Dear FoundHer...

For simple actionable tips to grow your business, subscribe to The FoundHer Files Most women entrepreneurs build a business to solve a problem they found in the market. Sadie Lincoln built one to solve a problem she had been hiding for a decade.Sadie is the co-founder of Barre3, a mindful fitness company with more than 200 studios and an online platform reaching clients in over 100 countries. On Dear FoundHer with host Lindsay Pinchuk, she finally says out loud what took years to admit. A secret eating disorder, a body she was trying to conquer, and a pregnancy that cracked something open she had not been able to reach before.What she discovered in her living room in 2008 became the foundation of everything Barre3 stands for. And every major business decision since then, including walking away from a deal that would have made her a household name in fitness, has traced back to that same truth.Female founders who are scaling a business while trying to stay honest about what it costs will recognize themselves here. Sadie built a community for business the old-fashioned way, face painters at a fountain, free classes above a health food store, relationships that no algorithm can manufacture. She course-corrected when outside pressure pulled her away from her values and called it growing without burnout before that phrase even existed. And the personal brand decision she made, choosing to stay small enough to stay true, is one most founders never have the nerve to make.Know yourself first. Do the research. Surround yourself only with people who are excellent at what they do and who respect why you are excellent too.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Meet Sadie Lincoln, Co-Founder and CEO of barre304:00 How Barre3 Was Built Around Mindful Fitness and Why That Was a Radical Idea in 200806:19 The Invisible Truth Behind the Business and What Sadie Finally Said Out Loud09:27 Why the Hardest Moments in Business Are Often the Seed of What Comes Next13:56 From Living Room Workouts to a Fitness Company Built to Franchise17:01 The Grassroots Marketing Strategy That Still Outperforms Social Media21:47 Why Community Is the Actual Product at Barre3 and How That Drives Sustainable Growth25:25 What Kept Barre3 Standing While Other Boutique Fitness Brands Fell Apart28:00 The Deal Sadie Walked Away From and the Financial Hit She Took to Stay True31:53 The Kitchen Moment That Changed Everything37:27 What’s Next for barre340:21 Three Pieces of Advice for Women Starting a BusinessConnect with Sadie Lincoln:Follow Sadie on Instagram Connect with Sadie on LinkedIn Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Odessa Jenkins built a professional women's tackle football league before anyone believed the market existed.On this episode of Dear FoundHer, host Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Odessa Jenkins, known as OJ, founder and CEO of the Women's National Football Conference. Her story carries a lesson female founders everywhere need to hear. You don't wait for permission to build something new. You describe your vision so clearly the right people see it before a single game is played. That's how OJ won over ten teams and two major sports brands while the league was still an idea on paper.This is the kind of conversation women in business rarely get to hear. OJ worked a full-time job while selling the league. She convinced her wife to leave a corporate career and build alongside her. Bootstrapping kept the lights on for five years and profit didn't arrive until year three. None of those details show up on a TV broadcast, yet every one of them shaped what the WNFC has become. Sixteen teams, 900 athletes, and a championship game airing live on ESPN2.Female founders will recognize themselves in OJ's honesty about startup funding, partnership marketing with brands like Adidas, and the unglamorous work behind a bold mission. Her message cuts through the noise. Ready isn't real. Ask for what you need. Stop choosing the hardest path when an easier one exists.If you're drawn to real founder stories with heart and grit, this episode will stay with you long after you press pause.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Female Founders Who Build Before the Blueprint Exists03:05 How Odessa Jenkins Started the WNFC08:26 Getting Adidas and Riddell to Back a League That Didn't Exist Yet11:13 Bootstrapping, Profit, and the Real Timeline14:43 How the Public Responded in Year One22:41 Fan Growth, Streaming Numbers, and National TV24:53 Flag Football, the Athlete Pipeline, and What's Coming27:55 Why the Timing Is Right for Women's Sports Right Now31:17 Championship Weekend at Ford Center34:28 Three Things Every Woman Starting a Business Needs to HearConnect with Odessa Jenkins:Follow OJ on InstagramFollow Women's National Football Conference on InstagramSubmit your most pressing business questions for our Q+A Substack on Thursday: https://form.jotform.com/260218655668062 Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Writing a book is one of the most overlooked thought leadership moves a female founder can make, and most people go into it completely unprepared.On this episode of Dear FoundHer, Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Ruthie Ackerman, author of The Mother Code and founder of Ignite Writers Collective, about what it actually takes to write and publish a book. Ruthie spent years as a journalist and deputy editor at Forbes Women before losing her job, starting a business, and landing a Random House book deal. Now she helps women in business find their voice on the page, and she's honest about how hard the process is.The publishing world has a glamour problem. Most people picture the finished book, not the 90-page proposal, the years of revision, or the media outreach that a publisher will not do for you. Ruthie lays out what female founders need to know before they commit, including how to choose the right publishing path, what a real publicity strategy looks like, and why treating your book like a business launch is the only approach that works.For anyone building a personal brand and wondering whether a book belongs in that plan, Ruthie also speaks directly to the PR for small business reality. Getting press, landing speaking opportunities, and reaching the right audiences all require the same intentionality you bring to every other part of your business. A book done right is a long-term thought leadership asset, not a project you finish and walk away from.If your story has been sitting in the back of your mind waiting for the right moment, this episode is worth your time.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Thought Leadership Starts With Your Story03:51 Ruthie Ackerman's Path From Forbes to Random House05:59 Getting Laid Off and Launching Ignite Writers Collective08:21 How Ignite Writers Collective Grew During the Pandemic10:35 Starting a Book Three Months After Having a Baby12:08 Five Questions to Ask Before You Write a Book13:57 Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing vs. Hybrid15:50 What a 90-Page Book Proposal Actually Looks Like18:35 Why Authors Have to Be Their Own Marketers20:07 Three Tips for Making Time to Write22:08 What Not to Do When Writing a Book24:10 How to Find a Literary Agent26:41 All the Hats You Have to Wear as an Author28:55 How Ignite Studios Supports Authors End-to-End32:11 Ruthie's Three Actionable Steps for Aspiring AuthorsConnect with Ruthie Ackerman:Follow Ruthie on Instagram Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

SUBSCRIBE to The FoundHer Files, our twice weekly Substack filled with actionable tips you can use starting today to build and grow your business. No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just what works. Host, Lindsay Pinchuk provides a tactical walkthrough on crafting a compelling three-paragraph founder story that effectively communicates your business, builds trust, and attracts the right audience. This episode offers a step-by-step framework, common mistakes to avoid, and practical tips for using your story across various platforms.Grab this week's Deep Dive on The FoundHer Files to read more about The Anatomy of a Story that Converts. Join us for this month's Forum Expert Workshop: Claude for FoundHers with Dara Astmann REGISTER HERESubscribe to The FoundHer Files Substack: http://foundherfiles.substack.comJoin our online networking community for women business owners over forty, The Dear FoundHer... Forum.Follow Dear FoundHer... on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/dearfoundher

SUBSCRIBE to The FoundHer Files, our twice weekly Substack filled with actionable tips you can use starting today to build and grow your business. No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just what works. Lindsay Pinchuk shares the importance of storytelling for small business success, outlining five essential stories every female founder should master. She emphasizes how authentic storytelling attracts the right audience, builds trust, and drives business growth.Episode Breakdown:00:00 The Power of Speaking Up01:43 Your Story is Your Strategy03:56 Crafting Your Origin Story07:49 The Importance of Pivot Stories10:21 Learning from Costs: The Hard Lessons12:38 Naming the Invisible Truths14:49 Finding the Right People Through AuthenticityJoin us for this month's Forum Expert Workshop: Claude for FoundHers with Dara Astmann REGISTER HERESubscribe to The FoundHer Files Substack: http://foundherfiles.substack.comJoin our online networking community for women business owners over forty, The Dear FoundHer... Forum.Follow Dear FoundHer... on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/dearfoundherListen to our episode with Founder of TaskRabbit, Leah Solivan from last month.

