #BeautyBusiness #MastermindCEO #ScalingSuccess #Entrepreneurship #MindsetWork #SalonBusiness #FastMessyAction #MelindaJackson #BeautyProfessional

She trusted the wrong person, and it cost her 10 months and thousands of dollars. But this founder didn’t quit. In this episode, we uncover what it really takes to rebuild after a business betrayal, how to protect yourself as a woman in business, and why every successful entrepreneur needs stronger boundaries.Melinda and Jamie also talk:The high cost of misplaced trust in businessLearning to vet freelancers and partnersHow women founders navigate male-dominated industriesRebuilding confidence after failureReal talk on business boundaries, burnout, and growthAbout Jamie Keane:Jamie is the founder of Julip, a website-in-bio platform built for creators and solopreneurs who’ve outgrown fragmented tools like Linktree, Canva, or Wix. Julip helps you launch a professional site in minutes and show clients exactly how you deliver results, all in one cohesive space.When she’s not building the future of creator websites, Jamie’s probably working to her early-2000s playlist (think Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, and *NSYNC) or hanging out with her husband, Pat, and their rescue dog, Lucy.She’s passionate about helping founders create authentic content for their brands, because visibility isn’t optional anymore.Links to Today’s Show Notes:— https://myjulip.com/— Socials: @myjulip— Melinda’s Website: https://melindajacksonpr.com— Melinda’s Instagram: / melindajacksonpr — Melinda’s LinkedIn: / melindajacksonpr — Airwave Arcade: www.airwavearcade.com#WomenInBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #FemaleFounder #BusinessLessons #StartupStories #FreelancerTips #BusinessPodcast #MarketingTips #Resilience

After her husband’s medical crisis and a broken hospital system, Kim Feth turned pain into purpose—founding Healthcare Survival Kit, a company helping patients navigate billing errors and unsafe discharges. Her story shows what true advocacy looks like.Links to Today’s Show Notes:— Healthcare Survival Kit: https://healthcaresurvivalkit.com— Kim’s LinkedIn: / kimfeth — Melinda’s Website: https://melindajacksonpr.com— Melinda’s Instagram: / melindajacksonpr — Melinda’s LinkedIn / melindajacksonpr Chapters:00:00 Unhinged Founder | Navigating the Healthcare Maze00:57 Episode Teaser – A Broken System and a Founder’s Mission02:03 Guest Introduction – Meet Kim Feth, Founder of Healthcare Survival Kit02:23 Why Medical Billing Advocacy Matters04:58 Founder Fail: The “Safe Discharge” SEO Disaster06:55 How a Personal Crisis Sparked a Healthcare Advocacy Business08:31 From Social Work to Startup Founder09:52 When a Medical Crisis Changes Everything11:35 Becoming a Patient Advocate in a Broken Healthcare System18:27 The Hardest Part of Recovery No One Talks About19:57 How Poor Discharge Planning Hurts Patients21:57 Finding the Right Care Facility After Surgery23:25 Fixing the System: Lessons from Bad Discharge Planning25:38 Inside the ‘Subacute Rehab from Hell’28:03 Why the Right Medical Equipment Changes Everything29:28 Finding Specialized Care That Actually Helps32:59 The Long Road to Recovery and Hope37:43 The Financial Reality of Surviving Healthcare in America37:55 Navigating Insurance and Medical Billing Challenges39:18 Resilience, Recovery, and Redefining Strength43:27 Turning Adversity into Advocacy – Founding Healthcare Survival Kit49:30 Empowering Others with Knowledge and Patient Resources[Unhinged Founder is an Airwave Arcade production—www.airwavearcade.com]#femaleentrepreneur #founderstory #healthcareadvocate #womeninbusiness #medicalbilling #startupstory #unhingedfounder #leadership #patientadvocacy #founderjourney

