Business Origin Stories for Entrepreneurs, Coaches, and Leaders

Hosted by Amy Schutte

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Episodes

135

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Business Origin Stories is the podcast for leadership, life, and business. This show features coaching calls and heart-to-heart conversations with successful entrepreneurs, leaders, authors, and experts. Join your host, Amy Schutte, a business coach and brand strategist, as she dives into ways to create stand-out brands and aligned businesses through storytelling and proven business frameworks. At its core, Business Origin Stories is a recognition that the stories we tell are our greatest currency.

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October 20, 2026Episode 13642 min

135: Why High Achievers Never Feel Done with Christine Sveen

Send us Fan Mail How to Stop Feeling Behind and Finish What Matters with Christine Sveen Have you ever crossed twenty things off your to-do list and gone home thinking about the seventeen you didn't finish? For ambitious entrepreneurs and leaders, that feeling can become a familiar part of everyday life. There's always another project, another email, another idea, or another responsibility waiting for attention. Christine Sveen knows that experience firsthand. Based in Oslo, Norway, Christine has built businesses, held senior corporate marketing roles, and served as CEO of a marketing agency. She's also a mother of two boys and someone who genuinely enjoys working, creating, and making things happen. But for years, she struggled with one recurring problem: no matter how much she accomplished, she never felt done. In this episode of Business Origin Stories , Christine shares how that frustration became the foundation for her newest business, a premium analog planner designed to help high-capacity people decide what matters, finish their priorities, and recognize when the workday is complete. Her entrepreneurial story actually began years earlier, during maternity leave in 2009. After struggling to find a wall mural she liked for her child's room, Christine designed one herself. When readers of her home-building blog began asking where they could get it, she found a manufacturer and started creating more designs. That experience led to her first business. She later returned to corporate work, climbed into executive leadership, and eventually made another leap into entrepreneurship. In our conversation, we explore: Why accomplishing more doesn't always make you feel more accomplished Christine's experience with burnout while continuing to work and create How her first business began with a problem in her own home What it felt like to leave behind the CMO and CEO titles she'd worked toward Her approach to quarterly goals, monthly outcomes, and three daily priorities Why an unfinished to-do list can keep work on your mind long after you've logged off How a planning system she used with clients became a physical product Why Christine believes being done is something you can decide each day One of my favorite moments comes when Christine compares work to her years as a competitive swimmer. She had ambitious goals, but when practice was finished, she got out of the pool and trusted the process. She began asking why she couldn't approach her working life the same way. If you're a founder, executive, or idea-rich person who finds it difficult to switch off, this conversation offers a practical way to rethink what a productive day can look like. Connect with Christine Sveen Planner: https://theplnr.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinesveen Instagram: @amyschutte_ Work with us: www.hudsonandco.co

October 6, 202625 min

134: Want more leads? The easy Podcast Guesting System

Send us Fan Mail Instagram: @amyschutte_ Work with us: www.hudsonandco.co

September 22, 202640 min

133: How to Trust Yourself, Make Better Decisions, and Lead From Within with Hannah Holt

Send us Fan Mail Who do you turn to first when you have a difficult decision to make? Your partner? A colleague? A coach? A friend? Hannah Holt wants you to add one more person to that list: yourself. Hannah Holt is a speaker, coach, and breathwork facilitator whose work explores the relationship we have with ourselves and how it shapes the decisions we make. Through coaching, breathwork, and immersive experiences, she helps people reconnect with their own voice and become the person they turn to first. Having worked with hundreds of individuals and supported global organizations, Hannah says she has seen the same pattern again and again: we look outside ourselves for reassurance, validation, and direction, while rarely including ourselves in the conversation. Her work challenges that pattern. In this episode of Business Origin Stories, Hannah shares how her own years of chasing achievement and external validation eventually led her to question how she was living, what she actually wanted, and whose voice she was listening to. That journey now informs the work she does helping others build self-trust, strengthen the mind-body connection, and make choices that feel more like their own. In this conversation, we explore: Why we so easily outsource decisions and look to others for validation Hannah’s “pause, ask, listen, choose” framework for self-leadership Why self-trust is something we build through practice How to tell the difference between resistance and something that genuinely isn’t right for you Why entrepreneurs can leave corporate life and still recreate its rules inside their own businesses How Hannah combines coaching and breathwork to help people respond under pressure instead of simply reacting Simple practices Hannah uses to begin and end the day with greater intention One of the biggest questions Hannah leaves us with is also one of the simplest. The next time you need advice, before automatically reaching for someone else, have you asked yourself? Because becoming the person you turn to first doesn’t mean you stop seeking wise counsel. It means your own voice gets a seat at the table too. Connect with Hannah Holt: https://www.hannahholt.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/hannahhighonlove Instagram: @amyschutte_ Work with us: www.hudsonandco.co

