From Refugee to Founder: Soon Hagerty on Building Businesses That Give Back Without Burning Out Artwork

Badass Women in Business

Welcome to The Badass Women in Business Podcast, where real women share the unfiltered stories behind their success.

Hosted by Cristy O’Connor and Aggie Chydzinski, this podcast brings you inside the minds of founders, CEOs, and changemakers who have built, rebuilt, and redefined what leadership looks like.

Each week, you will hear how these women turned obstacles into opportunity, silence into strategy, and ambition into impact. These are not highlight reels. They are hard-earned lessons from women who built empires, challenged norms, and did it all on their own terms.

If you are building something, leading something, or dreaming of more, this show will light the fire that keeps you moving.

Subscribe now and join the movement of women rewriting the rules of business, one badass story at a time.

New episodes drop every Tuesday.

All Episodes

Badass Women in Business

From Refugee to Founder: Soon Hagerty on Building Businesses That Give Back Without Burning Out

May 12, 2026 • Aggie & Cristy • Season 5 • Episode 13

0:00 | 50:47

Send us Fan Mail

What if success is not about balance, but about building a life with purpose, curiosity, and impact? In this episode, Soon Hagerty shares how fleeing Vietnam as a child shaped her entrepreneurial mindset, why “business for good” has to be built into the model from day one, and the biggest mistake women founders make when chasing growth. This conversation is packed with honest insights on leadership, resilience, growth mindset, and creating businesses that actually mean something.

Show Notes

Key Takeaways

Why the best businesses solve meaningful problems first
How Soon built mission driven brands without making impact an afterthought
The mindset shift from survival thinking to expansion thinking
Why curiosity and asking better questions are founder superpowers
The truth about “work life balance” and why Soon believes in seasons instead
How women founders can start giving back without overextending themselves
Why growth mindset is less about talent and more about learning fast

Pivotal Moments

Soon’s origin story: From escaping Vietnam to entrepreneurship
The rug pull moment: Losing a succession plan and starting her first agency
The Good Bowl: Building a restaurant that donates with every purchase
Growth mindset in action: Why founders must stay curious to survive
The “seasons not balance” philosophy: A refreshing take on ambition and burnout

Resources Mentioned

Boundless Futures Foundation (BFF)
The Good Bowl
Hagerty
CHIEF
How Women Lead
Uber’s women driver initiative

Favorite Quotes

“There’s barely a risk you can’t unravel. So why not take it?”

“You don’t create a business and then make it meaningful. You create a meaningful business from the beginning.”

“The most important person you manage is yourself.”

Connect + Learn More

Guest: Soon Hagerty
Founder, Boundless Futures Foundation
LinkedIn: soon-hagerty-5637448
Instagram: @soonhagerty

---

Subscribe and Review
If you loved this episode, drop us a review, share it with a badass woman in your life, and subscribe to Badass Women in Business wherever you get your podcasts.

Stay badass. Stay bold. Build it your way.

Keep up with more content from Aggie and Cristy here: