Dear FoundHer...Real Founder Stories for Women Small Business Owners

Hosted by Lindsay Pinchuk | Female Founder & Small Business Marketing Expert

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Jun 2026

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Dear FoundHer… is a How I Built This–style podcast sharing real stories from female entrepreneurs, female founders, and women in business, especially women 40+, who are building companies on their own terms. Hosted by award-winning entrepreneur Lindsay Pinchuk, each episode features honest, thoughtful conversations with women CEOs and founders navigating leadership, decision making, career pivots, and business growth. These are the stories behind the success, the lessons, the marketing strategies that actually work, and the leadership moments that shape women building and leading businesses. From Bobbi Brown to Rebecca Minkoff, Peloton’s Jenn Sherman & Dr. Becky Kennedy to Gail Simmons, Dear FoundHer… brings you conversations with some of the most influential female founders and leaders of our time. Dear FoundHer… explores what it looks like to grow a business with clarity and confidence, from starting a company for the first time or after leaving corporate, to scaling responsibly, managing teams, building visibility, getting press, and creating sustainable growth. Topics include leadership development, confidence at work, business strategy, marketing strategies and tactics, company messaging, community building, and showing up confidently. There’s no fluff. No gatekeeping. Just real insight, shared perspective, and practical wisdom, because building businesses is better when women learn from each other. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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June 16, 202637 min

She Got Adidas to Back an Idea on Paper | Female Founders and Bootstrapping with Odessa Jenkins

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 9, 202635 min

Thought Leadership for Female Founders: How Writing a Book Builds Your Personal Brand

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 5, 202617 min

Master Your Founder Story in 3 Paragraphs: A Step-by-Step Framework, with Host, Lindsay Pinchuk

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 2, 202617 min

5 Essential Stories Every Female Founder Must Tell

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 26, 202635 min

How Taskrabbit Sold to IKEA: Leah Solivan on Partnership Marketing and Scaling a Business

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 19, 202655 min

Why Female Founders in Their 40s Build the Businesses That Last | Jeni Britton

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 12, 202638 min

Scaling a Business Without a Plan: How Urban Remedy Got Into 400 Whole Foods Stores

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 5, 202625 min

Why You Can't Run Ads Without This: The Marketing Foundation That Built My 7-Figure Business

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. If you're a small business owner who's been told to run ads to grow your business, and you're spending money on Meta or Google ads that aren't working, this episode is for you.In this solo episode of Dear FoundHer…, host Lindsay Pinchuk breaks down why ads alone won't grow a small business, and the marketing foundation almost nobody is teaching women entrepreneurs to build first. Drawing on the same playbook that took Bump Club and Beyond from $500 of startup capital to a seven-figure exit, Lindsay walks through the three types of partnerships every small business owner should be running, the exact moment she finally turned on paid ads at Bump Club (year 7-8, not year 1), and how she's running the same playbook right now to grow Dear FoundHer.This is the foundational episode for May 2026 on Dear FoundHer…, kicking off a full month focused on partnerships as the most underrated growth strategy for women business owners over 40.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODEWhy "ads are an amplifier, not a foundation" and what that actually means for your marketing budgetThe three types of partnerships every small business should be running (most founders are running zero)How Lindsay used audience swaps, expert co-created content, and brand partnerships to grow Bump Club and Beyond to seven figures without paid ads for 7-8 yearsThe smarter way to run paid ads when you're finally ready (hint: not to your homepage)How a paid Huggies campaign funded Bump Club's email list growth, and how you can structure similar dealsThe exact 5-step plan to start running partnerships in your business this weekWhy Lindsay is running the same playbook right now at Dear FoundHer, and what year five looks like when the foundation is builtSubscribe to The FoundHer Files Substack. Made to Sell: Creating Websites That Convert: Save your seat (free for Forum members, $29 for non-members)Free Forum Open House Come see what's inside the Dear FoundHer Forum SAVE YOUR SEATJoin THE networking community for women business owners over forty, The Dear FoundHer... ForumFollow Dear FoundHer and Lindsay Pinchuk on Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April 28, 202636 min

Scaling Challenges and The Comeback: How Angie Tebbe Rebuilt Rae Wellness With Her Community

Pausing a business you built from zero is one of the most honest tests of whether you actually believe in what you made.Host Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Angie Tebbe, founder of Rae Wellness, for one of those real founder stories that doesn't gloss over the hard parts. Angie built Rae Wellness into a brand with 4.5 million customers in three years. Then came the scaling challenges that most founders never talk about publicly. A retail rollout that went sideways, misalignment with a key partner, and a foundation that wasn't ready for the speed of the growth. Instead of patching holes or chasing short-term recovery, Angie paused the entire company.What happened next is a testament to the authentic relationship Angie built with her customers. The community didn't move on. Customers kept checking the site. They kept spreading the word. They kept asking when Rae Wellness was coming back. That kind of loyalty is the direct result of years of community building for business and treating customers like partners from day one. Angie had been running focus groups with women before the brand even launched, getting feedback on values, messaging, and products before anything hit the market.This episode speaks directly to women founders who are building something that actually means something to people. Angie talks about the decision to return, the team she reassembled, and the mindset shift she brought into this second round. She's growing an audience again, but on different terms. No paid lists, no boosted ads, no manufactured momentum. Word of mouth is driving new customers in numbers she didn't expect.The bigger message is about scaling responsibly as a real strategy, not a fallback. Angie is staying close to inventory, operations, and aligned partners. She's moving at a pace the business can actually hold.If you're facing scaling challenges or questioning whether your business deserves another shot, this conversation gives you something real to work with.Episode Breakdown:00:01 Rae Wellness Comeback Story and Why Angie Tebbe Paused the Company02:35 Rapid Growth, Retail Setbacks, and Scaling Challenges07:55 Community Building Strategy That Shaped Rae Wellness10:41 What Angie Tebbe Learned During the Business Pause14:44 Retail Buyer Interest and the Rae Wellness Relaunch15:37 How Rae Wellness Rebuilt Customer Trust After the Pause18:33 Relaunch Sales, Subscriptions, and Returning Customer Loyalty20:26 Word of Mouth Marketing and Growing Without Paid Influencers24:10 How Angie Tebbe Is Scaling Responsibly the Second Time32:10 Three Founder Lessons on Values, Non-Negotiables, and Trusting Your GutConnect with Angie Tebbe:Visit the Rae Wellness websiteSubscribe to The FoundHer Files Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April 21, 202631 min

Bootstrapping a Consumer Brand: How Jaime Schmidt Built Schmidt’s Naturals and Sold to Unilever

A jar of homemade deodorant at a Portland farmers market became a multimillion-dollar acquisition by Unilever seven years later, and the woman behind it never had a master plan.On this episode of Dear FoundHer, host Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Jaime Schmidt, founder of Schmidt's Naturals, for one of those rare, unfiltered conversations about bootstrapping a consumer brand from a kitchen table with almost no money, no manufacturing experience, and a newborn at home. Jaime's path was not linear or polished. She was a social worker who moved across the country, got inspired by the Portland maker community, and started whipping up natural deodorant while pregnant because she wanted cleaner products and could not afford to buy them. That is where it all began.What makes her story so useful for a first-time founder is how unglamorous the early days really were. Jaime hand-formulated everything using basic pantry ingredients, packed jars in a garage with a small team working off a changing table, and sold them on Etsy and at markets before she had a real website. Getting publicity came not from a PR firm but from sending samples to bloggers and YouTubers who were excited for new things to try. An early Today Show feature brought a flood of orders she was not ready for.Transitioning from employee to founder meant learning wholesale, retail pricing, inventory forecasting, and supply chain on the fly as the brand moved into Whole Foods and beyond. Managing rapid growth brought its own pressure. Scaling rapidly through multiple manufacturing spaces while trying to protect product quality and stay cash-flow stable tested everything she had built.Jaime's advice to women starting over or starting late? Stop talking yourself out of it. Find people who support you. And stop fixating on the end game. Just focus on the next real step in front of you. She did exactly that, and it was enough.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Jaime Schmidt on Building Schmidt’s Naturals From Scratch03:16 How Schmidt’s Naturals Started at a Kitchen Table06:09 Getting Publicity Through Bloggers, The Today Show, and Early Retail Wins10:39 Bootstrapping Manufacturing and Scaling Into Major Retail Stores13:08 Why Jaime Schmidt Sold Schmidt’s Naturals to Unilever17:28 How to Scale a Consumer Brand Without Losing Your Values22:20 Jaime Schmidt on Mentorship, Supermaker, and Investing After Exit26:28 Business Advice for Women Starting Later and Becoming a FounderConnect with Jaime Schmidt:Follow Jaime on InstagramConnect with Jaime on LinkedInSubscribe to The FoundHer Files: http://foundherfiles.substack.comDon't build your business alone, join the FoundHer Forum to build alongside women just like you: https://www.dearfoundher.com/tourFollow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.