September 15, 202642 min

132: Building a Million-Dollar Business Through Change, Resilience, and Reinvention with Crystalee Beck

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to build a million-dollar business while raising a family, and what happens when the business you built enters an entirely new season? Crystalee Beck knows both sides of that story. She is the owner of Comma Copywriters, a content growth partner now focused on healthcare companies, and The Mama Ladder, an organization helping women create and climb their own ladders as mothers and entrepreneurs. A major part of that mission is the High Five Grant for Moms, a business grant competition for mom-owned companies that Crystalee and The Mama Ladder have hosted since 2018. To date, the High Five Grant has awarded $115,000 in grants to 80 women in business, with that total expected to reach $138,000 after the current round. More than 2,500 women have applied, and the program has also provided more than $43,000 in goods and services. In this episode of Business Origin Stories, Crystalee shares why access to capital for women matters so deeply to her, what she has learned from the women who have gone through the grant process, and why the impact extends beyond the women who ultimately receive funding. We also get into Crystalee’s own evolving business story. After seven consecutive years of growth, Comma experienced its first down year as longtime clients in B2B tech and SaaS struggled and contracts disappeared. Now Crystalee and her team are repositioning the company around healthcare while she works on The Mother’s Guide to Building a Million Dollar Business . In this conversation, we talk about: How the High Five Grant is helping mom-owned businesses access capital and pursue growth Why Crystalee originally decided to build a business around time and money freedom What reaching $1 million in revenue actually required How she is navigating Comma’s shift into healthcare Why reaching a major business milestone does not guarantee continued growth What she has learned about separating business performance from personal identity Why she is interviewing 100 mothers with million-dollar-plus businesses for her upcoming book If you are building a company, navigating a pivot, or trying to create a business that supports the life you actually want to live, this conversation offers a candid look at what growth can really require. Connect with Crystalee Beck High Five Grant: www.highfivegrant.com The Mama Ladder: https://themamaladder.com/ Crystalee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystalee/ Instagram: @amyschutte_ Work with us: www.hudsonandco.co

September 8, 202659 min

131: How to Get Headhunted: LinkedIn, Resume & Personal Branding Strategies with Executive Recruiter Zach Nold

Send us Fan Mail Your resume can look polished and still fail to communicate why someone should hire you. Zach Nold , executive recruiter, entrepreneur, and founder of Crucial Hire, has spent years studying what makes candidates stand out. His conclusion is straightforward: be obvious about the value you create. In this episode of Business Origin Stories, Amy and Zach dig into how professionals can build stronger resumes, improve their LinkedIn positioning, communicate measurable results, and make themselves easier for recruiters and potential employers to find. Zach explains his “5W” approach to professional storytelling. Instead of filling a resume with vague descriptions or responsibilities, he looks for concrete information about who you worked with, what you accomplished, where the work happened, when or how frequently it occurred, how you did it, and why it mattered. He also shares a memorable comparison: without results, Michael Jordan and a bench player could theoretically have very similar job descriptions. Both practiced, traveled with the team, listened to coaches, and played basketball. The difference becomes obvious when you include the results. In this conversation, you'll hear: How to make your LinkedIn profile easier for recruiters to understand Why results matter more than generic job descriptions How to quantify your work without feeling like you're bragging Why Zach encourages professionals to become a “master of their past” What long-term career patterns can communicate to recruiters Why entrepreneurs should still maintain a resume How often Zach recommends updating your professional story How AI can create beautiful resumes that still say very little Why specificity makes your professional story easier for other people to repeat Zach also explains why a career transition should look like a destination rather than simply an escape from your previous work. Whether you're actively looking for a job, hoping to get headhunted, building your executive presence, or simply trying to communicate your professional value more clearly, this conversation offers a practical framework for making your experience easier to understand. Connect Zach Nold: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachnold/ Crucial Hire: crucialhire.com Instagram: @amyschutte_ Work with us: www.hudsonandco.co