In honor of Mother's Day, get $200 off a new Dear FoundHer... Forum membership through the month of May. Join the community built for women business owners over 40 who are building real businesses on their own terms. JOIN US INSIDE HERE, no code necessary to save.A group of executives walked into a room, and Leah knew exactly who mattered.Dear FoundHer host Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Leah Solivan to talk partnership marketing, founder visibility, and one of the clearest business growth stories from Taskrabbit’s path to acquisition. Leah built Taskrabbit from a Boston apartment with no MBA, no startup network, and no idea how venture funding worked. What she had was an idea she refused to stop talking about and the discipline to do the unsexy groundwork for years before the right opportunity arrived. That is the entire lesson of this episode, and it applies to every woman building something right now.This conversation is for women founders who are tired of being told to run ads, chase virality, or wait for the perfect moment. Leah’s story proves that partnership marketing is not a tactic. It is a long game built on real relationships, real data, and showing up consistently in the right markets before you ever get the right meeting.Taskrabbit’s sale to IKEA started with one lucky opening, but the deal did not happen because of luck alone. It happened because Leah spent years trying to get on IKEA’s radar, knew her numbers cold, and was ready when one person in a room of eight finally mattered. Taskrabbit was already operating in London, one of IKEA’s largest markets, and a quarter of its jobs were IKEA furniture assembly. Founder visibility is not about being everywhere. It is about being undeniable when it counts.If you are a woman founder wondering whether the quiet, unglamorous work is moving anything forward, this episode will answer that. Building relationships in business the right way is slow. It compounds in a way quick wins often do not.Episode Breakdown:00:00 From IBM Engineer to Taskrabbit Founder: Leah Solivan's Origin Story03:33 Why Talking About Your Idea Is the First Step in Partnership Marketing08:57 Rebranding From Run My Errand to Taskrabbit11:09 How Leah Validated the Taskrabbit Concept Before Raising Money13:23 Raising a Startup's First Round of Funding With No Business Background19:40 Scaling a Business City by City and the Decision to Go International21:26 Building Trust in a Gig Economy Marketplace24:56 The IKEA Partnership That Led to an Acquisition28:49 Life After the Exit: Investing, Podcasting, and What Comes Next31:03 Three Actionable Tips for First-Time FoundersConnect with Leah Solivan:Follow Leah on InstagramConnect with Leah on LinkedInFollow Leah on XSubscribe to The FoundHer Files Substack: http://foundherfiles.substack.comFree Forum Open House + Networking Session Come see what's inside the Dear FoundHer Forum SAVE YOUR SEAT https://lindsaypinchuk.myflodesk.com/q2forumopenhouse Join THE networking community for women business owners over forty, The Dear FoundHer... Forum Follow Dear FoundHer... on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/dearfoundherPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

In honor of Mother's Day, get $200 off a new Dear FoundHer... Forum membership through the month of May. Join the community built for women business owners over 40 who are building real businesses on their own terms. JOIN US INSIDE HERE, no code necessary to save.Thirty years ago, Jeni Britton started an ice cream company with no money, no backing, and no roadmap. Becoming a founder later in life turned out to be the best decision she never planned.In this episode of Dear FoundHer, Lindsay talks with Jeni Britton, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and Floura, about what it takes to build something that lasts. Jeni started her first company at 22, but she will be the first to tell you that the best entrepreneurs are in their 40s. The data backs her up. The fastest-growing segment of entrepreneurs in the United States right now is women over 45, and those businesses tend to be more durable than the ones built by founders half their age.Real founder stories rarely come with a straight line. Jeni’s includes early risk, hard lessons, public crisis, reinvention, and building again with more clarity. Jeni talks about closing her first business, Scream, and what learning from failure taught her about the difference between making what excites you and building something customers return to again and again. She also walks through the 2015 Listeria recall that nearly took Jeni's down, and why she