OnlyFounders: Explicitly Human Stories
OnlyFounders shares the HUMAN side of founding something meaningful.
Hosted by global keynote speaker and truth disruptor Anne Gillaspie, OnlyFounders goes beyond startup success stories to reveal what it actually feels like to build something meaningful.
We have radically honest conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, leaders, creators and cycle breakers about entrepreneurship, relationships, mental health, founder burnout, identity, fear, failure, leadership, parenting, ambition, authenticity, personal growth and reinvention. If you crave honest founder stories, uncomfortable conversations, human connection and the truth behind entrepreneurship, you're home.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship, founder stories, founder podcast, human side of entrepreneurship, founder mental health, relationships, human connection, authenticity, vulnerability, radical honesty, truth telling, founder burnout, fear and imposter syndrome, identity, personal growth, breaking cycles, authentic leadership.
Episodes
86 episodes
How Hidden Parts of Yourself Can Change Your Life | OnlyFounders
What happens when you stop performing the version of yourself that makes everyone else comfortable?In this deeply personal solo episode of OnlyFounders, Anne Gillaspie opens up about a part of her identity she has been afraid to share pu...
.png)
The Power of Truth When Everything Goes Wrong | OnlyFounders
What do you do when everything goes wrong and everyone is looking to you for answers?In this episode of OnlyFounders, Anne Gillaspie sits down with Alyssa Burns, CEO of Alyssa Burns Communications and a communications strategist speciali...
.png)
What Happens When You Finally Feel Safe to Be Yourself? | OnlyFounders
What if the dreams you had as a child were never random—and some of them are finally showing up in your life today?In this solo episode of OnlyFounders, Anne Gillaspie goes back to the little girl she used to be: the dancer, actress, per...
.png)
Founder Identity: When Your Business No Longer Fits Who You Are | OnlyFounders
What happens when the business you built no longer feels like the business you’re meant to lead?In this episode of OnlyFounders, Anne Gillaspie sits down with Abby Bradetich Nash, a visibility strategist, embodiment mentor, business coac...
.png)
Entrepreneur Mindset: What If You Don’t Actually Want What You “Should” Want? | OnlyFounders
What if the things you think you should do aren’t actually aligned with what you want? In this solo episode of OnlyFounders, Anne Gillaspie gets honest about the expectations that can quietly shape our businesses, careers, families, an...
.png)
Can Your Partner Make or Break Your Founder Journey? | Jenn & Craig Smith | Ep14
Can the person closest to you make or break your founder journey?Jenn Moyer-Smith and Craig Smith are entrepreneurs, storytellers, and partners in both business and life. Together, they've spent decades building businesses, helping brand...
.png)
Who the Fuck Are You? When Your Purpose, Identity & Brand Start to Feel Wrong | Anne Gillaspie | Ep13
What happens when you wake up one morning and suddenly question everything you thought you knew about yourself?In this raw and deeply personal solo episode of OnlyFounders, Anne Gillaspie opens up about a morning when she felt completely...
.jpg)
The Truth About Aging, Hormones, Sex & Building a Business | Kimberly Cunningham | Ep12
What if your body isn’t broken — and you’ve just never been given the right information?In this episode of OnlyFounders, Anne Gillaspie sits down with Kimberly Cunningham, founder of Cunningham Clinic, nurse practitioner, entrepreneur, and ...
.png)
You’re Your Own Boss. So Who Holds You Accountable? | Ep11
You’re your own boss—but who holds you accountable when nobody is watching?For founders, CEOs, and entrepreneurs, freedom can be both the best part of building a business and one of its biggest challenges. Without a boss, structure, or s...
.png)
The Problem Isn't Always Where It Hurts | Laura Mahe | Ep10
What if the place where you feel pain isn't actually where the problem is?Laura Mahe is a manual osteopath and body worker based in Calgary, Alberta, with more than 25 years of experience in the health and wellness industry. After starti...
The Truth About Building a Business While Raising Kids | Anne Gillaspie | Ep09
What if work-life balance isn’t actually the goal when you’re building a business and raising a family?In this solo episode of OnlyFounders, Anne Gillaspie gets honest about the reality of being a founder, a mother, and a partner—and wha...
.png)
The Power of Your Second Act | Bonnie Schutz | Ep08
What happens when nearly 30 years of supporting executives leads you to realize that your biggest career chapter might still be ahead of you?Bonnie Schutz is the founder and CEO of Tandem Resource Solutions, a US-based remote support and...
Stop Fearing AI. Start Using It to Be More Human | Anne Gillaspie | Ep07
What if AI isn't here to replace the human part of your work—but to finally give you more time to actually be human?In this solo episode of OnlyFounders, Anne Gillaspie takes on one of the biggest fears surrounding AI: “Is AI going to re...
Enshittification Explains Everything Wrong With Tech Right Now | Sayre Blake | Ep06
What happens when a classically trained illustrator and electrical engineer decides the answer to AI's biggest problems isn't more data, it's less?Sayre Blake is the CEO and technical founder of SkillSaige, a soft-skills training platfor...
The Real Reason Most Founders Never Plan Their Exit with John Taylor | Ep05
What happens when the guy who built a podcast marketing agency also builds the AI tool designed to make that agency obsolete? John Taylor isn't afraid of the answer. He's already got a number in mind, and the day someone hits it, he's gone....
How Saying Yes Built a Business | Elissa Zylbershlag | Ep04
She built a mentoring program before she knew it was her business.What happens when the thing people keep pulling you aside to do quietly becomes the thing you can't stop building?Elissa Zylbershlag, M.Ed., is the ...
The Founder Mindset Nobody Talks About | Paige Arnof-Fenn | Ep03
"I don't believe in failure. You either learn something, or you're successful. There's no third option."That's the mindset that took Paige Arnof-Fenn from Wall Street burnout to Coca-Cola boardrooms to founding her own brand...
“I Taught Empathy for Years Before I Used It on Myself” | Rob Volpe | Ep02
What happens when the "soft skill" everyone tells you to hide turns out to be the thing that built your business?Rob Volpe spent nearly two decades running Ignite 360, a consumer insights and strategy firm he bootstrapped, self-f...
My Founder Story: Anne Gillaspie on Dying (and Being Reborn) as a Founder | Ep01
What if the version of you that built your first business had to die for the next one to exist? Anne Gillaspie doesn't think that's a metaphor; she thinks it's happened to her three times. In this first-ever solo episode...
067: Why Not Me? Orly Zeewy on Female Entrepreneurship, the Bubble Wrap Story, and Redefining Failure
In this episode, Anne and Matt sit down with Orly Zeewy, brand strategist and author of the upcoming book Why NOT Me? The Female Guide for Entrepreneurship, to unpack the unique challenges women face when building a business. Orly shar...
066: Is AI Killing SaaS? The Builder Bug and Why Execution Beats Planning
In this episode, Matt and Anne dive deep into the rapidly shifting landscape of software development and how AI is empowering non-technical founders to build their own bespoke solutions. They discuss the current headwinds facing the SaaS market...
065: The Real Silver Tsunami, AI Mentorship, and the Future Workforce
In this episode, Matt and Anne debate the looming impact of the "silver tsunami" and what it actually means for the future of business and the workforce. While Anne argues that older generations provide irreplaceable human mentorship, culture, ...
064: Battle Wounds and Boardrooms: Mojo's Evolution from Solo Hustler to Production Agency CEO
In this inspiring episode, Anne and Matt are joined live from Los Angeles by Mojo, the founder and executive producer of Rainbow Creative. Mojo opens up about his incredible founder's journey, tracing his roots from customer service at Apple an...
063: The Power of Experience, Adapting to AI, and Building Your Next Chapter with Adrienne Arieff
In this episode, Anne and Matt sit down with PR veteran and brand strategist Adrienne Arieff to discuss her journey from running a successful firm for a decade to launching a brand-new, mission-driven venture. Adrienne gets real about the harsh...
062: The 2-Month Go-to-Market Cycle, AI Coding Tools, and Why "Live" is the New SEO
In this episode, Matt and Anne dive into how AI is drastically accelerating the founder's journey, cutting the traditional six-month software go-to-market cycle down to just two months. Matt shares his insights on using AI tools to build a full...