She moved to Chicago with $20 in her pocket, crashed on her cousin’s couch surrounded by five cats, and worked an unpaid internship while stocking shelves at Victoria’s Secret. Today, Megan Gopp is the Founder and Creative Director of The Adventure Agency, a full-service creative marketing studio helping brands tell better stories.In this episode, Megan sits down with host Melinda Jackson to talk about the messy middle of building a business: from burnout in the boys’ club of agency life to finding confidence, community, and balance as a woman entrepreneur.Chapters:00:00 Episode Preview01:22 Unhinged Founder Welcome03:02 Moved to Chicago with $20 and a Dream04:24 Surviving Agency Life: Broke, Burnt Out & Undervalued05:27 The Moment She Realized She Could Do It Herself06:53 Starting The Adventure Agency and Working with Her Old Bosses07:49 Fear, Freelance Clients & Finding Her Confidence17:10 From “Scaredy Cat” to CEO: Learning to Lead Without Losing Herself36:51 Building Lumiere House and Redefining Success for WomenLinks to Today’s Show Notes:— Megan’s Agency: https://theadventureagency.com— Megan’s Instagram: / theadventureagency.co — Megan’s LinkedIn: / megangopp — Melinda’s Website: https://melindajacksonpr.com— Melinda’s Instagram: / melindajacksonpr — Melinda’s LinkedIn / melindajacksonpr #womeninbusiness #femaleentrepreneur #creativeagency #founderstory #unhingedfounder

Everyone has heard bad business advice, but women founders listen to it on repeat. In this episode of Unhinged Founder, we asked women in business to share the worst advice they’ve ever received… and the answers are brutally honest.From “play it safe” to “don’t charge too much,” these stories reveal the clichés, biases, and flat-out wrong guidance that can derail entrepreneurs if they listen. Instead, these women turned terrible advice into fuel to grow their careers, companies, and confidence.Chapters:00:00 Intro – Why bad advice matters01:15 “Don’t be too ambitious”04:30 “Lower your prices to get customers”08:50 “You should wait for permission”12:10 Turning bad advice into growth15:45 ClosingLinks to Today’s Show Notes:— https://melindajacksonpr.com— / melindajacksonpr — / melindajacksonpr #unhingedfounder, #founderstories, #startupstories, #entrepreneurship, #startuplife, #founderlife, #entrepreneurmindset, #businessadvice, #rawentrepreneurship, #learnfromfailure

Messy action, burnout, and building a PR empire from scratch. Melinda Jackson reveals how she turned chaos into a thriving business.In this episode of Unhinged Founder, Melinda shares her story of moving to LA with $500, sleeping on a stranger’s floor, battling mental health struggles, and surviving nightmare agency jobs. She opens up about quitting, starting over, and eventually launching her own PR company in Raleigh, NC. From red carpets and Grammy campaigns to creating Raleigh Female Founder Happy Hour, Melinda proves you don’t need funnels, unsolicited advice, or seven figures to succeed... you need community, courage, and messy action.Chapters00:00 Episode Preview00:48 Unhinged Founder Podcast Welcome02:40 PR Career Beginnings in LA07:00 How She Built a PR Business10:52 Scaling a PR Agency: Hard Truths13:31 Redefining Success as a Female Founder21:59 Raleigh Female Founder Happy Hour26:48 Busy vs. Productive: Fix Your ScheduleLinks to Today’s Show Notes:— https://melindajacksonpr.com— / melindajacksonpr — / melindajacksonpr #unhingedfounder #entrepreneurship #founderstory #publicrelations #prlife #startupstories #mentalhealth #femalefounders #businessadvice #messyaction

Welcome to Unhinged Founder, the podcast for entrepreneurs who are tired of polished highlight reels and want the truth about what it really takes to build a business.Hosted by Melinda Jackson, founder of Melinda Jackson Public Relations and a GRAMMY and EMMY award–winning storyteller, this show brings raw, unfiltered conversations about the highs, lows, and messy middle of entrepreneurship.Melinda shares:» Why she started Unhinged Founder after years of telling other people’s stories in public relations» What she learned growing up in a family of entrepreneurs and watching the reality of business ownership up close» Why this podcast isn’t a typical “girl boss” or business show» What listeners can expect in future episodes: real founder stories, vulnerable moments, failures, pivots, breakthroughs, laughter, and a lot of honestyUnhinged Founder is a business podcast for women entrepreneurs, startup founders, small business owners, and anyone who wants to hear the side of entrepreneurship that doesn’t make it into glossy LinkedIn posts.Subscribe now for weekly episodes featuring founders, clients, friends, and leaders who inspire unfiltered conversations about business, resilience, and growth.#EntrepreneurshipPodcast #FounderStories #BusinessPodcast #WomenEntrepreneurs #StartupStories #PublicRelations #GrammyWinner #EmmyWinner