looks back on it as one of the most important moments in her company's history. Scaling challenges, crisis leadership, and knowing when to simplify your mission so your team has something clear to hold onto are all part of the conversation.She gets into the founding of Floura too, her fiber nutrition company built from produce trimmings, and what becoming a founder later in life looks like when you already know the hard lessons. The second time around, she says, you know who to build with. Her coach and her advisor from the Jeni's years are now her co-founders at Floura. That kind of peer support for entrepreneurs is part of how the work actually gets done.For female founders at any stage, if you have been telling yourself you are behind, this episode makes a pretty strong case that you are not.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Why Jeni Britton Is a Must-Hear Guest for Women Founders03:42 How Jeni Britton Started Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams with No Money and No Backing10:46 The Accidental Product That Put Jeni's on the Map12:37 Why Word of Mouth Still Beats Social Media for Growing a Business22:17 The 2015 Listeria Recall and What It Taught Her About Values Under Pressure29:44 Becoming a Founder Later in Life: Why Jeni Stepped Back and Started Over33:28 Introducing Floura: A Second Company Built from Produce Waste and Gut Health Research44:01 How to Price, Scale, and Build a Product the Right Way47:00 Why the People You Build With Are Your Most Important Business Decision51:46 Why the Best Entrepreneurs Are in Their 40sConnect with Jeni Britton:Follow Jeni on InstagramFollow Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams on InstagramFollow Floura on Instagram Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Join THE networking community for women business owners over forty, The Dear FoundHer... ForumPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

In honor of Mother's Day, get $200 off a new Dear FoundHer... Forum membership through the month of May. Join the community built for women business owners over 40 who are building real businesses on their own terms. JOIN US INSIDE HERE, no code necessary to save. Neka Pasquale turned a side project into a $48 million business, and she'll be the first to tell you she had no idea what she was doing.She was an acupuncturist treating patients when she started making food and juices as part of their care. People loved it, word got around, and before long, Urban Remedy was growing faster than she could plan for. There was no roadmap. Just a lot of late nights, a lot of mistakes, and a refusal to quit.On this episode of Dear FoundHer, Neka sits down with host Lindsay Pinchuk to talk about starting a business for the first time with no roadmap, no business background, and no idea the thing would grow into what it became. She shares what it was like fulfilling 500 juice orders while pregnant, shipping food across the country before she was remotely ready, and learning operations, HR, and food safety by making every possible mistake first.The story of how Urban Remedy landed in Whole Foods is worth the listen alone. It didn't come from a pitch. It came from a bike ride. That's partnership marketing working exactly the way it's supposed to, and it's a reminder that the relationships you're already building matter more than any campaign you could run.Scaling a business that sells fresh organic food nationally comes with scaling challenges most brands never take on. Neka talks about managing rapid growth without losing the mission, the burnout that built up quietly over 12 years of nonstop doing, and why protecting what your brand stands for gets harder the bigger you get.For women entrepreneurs who are building something that actually means something, this conversation offers a candid look at what growth actually asks of you.Episode Breakdown:00:00 How Urban Remedy Started by Accident06:25 Managing 500 Orders While Pregnant08:39 The Operational Chaos of Scaling a Business11:15 How a Bike Ride Led to 400 Whole Foods Locations15:36 Staying True to Your Mission at Scale22:22 The Real Challenges of Scaling Fresh Food Nationally23:39 When and Why to Hire a CEO29:14 What Every Woman Founder Needs to Know Before Scaling a BusinessConnect with Neka Pasquale:Follow Neka on Instagram Subscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Free Forum Open House + Networking Session Come see what's inside the Dear FoundHer Forum SAVE YOUR SEATJoin THE networking community for women business owners over forty, The Dear FoundHer... ForumPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm