Tenacity with Sonia C.

Hosted by Sonia Couto

Business Entrepreneurship Health FitnessInterviews guests

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About the show

Tenacity with Sonia C is a podcast for founders exploring the real decisions required to build companies, what to build, what to prioritize, and how leaders navigate uncertainty while turning ideas into real businesses. Tenacity is not about motivation. It is about the discipline required to keep building when the path is unclear. Through conversations with founders, operators, and leaders, the podcast explores how real companies are built, including the pivots, mistakes, lessons learned, and decisions that shape long-term success.

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60 recent

33 min

Enterprise Buyers Don't Buy Innovation. They Buy Trust. with Larissa Schneider

Enterprise AI is moving faster than most companies can keep up. But according to Larissa Schneider, the biggest challenge isn't the technology. It's execution.In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C, I sit down with Larissa Schneider, Co-Founder and COO of Unframe, to discuss what it really takes to build an enterprise AI company, earn the trust of Fortune 500 customers, and scale a startup in one of the most competitive markets in tech.Larissa shares why she and her co-founders left successful careers in enterprise technology to build Unframe, how strategic partnerships helped them break into enterprise sales, and why competing against companies like Microsoft and Google requires more than great technology.We also dive into the reality behind raising more than $100 million in venture capital. Contrary to what many founders believe, raising money doesn't reduce the pressure. It raises the stakes. Larissa talks openly about the responsibility that comes with rapid growth, hiring a global team, making decisions with incomplete information, and learning to let go as a leader so others can step up.If you're building a startup, selling into enterprise organizations, leading AI initiatives, or navigating the challenges of scaling a business, this conversation is packed with practical lessons you can apply immediately.In this episode, we discuss:• Building enterprise trust as an early-stage startup• Breaking into Fortune 500 organizations• Strategic partnerships that accelerate growth• What investors don't tell you about raising capital• Why enterprise AI projects succeed or fail• The build vs. buy decision for AI solutions• Leading high-growth teams without becoming the bottleneck• Why founders should spend less time online and more time talking to customersThis episode is for founders, startup operators, technology leaders, and anyone looking to understand what it really takes to build and scale a company in today's AI-driven world.If you enjoyed this conversation, follow Tenacity with Sonia C for more honest discussions with founders who share the realities of entrepreneurship, leadership, growth, and resilience, without the highlight reel.Follow Our Socials:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TenacitywithSoniaCLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/110196575/Host IG: https://www.instagram.com/soniactechAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

36 min

The Scaling Mistake That Nearly Cost Her Everything with Lauren Kwedar

What happens when your business grows faster than your systems, leadership, and life can handle?In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C, Sonia sits down with Lauren Cockerell, founder of Kaidar & Co, to unpack the scaling mistake that nearly cost her everything.After being laid off while 8 months pregnant, Lauren built her company from the ground up. But years later, rapid growth, hiring pressure, operational chaos, and leadership stress forced her to confront a hard truth: more revenue does not automatically create a better business.Lauren shares the real behind-the-scenes reality of scaling a service business, including:Growing revenue by 70% and watching systems breakMaking hiring decisions too quicklyNavigating a business partner exitBalancing leadership with motherhoodlearning why niching down creates clarityRebuilding the company around intentional growth instead of survival modeThis conversation is for founders who are:overwhelmed by scaling pressureexperiencing founder burnoutstruggling with leadership decisionstrying to build a sustainable businessquestioning whether the company they built still fits their lifeIf you are scaling fast but feeling exhausted, this episode will help you rethink what success should actually look like.https://soniacouto.com/podcastAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

46 min

Why Great Strategies Fail Without Great Leadership with Eric Dingler

What happens when your business growth is no longer limited by strategy, but by your leadership?In this episode, Sonia sits down with Eric Dingler to unpack the leadership lessons that emerge as businesses scale. Eric shares the moment he realized his team kept having the same conversations because leadership systems and communication clarity were missing.Together, they explore:Why growing teams require different leadership stylesHow unclear communication creates confusion and inactionThe difference between brainstorming and decision-makingWhy leaders unintentionally slow executionHow accountability and ownership are built into company cultureThe importance of intentional meetings and clear outcomesWhat leaders must change about themselves to scale effectivelyThis conversation is packed with practical insights for entrepreneurs, founders, executives, and team leaders who want to improve communication, create alignment, and build organizations that execute with confidence.Whether you’re leading a startup, growing a team, or trying to move your business to the next level, this episode will challenge the way you think about leadership.🎧 Listen now and discover why better leadership creates better businesses.https://soniacouto.com/episodes Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

37 min

What It Really Costs to Build Something New, with Sam Berman

What does it really take to build something new when there’s no blueprint, no certainty, and no external validation?In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia sits down with Sam Berman, founder of LARC, to talk about the internal war of entrepreneurship, the emotional cost of building, and the mindset required to keep going when doubt, isolation, and pressure hit hard.Sam shares how LARC grew from a napkin sketch into a company serving some of the largest organizations in the world. He breaks down why obsession matters, when founders need to pivot, how to validate an idea early, why integrity matters more than skill when building a team, and what unresolved personal weight can do to a founder’s ability to lead.This is a practical conversation about resilience, conviction, market validation, decision-making, and the discipline required to keep building when the path is unclear.Key TakeawaysThe real battle in entrepreneurship is often psychological, not operational.Obsession can fuel endurance, but it does not replace market validation.If the market gives no traction, founders need to pivot honestly rather than romanticize the struggle.Big ideas require founders to dismantle “I’m not enough” thinking and stop playing small.Teams matter because founders do not need to have every skill themselves.Integrity is a stronger hiring filter than raw skill.Founders need to make decisions, move, and course-correct instead of waiting for certainty.Emotional discipline matters because fear, anger, rejection, and doubt can distort leadership.Unresolved personal weight does not disappear under pressure; building often brings it to the surface.Bold outreach can open doors, even with very large companies.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

44 min

The Visibility Strategy Helping Founders Get Funded with Liana Zavo

Most founders think fundraising is about pitch decks, introductions, and traction.But investors are evaluating more than just that; they are also looking for credibility.In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C, we explore a new fundraising strategy more founders are starting to use: visibility as leverage.PR is no longer just about press coverage. It’s about positioning yourself as a credible, trustworthy founder that investors feel confident backing.We break down:Why investors often trust founders they’ve heard of before they meet themHow PR builds authority and reduces perceived riskWhy personal brand influence investor confidenceHow founders can use visibility strategically when preparing to raise capitalThe difference between marketing visibility and credibility visibilityIf you’re building something real but struggling to get investor traction, this episode introduces a new way to think about fundraising strategy.Because investors don’t just fund ideas, they fund founders they believe in.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

55 min

The Difference Between Building a Product and Building a Company with Jon Hacker

Tenacity with Sonia C is a podcast for founders building real companies. Each episode explores how founders decide what to build, how they prioritize, and how they navigate uncertainty as they move from idea to product and from product to growth.Most technical founders believe the hardest part is building the technology.It isn’t.In this episode, Sonia sits down with a neurotechnology founder building in the mental health space to unpack what actually makes or breaks a startup, and it’s rarely the science.They explore:• The transition from builder to CEO• Why failure is a required phase of building• How to validate before overbuilding• Why the wrong cofounder can destroy momentum• The tension between scientific credibility and startup speed• How founders get in their own way• Why revenue is the strongest signal of product value• How deep tech companies build trust in regulated marketsThis episode is for founders navigating:Early traction challenges, product validation questions, cofounder decisions, or credibility hurdles in complex industries.If you’re building in AI, medtech, neurotech, SaaS, or any technical vertical, this episode will help you see what investors, customers, and operators actually look for.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

1 hr 9 min

From Comic Collector to Manga Expert to Entrepreneur with Rui Couto

Tenacity with Sonia C is a podcast for founders building real companies. Each episode explores how founders decide what to build, how they prioritize, and how they navigate uncertainty as they move from idea to product and from product to growth.What happens when a childhood obsession becomes a real business?In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C, Sonia talks with Rui Couto about how he turned collecting comic books, Pokémon cards, and rare manga into a business built on sourcing, consulting, product design, and deep trust in a niche market.Rui shares how he went from passionate collector to recognized expert, why he moved to Japan, how he built a network without relying on a traditional website, and what founders can learn from solving their own problem before the market catches up. He also breaks down the real work behind niche credibility, the cultural lessons of doing business in Japan, and why product innovation often starts with frustration.This episode is for founders, collectors, niche builders, and anyone trying to turn expertise into a business without following the standard playbook.Practical takeaways include: how to spot hidden market opportunities, why trust can outperform scale, how to build authority in a niche, and what it takes to turn passion into real revenue.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

53 min

Why Most Startups Fail: The Founder Mistakes No One Warns You About with Andrew Ackerman

