Untangled

When you finally get momentum, it can be surprisingly hard to stay focused.Tanya Coller has always wanted to build something of her own. After years working in product and coaching, she used new AI tools to create a platform that helps experts make their content more interactive for learners. An early signal turned into beta users. Beta users turned into real feedback. On paper, things were moving.But as the possibilities expanded, so did the questions.Her platform could serve many different audiences. The vision was big. The early traction, however, was specific. In this conversation, we explore the pull between what could be and what is already working. How do you resist the urge to chase every opportunity? How do you stay close to the signals right in front of you without feeling like you are limiting your future?This episode reflects a common founder moment. Not the leap from nothing to something, but the shift from possibility to focus. When your idea feels expansive, choosing where to plant your flag can feel like the real risk.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyacoller/Website: https://www.withayla.ai/

If you have ever taken a class or tried something new just to “find your fun” and then wondered why it keeps pulling at you, this episode will feel familiar.Dr. Natasha Knight did not set out to start a business. With a long career in public health, she signed up for an interior decorating course as a creative outlet. After selling her home, a realtor casually asked who had staged it. The answer was simple. She had. That comment opened the door to exploring whether this talent was something more than a hobby.As Natasha began offering complimentary design sessions, she noticed something deeper happening. It was not just about arranging furniture. It was about how families function in their homes. It was about wellness, dignity, and how environment shapes stress and stability. The conversation slowly expands from staging and DIY updates to bigger questions about trauma-informed spaces, rural community health, affordable housing, and even how her husband’s dream of property management could intersect with her own.What unfolds in this untangling session is not a tidy business plan. It is a widening lens. A creative spark starts to connect with years of experience in health equity and a shared desire to build something meaningful in their North Carolina community.For founders in the earliest stages, this episode mirrors the moment when you realize your side idea might not be random at all. It might be pointing toward a larger vision that ties together your work, your values, and your life.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naknightphd/

If you have ever wondered how some founders become instantly referable while others keep explaining what they do, this conversation will resonate.In this Choosing a Lane episode, Brianna Pyka shares howBrandRaise grew by narrowing its focus inside the nonprofit world. Today, they are known for connecting brand and fundraising in a way that feels seamless. But that clarity did not appear overnight.In the early days, they tested their ideas in real time.They said yes to learning opportunities. They worked closely with organizations to understand where things were breaking down and what actually moved the needle. Those early projects helped them refine their language, tighten theirprocess, and get honest about what they would and would not offer.What stands out is not just that they chose a niche. It isthat they earned the confidence to stand in it. They adjusted along the way. They formalized what worked. They stopped trying to be everything to everyone. Over time, that focus made them easier to describe, easier to trust, and easierto refer.For founders still shaping their lane, this episode offers arealistic look at how clarity is built. Not through a single bold decision, but through testing, refining, and paying attention to what clients actually need from you.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannapyka/Website: https://brandraise.co/

If you’ve ever realized your experience is impressive, but still hard to explain in a way that makes people immediately know when to call you, this episode will feel familiar.Lindsay Early spent two decades inside large organizations helping brands grow. After an unexpected career pause, she chose to build something on her own terms instead of stepping back into another corporate role.What she’s untangling isn’t capability. It’s translation.When your background spans industries, teams, and complexity, it’s easy to describe yourself in ways that sound strong on paper but don’t travel well in real conversations. In rooms full of connectors and collaborators, people need to know quickly where to place you. Without that clarity, referrals stall before they ever begin.In this Untangling Session, the focus shifts from résumé language to recognizability. They explore how naming who she supports, not just what she can do, changes how others hear her. The work becomes less about proving expertise and more about becoming easy to refer.This episode mirrors a moment many early-stage founders face: the realization that your depth isn’t the differentiator. Your clarity is. And sometimes the shift from broad credibility to specific language is what finally creates forward movement.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsayfearly/Website: https://www.lindsayearlymarketing.com/

If you’ve ever felt like two parts of you both come naturally, but don’t quite fit together in your business, this episode will feel familiar.Geri Huibregtse has spent years as a COO and consultant in fast-paced digital product and agency environments, working closely with tech and creative leaders under real delivery pressure. Along the way, she began questioning how leadership actually shows up in the day-to-day work, especially when the pace doesn’t slow down.What Geri came to untangle wasn’t whether strategy or reflection mattered more. It was how to bring together two instincts that had shaped her career: driving execution and holding space for leaders and teams to grow. When working with clients, those instincts often showed up as either-or, leaving her wrestling with how to build a business that truly integrated both.Rather than forcing a clean answer, the conversation becomes a live example of the Untangled process. Together, they reflect on real moments from Geri’s work and try on what it might look like to let those instincts coexist.This episode mirrors what many early-stage entrepreneurs experience when they’re building something that actually fits. It shows how naming tension, testing small shifts, and reflecting in real time can create clarity.Learn More About Our Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerihuibregtse/ Website: https://www.aligndesignlead.com/

If you’ve ever felt pressure to “just pick one thing,” even though your value shows up in many places, this episode will feel familiar.Kristi Broom describes herself as “unapologetically and.” Throughout her career, she’s stepped into whatever challenge was in front of her, learning by doing and helping people move forward through moments of change. But as she built her own business, that strength started to feel like a liability. With multiple ventures taking shape, she assumed she’d need to choose one path and set the rest aside.In this Untangling Session, Kristi realizes the issue isn’t focus. It’s scope. Her work consistently shows up at a specific stage of a company’s journey, particularly with early-stage tech startups when ideas start carrying real weight. These are the moments when customers need to be managed intentionally, teams are forming beyond friends and family, and founders are shifting from building a product to building a business.The shift isn’t about narrowing herself into a single role. It’s about defining the stage and context where she does her best work, so she can niche down in a way that’s clear, referable, and still true to how she operates.This episode mirrors a core Untangled lesson for founders: clarity doesn’t always come from choosing less. Sometimes it comes from choosing the right scope so the right people know when and why to bring you in.Learn More About Our Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristibroom/ Website: https://www.lotustransformationgroup.com/

In this first episode of Untangled, Beth Elliott reflects on her first unofficial untangling session with Susan Cevette, founder of WatersEdge Wealth Management.Susan was not unclear about who she served best. She already knew. What held her back was the fear of saying it out loud and what that decision might cost her.In their conversation, Susan realized that naming who she serves did not shrink her business. It freed her from trying to be everything to everyone and allowed her to show up more authentically for the people she most wants to serve.This episode explores what happens when founders give themselves permission to claim their work, trust what they already know, and let go of the need to be for everyone. The result is not less impact, but more freedom and a business that feels lighter, clearer, and more true.Learn More About Our GuestLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanwatersedge/Website: https://watersedgewealthmanagement.com/