September 1, 202633 min

130: AI, Human Judgment, and Better Business Execution with Tres Roeder

Send us Fan Mail Technology can help an organization move faster. But what happens when the people expected to use that technology aren’t moving with it? Tres Roeder , president of Roeder Consulting, has spent 25 years helping organizations decide what matters and get important initiatives done. His philosophy sounds simple: do fewer things better. But getting those things done requires more than timelines, software, budgets, and project plans. In this episode of Business Origin Stories, Tres shares how his own approach to project management evolved after he realized that the technical side of execution was only part of the equation. Early in his business, Tres focused heavily on project mechanics. Then a colleague pointed out something he had completely missed during a project meeting: a vice president was quietly signaling that he wanted Tres’s project eliminated. The project was eventually killed. It was an important lesson. Execution depends on understanding people, personalities, organizational politics, emotions, and the things leaders don’t always say directly. That lesson feels particularly relevant as companies rush to determine where AI belongs inside their organizations. Tres argues for “talent over technology.” Rather than building implementation plans solely around technical requirements, he encourages leaders to create a parallel human timeline that gives people an opportunity to understand, test, influence, and ultimately adopt new technology. In this conversation, Amy and Tres discuss: Why organizations often have more strategic initiatives than they can effectively manage What it means to “do fewer things better” Why alignment is the first requirement for successful execution How a human timeline can improve technology adoption Why there isn’t one perfect process for every project Where AI can support project work and where human judgment remains essential Why leaders should decide how technology serves people instead of allowing people to become servants of technology Tres also shares a powerful challenge for professionals navigating AI: learn the technology, but don’t compete with the machine. Strengthen the capabilities that require humanity, judgment, listening, and an ability to notice what isn’t showing up in the data. For leaders determining how AI fits into their companies, the question isn’t simply, “What can this technology do?” It’s also, “What do we want our people to do?” Connect: Roeder Consulting: roederconsulting.com Instagram: @amyschutte_ Work with us: www.hudsonandco.co

August 25, 202644 min

129: Beyond the Business Plan: Using Intuition and Business Constellations to Solve Hidden Problems with Martijn Meima

Send us Fan Mail What if the business problem you keep trying to solve isn’t actually the problem? For many entrepreneurs and leaders, the instinct is to respond to a challenge with another strategy, a new marketing plan, a leadership book, or a spreadsheet. But Martijn Meima , a business coach since 2007, takes a different approach. He helps entrepreneurs use what he calls “pure intuition” and methods including business constellations to uncover what may be happening beneath the surface of a business problem. In this episode of Business Origin Stories , Amy Schutte talks with Martijn about what intuition actually means in business and why he believes it is different from simply following a gut feeling. Martijn explains six ways people may experience intuition and shares a practical process for slowing down, asking better questions, noticing what comes up, and then translating that information into action. The conversation also explores business constellations, a method Martijn uses to examine dynamics within organizations. Rather than looking only at the visible conflict or business challenge, he describes how constellation work can surface patterns involving a company’s history, leadership, team dynamics, clients, and other parts of the business system. Amy and Martijn discuss: The difference between a gut reaction and what Martijn calls “pure intuition” Six different ways intuition can present itself How entrepreneurs can begin experimenting with intuition in business decisions What business constellations are and how Martijn facilitates them Why a recurring team or leadership problem may point to something beneath the visible issue Three principles Martijn looks for in business systems: inclusion, order, and the balance of giving and taking Why Martijn views a business as a living organism rather than a machine How leaders can combine rational business thinking with a more intuitive approach Martijn also shares examples from his work, including a constellation involving conflict within a hospital maternity department and another involving a business owner struggling to attract customers in his local village. For CEOs, entrepreneurs, and senior leaders who have tried the conventional solutions and still feel stuck, this conversation offers a different question to consider: What might you be missing because you’re only looking at what’s visible? Connect with Martijn Meima Website: Intuition in Business LinkedIn: Connect with Martijn on LinkedIn Instagram: @amyschutte_ Work with us: www.hudsonandco.co

August 18, 202620 min

128: 35,000 Views in Two Weeks: The Story Behind My TEDx Talk

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the life you built to earn approval stops feeling like yours? In this solo episode, Amy shares the real story behind bringing her Kármán Line™ framework to the TEDx Cambridge stage — a year and a half of rejection and the six-week sprint that followed. She talks about what it actually takes to move a big idea from private conviction to a stage in front of strangers: the help she had to ask for, the outfit that sat in her closet for a year before she ever wore it, and why she believes telling people what you want is just as important as doing the work. Her talk, "What to Do When Your Life Stops Fitting," has already been viewed 25,000 times in its first eight days. Watch it — linked below — then come back and hear how it happened. Topics covered: how to get a TEDx talk, behind the scenes of a TEDx talk, public speaking tips, keynote speaker origin story, the Kármán Line™, identity and business transformation. Watch the TEDx Talk Book Amy to Speak Instagram: @amyschutte_ Work with us: www.hudsonandco.co

August 11, 202626 min

127: Business Analyst to Black Belt: How Paula A. Bell Built a Mind-Body-Soul Coaching Empire

Send us Fan Mail Paula A. Bell wears a lot of titles — business analyst consultant, life coach, fitness coach, third-degree black belt in karate — and in this episode, she explains why she never niched down to just one. Paula built Paula A. Bell Consulting on a mind-body-soul philosophy: when a client comes to her for career strategy but the real block is a limiting belief, she follows the problem wherever it actually lives. She traces that approach back to nearly fifteen years on the mat, where she went from a reluctant white belt (dragged in because her son joined) to a black belt instructor who eventually stepped back from teaching to protect her business bandwidth. We talk about the moment she decided to merge martial arts and business analysis into one brand — full gi and all — and the five tenets of karate (courtesy, integrity, self-control, perseverance, indomitable spirit) that now show up in how she coaches clients through roadblocks, self-doubt, and burnout. She also shares her outlook for entrepreneurs heading into 2026: why the year is harder for some, why she believes it's still a breakthrough year for many, and why perseverance beats waiting for perfect conditions. If you've ever felt like your business or your brand doesn't fit in one box, this conversation is for you. Find Paula: LinkedIn | paulaabell.com Instagram: @amyschutte_ Work with us: www.hudsonandco.co

August 4, 202650 min

126: Nove Style: Building the Business Platform Personal Stylists Actually Need

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, host Amy Schutte sits down with Megan Wright and Kaitlin Oran , co-founders of Nove — a platform built specifically for personal stylists to manage and grow their businesses. From digitizing client closets to tracking VIP engagement, Nove was born out of the founders' experience working with stylists and noticing how much of the industry's back end (contracts, invoicing, client communication) was held together by patchwork tools. In this episode: Their origin story: from working with video creators at Vimeo to spotting a gap in the personal styling industry The six-to-eight-month research phase before writing a single line of code What it's really like to co-found a company with someone (hint: closer than most marriages) Navigating layoffs, runway, and the fear of leaving corporate stability Building a business while becoming mothers, and reframing the myth of "balance" Where AI fits into styling — and where it absolutely doesn't Why female-founded businesses need better access to revenue, not just funding Their upcoming October event on the future of personal styling Whether you're a stylist looking to scale your business, an aspiring founder considering a co-founder partnership, or simply curious about the identity work behind getting dressed every day, this episode offers a candid, unfiltered look at building something meaningful — one hard conversation and late night at a time. Learn more / connect with Nove: Instagram @stylewithnove | https://www.nove.style/ Sign up for the ultimate stylist event in NYC: https://www.nove.style/nove-styling-consultancy-event Instagram: @amyschutte_ Work with us: www.hudsonandco.co