Tenacity with Sonia C is a podcast for founders building real companies. Each episode explores how founders decide what to build, how they prioritize, and how they navigate uncertainty as they move from idea to product and from product to growth.Most startups don’t fail because founders lack ambition.They fail because founders build in a vacuum, avoid the real problem, and keep operating at the wrong level for the stage of the company.In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C, Sonia sits down with startup founder, investor, and author Andrew Ackerman, who has built multiple companies and invested in more than 70 early-stage startups.Andrew shares the patterns he sees repeatedly across founders, the mistakes that quietly kill startups, and the habits that separate companies that survive from those that disappear.One of the biggest misconceptions founders have is that building a startup is about big ideas and innovation. In reality, most founders spend the majority of their time doing whatever needs to be done just to keep the business moving forward.Throughout the conversation, Andrew breaks down the practical lessons founders usually learn the hard way, including why startups should test ideas before building, how to identify real customer problems, and the signals investors look for when deciding whether to back a founder.Sonia and Andrew also explore the realities of scaling a company, the pressure founders face as teams grow, and how leaders must evolve their skills at every stage of the startup journey.This episode is a reminder that building a company isn't about avoiding mistakes; it's about recognizing signals early, learning quickly, and adapting before time and capital run out.If you're building a startup, launching a product, or trying to turn an idea into a real business, this conversation offers insights that could save founders months, or even years, of costly mistakes.In This Episode You’ll Learn• Why founders should test ideas before building products• The most common mistakes first-time founders make• How investors evaluate startup founders• Why coachability is one of the biggest signals of success• The importance of customer discovery in startup growth• How founders transition from operator to CEO• Why founders must constantly learn new skills as companies scale• How to identify real problems vs surface-level startup challengesSubscribe to Tenacity with Sonia C for conversations with founders and leaders building real companies and sharing the lessons they learned along the way.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

31 min

When the Safe Path Feels Heavy with Jason VanDevere

Tenacity with Sonia C is a podcast for founders building real companies. Each episode explores how founders decide what to build, how they prioritize, and how they navigate uncertainty as they move from idea to product and from product to growth.Many founders don’t start from nothing, they start from expectation.In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C, Sonia sits down with entrepreneur Jason Vanderveer, who made the unconventional decision to walk away from taking over his family’s multi-million dollar auto dealership business in order to build something of his own.Instead of stepping into a guaranteed leadership role, Jason started from scratch with an idea he developed in his basement, a productivity planner designed around how high performers actually set and track goals. That experiment eventually grew into a seven-figure product business, a community of more than 40,000 customers, and a 35-unit real estate portfolio.But the real conversation isn’t about planners or productivity.It’s about the moment founders face when the safe path starts to feel heavy, and the cost of staying aligned with expectations outweighs the risk of leaving.In this episode, Sonia and Jason discuss:• Why some founders inherit opportunity but still feel misaligned• The internal pressure of turning down a family legacy business• The painful focus group that almost killed Jason’s first product• Why most entrepreneurs chase “easy money” instead of meaningful work• The Triple L Framework Jason uses to evaluate business ideas• Why clarity about the life you want matters more than the business you build• How founders accidentally recreate the same burnout they tried to escape• The role dreaming, discipline, and boundaries play in sustainable entrepreneurshipThis conversation is for entrepreneurs, founders, CEOs, and operators who are navigating difficult decisions about career direction, business alignment, and long-term leadership.If you’ve ever questioned whether the path you’re on is actually yours, this episode will resonate.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

33 min

The Launch Playbook for Founders Who Expect a Traffic Spike with Michael Dodworth

Tenacity with Sonia C is a podcast for founders building real companies. Each episode explores how founders decide what to build, how they prioritize, and how they navigate uncertainty as they move from idea to product and from product to growth.If you’re building something worth attention, you need to be ready for the spike.In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia sits down with Michael Dodsworth, a product leader who has spent two decades operating in high-pressure launch environments at companies like Salesforce and Optimizely, as well as in live event ticketing, where millions show up at once.This conversation isn’t about tickets.It’s about what happens when:Your product goes viral3 million people hit your site at onceBots flood your checkoutYou oversellYour team panicsAnd social media is watchingMichael breaks down what actually fails first during a launch meltdown, why most companies are underprepared for spiky demand, and the systems founders should build before scaling attention.Sonia brings it back to what matters most: leadership under pressure, resilience when things break, and why calm founders win.If you’re planning:A product dropA Black Friday launchAn influencer collaborationA waitlist releaseOr your first viral campaignThis episode is your pre-flight checklist.Because going viral isn’t the goal. Staying up is.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands